I adored this rom com!!! I’m currently in the midst of finals and this book was exactly what I needed currently—fluffy, soft, steamy, with a perfect happy ending. It has absolutely INCREDIBLE representation. I loved reading about a trans masc person being lusted over, our bodies are so often seen as undesirable so it was lovely to read. (((spoiler) As someone who works at a rural queer summer camp, I’m so happy that the book ended with London deciding to use their winnings to start one! It felt very personal to me and my own passions.)))
If you also love The Charm Offensive or Heartbreak Bakery, GO READ THIS ONE!! I am planning on preordering a copy of this one, and am def putting Anita Kelly on my list of authors to watch, I can’t wait to see what they do next!

Nonbinary, pansexual, queer, trans man
own voices
CW: Transphobia, misgendering, explicit scenes

So, I'm calling it in 2021 that Love & Other Disasters is going to be one of my Top Ten favorites of 2022, and is THE ROMANCE to watch. Absolutely stunning debut, I'm so excited for all of you to meet London and Dahlia.

Stay tuned for my full review in Library Journal

Thank you to Forever for the advanced review copy. I already need a re-read!

dnf @65%

I REALLY wanted to love this one, & it was one of my most-anticipated romance novels for 2022. And even tho there were parts of it that I DID really like, ultimately the parts I disliked made me dnf.

First & foremost, I gotta say -- Anita Kelly wrote an EXCELLENT nonbinary character in London. As a nonbinary person myself, London felt true to my experience, but also dimensionally complex; they aren't in any way a stereotype, they're a well-rounded character. So for those of you who are worried about that, fear not! There are some instances of misgendering and trans/nonbinary-specific microaggressions, but they're immediately challenged within the text. (In that vein tho -- I experience enough of that in my daily life, so it made the book a bit less enjoyable for me, personally; romance is an escapist genre for me, and I just wasn't in the mood to be reminded of the crappy stuff that happens in my daily life just now.)

I think Kelly did a great job of creating dynamic main characters and atmospheric settings, but there were some things -- literally almost all due to my own taste -- that I disliked. First, I wish that there had been more character development. London & Dahliah were fine, but there was pretty much no secondary character development, which sucked. Also, on a personal level? I did not like London as a character. D: There were just aspects of who they were as a person that I disliked, which made me not really care about their relationship with Dahliah. Also the sex scenes were uhhhhh not my thing. (I'm sorry, I have OCD & just don't want to read about those specific kinks!!!) All that combined to my just not really wanting to finish the book.

So overall? Not bad, but just not exactly what I was looking for. It's objectively well-written and is sure to delight many readers, but it just didn't work for me.

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly grabbed me by my heartstrings and didn’t let go until the very end. I was completely captivated by Dahlia and London, two contestants on a cooking show set in LA. Dahlia is recently divorced and trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. London is the show’s first openly nonbinary contestant. Both are creative in the kitchen and with the dishes they prepare for the judges—the cooking competition scenes were filled with delicious-sounding creations. There are steamy scenes, and there are also such vulnerable, sweet, and supportive moments between Dahlia and London that I adored.

Though there’s a fun, competitive cooking show setting and the backdrop of LA (and one very memorable Pacific Ocean scene), Kelly beautifully handles important themes throughout the book (divorce, transphobia, family tensions, finding purpose in life) beautifully. I am forever an Anita Kelly fan—their writing is vivid and sharp. If this book isn’t already on your list (or pre-ordered), it needs to be!

Love & Other Disasters will be out on January 18, 2022, and you can pre-order it now.

*Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for this book. All opinions are my own.

First things first, the biggest thank you to Anita Kelly and Forever for an advanced copy of this book. This was my first ever ARC and I feel so honored that my first got to be THIS story!

So what’s it about? Recently divorced Dahlia Woodson decides to take leap of faith and quit her job to pursue her culinary dreams… by being a contestant on the nationally televised show Chef’s Special. There’s a lot that could go wrong, but with a huge cash prize that could pay off her debt, it’s worth the gamble. London Parker is competing for more than just themself. As the show’s first ever openly nonbinary contestant, they hope to raise support for the queer community and plan to use the prize money to help queer kids back home. What neither London nor Dahlia bargained for however, was sizzling hot chemistry with another contestant. But as the show continues and the contestants dwindle, can their budding relationship take the heat?

I loved this book through and through. Dahlia and London absolutely captured my heart. Anita, I must know what on EARTH you put into this book?! Because I’m pretty sure it is pure magic. London is the first nonbinary character I have read about and 1) they made me think about representation (or more specifically the lack of) in the books I have read and the books on my radar. And 2) in the same vain, their character and the consistent use of their correct pronouns on the page (and Dahlia’s ferocity in making sure other characters used them) made my heart weep happy tears thinking of queer and nonbinary youth getting to read this book and see themselves portrayed. Dahlia and London’s story is so beautiful. Their interactions are so real and so believable. Their chemistry is OFF THE CHARTS. The spicy scenes? Wowee. And my goodness, this book, these two (as well as their supporting cast) are just so funny! Multiple times while reading I sat the book down and just cackled and the antics playing out! I feel like I can be stingy with handing out 5 stars but for Love & Other Disasters? I have absolutely no hesitation.

The premise was really fun, and as someone who loves watching cooking competitions, I was super excited about it. Unfortunately, the cooking show parts of the book were a little sparse and at times it was a little confusing who was still in the competition (there is a part where there were eight people left and then someone got sent home and there were still eight people there). I was hoping for a bit more tv show hijinks.

For me, Dahlia and London’s relationship went from zero to 180 in no time flat. I prefer a bit more buildup in my romances. To be fair, it’s made quite clear that they both find each other very attractive, but I wanted more development in their friendship before it turned more sexual and romantic. The sex scenes were okay. There were some things that happened that are not my cup of tea and one part of a sex scene that irked me, but I’m sure other people won’t mind. I enjoyed some of their conversations about their lives and what they wanted to do. I wish we got more of that connection throughout the story.

Something I really liked in the story was both Dahlia and London’s relationships with their different family members. Dahlia and her brother Hank have some very sweet moments. London and Julie also have a really strong relationship and bond. I also really liked the resolutions that happen with both Dahlia and London’s respective issues with their parents.

I feel like the ending kind of wrapped up super quickly and I wanted to see how some of the things that are talked about happened. Especially for Dahlia because of her personal growth.

I really really wanted to love this book, but though I was a solid story, the romance fell flat for me. I would give this book a solid 3 stars. I know so many people will love this book though!

This is a stunningly spectacular novel about queer characters who include a non-binary character on a nationally televised cooking show. They start as competitors, become friends, crush on each other and try to decide whether a relationship can work based on a tv showmance.

Aside from a brilliant plot and a beautiful story, this is phenomenally well written. Anita Kelly has really brought these characters and this story to life in such a heartwarming way. Utterly brilliant and beautiful! Kudos!

This was overall a fun whirlwind romance. It definitely captured some warm fuzzy moments, and I loved the enby rep as well. While I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend, the plot points fell a little flat. I didn't feel as though I had as good of a grasp on the cooking competition as I wanted to, and the deep conversations seemed to throw the light flirty fling off balance for me. A lot of this is my own subjective romance preference, so I can easily see how others will like this more than me. Thank you Netgalley and Forever for an eArc in exchange for an honest review!

London and Dahlia are both selected to compete on a Chopped-style cooking competition show. London is a non-binary person who, in addition to the stress of the competition, is also dealing with the spotlight of national TV show as a non-binary person. Dahlia is a recent divorcee who signed up for the show to figure out what to do with her life that no longer inspires her. Through the competition, the grumpy London and bubbly Dahlia realize that they might be more than competitors. As more and more competitors get cut from the show, Dahlia and London realize they might be best as a team and not as opponents.

This was the first romance I've ever read with a non-binary character, and really loved the LGBTQIA rep in general. Dahlia identifies as queer and has a brother who is trans. Both Dahlia and London's stories involve internal struggles about their identities, but it doesn't overshadow the romance. Excellent example of the fact that romance doesn't and shouldn't always be straight.

The final act conflict felt real and not forced, and the grand gesture was intimate and not showy. All in all, all the characters felt very easy to identify with and particularly the side characters weren't overblown like happens in many romance novels.

I enjoyed this book so much! I'm a sucker for food competition shows and romance novels so this was right up my alley! I also VERY much enjoyed the Pansexual and non-Binary representation in this book. My only qualm would be that Dahlia and London got together very quickly, but the book was just so cute overall that I didn't mind that that much in the end! Definitely highly recommend this book and will be buying a copy for myself when it comes out!

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for providing me this eARC for review!

I absolutely loved the premise of Love & Other Disasters: A recently divorced queer woman and the first openly nonbinary contestant on a cooking show compete in a romcom? Yes, please. There was so much to explore in that, and I do think Anita Kelly delivered the story they intended.

Though from the outside I really thought I would love this story, I found myself feeling distanced from it. To me, it seemed like the characters didn't open up as much as I wanted them too. Sure, there was narrative that gave some backstory and reasoning of the circumstances London and Dahlia were in, but the two never opened up to each other very effectively, at least while sober. Bits and pieces were given at times, but it didn't feel like enough of an emotional connection. It also made it unrealistic when their relationship started progressing all at once, since it had been at a standstill for most of the beginning portion.

There reached a certain point in the book, towards the beginning and up until the end, where London's commentary on Dahlia seemed overly sexual. Like, I get that they found her attractive, but they were mentioning every. single. behavior. she made as sexual and it made me feel uncomfortable. I know London respected Dahlia, too, but their narrative didn't really show that. In contrast, Dahlia's perception of London was big reason why I liked London in the first place. I loved how she was able to get them to smile and laugh with her. She appreciated London as a person, for all their qualities, and it made me appreciate them too.

Both London and Dahlia face many challenges throughout the book: London grapples with a strenuous relationship with their dad and Dahlia struggles to appreciate her own worth. And while these are both challenges that the characters go through and (somewhat) resolve, it felt secondary to the romance. Which, yeah, this is a romance novel, but the character growth seemed to be pushed to the side in favor of either more drama (i.e. miscommunication / lack of communication) or sex. To me, an outstanding romance novel is one that has its character growth contribute to the romance as well.

I also struggled with liking London as much as I thought I would because they seemed to refuse to believe that Dahlia struggled to remain constantly happy. The first time Dahlia brought it up, she was drunk, and London confided that they were saddened (or something to that nature) to hear this, but they still didn't change their mindset that Dahlia had, well, struggles of her own. It frustrated me to see someone talk about how great a person was but refuse to accept the darker sides of them.

All that being said, I did have a fun time reading this. The pacing was okay and the plot was amusing, if a bit predictable. I think this will do well with its audience and that others will enjoy it.

Thank you netgalley for sending me an arc of this book! wow! WOW! first off, if you like F/NB friends to lovers, cooking competitions, the grumpy/sunshine trope, and AMAZING banter, then you need to preorder this book. Even after reading this, I’m sizzling with energy just like the book was. I seriously adored this book so much and am so sad it’s over (but the author has a longggg road ahead of them, i can feel it). I love how London and Dahlia were so different but their dynamic just worked so perfectly, and I loved how the sexual tension in this book exceeded the bar for my romance standards. But more than anything, I love how this book is more than being in love. It’s about doing that final, bravest part of it all—falling. It’s about being vulnerable and being yourself and trusting other people. This queer romcom is one of my new favs.

Dahlia Woodson needs the $100,000 top prize awarded on Chef's Special, the tv cooking show she has been selected for.  She's put all of her hopes of this. After her recent divorce and quitting her job to be on the show, she's a bit of a mess and wants nothing more than to win and be able to open her own bakery. Tripping during the first competition while carrying her fish tacos wasn't in the plan, nor was falling for her competitor.

London Parker may have tried out for Chef's Special on a dare from their twin, but that doesn't mean they aren't going to do everything they can to win it. London wants to use the money to help lgbtq+ youth and prove their worthiness to themselves but mostly to their father, who refuses to accept their pronouns. London didn't plan on Dahlia, with her clumsiness and mesmerizing mane of dark hair. The heat in the kitchen is nothing compared to the heat generated between these two.  Will they make it to the finals and can their relationship survive the competition?

This book is a delight.  Anita Kelly's characters are just so lovable. Dahlia is a clumsy, adorable hot mess and London is sweet and sensitive. And I love a good cooking competition show. Guys Grocery Games is on in the background while I do things around the house, more than I care to admit. I was rooting for our main characters and rooting so hard against Lizzie, with her nonbinary discriminating ass.  What I like most about this book is how vulnerable these characters are with each other. The hardest thing to do is to completely open yourself up to someone, not just with your body, but to show them your soul. Dahlia and London allowed the other to see their deepest insecurities and the relationship was stronger for it.

Anita Kelly has given us a book filled with laughter, diversity, competition, difficult family dynamics and love. These characters will touch your heart.

ARC received from Forever via NetGalley for an honest review.

I have not read a book this fast in a long time. It's so deliciously voicey I couldn't put it down. Admittedly, this is the first book I've read with a non-binary character and I think the author handled the representation so well. This book had it all for me--foodie romance, dual POV, realistic conflict. London and Dahlia's chemistry sizzled while being vulnerable and touching. I felt both characters experienced a lot of growth throughout the story. This is the first book I've read by Anita Kelly, but I will definitely be reading more. Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the early copy!

Oh noooooooooooo, I loved this book TOO much. Like with everything Anita Kelly writes, the characters are so knowable and lovable. They're quirky and real. I wanted to throw this book across the room multiple times because it was just too good. It's sexy and full of heart. I would have read it in one sitting if given the chance. Reading about a nonbinary character falling in love and living their best life made me happy in a way I haven't ever felt before.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC of this!

I am always looking for more queer rom-coms so this one with its non-binary protagonist and cooking show setting immediately called my name. I really loved the cooking challenge scenes, the romance that didn’t shy away from on page intimacy, and the sweet side characters. I would love for there to be more in this series - especially the brother!

Two contestants in a televised cooking competition fall for each other in this charming but powerful rom-com! Dahlia is recently divorced and looking for a fresh start. She used cooking as a way to cope with her divorce and find herself again, including coming to terms with her sexuality. London is proudly non-binary and announces their pronouns on national television, to mixed support from their fellow competitors. As the pair grow closer, first as friends, then as something more, they each fight their own personal battles while also competing against each other on the show. They just have to hope that it doesn’t tear them apart…

Love & Other Disasters is truly the heartwarming and powerful romance story we all need, regardless of your identity. There are some very real lessons in here about self-love and self-acceptance, and embracing your true self, regardless of anyone else’s opinion.

Thanks to Anita Kelly, Forever, and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was one of the cutest, sweetest romance books I have read. It was a great read, that tackled some real issues, while making me smile while reading it. I guess if you were to put it into tropes, it would probably be grump and sunshine.

I loved that this book features two queer characters in it. The focus is on their relationship, while in the high pressure environment of a T.V. cooking competition. Anita Kelly paints the picture of this competition so well that I was transported and found myself rooting for the future chefs (and hating others).

Both character felt so real to me in how the author wrote them. I loved the inclusion of London, a non-binary character, in a romance novel. There are not many romance stories with a non-binary character and it needs to happen more! I also found that the author did a great job of balancing the serious discussions regarding queer identity and the light hearted romance of London and Dahlia falling in love.

Though this book takes place on a cooking show, that is not all there is to it. Dahlia and London spend so much time together outside of the studio, and I loved their interactions so much. I fell in love with their relationship, as well as both characters discovery of themselves and their new relationship.

This is the first book I have read by Anita Kelly and I cannot wait to read more by them. I will be picking everything up in the future! Thank you to NetGalley and the Forever Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

At this point you’ve probably read several glowing reviews for Love & Other Disasters but in case you haven’t, hear me out! This book is like a big warm hug, if said hug were also funny, thirsty, and sexy AF. I have been BLESSED with exceptional grumpy sunshine romances lately and this one is at the top of the list.

Dahlia is feeling stuck in her life. A few years out from a divorce, unhappy where she’s living and working, and nearing bankruptcy, Dahlia decides to quit her job and head out to LA after she qualifies for a spot on Chef’s Special. The winner receives a $100,000.00 prize and Dahlia wants that money to pay off her debt and start over somewhere new. She’s feeling nervous and excited the first day on set when she literally bumps right into London. London is Chef Special’s first openly nonbinary contestant. They applied for the show after their twin sister dared them to and hope to make a difference to other trans people when they announce their pronouns on national television. London plans on using the prize money to start a non profit to help at risk LGBTQ youth and definitely doesn’t have time to start feeling things for the loud, vibrant girl at the workstation in front of them with the giant mane of untamed hair.

This is my very first book by Anita Kelly and it was a gift and I cannot wait to read more. I love the way the relationship developed between Dahlia and London and it was wonderful to have both of their perspectives telling this story. London hasn’t been with anyone since they came out as nonbinary and isn’t quite sure where to start and Dahlia is queer, but has only ever been with her ex husband. The steamy scenes between them are some of my favorite ever written. They didn’t feel glamorized or overly romanticized. They were honest and vulnerable, full of great communication, and London and Dahlia’s chemistry set off my smoke alarm. These two couldn’t get enough of each other and things quickly heat up on set between them too. London can’t stop staring at Dahlia’s hair (and butt) and Dahlia can’t stop thirsting after London’s forearms and the focused, precise way they work with food.

As fun as this one was, it wasn’t all sunshine and happy days. London has to deal with a transphobic contestant, internet trolls, a father who refuses to use their correct pronouns, and the fact that either of them could be sent home at any moment. Dahlia is feeling guilt over her divorce and the fact that she no longer wants to have children. She’s desperate to figure out where she fits and what her next move will be if she doesn’t win the show. I was reading the conclusion to this one with my heart in my throat and I thought it was absolute perfection. Love & Other Disasters comes out January 18th and you are definitely going to want to pre order it. Fans of The Charm Offensive especially will want to pick this one up. Thank you SO MUCH to Forever for this gifted early copy. I loved it with my entire heart and soul.

2.5/5

Love & Other Disasters first caught my eye with its promise of a queer romance centered on a reality cooking series, and by the first opening line, I was hooked. The exploration of the connections between food and love join to create a beautifully written romance that sizzles and cracks like oil upon an open flame. While there were some severe issues that emerged that made me struggle to enjoy this more, for the most part, I had a relatively easy time reading this. Where this romance really fell into trouble was with the main relationship and plot points. Not only did I struggle to feel connected to the main couple and feel their supposed connection, there was so much emotional turmoil happening that ended up quickly derailing the entire plot. The characters switched between emotions so suddenly, and the story emphasized this, making the cooking show aspect fade far into the background. The transition from hate to love in particular, happened so immediately that it gave me whiplash. I was really looking forward to the focus on love in tandem with the cooking competition, but unfortunately, it was long overshadowed. Though there were some established cute cooking moments that occurred in the story, they just seemed filler in relation to what else was going on. Despite these things, Love & Other Disasters has fantastic queer representation and I loved the multiple conversations that occurred surrounding gender and non-binary experiences. There may have been several things that stopped me from enjoying this as much as I could have, but this is absolutely a story that will appeal to many people. Perfect for those looking for an escape via cooking and romance.

Trigger Warnings: misgendering, transphobia, alcohol consumption

Review is up on my Goodreads as of 12/5/2021