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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
this book was overall… fine. appreciated the nb rep but that was def the highlight of this work. reasons for my rating:
- insta love as fuck. what do you MEAN they competed on a cooking show together and admitted their love for one another within a few weeks?!
- each character’s POV felt superficial to me. i felt like kelly could have delved into london and dahlia’s respective pasts, traumas, etc a bit more. even london’s relationship with their family didn’t feel… fleshed out enough. and this is coming from someone who read ben and julie’s books already
- if a cooking show is going to be the setting, involve it a bit more! i feel like the charm offensive did much more thorough work of incorporating the logistics/background of a tv show, while this one felt like a half baked (pun intended) attempt to frame the story
- i’m already not a fan of PDA but the fact that these two were physical with each other (in varying degrees) in such public places (INCLUDING ON SET?) and then were surprised when people knew about their relationship? oh please
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Ever read a book that reminds you why you love the romance genre? And makes you so overjoyed at the progress that the genre has made? Love & Other Disasters is that book for me.
I started reading romance novels when I was young - probably too young lol. It was all white washed and heteronormative - at least what was accessible to me. I didn't see me in them at all but I loved the hope and joy they made me feel, nonetheless.
Now I'm reading books that really reflect the world we live in - representation from all walks of life, reflecting all the beautiful folx that exist and it's just beautiful. The genre continues to teach me, as well. This book, in particular, challenged my own implicit heteronormativity and I loved that.
Love & Other Disasters features Daphne, a queer woman, divorced and trying to figure out where her life is going. She's spent the previous few years teaching herself to cook and now finds herself on a reality cooking competition, a la MasterChef, hoping this is the answer to not only her financial problems but that it will also magically mean she's got her shit together. There she meets London. swoon
London is a strong, silent non-binary person who uses they/them pronouns - and is the first non-binary person that is out on the show. There is chemistry between London and Daphne from the get. The writing is witty and charming, the action in the book is funny, at times vulnerable and just so incredibly honest, that you can't help but fall for the book, in its entirety.
Also, I loved that this was not a fade-to-black, closed door romance... It was open and real and hot as flippin' hell. Yes, please, and thank you!!!
Take a chance - you won't be disappointed.
I was provided a digital ARC of Love & Other Disasters from @readforeverpub and @netgalley by author @anitakellywrites in exchange for an honest review.
I started reading romance novels when I was young - probably too young lol. It was all white washed and heteronormative - at least what was accessible to me. I didn't see me in them at all but I loved the hope and joy they made me feel, nonetheless.
Now I'm reading books that really reflect the world we live in - representation from all walks of life, reflecting all the beautiful folx that exist and it's just beautiful. The genre continues to teach me, as well. This book, in particular, challenged my own implicit heteronormativity and I loved that.
Love & Other Disasters features Daphne, a queer woman, divorced and trying to figure out where her life is going. She's spent the previous few years teaching herself to cook and now finds herself on a reality cooking competition, a la MasterChef, hoping this is the answer to not only her financial problems but that it will also magically mean she's got her shit together. There she meets London. swoon
London is a strong, silent non-binary person who uses they/them pronouns - and is the first non-binary person that is out on the show. There is chemistry between London and Daphne from the get. The writing is witty and charming, the action in the book is funny, at times vulnerable and just so incredibly honest, that you can't help but fall for the book, in its entirety.
Also, I loved that this was not a fade-to-black, closed door romance... It was open and real and hot as flippin' hell. Yes, please, and thank you!!!
Take a chance - you won't be disappointed.
I was provided a digital ARC of Love & Other Disasters from @readforeverpub and @netgalley by author @anitakellywrites in exchange for an honest review.
Cute book! I’d recommend it to folks who want a nice romance with non-binary representation. I wish food and the competition itself served a bigger part of the story rather than just the setting of a romance. However, this book is exactly what it’s advertised as and is very sweet.
This was cute, but not exceptional. It was easy to read and… easy to forget. I’m not sure exactly what needs to change but I think after One to Watch, I now have really high expectations for books based on “reality shows” even though this one is a cooking show and the other was bachelorette style. It just didn’t really flow very well between the love story and the cooking competition.
Dnf bc my copy got destroyed and I was so mad about that I haven't been able to pick it back up
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated