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femmenova 's review for:
Love & Other Disasters
by Anita Kelly
adventurous
funny
inspiring
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:
N/A
I love a good QUEER cheesy romantic story set in a reality tv show! I think this is well worth the read for all the important conversations, all the sincerely sweet and tender moments that Dahlia and London shares with each other! It certainly made me hungry at times that I ended up making myself a fish taco mid-reading the book! It's always so fun to see nonbinary representation that is joyful and confident, with an amazing support system! I like that Dahlia was given tons of agency to act out her own desires and needs, even when it's met with undesired consequences on her end.
I have two reasons why this was not a 5 star read for me BUT still made it a damned good book:
1. A lot of their whirlwind romance happened off-the reality tv show which is both good and both to me. I liked that we got to see themselves outside the "competition" but yet the writer continuously reminds us that this was still not "reality" - it was still very much a paradise naive view of what their romance is which leaves us wondering will it survive after the show? As a reality tv show hate-watcher, I've always loved when contestants talk about their experience around the show and how much it altered their sense of time/perception on life. For example: how terrifying it was to be recorded for everything you say and do! All of this was so well written by the author that upped the stakes of their romance - the pay off was satisfying at the end.
2. Honestly? Maybe I'm the biggest bitch ever but Lizzie didn't *just* deserve losing? Maybe it's my HEA ideal where Lizzie just burst into tears and admit that she was being a bigot or something along the lines of her being massively cancelled/boo-ed off during the live audience taping but damn I was sure hoping some karmic stuff happened to her at the end. (This is on me reading the book at 8am after being angry at the TERFS in my own damned life!)
Anyway, seriously cannot wait for anything Anita Kelly writes in the future! Hopefully there will be more lovely queer romances because I will definitely pick it up!
I have two reasons why this was not a 5 star read for me BUT still made it a damned good book:
1. A lot of their whirlwind romance happened off-the reality tv show which is both good and both to me. I liked that we got to see themselves outside the "competition" but yet the writer continuously reminds us that this was still not "reality" - it was still very much a paradise naive view of what their romance is which leaves us wondering will it survive after the show? As a reality tv show hate-watcher, I've always loved when contestants talk about their experience around the show and how much it altered their sense of time/perception on life. For example: how terrifying it was to be recorded for everything you say and do! All of this was so well written by the author that upped the stakes of their romance - the pay off was satisfying at the end.
2. Honestly? Maybe I'm the biggest bitch ever but Lizzie didn't *just* deserve losing? Maybe it's my HEA ideal where Lizzie just burst into tears and admit that she was being a bigot or something along the lines of her being massively cancelled/boo-ed off during the live audience taping but damn I was sure hoping some karmic stuff happened to her at the end. (This is on me reading the book at 8am after being angry at the TERFS in my own damned life!)
Anyway, seriously cannot wait for anything Anita Kelly writes in the future! Hopefully there will be more lovely queer romances because I will definitely pick it up!