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Turtle Bread: A Graphic Novel About Baking, Fitting In, and the Power of Friendship by Kim-Joy
hallesofia's review
4.0
First of all, I think it’s pretty important to make sure that we all know that this is indeed intended for an adult audience. There’s nothing hugely inappropriate or anything, but it’s definitely more mature than your average kid’s graphic novel. I would say it’s appropriate for ages 13 and up.
Now on to the book itself! It’s a very quick read – 156 pages – it took me about 2 hours to get through (give or take a few customers… no I don’t read while I work). The artwork is great – a very familiar style in black & white. Our heroine, Yan, is 23 years young, living at home with her mom and her brother. At the start of the book she’s looking for a job, and we pretty quickly realize that she suffers from some pretty severe anxiety and depression.
Speaking of her mental health, there is a scene about 10 or so pages in where she’s filling out some papers to reflect on her day and counteract her negative thoughts, but she ends up exploding anyway. As someone who struggles with both depression & anxiety, I absolutely loved how this scene was both written & illustrated. I thought it was a 100% accurate representation of how even when you’re using all the tools the therapists and whoever give you, it’s still really damn hard to get from day to day.
Fast forward to what we’re all waiting for – THE BAKING CLUB! (We’ve already encountered it by the time she has her mental breakdown, but does time really even matter?) What a perfect cast of characters. Bea, the leader of the group, is the sweet grandma we all want a big hug from. Zara is the shy girl who you realize you will be BFFs with once you coax her out of her shell. Geraint is the ever-talented GBF that we all need in our lives. And Amit is the rugged jokester guy who kind of makes you nervous at first, but as time goes on, he shows you his whole self.
Seeing the way the four of them all manage to mesh together, and Yan’s moments with each of them, was so nice. Also, there are recipes! I mean seriously – the recipes are on the pages of the book. If I were a less lazy reader, I might just attempt to recreate the storied turtle bread.
All in all, I think this is a great read for anyone looking for something quick and wholesome, but still with some depth to it. The only reason I didn’t give it a 5 was because I honestly feel like it could be made into something much more. Whether that be a version that’s longer, or a series of short adventures, I just felt like it wasn’t enough somehow. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this is definitely a great graphic novel.
Now on to the book itself! It’s a very quick read – 156 pages – it took me about 2 hours to get through (give or take a few customers… no I don’t read while I work). The artwork is great – a very familiar style in black & white. Our heroine, Yan, is 23 years young, living at home with her mom and her brother. At the start of the book she’s looking for a job, and we pretty quickly realize that she suffers from some pretty severe anxiety and depression.
Speaking of her mental health, there is a scene about 10 or so pages in where she’s filling out some papers to reflect on her day and counteract her negative thoughts, but she ends up exploding anyway. As someone who struggles with both depression & anxiety, I absolutely loved how this scene was both written & illustrated. I thought it was a 100% accurate representation of how even when you’re using all the tools the therapists and whoever give you, it’s still really damn hard to get from day to day.
Fast forward to what we’re all waiting for – THE BAKING CLUB! (We’ve already encountered it by the time she has her mental breakdown, but does time really even matter?) What a perfect cast of characters. Bea, the leader of the group, is the sweet grandma we all want a big hug from. Zara is the shy girl who you realize you will be BFFs with once you coax her out of her shell. Geraint is the ever-talented GBF that we all need in our lives. And Amit is the rugged jokester guy who kind of makes you nervous at first, but as time goes on, he shows you his whole self.
Seeing the way the four of them all manage to mesh together, and Yan’s moments with each of them, was so nice. Also, there are recipes! I mean seriously – the recipes are on the pages of the book. If I were a less lazy reader, I might just attempt to recreate the storied turtle bread.
All in all, I think this is a great read for anyone looking for something quick and wholesome, but still with some depth to it. The only reason I didn’t give it a 5 was because I honestly feel like it could be made into something much more. Whether that be a version that’s longer, or a series of short adventures, I just felt like it wasn’t enough somehow. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this is definitely a great graphic novel.
rally_reviews's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
read it read it read it
Both cute and touching. Great message.
Both cute and touching. Great message.
herwitchiness's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Xenophobia, Mental illness, Bullying, and Toxic friendship
melitaylor's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
natanna's review
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bradle22's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Beautiful story about community and friendship. A bit heavy but heartwarming. Love the cute baked goods and recipes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Mental illness
erinreadsbooks's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A thoughtful, realistic, endearing story. I could tell that a lot of the thoughts of Yan, the main character, were autobiographical, and it felt a bit like peeking into a diary at times. I was touched by the conclusion and I liked the small but varied cast of characters, but I felt like maybe the pacing was a bit too quick at times for the plot. I would’ve liked the story to have time to breathe a bit between major events.
Read if you like found family and stories of trauma and overcoming obstacles.
Read if you like found family and stories of trauma and overcoming obstacles.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer