Another good story told by this author. An easy, clean read that many would enjoy but if you are like me and do not enjoy stories with a lot of christian referencing then stay away from this story. I really wish I had known this before I selected this book on netgalley. I would not have chosen it. Other books I had read by Carolyn Brown had not been like this so I was surprised.

The story includes heartbreaks in different forms, new love, family and friends working together and watching out for each other, teenage bullying and mean girls. And of course the traditional happy ending is included, although somewhat rushed, I believe.

I was disappointed by this book even though I finished it. I did skip over a lot because of the below comments.
A few points I did not like, besides the over the top christian referencing, included the following: (1) the amount of people who had conversations with dead loved ones. One in a story is good but it seemed that all the main characters did this. I found it odd. (2) the over use of sayings (religious and otherwise). (3) how many donuts do people in Texas usually eat. Here one with your coffee is good but soooo many people had at least 2 a sitting or ordered a dozen at a time but visited the shop more then once a day! wow! (4) it seemed as if the 30-40 yr olds did not know how to use google. One actually drove to a restaurant to look at the menu. Again.. odd! (5) the repeating of information already given in previous parts of the book, Seems that some editing could have helped.


Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book. Sorry for the delay in posting my feedback.

This book was everything I didn't expect, in the best way.

I enjoyed the story, the characters, the setting, all of it!

The cover is just the cutest! I really enjoyed all the family drama and the characters felt so relatable! I loved the multigenerational aspect! I loved the small town feel and all the life lessons that were woven in. I am a tried and true Texan so I loved the "Texas Twang" that was incorporated! I could totally see this on Hallmark!

I dont like southern type books and not books with christian romance. Overall, this is a me issue and i think people who dont mind that should read it

This was a great, feel good romance book. I love all of Carolyn Brown’s books. This is a story of family, friends, and finding love and purpose.

This book is nice summer read. For fans of contemporary women’s fiction/ romance/ family saga. I loved the cover but found it hard to get into the story .

The Devine Doughnut Shop

by Carolyn Brown

Anyone who has traveled across Texas by car knows that most small towns in Texas have a doughnut shop. It’s a standard! Devine, Texas, an actual town near San Antonio, in this novel boasts the most divine doughnuts in the area. They are made in small batches from a secret recipe passed down through four generations of Devine women who are a “family of sisters.”

Grace and Sarah are biological sisters and their cousin Macy is like a third sister. The three women, who also live together in a house near the shop, are up at three o’clock six days a week making their delicious doughnuts.

All of the these women have suffered shattered romantic relationships ranging from a bad boy spouse who couldn’t stay around to parent his newborn, to a boyfriend who lied about his marriage, to a serial con man. In The Devine Doughnut Shop, the reader watches as some of these disasters unfold.

Grace’s teenage daughter Aubrey is beset with her own trust issues in her desire to be popular. She is used by a group of “mean girls” and foolishly casts off her old friends. One of those friends, Raelene, is herself abandoned by her own mother just a few months before her high school graduation. She finds herself without a home or food and in danger of losing the college scholarship she has worked for.

The mean girls have moms who spoil them and were obviously bullies themselves in high school. Now they are vicious gossipers who excel in and celebrate making others miserable.

All of the characters have trust issues to overcome. Grace finds herself oddly attracted to a successful businessman with a good heart. Married to his job, Travis is surprised by his attraction to this hard-working, no nonsense mother of a teenager who won’t sell either her business or the secret recipe. Is he really interested in Grace or does he just see her as a stepping stone to another business deal? What will it take for these characters to turn their lives around and begin to trust in love again?

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: General Fiction, Romance

Notes: Standalone

Publication: February 14, 2023—Mountlake

Memorable Lines:

She was wearing a five-dollar thrift store dress, but she was riding in a modern-day golden chariot, and she had to admit that the excitement bouncing around in the back of the limo was contagious.

“The way to a man’s heart might be through his stomach, but the way to a woman’s heart is through her family.”

“Honey, I’m swimming with the dolphins.” Beezy held up her tote bag. “I’ve got my bathing suit right here, and I don’t give a rip if my hair gets wet. At my age, we got to do what we can when we can, because tomorrow we might be too old and decrepit to even feed ourselves.”

Another winning book by Carolyn Brown. Small town, Three friends as extended family and delicious doughnuts. It is nice to have friends to help you out when you have a dilemma. A fast & enjoyable story.

Brown is my go to for feel good women's fiction. Even though her books always contain a level of sadness and drama, there is ALWAYS a theme of strong female bonds and friendship.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Devine Doughnut Shop by Carolyn Brown from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinions. Not gonna lie - The title and cover made me want to stop everything and read this as soon as possible! I found this book to be thoroughly entertaining and I loved it from the start. Fun read that will take your mind off anything stressful! :) Thanks for the early copy!

This is a good book. The main characters are Grace, Sarah, and Macy. Grace and Sarah are sisters and Macy is their cousin. They own the Devine Doughnut Shop. This story is about family, how you can always count on your family. They each have issues but together they work through them and find their true love.

This is just a fun book to read, entertaining and humorous with wit, charm and southern sass. Set in the small town of Devine, Texas, this novel has characters that jumped into my heart and flowed out in laughter. Grace, her sister Sarah and her cousin Macy own the popular doughnut shop in town and the secret recipe that came with it as their legacy. They are light-hearted and fun-loving, but they all notice that their lives are not totally fulfilling. When Macy and Sarah are both heartbroken after relationships with deceptive guys, the three turn to each other for advice, consolation, doughnuts and ice cream. Grace is a single parent of Audrey, a teen with attitude and a lot of sass herself. Raelene was my favorite character, an orphan who is taken in by Grace and her family, resented by Audrey and one of the wisest teens you would ever hope to meet. The characters are all engaging and thoroughly lovable. The plot moves at a good pace, with lots of twists in the plot and plenty of new relationships being established and old ones falling away. Each central character has significant life changes and choices to make and therein lies the theme and the wisdom that makes this book not just enjoyable but also memorable. The theme is one of having hope and releasing things of the past to stay in the past.

A great story and one that could be your dougnut shop around the corner.
Small town. Divine shop. 3 sisters with heartbreak and yearning for love. struggle with their love life and raising a stubborn teenager.
Great storyline and well written

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.