Love & Other Disasters
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4.6 • 40 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The first openly nonbinary contestant on America’s favorite cooking show falls for their clumsy competitor in this delicious romantic comedy debut that USA Today hailed as “an essential read.”
Recently divorced and on the verge of bankruptcy, Dahlia Woodson is ready to reinvent herself on the popular reality competition show Chef’s Special. Too bad the first memorable move she makes is falling flat on her face, sending fish tacos flying—not quite the fresh start she was hoping for. Still, she's focused on winning, until she meets someone she might want a future with more than she needs the prize money.
After announcing their pronouns on national television, London Parker has enough on their mind without worrying about the klutzy competitor stationed in front of them. They’re there to prove the trolls—including a fellow contestant and their dad—wrong, and falling in love was never part of the plan.
As London and Dahlia get closer, reality starts to fall away. Goodbye, guilt about divorce, anxiety about uncertain futures, and stress from transphobia. Hello, hilarious shenanigans on set, wedding crashing, and spontaneous dips into the Pacific. But as the finale draws near, Dahlia and London’s steamy relationship starts to feel the heat both in and outside the kitchen—and they must figure out if they have the right ingredients for a happily ever after.
Booklist's Best Romance Debuts of the YearWomen's Health's Best Romance Novels of the YearBookpage's Best Romance Novels of the Year
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Two passionate home cooks fall in love—with the cameras rolling—in Anita Kelly’s palate-pleasing queer romance. After an upsetting divorce, bubbly New England native Dahlia Woodson decides to join the cast of Chef’s Special, a popular amateur cooking competition that she hopes will reignite her passion for life. At the chef’s station behind her is fellow competitor London Parker, a smart, shy, nonbinary Nashville native who cannot take their eyes off of Dahlia’s mesmerizing mane of dark, thick hair. We were glued to the action as the competition heats up and tensions rise. When Dahlia and London finally act on their attraction, the steamy scenes made us blush beet-red! Love and Other Disasters is a scrumptious tale of love and self-acceptance, complete with some truly mouth-watering recipes. Just be careful: You might not want to read on an empty stomach.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kelly's sweet debut novel (after the novella Our Favorite Songs) turns up the heat on a reality cooking competition as two opponents fall in love. As the first openly nonbinary contestant on Chef's Special, a savory spin on the Great British Baking Show, London Parker wants to cook great food, represent their community, and (hopefully) win some money to start a nonprofit, not start a relationship with their adorably chaotic competitor Dahlia Woodson. Dahlia's life is in a state of upheaval: one year after her divorce, she feels stuck in a town she hates with a mountain of debt, and she hopes that Chef's Special will be her ticket out. London and Dahlia are immediately attracted to each other, but London is uninterested in a fling and worries about complicating the competition. As they spend weeks working alongside each other, however, their casual flirting builds into genuine romance. But cracks begin to show in their relationship when the producers pit London against a transphobic contestant and shove Dahlia to the center of the drama. It's a familiar setup, but a nonbinary protagonist in a mainstream romance is cause for excitement and the characters spark with chemistry. The heartwarming result will leave readers eager for more from Kelly.
