Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Love & Other Disasters

Cozy queer romances are always such a great spot of respite in the sea of darker books I sometimes find myself reading. Love & Other Disasters was such a great palate cleanser for me, I feel like my mood improved 1000% after reading it!
Dahlia quit her job and flew across the states to enter the number one tv show cooking competition in America, she is adrift in life, coming off a divorce and trying to find herself. The prize money from winning could change her life, and allow her to pay off her bills and crawl out of the pit of crushing debt she has found herself in.
London is nonbinary and dreams of being able to start a nonprofit back in Tennessee for LGBTQ kids, but soon finds themselves being thrust further into the spotlight then they anticipated, being the first openly nonbinary contestant on the cooking show.
As the episodes continue and people are eliminated one by one, the two find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another, and becoming close. But at the end of the day it *is* a competition, which puts a deadline on whatever it is they are starting to have with each other.
Sizzling chemistry and A++ spicy scenes sprinkled through the book just enhance Anita Kelly's humorous writing style, I was laughing one second and fanning myself the next! The characters are so lovable, well rounded, and everyone had a happy ending. (Except for any "bad guys" of course!) I am going to keep my eye on the author, I know whatever they write next will be a book I'll wait in line for.

The Cover
The cover and title is so sweet but really I wish it conveyed in any kind of way what the book is about, or the fact that food is so entangled with the themes and plot. The book ended and opened with Dahlia cutting an onion, it would have been nice to have seen maybe an onion motif of some kind.
That aside it is such a bright joyous cover. I love the style that Dahlia and London are depicted in, they actually look like their character descriptions which is always a plus. It is such a sweet and well designed book cover, from the title font to the way the characters look at each other. I do really love the cover, but again I wish it was a bit more in line with the book themes. (The cover or the title would do well to have been shifted to convey how fantastic this book was, as it is the title is a bit basic)
Cover & Title by Hattie Windley

Content Warnings

lentilsoup's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Maybe it was because I didn’t take my meds this morning, BUT it literally made me cry. I listened to it at work and was crying, laughing, and blushing ALL the way through (how embarrassing)!!! London is the non-binary character I’ve been needing, and I enjoyed getting an inside look to their thoughts and feelings!

Spoiler

London winning the show, confronting their dad, and getting their girl all in the same day had me so emotional. I’m so so happy for them :,)

Spoiler

Content Warnings

aesantiago's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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onemorepagecrew's review against another edition

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5.0

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly had me invested in the characters and sitting with a book hangover when I finished. Thank goodness this is the first in a series and I have the advanced copy of the second book on my shelf (big hugs to Forever)!

OK, let’s talk about London and Dahlia. I love them. I love them individually, I love them together, I love their journey. They meet on a televised cooking competition and have instant chemistry, but don’t act on it at first. Each is working through something that’s occupying headspace. London has just shared their pronouns and identified as non-binary on television, and is processing their father’s less than receptive reaction. Dahlia is recently divorced and near bankruptcy, with the prize money for the show as her sole focus.

The way their personalities fit together was so special. The friendship, empathy, attraction, and acceptance was well written and multi-dimensional. The spice was on point and matched the character depth. I genuinely loved this book and their story so much. If you enjoy romance with depth, personal growth, humor, and spice – grab this book!

Content warnings: Transphobia, Homophobia, Sexual content (moderate), Panic attacks

Content Warnings

pixelpigeon's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Spicy spicy spicy! A very sweet and wonderful love story in a unique setting. Also very informative for me, a cis woman, to get the internal narrative of a nonbinary person. I know I am by no means an expert, but it did not feel like cheesy or forced representation. I would definitely recommend this book.

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samsonian's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

super cute, i loved Londons and Dahlias relationship but it was kinda rushed? that’s like 4.5 instead of 5 but it was so cute. cried

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ringofkeyz's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.25

the plot didn’t kick in until like 3/4 of the book and i didn’t like a lot of the characters.

it’s still a cute read and i love that there was a nonbinary main character who was also a love interest.

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jasmine567's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Have never read a queer romance like this and want to seek out more after this book! Loved the characters and their chemistry and the premise was adorable and creative as well!

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