AUGUST 2023 - AudioFile
Priya Ayyar's youthful voice delivers this punny romance, in which Ireland's best young chefs compete in the first-ever Junior Irish Baking Show. Ayyar's talent for accents conveys Shireen's parents' Bangladeshi lilt, as well as the Irish accents of judges and competitors. Shireen hopes to win the prize money and gain attention for her parents' donut shop, but she'll have to beat both her ex-girlfriend and new crush to get there. Ayyar captures myriad emotions authentically, but her unshifting tone makes it hard to differentiate characters with similar accents. Particularly delightful is her portrayal of Galvin Cramsey, a grumpy chef who is based on the real-life British chef Gordon Ramsey. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
An NPR 'Best of the Year' 2023 Book
"This joyful read with a cheerful protagonist also explores racism, fatphobia, and mental health with care. Cute, fresh, and endearing." —Kirkus
"The charming baking competition setting provides most of the fun and excitement in the story, and adorably punny chapter titles...bring added humor, but the text injects enough realism to keep the comedic elements this side of twee." —BCCB
". . .delightfully delectable. . .Shireen's story ultimately comes to a romantic and well-baked resolution." —NPR
"Filled with mouthwatering food and sensational puns, The Dos and Donuts of Love is the sweetest of love stories, and will have you rooting for Shireen both in the competition and in matters of the heart. Sure to be another favorite romance from Adiba Jaigirdar." —Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Five Feet Apart
"Start with a warmhearted romance, add in two cups of refreshing frankness, and blend it all together with a healthy scoop of reality TV chaos. Adiba Jaigirdar’s mix of wit and sincerity hits every sweet spot, and the world class puns are just the icing on the donut." —Becky Albertalli, award-winning author of Simon Vs. The Homosapiens Agenda
“Deliciously funny and swoony, The Dos and Donuts of Love serves delightful slices of identity, community, redemption, and love. Adiba Jaigirdar delivers another pitch-perfect, must-have winner!” —Julian Winters, award-winning author of Running With Lions and Right Where I Left You
“Simply flan-tastic. A celebration of queer love, being brown, fat bodies, second chances, and delectable desserts, THE DOS AND DONUTS OF LOVE embodies the warmth and comfort of binge-watching your favorite show. An absolute must-read for baking show addicts—with puns that serve as the icing on the cake.” — Crystal Maldonado, author of Fat Chance, Charlie Vega
"I flew through this! Mouth-watering food, a romance that had me squealing, and a fun premise with a twisty plot—it’s everything I love in my rom-coms!” —Sophie Gonzales, author of Never Ever Getting Back Together
School Library Journal
11/10/2023
Gr 9 Up—Things heat up in Bangladeshi Irish Shireen Malik's life when she's cast in a televised teen baking show alongside her ex-girlfriend. Talented baker Shireen hopes to win the competition and bring recognition (and a cash prize) to her parents' donut shop, You Drive Me Glazy. But instead of excitement, Shireen feels apprehension heading into filming with her former girlfriend, Chris Huang, who is Taiwanese Irish and the daughter of rival shop owners. Mix in a potential crush on Niamh, another contestant, and it's a recipe for, if not exactly disaster, plenty of drama. Shireen, reeling from the breakup, anxious about the competition, and missing her best friend Fatima who is visiting family, is not her best self. She's messy, self-centered, and quick to villainize. Her supportive and accepting parents fade to the background as Shireen spends most of her time at home in her room monologuing her complaints on calls to Fatima or perseverating over how everything ended with Chris. Much of the story takes place during filming of the show, but the baking is often skimmed over, with eliminations sped up and descriptions of baked goods lacking, favoring focus on the interpersonal issues. Those looking for a sweet romance may be disappointed to find it on the back burner for much of the book. VERDICT Readers will root for Shireen not just to win the baking competition but also for her to grow and learn from her relationships and mistakes.—Amanda MacGregor
AUGUST 2023 - AudioFile
Priya Ayyar's youthful voice delivers this punny romance, in which Ireland's best young chefs compete in the first-ever Junior Irish Baking Show. Ayyar's talent for accents conveys Shireen's parents' Bangladeshi lilt, as well as the Irish accents of judges and competitors. Shireen hopes to win the prize money and gain attention for her parents' donut shop, but she'll have to beat both her ex-girlfriend and new crush to get there. Ayyar captures myriad emotions authentically, but her unshifting tone makes it hard to differentiate characters with similar accents. Particularly delightful is her portrayal of Galvin Cramsey, a grumpy chef who is based on the real-life British chef Gordon Ramsey. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2023-03-29
A teen baker in Dublin reckons with dreams of baking glory and a new love interest.
Seventeen-year-old Bangladeshi Irish Shireen Malik is going through breakup blues when she finds out she’s made it: She’s going to join the cast of the Junior Irish Baking Show. She’s thrilled about being on reality TV—but it’s a shock to learn that not only is Christina Huang, her ex-girlfriend, on the show as well, but the producers have paired them for the first round. Though Shireen quickly makes a new friend, Niamh Lynch, who may or may not be flirting with her, it’s not going to be easy to be so close to her ex for the duration of the competition. In fact, it just might be the thing that throws her off her game. The pressure builds—Shireen hopes that a win will help You Drive Me Glazy, the family doughnut business, and Chris’ parents own a rival shop, The Bakers Dozen, making things even more personal. Full of culinary puns, the prose flies by with Shireen as the hilariously dramatic lead. Shireen is easy to root for; she’s a fat girl who’s not trying to lose weight, she’s aware of her anxiety and doesn’t let it hold her back, and she’s proud of being queer, brown, and Muslim. Her parents are loving and supportive as well. This joyful read with a cheerful protagonist also explores racism, fatphobia, and mental health with care.
Cute, fresh, and endearing. (content warnings) (Romance. 14-18)
