I truly enjoyed this heartwarming romance. I'm a total sucker for the best-friends-to-lovers trope, and this book executed it beautifully. The character relationships, immersive setting, and light world-building all came together to create a delightfully sweet and fluffy story.

That said, I do wish the fantasy aspects had been more prominent. As I mentioned in my review of the first book, the story leans more heavily into romance than fantasy—and that’s even more apparent in this installment. While the adorable baby animals added plenty of charm, they felt more like a background detail than a central part of the plot.

Still, it was a joy to revisit Saphira and spend more time in this world. Fans of cozy, romantic reads with just a dash of magic will definitely find something to love here.

Loved the warm and cozy feels on this one, gave the vibes of the first book, however the love story in this one didn’t work for me, the two MCs were both very juvenile despite both being 24 they read as 16 and honestly the whole story line just gave me so many icks

Again like the first book I feel the side characters are stronger than the main ones as here I was done with their shit 50% into this because it was just all miscommunication and could have been avoided by one conversation at the beginning. Instead Lavinia ends up dating someone else only to end up cheating on him physically and emotionally and the guy is too nice to have deserved that and the fact he didn’t even get an apology and he was the one who shows all the grace is frustrating.


E-Arc provided via NetGalley

I did not finish this book - reading about 41% before deciding this wasn’t the book for me - so my review may not reflect the entirety of this story!

This book 100% has an audience. Romance readers who love friends-to-lovers and miscommunication tropes will love this one. I however was really hoping for the cozy fantasy elements promised and didn’t get that at all. The first book felt 80/20 romance/fantasy, but with this one I didn’t get fantasy at all. A couple of beautiful descriptions of dragons and magical creatures, but nothing to drive the plot. While that might have changed further into the book, 40% was enough for me.

Cute cozy low stakes and whimsical. So fun to read. Friends to lovers is not my favourite trope but these characters had great chemistry although they could be a little immature at times. The writing flowed nicely and it was easy to read.

I absolutely adored The Baby Dragon Cafe! Unfortunately, The Baby Dragon Bakery didn't quite have the same magic. I was so excited going in to Lavinia and Theo's story but, they just felt immature about the whole thing. I had to keep reminding myself there were adults, not high schoolers. I do love this friendships and characters in this series and look forward to more with Emmeline' story next!

4.75 stars (rounded up to 5)

I'm a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope and I'm a huge fan of Aamna Qureshi's writing, so of course, my excitement for The Baby Dragon Bakery was quite high. This book was everything that I wanted, and then some. I was so thrilled to be coming back to this world and experience Lavinia and Theo's story. There are many reasons as to why I enjoyed this book, but the yearning?? Let's just say, that was pure perfection. The yearning and the mutual pining was freaking adorable and the chemistry between the two was palpable.

When you're reading, you can clearly see and tell how much both Lavinia and Theo care for each other. They are both treading a very delicate balance in wanting to protect their friendship, and crossing that balance and watching them trying to keep, and subsequently fail, this balance is what makes this book such a great read. There's almost kisses, practice kisses and actual kisses, and all of them are so so good. I don't want to spoil but there's some really great jealousy scenes, especially on Theo's part, and those were some of my favs in the book.

All in all, The Baby Dragon Bakery was such a cute, cozy and comforting romance, and I cannot wait to have a physical copy of this in my hands!

I absolutely adored this story. I fell in love with Theo and Lavinia and my heart broke for Theo’s unhappy home life. I spent the whole story rooting for the two of them, especially seeing how much Theo blossomed within Lavinia’s family. The snippets of their friendship as kids was heartwarming and emotional and just made me root for the couple more! I also loved the additional snippets of Aiden and Saphina’s relationship and hope to see their eventual wedding in a further book!

The Baby Dragon Bakery is a sweet, low-stakes friends-to-lovers romance with a dusting of magic and a whole lot of emotional warmth. Lavinia and Theo’s dynamic is endearing, full of awkward tension and unresolved feelings that spiral into jealousy and missed chances, though the reliance on miscommunication can be a bit frustrating. The setting is whimsical and comforting, with adorable baby dragons and a mythical vet school adding charm, though the fantasy elements take a backseat to the romance this time around. While returning readers will enjoy seeing familiar characters like Saphira again, some may wish the magical worldbuilding played a larger role. Still, for fans of gentle, cinnamon-roll stories with cozy vibes and emotional beats, this one delivers a charming and predictable comfort read.

cozy, fun, wholesome.
I loved this story. If you're looking for a quick and easy read, you'll want to check out this book.
I would definitely pick up this story again. It was funny with low stacks, but still entertaining, and very warm and cozy vibes.

The Baby Dragon Bakery is the second book in the cosy fantasy series - The Baby Dragon. It follows Lavinia and Theo who we met in book one.

This is a friends to lovers book and it I felt was done so well. There was yearning there was fun, there was a little bit of spice but it shows the love and friendship that Theo and Lavinia have for one another.

This to me is the perfect cosy fantasy book with a sprinkle of romance and magic. We got to see characters from book one as well as Sparky the baby dragon. The relationships not only between the main couple but between Lavinia and her mother were some of my favourite scenes and honestly this felt like being wrapped in a warm hug.

I am in love!! What really makes it stand out is the magical little world Quereshi creates - baby dragons living alongside everyday life at the cutest bakery which is such a fun and unique twist.
Beyond the fantasy though, it's the characters that really win me over. Lavinia's quiet longing for her best friend Theo feels so real and heartfelt and watching their friendship slowly turn into something more was beautifully dont. The slow burn romance had just the right mix of tension and warmth, making it impossible to put down.
Plus, the setting is like a warm hug, with small town vibes with that sprinkle of magic that makes the whole thing feel special. I can't wait for book 3!

Similarly to the first book the set up and world is incredibly fun and unique, however the writing style is quite lacking, while easy to read the conversations between characters doesn't feel connected whatsoever and the characters way of speaking all merge into one.

3.5*

I really wanted to love this as much as the first but it didn’t quite live up to it for me.

The story still gives the cozy small town vibes and I absolutely love the dragons.

I really loved Lavinia and Theo as friends but them together just didn’t do it for me - I felt the friends to lovers just wasn’t right for them! I loooooved the relationship between Theo and Lavinia’s family though - this was lovely - how included and loved they made him feel!

However… I absolutely love the South Asian culture and I love Theo‘s fusion of cultures within his baking. As individual characters I loved them but together just didn’t hit the right note for me.

I loved the first book sooo much so naturally I was excited to get this one but unfortunately I wasn't as invested, the cosy whimsical vibes were there yes but the miscommunication trope has always been a hit or a miss for me and unfortunately this time it was a miss; it was too frustrating that by the time I got to the end of the book I wasn't as interested in the romance plot between Lavinia and Theo even though I loved them as friends so much

“My heart beats for you.”

Thank you to Avon Books UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Lavinia has it all. A loving family (complete with adorable pet baby dragon). A place at university training to be a magical animal vet. And a part-time job at the enchanting Baby Dragon Cafe. The only thing she doesn’t have is her one true love: Theo. Theo is the local baker and her best friend. On paper, they’re perfect: he’s funny, she’s witty. He’s sweet, and she’s a little salty. That’s why they’ve been friends for as long as they can remember. They’ve never been without one another – and it’s clear to everyone that they’re meant to be. Everyone except Theo. Because when Lavinia finally makes her move, he pulls away. Lavinia is devastated. Has this friendship gone up in smoke? Or will Theo finally realise that he wants them to be more than friends?

Lavinia knows what she wants and I certainly admire her for that. She’s bubbly and her sunny personality is certainly infectious! She is incredibly passionate about her career path and it is incredibly obvious that she is proud of what she does. Her connections with her family too were so heart warming to see. I really enjoyed getting to see the unfolding story from Lav’s POV. She has this way of looking at the world which is incredibly interesting and engaging, which heightened my excitement for the story. Sure, there were a few moments where I wanted to give her a kick up the backside but I actually appreciated those moments. No one is perfect, after all!
Theo is such a sweetheart. He is incredibly kind and caring, always looking out for others and putting them before himself. I loved that we got to see him really bolster his confidence here whilst simultaneously also working through some deeply rooted issues. We get to see him bravely face his emotions and the reality that things need to change for him. I loved his interactions with everyone. You can really see that he has such a warming and welcoming personality. He draws you in and you never want to leave his company. I do hope we get to see more of Theo in the future!

Having enjoyed The Baby Dragon Café so much, I was beyond ecstatic to receive an eARC of the second book in the series! I loved that this story is entirely its own whilst still interconnecting beautifully with the first book. The plot is certainly sturdy, bringing all the great cozy vibes that I loved before. It has a great flow to it and I found myself eagerly sinking into Starshine Valley each time I picked up my Kindle. Perhaps my only gripe is the fact this felt a little lacking on the fantasy this time around and that perhaps contributed to this feeling more YA than Adult for the majority of the book. Don’t get me wrong, I still loved this book but when the only fantasy really comes from a few baby dragons scattered around, I found myself wanting more. But something that excelled for this story was the mental health rep - specifically for a male leading character. Far too often, the male characters and how they are doing is overlooked. I was beyond thrilled to see this wasn’t the case here! Character wise, Qureshi has once again done a brilliant job. We got to see glimpses of our main duo before but I loved getting to be in their heads and seeing things from their point of view. What I also really enjoyed was seeing the original duo from the previous book in a different light! Seeing them from an outsider’s POV was fantastic! There was, of course, a lot of romance here! I am not the biggest fan of the miscommunication trope but the way this was such a great best friends to lovers story certainly made up for it, in my opinion. There is such an emotional depth here from both characters that was great to see unfold - especially as they started understanding their own feelings and where their hearts were guiding them. We got a little spice here as well. Is it bad I wanted more from it? I think it was incredibly sweet but I almost wanted some explosive chemistry! The ending was a great wrap up of everything that occurred here. The epilogue was a little short in my opinion, but I still think it added what it needed to. I am incredibly excited for the next instalment in 2026!

Overall, The Baby Dragon Bakery is a fantastic second book in this whimsical series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to Avon Books UK for an advanced copy of this book. Yay for being part of Team Baby Dragon! Review will be live on my blog on release day and is available now on Goodreads.

Firstly, I absolutely adored the baby dragon cafe! I was so happy to be back in this world reading book 2. I do wish this one had a little bit more of the baby dragons in though, I definitely would have liked to see them more involved in the story line (I just can't get enough of the baby dragons 😅)

I am not the biggest fan of the miscommunication trope, so I feel like thats why I personally didn't love this one as much as book 1, but I'll definitely still be reading book 3, this was just complete personal preference about the trope! I do love a friends to lovers story though, and I did root for Lavinia and Theo throughout. It was a cosy, comfort read and I flew through it in a day.

If you're looking for a cute and cosy romance read with a small side of fantasy (and baby dragons!), this is definitely the series for it.

This was such a cute and fun book! I cant wait for the next one.
It was the perfect continuation from book 1 and had some amazing developments

E-arc provided by Netgalley

Do you hate a miscommunication trope? ✋️
Do you hate a third act breakup? ✋️

Then this book is perfect for you, not only was there a third act breakup it might have been the dumbest one I've read. Also same as with the first book but even more so you could replace the dragons in this book and absolutely nothing would change which begs the question where is the fantasy? I wanted to DNF this but I stuck it out and I'll probably read the last one since I am nothing if not a completionist

One of the best cosy romances I’ve ever read!! This was a beautiful read with my FAVOURITE friends to lovers trope!! It was also such an easy and relaxing read.

Lavinia and Theo are both lovely souls and they are genuinely perfect for each other. I really felt connected to them throughout the book and I think they compliment each other so well. This book literally had me kicking my feet in joy🥰 Sparky and the baby dragons will always have a special place in my heart they are just the cutest!!!

I did have to knock it down only slightly for the third act breakup that broke my heart🥹 it’s a trope I can rarely get behind unfortunately.

Side Note: I could devour all the food and drink that is spoken about in this book😋 I’m now craving Karak Chai😂

This will be a stunning autumn book for the fall 2025 release date🍂🍁 I also cannot wait for Book 3, this universe is incredible!!

If you’re a fan of friends-to-lovers, small-town magic, and baby dragons that steal the show, this book is an absolute must-read. Cozy, heartfelt, and brimming with charm—The Baby Dragon Bakery is a win!