Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Book: The Donut Trap
Author: Julie Tieu
Number of pages: 344 words
Genre: Contemporary romance, fiction, humor
Attended Audience Age: Young Adult
Medium Type (physical, digital, audio): Physical
Book rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summary:
Jasmine Tan is a young college graduate working at her parents donut shop, Sunshine Donuts. Determined to make financial ends meet by helping her parents brainstorm new donut creations, Jasmine isn’t expecting anything more out of her life, despite her wishes to move on. When her best friend Linh introduces Jasmine to Alex Lai, the duo can’t seem shake their attraction for each other. But under a strict parental household and Jasmines past life, she has to discern how to balance her life choices.
Qualities:
Prose: The voice combines Asian-American culture and humor well, breaking tense moments to make them feel more grounded and contemporary.
Characters Development: The book follows Jasmine Tan’s point of view as she progressively acclimates to her lifestyle back home after graduating college. She learns how to balance work life with her personal life which shows how troublesome it can be for her on a personal level. The novel gradually shows her character development as circumstances and familial events make her review her life in a different way.
World Building: The world building grows alongside the characters. However, much of the world building is situated in the donut shop, as this is where the characters expand and events transpire. Outside sources are experienced and alter the main characters development, as well as introduce new or important side characters that aid in the overall development of the novel.
Recommendation:
I recommend this novel to anyone interested in a sweet inspired story with lots of donut inspired love. The is also a great story for those who want to familiarize themselves with Asian-American culture, including a strong familial presence. The novel is extremely contemporary and can feel slow at times but it is paced well. The characters are well rounded and Jasmine is a reliable main character, making the book all the more enjoyable to read.
Notable Quotes:
- “This is exactly why you fall in love with every Starbucks barista you meet. Honey, the only thing he’s curious about is your coffee order” (p. 19).
- “There were only so many pictures of pink boxes and apple fritters I could take and fake excited captions I could write. I mean, I am thankful to be employed—it was better than nothing—and I’m sure some people would love to be surrounded by donuts every day, but not me. I’ve had enough for a lifetime” (p. 31).
- “’Ma, a boyfriend or a husband isn’t going to make my life better.’” In fact, boyfriends were the reason why my life was so full of drama right now” (p. 302).
Related Music:
- Yellow by Coldplay — (Mandarin version sung by Katherine Ho)
- Make It Right by BTS
- Sugar, You by Oh Honey
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