Member Reviews
It is a cute little graphic novel with layers of story in it.
A young girl goes to his village to see bakery that she has inherited from his father with whom she had no contact for years.
Their relationship was broken. She discovers recepie diary of his father and discovers her own history which he had never assumed.
Story is emotional with very strong characters.
Her silent aunty is cute to say the least and a prominent character in the story.
Artwork and illustrations are marvellous.
Their is patchwork of captioned and captionless illustrations.
Every fine detail of story is easily discernible.
Start of the story is weakest part and after that it is easy flowing narrative.
A very nice cute easy going love story with very good artwork.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.
Thanks #NetGalley for the copy of #DaysofSugarandSpice.
I simply couldn't enjoy this one as I was unable to get connected to the story or any of the characters. I tried and it wasn't just my cup of tea. The premise sounded so good and the cover art appealed to me so much. But I realised that the artstyle and the dialogue representation were not up to what I had expected. I just couldn't get into it.
Such a lovely graphic novel. I couldn't get enough of the cats! The illustrations are what made the story even more lovelier. It is a simple and well known plot of a protagonist coming back to her childhood home and finds out certain things weren’t what she thought they were. But the extra touch of the cats and some unique characters made me enjoy the story. Thank you to Netgalley for this awesome copy in exchange for an honest opinion/review. This is a 4 star read for me!
It is not often that I get a chance to read a translated work which is both a graphic novel as well as a light, breezy read while also clicking with me. This, as I am trying to say, was all three(translated from French).
The story is very simple and straightforward, our leading lady Rose finds out that her estranged father has passed away and left her his house cum bakery. She reaches her inheritance to find her childhood town being abandoned bit by bit. She is still cold to it and intends to sell and move on, but things do not go the way she planned. My only complaint (if I have to voice one at all) was the fact that they did not go into more detail about the overhaul of the town and the getting together of the townsfolk.
The panels are not uniform, and that is part of the charm. Apart from the cats having their own say for a whole page of two, there are other random animals or symbolic representation of the narration that made the reading all the more fun. There are no surprises or twists in the story. It is simple, and that in itself is the beauty of it. It is a swift read. Rose and her found family were a good group of people to visit.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
A heartwarming graphic novel with a relatable storyline. The art style was beautiful and the colour palette was pleasant and soothing to look at.
This story read a lot faster than I had anticipated. Taking the reader through current events, past events and a future place holder. Rose is living in the big city of Paris and working a grueling job of graphic design when she receives an unexpected phone call that her long estranged father has passed away and left his bakery to her.
She returns to the small village that she had called home as a child and reconnects with her aunt and Gael, a boy she knew as a child. Things start to feel right for her when new information comes to light that could bring her world crashing down.
This was a light-hearted read, even with the tragic components it incorporates (family loss, estranged parents, etc). But the tone and mood are always focused and kept light with background characters that are funny and enjoyable. I really liked the cats of the village that enjoy living outside of the bakery and their random commentary about cat life that runs through out the story.
*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was a really sweet graphic novel, the story was heartwarming and the art was adorable! Very cozy feeling book!
Charming Art, Predictable Tale
The pencil work is sharp and assured and the watercolors are subdued but nicely executed. Everything about the art is subtle, warm, and inviting. This is so inviting one could be forgiven if they felt tempted to just look at it as a portfolio of charming scenes. And that's pretty much where I ended up.
The actual story is completely predictable, all of the feel-good moments are telegraphed from a mile away, and the twists are either not very twisty or merely beside the point. None of the characters are unattractive, but rather they are all attractive in exactly the ways you would expect.
That's not necessarily bad. The bottom line is that this ended up being a cozy that just skipped over the murder, or whatever, and was content to be a cozy. Sometimes cozy is what you want, and in that particular this generally delivers.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Days of Sugar and Spice is a wonderful comic about the past and now with the smell of tarts and sweets! It tells the story of Rose, who inherits his dad's old bakery in Klervi, Brittany. She meets her old aunt Marronde and her childhood friend Gael and starts to remember her past in the small village that is now dying. Rose finds her dad's old journal and secrets are unveiled and not all of them are nice of course. Still, this seems to be a perfect chance to change the course of her life, but it's not easy. I really liked the premise and how thoughtful Clément is with the story. The cats are a great way to enlighten the somewhat sorrowful story and I'm glad we dive in the baking world wholeheartedly. My only complain is about the state of the village and how the winery thing never gets any conclusion and the bakery suddenly gets so many customers.
The art is delicate and winding, which makes the comic look delicious! The colors are soft and blend in well making this easy and soft to approach. There are no panels, but the happenings follow one another without borders in a dream-like state, which is refreshing truly. Days of Sugar and Spice is quite different, but still familiar and it's heartwarming and sad even. A feelgood comic, I'd say.
The art work was catchy and sweet. Pleasing to the eyes but the story was so basic that it didn't create any curiosity inside me as I was progressing ahead.
Rose was raised by her mom after her dad kicked them both out of his life when she as a kid. At the ripe age of 28, she gets a call informing her that her dad has died, and she has to return to her hometown to sign some paperwork. After inheriting her dad’s bakery, she discovers his old journal and finds her love for baking and reconnects with the town she once lived in. However, that journal is missing pages, and she’s shocked to the core when she finally gets her hands on them, changing her life forever.
I picked up this book because it sounded cute and sweet. I can now confirm that it’s exactly that. Rose is a bit unhappy in her current life when she gets the news that her dad has passed away. Inheriting his bakery turns out to change her life for the better as she discovers herself through baking, which bridges the connection she never had with her father. I thought it was a sweet way for her to fill the void and heal the trauma she experienced by getting the boot from her father when she was a kid. While the story is short, it’s clear that it’s affected her life and how she treats relationships through her interactions with her on again off again boss/lover as well as her romantic relationship with Gael, her childhood friend and crush.
I truly enjoyed Rose’s relationship with her aunt, Marronde, who talks through gestures and written notes thanks to the stroke she suffered. I was irritated about the truth about why she doesn’t speak that’s revealed later. I wish it was handled much differently and not attributed to Marronde’s stroke. However, I do love the character. In fact, I think I like Marronde more than I like Rose.
I also love Rose’s friend and co-worker, Mei. She’s such a bright character that I can see why Rose is such good friends with her. I love how she interacts with all the characters and the light she brings to the story. I was excited to see her turn back up after it appeared that she had exited the story.
One thing that I didn’t care for was the panels following the town’s stray cats talking to each other. I kept expecting it to somehow relate to the story other than just putting their two scents in between the panels. I kept expecting for the cats to openly talk to the human characters but that just never happened. I their individual panels is something the story could’ve done without because it comes off as a random addition.
Otherwise, I think it’s a cute story that surprisingly covers some tough topics. I love most of the characters and the artwork is adorable. I look forward to checking out Loïc Clément’s other work.
I like the ideas, but the illustrations not really 'clean' and kinda bothered me
Also, some of the twirling font is really hurt my eyes
The plot is not really good but enjoyable. I struggled to read the first chapters and then enjoyed it well, until the end
I expect more, but sincerely not mind to read if there's any sequel tho not really eager to read that
***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Beautiful illustrations made this story even more charming, though it was a little hard to get used to the pacing.
Rose is a graphic designer in Paris who receives news her estranged father has died and left her his bakery. She returns to her childhood village on the coast of Brittany, initially determined to sell the bakery and move on with her life, but slowly finding herself drawn to the village she left long ago.
It was a bit of a shaky start, but this little book won me over in spite of me. #alanis
The pacing of the story took me a while to get into because things seemed to move faster than I would have liked them to and were sometimes handled in more prosaic a manner than I would have wanted. The huge fight with Gael and the subsequent apology at around the 1/3 mark of the book did make me eyeroll a bit and think about "this escalated quickly" memes. The storytelling improved from there, though, and I found myself rooting for the character and hoping everything would turn out well. I especially liked the inclusiveness of the story, as well as some of the more whimsical touches.
The artwork really makes this, though. This too is whimsical, with great colors (and color use - the sepia in flashbacks worked really well, I thought; I particularly appreciated the one chapter picture with the full-colored Rose of today and the sepia young Rose) and a ton of lovely little details. I also really loved the fact that no traditional "frames" were used, instead allowing the artwork to flow on the page.
All in all, a sweet graphic novel about finding your place in the world... also about food and cats, which is always good!
This graphic novel was kind of a difficult read at times. The cursive font was difficult to understand sometimes too. I enjoyed the story and thought it was sweet, I also really loved Marronde's character except I found it confusing how Gael said she couldn't talk because of a stroke but it turns out that she actually can speak by the end of the story... I also wasn't a huge fan of Rose's character mainly because of her personality. The recipes that were included in the story were a nice touch and the little comics with the cats in the beginning of each chapter were very random but entertaining. The artwork of this graphic novel was very whimsical and sweet and gave me a very "French countryside" vibe. Overall I'd give this graphic novel a 3.5/5.
Thanks NetGalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I love the art style of this graphic novel. The art is fantastic (except for that one page with bugs I hate the most). [Anyway...]
The story itself is so heartwarming and has its own ups and downs even if there are only a few pages to tell the story. I love the story of finding yourself in a childhood home even if Rose grew up in a lot of places during her childhood. She has gone back to her roots and rekindle old flames. We get plot twists/discoveries along the way which is a huge plus points for me. The romance side felt cheesy and did not made a huge impact to me that much that I'm glad the romance is not the main focus of this story. The theme of family and self-discovery is enough for me and this novel gives it justice. Must read!
This is a charming story about a women who inherits her fathers bakery and in travelling back to where she was born learns a lot about herself and her past.
This was a quick read with very pleasant water colour art work. My biggest criticism however is the font that was used to document internal thoughts was very hard to read and I often could not make out the words.
In the beginning, I really thought I was gonna love this. It started really strong and made me sympathize with the MC right away(plus, the art is really c-u-t-e)... BUT it all went downhill when she has a ~conversation with a character.
Anyway, thank you Netgalley.
I was lucky to receive an arc of Days of Sugar and Spice which is an adult graphic novel by Loïc Clément (Script), Anne Montel (Art). It tells the story of Rose who is living in Paris until she is called back to Brittany after her Dad's Death but being back has given Rose so many bad memories which she is finding hard to deal with. But with the help of her Aunt Morronde and her childhood friend Gael Rose becomes more happier than she was and realises how important it is to have her friends and family around her. I found the story very cute and easy on the eye thanks to the art of Anne Montel. So I am giving this 4 stars
A really sweet tale about Rose who returns to Brittany after her estranged fathers death to deal with the bakery he left behind, it’s a lovely tale as we Rose deals with the inheritance and the bakery, we also learn about her childhood through her fathers recipe book and learn things Rose didn’t know. I love that it touches on current issues that towns are dealing with loss of businesses, people moving out, effects on labour and corporations taking over, it’s done so well and sensitively handled. It’s beautifully illustrated/designed. I loved the different panels and styles used to separate the chapters, a wonderful tale about new beginnings to start the year. Thoroughly recommended
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion