The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar Aaren Tucker Jaigirdar, Adiba The Dos and Donuts of Love. Feiwel, 2023 [336p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250842114 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781250842107 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 7-12 Reeling from a break-up, Shireen is prepared to spend her summer moping while bingeing old episodes of The Great British Bake Off and eating donuts from her parents’ struggling donut shop. That quickly changes when she’s selected as a contestant for the first season of The Junior Irish Baking Show. Competing in a show like this has always been Shireen’s dream, and it would raise the profile of the donut shop. Unfortunately, she has to compete alongside her ex-girlfriend Chris, and when they get paired up for the first challenge, it’s clear they have unfinished business. Shireen, however, is determined to put all that aside and focus on the competition; she’s lucky, then, that fellow competitor and new maybe-more-than-friend Niamh is around to help provide a distraction. The charming baking competition setting provides most of the fun and excitement in the story, and adorably punny chapter titles like “Cruller Intentions” and “All Good Things Crumb to an End” bring added humor, but the text injects enough realism to keep the comedic elements this side of twee. In typical teen fashion, Shireen struggles to see things from others’ perspectives, so her growing insight throughout the novel provides a satisfying character arc. Fans of love triangles will be kept guessing about which girl Shireen will choose, though in the end there is no doubt about whom she belongs with in this pleasant, contemplative romance. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois