3.5* Why would you choose this book? Because this girl loves donuts🍩
Jasmine portrays her Asian culture in a dynamic pledge to her immigrant family. When their little donut shop faces financial difficulties due to a rent increase, she finishes college and chooses to put her career on hold and work for them. The devotion to her parents is hard to find in our society.

Jasmine's parents have expectations, including her dating experiences. She hid the fact she had dated someone, but now they want to arrange a relationship to a cousin. This is where the loyalty ends. Without disrespecting them, her best friend reminds her of all the friends she could fix her up with to go through her social media and see if she finds anyone she might be interested in. That's when "window guy" comes into place. His real is Alex, also Chinese, and she knows him from washing windows at her college. She is totally interested in him. After a failed family dinner with both set of parents, she is rethinking her dating experience.

This is a cute rom-com, although it is lacking in romance, LOL....but it was a fun, decent read.

This is a cute rom-com. Thanks NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for this request in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to @HarperAudio for the complimentary audiobook and @avonbooks for the digital ARC and #gifted book.

The Donut Trap is a coming of age type romance story about Jasmine, who works at her parents’ donut shop while she (kind of) tries to find a job in her career. Her mother is also really hopeful that she’ll find a boyfriend soon. Along comes Alex, a boy she had a crush on in college. They are both trying to figure out their role in their family and balancing pleasing their parents and choosing the life they want, which causes some conflict for them. Tieu knows how to write sweet kisses! If you’ve seen the reel I posted yesterday, you know that I love first kisses. Jasmine and Alex’s first kiss is super cute! I loved their special moments. This book got me out of a slump. I read it in 2 days and it really made me smile. It’s sweet and fun, just like a donut!

I was able to get my hands on a physical copy, digital copy and audiobook so I did a mix of audio while I was driving and ebook while at home. The audio is great, highly recommended!

Big thanks to Avon Publishing for an e-ARC of this book. All opinions and comments are my own.

Overall 2/2.5 rating

I think the book is actually pretty ok and I loved the writing because even though I wasn't a huge fan of the plot and some side characters I was able to finish this book relatively fast.

I really feel like this was marketed wrong; this is supposed to be a romance but came off as more of a women's fiction book with romance in it. I also felt like the hero was lacking in some aspects and there was a weird situation with an ex of Jasmine's that I felt was unnecessary to the plot. I feel lile this could easily benefit from a second book or an extended epilogue because the ending was nice but I would have loved to see more.

Overall I liked this book but felt it was marketed wrong, and if it had been marketed as women's fiction I think I would have liked it better.

This book got me out of a reading rut I had been in. It was just a good, easy read, that made me want to keep reading. I would probably consider this to be more of a coming to age book versus romance though. There is a little romance, but I was much more invested in Jas’ everyday life. I loved that is what told from the POV of the daughter of immigrants, as that is always a unique perspective. Overall, just a good warm read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jasmine has recently graduated college and returned to work at her family’s donut shop. She is really not sure of where she is in life and is reintroduced to an old college crush Alex. After a family meeting both families are against the romance.

What follows is a fun romance with many family dynamics. Having immigrant families involved in the story just adds a depth to the romance that is wonderful. Also important is Jasmine finding herself after graduating college as well as the cute romance that she develops with Alex. It’s also fun to see how Julie finds out more about herself as she tries to save her family business.

I really enjoyed this romance and I felt it brought family dynamics into the story in a heartfelt manner. It’s a cute story and I look forward to more books by Julie Tieu.

Trigger warnings: alcohol abuse, drug abuse

Jasmine Tran has graduated from college and returned home to work in her parents' doughnut shop. She has no prospects for a real job, and feels like all aspects of her life have stalled -- including her love life.

Then Jasmine meets Alex. He's a missed connection from college that magically comes back into her life when she's struggling. Their meeting and relationship seem perfect until their parents and Jasmine's ex-boyfriend enter the picture.

Jasmine's life is messy, and she doesn't help herself out by making decisions that the reader will realize are bad as she's making them. But of course, everything is ironed out in time to tie up the novel with a neat little bow.

Recommended for fans of diverse romance and HEAs (happily ever afters) with a bit of conflict.

This is at least 75% me and the mood I was in when I was reading this, but this one didn't do it for me. I think the other 25% of it not hitting the way I hoped it would is because I think it's a bit mischaracterized as a romance/romcom, and I think many readers are likely to feel the same disappointment.

Jas is a recent college grad, trying to navigate post-school life when her pre-med plans went out the window a few years into college. While she's working to figure it out, she is working in her parents' donut shop. By a remarkable coincidence, her best friend's boyfriend has a new roommate, who just happens to be the guy she sold tickets to once to a college game and has had in the back of her mind ever since. Around the same time, her high school ex (who was a secret from her parents because she was sure they wouldn't approve) also stumbles back into her life. And she is also thinking about stepping away from the donut shop, but doesn't feel like she can leave her parents hanging, even though they've encouraged her to pursue a career.

There were things I thought were really well done here. I think the representation of the tension and unintended conflict between immigrant parents and their first generation American-born kids feels spot on. Having friends who have experiences similar tension, the expectations and language barriers and even culture shock were portrayed pretty accurately. It's awesome to see a book written by an east Asian author writing about east Asian characters. The directionlessness and feeling of being unskilled was spot-on for my experience post-college.

That said, I personally would label this more literary fiction. (To be fair, the first category listed on Netgalley is general fiction, with romance listed third, so that's probably my bad for not paying more attention to that.) The focus is really not on the romance; it is on Jas and her family and her growth as a new adult. I wouldn't consider the endpoint an HEA, which is like the one hallmark of romances. Even if it could be considered a romance, I did not feel any sort of chemistry of relationship development between Jasmine and Alex. Additionally, I don't think this book passed the Bechdel test. Jas's best friend is one-dimensional and serves as a plot device to connect Jas to Alex and to encourage Jas to pursue him. Even though I didn't feel the chemistry between Jasmine and Alex, I did feel the jealousy, in a way that made me feel uncomfortable considering they weren't even calling each other boyfriend/girlfriend yet. Especially given Jasmine's reveal that the one time that Alex bought tickets from her in college, she was so smitten by that one interaction, that she looked up his phone number in the system so she could call him. The fact that she never did doesn't negate that's a total invasion of privacy, and while I think it's realistic that a college-age person would have a lack of critical reasoning to realize that, I wish it had been less glossed over and seen as a cute anecdote.

This book felt disjointed and like it couldn't figure out exactly what it wanted to be. Which, to be fair, is also how recent college grads feel so maybe that was the intention. But it's not one that I'll be thinking about after finishing, and it's not one that I would really feel confident handselling to readers.

In Julie Tieu’s delightful debut novel, The Donut Trap, Jasmine Tran finds herself at a crossroads recent college graduates might be familiar with; stuck at home with your parents and wondering what the hell you’re gonna do with your life. While she flounders for a clue about what she wants to do, Jasmine falls into the familiar routine of working at her parents’ donut shop.

Her life is once more kickstarted into gear when, through the intervention of her best friend, Linh, Jasmine is reunited with an old crush from college. Alex Lai is a cute guy she met once while working at the stadium’s ticket booth. Oblivious to him flirting with her at the time, she never went through with calling him on the phone number she acquired through less-than-approved means.

Alongside Jasmine’s budding relationship with Alex, her family is experiencing the financial strain of their rent being raised. Determined to help her parents–even if they don’t want to listen to her advice–Jasmine sets out to find how to attract more customers to Sunshine Donuts. To do so, she will have to go behind her parents’ backs and break tradition to yank them into the 21st century.

The real backbone of the story, though, is Jasmine’s evolving relationship with her parents. Being the child of immigrants, Jasmine has felt the strain and broken under the pressure of their expectations. Despite the tension between them, the language barrier, and the generational barrier, there is an obvious love between these characters. Jasmine’s parents are not the villains she has to overcome in this story, they are people like her that need to grow with her as she comes into her own.

With all these new experiences happening, Jasmine might even find herself one step closer to who she wants to be. The Donut Trap is a sweet mix of romance and coming of age. Jasmine’s struggle to escape from under her parents’ narrow expectations as well as following along as she starts to discover who she wants to be made for an enjoyable read. Her relationship with Alex has an adorable meet-cute and their budding relationship is refreshingly realistic. A good portion of this novel perfectly encapsulates the phase of ‘talking’ before diving into commitment. Jasmine and Alex are feeling each other out, past hurts initially holding them back so that when they do fall together it makes everything all the sweeter.

Honestly, this book is one of my new favorite romance novels. Its pages are filled with familial tensions, a cute guy, a lovely and relatable protagonist, and donuts. What’s not to love?

The first thought that crossed my mind while reading this book was that, this reminds me if the Netflix show Kim’s Convenience. I love that show! I love this book more. Such a cute adorable story. This could easily be one of my comfort reads.

I wanted so badly to enjoy this book. I saw a lot of hype on IG with the author and others. The cover is cute. The title is cute. The premise is cute. The writing style was very difficult for me to enjoy. I felt like this book had all of the elements to be a stunner but somewhere, someone forgot to run an extra layer of quality control on the voice of the main character. Many repetitive words and awkward run-on thoughts/sentenced made me cringe. To be fair: I'm picky. I notice EVERYTHING about grammar in every book I read. I couldn't help but feel like this was rushed to publication.

I am only posting this review here. I will give this book 3 stars for cuteness and lovability despite its mechanical flaws.

Go for the romance, stay for the donut shop!

Jasmine Tran, recent college graduate, watches Netflix by night and works at at her parents’ shop, Sunshine Donuts, by day. She lives at home and doesn’t know what she wants to do—or can do—with her degree, and she feels trapped. A large part of this book focuses on Jas figuring out her next steps. There is also a romance with Alex, someone she met briefly in college and finds again through her friends.

The true star of this book is Sunshine Donuts. Jas’s parents have put more than 20 years into the business they began—and where they work in overlapping shifts from 4:30 am to 10:00 pm each day—and their landlord is raising the rent. The location isn’t great and their customers are mainly regulars. Will they be able to afford the increase? Jas finds new purpose as she collaborates with her parents, her brother, and her friends to conduct market research and launch campaigns to save the store. (I did wonder why no one had done market research previously, but clearly her parents are too busy actually running the store.)

I don't think I was the right audience for the book. The book was marketed as romance, but the romance was one of the weakest aspects of the story. I didn’t warm to Jas, who was immature and lied to her parents frequently about her plans. But I really cared about the donut shop and her parents. 2.5 stars (extra half star for the donut shop)

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advance copy. My opinion is my own.

This sweet post college adulting romance brought back so many memories for me. Jasmine Tran is one year removed from college graduation and she's lost, just going through the motions while working at her family donut shop. She's created a schedule of theme movie days and reading Wednesdays to break up the monotony of long days at the donut shop. As a fellow liberal arts major, I remember that year after graduation, living at home, not knowing what to do, and learning to get creative with resume work experience. Jasmine has the addition of being a daughter of immigrants whose expectations for her, both career and romantic, have made her shrink her world to home and the donut shop, with only her best friend as a social lifeline.

Enter Alex Lai, a fellow UCLA graduate, with whom she had a meet cute their senior year. Their chemistry is palpable, plus he understands being a child of Chinese immigrants, he’s the first guy she’s truly connected with since high school. Suddenly her small world begins to open up and Jasmine has a find a way to create a new balance and finally get out of the donut shop. Thus begins a scheme with her younger brother to increase business at the donut shop, enabling their parents to hire someone to replace Jasmine.

There’s also a subplot involving Jasmine’s secret high school boyfriend, Michael, that initially feels like an unnecessary triangle storyline, but soon becomes much more. Michael acts as a catalyst, revealing both the stress and joy that children of immigrants can sometimes feel. Jasmine, a 2nd generation American, feels the push and pull to fulfill her parents’ wishes, while not losing her own identity.

This was a cute, funny, and surprisingly deep and emotional book about finding your voice, creating balance, and taking those first steps toward adulthood, plus it’s also a sweet romance. It’s a great read to put a smile on your face, with a tiny lump in your throat, during these uncertain times.

Jasmine is having a rough time. A recent college grad, she's forced to move home and work at her parent's donut shop while she looks for jobs. Watching her friend's successes on Instagram, Jasmine feels like she stuck. When her older college crush unexpectedly comes back into her life, however, things start looking up for Jasmine.

This book definitely blurs the line of a coming of age/finding yourself book and a romcom. A lot of this book focuses on Jasmine's personal growth and finding out what she wants in life, as well as dealing with her parent's high expectations. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book, and I personally related to a lot of her struggles of finding your passion and feeling the pressure to succeed. I definitely think this'll be a relatable book for a lot of recent college grads.

While I did really enjoy Jasmine's character growth, the romance definitely suffered as a result. She and Alex were cute together, but I never felt like their relationship developed fully. Alex was still a bit of a mystery at the end of the book and I wish there'd been more time dedicated to unpacking his insecurities and goals as well.

Overall, this was a super cute debut and I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next!!

Read this is if you like:
🍩 Coming of age stories
🍩 Complex family dynamics
🍩 Lots of donuts

Thanks so much to Avon and NetGalley for the review copy!

“He was open and kind and being near him made me hear swoony Taylor Swift songs in the background, almost loud enough to cancel all the noise.”

After graduating from college, Jasmine is back to working at her family’s donut shop since she has no idea what she wants to do with her future. Her parents are constantly nagging at her to find a boyfriend and telling her what to do + what not to do. When Jas meets her old college crush, Alex, she was happy to introduce him to her family. However, things don’t go well when Alex’s mom made some rude comments about Jas.

The Donut Trap was more of a coming-of-age story and had a little bit of romance. This book mainly focuses on Jasmine trying to find her way post-grad life and being able to have her parents support her in whatever career she has.

🍩READ IF YOU LIKE🍩:
- friends to lovers
- coming of age/self discovery
- old college crush
- mom & pop donut shop
- family dynamics
- Asian representation (cultural diversity)
- hiking & donut puns

cw: body shaming, drug & alcohol use, parent abandonment, mentions of cheating

Thank you to @netgalley, @Avonbooks and @HarperVoyagerUS for the advanced copy! The Donut Trap is available on November 9, 2021!

The Donut Trap by Julie Tieu is a romantic comedy that I would consider a slice of life kind of book. Jasmine is currently working at her parent’s Donut Shop after graduating from college in Los Angeles, California. She is trying to figure out her life and find her place in the world. The book tells this story around Asian culture with romance and humor.

I thought this was a great story. I laughed out loud many times and found it simply charming. Jasmine had a few love interests and it was fun to wonder who she would end up with. Jasmine’s parents were funny and it was great to watch their relationship with Jasmine grow and change over time. The secondary characters added so much to the story and I felt like I had made many new friends by the end. I found the cultural aspect well written and I enjoyed learning more of the nuances of Asian culture.

The Donut Trap is a story about the importance of family, believing in your-self, and finding your way in the world. It is sprinkled with romance, friendships, and great humor! I recommend this delicious read!

Thank you Avon Books for the review copy! All opinions are my own.

I initially grabbed this book because my own college job was in a Cambodian-run donut shop, and I loved the idea of a romance set there. This was a well-done little story, sweet and light-hearted, it balances romance with finding your way in life and balancing parental expectations with reality.

This was a wonderful debut!
The characters were interesting and I loved the donut shop setting. Certainly made me want a donut or two!
I think the post college funk was captured perfectly. I also liked the added struggle of being torn between cultures.
My only qualm would be this was more of a coming of age story rather than a romance. The chemistry between the two was a bit lackluster and I just didn’t get swept up in the romance like I usually do.
A great debut but I would classify this as women’s fiction rather than 100% romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review!

The combo of donut shop setting and the balance of family expectations against finding oneself was a perfect sweetness. For adult fans of Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous, donuts, and slow burn romance. I’m hoping we’ll see more of this friend group in future books

I think as a debut, @julietieuwrites created a really interesting world where Jasmine Tran is a bit of a lost soul taking some time off after graduating from college to find herself. She’s the child of Cambodian immigrants (through China) and she has a lot of the first generation American guilt that my own mother had being the child of Holocaust survivors. Jasmine is torn between meeting her parents expectations and finding her own way, and they communicate mostly through their interactions at the family donut shop. The rent will be increased, and her parents are worried about how to cover it, reluctant to take Jasmine’s ideas and use them to boost the mom and pop shop into the 21st century.

This is a modern story, with Instagram featuring prominently as a solution to get customers into the store, as well as a flirtation mechanism for Jasmine and one of her beaus to be, Alex Lai. In a series of coincidences, Jasmine starts to date Alex, somebody she met briefly once in college, because he’s roommates with Jasmine’s best friend’s boyfriend. Jasmine is a bit of a lonely, self professed nerd, with bad luck around men. She really could use a good experience — and where the book lost me a bit was in the romance itself. Jasmine and Alex have a lot of chemistry, but Alex is still insecure because Jasmine’s ex Michael is buzzing around because he’s part of her high school friend group. Alex acts hot for Jasmine, only to turn around and be pretty insulting about Jasmine’s life circumstances — which makes me think I’m supposed to be pulling for Michael? Anyway, I’m not so great with love triangles so I think the better plan is to decide that this is a love story where Jasmine takes a chance on herself and falls in love with what she is and can be, regardless of the man children in her life.

I really liked this world building and I really liked Jasmine. I like the fresh perspective and point of view of a Cambodian immigrant family, one who knew trauma and sacrifice. I liked Jasmine’s journey. I just wasn’t super sold on the romance and want Alex to grow up and be worthy of Jasmine.

Wow, this is an awesome debut novel: Fun, adorable, sweet and gave me all the fluffy feels.

Since the beginning, the book was engaging because of the emotional rollercoaster that Jas, the MC, was going through.I found her struggle regarding the expectations vs reality that young people find when they finish college, realistic and challenging.

The flirting and banter that Jas and Alex have was so cute, swoony and exciting, the chemistry was palpable since the start. The epistolary factor was amusing and cool and helped with the banter.
I also loved the meet cute, and the fact that years later, Alex and Jas still remember the details, was really sweet.

I enjoyed the personalities and dynamic that Jasmin had with her friends and family and how Alex adapted to them.

Thank you to Avon for the eARC.