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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
“Oh no. I forgot who cute you were.”
“Dahlia Woodson was a firefly in the darkness, a hummingbird at your window. Maybe you got to see her brightness for a fleeting moment, but you couldn’t chase her. She didn’t deserve to be caught.”
If I was better at keeping tabs, I’d have quoted at least twenty different lines, but for now these two will have to convey the two main emotions I felt while reading this book; with hearts in my eyes, and my heart in my throat.
Stupidly adorable and achingly beautiful, Dahlia, London and this book.
I am so glad to have found this book, and to have it as my first read of 2022. Before I even finished the first chapter I was sure that I would give this book 5 stars. Masterchef Australia is my ultimate comfort show and wow did this remind me of it in the best ways (I am happy to forego believing in the existence of Lizzies on MA). The initial interactions that gave grumpy/sunshine vibes which although I was here for, I was also perfectly happy to see them get along soon after.
God do I know what Dahlia meant about feeling small. It’s so easy to feel like you’re fading into the background, making way for more important and special people. And London, while I wholeheartedly believe that sometimes you can’t make it right with family, I was pleased at them being able to have at least some kind of relationship with their father, tentative and slow-moving as it may be.
The perfect start to my first full year of reading in a really long time. ♥️
“Dahlia Woodson was a firefly in the darkness, a hummingbird at your window. Maybe you got to see her brightness for a fleeting moment, but you couldn’t chase her. She didn’t deserve to be caught.”
If I was better at keeping tabs, I’d have quoted at least twenty different lines, but for now these two will have to convey the two main emotions I felt while reading this book; with hearts in my eyes, and my heart in my throat.
Stupidly adorable and achingly beautiful, Dahlia, London and this book.
I am so glad to have found this book, and to have it as my first read of 2022. Before I even finished the first chapter I was sure that I would give this book 5 stars. Masterchef Australia is my ultimate comfort show and wow did this remind me of it in the best ways (I am happy to forego believing in the existence of Lizzies on MA). The initial interactions that gave grumpy/sunshine vibes which although I was here for, I was also perfectly happy to see them get along soon after.
God do I know what Dahlia meant about feeling small. It’s so easy to feel like you’re fading into the background, making way for more important and special people. And London, while I wholeheartedly believe that sometimes you can’t make it right with family, I was pleased at them being able to have at least some kind of relationship with their father, tentative and slow-moving as it may be.
The perfect start to my first full year of reading in a really long time. ♥️
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A spicy queer read indeed! But it was enjoyable! There was some things I wished it had gotten more into and it was very insta-love, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I always love me some nonbinary rep!
was not prepared for the smut w/ food and toe sucking, but otherwise a cute book
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Hey, London?”
They unclicked their seat belt and met her gaze, raising an eyebrow.
“Fuck anyone who doesn’t see you.”
I have started, deleted, and retyped this review so many times now I just have to get it out. I loved this book. Love & Other Disasters’ character’s lives were a little bit messy and honestly the way I loved this book was a little bit messy as well. And thus my review is also kind of messy.
Here are some things I loved about the book:
I loved how real Dahlia and London felt. I loved that Dahlia’s ex-husband wasn’t painted as a bad guy but rather that they grew apart and ended up wanting different things. I loved that there was some angst with both of their families, what with Dahlia ending her marriage and London coming out first to their family as pan and then later as nonbinary when they realized there was a word to describe how they felt in their body. I loved that Anita Kelly chose not to disclose what sex London was assigned at birth until pretty far into the book. I loved that the book was written in third person so we could feel the impact of London’s they/them pronouns (and how easy it is to use them when referring to a singular person). I loved the background of a cooking competition, and the important of London matter-of-factly using their pronouns on national television. I loved the sex-positive nature of the book and that we got queer sex scenes instead of fade to black. I loved that it was cute and sweet and funny and emotional and real.
And even though I had a few nits while I was reading, they weren’t big enough for me to change how I felt about the book because I loved it so goddamn much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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:
No
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
devoured this in one sitting and LOVED it. more queer romances and nonbinary rep in those queer romances, please!!!!! a glowing 4.5!
hopeful
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:
Yes
This was overall a pretty decent read, and I think the premise of a cooking show and contestants as the main characters was interesting. I was enjoying the character development a lot towards the beginning, but felt like it fell short from about halfway through and kind of flatlined. I wish we got more of London and Dalia's relationship towards the middle/end, it felt like more of individual stories for a moment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia
This book was such a delight. With the backdrop of a cooking show competition, each contestant had their own reasons for wanting to win.
Dahlia is recently divorced and has a lot of bills to pay to get back on her feet.
London wants to start a non-profit safe place for LGBTQIA+ kids. London wants to be open and provides their pronouns during the first cast meeting. One was not accepting but the others were, and finds an ally in Dahlia.
London wasn’t expecting to meet Dahlia and finding a connection with her.
Their friendship, including the walks to the hotel after filming gave an insight into both of their history. How they felt about each other. The tension was palpable and when they finally got together let’s just say the melon and whip cream will never be looked at the same!
Such a wonderful story of love acceptance, wanting be seen and having the correct pronounce be used, the struggles they had with family acceptance, and finding love in the most unexpected places.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc for review. All opinions are my own.
Dahlia is recently divorced and has a lot of bills to pay to get back on her feet.
London wants to start a non-profit safe place for LGBTQIA+ kids. London wants to be open and provides their pronouns during the first cast meeting. One was not accepting but the others were, and finds an ally in Dahlia.
London wasn’t expecting to meet Dahlia and finding a connection with her.
Their friendship, including the walks to the hotel after filming gave an insight into both of their history. How they felt about each other. The tension was palpable and when they finally got together let’s just say the melon and whip cream will never be looked at the same!
Such a wonderful story of love acceptance, wanting be seen and having the correct pronounce be used, the struggles they had with family acceptance, and finding love in the most unexpected places.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc for review. All opinions are my own.