The recent death of Ryan’s mother and years of constant work have led him to take some time off near his remaining family to be supportive and connected. We join the story as actor Ryan Kwok has returned to Toronto following completion of the promotional tour for his latest film, a rom-com staring Asian leads that is getting less-than-stellar reviews. But that is not all that is happening in Donut Fall in Love as Lau unpacks some bigger emotional truths, in this case how we handle grief and how it interacts with larger family dynamics.

I enjoy reading along as two people are dumb about their feelings, get less dumb about those feelings at different rates, and eventually stop being dumb about their feelings and Lau nails that as well. Lau is an author who knows how to include excellent food in her books and this one made me daydream about the donut shop my sister used to work at, but its more than that. There is a certain alchemy to the way Lau writes books that feel like sitting down with a quick snack and a cup of tea, while also making them steamy. Suk's next book, The Space Between Here and Now, will be published in fall 2023.After the debacle of Always, in December I decided to make sure the next thing I read didn’t make me angry (don’t worry, future angry reviews will come – and soon – I just usually like to give myself 24 hours to get eloquent with the rage) so I put down the two books I was reading and went back to an ARC that I had not been able to get to before the deadline (my apologies to the fine folks at NetGalley and Berkley) because I know a Jackie Lau romance is going to make my heart happy – and Donut Fall in Love is no exception. Sarah Suk is a YA writer living in Vancouver.

Writers' Trust of Canada launches program to support books by BIPOC writers launched during pandemic.

Valerie and Wes try and resist their growing attraction to one another, while competing to be the most successful business in school. Wes Jung is the new kid at their school - after seeing the enthusiasm from his new classmates for the K-pop-branded beauty products that his mother gave him to help him make new friends, he comes up with an entrepreneurial idea that could help him pay for the music school he hopes to attend after graduation. Made in Korea is a YA rom-com about two teenagers who are running competing Korean beauty businesses at their high school. Valerie Kwon and her cousin Charlie run a successful student-run enterprise called V&C K-BEAUTY.

(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Farisa Thang) Made in Korea is a YA novel by Sarah Suk.

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau