What a cute little story. Like most fairy tales, this was nice and short. Baking magical bread sounds pretty fantastic and I've love to see this work expanded. But very cute nonetheless.

True Loaf by L. Austen Johnson
Narrated by Penny Scott - Andrews

This story follows Riley, a bakery worker, on a mini- adventure to fulfil the strange quest to find an ingredient demanded by a mysterious man. But along the way she discovers that magic may really exist and things are not as they seem.

This was a very short, quick story based on Balkan folklore. I would definitely recommend it to all children as it is definitely an easy, yet intriguing and magical story to listen to. I loved Riley’s positivity and the plot twists in the story, would definitely make children of all ages shocked. The narrator was very clear and made the story equally as enchanting.

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️

Omg! I freaking love this audiobook. I listened to this while I am doing the laundry. The narrator is so incredible and the book was so great!

I have never read this type of story. I it a new story to me. I really like how it is not a retelling of the same old grim tales we have heard so many times before. I do like this style. I'm defiantly looking to read more of this type of book as well as this author.

#TrueLoaf #NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this little story! Although I do with it was a little bit longer, I would be very interested in picking up any possible collections including this story!

The narrator's voice was perfect, especially considering the country from where this story comes. I also really enjoyed the extra discussion from the author analyzing the story. It really added some context and extra layers to the story.

Overall, this was a nice read and I look forward to seeing more from this author!

True Loaf was a cute little read, but for me, it fell short as I've felt that there was no real feeling behind the story.
After hearing the analysis at the end, I've felt that the author spent too much time making sure to cross as much stuff from her "folklore checklist", without putting a little bit of personality into her characters.
I'm a woman from the Balkans and like stories set in or inspired by our culture, but there was almost nothing indicating the place where the story is set, which felt like a missed opportunity.
I would love it if the author decides to make the short story into a full novel as there is a lot of potential.

A lovely somewhat modernised balkan fairy tale. I grew up with similar stories so it took me back ...
The usual elements are all there: a heroine, a villain, a challenging task etc. The ending was a bit unclear for me, or maybe just too short.
I listened on audio i imagine it will make a lovely picture book.

True Loaf is imaginative and whimsical. Despite its shortness, I was constantly curious about the world and wanted to learn more about what was happening. However, that might be the problem. I'm still trying to figure out what was happening. The ending just fell flat to me. I would have wished that the short story would have been just a little bit longer so that it wouldn't have wrapped up hastily. Still, True Loaf is perfect for children.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this short story in exchange for an honest review.

I genuinely enjoyed this short story! The story felt like a Grimm fairytale retelling with a modern twist. It is based off of Balkan folklore, and is a little darker of a short story. It gave me all of the little, quirky magic and dark atmosphere, but in a modern world full of cars and cellphones. It would seem that the balance wouldn't work, but somehow the combination didn't clash at all. If Austen Johnson wanted to expand this short story into a full-length one, I will definitely be purchasing it. I also appreciate that the audiobook includes a short explanation of the imagery and structure of the short story. It really aids in fully understanding the choices the author made and the thought process behind everything in the text.

Like most reviewers, I would love True Loaf in a full book. But, I enjoyed this appetizer of L. Austen Johnson’s writing and will definitely keep an eye on her and read what she writes next.

I have not heard of the Balkan Folklore story that True Loaf is inspired by so it was totally new to me which was fun as an avid fairytale retelling reader.

The writing and tone will make it an instant classic. I think it’s a good thing that it leaves me wanting more. Would love a standalone or another short story to give more worldbuilding into the twins’ world.

I’ll definitely be thinking about it and it will stick with me as I’m trying to figure if there is a life lesson I should glean from it and I missed. Or if it was meant to be more fanciful and creative instead of having a true “moral to the story”.

This was such a cute short story, it is whimsical and imaginative, I would have loved more from this story and I can't wait to read more from this author.

This was a cute folktale/short story/fairy tale. I enjoyed the twist involving the nemesis. The narrator had a creepy voice of eras long gone which added to the ambiance of the story. I'd read another story by the author.

This was a quick listen! I really wish it had been longer but understand that it's based off of folklore. I just wanted there to be way more on that ending.

I enjoyed listening to this short story based on Balkan folklore. This is what drew me in, I recently started working on the Balkans, so it felt like a good time to read this. The audiobook is very well made and quick. I have to admit, I found the bonus content more fascinating than the story itself.
It's a super quick read, and if you like folklore and fairy tales, you'll surely enjoy this too.

This was a sweet (pun intended) short story following the general tropes of Balkan folklore. However, I found the supplemental material eplaining the tropes and the structure more fascinating than the story itself, which is kind of a shame. I think it'd make for a fun relisten with this additional knowledge though, once you can actually dig through the layers and discover the tropes within the text.

This was a very quick listen for a morning commute. I am glad I listened in the morning while going through the woods or I would have been a little scared !
I’d say it was almost too short as I felt the characters deserved more depth.
Definitely a tale to tell !

This was a fun, short story!
I listened to the audiobook and it came with unexpected bonus content and I feel like that really added to my enjoyment of the story. The author talked through typical folklore plot points etcetera and drawing the parallels between what she explained and the story was really interesting!

What a quirky short story that radiates fairytale magic. The narrator of the audiobook did a wonderful job. The writing was incredinly atmospheric- I could practically smell the bread.

The cover is also gorgeous!

This short story was cute and sweet, and gave me a cozy vibe, as most folktales do to me. Riley is tasked with finding this one ingredient needed for her bread and what she stumbles upon is enough to physically go, “wow.”

I truly enjoyed myself and need to find more short stories to read.

Thank you to @netgalley for having this audiobook as an option to ‘Listen Now.’ I would gladly recommend this to anyone who needs to go on an adventure into another world for a short amount of time.

What a delightful short story - and such an engaging narrator.

I have never really been into short stories, preferring longer novels, but this was wonderful and such an easy listen! I definitely recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, author and narrator for an ARC of True Loaf.