A cute and short story done up like a fairytale. The narration on the audio book was wonderful. Such a lovely accent and voice modulation.
The story is about a bakery girl who gets an odd request from a stranger. Being in a small town, she is unsure whether or not to try to fulfill the request. She has to go on an adventure to find the special ingredient and meets another stranger in the woods. She bargains with the second stranger to make him the same kind of loaf that the original stranger asked for. With his information, she find two types of the special ingredient and uses each to make a different loaf. When the two strangers come to pick up their requested loaves, the girl finds out that not everything is as it seems. The two strangers were related and seemed to be each other’s opposites; but this is where I got lost. What about the slightly different ingredients caused their true identities to come out and why was this even happening? Why was she then bound to one of them? And what did bound mean in this case anyway?
The writing was lovely, but a little more explanation was needed. The story moved along well, but left me confused at the end.

Je ne savais pas trop à quoi m'attendre mais ça était une bonne surprise ! Je ne suis pas une fan de livre de fantasy mais j'ai apprécier celui-là, c'était un premier pas dans ce genre. La voix de la narratrice nous emporte très rapidement dans l'histoire. Je pourrais dire cependant que l'histoire aurais pu être d'avantage développer, il y a plein de questions sans réponses.

I wasn't sure what to expect but it was a nice surprise! I'm not a fan of fantasy books but I enjoyed this one, it was a first step in this genre. The voice of the narrator carries us very quickly in the story. I could say however that the story could have been further developed, there are plenty of unanswered questions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for a honest review.

This was quite a short audiobook, I actually read it twice to try and get a better understanding and I don't think I get it.

As with many short stories, it leaves me wanting more. A book that makes you think and ask why at the end. Based on folklore.

A very sweet story for a great cause. The only thing I didn't really like was the voice doing the narration.

This short story was fun and entertaining to listen to.

I love that it was inspired by folklore. Short and sweet, perfect to listen to on the go.

Narrator was okay, but pronunciation/accent put me off at times.

Will definitely be trying more folklore inspired short stories.

Thank you to publishers and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a short and sweet story inspired by traditional folktales. I did not realize how short this was, I really wish it was a little bit longer and that we got a little bit more history and background of the characters! It was difficult to know the characters' actions and motivations from the short text that we got. I did like Riley's character and how determined she was to complete her mission, and I was very intrigued by the two brothers and how they were connected to Riley's bakery.

The pacing was good and the setting gave me vibes of Hansel and Gretel as the story slowly unfolded. The mood also reminded me of the spooky vibes of Over the Garden Wall, a cartoon show whose episodes are also bite-sized (about 10 minutes each), similar to this work. I liked the cover art as well, although overall the story felt a little bit unresolved to me because of how short it was.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book.

This was a fun short story! I was hooked from the beginning and engaged throughout. It's so short that it is difficult to discuss without ruining the plot but I did enjoy it. I found the end to be a bit fast for me but I often feel that way about short stories in general. Lastly I loved the magical undertone of this story it was very cozy. I would happily read more from this author!

Big thanks to Netgalley and L. Austen Johnston for the audio ARC in exchange for a review.

This is a short (like 16 minutes, short) story, modernized a bit, of a woman who unknowingly makes a deal with someone who is more than what they seem.

I would totally love to have this made into a full length story, with romance, and sibling rivalry, forbidden love and of course magic!

Overall, 4 stars. It was cute and to the point (a micro story!)

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free audiobook arc.

The story was very cute, Riley is a baker and has to go on a quest for a special request from a mysterious man.
The fact that it was inspired by folklore is really interesting and it made me curious about a possible sequel to the story.
Also the narrator gave some ambiance that's always appreciated.

True Loaf, A Balkan Folklore Inspired Short Story by L. Austen Johnson Narrated by Penny Scott-Andrews.
Thanks to Netgalley for the copy.
I really enjoyed this short story, it's great for starting audio books .
It was fun and works perfectly for this format.
Now I'm gonna get me some bread. :)
3/5 stars
Maria Lourdes

This short story was a neat idea and story. I don't know which folktale it comes from but to me it seemed like a great way of using the story into a modern retelling. I enjoyed the vibes in the story, it all felt very autumnish and homey from the bakery feel. It is also a great short story for Halloween and fall, might give a reread during that time!

I did find some parts to be confusing and like it should have been longer as things were glossed over and could have been expanded. It didn't wow me and I think if it was longer or more in depth, it would have.

Rating: 4/5
I received this Audiobook copy for my honest opinion.

When a strange man puts in a strange request at the bakery where she works, Riley must go on a mini adventure to find one unusual ingredient. Along the way, she realizes that things are not always what they seem.
A micro-story.

This short story was inspired by Balkan folklore. I really did enjoy this short story, even though it was a lot shorter than I realized. However, it still was able to get the details of Riley and her adventure out there and made me feel like I was a part of the magic. I do wish that there was a little more detail at the ending, it will leave you with a bit of a mystery.

I think Penny Scott Andrews did a wonderful job narrating the story, her voice is what drew me in and made me stop doing everything just so I could listen to every detail. The way she read it made me want more of the tale, and if there ever was, I would love to have Penny narrate it again.

I would recommend this short, sweet fairytale/folklore to anyone.

Thank you NetGalley, as well as Lore and Lyre, Independent Book Publisher Assoc. for this audiobook that I was able to listen to and give my honest review of.

Release Date: 9-27-2021

This book is absolutely adorable - I am going to purchase it! The characters are amazing and the plot of the book is really what drew me into it. I also love the cover art.

This was actually my first audibook, that I have finished listening to, usually English audiobooks are a lot harder for me to understand, but this book was really easy to follow.

I really liked the story, it was adorable and lovely, the perfect thing to listen to before falling asleep. I adored that this story was inspired by the Balkan Folklore, and it also felt really special to me because the special ingredient was a kind of herb that I actually use at home, so I felt a little bit magical after finishing it with my tea.

I think everyone should listen to this story who even a very little bit loves folk tales, or who wants to hear a lovely story about a girl, who goes on an adventure, and discovers that things are not always what they seem to be.

True Loaf is a short story that has the vibe of a modern fairy tale.

The scene is set from the first two sentences; the reader is right away placed in the story's world. It was an interesting story about yarrow bread -- mostly involving hunting for the yarrow.

There's an ambiguous ending; I'm not sure I "got" the story. In general, I prefer endings that are more clear-cut than open-ended. I'd also rather see the girl save herself than see a man save her! But True Loaf was fairly engaging; I think I'd read more from this author.

The audiobook's narrator seemed appropriate for the story; the narrator spoke as if she were telling a modern fairytale.

True Loaf is a modern fairytale short story inspired by the Balkan Folklore.

I didn't like it per se. It was OK, but I want more! It's too short to be judged. And I'll definitely read a long version of it.

4/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishing team for providing this audiobook-arc!

It was a fun audiobook that wasn't boring to me. It kept me hooked actually! I was a bit confused but i'd love to hear more interpretations of the novel/tale

I thought this was cute but there wasn’t much to it. I wish that we could have spent more time with the characters and in this world because I think this really had promise. The ending kind of seemed abrupt as well.

A short and sweet story, over before I knew it. Definitely exemplified classic story telling. Beautiful cover art.