Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Dos and Donuts of Love

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

86 reviews

btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

A fun, quick read, The Dos and Donuts of Love was a treat of a book (ha!).

I really enjoyed the baking competition. I was actually surprised by how everything turned out, but I was not disappointed. It allowed us to appreciate the baking stuff, mixed with Shireen's pride of Bangladeshi flavours and foods, while also exposing the xenophobia and fatphobia of the Internet. I appreciate how people checked in on her and other competitors struggling with the online comments, and also how other characters' true colours are shown through their own reactions.

I wish I got to know the secondary characters just a little bit more. It's very much the Shireen show and while I understand that the book being in her head so much is because she's absolutely in her own head too much, I feel like it didn't give other characters the time to breathe. You definitely feel a lot of Shireen's own anxiety and insecurities as a result, which did make her character number one. I just wish some of those relationships and secondary character traits didn't rely so heavily on how they were relative to Shireen.

I did also love that we get to see the family side of things - the pressures to succeed, the absolute love her parents have for her, the love her friends have for her - it really helped to build my love for her, understanding that Shireen was going through a major rough patch in life and it was all coming to a head as the book begins.

All in all, it was a fun book that dealt well with some heavier subjects (racism, fatphobia, trust in relationships, etc.), while keeping the overall vibe of the book fun and enjoyable.

TW: racism, bigotry, microaggression, xenophobia, anxiety attack; mentions fatphobia

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Feiwel & Friends via Macmillan Children's Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

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livelaughlesbian99's review against another edition

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3.75

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xabbeylongx's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-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

4.0

~~SPOILERS AHEAD~~

Book Review:

I must admit, this book has taken me an age to get around to reading, and now I’m kicking myself for taking so long! This is my first book of Jaigirdar’s, and I can’t wait for the next one. I’m pleasantly surprised by her work!

This book is so sweet, and such an easy read. The relationships are cute, and so are the characters and the aesthetic. And also, Jaigirdar is brilliant with coming up with catchy names of things. ‘You Drive Me Glazy’? A doughnut store? Are you kidding me?? That’s brilliant!

I loved the majority of the characters; I thought they were all fleshed out, well-developed, and super sweet. Almost too sweet, but I thought it went with the vibe of the story. I wasn’t, however, a fan of Fatima; Shireen’s friend was actually a really shit friend. I felt her anger towards Shireen was unjustified, and it felt a lot like jealousy. She halfway redeemed herself towards the end, but it wasn’t enough.

There wasn’t so much chemistry between Shireen and Chris, but more like love and safety and security. They have the vibe of people that are meant to be together, that will always be intwined with each other. This is one of the only second-chance books that I’ve liked, and it actually worked well with the plot and the characters. Amazing!

I also really liked the topic of racism and fatphobia in the book. I think it’s a very important lesson to be taught, how experiences vary depending on appearances, especially regarding race. With Niamh’s ignorance on the importance of skin colour, it highlights the importance of awareness. I really liked how they brought these issues up, and I love the point of view of Shireen, too. And also, how the topic of homosexuality didn't come with any negative reactions, like it does in most books that contain it. It's refreshing to see it's okay to be gay, without repercussions, for once.

Book Summary:

We follow Shireen as she is invited onto a baking show. At 17, her favourite show is ‘The Great British Bake-Off’, and she works at her parent’s doughnut store, ‘You Drive Me Glazy’. Her dream is to open her own bakery, and it has been for years, so when she finds out that Ireland are hosting Junior Bake-Off, she applies instantly. And she’s absolutely overjoyed to find out that she is accepted! Everyone around her is scared for her, going onto live TV, but she’s always wanted to do this.

The only thing is, one small teeny tiny problem, that her ex, Chris, has also applied, and has also been accepted.

When she gets there, another girl flocks towards her. Niamh is Irish, and also wants to win. Pretty early on, Shireen knows that Niamh harbours some very strong feelings towards her, but, as she’s still moving on from Chris, she doesn’t do anything.

After a not-so-amicable breakup, things start off rocky with a team challenge, when Shireen is partnered with Chris. Despite things being awkward and hard for them, it’s also comfortable, and safe. They manage to get through to the second round, after following Shireen’s gut instincts. Niamh and her partner, Sean, were the worst pairing, always arguing, but they produced the best dessert, and so had an advantage for the next round.

Everything is going well. She starts to make amends with Chris, although it’s rather difficult. Chris hid the Bake-Off from her, despite knowing it’s her dream, because she knew that she hadn’t a chance winning against her, and her parents needed the money. For context, Chris’s parents also own a doughnut store, across the street from Shireen’s family, and so the’ve always been competition. They got together under their parent’s noses. Their parents always stole from each other, and they weren’t nice, but they didn’t let it affect their relationship.

But Chris lied to her, about something that could change her life. She was stopping her from getting opportunities she’d dreamed about for ages. And Shireen couldn’t trust her anymore.

Niamh was becoming closer and closer to her, also, and Shireen was starting to get butterflies for her. But, she had this weird obsession over her relationship with Chris, and often a jealous side would come out, that she didn’t really like. And when, in a challenge that Shireen is super proud of, she is sabotaged, she automatically thinks that it is Chris, wanting to steal the win once and for all.

However, after getting kicked off the show, sneaking in with Chris to review the CCTV footage and finding out that it was actually Niamh, this leaves them in a bit of a sticky situation. After the footage is reviewed, she is allowed back on the show, but still doesn’t win. At least, however, she won fair and square. Niamh, it seems, knew that she had no chance of winning against her, and so had to sabotage her. Not only that, but the racist and fat phobic abuse Shireen was getting was paled to insignificance for her, especially when she was being dissed for having ginger hair. From the beginning, Shireen knew she wasn’t right for her, and she’s just shocked that Niamh would stoop so low.

Shireen and Chris’s parents join businesses, officially stopping the feud between them as business got worse. Slowly, they grew together. Shireen got invited to bake alongside her favourite baker, Padma Bollywood, and her and Chris ended up having a second chance! Ah, how sweet!

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