The Dos and Donuts of Love
The Dos and Donuts of Love follows an Irish Bangladeshi 17-year-old on her baking journey as a contestant on the Bake Off inspired Junior Irish Baking Show. This pun-filled, queer love story will have you craving donuts and the Bengali desserts Shireen so passionately makes.
Jaigiradar creates and develops a cast of vivid characters around Shireen. Through wise best friend Fatima’s constant reassuring presence, it’s clear she knows Shireen better than anyone. Both the parental love and encouragement shown by Ammu and Abbu in their own distinct way, and the family working together at their donut shop You Drive Me Glazy, are wholesome and grounding.
This is in contrast to the chaos and drama that ensue when a very competitive group of young bakers go head to head. On top of the pressure of the challenges and trying to impress the judges, Shireen must also navigate a love triangle with fellow contestants Niamh and ex-girlfriend Chris and learn the hard way who it is she can trust.
While the book is for the most part light-hearted and very funny, it deals with more serious themes too. The ways in which the worlds of social media and reality tv can collide in often unsavoury ways is dealt with very well, as are the themes of racism and fatphobia that effect Shireen both on and off the show.
Overall, a fast-paced and enjoyable modern romance that will have you rooting for young love to win.
