I received a copy of THE HEARTBREAK BAKERY by A.R. Capetta from @candlewickpress in exchange for an honest review. Released October 12th, this Young Adult contemporary novel is perfectly baked!! This is a novel about a 17-year-old bisexual agender teen who bakes a batch of brownies that breaks up whoever eats them. Syd, still confused from their recent breakup, must now run around town attempting to repair all of the relationships their brownies helped destroy. On top of this, they’re working on finding a label for their identity, struggling to juggle working at the bakery on top of still being a high school student, and maintain a lively social life. 

THE HEARTBREAK BAKERY was nothing if not sweet!! Capetta beautifully weaves in dozens of diverse storylines into Syd’s. Seeing how many queer- and queer BIPOC- characters were just casually living their best lives in Austin made my queer, trans, Latine heart so happy!! The love interest in this was an absolute delight. This is the kind of book I wish I had when I was still in high school. If I had seen trans people could have happy, loving, fulfilling relationships with other trans people, I would not have wasted my time dating cis men with no respect for me/my identity. 

Reading this is like taking a bite out of a warm muffin, once you start, you can’t stop until it’s done! I adored the recipes throughout the novel and will be forcing my partner to try creating a few with me. My one complaint is that the ages in the ARC were all over the place for the love interest, Harley. I will be buying a finished copy and re-reading it to see if his age is fixed. 

At the end of the day, A.R. Capetta brilliantly chose the ingredients for this book! If you haven’t picked it up yet, I highly implore you to do so. Just ensure you have baked goods near you while reading, as you’re sure to get hungry!!