This was very predictable, and therefore I didn't like it as much as I would have otherwise. The characters felt a little bland, too. The plot was okay, but because of its predictability it was nothing special. All in all an okay read for me, but it won't leave a lasting impression unfortunately.

Donut Fall in Love is fluffy, swoony, and heartwarming romance focusing on Lindsay, the baker and Ryan, the famous actor connecting through their grief and baking lessons. The story is about loss, grief, insecurity, East Asian culture in entertainment industry, family, friendship, and love.

Writing is entertaining and fast paced with third person narrative from Lindsay and Ryan’s alternative perspective. Both have refreshing voice. The story is set in Toronto, Canada. I haven’t come across many books set in Toronto so it added its own charm to story.

Romance is swoon-worthy, hot and sexy with many bedroom scenes. They found each other attractive and closed proximity of private lessons made it inevitable for them not to end up together hard and fast but their different life style, lack of experience with relationships, and recent loss added a bit of spice and complexity in their romance. I liked that when their relationship was tested by twitter troll, it wasn’t just one person’s fault or because of a communication gap. They both were idiots and they both realized their mistake soon after.

What I loved most is Asian representation in the story, how the entertainment industry treated them and how hard it is to succeed in this industry. There is layer of twitter drama and also a perspective on how maintaining perfect-looking abs affects health and how some might fall into eating disorder. There is bater, many lovely and sweet moments, also reality baking show to make it even more entertaining.

Overall, Donut Fall in Love is heartwarming, swoonworthy, entertaining, and delectable romcom with celebrity falling for normal person trope. I highly recommend to fans of this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much fun, and I basically read the entire book in one sitting. I absolutely loved Ryan and Lindsay as main characters and I loved being able to watch their love story unfold.

I was also really excited when I found out that there are going to be more books set in this universe and I can't wait to read them all!

I tried to read this one finally at the end of 2022 and I just couldn't get into it. I didn't mesh with the writing style for some reason so it's a me thing and not the book. There are so really solid reviews for this one though so check them out.

This was very sweet! An actor signs up for a reality TV show and asks the cute local baker trying to get her business off the ground to help him out with baking 101. He's a natural, they have great chemistry, the Canadian setting and the Asian ethnicity adds a nice layer... but ultimately the food descriptions are the best part of this romance.

Loved the cooking/baking element of this as well as the Asian representation and those elements. Love books that involve the entertainment industry, too!

LOVED their meet cute.

This is a romance between a bakery owner and a Canadian actor. I enjoyed it! I thought the couple was cute together and I liked how instantaneously that connection was. This was a low-stress read, and I liked the perspective of being Asian in the entertainment industry, the examination of gender expectations, and the deeper meaning than your traditional romcom.

Thanks for the free book, @prhinternational !

3.5 stars⭐

What did I appreciate about this book?

- The style: I really like Jackie Lau's ironical writing style. It's enjoyable and very entertaining on the pages, and allows the reader to keep reading with a fast pace. The dialogues were fresh and I really adored the chemistry between Ryan and Lindsay! I craved for more flirting dialogues between those two.
- The diversity: one of the elements that I liked the most was the choice to introduce Asian main characters, that often are present in books as sidekicks, and we find this also in Ryan's career as well, since he has to make double effort to be noticed in the hope to have a leading role. Plus, I've found an interesting LGBTQIA+ representation, that I look forward to discover more in book 2 (yes, because there's a second book).
- The characters: Ryan and Lyndsay are adorable in their peculiar ways. I like how she's straightforward and concrete and his gentleness and fragilities.

What would I have expected more from?

- Less rush. Despite the fact of being a lovely reading, I think that some scenes and moments should have been developed better, so as to have more depth. Not to mention the fact that we have those baking lessons that are very well outlined with all the proper baking terms.... but the competition (LITTLE SPOILER) lasts just few pages. But why? Furthermore, tthe author presents interesting themes like postpartum depression and grief, but they haven't the proper space to talk about them and see the real impact on the characters and those around them.
The result is, as I've said, an enjoyable reading, but with the feeling that something was missing. I couldn't get myself totally involved in the story, even if I really liked it.

It didn't blow me away, but I think the romance will appeal to folks who want a reverse Notting Hill. The com is missing a bit from the rom-com equation, but banter to some is cringe to me.

Donut Fall in Love is breath of fresh air in the rom-com space. Lau unabashedly centers asian leads and give them beautiful HEAs. Fans of Crazy Rich Asians, here is your next obsession.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Trigger Warnings: Grief, death of a parent (for each character; off the page)

I've always been a fan of Jackie's books, mostly because she continues to include diverse representation (LGBTQ+ characters, almost all non-white leads, etc.) in each of them. This might not be my favorite Jackie Lau book to date (ICE CREAM LOVER still takes the... cake), however I'm a sucker for a "Hollywood" story. Couple an actor with an innovative baker and I'm over the moon!

There's a lot to love about the family dynamics, exploration of grief, and characters confronting internal racism/trauma/grief in their relationships - all of which Jackie has explored in previous books. I'm just happy those themes made it to trad-pub, too (along with the heat)!

The premise of Donut Fall in Love sounded so cute! I really wanted to love Ryan and Lindsay, but sadly I had a hard time connecting with the story.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the chance to review Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau in exchange for an honest review.
I've been enjoying the many new books by Asian authors. Yes, I judged the book by it's title and the blurb. I'm glad I did because the story was lighthearted, and a fun read. This is my first book by Jackie Lau and it will not be the last :) I'm giving Donut Fall in Love a 4 stars rating.

I'm a sucker for a baking-themed rom-com, and this didn't disappoint! Now I really, really want donuts...

THIS WAS SO CUTE!! A really fun, light contemporary romance with great characters and a fluffy plot. For fans of Guillory

I was so excited to read this because of donuts and during the time I requested this title, I was a little hungover with Showmance, a rom-com audio drama about a reality cooking show, which was partly why I wanted to read this book.

Perhaps, I should have left it at that...

The book isn't really that bad, I just couldn't click with the writing style and the characters felt hollow. The chemistry was off to a good start, the follow through with Ryan and Lindsay's relationship not so much. Maybe I was craving a more slow-burn romance that's why I didn't particularly appreciate how it went down.

One thing I liked was the food descriptions. Another thing I liked was how Ryan's relationship with his dad was highlighted. Asian Dad-Son relationships, amirite? If there's anything common between Ryan's relationship with his dad and Lindsay, it's the lack of healthy communication.

I don't hate the miscommunication trope, although I would say we could use less of this. But for the book, it got a little rushed towards the end, so I felt like the payoff was lacking since the characters got together pretty early in the story. Also, I didn't like the pacing that much and it got a little boring for me in the middle, which is why it took me months to finish reading. 😬

This is my first Jackie Lau book, and I can't say I'm excited to read more of the author's works.

I’ve read a couple romances set around a donut shop, a setting I didn’t know I’d enjoy. This one is a very open door romance which had me blushing and skipping scenes. I loved the blossoming romance between the two main characters which is what kept me reading. I almost DNFd because of the language at the beginning of the book but I’m glad I pressed on.

This was a really cute story, with a touch of family hardship, as well as some **spice** 🌶️🌶️
Overall, a fun read! I will definitely be reading more by Jackie Lau in the future! ⭐⭐⭐

I thought it was an enjoyable romance, perfect quick summer read. I wish there wasn't so much misunderstanding when it came to the pseudo love triangle tho.

I desperately loved this book, the same as all of the other Jackie Lau books. I cannot wait to read the next one!