Author: Adiba Jaigirdar
Genre: Teen (Ages 12+), Romance, Drama, LGBTQIA+, Multicultural Inclusion Fiction
Age Range: 12-14
Review by: Niamh
Synopsis: Shireen is a Bangladeshi-Irish girl who loves baking. She obsessively watches The Great British Bake-Off, particularly when she’s sad. At the moment she’s watching a lot because she’s had a hard break-up with Chris. She hasn’t worked in her parents donut shop ‘You Drive Me Glazy’ because she’s been mourning the relationship. What doesn’t help is that her best friend Fatima is in Bangladesh for the Summer. Her mood changes however when she finds out she has been successful in entering the ‘Junior Irish Baking Show’! But there’s one problem: her ex-girlfriend Chris has also been picked as a contestant!
Review: The Dos and Donuts of Love is a continuation of everything fans of Adiba Jaigirdar love – relatable Secondary School aged drama, cute romance plots, and an inclusive cast of characters. It’s perfect for finishing up your Pride month and, if you’re like me, becoming more aware of cultures other than Irish and taking a step to further understand what types of discrimination POC face in our society. Added to this are some great puns, recipes and some reality TV centred drama. This book also expands upon some great romance tropes – the second chance love, the new love interest who is very different, and the choice between the two. The characters are likeable, if flawed, and the story moves at a great pace, with lots of twists and turns, some of which I saw coming and others that were shocking. It is clear to see the author did her research on reality tv and the types of editing that’s done to present a certain point of view or narrative decisions. She also put lots of development into the characters and their backstories. It’s also so nice to see such Queer joy and acceptance among Shireen’s family.
This book does more of what is only touched on in previous books by this author, heavy topics, in this case fatphobia and recent anti-immigration leanings in Ireland. In the author’s note, the author mentions that the reason fatphobia was only briefly mentioned is to not to take away from the joy and positivity of the character and this is also probably another reason why the racist themes are only touched on and not developed fully; to keep the book light and fluffy (like a donut, if you will). But also it is important to not take away, once again, from the character in the long-term or give people like that too much air-time. While it can feel like the discussion lacks a bit of nuance because of this, and that another point of view of some inclusion within Irish society is not factored in, it also touches on very important problems in Irish society. It’s also important to be aware of my own POV and inherent biases when reading this book. Not to mention the fact that most of the racist discourse in the book happens online, which is common, and among certain characters (no spoilers) in the book who might be competitive, immature, afraid to talk about the abuse that’s happening etc. I would be interested to see if the author has any plans to write different genres that touch on these topics more.
If this book sounds like your kind of dessert, be sure to place a request on it on our Library Catalogue.
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