Awards

• Nominated for Georgia Peach Book Award 2023
• Nominated for New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award 2023

Overview

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9781536216530

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Reviews

LGBTQ+ characters take center stage in this work, led by agender narrator Syd (who does not care for pronouns) and demisexual Harley. . . While outright bigotry is not shown, Syd's life demonstrates the difficulties of having to explain one's orientation and gender and the burden of feeling unheard. . . . This sweet story shows that relationships don't follow a recipe. -Kirkus Reviews An irresistible story of love and found family. . . We don't recommend reading it if you are even the slightest bit hungry. -BookPage

Capetta's groundbreaking romance makes magic by centering queer and trans characters and relationships. . . . LGBTQ+ characters are allowed to experience joy, fall in love, and break up. Between all that, a groundbreaking agender protagonist, a love interest who uses both he/him and they/them pronouns, and a cast of complex queer and trans characters, this book proves a necessary addition to the young adult romance genre. Every scene involving magic baking is pure perfection, and the romance is as mouthwatering as Syd's recipes, all of which will make readers want to pull out a bowl, a baking sheet, and a sprinkle of their own magic. -Booklist (starred review) A.R. Capetta describes both baking and the excitement of first love in luscious, sensuous detail. . . . Syd, who is agender, is an expertly constructed protagonist and a notable step forward in representing the full spectrum of gender identities in YA fiction. Syd's earnest musings about gender, bodies, performance and identity are likely to resonate deeply with teens who've shared those thoughts and experiences. -BookPage (starred review) LGBTQ+ characters take center stage in this work, led by agender narrator Syd (who does not care for pronouns) and demisexual Harley. . . While outright bigotry is not shown, Syd's life demonstrates the difficulties of having to explain one's orientation and gender and the burden of feeling unheard. . . . This sweet story shows that relationships don't follow a recipe. -Kirkus Reviews Capetta's (The Storm of Life) recipe for the story involves equal parts romantic comedy, heartfelt explorations of queer identity, and mouthwatering descriptions of baked goods, as well as interstitial recipes for treats such as Breakup Brownies and Very Sorry Cake. . . a tasty romance with subtle hints of culinary magic. -Publishers Weekly An irresistible story of love and found family. . . We don't recommend reading it if you are even the slightest bit hungry. -BookPage The best books come with a sprinkling of magic and a whole lot of heart baked in, which is precisely the case with this new A. R. Capetta novel. -Buzzfeed This sweet-as-sugar speculative romance about love, identity, and the pursuit of happiness stars agender (a first for traditionally published mainstream YA fiction) baker Syd, who's staring down the breakup of a four-year relationship and feeling a lot of feelings. -Buzzfeed Few books made me feel as truly seen as The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta did. Syd's journey to figure out what pronouns fit, if any, and Harley's ever-shifting pronouns reflected through what pronoun pin they're wearing. The way A.R. explores gender and queerness and the intersections therein. How communities and found families can be just as important, or even more so, as the family you were born into. This is a YA fantasy novel I'll be thinking about for a long time to come. -Tor.com This cozy magical realist story is a delightful love letter to queer love and community. -Autostraddle

LGBTQ+ characters take center stage in this work, led by agender narrator Syd (who does not care for pronouns) and demisexual Harley; there's a polyamorous triad among the supporting cast, and at one event, a nonbinary elderly person serves as a reminder that queer people come in all ages. While outright bigotry is not shown, Syd's life demonstrates the difficulties of having to explain one's orientation and gender and the burden of feeling unheard. . . . This sweet story shows that relationships don't follow a recipe. -Kirkus Reviews

Capetta's groundbreaking romance makes magic by centering queer and trans characters and relationships. . . . LGBTQ+ characters are allowed to experience joy, fall in love, and break up. Between all that, a groundbreaking agender protagonist, a love interest who uses both he/him and they/them pronouns, and a cast of complex queer and trans characters, this book proves a necessary addition to the young adult romance genre. Every scene involving magic baking is pure perfection, and the romance is as mouthwatering as Syd's recipes, all of which will make readers want to pull out a bowl, a baking sheet, and a sprinkle of their own magic. -Booklist (starred review) A.R. Capetta describes both baking and the excitement of first love in luscious, sensuous detail. . . . Syd, who is agender, is an expertly constructed protagonist and a notable step forward in representing the full spectrum of gender identities in YA fiction. Syd's earnest musings about gender, bodies, performance and identity are likely to resonate deeply with teens who've shared those thoughts and experiences. -BookPage (starred review) LGBTQ+ characters take center stage in this work, led by agender narrator Syd (who does not care for pronouns) and demisexual Harley. . . While outright bigotry is not shown, Syd's life demonstrates the difficulties of having to explain one's orientation and gender and the burden of feeling unheard. . . . This sweet story shows that relationships don't follow a recipe. -Kirkus Reviews Capetta's (The Storm of Life) recipe for the story involves equal parts romantic comedy, heartfelt explorations of queer identity, and mouthwatering descriptions of baked goods, as well as interstitial recipes for treats such as Breakup Brownies and Very Sorry Cake. . . a tasty romance with subtle hints of culinary magic. -Publishers Weekly An irresistible story of love and found family. . . We don't recommend reading it if you are even the slightest bit hungry. -BookPage The best books come with a sprinkling of magic and a whole lot of heart baked in, which is precisely the case with this new A. R. Capetta novel. -Buzzfeed This sweet-as-sugar speculative romance about love, identity, and the pursuit of happiness stars agender (a first for traditionally published mainstream YA fiction) baker Syd, who's staring down the breakup of a four-year relationship and feeling a lot of feelings. -Buzzfeed Few books made me feel as truly seen as The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta did. Syd's journey to figure out what pronouns fit, if any, and Harley's ever-shifting pronouns reflected through what pronoun pin they're wearing. The way A.R. explores gender and queerness and the intersections therein. How communities and found families can be just as important, or even more so, as the family you were born into. This is a YA fantasy novel I'll be thinking about for a long time to come. -Tor.com

Author Information

A. R. Capetta (all pronouns), the author of Echo After Echo and The Lost Coast, has lived in Austin and worked as a professional baker and holds a master of fine arts in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. A. R. Capetta lives in a small town in the mountains with their family.

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