Grace is a single mother struggling with a teenage daughter , who want nothing but attention from her peers. Sarah thought she found the love of her life finally and Macy is excited with her impending marriage. However, things doesnt always seem as perfect as they wish to. Sarah found out her man is not and Macy’s future husband is not what she thought he is.

This book is about family and inheritance of 3 women’s with their own struggles with focus on trust, hope and friendship. The story also touch on bullying in school. I love Grace and her daughter; Ashley relationship and between Grace , Sarah and Macy. It really heartwarming to see how the 3 of them support one another and the trust between them. Overall it is a heartwarming read to me.

I enjoyed reading The Devine Doughnut Shop by Carolyn Brown. The characters are wonderful and you will want to get some doughnuts while you are reading! **I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

Devine Doughnut Shop is strongly in the women's fiction genre a little more than the romance genre. It centers on a group of women who own the shop and their lives, they are multi-generational and the shop has been in the family for generations. I liked the women and loved the way they supported each other and stood up for one another. What I did not like was the teenage daughter at all, i think it was pretty relatable but also she was just so horrible most of the time. The romance was ok but the story was strongest when it was just the women.

What a great cast of characters. Two sisters, a close cousin, and a teenage daughter will delight you with their family drama. Then factor in a few snooty mother-and-daughter combinations and you have a recipe for a plate full of fun. I loved the way the women loved and supported each other. Their relationship and encouragement to each other when things weren’t quite what they seemed had me cheering the mon. And you won’t be able to get to the last page without running to your local donut shop!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

I was really hoping for more out of this book. The cover and synopsis really had me interested. Small town, takes place in Texas, tight-knit family, some drama in there as well. But I found it boring and hard to get through. This is the first book book I have read from author and I have heard good things about her. So I was disappointed.

A sweet story of 3 women who run a doughnut shop. When a developer comes to town he wants to buy them out, but they say no. Good characters and story, and was hard to put down. Would highly recommend this book and author. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Carolyn Brown writes a few different genres and I stick to the family drama/romance ones, because they're fun. They have quirky, strong, sassy female characters. If they get burned, it's the last time it's going to happen, whether it's love or business.. They're usually set in the South, so you have funny lines and situations that just don't seem to happen with characters from other parts of the country. They're tasteful and engaging even if they're sometimes a little heavy on bible quotes.

This book is about two sisters and a cousin. Only one of them has a child, a typical teenager who learns about true friendship the hard way. They're all in different stages of relationships, while running a doughnut shop that's been in the family for decades.

I had a problem with one of the plotlines toward the end, hence only 4 stars.

Thanks, NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are mine and freely given.

I have tried really hard to get into this book but I just can't. I don't feel any draw to find out more about the characters and I just got really annoyed by the teenage daughter's attitude.

Wanted to like this, but it felt a little too saccharine and trying-to-be-positive for me. It was also very confusing as to who was who since all those characters just get dumped onto the page, and they don't sound distinct enough to differentiate (would've worked on a screen to have the visual of each person, but they were pretty indistinguishable on the page). Also found the teenage character Audrey to be absolutely insufferable - and that's also where I think it was a miss for me: everything, and everyone, felt too polarized, too much the opposite ends of any spectrum, and this didn't make it very realistic and believable to me, unfortunately

Three women are torn between traditions of the past and unexpected new beginnings in a warmhearted novel by Carolyn Brown about family, romance, and the best pastries in Texas.

For Grace Dalton, her sister, Sarah, and her cousin Macy, the Devine Doughnut Shop is a sweet family legacy and a landmark in their Texas town. As the fourth generation to run the Double D, they keep their great-grandmother’s recipe secret and uphold the shop’s tradition as a coffee klatch for sharing local gossip, advice, and woes. But drama brews behind the counter, too.

Grace is a single mother struggling with an unruly teenage daughter. Heartbroken Sarah has sworn off love. Macy’s impending wedding has an unexpected hitch. And now charming developer Travis Butler has arrived in Devine with a checkbook and a handsome smile. He wants to buy the shop, expand it nationally, and boost the economy of a town divided by the prospect.

With the family’s relationships in flux, their beloved heritage up for grabs, and their future in the air, it’s amazing what determination, sass, a promise of romance, and a warm maple doughnut can do to change hearts and minds.

I live for stories like this that connect family members to one another. Carolyn Brown knows how to spin a story and she definitely knows how to hook a reader's interest. Will recommend this story to others.

dnf at 25%. Honestly, felt like there were too many characters - I kept getting confused at who's who - especially as it was written in 3rd person. Also, wasn't really connecting to any of the characters.

Kept trying to get into and just couldn't

A highly entertaining, heartwarming and fun adventure filled with witty and engaging charters, heart racing twists and exciting emotional turns. This journey was so emotional and inspiring family journey that was so hard to put down.

I'll admit that I primarily chose this because I like donuts, and unfortunately the donuts were the best part of the book.

The Devine Donut Shop, owned by sisters Grace and Sarah with their cousin Macy, has been around for generations and is famous in their small Texas town. There's drama on both sides of the counter - a developer wants to buy the family recipe and start a factory, Sarah discovers that Macy's fiance isn't who he claims to be, and Grace's teen daughter (Audrey) is going through a rebellious phase. Throughout the book, Grace, Sarah and Macy navigate town gossip, relationships, and the future of their family legacy.

It was a sweet story, but it just fell flat for me. I had a hard time believing it was set in the present day - there was mention of cell phones and social media, but Audrey and Raelene didn't really come across as teens. The romance was lackluster and predictable, and there was more religion than I expected.

This was the first book I've read by Carolyn Brown, and based on Goodreads, this seems to be her style (it's not for me, but I seem to be in the minority). It's certainly not a romance book - more of a women's fiction novel, bordering on Christian fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

This book is about relationships rather than romance, although it does come in, the relationships between mother and daughter, sisters etc is the main focus along with the challenges they bring.. A good read.

I really enjoyed this book! A sweet, lovely romance that made crave donuts! Five stars! Can't wait to read more by the author!

The Devine Doughnut Shop by Carolyn Brown is a gem, between the doughnuts and the feels. Three women were the proprietors, having been left the doughnut shop by their mothers, who had inherited it from their mother. They lived in the same house behind the shop that a couple of them had grown up in and the other had visited often. It is a house full of love, even with a teenager present, Audrey, the daughter of Grace. Their cousin, Macy, was engaged and seriously in love until, after one of her Saturday night romps, Sarah saw Macy’s fiance locked in a serious embrace with another woman. It was almost pornographic. She had just left her lover in the motel room after discovering he was married, with children. She was disappointed and angry. This picture of Neal cheating put the whipped cream on the sundae of her feelings about men right now. To make things worse, some developer was trying to buy the shop and their adjoining property and was not taking no for an answer.

Of course, it all came right, as it always does in Brown’s novels: one reason to read them. No doubt the sisters and their cousin had had a run of bad luck with men but that was about to turn around, as was Audrey and the attitude she had developed. Brown writes good characters, of that there is no doubt. She writes an accurate portrayal of an angsty teen, as well. OK. Everyone living a happily-ever-after isn’t realistic but it’s very often what this world needs. It was a loose plot, but the plot did exist and was resolved quickly and quietly. A terrific read, as always.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Devine Doughnut Shop by Mortlake, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Mortlake #CarolynBrown #TheDevineDoughnutShop

I really enjoyed this book! I will definitely look for other books by this author! I would recommend this book. It was a sweet romance book and made me want donuts!! :)

I just LOVE Carolyn Brown! If she writes it I will be reading or listening to it. She has never let me down. This was another fabulous book. It had laugh out loud moments and was just so cute. I found this to be a quick read but I think all of her books are. I highly recommend this book if you love small town romance books then you will want to read this.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

The Devine Doughnut Shop read like a movie! Strong female.characters. I loved how the voices of those they lost reminded me of my own southern family. Hard lessons learned made the book that much more intriguing. Highly recommend this book to everyone.

I really enjoyed this story about family, friendships, and second chances. It was a fun read that included a trip to my favorite vacation spot in Florida, and the ending was perfect!