A cute sapphic romance with a cooking competition.

-Asian characters
-plus size character
-queer characters
-donuts

We follow our bestie Shireen, she's recovering from her break up with her ex girlfriend who ALSO happens to be in the same cooking competition!! There is tension, banter, and soo many funny moments. I loved the puns they had me laughing out loud! I enjoyed following Shireen's journey from being a broken hearted teen, and then joining The Junior Irish Baking show.

Adiba Jaigirdara is VERY talent author, the words pulled me into the story I could not put it down! I was sad when it did come to an end. I am definitely going to read more by them in the future!

Thank you Netgalley, Hachette Children's Group, Hodder Children's Books and Adiba Jaigirdar for giving me a ARC read in exchange for my honest review.

I have been lucky enough to read the latest three Adiba Jaigirdar novels, and I absolutely adored all of them. (I know, I'm sorry, but The Henna Wars *is* on my TBR list, especially now!) With that in mind, however, I have to say that this one is by far my favourite of hers!

Filled with more puns than a Christmas cracker factory, every chapter heading and donut name had me smiling to myself and occasionally reading aloud for the benefit of my lucky companions. Shireen's narrative voice was accessible and funny, as well as emotive and entertaining, and I LOVED following her journey, both as a heartbroken teenager and as a contestant on The Junior Irish Baking Show.

The other characters were brilliant too, and constantly surprising, from the judges on the show to Shireen's family and fellow contestants. As well as this, the Dublin setting felt even more vivid and real than it did in Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating, which I hugely enjoyed! Anyone looking for a bit of sweet* escapism, therefore, should pick up this novel and lose themselves in a world of food and drama and friendship.

In short, I loved every part of this book and can't think of anybody who wouldn't do the same! Well, unless you exclusively read gory horror stories and hate puns. Then you might not like it. I'll be recommending this to everyone you reads YA fiction, particularly my friends who love good LGBTQ+ representation, and I urge you all to read it yourselves and then do the same!

*see what I did there?

This is so heartwarming to see books like this coming out, it’s something I wish I had when I was younger.

This book focuses a lot on identity and focuses on the trials and tribulations of a young girl trying to find her place in the world while facing feelings, international tv competitions and the threat of the outside world.

The story had me gripped and I often found myself laughing along. Young queer books that don’t focus solely on the fact they have a secret relationship is always a great step, and something I would’ve loved growing up. I highly recommend this book to everyone, regardless of your own background. Being able to learn and explore a new culture through a fascinating story line was absolutely incredible.

Bake Off former girlfriends get 'bready' to 'crumble'!

Yes, I had to. This book has more puns in it than my son's joke book. These are actually quite good though!

This book also ticks a lot of boxes - two Asian female protagonists, same-sex relationships, currant (note my spelling) baking show plotline, social media backlash and prejudice/stereotyping, parents and their role with adolescents, body image and plus-sized characters. And doughnuts.

While you might think it's trying to be all things to all people and get as many contemporary issues crammed in as possible, this is a rather sweet and moreish confection.

Shireen has only recently broken up with her girlfriend, Chris. Their parents run rival bakeries, and Shireen dreams of one day having her own shop and brand. Which is why she's applied to be on a young person's Irish Bake Off TV show.

The story begins as Shireen finds out she's got a place (with her best friend abroad visiting family and struggling to help her cope with the break-up or celebrate her good news)... only to discover so has her ex-girlfriend. But happily, there are other very friendly and attractive contestants to help her forget...

A sticky tale of adolescent angst, dealing with the emotions of yourself and others, making mistakes and learning from them. There's Mary Berry and Gordon Ramsay 'alikes' in the show's judges who made me chuckle. And a lot about being proud of yourself and your origins, being happy in your own skin, the ups and downs of rivalries.

It was refreshing to read a book set in Ireland and with such an eclectic mix of characters and ethnicities, foods and cultures represented. It was also enjoyable to work out what Shireen should do, both in love and in the competition. I'm not a Bake Off watcher, but I was very keen to see how the baking went each round!

Flawed (floured?) characters abound, from parents to children, but this was highly entertaining and with several key points to make to its audience. I REALLY want to see some of their creations on a screen as well.

For ages 12 and above.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample (yum) reading copy.

Shireen is struggling with the breakup from her girlfriend when they both shortlisted as contestants on a baking show.

I an so glad that Adiba Jaigirdar is writing more romance. I liked the fun of the baking show even if I felt some aspects were a little realistic.

Reading this alongside another second chance romance I have realised that this trope is not a favourite for me.

Oh this was EXCELLENT. Just... fluffy and fun, whilst still making space for important topics. I really loved the way it drew on GBBO (the judges, I CACKLED) yet provided a unique and compelling story. Usually I try to make my NetGalley reviews a little more nuanced but honestly? I can't even think of anything to say other than 10/10 no notes. I adore Adiba Jaigirdar, and this is another perfect example of her absolutely stellar writing. 110% recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley, for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

You know what's sweeter and better at lifting your mood than donuts? This book. What an absolute pleasure of a read!

Shireen Malik is reeling from a breakup with her secret girlfriend (it was a secret not because Shireen is queer - her parents are cool with that - but because her ex-girlfriend is the daughter of her parents' professional rivals) and all she wants to do is rewatch The Great British Bake Off. But life gets in the way of that, due to her best friend, the fact that she needs to show up for her shift at her parents' donut shop and then her dream comes true: she gets cast as one of the contestants on Junior Irish Baking Show!

There she meets Niamh, a fellow contestant with whom Shireen has some lovely chemistry going. But of course, it couldn't be easy - her ex is on the show too!

I thought I knew where this story was going to go but nope, I was pleasantly surprised with how it ended. Shireen loves her puns, and that only added to my delight with this book.

Jaigirdar discusses racism and online bullying in a way that's very accessible, realistic and does not feel preachy. I love that her main character is fat and has absolutely no problem with it. We need more fat positivity in books! Another thing I loved about this book is how deft Jaigirdar is at normalising queer identity, presenting it as a fact of life rather than a huge obstacle to overcome/come to terms with.

Here's to many more stories of queer, people of colour, Muslim characters who are Irish!

The Dos and Donuts of Love is out on July 8th.

Thank you to Netgalley UK and Hachette's Children Books and Adiba Jaigirdar for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Donut Miss This Book!

See what I did there? Well, if you are that kind of cheesy pun loving person, then look no further for your next read.

I can’t wait for this to be published because a) I want a physical copy on my shelves, I mean, have you seen that cover? Oh, the Cuteness! b) you need to read this to share in the gooey goodness it will make you feel and c) I can’t be the only one obsessed with donuts, Shireen and Baking Shows, the gang needs to grow.

And it will, because I dare anyone to read this and not fall in love with Shireen. She is a fat Bangladeshi-Irish sapphic sweetheart, who is confident in her body, can whip up a storm in the baked goods department and is the master of desert puns (speaking of, each chapter title is an adorable desert pun. Which I loved. Also can we make it a thing to bring back chapter titles please.) She had her flaws, but all good characters do, she navigates her problems like any teen, she was at times self-centered in a relatable teenage way but ultimately acknowledged this and grew by the end.

Adiba sure knows how to write beautiful characters that develop throughout the story, although there are a few exceptions *cough* Sean *cough* and she tackles tough topics (fatphobia, racism, racial microaggressions, lesbophobia, anxiety, online hate and discrimination) integrating them seamlessly into the story. Fat Representation is a big thing for me, and having a main character that is fat, adores her food, and isn’t ashamed of her body made me happy dance. It’s not a myth, us big gals can love our bodies too! Having this rep matters so very much, especially as this book is accessible to the younger side of the YA reader, who needs this rhetoric.

The story is fast-paced, interesting, and easy to read, I demolished it in a day. Lovers-to-Enemies-to-Lovers again is a trope I’m here for, who doesn’t love a second chance romance. Especially when set in a high stakes baking competition, with close proximity to your Ex and with the world and your baking hero watching… Oh the Drama! It was delicious… 4 Michelin stars worth of deliciousness.

Thank you NetGalley and Teambkmrk for the ARC

I really loved this super sweet, wholesome book! The baking puns were top notch and the premise was fantastic. Some really cute tropes in here too which makes it the perfect enjoyable read. Another huge success from Adiba Jaigirdar!

The overall story and plot was very cute, and definitely delivered on drama, however I do think that this would be a great book for younger audiences, and it was only the cursing in the story that made it YA.

I loved the combination of great british bake off and the masterchef format, but also thought at times it hindered the story, as there wasn't very much baking being described, the story focused more on the love triangle and the reality tv aspect instead, and due to that the character development and relationships lacked a lot.

The puns in the book were by far my favourite part, each chapter title was even better than the previous one, and just made the book so much fun. Overall the book was very enjoyable, and I had a lot of fun reading it, despite the small issues I had.

The Dos and Donuts of Love is a sweet, wholesome rom-com filled with fun tropes and baking puns. I loved the premise of the book- a televised baking show with food fights, sabotage and exes. It’s the perfect sapphic read to start off your summer. Adiba Jaigirdar never fails to disappoint!

This was a fun, fast-paced read and I really enjoyed it! The plot moved quickly and I sped through it as I was completely hooked.

I loved the competition element of the book. It was completely different to anything I've read before and it was an interesting environment for the story to take place in.

The representation in this book was also great. Shireen is fat, sapphic, and Bangladeshi-Irish and the way that the book addressed racism, fatphobia, and homophobia seemed well done and accessible for young readers.

The main aspect that I wasn't really interested in was the love triangle. I was less interested in if Shireen ended up with Chris or Niamh and more interested in the competition.

Overall though this was a quick, fun, cute read that I definitely recommend!

Every time Adiba Jaigirdar releases a new book, it goes straight onto my "must read" list and I regret nothing.

The Dos and Donuts of Love feels like the sort of book that I could easily recommend to so many of my students. There's nothing that would be particularly inaccessible for my younger (Y7-8) students so you might class the book as the younger end of YA for that reason, but it's so charming that I as a full grown adult still devoured and loved it.

Shireen is lovely, and I'm pretty sure most people could relate to her in some way. The Junior Irish Baking Show competition element obviously sets the story up in a particular way, but even I didn't see all the twists and turns of the competition coming.

Adiba is the queen of light, but not flimsy, easy read YA romances in my opinion, and I can't wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Children’s Group for the chance to read this arc.

This was a definite four and a half star book for me. I enjoyed it a lot and I was able to read it so easily and I finished it in a day, which is very rare for me as I’m a slow reader.

The plot was fast paced and kept me interested and I enjoyed the characters and the bakes sounded so yummy!

I was rooting for Shireen through out the book and I really enjoyed her character. It is still unfortunately so rare to come across a fat character who is happy and confident in themself and it was so lovely to read about.

CW’s fatphobic and racist comments online, panic attacks.

I have attached a link to my Instagram book account review

A fun and fast-paced read. I especially enjoyed the baking competition scenes and the supportive family dynamic.

This was such a great YA read, but really a great book for all ages! I love baking and baking competitions and this was the perfect book to accompany that. We meet Adiba who is competing on a tv competition. Winning this competition will not only help her, but save her parents do it shop. The plot twist is not only does her ex show up to compete, but also a potential new love interest as well! This was such a cute read. I highly enjoyed it and I know readers young and old will 2!