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emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a fun and spicy queer read and I loved all the representation in this! I couldn't connect with the characters as much as I wished to and it was hard to differentiate their voices but it's always nice to read adult sapphic novels! Not the best book for me but it could be for you.
Be aware that there are multiple instances of transphobia directed at London by another competitor and their dad, who doesn't accept them coming out. I love reading queer books but I love them even more when they're not filled with discrimination plots...
Be aware that there are multiple instances of transphobia directed at London by another competitor and their dad, who doesn't accept them coming out. I love reading queer books but I love them even more when they're not filled with discrimination plots...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Transphobia, Alcohol
Moderate: Deadnaming
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Read during the #TransRightsReadathon March 20-27, 2023..
Sweet, silly, spicy, serious, sensual. This is a contemporary rom-com between two cooking show contestants who are each experiencing a bit of a quarter-life crisis. Dahlia (f/queer) is recently divorced from her high school sweetheart and feels disappointing and directionless. Teaching herself how to cook and develop warm, comforting flavors has helped her get through the worst of it. Winning the $100k competition prize might help her get through the rest. London (nb/pan) is settled in their non-binary identity even if they're still unsettled by their father's lack of acceptance. They're hyper-focused and prepared — to put the strained relationship with their father aside, to ignore the trolls, and to establish their place as the first non-binarycontestant winner of a major cooking competition so they can use the prize money to start a nonprofit for LGBTQ kids. There's an undeniable spark between the two, but is there a future together ahead of them?
An entertaining and enjoyable read that had me laughing out loud in places even as I cringed at others. The writing is vivid and tactile. Which is generally great, but ... I don't ever want to recall someone's hands working with raw chicken when they're in the middle of a sensual massage. There's also a large cast of secondary characters and not nearly enough time to develop them, and a background of socioeconomic disparity that's not explored much. Overall, a really good debut with excellent LGBTQ rep!
Sweet, silly, spicy, serious, sensual. This is a contemporary rom-com between two cooking show contestants who are each experiencing a bit of a quarter-life crisis. Dahlia (f/queer) is recently divorced from her high school sweetheart and feels disappointing and directionless. Teaching herself how to cook and develop warm, comforting flavors has helped her get through the worst of it. Winning the $100k competition prize might help her get through the rest. London (nb/pan) is settled in their non-binary identity even if they're still unsettled by their father's lack of acceptance. They're hyper-focused and prepared — to put the strained relationship with their father aside, to ignore the trolls, and to establish their place as the first non-binary
An entertaining and enjoyable read that had me laughing out loud in places even as I cringed at others. The writing is vivid and tactile. Which is generally great, but ... I don't ever want to recall someone's hands working with raw chicken when they're in the middle of a sensual massage. There's also a large cast of secondary characters and not nearly enough time to develop them, and a background of socioeconomic disparity that's not explored much. Overall, a really good debut with excellent LGBTQ rep!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Transphobia, Alcohol
Minor: Blood, Excrement, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
misgendering (alluded to and explored without being explicitly written), coming out, unaccepting family, internet trolls (alluded to and explored, not explicitly written), cooking gore and detailed descriptions of animal proteins, food-related sex play, public sex, divorce (backstory), pressure to have kids (backstory), socioeconomic pressure and disparity
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
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:
Yes
A romance novel that takes place on the set of a cooking competition? And it’s queer?! Sign me up!
There was so much to love in this book from the characters being vibrant and fleshed out, the building up of the romance, the drama on set! Not to mention the really important discussions of non-binary representation, navigating your life after it throws you a curve ball, and finding the strength to stand on your own.
This book gave me the warm fuzzies and it’s not often that I get those warm fuzzies. Especially rare that I get them from a romance novel. Also the sex scenes were wonderful and the perfect blend of spice and sweetness. I can’t hype the fact that there was communication during those moments and how refreshing it was to see that.
There was so much to love in this book from the characters being vibrant and fleshed out, the building up of the romance, the drama on set! Not to mention the really important discussions of non-binary representation, navigating your life after it throws you a curve ball, and finding the strength to stand on your own.
This book gave me the warm fuzzies and it’s not often that I get those warm fuzzies. Especially rare that I get them from a romance novel. Also the sex scenes were wonderful and the perfect blend of spice and sweetness. I can’t hype the fact that there was communication during those moments and how refreshing it was to see that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
I definitely enjoyed Love & Other Disasters. I do wish we had actually learned what horrible thing Lizzie said though! Both London and Dahlia were nice characters and had some decent personal growth. I appreciated most of the parts detailing London’s journey with their gender, but I do wish that we had gone a little more in depth into their self-discovery. I also liked the ultimatum they gave their dad at the end. Nice love story, somewhat relatable nonbinary character story, and delicious recipes I have to try!
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol
Minor: Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail
Sexual content of NB character is explicit without being overly descriptive! Respectfully avoids description of genitals.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Whewwwwww this was all over the place! A fun read overall, some of the characters made me frustrated at times. Loved the reality TV elements, and the non-binary representation. Also, this was a LOT more sexual than I was expecting, so beware of that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Transphobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Dysphoria
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail
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:
No
As someone who LOVES cooking competition shows, this book was right up my alley.
Contains:
- a little sunshine x grumpy
- bi FMC
- pan non-binary main character/love interest
- mouth-watering food descriptions (ready the snacks)
- adorable scream-into-my-pillow moments
It was a lot of fun reading about Dahlia and London's journey together, and I connected with both of them on different aspects of their lives. I would have liked to see even more of the cooking competition/filming dynamics and process with the other competitors explored, but focusing on the relationship helped me as a reader become emotionally invested and feel its growth and development. I think the 3rd-person POV gives insight into both characters' thoughts/feelings and what they've each been through. Overall, this was sweet with some heart-touching moments.
TW: transphobia, misgendering
Contains:
- a little sunshine x grumpy
- bi FMC
- pan non-binary main character/love interest
- mouth-watering food descriptions (ready the snacks)
- adorable scream-into-my-pillow moments
It was a lot of fun reading about Dahlia and London's journey together, and I connected with both of them on different aspects of their lives. I would have liked to see even more of the cooking competition/filming dynamics and process with the other competitors explored, but focusing on the relationship helped me as a reader become emotionally invested and feel its growth and development. I think the 3rd-person POV gives insight into both characters' thoughts/feelings and what they've each been through. Overall, this was sweet with some heart-touching moments.
TW: transphobia, misgendering
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Transphobia, Alcohol
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
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