I received this book for free from netgalley for an honest review.

I'm so in love with this but I'm telling my entire book group. Sapphic with a sweet twist!

Only when I started writing this review did I realize that I read The Henna Wars by this same author and loved it.

I know we're not even a week into June but I genuinely think this might be my favorite read of the month! It's been awhile since I've found myself so excited to pick up a book and I finished it in two days. It is just pure joy.

I just loved Shireen. She's a fat, Bengali teenager who is unapologetically herself. I think the author did such a good job of making the protagonist's different identities realistically affect life her without becoming her entire story. Her Bengali parents are loving and supportive of her. I love the author's discussion in her note at the end about deciding not to have Shireen face fatphobia. She does unfortunately deal with the kind of racism you would except for a South Asian character competing on an Irish Baking Show.

3.25 stars
I really wanted to love this book. There were some pieces I really enjoyed, but there was also a lot that I didn’t.
I loved the Junior Baking competition! I thought that idea was really fun, and I haven’t read a lot with a similar idea at all. That caused a great bit of tension that really pulled the story along.
I also really enjoyed the aspects of support Shireen had from her family, and her best friend. With a plus sized ethnic FMC, none of their worries for her were centred around either physical characteristic, and that was very refreshing. It’s nice to see a body positive story.
Having an openly Queer and accepted FMC was also really great to see. There was a hidden sapphic relationship, but the reasoning behind it had absolutely nothing to do with shame, which was also nice.
What I didn’t love, sadly, was Shireens attitude. On the first day all of the contestants came together, Shireen made some very cruel comments towards Chris, her ex. It felt very uncomfortable to be supporting a character that could treat another person in such a way. This issue carried on throughout the story, with Shireen constantly being self centred and rude to people around her. Yes, in the end, she had a great deal of character growth, but the damage was already done for me. I can’t support someone who can be so mean to someone for literally no reason aside from personal hurt feelings.
Niamh was also a character I didn’t care for, as she felt very manipulative and self serving. She does something so unforgivable, and simply doubles down on her reasons rather than owning up and apologizing for her behaviour.
Chris though, I loved her character. She seemed to be very self aware, caring, and dedicated to making sure she was making everyone around her as happy as possible. She spoke her feelings well, but didn’t allow herself to treat others unfairly because of those feelings.

This was such a fun YA book!

I absolutely loved all the food puns as chapter titles. The MC was a very likable character and the setting of a reality tv baking show was very fun.

I am not always a fan of love triangles but I thought it worked well here. This might be because I don't feel like the romance was a major focus of the book.

This also had excellent fat representation and the racism the MC experienced was handled well.

Additionally, the narrator did a fantastic job!

Overall I would definitely recommend this to teens and adults alike especially if they are looking for diverse representation within a reality tv storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so sweet and adorable. I loved all of the cute baking puns! The puns made the book so great. The story was wonderful too. I enjoyed how the narrative takes place during a baking competition and was a fun setting for the book.

This is such a cute YA read. Our main character is fresh off a breakup when she ends up in the middle of her dream summer a junior baking show. There’s a lot of conflict between an old flame then a new one. Our MC is definitely trying to sort through quite a few emotions and can come off a bit selfish at times.

First of all thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me of an ARC of The Dos and Donuts of Love! Adiba is one of my favorite YA author and this one definitely didn’t disappoint!

I love the setting and premise of this one - as an avid Masterchef Australia junior when I was little, I really loved the competition setting and seeing the process of it just like I remember in Masterchef. Shireen wasn’t an easy character to love at first especially with how she interacts w Chris but I grew to love her. I also loved the friendship between her and Fatima and also the second chance romance with Chris!

Another thing I enjoyed and appreciated was of course how Adiba discusses topics such as racism, micro aggression and fatphobia! As a plus size myself, I really appreciate that the main character is plus size and loves herself despite how people thinks.

This book made me so hungry! I really loved Shireens growth through out the book and how she dealt with everything.

rep: fat Irish-Bengladesh lesbian mc with anxiety, Vietnamese-Irish lesbian sc, sapphic Irish sc, Bengladesh scs, Indian sc, and Shireen's family are Bangladesh-Irish.
Rating: 4.25

This is my first Adiba Jaigirdar book (I know, I will get to the others eventually), and it’s really cute. It’s a pretty light read, with a few real issues such as racism and fatphobia, about baking. It has a love triangle and possible second chance romance. Shireen is cast on a reality tv show called the Junior Irish Bake Show. Much to her dismay, her recent ex-girlfriend is also on it. She quickly befriends another contestant, Niahm, as they all try to become the first winner of the baking show.

This is an easy and fast read. There’s so many sweets puns lol it really fit well with the story and characters though. All the talk of food and baked goods really made me want to eat some.

I liked seeing and learning about the cultural aspects in this story. I love seeing characters embrace their cultures. (Despite the unfortunate racism that can come with it) There’s a lot of diversity in here. There’s characters of Irish, Bengladeshi, Vietnamese and Indian heritage, lesbians, a plus size main character and struggles with anxiety.

Shireen’s family and friends are all really supportive of her, which is always great to see. It was also nice that the Indian judge was looking out for the only two POC characters on the show, especially since they were receiving hate and racism.

I found it funny and a nice little Easter egg that all the judges from the competition has similar names to the actual judges from The Great British Bake Off show. And of course one grumpy judge based off of Gordon Ramsay.

The narrator did a good job. I was curious why she didn't give Shireen and a few others Irish accents as well, since they also grew up in Ireland.
The cover is very cute!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book

This was deliciously sweet!

I absolutely loved The Dos and Donuts of Love! A Sapphic Great British Bake-off inspired romance with a love triangle that is full of puns and baked goods? 100% yes!
We follow Shireen who is fresh off the heels of a breakup when she signs up for a televised baking competition where her ex is one of the contestants! If that isn’t already enough pressure for her the show is fraught with drama, another romantic love interest, viewer comments, difficult prompts and of course, some teenage angst.
This was such a cute, funny (and punny), quirky and adorable read! It felt super realistic for YA and I cannot recommend it more! This was my first book by Adiba Jaigirdar and I’m immediately adding her backlist to my tbr!

Thank you so much for the advanced copy!

On paper, I should hate everything about this book. YA, contemporary romance, and a love triangle! But this book was the cutest sweetest punniest thing I’ve read in a hot minute. I loved the characters, the puns and the setting: a donut shop/baking competition show!!!! I devoured this in 2 sittings.
I could see middle grade and teens absolutely loving this book. The teenage confusion in juggling feelings in a love triangle all handled like teens actually cope. Thanks Netgalley for the audiobook!

I absolutely loved this. It’s a sapphic GBBO filled with puns, so of course I was going to adore it. I’m still not sure how I feel about second chance romances, however I think this author did a terrific job at it. It was a mostly wholesome read with mostly lovable characters, delicious sounding bakes and a cute romance intertwined within it. I couldn’t recommend it more.

still reeling from her recent breakup, shireen is delighted when her dreams of being on a baking competition show come true. she wants to win the show to help out her parents’ donut shop, but complications arise when she realizes her ex-girlfriend, chris, will also be a competitor. forced to work with chris, and getting to know another contestant, niamh, shireen might just get more than she’s looking for.

i’ve been a huge fan of adiba jaigirdar’s books since reading the henna wars a couple years ago, so i was so happy to have the opportunity to read and review this book early! i loved everything about this, from the drama that the baking show aspect brought, to the audiobook narration that really brought the story to life. i’ll admit i’m also a sucker for second-chance romance, so even seeing shireen and chris become friends again toward the beginning of the book was great to me!

i highly recommend this book to any YA romance fans, especially those who also happen to love baking!

A very sweet (and pun-filled) queer summer romance, THE DOS AND DONUTS OF LOVE follows the Junior Irish Baking Competition as our main character Shireen tries to win the contest, and the game of love. With some very fun chapter titles, (‘We Were Mint to Be’ anyone?), and some really good narration by Priya Ayyar (the Irish accents were honestly so pleasing in their own way), it’s a pretty nice, light read with some added nuance that’s characteristic in Jaigirdar’s books! While some of the pacing felt pretty off for me, if you’re a fan of her books I think this is a great book (or audiobook to pick up!)

For a YA contemporary romance I think there was a decent amount of character work, although I wish more of that growth had been seen in Shireen and not just in her relationships. I found myself rooting for her on a competition level, but struggling on a more personal level especially when her thinking seemed to be very one-sided when it comes to right and wrong done within her platonic and romantic relationships. That, along with some of the pacing, made the book feel like it was dragging for most of the middle. There were several individual scenes or elements I was really interested in, but I struggled with the cohesive whole.

On the bright side, the ending turned out pretty well in my mind, from happy endings to some actual growth on most character’s parts. One thing Jaigirdar seems to do well is weaving happy endings with reality, resolving both the more fictional elements and the ones that are drawn from truth. All in all, this was a decent read, and I thought the audiobook was done well!

<b>*4.5 Stars*</b>

Shireen is heartbroken, her ex betrayed her and now she's sad and lonely, especially since her best friend is spending the summer in Bengladesh with her family.
But things are looking up when she actually gets in the Junior Irish Baking Show, that may be her way to get out of her head and save her parents' struggling donut shop. Except her ex also got in and now things are even more of a mind twister cause maybe another contestant is into her?? So much to think about...

I really liked this one. Shireen was truly a captivating and flawed main character in the best way. I also really enjoyed her best friend, and how she just told it like it was and Chris of course, they were all truly layered.
I also really enjoyed the setting, as in Dublin and the baking show. I'm truly a sucker for a TV show setting and this one was a good one. I loved going through the rounds alongside Shireen and also really loved her relationship with her family. This was just a very sweet book (pun intended) with parts that made me angry alongside the main character.
I actually read this twice before it came out and got an audio ARC the second time around and absolutely loved the narrator and the audio as a whole.
Basically just a hit for me and I can't wait to read more of Adiba Jaigirdar's books.

So punny! #thedosanddonutsoflove by #adibajaigirdar read by #priyaayyar #donuts #bangladeshiirish #bakingshow #pridefriendly #fatfriendly #dontsweetthesmallstuff #myheartwilldoughon #loveisabatterfield 😂 #myeyespreferaudiobooks🎧 #accessiblebooks @Dreamscapeaudio #NetGalley

This is such an adorable book!! Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for letting me listen to the audiobook in exchange for a review.

This book has it all! Reality tv! Girls in love! Puns about desserts!

Shireen Malik enters a junior baking show as a contestant. She knows she has a chance, too, because Shireen loves baking! But things get complicated when her ex-girlfriend is also accepted as a contestant on the show. And then there is another contestant, Niamh, who might be a potential crush.

I really enjoyed this book! Priya Ayyar does a right job narrating the book. For me, she really became Shireen's voice.

The book is just so good. I loved the setting around a junior baking show in Ireland. I also loved having a plus-size main character. The author's note about it at the end of the book made it extra sweet!

I can only just highly recommend The Dos and Donuts of Love for anyone who loves reality tv settings, LGBTQIA+ love and sweet, sweet puns about desserts.

LGBTQ+, Irish-Asian MC & Baking?! Oh, I was invested!
Adiba Jaigirdar proves yet again that they know me so well. I love seeing books that I needed and would have loved when I was younger growing up in Ireland.

After a breakup, Shireen is left reeling when she qualifies for the Junior Irish Baking show along with her ex. With the competition stirring things up in her life, Shireen gets a new love for her dream, heart & family future.

While I think Shireen was a little too focused on what affected her instead of a mixture of herself & others, I think it is wholly justified; she is dealing with prejudice on her size, her race & sexuality, and she has to look out for her mental health & future because many won't.
This book also portrays social media and how bigots, xenophobic & fatphobic idiots use a screen to hurt strangers; they are attacking children!!

This book has many winning & thoughtful moments, and I highly recommend you grab a copy!

On the narrator: This narrator did an excellent job on accents; coming from me, someone who is Irish, they did a great job, and it was very authentic.

Well.... it's pretty cute I guess, but the lead is very selfish. It makes for a pretty believable 16 year old, but not a very pleasant one. There are a lot of weird details that didn't really fly for me (the feud with the donut store across the street was supposedly started by the other store, but the lead's family opened their donut store ACROSS THE STREET FROM THEM... that feels like the first gauntlet thrown), and I'm not sure that Shireen's turnaround comes soon enough or hard enough. She's seems to get off pretty easily for some pretty crappy behaviour.

I really do not recommend the audiobook for this at all. The entire story takes place in Ireland where all the major characters were born and raised but the narrator reads all of the teens of colour with American accents while all of the white teenagers have Irish accents. It was a very weird choice to make and really took me out of the story. Especially since part of the story revolves around the racism faced by those Asian teenagers for not being "really Irish". Choosing not to read them with Irish accents felt like it was the narrator agreeing with that racist take. It was just very weird.

E-Arc provided by Netgalley

**SPOILERS**


I will say that this reads a little more Middle Grade than YA for me. I didn't like Naimh the entire book I think it was supposed to be surprising that the betrayal happen but it wasn't, I always liked Chris, and while I understood the breakup that happened before the book I was waiting the whole time for them to get back together. Overall this was cute and has great representation and I do like a baking show-style novel.