1 star for the art style. This was a super disappointing read that I was looking forward to for a long time. Hadley was a pretty annoying character and having the snake be on virtually every page wasn't great for my phobia (eek!). I also was really confused when Hadley said they wanted to learn more about talking to animals but then proceeded to only ask about gender systems used in the fey. Like...what? The story was just boring all in all. ( )

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

-- 3.5 stars --

Juniper and Hadley are coworkers and BFFs. While June dreams of opening her own bakery one day, Hadley is content handling the deliveries at Mira's while following their passion as a performer and bard after hours. When a mysterious and fabulously wealthy lady hires Mira to make a special dessert for her party on short notice, Hadley jumps at the chance to go on an adventure: the glowing mushrooms needed for the dish grow several towns away.

Despite (or perhaps because of) their good intentions, June and Hadley are sidetracked by rumors of a monster consuming the farmers' crops in the city of Gryfice. Enticed by the mystery, they get so much more than they bargained for when they meet Goji, Petunia, Emerald, Bumble, and Dumpling - and their fey friend, Thistle. Can they broker a truce between the so-called "monsters" and townspeople - and return to Mira's with the mushrooms in time?

This might be my first foray into the realm of cozy fantasy (and especially cozy fantasy graphic novels), so I'm not sure where THE BAKER AND BARD ranks, but it's a really sweet tale that a) feels like a warm hug and b) left me craving some fresh-baked kalamata olive bread. It's a very quick read (honestly, it went by a little too quickly for my liking), but I guess that just means you'll have time to read it twice if so desired. There's also some really lovely LGBTQ representation, as well as a friends-to-lovers romance. But the giant caterpillars really stole the show for me, as did the gentle but unmistakable message about living in harmony with the nonhuman animals who share your home. ( )