4.5 I read this book just after finishing a slight obsession with Hell’s Kitchen, so it was kind of perfect timing, and I absolutely loved it!

The characters were so sweet and had such cute moments with one another. The grumpy x sunshine trope is always going to rope me in, especially when grumpy falls in love first, and this book does exactly that.

I thought the non-binary rep was wonderful and I loved that even when the MC was getting misgendered, the author worked around it to always use their correct pronouns.

The spice was absolutely delicious, so that was a fun plus.

But what I really loved was the family dynamics the characters work through throughout the story. I wasn’t expecting to deal with some of my own family issues when I picked up a cute, kitchen romance novel but hey—here I am! I cried an embarrassing amount and I think the character development was really well done. There were a few issues at the end that felt a little too quickly and easily resolved, especially since they were presented as huge problems throughout the story, but overall a really fun, sexy love story about learning to be comfortable and happy with yourself!

Love & Other Disasters was such a fun, dual POV romance that takes place on the set of a cooking competition show. Freshly divorced, Dahlia is at a bit of a crossroads in her life. She feels blah and decides to quit her job to compete on Chef’s Special, a cooking competition show. She is immediately struck by London, a rather quiet non-binary contestant who shares the cooking station behind her. The feeling is mutual and London can’t seem to keep their eyes off of Dahlia.

I loved the growth our main characters showed throughout this book. Dahlia struggled so much during her marriage and even after her divorce trying to figure out what would make her happy. She loves the way California Dahlia acts, and eventually she comes to realize that California Dahlia is just true, happy Dahlia. When she stops being scared and starts taking chances she discovers just how happy and brave she is.

I loved the queer representation in this book. As I mentioned, Dahlia is queer and London non-binary, but some of the side characters are also queer as well (Cath and Hank). I loved how confident London is in their body and how they point out that the road to where they are was long and not always easy. Im so happy and proud that they were able to stand up to their father at the end.

I loved all of the side characters (well, maybe except Lizzie and London’s father) and reading about all of London and Dahlia’s California adventures. I wish we got to spend more time with Julie and Hank - they seemed like fun. There were also quite a few steamy moments!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an advance copy. I will definitely be checking out more from this author.

Love & Other Disasters was such a unique and refreshing read! It had all the qualities I love about romcoms within the storyline while also involving diverse characters and important subject matter that made it extremely difficult to put this book down! The LGBTQIA+ representation was so well done and I absolutely loved these characters. I appreciated how the author not only had characters that fell within my generation, but characters from all different stages of life, and displaying how discussions about identity and sexual orientation are so important to normalize talking about these topics. Dahlia and London were such likable characters and I really enjoyed the alternating POVs throughout the book so we could experience both characters' inner monologues and feelings. Their interactions felt authentic and I liked how they pushed each other to be better and to believe in their abilities throughout the story. I appreciated the thoughtfulness of including situations where consent was addressed and the characters were respectful of each other's feelings. I also thought the situations in which we were able to see the inner turmoil they were facing due to interactions/reactions from those in their own families and also in the community helped to reiterate that acceptance is so important. We don't always know what people are going through in their daily lives so kindness is always a good thing to extend to others. The cooking show aspect was fun to follow and I liked hearing about many of the contestants during different rounds and their interactions with the main characters (yes even Lizzie... she totally sucked but we know there are a lot of ignorant people like her out there and that just helped to make this story even more authentic).

This book was such a joy to read and I'm incredibly grateful to Forever Publishing and Anita Kelly for the opportunity to read this novel. If you love food, diversity, LGBTQIA+ representation, and romance, this is a book for you!

4.75 stars!!!

I absolutely adored this book! As a person who became absolutely obsessed with the Great British Baking Show over the last several months, I am a sucker for anything combining my two favorite things: romance and baking competitions!!!

Dahlia and London's chemistry practically jumps off of the page. I loved how unhesitatingly supportive Dahlia is of London and their identity as non-binary, and how immediately protective she was of them. I also was rooting for Dahlia during this entire book, since she is definitely a sunshine at heart, even if the past few years of her life have gotten her a little down while she tries to figure out who she is and what she wants.

I don't want to give away any major plot points, but I absolutely adored this book from start to finish, and can't wait for the wider world to read it! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy; all opinions are honest and mine.

CW: misgendering, enbyphobia, divorce

I go into every romance with low expectations so I was completely surprised by how much this one blew me away. First off, I loved the cooking show aspect. It was done very well in this book and as a cooking show fan, I appreciated that. I also loved the chemistry between Dahlia and London. The secret crush, mutual pining trope is one of my favorites. Also the spicy element in this book was so well done. It was very honest & not just added for flair. I hate when books add sex scenes purely for shock value & this was not the case here. Overall, very cute, very diverse and pleasant read.

Dahlia Woodson started cooking after her divorce. She never expected to end up on Chef’s Special, a popular cooking show, competing for the $100,000 prize. Or to fall on her face the first night. Or to meet someone who completely changes her life.

London Parker has been cooking since they were little, but nothing could have prepared them for being the first openly nonbinary contestant. After announcing their pronouns on national television, how difficult can a cooking competition really be?

Love & Other Disasters follows the romance between Dahlia and London. It’s a cute romance with a little bit of steam mixed in. Anita Kelly also tackles themes like family acceptance, finding one’s self after a divorce, and the decision not to have children so there are more serious topics. Overall, the relationship between Dahlia and London was light enough to balance the book well.

I loved the representation in this book. Dahlia is queer, London is pan and nonbinary. This was actually my first book with a nonbinary main character so I loved it. It’s a third-person dual POV book. Sometimes I felt like the POVs switched without enough distinction, but other than that it was well done.

Overall, I liked this book a lot even though it didn’t end up being a five-star read for me. It’s cute and full of queer joy. I highly recommend it. There are themes that could have been wrapped up better and the POVs needed to be a little more distinct, but other than that it was fantastic.

I was so excited to read this book! Thank you to netgalley for sending me an early review copy.
I am living for the queer cooking romances we're getting in 2022. This book absolutely helped satiate my need for more nonbinary cooking stories.
Dahlia is recently divorced and found her love of cooking while her relationship was unsteady. London is the first openly nonbinary chef on the show hoping to use the prize money to open a nonprofit. Can two competitors who could be sent home at any moment allow themselves to push past their fears and build a relationship?
I adored the cooking competition setting and thought it was incredible to read. I had so much fun and so many feelings reading about London and Dahlia's relationship. Two wonderful and scared people wanting more than they believe they'd be able to have when the competition ends.
The only notes I took say: "I'm obsessed with how enamored London is with Dahlia" and "I need more nonbinary main characters in cooking/baking books". I can't wait for this release so I can convince everyone to read it.

A queer love story set on the stage of a reality cooking show? What's not to

love?! Dahlia is recently divorced from the only person she's ever been with, and she uses her newfound freedom to pair well with cooking and baking. Dahlia has never been adventurous until she auditioned's for the chance to win 100,000!
London is the first open nonbinary person on Chef's Special. London's main focus is to be a great contestant and win this money so she can start her own nonprofit that is until Dahlia walks in and London is hooked.

I loved Dahlia and London's witty and sexy banter. Both characters are so
relatable and I enjoyed the authentic friends-to-lovers trope. I loved how the two main characters are so complex and not basic at all. They both share similar stories that soo many people can relate to. For myself, I connected to Dahlia right away. Like Dahlia, I have been with the same man my entire life, but I've known early on that I was queer. Watching Dahlia be honest and come to this realization was so beautiful and made me cry. This book is sweet, spicy and just a book one might read to get out of a book slump.


#LoveOtherDisasters #NetGalley

I opened my copy of this book before bed meaning to read just a chapter or two to get started, but suddenly found myself awake hours later finishing it??
LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS is a solid romance with chemistry between the leads that is just plain fun. The viewpoint switching throughout the novel works well to build up the giddy flirting to actually believable attraction and followthrough! As a queer reader, one of the most striking moments to me was Dahlia in conversation with another constestant on the show who continuously misgendered London– except the readers never had to actually read the wrong pronouns.
The sex scenes between Dahlia and London are fun and read like *queer* sex - but I will say. food, yes, it's sexy! but there are some places where food (especially high-sugar-content food like fruit and whipped cream) should NOT go on/in the body!
One of the aspects where my the story fell apart a bit for me was unfortunately the cooking show itself. Maybe for readers who watch more reality TV it won't be as hard a sell, but I had a difficult time tracking what was happening on the show, what dynamics were supposed to be calling my attention or not, and what the hell was going on with the PA storyline and why the #TeamLondon v. #TeamLizzie dynamic had Dahlia pulled into it??
Overall, I think this is going to be a fun read for someone who likes a good romance and is looking for some rare nonbinary love interest representation. Not recommended for folks who hate a third act miscommunication gaffe, but note the characters do actually *talk* about the miscommunication sooner rather than later!

This book is absolutely a new favourite of mine. It was so adorable and heartwarming, I loved it so much

Although this romance did involve a bit of miscommunication, (which I am generally not a very big fan of), I think this book handled it very well. It was very limited and dealt with in a proper manner which I really appreciated. Also, there was an epilogue, which is my all time favourite things in a romance. I want to know what happens to the characters after their story is over, and this one was super cute. Definitely worth the read.

I also want to bring up how much I appreciated how this story dealt with the trans main character and how the on page transphobia was very limited. There wasn't a single moment where I felt uncomfortable reading about London's experiences, which is something that tends to happen for me when it comes to explicit on page transphobia. I appreciated how when the character was misgendered or somebody said something about them, it was never written out, we only know that this has happened. For instance, when London is misgendered, instead of putting the pronouns the person misgendering them used to describe them, the author stuck with using their proper pronouns and instead chose only to say that this person had said something other than "they,"

The romance was everything to me. I love slow burn and this definitely felt like that, but it also went by so quickly i couldn't even tell. I need to bring up how Dahlia approached London's feelings throughout the relationship in relation to their gender. I genuinely loved how well it was handled and how she went about to make sure that London was comfortable in any situation they were in. I also really liked that they talked about the issues they faced dating as a trans person, because it can be really difficult sometimes, especially when you identify outside of the binary.

Of course, I have to bring up the cooking, seeing as that is the main plot (other than the romance). I know absolutely nothing about cooking, In fact I'm terrible at it. But, i used to watch shows like the one this book is set in and the whole environment and setting to this story was really entertaining. I loved reading about the experience from both characters perspectives and seeing how much cooking had impacted their lives and how it has comforted each of them in different ways.

Truly, this book is going to be a new comfort read for me and I cannot wait to get a hold of a physical copy so that I can read it again.

A January 2022 romantic comedy centered around a reality cooking contest tv show. This book is unique in that one of the main characters is #nonbinary. It took me a bit to get use to reading #they/them for a singular person but its great to have books for everyone to identify with. If this is a new type of book for you, keep an open mind & choose acceptance. It’s a cute read. Sex scenes were pretty graphic for someone who doesn’t generally read books with sexual encounters, so if this isn’t your thing just flip past those pages.

Thank you to #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A knockout queer love story by Anita Kelly! I had been looking forward to reading this book for a while now, the moment I saw the blurb and was immediately excited to see a non-binary main character. I thought this book had a lot of good parts: the setting of the story was really fun, the relationship build was done really well, and of course, there were those conflicts that were done in a respectful way (the biggest was London navigating being out on tv as nonbinary, and the continual struggle they had with those close to them, e.g. their dad, recognizing their pronouns.) I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who not only wants a cute love story, but a laugh out loud banter between the two characters, and just one that recognizes non-binary characters on paper. It's truly so so important and special to see.

What a totally delightful debut!

My book group bumped this up on my TBR this week, and I am so glad for it. Dahlia and London are perfect counterbalances to each other, and London is my favorite kind of love interest, someone who's like "feelings? I am certainly not experiencing them and even if I was I would not admit to it, also I want this person around me all the time and everything they do I deeply adore for reasons I will not disclose." Their chemistry was so wonderful.

I also really appreciated how London's non-binaryness was addressed throughout the book. There's one instance in which another participant misgenders them to Dahlia, but the dialogue still uses they/them pronouns for them - Kelley so fully respects their characters that no one's going to misgender them. Later, London's mother talks about how their dad still wants to refer to them and their sisters as he did before they came out without making excuses for him, and I think that was really great as well, that someone who has known London their entire life is the only one who's able to allude to London's past gender expression on the page besides London themself.

My only real negative about the book is that the writing is a little unrefined at times, clunky and repetitive in some places. This is the kind of thing that only gets better in time, and I have no doubt that Kelly will continue to write some really remarkable things. I can't wait.

I saved this ARC because I knew I would enjoy the heck out of it - and I did.

The good:

- A nonbinary love interest written by a nonbinary author, woo!

- I especially love that the third person point of view let's London's they/them pronouns shine. In first person narratives we only hear pronouns from other PoVs, but here we can revel in "they shook their head" for chapters at a time.

- The read overall is fun. I picked this up at the very end of the year and was able to turn my analytical brain (mostly) off and enjoy watching Dahlia and London fall in love. Check out <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4318667186">Adri's great review</a> for a deeper dive into exactly why the book is so great, I agree with all of it.

The not-so-great:

- There's a third act breakup, which I'm not a huge fan of. I had a strong, 'why aren't you talking about this important thing?!' feeling and what'dya know, it leads to the breakup. The grand gesture is cute, meaningful, and not too grand (a good thing), but ugh, that didn't make it any more fun to read.

All in all, though, Love & Other Disasters is a delightful contemporary romance and I'm glad that it got picked up by Book of the Month Club so that more people will read it. I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series!


Content notes: misgendering, transphobia, mentions of divorce

4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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Love & Other Disasters follows Dahlia and London, two competitors on a reality cooking show, as they begin to fall for each other while competing for $100,000. Dahlia is a recent divorcee and feels like a disastrous disappointment; London is the show's first openly nonbinary contestant and feels a lot of pressure riding on their success. Both have strong desires to win, and yet neither of them can help these romantic feelings that surface... It's a fun novel that is sure to leave readers wanting more!
I had to adjust myself to this book's humor and writing style (the first chapter gave me a bit too much secondhand embarrassment), but it is definitely a cute and fun read! I enjoyed the descriptions--especially the food!--and the dialogue felt a little over-the-top in a humorsome way. There were clear moments of seriousness, and I enjoyed seeing the contrast between the bubble of the couple's relationship compared to the reality of the world. The plot was definitely on the fluffier side, but it's not without real-world struggles and complications... including TV magic and the third-act breakup. I will say, I think the third-act breakup made sense here, unlike a lot of romance novels, and the time apart helped the characters have some tough realizations. Speaking of the characters: I definitely like Dahlia--even after her first impression left me cringing away!--and London is very sweet. (Side note: I loved seeing the representation of singular they/them pronouns, especially in a third-person dual POV! As well as the pan/queer representation of London and Dahlia, respectively.) Dahlia is very passionate and tries her best to be positive, while London is a bit more serious and solemn. It's not quite grumpy/sunshine, as London really only interacts with Dahlia and we don't get to see a lot of grumpiness, but perhaps the relationship is more reserved/outgoing? Even then, the two occasionally switch up the role dynamics. In any case, it's very fun. I will say, I wish the characters interacted with other people on the show more rather than being in their own little bubble. While it's fun to see the couple interacting for a majority of the book--it *is* a romance, after all!--and while they do interact with their family and a couple of show members, it never really feels like the competition is at forefront except in the actual challenges (and, obviously, the main conflict of "what's going to happen when one of us leaves the show?"). Also, I would occasionally need to reread a couple of sentences to figure out what was happening. Not a big deal, but it did slightly impact my enjoyment.
Love & Other Disasters is an adorable romance with a lot of fluffiness, sexiness, and of course conflict! A very fun adult romance. 4 stars.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for a review*

Love and Other Disasters has earned a place on my favourites list. I loved every second of it! The romance itself just felt very real world (I’m not sure if this makes sense, but it made me feel like I was reading a love story about two real life people).

In this book, we follow Dahlia and London, two contestants on a cooking show known as Chef’s Special, which is mainly geared towards those newer to cooking. Dahlia, fresh out of a divorce and on the verge of bankruptcy, is ready to reinvent herself on Chef’s Special. London is the first openly nonbinary person on Chef’s Special, and is ready to show the world that they can cook, especially their dad. As Dahlia and London grow closer, reality and anxiety starts to fall away. However, they must figure out if they have the right ingredients to form a happily every after forever.

First off, I love that this was a dual POV romance. Seeing the world from both of their eyes really made it a more interesting and exciting read!

Representation: we get to see a queer woman and a pansexual nonbinary as our main characters, but there are also side characters who are queer. I felt the NB rep to be perfect, especially the talks about transphobia. London deals with misgendering from their father. The only thing I did hope we saw more of was London’s father after the show was over (he is mentioned but only briefly in the epilogue).

Dahlia and London’s romance itself is adorable. London loves Dahlia exactly the way she is, and Dahlia loves London exactly the way they are. Dahlia is also protective around London’s father, which I greatly appreciated that a partner sticks up for one another around family.

I highly suggest picking up Love and Other Disasters if you want a queer cooking show romance! It’s super cute, and an easy read.

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve been so excited for Love & Other Disasters since receiving my review copy a few months back, and I’m so happy to see it getting so much attention, including being picked up by Book of the Month. And now having finished it, I find the hype is definitely well deserved. It’s such a sweet, heartwarming hug of a book, and that made me feel every emotion.
The characters’ respective passion for food is what caught my attention from the first pages. The descriptions of the food and the cooking are so enticing and mouthwatering. It’s definitely one of the biggest highlights of the book, especially the first half. And even if some of the more serious moments took center stage in the second half, it always came back to food, including one of the most perfect, subtle romantic gestures that caps off the book.
And the characters are brilliant. Dahlia is a bundle of chaos, and her life is in shambles, but she’s determined to try to reinvent herself. And I loved London’s bravery in being authentically themself in such a public, and sometimes judgmental, environment like a reality cooking show. And upon the revelation that London is still dealing with issues of acceptance in her own family unit, that’s even more wonderful.
And while the road to their happy ending is not without speed-bumps, especially Dahlia’s doubts, I love how much they love each other with mutual respect and without judgments about what each other has been through or their respective personal quirks. London embraces Dahlia’s chaos, and Dahlia is willing to support and stand up for London when people try to invalidate them and their gender identity.
This book is pure perfection, and I’d recommend it to everyone, especially if you love queer romcoms and/or foodie romances.

A fun and cute queer love story that takes place on a cooking competition show. The story line was sweet, however I struggled to really connect with the characters.

Welcome to Chef's Special, America's favorite cooking reality show featuring home chefs from all over the country. And we promise this season is going to be the best one yet.

London is the first nonbinary contestant on a cooking reality show, and it's from the beginning that they have a crush on one of their competitors, Dahlia. Will they be able to navigate the competition and this budding romance with Dahlia, or will the competition keep them from exploring these new feelings.

Dahlia is recently divorced and is trying to figure out what she wants to do next in her life. She ends up getting a spot on the competitive cooking show, and is quickly enamored with London. Will she be able to capture their heart? Or will she have to face them down in an elimination challenge?

The premise of this book sounds really good. I love a good cooking show, and having a main nonbinary character in a romance novel is different than what I normally read. I felt that London as a character was really well developed, as well as some of their family members as they were introduced. However, although Dahlia was well developed as well, I found her to be exasperating and naive at certain points in the story. Girl, do you even know that you're on a reality competition show? Get it together! Unfortunately, most of the other characters in the book, including all of the other competitors, judges, and remaining family members of London and Dahlia just felt like they were only there to serve as plot development. I would have liked to see more.

Yes, this is a romance book. Perhaps I was being optimistic that there would be more cooking-related chapters. Maybe some more drama. If you like romance, then this story might be right up your alley. But if you're looking for some reality show drama, you'll get little of that here.

It was a fine book and I love seeing more voices expressed in stories. Definitely check it out if you're looking to diversify your reading.

This book was a breath of fresh air! Honestly there was so much to love starting with the fact that Anita Kelly gave a non-binary person a leading role and gave so much page space to normalizing and educating while still creating a sexy, charming, romance. This is a book we all need in the romance community and I"m honored to have read an eARC.

The story follows two contestants on a televised cooking show which puts them both on some neutral territory. They each have something they are looking to prove or get beyond and a strong reason to win. Neither one of them is expecting a romantic entanglement with a fellow competitor however once they embrace it, the entire story takes on a really lovely and light feel. For two people who feel like they don't quite fit in, they seem to be a perfect pairing. The author did a wonderful job of creating both the romance, but also lots of side stories that kept the momentum.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a more inclusive romance book, some mega steam, a very sweet romance, and loves of charm.