This post contains affiliate links. In addition, I was gifted an ARC of this book by the author, who is a friend :o) All opinions are my own!
Title: The Donut Trap
Author: Julie Tieu
Sub-genre: Contemporary
Release Date: November 2, 2021
Foodie romances are where it’s at in 2021, which I am totally here for as I love romances, and I love any excuse to invest in food as props. So thank you for the excuse to buy all these delicious donuts, Julie!
Jasmine Tran is feeling a bit stuck in life. She’s graduated from college, but has yet to find a “real” job, instead spending her days working at her parents’ donut shop while also still living with them in her childhood home. She has no boyfriend, no job prospects, and no social life. A chance encounter with the hottie who got away leads Jas to put a little pep in her step. She starts making strides in the friendship department, reconnecting with some old high school buddies, and making more of an effort to actually go out and have some fun. She starts to find ways to help her parents boost sales, which is not only good for them, but good for her too, so she can maybe get a job outside of the shop at some point. And she starts to explore a possible relationship with Alex, the college hottie, even after a somewhat disastrous parental encounter. But Jas really has to untangle a lot of her inner turmoil–much of it stemming from her relationship with her parents–before she can truly open herself to love. (Which she obviously does because this is a romance, so duh, happily ever after guaranteed.)
So aside from the donuts, which truly gave me alllll the cravings, my favorite thing about this book is how damn funny it is. Julie’s writing is so witty, I was literally laughing out loud throughout the entire book. I am here for any book that makes me giggle, and this one did consistently. What I also thought was great about this story, is that even though Jas is (quite a bit) younger than I am and we are definitely not in a similar place in life, I still found her struggles really relatable. I think everyone, no matter their age, has that sort of what am I supposed to do now moment, and I loved getting to experience that with Jas. The cast of side characters is super strong (and again, funny AF) and I loved Alex (who hasn’t dreamed about a second chance with that super hot guy you met that one time?). I also felt the relationship between Alex and Jas was so realistic, but still gave me all the warm squishy feelings I want from a romance. Had I not had to, you know, parent my child, I would have devoured this in one sitting. It’s compulsively readable and so much fun (though you might want to have a donut handy before reading, fair warning).
Overall Rating: 5 stars