This was such a sweet (pun intended) YA romance! I would say that the only reason I knew it was a second chance romance was because I read a review, but otherwise I don't think it's marketed as that. Every chapter title is a food pun which was so extremely fun, plus you won't be able to get through a page without craving something sweet!

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really, really loved this book. It was super cute, I loved everything about this book. I was so invested in the competition and the ending felt just right. My only problem is that I'm really craving donuts now haha.

Loved this book! Devoured it in a day, as I do most of Adiba Jaigirdar's books!! The baking competition was so fun to read about. and I loved the tense and complicated sapphic love triangle between Shireen, Niamh, and Alex! Somehow, heavier topics of racism, fatphobia, and betrayal are presented in such a way that it was digestible and also impactful. As a South Asian, Indian, reviewer, I did not realize how often Bengali and other South Asians are so rudely mistaken for being Indian even when told otherwise, and it hurt to see how the racism and reaction to diversity is very similar in Ireland as it is to the United States. Additionally, I found it a little unclear whether Shireen's parents knew that she was queer, and (Spoiler) I found it a bit surprising that the love triangle was not revealed as a reality TV plot point on the baking show. Absolutely loved the conclusion of this book, thought most of the characters were very emotionally mature despite the mistakes made and chaos, and I wish I could read more about these characters!

I adored the story, the world building was amazing. I love meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. The writing was also really nice. I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait for others to read and enjoy this story as well. It was very cute and very funny too

• ARC 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 •

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: 🍩The Do’s and Donuts of Love🍩
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Adiba Jaigirdar
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ☆☆☆☆☆ 5/5

⚠️TW: Racism, Body shaming, trolling homophobia

This was such a great YA sapphic romance and will definitely make you want some sweets. The puns are chefs kiss! 🤌🏽💋

Shireen Malik, a young Bangladeshi-irish girl, is still recovering from her breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives the news that she will be on the first season of the Junior Irish Baking Show.

Winning could mean money and business for her parents' donut shop, You Drive Me Glazy and an opportunity for her to live her dream. Chris and Shireen’s parents have been in competition for as long as they can remember. You Drive Me Glazy is across the street from Chris’s family’s donut shop called Bakers Dozen.

Unfortunately, In the show Chris is also a contestant. Shireen is determined not to let Chris get in the way of winning the competition. Things get complicated even more complicated.. Enter Niamh - an outgoing white ginger contestant also on the Junior Irish Baking Show and Shireen quickly become friends with the possibility of becoming more of a crush of her which leave her confused.

What will Shireen do?

Every novel of Adiba Jaigirdar’s I’ve read always blows me away. This has to be my new favorite. It had me laughing at the puns, queer representation, and I love all the GBBO references! Shireens character development throughout the book was great. I really loved how supportive her parents were you don’t see that a lot in YA queer books.

Overall, I’d recommend this story to anyone. I loved it so much and can’t wait to read more from the author in the future. Thank you to the author and Netgallery for this ARC.

The book comes out on June 6, 2023.
• ARC 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 •

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: 🍩The Do’s and Donuts of Love🍩
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Adiba Jaigirdar
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ☆☆☆☆☆ 5/5

⚠️TW: Racism, Body shaming, trolling homophobia

This was such a great YA sapphic romance and will definitely make you want some sweets. The puns are chefs kiss! 🤌🏽💋

Shireen Malik, a young Bangladeshi-irish girl, is still recovering from her breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives the news that she will be on the first season of the Junior Irish Baking Show.

Winning could mean money and business for her parents' donut shop, You Drive Me Glazy and an opportunity for her to live her dream. Chris and Shireen’s parents have been in competition for as long as they can remember. You Drive Me Glazy is across the street from Chris’s family’s donut shop called Bakers Dozen.

Unfortunately, In the show Chris is also a contestant. Shireen is determined not to let Chris get in the way of winning the competition. Things get complicated even more complicated.. Enter Niamh - an outgoing white ginger contestant also on the Junior Irish Baking Show and Shireen quickly become friends with the possibility of becoming more of a crush of her which leave her confused.

What will Shireen do?

Every novel of Adiba Jaigirdar’s I’ve read always blows me away. This has to be my new favorite. It had me laughing at the puns, queer representation, and I love all the GBBO references! Shireens character development throughout the book was great. I really loved how supportive her parents were you don’t see that a lot in YA queer books.

Overall, I’d recommend this story to anyone. I loved it so much and can’t wait to read more from the author in the future. Thank you to the author and Netgallery for this ARC.

The book comes out on June 6, 2023.

I don't want to say to much as I am not an own voices reviewer and I think those reviews should be prioritized so please go read those first.
I do want to say I enjoy this work and all of the queer characters. I love to see queer rep in ya books and this is a great addition.

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

{3.5 rounded up} This YA book was a sweet, easy read (that made me really want donuts every time I sat down to read it. I enjoyed the premise of a junior GBBO-type show set in Ireland and the array of different characters. I appreciated the discussion of the treatment of Shireen and Chris online following their inclusion in the competition, but was a little disappointed that the conversation about it didn't go as far as it could (although I acknowledge that this book was meant to be more light-hearted, less focused on in-depth examinations racism). Overall, if you're looking for a fun, dessert-filled YA romance with a tv competition and a bit of a love triangle, you will enjoy this book!

Be prepared to want to visit a bakery while reading this book. I may have. Twice.

Shireen's family has a rivalry with the bakery across the street. The parents didn't know, but Shireen and Chris (the daughter of the other couple) were dating for a year. They kept it secret since their parents didn't like each other. They both made donuts and were competition. Summer started and Shireen and Chris broke up. Shireen's best friend Fatima was visiting family. She felt sad and alone. But then she received an email saying that she was accepted to the Junior Irish Baking Show. When she gets there, Shireen sees that Chris was also accepted. It was hard seeing her there. Shireen makes a friend in Niamh, another contestant. Shireen even starts to have feelings for her. Everyone wants to win and some are willing to do bad things to make it happen. Shireen's idol is a judge and she wants to impress her. Sadly the social media doesn't help. There is racism and people making fun of Shireen's weight. Shireen and Chris are the only non white contestants and it's hard for them. When things go bad, Shireen just wants Fatima to be back. She realizes that she still has feelings for Chris, but she also still feels hurt. The show makes things even more complicated.

I gave this book four stars.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a link for Netgalley.

Filled to the brim with puns, baking, competition, and romance, THE DOS AND DONUTS OF LOVE is the perfect binge-worthy YA book! This book left me so happy (and hungry from all the deserts!).

Shireen Malik, a young Bangladeshi-Irish girl, is still recovering from her breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives the news that she will be on the first season of the Junior Irish Baking Show. Winning could mean money and business for her parents’ donut shop, You Drive Me Glazy. Unfortunately, Chris is also a contestant, and the tension is so thick, you could probably slice it with a butter knife. Shireen is determined not to let Chris get in the way of winning the competition. Things get further complicated as Niamh - an outgoing contestant also on the Junior Irish Baking Show - and Shireen quickly become friends with the possibility of becoming more.

Every chapter title in this book are baking puns. Allow me to share my favourite: I Knew You Were Truffle When You Walked In.

One part I really loved was Shireen’s parents. They’re accepting of her queerness and fatness. It’s acknowledged that others, including the Bengali community, may not accept Shireen as her parents have, and supportive parents were really refreshing to read about.

I will admit that one thing that frustrated me was Shireen’s conflict with Chris and Fatima. I often found myself wishing she would communicate more effectively. (I do realize that was the point of these plotlines; but, particularly when it came to villainizing Chris when Shireen was the one who couldn’t refrain from making nasty comments, I found myself wanting to step away from the story.)

Lastly, there was a character in this book who exhibited white entitlement (despite what this character thinks, people commenting on you being ginger is NOT the same as being called racist slurs) and she made my blood boil. I thought the evolution of this character was done well, and was a good vehicle for Adiba’s messaging.

Content Warnings: mentions of racism and fatphobia, anxiety (anxiety attacks, spiraling thoughts), online harassment (including racism + fatphobia), mentions of homophobia (specifically lesbophobia)

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Pre-reading thoughts: sapphic baking novel? COUNT ME IN.

A sweet and heartwarming contemporary romance novel set around a televised baking competition with plenty of characters to root for.

I will talk about this on my podcast after Ramadan. The Dos and Donuts of Love is a fun story about friendship and love.It takes place on a baking show and it's an adorable premise.

I came for the puns and they delivered! This is a really cute story with some unexpected (cinnamon) twists!

Very cute read. I enjoy it so much love all the characters. Everything about this book was amazing. Love the cover book very beautiful.

This book. THIS BOOK.

First I need to make it abundantly clear that any and all books set on reality competition shows are some of my absolute favorites. This probably comes from the years I spent watching cooking competition shows with my dad, but I just can’t get enough of them. So naturally when I heard that there was a sapphic YA book, set on a reality baking show, with a diverse cast of characters I knew I needed to read it.

I loved everything about this book. The characters are all super lovable, the drama of the competition feels so real, and the dynamic between Shireen and Chris is both awkward and sweet. I also love that Fatima is doing her best to be there for her best friend even though she’s on the other side of the world. I also thought the book handled a lot of the tougher topics (fatphobia, racial microagressions, and racism) really delicately which I appreciate.

I loved this book so much that I preordered my own physical copy. So thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC. This is my honest review.

This book was absolutely incredible! I loved the idea of incorporating the Great British Bake Off into the book but with a twist: the Junior Irish Baking Show! Such a wonderful book with an adorable romance and great lessons on friendship and working together. I'll definitely be recommending this to any YA romance lovers out there.

"The Dos and Donuts of Love" follows Shireen, a young Bangladeshi baker, as she joins an Irish baking reality show. When I heard this, I had hoped this I would adore the novel as much as I adored the premise and cover. This wasn't the case for me but take it with a grain of salt since I seem to be in the minority here.

First I'll start with the things I enjoyed because I didn't totally hate this. I loved the fast pace and how easy it was to speed through it. The competition was very nicely executed despite there being a slight lack of description of the actual baking. Shireens parents' being accepting of her was honestly such a sweet touch as well. I love a good supportive family. I loved that we got too see a queer and fat main character being accepted instead of endlessly brought down (despite racism still being prevalent in other ways).

Most of my negatives are purely based on preference and misunderstanding. I think my main problem was that I assumed that this was a romance between Shireen and Niamh which it just isn't. By the end I definitely understood why that didn't happen but I just felt the description was a bit misleading. I do enjoy a good second chance romance on occasion but this just wasn't one that I liked. I do understand the character development of both of them but I feel they hadn't had enough time apart for it to be considered a well done second chance romance. Also, it was just sort of jarring for Niamh to be portrayed the way she was at the end. I'm not the biggest fan of love triangles that are just one horrendous choice and the mediocre other choice.

Overall, I wouldn't personally recommend this but there were something to be enjoyed if you like second chance romance, baking, and puns! I'd definitely suggest checking out other reviews. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is exactly the baking competition YA I've been waiting for! It's such a cute, mostly lighthearted read, and I loved how big a part the competition played - we got to see everything unfold, which was really fun to read. The book also has an adorable second-chance romance, which I'm a sucker for, so all in all it was a win for me, and definitely a comfort read worth revisiting.

This was very cute, I loved the message and the main character!! It was a little juvenile but that’s to be expected. Also that cover is very lovely.

4.25/5 ⭐️

This book was so good! The characters, the romance, the setting were all done so well. And if you guys plan to read this book—which I highly recommend you do—prepared to be hungry because the deserts in this sounded delicious.

Thank you Netgalley, Adiba Jaigirdar, and Macmillian for sending me an E-ARC to read and review! 💕
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When I first saw the cover for this one a few weeks back, I just knew I was going to love it! And I was so right! I absolutely love our main character, Shireen and I feel like we would be best friends! She is a fellow fat sapphic babe who is confident in her size, has the best style, and makes up the best dessert puns. Speaking of dessert puns, I absolutely love that this book actually has chapter titles!!!! And they are all (I believe) a dessert pun! Let's please bring back chapter titles as I adore them! I also love how Shireen kept her previous relationship a secret not because she was dating a girl, but because she was dating the daughter of a rival bakery. This book is definitely a new favorite of mine and it's such a fun read! It gave me similar vibes to Never Ever Getting Back Together, by Sophie Gonzales as both deal with TV shows and Exs and just overall relationship drama. So if you like that one definitely check out this one! And of course, this one has such a sweet ending (pun definitely intended) and I absolutely loved it. I will probably be coming back to this one in the future (maybe when an audiobook is released). I absolutely cannot wait for The Dos and Donuts of Love to come out and to proudly display it on my bookshelf!
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The Dos and Donuts of Love, by Adiba Jaigirdar, comes out on June 6th!