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A review by readingwithjessica_w
Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
3.5 stars
Reality baking show with lots of drama? ☑️
Rom-com with queer and non-binary characters? ☑️
Fantastic descriptions of food and baking? ☑️
Love and Other Words does a lovely job of bringing a non-binary character first and foremost into the romance genre. London Parker is the tall quiet smirking first ever non-binary contestant on Chef’s Special who meets the bouncy effervescent runs-her-mouth-too-much Dahlia Woodson. A baking competition show, the two contestants become more intertwined as the show progresses and other contestants are kicked off. Unable to avoid one another, Dahlia and London find that they have more in common than just cooking. I found this book to be an easy read, possibly predictable, but sweet nonetheless. The cooking challenges were my favorite parts of the book and the antics of Chef’s Special follow much like any reality competition show—laughable, cringe-worthy, and high stakes drama. I was excited to read about a non-binary character (a first for me in this genre) and although it mentally took my brain a moment with the pronouns used for London (reading them feels different to me than speaking them), I appreciated Anita Kelly’s subtlety in introducing London first as “Strawberry Blond Hair” seen through the eyes of Dahlia. Although enjoyable and definitely steamy at points, I felt like I never quite knew who Dahlia was as a character. Her development was a little on the surface to me; London seems to truly be a giver whereas Dahlia is a taker in their relationship. Perhaps this is because Dahlia has just come through a divorce, but I wanted more out of her as a character than it seemed I was getting. I would also have liked to see more family dynamics, especially between London and their sister/mother/father and I never felt like I had much of a sense of who Hank was to Dahlia or her mother and father. Perhaps too many story lines were trying to be told? But the Chef’s Special scenes were on point and the most fun parts of the book. The best writing was during the on-set filming parts of the Reality Show where character tension was used through a glance, a feeling, or a moment between contestants.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Book Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Reality baking show with lots of drama? ☑️
Rom-com with queer and non-binary characters? ☑️
Fantastic descriptions of food and baking? ☑️
Love and Other Words does a lovely job of bringing a non-binary character first and foremost into the romance genre. London Parker is the tall quiet smirking first ever non-binary contestant on Chef’s Special who meets the bouncy effervescent runs-her-mouth-too-much Dahlia Woodson. A baking competition show, the two contestants become more intertwined as the show progresses and other contestants are kicked off. Unable to avoid one another, Dahlia and London find that they have more in common than just cooking. I found this book to be an easy read, possibly predictable, but sweet nonetheless. The cooking challenges were my favorite parts of the book and the antics of Chef’s Special follow much like any reality competition show—laughable, cringe-worthy, and high stakes drama. I was excited to read about a non-binary character (a first for me in this genre) and although it mentally took my brain a moment with the pronouns used for London (reading them feels different to me than speaking them), I appreciated Anita Kelly’s subtlety in introducing London first as “Strawberry Blond Hair” seen through the eyes of Dahlia. Although enjoyable and definitely steamy at points, I felt like I never quite knew who Dahlia was as a character. Her development was a little on the surface to me; London seems to truly be a giver whereas Dahlia is a taker in their relationship. Perhaps this is because Dahlia has just come through a divorce, but I wanted more out of her as a character than it seemed I was getting. I would also have liked to see more family dynamics, especially between London and their sister/mother/father and I never felt like I had much of a sense of who Hank was to Dahlia or her mother and father. Perhaps too many story lines were trying to be told? But the Chef’s Special scenes were on point and the most fun parts of the book. The best writing was during the on-set filming parts of the Reality Show where character tension was used through a glance, a feeling, or a moment between contestants.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Book Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia