I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Juniper and Hadley live simple yet quiet lives in their small community of Larkspur. From working at the bakery to performing at a bar, everything seems okay on a day-to-day basis. When a client comes in to order a special dessert, it's up to Hadley and Juniper to retrieve the mysterious ingredients. Along the way, they meet Thistle and her family, whose lives are being upended. Can Juniper and Hadley save Thistle and still find those mushrooms for the dessert?
Breathtaking and whimsical, "The Baker and the Bard" is a tale of friendship and a little romance. Those two live gentle lives in the fantastical land of Larkspur. Pastels meet wondrous creatures in this enchanting tale of adventure and what home really means. Readers will enjoy this debut graphic novel and the beauty inside the numerous pages. A splendid read!

This was an adorable, lighthearted story about two friends (with crushes on each other) going on an adventure that becomes a little more involved than they initially expected. The relationship between the main characters was very sweet. I also loved the very casual, yet meaningful, conversation surrounding gender (and how presentation does not determine it).

I will say that there were times where the expressions didn't fully communicate the emotions of a scene, and I also wish that certain aspects of the characters were fleshed out a bit more. I would definitely read a follow up with these characters if one ever came.

Overall, this was a quick and delightful read. Thank you NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the e-arc!

Fem Haught's graphic novel "The Baker and the Bard" is the perfect blend of atmosphere, fantasy, and wholesome, queer representation. I look forward to any other works that this author might put out in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Hadley and Juniper are excited to have a break from work at the bakery (and Hadley's open mic performances) to go on a super exciting quest. A prestigious client wants some rare glowing mushrooms that can only be found deep in the forest. But along the way, Hadley and June discover some mysterious glowing footprints and a problem with some missing crops. They decide the mushrooms can wait while they get to the bottom of this local trouble. In the process, they learn about natural habitats and coexisting and discover that they might even be more than friends.

This was definitely a cozy fantasy. The stakes were low, and the conflicts never quite felt challenging. I wouldn't have minded just a bit more uncertainty and tension, but I can't deny that this is exactly what the cover described. The characters and design are sweet and creative, and I love the gentle reminder of what "nonbinary" means.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

A wonderful debut, high fantasy, queer story about a baker and a bard who save the day in more than one way. With a unique illustration style I was drawn in and enchanted by sweet characters who, though distractable, are able to make friends and search for the mysterious item they are tasked with finding. I enjoyed this quick read thoroughly, I look forward to more from this artist and to see how they grow.

This kind of reminded me of a more D&D like Tea Dragon Society. It was cute and fun and the characters were so likeable.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

This is Fern Haught's debut graphic novel. This follows Juniper and Hadley who are good friends in their town. Juniper is a baker and Hadley is an up and coming bard. One day the bakery gets a special order where the two have to journey outside of their home to forage for magical mushrooms. Along the way, they stumble across a mystery that Hadley wants to solve for their Bardic craft.

Right off the bat the artwork drew me in. It was soft and colorful and relaxing to look at. The story is cozy and sweet, everything you would want from a low fantasy graphic novel. It also has a great message about being true to who you are with Non binary rep. The relationship between the two characters is lovely and supportive. This is the type of story to read outside in the sunshine with a cup of tea or coffee. My only complaint is that I wanted more, to see these characters grow and develop.

If you love The Tea Dragon Society or The Sprite and the Gardener then this graphic novel is just right for you.

The Baker and the Bard is a cute little cozy story about a baker and her friend, a local mischievous bard, going on a journey to fulfill a bakery order and accidentally make some unusual new friends along the way. It’s a fun short read, really sweet with lovely characters and beautiful art.

This story was super cute. Fairies, bakeries, a little bit of love? This seems to be the time for cozy fantasy, and this graphic novel totally fits the bill.

The soft pink and green illustrations and characters learning to be happy with who they are that are also willing to accept love and help those who are unlike them in small but profound ways. The friendships and self-acceptance were depicted in such easy and wonderful ways that I almost didn’t want it to end. 

This graphic novel is so beautiful and happy and I plan to revisit it when I need a pick me up. It is definitely a book to pick up when you want someone soft and light and still full of magic and low stakes adventure. 

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher, MacMillan Children's, for the advanced copy in exchange for this fair and honest review.

3.5/5 ⭐️
This graphic novel is a cute soft queer story that follows a young baker and bard, Juniper and Hadley, as they go on a little adventure to collect a special ingredient for an order at the bakery where they both work. I think the novel fits very well in the cozy fantasy realm focusing primarily on friendships and communication for resolving conflict while adding in some magic flair to help out. I really enjoy that the story discusses the gender binary and existing outside of that binary as well as touches on environmentalism and respecting native animal habitats. I think the soft art style also fit very well with the tone of the graphic novel.
While I overall enjoyed the graphic novel there were a few parts I personally think could have been better. A few instances within the novel the verbiage used felt a bit stilted and inconsistent with the timing in the story. Also where the relationship aspect was sweet it also felt underdeveloped and just kind of thrown in. I'm not sure it was really needed and if so I think more focus should have been given to it. Lastly I think I would have liked to feel a bit more emotionally connected. While I loved the softness within, some areas also fell more flat for me and I would have liked to feel a bit more personally connected with the characters.

Overall I would still recommend checking out this novel especially if you are looking for a sweet soft queer story to enjoy.

While I don’t typically gravitate to graphic novels, I took a chance on this one and am so glad I did. It is cozy fantasy with queer main characters and a beautiful color palette. Important conversations about gender are done in a casual way and never feels heavy. The story line was cute, and while not super complex, I still breezed my way through it and had a lot of fun doing it. This has me considering picking up more graphic novels. Excited for this one to release so I can grab a physical copy.

Appreciation to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hello Again!

Today’s read is another graphic novel E-ARC (thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions). This particular graphic novel I am super excited to chat about. I love fantasy, D&D quests, and baking. So this book seemed like it was going to be right up my alley, and I was absolutely right!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Juniper and Hadley are friends and co-workers but today when they go into work they are going to be taking on a special task. A customer has come in and offered the shop a lot of money to complete a special order in a short amount of time. This would usually not be an issue, but they need a special ingredient that is kind of hard to obtain. But Juniper and Hadley are up for the task!

I was so excited to read this graphic novel. It sounded like such a cozy fantasy with a baking setting (which I love baking) and this graphic novel delivered all of the above and more. I really enjoyed my time with Juniper and Hadley, getting to set out on this adventure with them and see them both learn more about what is around them and what they are both able to do (mostly without knowing they could do it). I am really hoping there are more graphic novel adventures to come with this group. This graphic novel comes out on March 5th, 2024. If you like baking, fantasy, and fun adventures this is a graphic novel for you.

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

***Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Baker and the Bard is a cozy fantasy written by Fern Haught. This is their debut graphic novel and it has one of my favorite dedications ever. It just made you feel like you were seen and I loved it. It does give off very Legend and Lattes but for kids vibes. It is a cute story and I loved the art. The only thing I would change is the lettering. The chosen font doesn't quite fit the cozy fantasy vibe. It did take me out of the moment from time to time especially when the page has a lot of dialogue. But I don't think kids will notice. It is a great book and I am excited to see what they do next.

4 stars

It was cute, but mostly fluff. Not much actually happened and it was kind of boring. The colors and designs were nice, but the art was not anything impressive.

There’s a lot to love about this graphic novel. The queer main characters, the imaginative fantasy setting, the delightful color scheme, and the lesson in nature conservation all help create a fun and important tale. However, there were also a few aspects I thought could be improved. The plot, while enjoyable, was also very simplistic and moved along very abruptly. I also thought that the illustration style, while whimsical, didn’t give the characters and settings as much details as they could have had. I think more detail would have given this fantasy world more life.

This book was a wonderfully whimsical adventure. I loved seeing these two explore and have fun. As they explored they met many magical creatures. This is a must read for any graphic novel loving person.

"The Baker and the Bard" was a delightful experience. I breezed through it in less than 30 minutes, and it was time well spent.

This graphic novel is an excellent choice for anyone looking to dip their toes into the world of graphic novels. It's short and sweet, making it a perfect introduction to this genre. The illustrations in this book are simply adorable. The characters and the world they inhabit are brought to life with charming and whimsical artwork. It's a visual treat from start to finish.

What I loved most about "The Baker and the Bard" was its heartwarming storyline. It beautifully delves into themes of friendships, relationships, and challenging gender norms, all while being set in the fascinating Dungeons and Dragons universe. The way the characters grow and connect with each other is both touching and relatable.

While the story isn't super complex, it doesn't need to be. In fact, its simplicity is what makes it perfect for middle-grade readers and those new to graphic novels. It's a story that's easy to follow yet manages to convey important messages.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this graphic novel.

The Baker and the Bard is a super cute graphic novel set in a fantasy world. It follows the story of two friends (the titular Baker and Bard) as they embark on a trip to find some mushrooms and get sidetracked by a small mystery. This was very low-stakes and cozy. It is also LGBTQ+ and has a really nice discussion of gender fluidity and what it means to be nonbinary. In this day and age, with everything going on in US politics, I think it is extremely important for books geared towards a younger audience to have this positive representation. Overall, this gave me a similar feeling to what I had watching an episode of Adventure Time. The art was adorable, the story was low-stakes and cute, it was just very wholesome. I do wish that there was a little more to the story as it felt a little anticlimactic in the end. However, I understand that I am older than the target audience for this graphic novel and that probably impacted my overall feelings. I think younger readers will thoroughly enjoy this.

What a wonderful debut! I look forward to reading more from this author. The Baker and the Bare is a sweet journey where our two main characters must go on an adventure to find some glowing mushrooms for a big order that needs to be prepared at the bakery they work at. Along thus journey they meet fun, interesting creatures and grow closer together along the way. Wonderful non-binary representation and truly a cozy feel that the title promised.

This graphic novel is absolutely adorable! We open on best friends Juniper and Hadley. Juniper works at a bakery and Hadley is on excellent cheerleader. When a mysterious customer comes with a special request, they go on a mission to find the glowing mushrooms they need as an ingredient. Their adventures along the way are so cute and fun, and l just had a great time reading!