Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Ultimate Pi Day Party (Baldwin Village, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Ultimate Pi Day Party

(Baldwin Village #1)

Jackie Lau (Goodreads Author)

4.03 · Rating details · 38 ratings · 23 reviews

If there’s one thing that might get my dad, a retired math teacher, to visit Toronto and have a real conversation with me for the first time in seventeen years, it’s a big nerdy Pi Day party. And hopefully this party—and seeing the tech company I built from nothing—will finally be enough to impress him and make him forgive me for everything I did when I was a teenager.

But ...more

Get A Copy

Or buy for

ebook

Published March 5th 2019 by Jackie Lau Books

More Details... edit details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Ultimate Pi Day Party, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about The Ultimate Pi Day Party

Lists with This Book

Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

2019 Books by Authors of Color

306 books — 239 voters

March 2019 Most Anticipated Romances

144 books — 949 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

4.03 ·

Rating details

· 38 ratings · 23 reviews

Filter

Sort order

Mar 17, 2019 K.J. Charles added it

Shelves: contemporary, m-f

A very foodie Toronto-set romance that will make you crave pie. CEO meets pie shop owner. The romance is delightful, though I didn't quite feel the parental-trauma conflict purely because both MCs seem too loving, grounded and sensible. Mostly a low angst, highly likeable romance in a well developed setting and the pie descriptions will make you hungry.

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Mar 14, 2019 Xan West added it · review of another edition

Shelves: author-of-color, m-f-rom-by-poc, 2019-releases

Content Warnings (view spoiler) ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 06, 2019 Maria Rose rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star-reads, fully-reviewed-books, sexy-as-all-get-out

That was fun and now I crave pie, a not unexpected consequence! Lighthearted, low angst and sexy romance about a tech CEO and a pie shop owner whom he hires for a 'Pi Day' party as a way to reconcile with his estranged father. Lots of great Toronto multiculturalism on display! Recommended for readers who like food, diverse cultures and honest family dynamics with their HEA.

A copy of this story was provided by the author for review.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 28, 2019 b.andherbooks rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, romance, arc

Ever read a book and get the hankering to eat everything the characters are? Well, The Ultimate Pi Day Party by Jackie Lau is definitely making me crave a pie (or three)! Set in her Baldwin Village series, this is a sweet and savory story of a tech geek falling for the town pie shop owner as they plan a mathematically delightful party to impress his estranged father. Out March 5th, I highly recommend!

Besides the delicious food descriptions, there were a myriad of small moments that really shone ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 16, 2019 Jess rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-all, 2019-new, own-ebook, romance, romance-contemporary

First, I really regret not having pie on hand while I was reading this. Learn from my mistake.

Second, this was really charming! I think this had the least bothersome final conflict in any of the books of Jackie Lau's that I've read and I really appreciated that. Josh is a much better son than I am daughter, because after 17 years of the silent treatment, I would probably not have kept trying in the same way. But I did get it.

Recommend checking this out!

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 01, 2019 Christine rated it it was amazing

Hot Asian guy + delicious pies = a very happy carb-loving reader.

I'm always on the hunt for good pie, which is easy to find, and for romances with hot Asian heros which are not easy to find. Thanks to Jackie Lau, I now have both in one sweet story about two people who think they don't deserve love or success, and then discover they can have it all along with some amazing-sounding eats.

I loved Josh. A founder and CEO of his own company, Josh is humble and sweet to his friends and family, even a ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 20, 2019 Mel González rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019, beautiful-writing, ownvoices, poc-characters, romance-erotica

4.5

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2019 Lexie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Short story about Amrita & Holly - yes/yes?

More seriously, so very enjoyable. And heartfelt. Whether it was the honest communication between Sarah and Josh or how hard it was for the both of them to square the circle of what the other means in their life, this was a book about love from top to bottom.

The confession style narrative - with the point of view shifting between Josh and Sarah - works well here. Having a chance to "see" both of their sides of the story is helpful to understanding s ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2019 Pragati Chaudhari rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-reads, adult, arc, chick-lit, contemporary, badass-women, diverse-reads, family, friendship, romance

For full review - The Ultimate Pi Day Party on The Inked In Book Blog

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*

The Ultimate Pi Day Party revolves around Josh & Sarah, who meet when Josh ends up at Sarah’s pie shop to get some dinner. Josh is going through *things* where his family is concerned and when he has the absolutely brilliant idea of throwing a Pi Day party to get his parents to visit him in Toronto, hoping that’ll help bri For full review - The Ultimate Pi Day Party on The Inked In Book Blog

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*

The Ultimate Pi Day Party revolves around Josh & Sarah, who meet when Josh ends up at Sarah’s pie shop to get some dinner. Josh is going through *things* where his family is concerned and when he has the absolutely brilliant idea of throwing a Pi Day party to get his parents to visit him in Toronto, hoping that’ll help bridge the gaps, he hires Sarah to cater at the event. As they spend more time together, they start to fall for each other, but with both of them having such different priorities in life, it gets a little difficult to maintain the relationship. Does it survive their individual goals and issues is the question.

I absolutely love Sarah. She’s this determined, smart, headstrong, and hardworking woman who is working really hard to achieve her dream of making her pie shop successful and well known. She keeps long hours at work and doesn’t have any friends because of this. Her coworkers are nice enough and they all share a good rapport, but they are not her friends. She has her mother, who has visited Toronto only once when he opened pie shop, and her sister who is busy in her own life – her job, her marriage, her kids. So, yes, she doesn’t really have many people in her life. And, it is not something that is brushed upon. We see it constantly. Just an errant thought in her head, a tinge of jealousy when she sees two people who are clearly close friends. She desires for that and it shows. We also see her make an effort to make friends. So, it’s not just a desire, but something she actively works on. I really liked that.

Then, there’s Josh. He is the CEO of a tech company and he has worked really hard to get where he is today. Something happened in his past which made his father angry, and now, 17 years later, his father still does not talk to him, does not acknowledge his existence in anyway. Getting his father to talk to him seems to be the most important thing in Josh’s life now that he is someone who his father could be proud of – a successful entrepreneur. That’s how the idea to throw a Pi Day party is born. His father is a mathematician, a retired professor who loves Pi Day and used to have a do with his students while he was still teaching at university. So, of course, it feels like the most logical thing that would bring his father to Toronto. And, it does.

I absolutely love the romance in this, though. It is so amazing. Soft and cute in places, passionate and hot in others. It was so much fun to see their relationship growing. They’re such a cute couple, I adore! One thing that I absolutely loved in this was how they were both equals in the relationship, emotionally speaking. We didn’t see one of them be more invested in the relationship while the other brushed them off. Both of them brought something to the relationship and they really cared about the other. It was really nice to see that because we see so often that one of the characters is always picking up the slack for the other in a relationship. I don’t like those dynamics and it was nice to see two people who were both interested in each other interact and fall in love.

I particularly love one scene where Josh mansplains and Sarah calls him out on it. It was handled really nicely and I loved how Josh realized that what he did was wrong and genuinely apologized to Sarah for doing so. Really nice to see that bit.

What I didn’t like was the climax. It felt pretty anti climactic after everything that had happened and I wanted Josh’s realization to have more power, to be a little more dramatic than it had been, given the way the things had been before it happened. Apart from this little tidbit, where I think we could have had a better climax (no puns intended, people :p), I absolutely loved the book! A really great love story and I’m definitely picking up more books by Lau! 🙂 ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 02, 2019 Lauren loves llamas rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, netgalley, read-in-2019, romance, canadian, contemporary, baker, yummy-food, toronto

I’m a pretty big fan of Jackie Lau’s contemporary rom-coms, so I jumped on this! It’s the official start of the new Baldwin Village series (though there was a prequel Christmas novella). Like the pies Sarah sells, this book is both sweet and savory, and oh so yummy. One quick warning – this book will make you SO hungry!

Josh, CEO of a tech company and one of Toronto’s hottest eligible bachelors, decides to throw a Pi Day party to entice his retired mathematician father to visit Toronto. His fathe I’m a pretty big fan of Jackie Lau’s contemporary rom-coms, so I jumped on this! It’s the official start of the new Baldwin Village series (though there was a prequel Christmas novella). Like the pies Sarah sells, this book is both sweet and savory, and oh so yummy. One quick warning – this book will make you SO hungry!

Josh, CEO of a tech company and one of Toronto’s hottest eligible bachelors, decides to throw a Pi Day party to entice his retired mathematician father to visit Toronto. His father hasn’t talked to him since a teenage mishap and he’s hoping that going all out will start to rebuild their relationship. So rather than just buying grocery store apple pies, Josh decides to order a veritable buffet of sweet and savory pies from a local business, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that the proprietor, Sarah, is a very attractive woman. Through the course of planning the party, a romance ensures, naturally, and it all culminates in the big party. Will Sarah’s catering be successful? Will the party impress Josh’s dad? Or will it lead to a very un-sweet end to their relationship?

“If you have to bring a pie to Christmas dinner but don’t bake. Or if you want to propose to your girlfriend using pumpkin pie or butter tarts.”
“Seriously? Those both happened?”
“On Valentine’s Day. The butter tart guy wanted fifteen butter tarts, one letter on top of each tart to spell ‘Will you marry me?’ Then he contacted me the day of, wondering if he should have six more butter tarts to add ‘please’ to the question.”
“So polite and Canadian,” Chloe says.”

Sarah was adorably awkward. She moved to Toronto from a small town for the opportunities, and now that she finally has her own pie shop, she’s determined to make a success. She works long hours, and besides her employees, she doesn’t make the time to meet people or do much after work other than watch Netflix. Watching her make friends with her new neighbors (of which one is the MC for the next book) was sweet, and I totally felt her anxiety about screwing up with them. What was also cute was how awkward Josh got around her! As mentioned, Josh has some serious dad issues. As a teen, Josh’s mom got sick, and he rebelled, and not just in the typical Asian “get B’s on the math test” way. It caused a schism with his father, and while his mom got better and the rest of the family talks to him, no one seems willing to address the grudge his dad is still holding. Even as a successful CEO, with a giant house in a swanky Toronto neighborhood, he still feels like he’s not enough. He has this in common with Sarah, as well – her mom told her that her business was doomed to fail – so, instead, they prop each other up. I liked how Josh loved Sarah’s passion for her business, and how confident he was that, despite never having done catering before, she’d be able to cater his party. They had some pretty great chemistry together, and it was fun watching them figure out how a relationship works.

There are a few things I’d consider hallmarks of Ms. Lau’s book – the comedic elements (Josh’s family members one-upping each other to pay at the dim sum restaurant had me howling), the food (YUM!), and the family warmth. While that last part isn’t initially evident, Josh’s friends provide a good substitute, especially when they decide to regale Sarah with embarrassing stories about him. As for the rest, I thought the conflict was believable, and I liked the way the resolution wrapped up all the threads nicely.

Overall, I’m excited by the direction of this new series and impatiently awaiting the next one. Plus, personally, I’m hoping for a novella with Amrita, one of Josh’s coworkers, and her fianceé Holly!

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 21, 2019 Kristin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I was lucky enough to receive an e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, this is my first ever Jackie Lau book and it did not disappoint. I also loved that this is set in Toronto. A city that I really want to visit. While I was reading, it felt like I was in Baldwin Village too walking along the streets and ducking into various restaurants and shops sampling everything from pho to dim sum and of course pies. All the food references in this book also made me so hungr ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 07, 2019 cookiemonger rated it really liked it

After a teenage indiscretion, Josh Yu has been fighting for his father’s approval, facing silence and estrangement, for nearly two decades. Then he gets the idea to throw a Pi Day party and invite his parents.

Sarah Winters has her own share of parental disapproval. Her mother was against her moving from their small town to start a pie-centred bakery in Toronto. But Sarah’s doing quite well, aside from having too little romance and not enough friends.

I have feelings about this book, which is cool ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 18, 2019 Romana Em rated it it was amazing

Shelves: characters-of-colour, contemporary-romance, read-in-2019

ARC supplied by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Ultimate Pi Day Party is such a delicious novel. The story follows Josh, the CEO of a tech start-up based in Toronto, he's determined to repair his strained relationship with his maths teacher father and has the perfect idea in mind about how to do that. A Pi Day party featuring a lot (really, it's a lot) of pie. That's where Sarah, owner of a small pie making business, comes into the picture. Josh hires her to cater his party a

ARC supplied by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The lead characters, Josh and Sarah, have such great chemistry and are so delightful to read about. Lau shows us a relationship where neither of the characters have much experience with dating and are therefore very much learning as they go along about how they can be a good partner and make each other happy. Josh is a very sweet hero who is genuinely kind and understanding. While he is a CEO, he isn't the alpha hero who is controlling or in any way less than a perfect match for Sarah. Josh is vulnerable and it is his vulnerabilities that lead to much of the tension in the novel, especially between him and his parents. Sarah is a genuinely kick-ass heroine who is determined to make her mark on the world through her small business and is eager to expand. Throughout the novel we get to see as Sarah becomes more sure of herself and her relationship with others. This is not just Josh's influence, but also Sarah meeting new people outside of her romantic relationship. Additionally, the sex scenes do an excellent job of furthering the characters and the relationship between them. They feature explicit consent at every stage.

I especially enjoyed that Lau talked about how difficult it can be to make friends as an adult. Sarah openly admits that she does not have many friends. We get to see her slow progress in making friends with new small business owners. They are supportive and just as important in Sarah's character arc as her romantic relationship is. I'm looking forward to seeing this relationship grow in the rest of the series as the next book focuses on Chloe, Sarah's friend and one of the owners of the new ice cream parlour.

The Ultimate Pi Day Party is very much a story of reconciling with your family and navigating the relationship with your parents as you're growing up. We get to see both Josh and Sarah go through this process as they try to repair strained relationships and make sense of comments that their parents have made in the past about them. The two have open discussions with their parents about the issues that exist in their relations, although Sarah definitely has an easier time of it than Josh. It's a topic that Lau handles expertly and I found myself feeling for both of the characters.

Jackie Lau write a very fun novel with a loveable main couple which also manages to deal with some heavily issues. It manages to make you feel many things, laugh, and leave you craving a lot of pie. I can't wait to read the next in this pretty delicious new series. Also, have you seen that cover? Really, that alone should be reason enough to read this book.

find me at: blog | twitter

...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 21, 2019 Ekaterine Xia rated it really liked it

I really, really, really liked The Ultimate Pi Day Party.
There were so many little things that just made it work - I loved that savory pie was a Thing, that there were cookies made in the shape of pi, that Sarah called Josh out out on mansplaining, that Sarah was working so hard for what she wanted and finding joy in it and and and a whole lot of other things.
But really, her calling him out on mansplaining was awesome. *cough sorry *
I did feel that it was a bit hard to reconcile how fast things ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 13, 2019 Abi rated it really liked it

Jackie Lau books stand out in my head as a) fast reads and b) amazing character/world development. Okay, let’s throw in c) realistic romance. This book falls right in line!

Josh and Sarah have an organic love story that was so much fun to read. Josh is a CEO, but not one of those stuffy too rich alpha types, with some daddy issues. He still has a really magnetic personality that attracts small business owner, Sarah. Sarah, too, has some family issues. The way they deal with their own family/pers ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 05, 2019 Viper Spaulding rated it it was amazing

Sweet as Pi love story!

Josh and Sarah hit it off instantly, but he's got some leftover relationship issues that he needs to work through, and it's not what you'd think. I really enjoyed the glimpse into the city life of Toronto, and loved the secondary characters that added complexity and depth to the story.

The author's writing style is instantly engaging and refreshingly realistic. No over-the-top insta-love or magically-disappearing problems, just honest attraction, steamy chemistry, and a g ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 06, 2019 Book Minx rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs

This is lots of fun with great relationship development but it was sadly lacking in character development. We have two characters who haven’t done much, if anything, in the way of relationships. His reluctance is explained when his dad’s issue is finally disclosed but hers isn’t. There’s no real sense of why she hasn’t dated and focusing on her career is clearly only part of it. Also ... the stuff with the parents ... I like that they both had issues with their parents and the resolution of Sara ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 08, 2019 Sadie Coffey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Funny, Sweet, and Delicious

Jackie Lau's love stories are always sweet, and this one is no exception. The settings she creates are vivid and charming, and the characters are people I'm dying to hang out with. The Ultimate Pi Day party has just enough angst to keep it interesting and the food and pie details will make you hungry.

Sarah and Josh are the sweetest couple, and their chemistry is palpable. Some of the things they said and did made me laugh aloud. I also loved their friends and co-worker ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 13, 2019 Fran rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-romance, chefs-are-involved, best-of-2019

Loved this a lot! Very sweet romance with a low-angst healing of a deep wound for our hero and the heroine gets some great friends!

I feel like this is one of the most original books I've read in a long time too? Jackie Lau is an auto-buy author for me these days! Great characters, hilarious plots, wonderful romance <3 Can't wait to read the next work in the series!

flag Like · see review

Mar 08, 2019 Ginger W rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I loved the Kwan Sisters and Chin-Williams series, but this one just felt so disjointed.

flag Like · see review

Mar 15, 2019 Caro rated it really liked it

Shelves: 21st-century, arcs, contemporary-romance, read-in-2019, romance, series

RTC

flag Like · see review

Mar 17, 2019 Carolina rated it really liked it

the writing got a bit repetitive towards the end, which kept me from giving it a higher rating, but this was: GREAT.

actual rating: 4.5/5

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Lys rated it it was amazing
Mar 04, 2019

Clare rated it liked it
Mar 11, 2019

Kristi (foxtail_too) rated it it was amazing
Mar 09, 2019

michelle rated it really liked it
Mar 06, 2019

Kel rated it liked it
Mar 08, 2019

Debbie rated it really liked it
Mar 09, 2019

Karahjartanes rated it it was amazing
Mar 09, 2019

Joanna rated it really liked it
Mar 07, 2019

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Genres

Romance

8 users

Romance > Contemporary Romance

6 users

Contemporary

5 users

Cultural > Canada

2 users

See top shelves…

About Jackie Lau

Jackie Lau

40 followers

Jackie Lau decided she wanted to be a writer when she was in grade two, sometime between writing “The Heart That Got Lost” and “The Land of Shapes.” She later studied engineering and worked as a geophysicist before turning to writing romance novels.

Jackie lives in Toronto with her husband, and despite living in Canada her whole life, she hates winter. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, hi ...more