THE DONUT TRAP

A young woman finds love, and herself, when she decides to forge a path outside her parents’ expectations.

Jasmine Tran is a 22-year-old recent college graduate with no career prospects, no boyfriend, and no clue what to do next. She knows she’s lucky to have a job at her parents’ shop, Sunshine Donuts, but she’s loath to imagine a lifetime of waking up at 5 a.m., boxing dozens of underpriced pastries, and butting heads with her parents, whose high standards she has so far failed to meet. But when Jasmine’s best friend, Linh, posts a photo with her boyfriend’s new roommate, Jasmine is shocked to see that it’s Alex Lai, the hottie she met once in college and never saw again. When Jasmine starts dating Alex, it ignites her desire to make more changes in her life—including expanding Sunshine Donuts’ clientele enough that her parents can afford to hire someone else. But when they resist her changes, a disastrous family dinner puts her relationship on the line, and an old flame reappears, Jasmine’s plans might go up in smoke. Readers expecting a sweet-as-glaze rom-com will be disappointed. While the romance between Jasmine and Alex features heavily, it's the least interesting aspect of the book. Alex is a good match for Jasmine, and readers will root for them, but there isn’t enough spark to justify the lightning-speed progress of their relationship. Where Tieu’s writing really shines is in her explorations of complicated family dynamics—particularly for the American-born children of Chinese refugee parents—and overwhelming post-college ennui. The dialogue between Jasmine and her parents is often funny and sharp, and Tieu tackles their fraught relationships with understanding and warmth. Though Jasmine is desperate to leave Sunshine Donuts, readers will no doubt feel the opposite.

This heartfelt debut is a sweet treat.