This was so delightful! I love a good romance- good banter, relationship building, and some steam. And this book had it all! I haven’t read many LGBTQ romances, probably because there aren’t nearly enough of them. But this was fresh and spicy while still dealing with real issues, like a father’s acceptance of his non binary child. Highly recommend this!

Super cute and fluffy, I really liked this relationship. I do think that putting an essentially low conflict book in the setting of a reality cooking show, which is a high conflict setting, didn't quite make sense, but overall very enjoyable.

This book was really adorable, and I loved London and Dahlia! The way that their unfolding relationship had the backdrop of the cooking competition made it really unique, and I liked the tension that occurred because of that — it progressed and happened naturally, which is the best thing that I can say about problems that happen between main characters in romance novels. The characterization of both London and Dahlia was really realistic, and their struggles were portrayed in a way that felt valid and relatable. I would have liked to have a bit more time at the end of the book to see them work through their relationship kinks together, but overall this book was a treat to read!

I LOVE the premise of this one and I love the idea of a cooking show competition and I love to see a non-binary love interest, I just had a few issues with this one but. I was so happy that I got the opportunity to read Love & Other Disasters early.

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

A cooking show brings about self-reflection and romance for two people in Anita Kelly's Love & Other Disasters, a contemporary romance that may start off slowly but quickly brings you into the mind of our protagonists Dahlia and London and leaves you feeling every single emotion by the last page.
I'm gonna be honest, Dahlia's inner monologue was a little grating in the first few chapters and left me feeling I knew what kind of romantic protagonist I was in for. But, I was so very wrong and I was wonderfully happy about that.

She's flawed, flailing, and filled with self-doubt at times that you can't help but relate to Dahlia as she tries to get through each round of the competition while also inadvertently trying to find herself.

My heart breaks for Dahlia as we see more and more of the inner turmoil she's dealing with whether placed on her by her mother or herself. It's these moments that has you happily rooting for her as she gets to the point where she falls and decides to just dust herself off and get up again.

It's honestly an inspiring moment at the tail of the novel that is equal parts beautiful and relatable.

Cue London's grumpy introduction!

The pair's initial introduction set the scene for a grumpy/sunshine couple and we learn throughout the novel that they actually share aspects of each archetype.

The way that Kelly slowly lets us into the way London thinks about the world, the competition, and Dahlia is fun and really gives readers a chance to kind of peel back the layers of their being in a way that gives you a more rounded perspective on them.

Compared to Dahlia, they may have a better sense of self but they are plagued with their own doubts as they are still working through issues with their father and the decision of being out publicly on the show as non-binary.

They both come into this relationship with their own baggage, from divorces, family strife, and the very fact that their identities don't fall into the binary society sets out.

It's the quiet moments that we get to see their friendship grow into much more that will make your heart burst. Dahlia and London's interactions are never dull and their chemistry makes their big moments so satisfying to read.

Their love scenes build on their quiet intimate moments where they learn more about each other making them hot and sensual.

I honestly think one of my favorite things about Love & Other Disasters is that London and Dahlia are far from perfect and their relationship is messy, raw, and real which makes their ending that much sweeter.

This book was super cute and I loved the idea of the cooking show setting that added to these characters getting to know each other. Definitely had me wanting to stream some cutthroat kitchen while reading. I also really enjoyed getting to know London as a nonbinary main character! This was never something major while I was in school so I thought it was great to get to read in the they/them pronouns as it can feel a little choppy at first but helped my brain to correct and feel more natural about using they/them as it just hadn't been something I'd been used to growing up and I'm so glad to see these becoming more available and normal for everyone. Overall London and Dahlia were so cute and I loved seeing them both being loose and fun with each other and the kitchen but also their real issues and families that we all can relate to in some way or another. Read this one if you like cooking shows, fun banter, and LA

dnf @ 17%

I hate Dahlia. This book is so boring. Characters are flat. Cooking show is basically pointless. Not even a smidge of diversity in this book. Don’t waste ur time

This book sure has a plenty to talk about! A true take on a ,Odeon day queer romance on a cooking competition. So educational! The tension was there from the beginning with London and Dahlia. Many moments I laughed out loud while reading. And the grand gesture at the end made me so happy!

This book was quite cute! I loved the cooking competition aspect of it (but missed delectable descriptions of the food), and enjoyed the characters. Unfortunately, I found the romance a bit lacking - it seemed to come from nowhere and was immediately heavy.

I did so appreciate the steamy scenes and the variety of queer rep though! Stories like these are so particularly important!

Always down for more queer romance. The industry seems to be catching on to the fact that the romance genre is in dire need of narratives that reflect the diversity of today's readership. This one is no exception and omg it was so cute. Funny, lighthearted, fluffy romance with a bit of competitive flair. Would recommend for anyone interested in queer romance.

I thought this book was so good simply because it exists. Everything about it is both formulaic and groundbreaking just because of who London is and how this book tells their story. It’s a good, sweet, HEA, contemporary romance, but then it just SHATTERS the genre by bringing London and Dahlia together. I loved it. I cried. I wished there was more to it (I would have loved to have all the details of the solo interviews and other behind the scenes things, though I know they were left out purposely to help tell the story), because I wished there was more OF it to enjoy.

DNF at 52%
I wanted to like this book so badly. Truly. A queer main character, non-binary love interest, *and* set in a cooking competition? Sign me up immediately!
Unfortunately, there were a few aspects that caused this to fall flat for me. Overall I think the main crux is simply that it felt boring to me. Even though the characters are in a cooking competition, it just didn't feel that way. That part felt so glossed over - there wasn't really any tension built around/in the competition. I would have loved to read more about their actual performances in the challenges instead of skipping over them and/or only mentioning the results. The plot was more focused on the relationship between London and Dahlia, which would've been fine except I didn't feel much chemistry between them. Additionally, the writing style felt like it was trying to be fun, kind of going for rom-con vibes, but it felt stagnant to me- like it was trying too hard to the point where it became a bit monotonous and boring.
I was honestly so excited by the premise that I'm a little sad to have DNFed it. I may return to it in the future if I have the time and desire to because I think the potential was there for it to be a cute, queer love story.

Hands down one of the best adult romances I've ever read! London and Dahlia were both absolute delights and I was rooting for them all the way through. As a queer woman in a relationship with a trans person, I felt so seen by this romance novel and it was truly the first time I've ever read a contemporary adult romance that featured a relationship like mine. I will forever cherish this book.

The food descriptions and cooking show setting also added a lovely touch! I appreciated that London and Dahlia both had their own journeys, and I especially appreciated Dahlia's personal journey. Although this book does deal with transphobia, I really appreciated that London was never misgendered on-page.

Overall, such a beautiful romance and I really can't wait to read more from Anita! My only complaint is that the title feels so generic and not specific to this book--the title could be used for literally any other adult romance. I just wish it had a title that better reflected what the book was about, like a foodie pun or something.

This book was rlly easy to get into and it flowed easily. I loved the representations and how the characters differed from each other. It would've been higher rated if it weren't for my personal preferences but other than that I would most defiantly recommend it to those looking for a quick read.

Loved the queer rep in this so much! The writing/plot wasn’t always for me but the characters were awesome. Very good third act conflict too - it felt realistic and not overly manufactured.

The only issue I really had was London questioning Dahlia's queerness. I felt like that wasn't their place and bi/pan girls get that all the time, so it's just kind of tiring to see.

3.5/5 Stars

So apparently the popular trope in queer romcoms currently is baking/cooking competitions. If so hadn’t read three other books with very similar plot lines over the last couple months, I might have enjoyed this more. I like the characters and a lot of the interactions were cute, but the dialogue was something’s a bit cringy. And the pacing was a bit off for my taste. I speed through the first half but then it look me weeks to finish.

Overall, this is enjoyed, but not my favorite of the queer baking/cooking competition romcoms.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC.

I was really amused by this book. and it was a good read, but it didn’t quite live up to the hype in my head, unfortunately.

TWs: transphobia, sexual content, intentional misgendering


I really enjoyed Love & Other Disasters. I didn't realize how much I liked competition shows set in books until I read this one.

The characters are very well written, and Dahlia and London have great chemistry. They felt real, and were well rounded. And both are part of the LGBTQ+ community - Dahlia is bisexual and London is nonbinary and pansexual.

I liked reading a book that features a nonbinary character. The usage of they/them pronouns didn't distract from the story at all. Since I am still learning about this section of the LGBTQ+ community, I appreciated being able to learn more about what being nonbinary is.

The one big complaint I have with the book is the conflict that the two characters must overcome to be together didn't feel significant enough. I liked the resolution with the grand gesture, but I felt like the author could have written a better conflict.

Really had a lot of fun reading this queer romance! It's my first romance with a nonbinary lead. London is nonbinary and pan, and Dahlia is queer and I enjoyed their chemistry with each other. I definitely think London was my fave character in the whole book. The cooking show was a fun backdrop to their story but there were parts that also seemed very formulaic. Perfectly fun romance read but the draw for me was the queer representation!

I couldn’t connect with this as much as I wanted ! But it was really well written and I would try this author again in a heart beat.