I have been looking for a romance novel that features a non-binary main character for so long, and I am so glad I found it in Love and Other Disasters! London was so beautiful to read about, and their relationship with Dahlia was so adorable my heart was soaring!

I love the grumpy/sunshine trope, mix that in with a little bit of enemies to lovers and have it set on a TV show about FOOD? Yes please!!

The romance between the main characters was so beautiful to read about, the fact that Dahlia took London for exactly who they are brought a tear to my eye, as people these days really are not as accepting as they should be.

Although this is a beautiful romance, Anita Kelly didn’t not shy away from tough topics, such as reading the comments and dealing with family acceptance, which I really appreciated. Being part of the LGBTQ+ community myself, it would have felt inauthentic if there were not some struggles along the way.

I will definitely pick up Anita Kelly’s next novel. An automatic auto-buy author!

A high-intensity cooking show? Check. A wild, free-spirited main character? Check. An adorable, up-tight love interest? Check! Love & Other Disasters has all the building blocks of a wonderful, beautifully written romance novel.

The main characters, Dahlila and London, are pretty opposite. Dahlia is full of energy and joy that bursts at the seams, while London is more serious and reserved. However, both love to cook, which is how they ended up meeting on the set of Chef's Special. The high energy, high-stress levels, anxiety, excitement and all those heightened emotions were the perfect environment for a steamy, all-encompassing, vulnerable relationship to take hold.

It was delightful watching London fall for Dahlia, a woman so very opposite from themselves. Their internal monologue was serious, frantic, and ravenous at times, and I love how that felt authentic. Seeing them fall deeper and deeper into all that is Dahlia Woodson was (excuse me) *chef's kiss*! However, experiencing Dahlia realising her feelings for London, realising London's feelings for her, was so satisfying. Having them come together was perfect. The banter, friendliness and comfort these two experienced around each other in the middle of the competition was beautiful; it highlighted the rightness of their relationship and had me shipping them with all that I am.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to read Love & Other Disasters; it was a brilliant book. Wonderfully written, with engaging and heartfelt characters that you can't help but connect with.

Headlines:
Great characterisation
Finding the real
Sweetness

I requested this book for the non-binary MC and for me, that element and the romantic connection was the thing I enjoyed most about this book. London was a grumpy, serious then often sweet character. Delilah was wildly flamoyant with anxious tendencies which made for an interesting mix as a couple.

The context of the cooking show had me somewhat disinterested and that's probably because I've read a few this year, so I just wasn't ready for another. I didn't feel like we saw a great depth to the other characters in the story but Delilah and London were strong.

It was interesting seeing London and Delilah throw off their baggage, previous lives and find some new reality, I welcomed those parts. Overall this was enjoyable but it didn't blow me away.

Please check out queer reviewers on this title.

Thank you to Headline Eternal for the review copy.

Erm... why did no-one warn me how freaking amazing this book would be?! I only recently got into the adult romance genre and this is probably in the top 5 that I've read! The characters and plot were so lovable and now I just want to see more from them. I beg of you, go pick this book up right now! You won't be disappointed.

This was a brilliant book you love a funny romantic book with funny characters were brilliant plenty of humour. Beautiful writing style I love cooking stories and romance I was smiling allot in this stories if you love baking with a twist then this is for you x

Rep: queer f x pansexual NB MCs, trans SC, lesbian SCs

TW: transphobia, queerphobic parent, divorce

I really really liked this!
The first two chapters were written in such a funny and gripping way, I wasn’t able to put it down.
Dahlia is such a sweetheart, a rumbling mess, I loved her a lot. She was hilarious with her nervous talking and her messy energy!
At the beginning of the book she just got divorced after years of marriage, both her and her husband wanting different things for their future.
She is very unsure of herself and her life right now and I loved how she finally got over herself in this.
Taking risks, trying out new things, finding out what she wants for herself. Talking openly about problems.

London was so cute, the way they fell in love with Dahlia so angrily at first, I couldn’t. A hilarious grumps, without trying to be hilarious at all.
They were so brave and strong, facing national TV and coming out in front of millions of people all on their own in a town full of strangers.


This story was so sweet and wholesome and also…very hot at times!!!
For me personally the ending was a little rushed and cut off too much? I had questions! I would have loved to read a few more pages about what their life together now looked like.
All in all it had a very happy ending though and that’s exactly what I wanted for these two!

I received Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly for free by Headline & Headline Eternal on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for my advanced copy! This review is also available on Book, Blog & Candle.

I was so excited to read this! I’ve heard so many good things and it looks so cute! I absolutely love cooking shows, I watch Masterchef UK religiously and always enjoy the new ones that come up on Netflix so you can imagine how excited I was for a queer rom-com based around a cooking show!

I loved the LGBTQIA+ rep throughout this book! It was so cool to have a non-binary main character (London) and a queer main character (Dahlia) as the main couple. Although things got off to a rough start between the two I loved the relationship that they developed and there is definitely some serious spice in this book! I loved that active consent was such a big thing all throughout the book and how the characters made sure to always check in with each other.

I loved the food descriptions and all of the challenges for the competition throughout the book! They were so fun and creative and felt like a proper competition! I really enjoyed the writing, it was so joyous and such a pleasure to read!

Love & Other Disasters is a really sweet LGBTQIA+ romcom that will make you feel as good as your favourite home cooked meal! Great for fans of The Charm Offensive!

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to have access to an eARC for this book in return for an honest review.

this was a great funny romance comedy it is beautiful chaos and has such a great connection between my life and the characters. Overall this is a great book would recommend this to others for a book that is relatable.

tw: transphobia tw: misgendering tw: dysphoria

I was really excited to read this book because I LOVE cooking shows, and I loved the first few chapters, but as the story progressed, I think it lost its way at times. I really liked London as a character. They felt authentic and I was rooting for them throughout. Unfortunately, Dahlia annoyed me a little, and I still can't quite put my finger on exactly why.

This was the first f/nb romance that I've read, and I particularly enjoyed the quieter moments between them where they were sharing their lives with one-another. However, I think both characters suffered from extremes of emotions at times, and more nuance in these emotions would have allowed me to connect with them more. The attraction between London and Dahlia felt too insta-love for a full length novel, and the pacing suffered because of this. I did however really enjoy their chemistry overall. The intimacy was written beautifully and I loved the consent and awareness that this was something new for both characters. I also loved the dialogue about the difference between being perfect and being real.

I found the switching POV mid-chapter distracting. Some chapters moved back and forth three or more times. Personally, i would have preferred to have shorter chapters with one voice.

To sum up, it had all of the ingredients that I love, but ultimately something just felt a little off.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to give an honest review*

Overall Rating: ❤❤❤
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥
Emotional Rating: 😊😢💓

I will upload my review to Amazon UK on publication day.

This book did take me a good while to get into, but from that point on I was fully invested. I found it really interesting that London was non-binary, as that’s something I’ve never personally come across in literature, so for me I found it to be educational too! I liked the romance element, but I do wish there had been slightly more detail in how the relationship developed. Overall, an enjoyable read.

There are a few tropes that I can't help but love, two of which being a romance between 2 people who are in a competition, and books centered around food, cooking or baking and this book had both! It also had a really cute romance featuring a non-binary character as one of the romantic leads (the romance also falls into the grumpy x sunshine pairing for those who are fans.) The story focuses on the growing romantic tension between the main 2 characters amid the backdrop of the reality cooking show and I found it generally adorable and believable, albeit slightly insta-love. I like that the novel didn't shy away from exploring London's non-binary identity and how that informs their personality and way of looking at the world, but it also wasn't the only defining feature of their character. I also want to give a shout-out to the steamy scenes (there were more than I expected) which were not only fun but depicted in such a healthy way with both characters communicating throughout--we love to see it.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the eARC.)

I enjoyed this book, it’s a sweet romance. I was initially attracted by the cooking show premise, and once I started reading I was drawn in by the characters.

Dahlia is queer, divorced and running out of money. Winning the tv show “Chef’s Special” would change everything for her. She’s taking the opportunity to look at herself and make changes, she’s decided to be “LA Dahlia” and take some chances doing new things.

London is transgender and announces their pronouns to the world on the show. They want to win the show to start a program for trans teenagers, but has to deal with prejudice from other cast members
and their growing attraction to Dahlia, who is extremely distracting.

As the show progresses, Dahlia and London get closer and give into their mutual attraction in some steamy scenes.
How will they handle their relationship while competing on a tv show? What happens when one of them is eliminated, and what happens when the show ends?

The book is so well written and the characters are true to life. She did an outstanding job detailing the prejudices, misgendering, and other issues that London faces as a non-binary contestant. I highly recommend this book, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Queer romance is one of my favourite genres. There is something so beautiful and powerful about these stories showing love is love, regardless of gender and/or sexuality.
L&OD is the first book I’ve read with non binary rep and it didn’t disappoint.

We meet the chaotic & ditzy, Dahlia. After her divorce & feeling lost, she tries to find, not only herself, but her passion in life,too. Enter the highly successful TV show, Chef’s Special of which Dahlia is now a contestant.
Stumbling onto the set, Dahlia, literally, collides with a fellow contestant, the shy & endearing, London. and so begins the whirlwind ride of friendship, love, rivalry and, you guessed it, cooking!

London is beyond cute. At first they seem rude and standoffish, but you get to see they are actually also trying to find themselves. Being in the high pressured world of competitive cooking and having announced to a group of complete strangers they are non binary, it’s a lot to take on alone. Then they come face to face with the very chatty, beautiful and a little bizarre, Dahlia, they are left speechless.
But after a less than perfect meet cute, their relationship truly begins to blossom.

Straight away I was laughing. The first line is pure brilliance and made me adore Dahlia from that moment on. Throughout the book she is hilarious.
The main focus is obviously on Dahlia & London’s relationship, however you can’t help but love the relationship Dahlia has with her brother, Hank (trans rep) and London has with their twin sister, Julie. They are funny & adorable. The jokes they share, the support, the love they have for each other, it’s a honest reflection on (in my opinion) sibling relationships.

Chapter 7 is my favourite. I created a note that simply says “smiling/laughing so much. Cute, funny & tender”
And I think that sums up this book perfectly for me.
It is a wonderful feel-good queer romance.

Is there anything I didn’t like? Not really. All I will say is that I felt the epilogue didn’t add anything extra to the story.

Thank you so much, NetGalley & Headline Eternal for the arc ebook.
This is my honest review and I leave it voluntarily.

Love & Other Disasters is a heartwarming, queer, adult romance that follows two contestants on a cooking show in competition to win $100,000.

The w/nb relationship was refreshing to see, as there is very little non-binary representation in media. I can't speak on how good this representation was, however I did like how pronouns were dealt with. There is also pansexual and queer representation too!

Both Dahlia and London were well formed characters with individual personalities and backstories, and their banter made me laugh and smile at points.

Overall, this was a really fun, queer, adult romance and I highly recommend.

On a TV cooking competition, Dahlia, a recent divorcee looking for a new start in life, and London, the show’s first openly non-binary contestant, have instant chemistry. Under the high-pressure environment of a TV set they fall for each other quickly, but as the competition heats up and the outside world comes crashing in, things don’t look so certain.

What a wonderful read this was! Dahlia and London were great characters, with chemistry from the get go. It was so easy to get lost in their friendship-turned-romance, and you couldn’t help but root for them. Who doesn’t love grumpy-character-reluctantly-finds-joy-in-little-things-thanks-to-ray-of-sunshine-love-interest? It’s a great trope that I will always have time for.

The setting of the cooking competition was a stroke of genius. With the artificial framing of a reality show, complete with meddling producers, the high emotions and obligatory third-act drama felt very true to the characters and the setting. Some of the main conflicts seemed slightly pushed to one side, but I didn’t mind that too much as it didn’t distract from the main relationship.

All in all, this was a really fun read with a great romance at its heart!

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Dahlia and London are so cute! I love London so much and I'm really grateful for the nonbinary rep in this book. I really enjoy watching Great British Bake Off so this story was wonderful as it follows the same kind of premise. The cooking, the romance, the tension, it's all incredibly delightful.

This was a fun, cute read that kept me invested throughout! Dahlia was so chaotic and a breath of fresh air and I loved London, they were such a solid, dry presence and I think the two of them worked so well together.

There is a lot of representation in this and it was handled well and woven into the story. The writing style wasn't my favorite thing and it felt a tiny bit clunky in places but it was nothing major at all. I did get a little frustrated with the final quarter of the book and began to be slightly less invested, it was one of those situations where I just wanted to scream 'communicate' and it felt like pointless drama for drama's sake and it lowered my rating a bit. But overall this was sappy and cute and I had a great time with it.

I don't know why there have been so many queer cooking/baking-themed novels recently but I'm here for it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Headline Eternal for letting me read this ARC.

What a charming book this was. It completely hooked me in from the beginning and I really loved Anita Kelly’s writing style!

I absolutely loved both characters, delving into their pasts and getting to read both their POVs was great (I’m a sucker for dual POVs). The characters were so loveable and so well developed. The steam was unexpected but I was totally here for it, combined with this, there was also some very sweet and vulnerable moments between Dahlia and London which were a joy to read.

The cooking show setting was brilliant and it really brought it all together, if you’re a foodie you’ll love this! Although the cooking show added a more lighthearted aspect to the book, the author still managed to tackle some really sensitive topics in a brilliant way.

Couldn’t recommend this book more. I’m excited to read more from this author in the future!

4⭐️

Tropes;
Forced Proximity
Competition Rivals to Lovers
Mutual Pining
LGBTQ+ Rep - queer and non binary main characters

Okay so I went into this book with very low expectations as some of my mutuals on goodreads had already given this book a really low rating but I enjoyed this a lot. And I mean a lot!

This follows Dahlia (queer mc) & London (non binary mc) and their journey on a cooking competition show similar to master chef. They both had a not so great start with each other and they were giving off a grumpy/sunshine vibe which I loved. But they both soon realised that it had just been initial nerves and they started up a great friendship and alliance for the competition.

I really enjoyed the story about the cooking competition as I haven’t read a book with this sort of of plot and I surprisingly loved it (I don’t really watch cooking shows in real life lol!)

I also loved the chemistry between Dahlia and London. They were both secretly crushing on each other, so there was mutual pining and they also had also such a great friendship so I enjoyed seeing this develop into a more romantic relationship.

One last thing I want to comment on, was how great the spicy scenes were. Not just because of the spice but because of how sex positive it was. I just really liked the way both characters communicated and were honest with each other during these moments.

Overall this was a super cute, and surprisingly spicy, book and I would definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

thank you to the author and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

this was cute and i think without some minor details that tainted this for me it would've been a great love story.

i enjoyed dahlia and london's romance and both of their perspectives. i think dahlia's personality came across the most but london's pov was also fun to read from.

i think without such great rep and the positive undertones that brought charm and realism to the story this would fall flat, because sadly there was nothing particularly unique or different about the main characters' storyline, however it was definitely a cute plot. something that did irk me a bit were the sex scenes, which i understand are personal preference, and although i love a steamy scene when written well, these felt a little forced and i really wasn't a fan of the toe-sucking or awkward food play.

a romance between a cisgender person and non binary person is very rarely found in media let alone books so this was great to see. i also loved dahlia's expression of her being queer and how this wasn't another coming out story where no family accept her. it was great to see london and their family expressing them, despite their dad not supporting them at first. i also appreciated the trans rep although we never actually met him.