I just keep reading books that involve baking competitions; I don’t plan to stop, though.

In The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar, Shireen is heartbroken after breaking up with her first girlfriend, Chris. She doesn’t even want to bake anymore, which was previously her passion. But when she finds out that she’s been chosen to compete in the first ever Bake-Off for Irish youth, she can’t resist. Not only will this probably help her get over Chris, but will also bring some welcome publicity to her family’s donut shop. However, Chris ends up also being a participant, and there’s another girl, Niamh, who is interested in Shireen. So Shireen has to navigate all these things—in addition to some suspicious things happening on set—if she wants to succeed.

I’ve read a couple books by this author, and I think this is the best one yet! Not only does it explore Irish culture through the lens of a minority, but also has a sweet love story and lots of baking!

I quite liked Shireen. She’s kind and clever, but also sometimes too trusting—as proved when her relationship implodes. I did really root for her, though. Her different bonds with Niamh and Chris are intriguing and layered, and I liked seeing the progression of both.

The baking competition was fun, too. It was kind of funny how the judges were obviously supposed to be based on real people (Moira Cherry and Galvin Cramsey, come on; the initials and sounds are the same). I think I would have liked to get into the details of the actual baking scenes sometimes, but I see why it would have thrown off the pacing of the story. Still, it was fun, and I want to try Shireen’s food!

I also appreciated the discussion of the more realistic side of being on a reality tv show. Shireen deals with a lot of racist, prejudiced, and just plain unkind words spoken about her on the internet, due to the fact that she’s both Bengali and fat. It’s a shame that this is realistic, but Jaigirdar presents it with sensitivity and gives Shireen a chance to still be confident in herself and come out of it strong. It’s also nice to see this sort of character so comfortable with who she is, and to star in a positive coming-of-age/love story.

Speaking of the love story, I thought I was going to be annoyed that it’s a love triangle, but perhaps my irritation/exhaustion with the trope is only in play when it’s, well, not queer. Here, I really enjoyed seeing the drama unfold, especially toward the end as the baking show draws to a close and the stakes get higher. It was entertaining, and I didn’t see the ending coming, though I probably should have.

On another note, the audiobook narrator, Priya Ayyar, does a great job. She brings these characters to life, and does an excellent (at least to my untrained ears) Irish accent for Niamh and a few other characters. I do wonder why the production chose to have an American narrate this, though, as surely Shireen—who has grown up in Ireland—would also have that accent? Oh, well, that’s a minor detail, I suppose.

In the end, The Dos and Donuts of Love is a cute, empowering story. The characters are excellent, the baking tons of fun, and the romance is engaging to read about. There are strong themes about believing in yourself, about building trust in relationships, and about friendship and connection. The representation is realistic and lovely. It’s a sweet summer read!

The Dos and Donuts of Love is available now!