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A review by criticalgayze
Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year so far, but it was a struggle.
What I wanted was the extra queer cooking competition sibling of The Charm Offensive, but Love & Other Disasters lacked any sense of connection.
First, the backdrop of the reality show is not utilized to any sort of advantage here. While I get that it would likely be difficult to write a riveting cooking narrative not bogged down in detail, the story would often introduce a competition segment and then zoom ahead hours or even days to tell us that the two leads had luckily avoided elimination.
Also, the two main characters do not SHOW any real chemistry. They TELL us they’re interested in each other, but I didn’t feel the connection at all. I think the lack of intensity from the cooking show spills over into the romance and leaves this one feeling flavorless.
What I wanted was the extra queer cooking competition sibling of The Charm Offensive, but Love & Other Disasters lacked any sense of connection.
First, the backdrop of the reality show is not utilized to any sort of advantage here. While I get that it would likely be difficult to write a riveting cooking narrative not bogged down in detail, the story would often introduce a competition segment and then zoom ahead hours or even days to tell us that the two leads had luckily avoided elimination.
Also, the two main characters do not SHOW any real chemistry. They TELL us they’re interested in each other, but I didn’t feel the connection at all. I think the lack of intensity from the cooking show spills over into the romance and leaves this one feeling flavorless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming
Minor: Injury/Injury detail