This is especially true given that Jas spends a decent amount of time looking for another job all together. It’s not a bad thing, but I just felt like the synopsis made it sound more dire than it ended up being. Yes, Jasmine comes up with new flavors, and yes it gives the shop a boost, but after the mention of the rent increase, it kind of just…goes away? There’s no real talk about it again, especially once they create the new donuts and they start selling well. And even then, it doesn’t lead the narrative as much as the synopsis might suggest.

The synopsis states in the first paragraph that a hike in rent will threaten the survival of the donut shop, but we don’t even hear about it until nearly 100 pages in. That being said, I have my own issues with the synopsis of it.

It’s light-hearted, and while it deals with some serious relationship issues, overall it’s still a fun read. 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.First of all, I felt like this book was a really lovely read. Worse, he doesn’t think she’s perfect either. He’s everything she should wish for, until a disastrous dinner reveals Alex isn’t as perfect as she thinks. Not only is he successful and easy on the eyes, to her parents’ delight, he’s also Chinese. Help comes in the form of an old college crush, Alex Lai. 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. Jasmine quickly loses herself in a cyclical routine of donuts, Netflix, and sleep. With no boyfriend or job prospects, Jasmine returns home to work at her parents’ donut shop. Jasmine Tran has landed herself behind bars-maple bars that is. 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.

The donut trap julie tieu