A review by savvyrosereads
The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
4.5
Out now! [Thank you to Libro.fm for providing me with a gifted ALC]
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Shireen is a young Bangladeshi-Irish woman still reeling from a breakup with her girlfriend Chris when she learns that one of her biggest dreams has come true—she’s been selected as a competitor in a junior baking reality series. But Chris is also a competitor, and as Shireen tries to navigate their tension while also building a new friendship (or something more?) with fellow contestant Niamh, everything is about to heat up in this kitchen.
Being completely honest, I initially picked this one up because I needed to read a book with a purple cover for a reading challenge, and this fit the bill and had the added bonus of featuring LGBTQ representation for Pride Month. Once I got into it, however, I really enjoyed it! The diversity is exceptional: Shireen is a fat, queer, ethnically southeast Asian woman living in Ireland, and the supporting characters are also rich in diversity across a number of axes. I love to see this kind of representation in any book, but in a YA novel especially, as I think a lot of young people will really relate to Shireen and her journey.
The plot itself was also fun and quick. I didn’t love all the decisions Shireen made, but they all made sense given her age and characterization, and I loved most of the secondary characters as well. The baking show setting was fun and the challenges were well-thought-out and interesting to read about—I appreciated that the show element wasn’t simply an afterthought. Finally, the production quality of the audio was exceptional, and the narrator did a great job with a number of accents, which really brought the book to life!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: YA LGBTQ romance; diverse reads; baking competitions
CW: Some xenophobia/racism and mentions of fatphobia
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Shireen is a young Bangladeshi-Irish woman still reeling from a breakup with her girlfriend Chris when she learns that one of her biggest dreams has come true—she’s been selected as a competitor in a junior baking reality series. But Chris is also a competitor, and as Shireen tries to navigate their tension while also building a new friendship (or something more?) with fellow contestant Niamh, everything is about to heat up in this kitchen.
Being completely honest, I initially picked this one up because I needed to read a book with a purple cover for a reading challenge, and this fit the bill and had the added bonus of featuring LGBTQ representation for Pride Month. Once I got into it, however, I really enjoyed it! The diversity is exceptional: Shireen is a fat, queer, ethnically southeast Asian woman living in Ireland, and the supporting characters are also rich in diversity across a number of axes. I love to see this kind of representation in any book, but in a YA novel especially, as I think a lot of young people will really relate to Shireen and her journey.
The plot itself was also fun and quick. I didn’t love all the decisions Shireen made, but they all made sense given her age and characterization, and I loved most of the secondary characters as well. The baking show setting was fun and the challenges were well-thought-out and interesting to read about—I appreciated that the show element wasn’t simply an afterthought. Finally, the production quality of the audio was exceptional, and the narrator did a great job with a number of accents, which really brought the book to life!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: YA LGBTQ romance; diverse reads; baking competitions
CW: Some xenophobia/racism and mentions of fatphobia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Fatphobia