Love and Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura is a queer young adult novel that follows Nozomi Nagai as she spends her summer in San Francisco. As she interns at an art museum, she is instantly attracted to Willow, a girl who works at the gift shop. Soon, the pair begin fake-dating, and Nozomi struggles to maneuver the changes in her life. 

Although the book is centered around romance and the fake-dating trope, it also dives into other topics surrounding family and coming out. Sugiura focuses on the complexity of family dynamics, showing that while they are not always black and white, that’s perfectly okay. The book also spends time focusing on the experience of coming out. It presents the idea that coming out is not just a single event, but a process, and may not even be necessary for some individuals’ journeys. 

Nozomi is also easy to love as a character. It was easy to connect and relate to her imperfections and how she tries to hide her insecurities. Nozomi sees life as a big romance movie in which she feels like she can manipulate other people. It was really interesting to read about her flaws and watch her grow from her mistakes. Even though Nozomi is chaotic and clumsy, it’s easy to root for her even as she stumbles through her not-so-clever plans.