I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Donut Fall in Love is the trad pub debut for Jackie Lau, and I find myself feeling very mixed upon finishing it. On the one hand, some of the signature elements of her writing continue to shine through here. As the title and blurb imply, this is a very food oriented romance, and that’s one of Lau’s strong suits. From the scrumptious donuts and bubble tea the couple bond over to dim sum and more, it’s hard to not be hungry when picking up a Jackie Lau book.

I really liked Ryan as a hero, and felt he really shined here. I loved the depiction of his grief for the loss of his mother, and the weird way his father has distanced himself, preferring odd Twitter communications over speaking in-person. And the online trolling in the wake of his new film, and later, his relationship with Lindsay felt so realistic, I was prepared to smack some of these fictional people across the face. Lau definitely did her research into the invasive ways consumers of media pick apart the lives of their favorite celebrities online.

On a similar note, I liked the depiction of how it impacted Lindsay too. It was great to see the conflict from both of their perspectives, as while some of these “well meaning” commenters may be doing so due to idolizing the cis male celebrity, they often would be crueler to any partner of his, particularly if it’s a cis woman.

But I also feel like I wasn’t given enough about Lindsay to really be invested in her. On some level, I love the wish-fulfillment fantasy of an everygirl getting to date the superstar, but I felt like there was nothing to distinguish her and verify that her insecurities were invalid. What does he see in her? How is she truly different from other women he meets, both famous and not? I also couldn’t help but feel the conflict was dragged out for the sake of page/word count, without really elaborating on it, resulting in my investment in their relationship suffering.

This is a fun, enjoyable read for the most part, which also touches on some tough topics. While it did fall apart a bit in the execution for me, I still mostly enjoyed it, because of Jackie Lau’s distinctive blend of food, culture, and heart. Whether you’re a new Jackie Lau reader who loves multicultural romance, or a longtime reader excited for her new career milestone, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

A solid romantic comedy about a baker and an actor, brought together by donuts. Ryan is an up-and-coming actor trying to deal with the loss of his mother and be there for his father and sister. Lindsay is co-owner of a bakery trying to get back in the dating scene and get her personal life out of a rut. Sparks fly when they meet and things get even hotter when Ryan gets her to give him baking lessons before he goes on a baking competition.

There was a lot of emotion going on in this one and not all of it romance- Ryan in particular was dealing with grief from losing his mother, frustration at trying to connect with his father (who seems to be disappointed with all Ryan's life choices), his sister has a newborn and is completely overwhelmed, his new movie is not making a good impression at the box office, there's the never ending mental and emotional assault of social media to deal with . . . he's certainly not in the right headspace to start a relationship with someone. But Lindsay might be just the right person for him if he is willing to take a chance. And if she is willing to learn how to handle all the social media attention that comes with being Ryan Kwok's girlfriend.

Well written, full of heart, "Donut Fall in Love" is a great blend of romance and comedy, family and friends and all the things that make us who we are- both the good and the bad. The positive and negative worlds we create for ourselves in social media, racism and how individuals try to defeat stereotypes one step at a time, and how sometimes we need to be brave and re-think what we know when communicating with our own families to see things in a whole new light.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This was such a sweet, fun, light book, even with the themes of parental loss & grief both Ryan & Lindsay share. I particularly loved the side storylines of Ryan’s relationship with his dad and his sister’s struggle with postpartum. This book will also make you VERY hungry.

What a delicious (ha!) romance!

This story was better than a box of fresh apple fritters! Jackie Lau is known for utilizing food in every romance (the way to a guy's heart, amirite?) and she hits it clear out of the park on this one!

I was immediately drawn in to the story by the relatable characters and adorably messy meet-cute, and the story just flowed all the way through the flirty baking lessons and angsty family relationships.

Ryan is an up-and-coming movie star who is sweet and down-to-earth. Still grieving his recently-deceased mom, he's struggling to connect with his dad while navigating the ups and downs of celebrity social media.

Lindsay is instantly relatable, a little in awe of Ryan's public persona but she soon realizes he's not so different after all. I loved her dedication to her craft and how she shared her enthusiasm with Ryan. I'm pretty sure I gained five pounds just reading about all the fabulous baked goods they produced. I really enjoyed the side storyline of her relationship with her roommate, Vivian.

This author always delivers a strong emotional impact, and this book is no exception. Both Ryan and Lindsay are dealing with insecurities and family drama. I adored the careful way they discussed their feelings, and I especially loved their conversation after their first intimate time together.

This is a heartwarming story with plenty of steam and even more heart. There was a heartbreaking but necessary transition period on their way to their HEA, making their eventual happiness all the sweeter for it. Ms. Lau is not afraid to show her characters' vulnerabilities, making their romance a truly unforgettable journey. I sighed, I nearly cried, and I rejoiced at the end. It's everything a great romance should be. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

3.5 rounded up. This had a lot of great components: a sweet meet cute, steamy scenes and a great plot - actor needs baking lessons before entering a celebrity baking contest, but something was slightly lacking for me. I don’t know if it was just the banter or lack of chemistry but I just wasn’t too invested in the relationship. I liked how it dealt with PPD, grief, loss of parents, familial relationships and racism so maybe it was more of a contemporary fiction read than a romance. I definitely want to go get a donut or bake a cake now 🤣

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley, Jove and Jackie Lau for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I will write anything Jackie Lau writes. They are lovely, sweet but also steamy romances that feel like a nice hug. They are pure comfort. I have been a hard core fan since her Kwan sister series and everything she writes is so great. I was so excited for Donut Fall in Love; a regular person falls in love with a celebrity? Also diverse characters? Sign me up immediately. But be warned: one thing that Jackie Lau excels at is writing food; you will be starving anytime you pick up one of her books and Donut Fall in Love does not disappoint. Upon finishing I ran out and bought myself some donuts.

The story of Lindsay and Ryan was beautiful. I really liked the exploration of grief; how it lingers and comes up at odd and unexpected times. I liked Ryan's progression through his grief and the ways that Lindsay and he bonded over shared experience. They felt real and natural as characters and their arc was nicely done.

This was a steamy yet sweet book with low angst and richly drawn characters. I can't wait see what comes next from Jackie Lau. Do yourself a favour and go buy this book or borrow it from your library!

I ate up DONUT FALL IN LOVE (pun intended)! Jackie Lau delivers a super sexy rom-com filled with humor and heart that is more addictive than a dozen jelly donuts.

In honor of his mother, famous actor Ryan Kwok accepts an invitation to appear on an amateur baking show (think Nailed It!). He hires local Toronto baker Lindsay McLeod to give him baking lessons so that he doesn't appear a total fool. The mutually attracted couple bond over grief over lost parents and the racism faced by Asian-Canadians.

Despite some fatigue with the reality baking show romance, Donut Fall in Love is a book I SHOULD have loved. From the reality baking show element of the premise to the Asian Canadian rep to Ryan's dad's unintentionally funny tweets about his actor son. All things I'd put in the PRO column.

But there's a huge CON that undermined my read of the book:

I just did not buy that Lindsay and Ryan had chemistry/were attracted to each other at all, let alone that they should be in a relationship.

It's like when someone *says* all the right things, but you still don't believe them. Add to that the baking training occurs over 8 weeks (it's tooooooo looooong, let's just get to the Baking Fail taping already), and I had to start skimming.

It just wasn't for me.

CW: Emotionally distant father, death of a parent for both MCs, (at 22 for Lindsay, just 4 mos before the start of the book for Ryan)

Such a wonderful, soft, and well written book! Full of chemistry and heart. But be careful, it will make you crave a donut!

Two Donut Books in 1 month!! 😱😍 The desserts and the sexual tension 😋 😚👌🏼 (chefs kiss) the comedy though! That’s what takes the (cup) cake in this book! Ryan’s character is so adorable! I love his effort in his relationships he tries with everyone and is pretty down to earth with him being an actor. Lindsey character is pretty relatable. I really enjoyed this book.

This was a sweet (pun intended) romance. It was light and fun. It hit on the topic of grief as an adult and how losing a parent can throw things off balance.

I enjoyed seeing Ryan and Lindsay’s relationship develop. This one was a bit of a slow burn with the romance not coming into play for 40% of the story. But then it was pretty steamy.

It was an easy read and there were some elements that felt unnecessary (unless there will be another book focused on Vivian). But overall an enjoyable one.

Now give me a donut, or cupcake, or slice of cake!

(3.75ish)

Ryan Kwok, semi-famous Hollywood actor known for his abs, stumbles upon a local Toronto bake shop—literally. He knocks over boxes of craft donuts. Shop owner Lindsay has no idea who Ryan is until her roommate enlightens her. When Ryan takes on a role on a celebrity baking show, he figures Lindsay would be an asset in teaching him how to bake. But… he’s also attracted to her other assets.

Lau did a swell job of incorporating the serious topics of grief, Asian stereotypes and racism, blending in humor, steam, and delicious pastry descriptions. I became fully invested after the first half, as I got to know the characters, Ryan’s dad especially. It was overall a delight!

I love the Asian representation in this book. There needs to be more in Romance Fiction. Also loved the Canadian location. I was happy to read something placed in a locale I don't see much in Romance. However, the book itself fell flat for me. There just wasn't any tension in this book. The characters felt wooden and I didn't buy that there was any chemistry between them. The last 10% of the book is literally when some sort of conflict appears. It's very quickly wrapped up in such a pat way that it's not satisfying.

While I really enjoyed this book, I would say the romance between the two MCs was overshadowed by the exploration of grief in this book and I found that aspect of the book to be much more compelling.

First, let me just state that I really appreciate a blurb that lays out, instead of hiding, that there are themes of grief addressed in this book. That is so helpful! MMC Ryan is reeling from the recent death of his mother. In an effort to honor her memory, he agrees to participate in a celebrity baking competition and decides he needs some baking lessons before filming his episode.

Enter Lindsay, a professional baker who owns her own bakery, specializing in donuts and cupcakes. As with any Jackie Lau book, you’re definitely going to want to stock up on yummy baked treats before you read this book. I liked the meet cute and the romance and I thought the two MCs had good chemistry and I could sense the growing attraction between them.

What really made this book was the grief Ryan felt over the loss of his mother, the growing distance between him and his father, his helplessness over how his family seemed to be falling apart and his deep-seeded desire to put them back together. I related hard to all of that and while some of it was hard to read on a personal level, it also felt weirdly therapeutic and I really appreciate that this book made me feel seen and less alone for that.

ARC from publisher, opinions are all mine.

It pains me to leave a two star review for this book, but it left me feeling really lacklustre and disappointed.

I loved the start, the first 30% really hooked me in and I thought it was going to be a new favourite romance. The donuts, the cake, the classes, the cafe, all of it just had me drooling. I could picture the characters, I was so excited to learn more about them, and also hungry. The setting was just wonderful to me, and made me hungry. But then it just seemed to fall flat, and I was left with just my hunger.

Hard to sum up why it fell flat, but I'm pretty sure it was the romance, it just felt forced and unrealistic. Lindsay didn't really seem to have much about her at all, so Ryan falling instantly and madly in love with her was confusing. His character felt a little more fleshed out, but Lindsay was just really....bland? What really lost my interest was the generic, boring, read it a million and one times, sex scenes. It felt like something a teenager wrote, and it was just a bit distracting.

This one wasn't for me, but it did have a very cute setting and the bonus of a million delicious descriptions of cake and donut's. If you want to read about cake, highly recommend this one!

First of all, let's take a moment to appreciate this amazing title that can be interpreted in three different ways (you got it: DONUT like sweets two main characters were making, then DO NOT fall in love, and DO NUT fall in love, like do crazy fall in love)!

Second, let's also appreciate that the story is set in Canada.
Maybe that is not a big thing for some of you guys, but I rarely read books that take place in that country, so it means a thing to me.

Now let's talk about the book...

I guess I have a thing about romance with cakes/baking, as this was the third novel in that subgenre I read in a row, and I liked it.
Also, two main characters are Asian, just like in previous books I read too, and I loved that (huge) aspect of the story.

The novel was enjoyable in general. It was well written with easy to connect with characters.
It was written in third person following two different POVs: Ryan's and Lindsay's.

This book touches the topic of losing a parent, so keep that in mind, as it could be triggering.

To me, Ryan's relationship with his father was too familiar as it reminded me of the one I ha(d)ve with my mother.

This book is pitched as gender reversed Notting Hill and I can see why.
It is also one of romances where the couple gets together pretty early in the story (I think it was before 50% mark) so the conflict that was necessary to keep the story going felt forced.
Other than that, the book was really good.

So if you are looking for an easy read to relax with, Donut Fall in Love is the perfect choice, and I hope you will do NUT fall in love with it.

This was a fun and cute story. I'm always a sucker for food/baking in my romances. Bakerys are just great settings - sweet and filled with possibilities. Ryan and Lindsay were a good couple, but I didn't feel like they had the most explosive chemistry, but there was plenty of cute moments. And while I always love to have family elements included in honestly any story, I still feel like there wasn't really enough there, apart of Ryan's relationship with his dad, which I truly loved.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

This was the sweetest book I've read in a long time. And by sweet, I'm not referring to steam level but the interactions between the love interests, Lindsay and Ryan, as well as those involving secondary characters. There was plenty of steam in this one. I chuckled so much throughout this book: at the dialogue, the internal thoughts of the main characters, and the hilarious gruffness of a particular side character. It was just so CUTE. It wasn't all peaches and cream as the book touched upon important issues like racism against the Asian community and grief regarding loss of parents/spouses. But for the most part, it was a charming low-stakes romantic comedy full of humor and heart and DONUTS and I adored it.

This was a light hearted read full of emotional inconveniences, along with a very critical approach of racism and bullying in social media.

The two main characters start a friendship after bonding over their previous traumas of each losing a parent. Their chemistry was sweet as was their romance.

This was filled with likeable characters but Ryan’s dad was stole the show for me with his sassy and sarcastic tweets.

I wish there was more show and not tell - a good portion of the beginning 45% was focused on either MC’s watching tv shows, and them telling the reader what was on the screen. I found myself less interested in that portion of the story.

🍀 book review 🍀
📚 donut fall in love by @jackielaubooks @prhinternational #partner @berkleyromance @netgalley (thanks for the eArc)
🌟 [4] 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
released date: october 26, 2021

💫 qotd: what's your favorite flavor of donuts?

🦋 review

This book is like a delicious chocolate donut filled with cream and sprinkled of love that I literally swallowed almost everything of it.

I really love this book. I adore the characters. Ryan Kwok, an actor with a set of famous abs, his mother is dead and has a difficult relationship with his father but still managed to be funny and positive. We can all relate to him most of the time. Meanwhile, Lindsay McLeod is a baker and her father is dead, is creative and humble.

I enjoyed the romance and comedy in this book, it is nice to follow the development of the two main characters. I was entertained with their baking lessons. It was unexpected with that bewitching cover there are obscene parts in the story- well those are hot and spicy woohoo!!!

I also love that this book didn't only focused on romance but it also deals with topics such as grief, racism, and bullying. I appreciate the Asian representation in this novel.

It is my first time reading a Jackie Lau's novel, her writing style is impeccable.

I will recommend this one to my fellow readers.