The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar Review

Title: The Dos and Donuts of Love

Author: Adiba Jaigirdar

Genre: YA Contemporary Rom-Com

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

Pages: 400

Release Date: 8 June 2023

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Hello fellow book lovers! Today I'm back with a review for The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar. A delightfully fun and deliciously pun-filled, YA Romance filled with baking mishaps, food fights and a wholesome sapphic romance that Great British Bake Off fans are gonna absolutely devour. 

Synopsis

“Welcome to the first ever Junior Irish Baking Show!”

Shireen Malik is still reeling from the breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives news that she’s been accepted as a contestant on a new televised baking competition show. This is Shireen’s dream come true! Because winning will not only mean prize money, but it will also bring some much-needed attention to You Drive Me Glazy, her parents’ beloved donut shop.

Things get complicated, though, because Chris is also a contestant on the show. Then there’s the very outgoing Niamh, a fellow contestant who is becoming fast friends with Shireen. Things are heating up between them, and not just in the kitchen.

As the competition intensifies , Shireen will have to ignore all these factors and more— including potential sabotage—if she wants a sweet victory.

Review

This was such a fast paced and entertaining read with an endearing protagonist whose confidence in her baking talent and celebration of her plus sized figure made it nearly impossible for me (a plus sized woman myself) not to root for! 

The setting of the GBBO style competition will be familiar to anyone who’s ever watched the show, but I really liked the little nods to the show’s original judges in the JIBS’ very own Máire Cherry (aka Mary Berry) and Padma Bollywood (aka Paul Hollywood) which I definitely found quite fun. And Galvin Cramsey the third judge was soo clearly meant to be Gordon Ramsey that I found it quite funny picturing his reaction during a particular incident in the competition. 

Shireen’s time in the show does explore some pretty relevant issues such as racism, mice aggressions and fatphobia and the trend in cyber related attacks on social media. Which is why I appreciated Padma’s check ins , though I admit Shireen’s network of supporters (including her adorably proud parents, best friend and even her ex) was also really sweet to witness. 

The romance too was absolutely wonderful and the second chance/ love triangle dynamic that Shireen navigates added an interesting dose of tension between the baking scenes that really kept me intrigued, especially given the rivals to lovers aspect that we see in Shireen’s interactions with both Chris and Niamh. 

Overall, a (mostly) lighthearted and entertainingly sweet Rom-com with a satisfying conclusion that really captures the essence of GBBO (in all its overly dramatised highs and lows) — just make sure you have plenty of sweet treats on hand cause it’ll definitely make you hungry 

A huge thank you to Team BKMRK for this wonderful (and Signed!) proof, I’m adding all of Adiba’s other books to my tbr as I type this! 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

About The Author 

Adiba Jaigirdar is the award-winning, critically-acclaimed and bestselling author of The Henna Wars, Hani & Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating, A Million to One, and The Dos and Donuts of Love. 

A Bangladeshi/Irish writer and former teacher, she has an MA in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent, England and a BA in English and History from UCD, Ireland. She is the winner of the YA book prize 2022, the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards 2021, and was a finalist for the 2022 Lambda Literary awards.

All of her writing is aided by tea, and a healthy dose of Janelle Monáe and Hayley Kiyoko. When not writing, she is probably ranting about the ills of colonialism, playing video games, or expanding her overflowing lipstick collection.

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