#DonutFallInLove:

I have a new book boyfriend, and his name is Ryan Kwok. Donut Fall in love was the perfect amount of fun, food, and fuc- er, functioning relationship as adults.

Ryan Kwok and #StarringRyanKwoksAbs one day run into (literally) Lindsay and her new batch of donuts at work. One of the cutest meet cutes, Ryan goes back to the bakery, apologies, and asks for Lindsay’s help. He wants to start in “Baking Fail” a reality baking competition and they’re doing a celeb episode. Lindsay agrees and the two try to make the best sweets, and the best relationship. Kwok’s a famous actor, so there’s the struggle of can “we do this” as he’s always in the public eye.

I loved that Lau touched on so many topics in such a fun book. Lau discusses loss of a parent, PPD, racism, image issues which can lead to EDs, ethnic stereotypes, the good (and bad) effects of social media, and family dynamics. I think they were all handled so well and really added to the plot and character development. I will continue to read Jackie Lau for how this played alone!

I actually really loved their chemistry and honesty. They got each other, they were (mostly) open and vulnerable and I just swooned for them. When Lindsay said she had relations 5 times in 24 hours, I did have to rewind that part to make sure I heard correctly. Go ahead girl. The “great misunderstanding” was a bit typical, but I want annoyed by it like I usually am. They brought up valid points that real life couples would have done.

I truly adored Donut Fall in Love and cannot wait to see what happens next (I saw you GR with The Stand Up Groomsman) Also, donut read this on an empty stomach. I ate so many donuts reading this book. All worth it. If you love foodie romances (y’all know I’m a sucker for baking competitions) or romance with deeper dialogue, please check out Donut Fall in Love, available now. Thanks so much @berkley for the gifted copy!


QOTD: We’re off to the bakery. What are you picking up? I’m grabbing a s’mores donut forever and ever.

Sweet but spicy romance!

I adore any baking competition shows so I loved that hot celeb Ryan wanted to get baking classes so as to not look a fool on television. Baker Lindsay, culinary mastermind is just the ticket. Their chemistry was hot and I enjoyed delving into what dating a celebrity would look like.

Ryan's dad's tweets were cracking me up!

Donut Fall in Love was a really cute book. I liked Ryan and Lindsay a lot. The storyline was fun and the book was well written. I definitely want to read more from Jackie Lau.

This one had so much promise, but did not live up to my expectations. Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau is billed as a rom-com, diverse/own voices, and (for me) set in another country so I was excited to dive in. If it wasn’t for the fact that this was an ARC read that I was buddy reading, I would have DNFed it. I hate doing that to any book, but I just didn’t enjoy it at all. Donut Fall in Love follows Lindsey, a local bakery owner, and Ryan, a Hollywood celebrity, as they navigate first friendship and then something a little more.

What I Liked:
I really enjoyed the banter between Ryan and his dad. Losing his mom suddenly a few months prior has left Ryan to fill her shoes. Ryan and his dad do not understand each other, and as a result butt heads at every turn. I have to give his dad credit though. He is trying, in his own roundabout way, to connect with his son.

I also liked Lindsey’s interactions with her friends and roommate. This is the only time I felt like Lindsey was fully fleshed out. Vivian and Noreen made me feel something for her. I also enjoyed the baking scenes…made me a little hungry to be honest 😆

What Left Me Wanting More:
This story is told in a passive voice, very little action happens on page. Instead the writer adopted to use a “tell me” instead of “show me” approach. What do I mean by that? For example, instead of writing about how Ryan was developing feelings for Lindsey, I was simply told that he had feelings. There was little lead up to anything in the story. Most things happened, as I already said, off page and then discussed later. This really hindered the romance of the story. Romance should make the reader feel what the characters are in that moment, and instead I was bored.

Ryan and Lindsey were not fully fleshed out. While I liked and enjoyed Ryan’s perspective (at least more than Lindsey), Lindsey’s scenes were very dull. Emotion and action were missing which left me disconnected from the story, like an outsider looking in. The transitions from Ryan’s POV to Lindsey’s were also disjointed which sometimes made me feel like I’d skipped a page.

Then there was the climax of the story. Ryan sought Lindsey out after he was asked to be on a baking show. He didn’t want to appear totally clueless so he hired her to teach him the basics of baking. The filming of the show was (in my opinion) a big part of the book. Like it should be a part of the climax as this was what they were working towards in the first place. However it was given as much detail as the rest of the book, meaning that I was told what happened instead of experiencing it through Ryan which was a big let down.

Final Thoughts:
While I didn’t hate it, Donut Fall in Love was a disappointment. I was expecting a fluffy rom-com with a sweet meet-cute and something that would make my heart go pitter-patter. What I got instead was not much comedy, some steamy (yet awkward) scenes, and flat characters. Rarely do I say this, but here goes…I would not recommend this one.

2.5 stars — This book wasn’t bad per say, but it was very very meh for me. If it hadn’t been a NetGalley, and I wasn’t buddy reading it, I probably would have DNFd it. I could see a lot of potential, but in the end the word I would use to describe it is flat. Also, if you are hoping for a rom-com (as this one is advertised), well, I would lower your expectations.

So what was flat? The characters were pretty flat. Honestly, I didn’t find either of them that interesting. They weren’t bad, they were just kind of boring and not as well fleshed out as they could have been.

I enjoyed Lindsay’s passion for baking, but I didn’t connect with her on a whole lot of other things that I really should have (including losing my father at a younger age). I enjoyed her insights about her life and family and being biracial, and I understood on the surface many of her struggles with relationships and knowing people before and after grief…it just never got to a deeper level. And when her insecurities started, they rode that line between relatable (which I genuinely love), and annoying…and she teetered over it on occasion.

I think I got a bit more out of Ryan’s story, though it was kind of flat as well. I did feel for his grief, but not as much as I was expecting. Like with Lindsay, I enjoyed the insights into his life as an Asian movie star, and the things that he had to deal with with that. But…I don’t know. I just needed something a bit more.

And their romance? Super flat. I didn’t feel ANY chemistry. There was no banter, everything felt kind of forced. It was the definition of tell instead of show. It probably doesn’t help that I just came off a great show book. I did enjoy bits of their friendship though, and the way they could connect with losing a parent.

This is not to say that there weren’t glimmers of good stuff in the story…I wouldn’t have rounded up otherwise. One bright spot was definitely the strange relationship between Ryan and his Dad. It was complicated, and could be pretty funny, and in the end it provided me with the most emotional connection, especially at the end.

There were some other interesting secondary characters, but unfortunately they had their dull moments to take the shine off (particularly the Mel/Vivian thing).

I could probably go on, but it’s all along the same theme — the book was just missing that spark, that extra.

Cute little love story based in Toronto. I love when I find a book set in Canada with a bunch of Canadian specifics. Also, any book that includes Nanaimo bars - it's a yes from me. Ryan was a great love interest, Lindsay was a wonderful MC. I loved the concept and, though the execution was a bit wordy, I really liked the story. The characters felt relatively fleshed out, the setting could have used a bit more. I felt like there's so much life in Toronto streets that were ignored and could have added to the setting nicely. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Donut Fall in Love is absolutely charm in any possible ways. It's good, its cute, and it's unique. The food description in this book is also mouth-watering. I truly enjoy this kind of books, so refreshing and interesting. The title is a little bit cringe but the content/inside is far from it.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t a favourite of mine. As someone who loves baking and romance, I was hoping for so much more from this one. The characters were fun but the romance just wasn’t enough for me and for an average sized book, it took me a while to finish reading.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for me copy of Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau in exchange for an honest review,

I was really excited about the premise for this one. I love a good forced proximity story, and was all about the foodie and celebrity aspect of the story. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this one. The writing fell flat for me and I kept . I wasn't feeing a connection with the characters and just didn't especially like Ryan. But Ryan's father was a highlight for me! And Lindsay's donuts made my mouth water.

I know a Jackie Lau romance is going to make my heart happy – and Donut Fall in Love is no exception.

There is a certain alchemy to the way Lau writes books that feel like sitting down with a quick snack and a cup of tea, while also making them steamy. I enjoy reading along as two people get less dumb about their feelings and Lau nails that. But that is not all that is happening in Donut Fall in Love as Lau unpacks some bigger emotional truths, in this case how we handle grief and how it interacts with larger family dynamics.

Donut Fall in Love features a heroine who is settled into her career and life, building a version of herself she believes she wants. Lindsay has sworn off romantic relationships following some emotional scars years earlier, instead enjoying casual hook-ups in the intervening years. Lau sets up her leads with emotional baggage that is relatable to the reader and matched to each other, in this case a shared lack of serious relationships in their recent pasts, while also providing hurdles to be gotten over – specifically Ryan’s fame and the intrusions it causes into their otherwise quiet lives. In this book we watch the pair grow into a functional relationship which showed growth for both parties, even when it felt as though the characters were too easily falling back into the same mental loops. The only drawback here is that sometimes Lau falls back on telling the reader how the characters are feeling, instead of letting the characters’ behaviors and actions do the speaking.

This felt more like Ryan’s book than Lindsay’s even though the narrative is split between them, but I do not think that was a negative. Also, in the “not really a negative” category is I wonder if Lau turned her steaminess down a smidge with this book as it is her pub trade debut. While steamy, this was not exactly the steam level I am accustomed to in her previous works.

This book was fun to read since I also live in Toronto! I don't get to read many books that take place here, so I really enjoyed seeing all my favorite spots in the novel. I enjoyed the premise a lot – falling in love over baking lessons, like come on! How much cuter can you get. Unfortunately, the characters didn't feel like they had any real chemistry, they just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I did like a lot of the conversations that occurred during the course of the novel, and I think the relationship with Ryan and his father was the most interesting. Overall it was enjoyable but definitely could have used a bit more flare with the main characters relationship!

Ryan Kwok is a successful actor on a hit TV show but he might not be for long. His show is suffering from a decline in views and a definite spiral in positive reviews. More devastatingly, his Mum has recently passed away and his Dad is distant – verging on hostile. However, a chance meeting with Lindsey Mcleod and what soon becomes a ruined display of speciality donuts, might be a turning point in his life. Lindsey is dealing with her own tragedies and when she agrees to teach Ryan how to bake for a baking show he’s signed up for, she might get more than she bargained for too.

This was a cute story, set in a cute shop with cute characters and cute recipes. Some may say that cute is a bad thing, but I’m not one of those people. If you’re in the mood for something light, that makes you smile…and very hungry, then this story is perfect. It does have depth and deals with themes of loss, death, family and race, sensitively but without delving to deeply into any pits of despair. The romance is just that, it isn’t overly sexy and steamy and that, my friends, is ok sometimes. So I recommend you read this book when you need to believe in love and the power of sugary desserts. When you don’t want to feel like you’ve just sat through an Oxford lecture with Professor McSmartyPants or gone 5 rounds with Mike Tyson, pick up this book and enjoy.

I loved this super cute foodie rom-com! Not only was the romance as sweet as the baked goods, but the diverse romance was also such a breath of fresh air. Can't wait for the next book by Jackie Lau!

Donut Fall In Love centers is about Lindsay, a baker specializing in donuts, and Ryan, an Asian actor famous for his good looks and abs. Despite having a pretty rough "meet-cute," Ryan needs Lindsay's baking skills to help him prepare for a show. The two develop feelings for each other, and the rest is history🍩


While it had a solid premise, this book ultimately left me dissatisfied. I wasn't a fan of the writing. Throughout the book, readers only get to know what's going on in the characters' minds by telling the readers their emotions rather than seeing how Lindsay and Ryan's relationship blossoms. I know both are important to tell a story, but with scenes such as Lindsay and Ryan baking together, as a reader, I would have liked to see the scene play out rather than feeling like the author providing instructions on how to bake. In addition, Ryan and Lindsay's relationship/chemistry was hard to believe.

They pretty much hit it off from the first baking class, and it's all smooth sailing from there. There's no conflict or tension between the two. Also, I had hoped there was more build-up as we approached the baking show, but the author glosses over it. And yet again, we're told about it rather than seeing it play out.

One of my pet peeves in romance novels is when characters say that they are different; they've never felt like this without showing the readers why or how. You tell me it's different but can't sell it. That's how I felt about Ryan and Lindsay. To me, they were just two horny people (do people have that much sex??!!) that were banging each other rather than falling in love with their soulmate.

I appreciated specific topics addressed, such as lack of (positive) Asian representation in the media and internalized racism, internalized racism, strict Asian parents, etc. For example, Ryan, an Asian actor, feels the crushing weight that comes with succeeding as an Asian male lead to set the path for other Asian men since the opportunities are so rare.
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When Shang-Chi first came out, I'm sure I wasn't the only Asian that hoped the movie would do well, afraid this might be the only time with an Asian male lead in an action movie minus all the cringy stereotypes. I was glad this topic was brought up and hope it gives readers a chance to think about the lack of positive Asian representation in the media.

However, I felt like the author's approach to discussing "internalized racism" was more for the white audience. When Lindsay tells Ryan how her mom only dates white men and explains what internal racism is, I rolled my eyes so hard.

My favorite parts were Ryan's dad's passive-aggressive tweets about his son. But that wasn't enough to save the book. Unfortunately, Donut Fall in Love fell short for me, and I felt pretty disappointed when it felt much more promising.

Donut Fall in Love follows Actor Ryan Kwok who taking some much-needed time off. Who is struggling with family issues, Ryan then meets baker Lindsay McLeod he knocks over donuts at her bakery. Ryan then signs up for a celebrity episode of Baking Fail, he asks Lindsay to teach him how to bake. Lindsay agrees to teach him and as they spend time together they begin to develop feelings for each other.

This book was cozy and sweet and delicious and I wanted more!!! It had such a sweet romance and I could not put it down.

All in all, this is a cute book. The romance and humor are there. It is just that this one wasn't for me. For some reason, I couldn't connect with the characters as much as I wanted to.

2.5 stars rounded up because DONUTS!

Of course, I was instantly drawn to the title of the book because, DUH! I love donuts. Unfortunately, I didn't love this story. It wasn't bad. In fact, it was interesting, well written and had food descriptions that made my mouth water. I even enjoyed the characters and reading their stories. The only problem I found: the romance. Try as I might, I could not find a connection between these two that went beyond being attracted to each other, grief over their losses and the pastries they baked/shared. I admit, Ryan and Lindsay had great chemistry and didn't waste any time exploring it. But the "it" factor was lost for me.

Like I said, I enjoyed Ryan and Lindsay's stories as individuals--especially Ryan's. His struggle to accept his mother's passing and his inability to connect to his father tugged at my heartstrings and kept me engaged enough to see if he could find some closure and also find some common ground with his father somehow.

All in all, an okay read.

I wanted to love this book so much. I adore Jackie Lau's writing style and starting to read it, I was immediately hooked. However, personal events in my life and reading about Ryan's loss of his mom and him dealing with the grief was just too difficult for me at the time and I had to put this book down. I plan to finish it one day and I'm sure I'll adore it.

DNF- very early on I could not understand what would make either character like each other enough to be in a romantic relationship.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

So, I did enjoy the food and food preparation descriptions. I'm afraid that I found the relationship descriptions to be a bit offputting. The male character's whole attitude of "I can flex my manly charms and make her fall for me" was a bit overplayed, at least in my opinion. It was a cute story overall, and I will definitely try this author again.