Review: Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau

Title: Donut Fall in Love
Author: Jackie Lau
Series: Donut Fall in Love #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Adult
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Edition: 366 pages, Kindle Edition
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Book Depository | Bookshop | Powell's | Thriftbooks

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

A baker provides the sweetest escape for an actor in this charming romantic comedy.
   Actor Ryan Kwok is back in Toronto after the promotional tour for his latest film, a rom-com that is getting less-than-stellar reviews. After the sudden death of his mother and years of constant work, Ryan is taking some much-needed time off. But as he tries to be supportive to his family, he struggles with his loss and doesn't know how to talk to his dad—who now trolls him on Twitter instead of meeting him for dim sum.
   Innovative baker Lindsay McLeod meets Ryan when he knocks over two dozen specialty donuts at her bakery. Their relationship is off to a messy start, but there’s no denying their immediate attraction. When Ryan signs up for a celebrity episode of Baking Fail, he asks Lindsay to teach him how to bake and she agrees.
   As Lindsay and Ryan spend time together, bonding over grief and bubble tea, it starts to feel like they’re cooking up something sweeter than cupcakes in the kitchen.

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 This was such a cute and fun book. Lindsay and Ryan are both such wonderful characters. One thing that kept me from visualizing this book is, I've never been to Toronto, so I have  no idea what that city looks like or where anything is.

 

   I've been reading a lot, like a lot-a lot of fantasy lately and I really needed a break, when I read the description of this book, aside from the pun in the title, I had to check to see if my library had it. 

 

    This was a slow burn romance, and I really appreciated that it took real time for them to come together for real. The attraction was there from the beginning but it took weeks of flirting, teasing and bonding over shared experiences. They had the most awkward meet-cute, with Ryan knocking over a bunch of donuts. Starting their journey of adorable banter.

 

  This book does touch on some tough topics. Both Lindsay and Ryan have lost a parent, and are at different stages of their grief. Lindsay lost her father seven years prior to the start of the book, and Ryan lost his mother only four months prior to the story. Lindsay is struggling when her mother starts dating again, but only at first. Ryan's grief is still fresh, and he's trying as best he knows how to be the glue for his family. His sister has a newborn baby and is going through the grief of losing her mother, and some PPD, and their father's way to grieve seems to be shutting everybody out and only communicating through social media.

   This was a really cute and sweet RomCom book that I really needed after reading so many fantasy books. A great "pallet cleanser". The biggest downside is the third-act breakup trope. It kind of came out of nowhere. And was the only part that felt forced to me, like the author was thinking "wow, they're doing too well, I need to add some conflict." The conflict could have been something more natural than what was presented, only because the reason was connected to him being an actor, and her being a "normal" person. I am still looking forward to the spin-off/sequel with Vivian and Mel.