The Donut Trap

A Novel

Julie Tieu sparkles in this debut romantic comedy,
which is charmingly reminiscent of the TV show Kim’s Convenience and Frankly
in Love by David Yoon, about a young woman who feels caught in the life her
parents have made for her until she falls in love and finds a way out of the
donut trap.

Jasmine
Tran has landed herself behind bars—maple bars that is. With no boyfriend or
job prospects, Jasmine returns home to work at her parents’ donut shop. Jasmine
quickly loses herself in a cyclical routine of donuts, Netflix, and sleep. She
wants to break free from her daily grind, but when a hike in rent threatens the
survival of their shop, her parents rely on her more than ever.

Help
comes in the form of an old college crush, Alex Lai. Not only is he successful
and easy on the eyes, to her parents’ delight, he’s also Chinese. He’s
everything she should wish for, until a disastrous dinner reveals Alex isn’t as
perfect as she thinks. Worse, he doesn’t think she’s perfect either.

With
both sets of parents against their relationship, a family legacy about to shut
down, and the reappearance of an old high school flame, Jasmine must scheme to
find a solution that satisfies her family’s expectations and can get her out of
the donut trap once and for all.

Beautiful story

Love that the family angle and romance was equally covered throughout! Reminded me of my childhood growing up 😊

Cute Romance With a Focus on Immigrant Experiences

Contemporary romance, immigrant experiences, family dynamics, and first-generation American pressures all in one sweet book. I appreciated the contrast between the immigrant characters’ experiences and the first-generation characters’ experiences in this book. The author did a good job painting Jasmine’s relationship with her parents, navigating linguistic and cultural divides, and dealing with family pressures that are relatable to most: “I struggled to find the right words to explain how I was feeling without coming across as ungrateful.” I wish certain themes were explored a little more deeply, but there was a lot to like about this book and it was an entertaining audiobook experience.

Relatable Asian Coming-of-age

I enjoyed this. It leans more new adult coming-of-age story than romance which I don’t normally read, but it’s a good fit for my AAPI binge. Since Jasmine’s parents are my contemporaries and I’m a Southeast Asian immigrant myself, I feel that I understand them a lot. In a similar way, as the eldest child, I can relate to Jasmine even though my first job was a lifetime ago.

I like Julie’s writing. It’s current and there’s a good amount of competence porn. Own voices rings true here. I also like the narrator. Her different voices added personality to each character.