*For my personal thoughts on The Heartbreak Bakery check out my review of the book.

Author: A. R. Capetta
Title: The Heartbreak Bakery
Category/Type: Young Adult Fiction
Genre: {LGBTQIAP+} Romance
Subgenre: Foodie Romance
Publication Date: October 12, 2021
Number of Pages: 338 pages of text; 2 pages of acknowledgements
Geographical Setting: Austin, Texas
Time Period: Present day
Series (if applicable): This book is not a part of a series

Plot Summary: Syd (no pronouns), a teenage baking prodigy, was just dumped. When Syd channels that breakup anger into a batch of brownies, everyone who eats them also breaks up! Now Syd is on a mission to create a plethora of baked goods that can undo the harm. Harley (he or they; check the pin), the super cute bike delivery person, is the only one who seems to believe in Syd’s magical baking. That means up to Syd and Harley to save the day by un-breaking up everyone with a series of specially crafted recipes. As Sad and Harley spend more and more time together, they begin to discover they might have more than a love of baked goods in common.
Content warnings: Toxic relationships, mentions of sexual activities (but nothing is described or happens on the page).
Subject Headings: Romance— LGBT, Fantasy— Contemporary, Cooking & Food

Appeal/Characteristics of LGBTQIAP+ Fiction (SLIGHT SPOILER IN THE SECOND BULLET POINT):

Author identity- While not required of all queer fiction, it’s important to note that A. R. Capetta does identify on the LGBTQIAAP+ spectrum.
Queer protagontists- Syd and Harley and everyone at the bakery they work at identify as queer. In fact, this book has an almost entirely queer cast of characters.
Queer side characters- As mentioned above, the queer characters, both primary and side characters, fall across the LGBTQIAAP+ spectrum.
Appropriate sexual descriptions- This book does not contain any sex on the page but appropriate terminology is used for anatomy across the gender spectrum.
Appeal/Characteristics of Romance Fiction

Emotionally satisfying, happy ending- This book ends on an incredibly upbeat note with our protagonist and love interest celebrating together at a dance party. The leads are teenagers so this is a “happy/together for now” ending versus a “happily ever after” ending.
A misunderstanding between the protagonists followed by a satisfactory resolution of the romantic relationship- There is major misunderstanding during a game of Truth or Pie that leads to the protagonists not being together during a stressful time for Syd. By the end of the book readers realize they were working towards the same goal, even while apart.
Love on all levels- This novel is very much about LGBTQIAAP+ pride. The bakery Syd works at is a queer bakery with all the staff and owners being queers. It is mentioned early on that the staff is like a family and they look out for each other. Both Syd and Harley’s families are incredibly supportive of them and their endeavors and the book ends with a giant queer bake-off to preserve the culture in Austin. There almost couldn’t more love worked into this book.
Well-developed and interesting secondary characters- Readers are likely to fall for Syd’s co-workers, sister, and parents just as much as they do for Syd. Harley also has an adorable family and readers are given enough backstory about all the characters that they feel realistic and integral to the story.
NOTE: The appeal factors this is based on from The Reader's Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction by Neal Wyatt and Joyce Saricks are in need of an update. The appeal factors and characteristics in many definitions of Romance are not diverse and focus on heterosexual, monogamous relationships. LGBTQIAAP+ Romance has a small but established presence in this genre challenging some more traditional characteristics like the typical hero/heroine concept. I chose to focus on the appeal factors that were most easily recognizable from traditional to queer Romance stories.
3 terms that best describe this book:

Delightful
Delicious
Heartwarming

Fiction Read-alikes

Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food and Love edited by Elsie Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond- These interconnected short stories all take place on Hungry Hearts Row where sometimes magical food that can grant wishes or revenge is served up to teenagers. Over the course the stories, with the help of food, the teenagers work through issues of family, culture, grief, and love. The foodie magical realism will catch the attention of The Heartbreak Bakery fans as will the concept that food can help you work through, or sometimes complicate, life’s challenges.
Café con Lychee by Emery Lee- Theo and Gabriel are rivals because their parents own rival pastry shops in town. However, when a chain café moves in with incredibly instagrammable food, both of the family cafés are in danger of closing even though the food at the new place is really not that great. Of course the only way to save the cafés is if Theo and Gabriel team up, which sounds excruciating but, maybe they’ll find more success working together than they initially thought. This food-centered, queer rom-com with a mission to save a delectable food establishment is bound to please fans of The Heartbreak Bakery.
Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee- Trans teen Noah runs a queer romance blog, which is great, except the stories might not be that true…like, not at all. When someone finds out, Noah needs to find someone to date him and fast, so he doesn’t have to shut down his belovéd blog. Enter Drew, the “Ice Cream Shop Guy” who agrees to fake date Noah to make the stories seem more legit. Fake dating might be all that was needed to bring Noah and Drew together for real. Filled with queer characters and a mission to save something important to the protagonist, plot elements echo those of The Heartbreak Bakery for another fun story of self-discovery and love.

Non-Fiction Read-alikes

Being Texan: Essays, Recipes, and Advice for the Lone Star Way of Life by the Editors of Texas Monthly- Through various writings, editors of Texas Monthly consider what it means to be “Texan” in this light-hearted collection of advice. Readers who like The Heartbreak Bakery will enjoy learning more about the state where the book takes place as well as the importance of food in the region.
Milk Bar Life: Stories and Recipes by Christina Tosi- This cookbook weaves together stories of home, family, friendship, and delicious comfort food recipes and is sure to please anyone with a sweet tooth. Tori’s love of fun food and using it to bring them together makes this book feel like a non-fiction version of The Heartbreak Bakery.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat- This accessible cookbook explores the main elements that comprise food as well as the how and why to these elements coming together to form delicious meals. For readers who loved the recipes that were mixed into the story of The Heartbreak Bakery, this deep-divide into the tastes that create a good meal is a great option.

Experiencing the Whole Collection

The Girl from the Sea by Molly Ostertag- This stunningly illustrated graphic novels explores a modern adaptation of the selkie stories from Celtic mythology. Morgan has a plan and is just trying to make it safely to her high school graduation without drama. Once she’s in college she’ll be able to come out as lesbian and truly be herself. Morgan’s carefully laid plans get flipped on their heads when she encounters a mysterious girl on the beach. This queer, magical romance is a great way for The Heartbreak Bakery fans to explore common themes in another bookish format.
Chef’s Table on Netflix- This six-season, Emmy-nominated series is all about the importance of food told via the stories of chefs. Through mouth-watering cinematography and stories that are both heartbreaking and hopeful, viewers will explore the deep connections between food, culture, and emotions. Fans of The Heartbreak Bakery may find the Pastry season especially enjoyable.

Citations

Characteristics of Relationship Fiction taken from

Wyatt, N. and Saricks, J. (2019). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction. Third edition. ALA Editions.