BOTM Monday: Love & Other Disasters

Author: Anita Kelly Title: Love & Other Disasters Publisher: Forever Publishing Date Published: 01/18/2022

Read Dates: 05/22/2026- 05/23/2026
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I skipped my BOTM box for May, but this was a Book of the Month club pick for September of last year. 

Love & Other Disasters is a dual POV rivals to lovers romance. Dahlia and London meet as competitors on a cooking show, Dahlia is looking to challenge and find herself after her divorce and a period of feeling directionless, and London is looking for a way that they can use their talent with cooking to make a difference, competing as the first nonbinary contestant on the show. Things start off rocky, and the two couldn’t be more different, Dahlia is a distracting whirlwind that London can’t keep their eyes off of, and London is so adorably serious that Dahlia just wants to coax a smile or two out of them! The rivalry quickly shifts, but reality TV isn’t actually reality, and the two have a lot of challenges ahead.

This was my first book by Anita Kelly and I was excited to see it’s part of a series! I really loved this one, with its perfectly imperfect characters and their HEA that they carved out together. I liked that Dahlia was finding her footing, learning that it was ok not to have it all figured out and to change her mind. I liked that London was growing more confident in who they are, learning to be their authentic self and set boundaries. I loved the chaotic “extrovert adopts an introvert” vibes that kicked off their friendship and made reading the two of them together so much fun!

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.