A review by mariebrunelm
Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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
This book had been tempting me for a very long time. As soon as I heard baker + ace rep, I was sold. But of course a book isn't a series of boxes to tick, and this one is so very charming. It's part mystery, part detective story, part romance (but very light), with witches and thieves, all in a fast-paced narrative wrapped in a very cozy atmosphere. It sounds a lot but it's actually not hard to follow. Despite numerous secondary characters, I was never lost and enjoyed myself immensely.
In Baker Thief, we meet Adèle, who has just been recruited as a police officer after being shooed from her last position because she was too nosy and too bent on unearthing corruption scandals. On the night before her first day, her appartment is broken into by a purple-haired thief with unnatural speed and way too much sass. Our other main character is Claude, the owner of the bakery where Adèle likes to pop by every morning for a cup of coffee and a croissant fresh from the oven. Little does she know the relation between her new favourite baker and the thief...
The author is very vocal about LGBTQIA+ identities in this book. Contrary to those stories in which us queer readers are left looking for scraps, here everyone is clearly labelled. At first I wasn't especially sure about this idea of putting everyone in a box, but after thinking about it, it's nice of the author to make a definite space for everyone in this book. It makes it especially comforting for queer readers, but also quite educational for cis-het readers.
Last but not least, the author includes a full list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, with all the chapters concerned by each trigger.
Rep: demisexual MC with a condition close to asthma, brown aromantic fat genderfluid MC. Most secondary characters are queer as well, including two using neo-pronouns (ne/nem and ol/ols). 
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