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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
This book was so cute! Trigger warning for queer folks reading this book, the parents of both main characters are not the most supportive/slightly homophobic. Besides that the storyline was super believable and very cute would recommend with a caveat of tread lightly
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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:
No
Is this a perfect book? No. Does is absolutely hit with that nonbinary representation during a time I needed it? Absolutely!
I am convinced that Anita Kelly will literally never let me down.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This story was sweet and comforting in a way that I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters were endearing and their problems felt real. I enjoyed the reality television cooking competition setting and wished that they had expanded on it more, but overall I wanted a romance with some spice and some tension and that’s exactly what I got.
I really anticipated loving this book, but it just did not work for me.
Something about the writing style was off-putting, and there were many, many occasions when the dialogue made me cringe. I am basically the same age Dahlia was intended to be, but it felt to me that she was written by someone who wasn't fully in tune with the way people currently in their mid- to late twenties speak, think, act, etc. I was also disappointed by how much of an afterthought the actual cooking competition show seemed to be. Almost all of it happened off the page, and while I didn't need to watch every second of it play out, it would've been nice to have delved into it a bit more. It felt like there were some missed opportunities in that regard. I also struggled with some of the sexy stuff in this book being very...not sexy to me. (Feet? Food?) YMMV on that topic; to each their own!
I didn't hate this book, and I'd be open to giving this author another shot in the future because supporting queer creatives is important to me. Two stars for nonbinary representation in a romance novel. That aspect felt very authentic, and I appreciate having read about a nonbinary character through the lens of an author with that shared experience.
Something about the writing style was off-putting, and there were many, many occasions when the dialogue made me cringe. I am basically the same age Dahlia was intended to be, but it felt to me that she was written by someone who wasn't fully in tune with the way people currently in their mid- to late twenties speak, think, act, etc. I was also disappointed by how much of an afterthought the actual cooking competition show seemed to be. Almost all of it happened off the page, and while I didn't need to watch every second of it play out, it would've been nice to have delved into it a bit more. It felt like there were some missed opportunities in that regard. I also struggled with some of the sexy stuff in this book being very...not sexy to me. (Feet? Food?) YMMV on that topic; to each their own!
I didn't hate this book, and I'd be open to giving this author another shot in the future because supporting queer creatives is important to me. Two stars for nonbinary representation in a romance novel. That aspect felt very authentic, and I appreciate having read about a nonbinary character through the lens of an author with that shared experience.
I love a good cooking competition romance, and this one is unique in several ways, most notably, featuring an openly non-binary character. London comes out in episode one, and almost immediately develops a crush on hottie Dahlia with the seductive hair, smooth cooking techniques, and adorkable awkwardness. Dahlia has found a refuge in cooking after her breakup and job loss, while London aspires to start a non-profit for LGBTQIA+ youth. Their attraction is mutual, palpable, epic and inconvenient.
The foodie details are mouth watering, and the competition believable - except for the cast having their phones and freedom during filming that might be unrealistic, but also allows for development of the character's secondary relationships with family members, and leaves room for LA to become a character of the novel as well, since part of London and Dahlia's friendship and then romance is exploring the city, Dahlia being a New Englander living outside of DC, and London hailing from Nashville. Unlike other novels riffing on Food TV reality shows that I've read in the last year (Sadie on a Plate, Love from Scratch, Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake), in Love and Other Disasters, the narrative is more focused on the relationship than the competition.
In Judy Blume's classic Forever, the protagonist Kat is advised to think about how they relationship will end; London and Dahlia avoid that conversation, and things get awkward when one of them is eliminated before the other.
Chapters alternate point of view. Writing and plotting is solid, and the intimate scenes are more lavishly detailed then the food description. This is a great read with plenty of long overdue queer representation.
I received an advance reader's review copy of #Love&OtherDisasters from #NetGalley
The foodie details are mouth watering, and the competition believable - except for the cast having their phones and freedom during filming that might be unrealistic, but also allows for development of the character's secondary relationships with family members, and leaves room for LA to become a character of the novel as well, since part of London and Dahlia's friendship and then romance is exploring the city, Dahlia being a New Englander living outside of DC, and London hailing from Nashville. Unlike other novels riffing on Food TV reality shows that I've read in the last year (Sadie on a Plate, Love from Scratch, Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake), in Love and Other Disasters, the narrative is more focused on the relationship than the competition.
In Judy Blume's classic Forever, the protagonist Kat is advised to think about how they relationship will end; London and Dahlia avoid that conversation, and things get awkward when one of them is eliminated before the other.
Chapters alternate point of view. Writing and plotting is solid, and the intimate scenes are more lavishly detailed then the food description. This is a great read with plenty of long overdue queer representation.
I received an advance reader's review copy of #Love&OtherDisasters from #NetGalley
I’ve tried to read this book now twice and it just doesn’t grab my attention. I get to about page 50 and lose interest so I ended up DNFing it.
