<i>arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

This was adorable! The art style was super cute and colorful, the characters were all interesting and unique and the whole cooking show in space with aliens was genius.

I really had a fun time with this one! But that cliffhanger ending!!!! I desperately need the next volume to see what happens to everyone.

If you’re into cooking, aliens and space with an adorable and kind main character amid a plethora of aliens whom she develops friendships with while also competing for the spot as the best cook in the galaxy, I highly recommend this one!

4/5 🌟

Space Battle Lunchtime is a quick and cute read. It takes the space opera genre to another level!

The graphic novel tells the story of a girl working in a bakery, who gets recruited to fill a space on a space cooking show. Peony - because that's her name - finds herself in a pretty peculiar situation, as she faces a new environment full of aliens and ingredients she never ever heard of. She must prove herself to be a worthy baker to win the competition.

The concept of a cooking show in space is not only super interesting but also actually really entertaining. Peony made for a great main character. I loved the art style, all of the different aliens were very unique and the colour scheme was just fantastic.

I will be on the lookout for the following volumes of Space Battle Lunchtime. I really enjoyed reading this graphic novel and I'm very curious about what will happen next.

What a beautiful suprise! The drawings are absolutely stunning! I love how colourful it is !! It made me really hungry! and the story-line is amazing! I really can't wait to read volume 2! A great battle and furthermore in space? I'm all for it!

I love books and comics centered on cooking and food so I was excited to pick this up. I'd never read anything by the author but the artwork as well as the script were really interesting. I loved the concept of different cuisines and ingredients from different planets, the species and obviously the cooking competition scenario. I do wish it were a bit longer – I get why it ended how it did and that'll continue in the next volumes but I think there could have been more details about the show or Peony studying alien ingredients for the next rounds....
Looking forward to the next chapters. :)

ARC was provided by NetGalley and Oni Press in exchange for an honest review.


Content/Trigger Warnings: Scene of abduction, mentions of cannibalism, allusions to death


I’m not going to lie, when I saw that Carey Pietsch had a blurb for this graphic novel, I knew I had to read it. I’m so glad that I did! The synopsis alone will have you curious what lurks within the pages of this graphic novel. This was such a cute and creative read that combines space and cooking competitions in one. I have no doubt that many readers will enjoy this story and I’ll be over here, waiting for Space Battle Lunchtime Vol. 2 to float my way!

Our story follows Peony, who works in a small cafe, until one day a unique stranger strolls in asking if she’s ever dreamed of being a cooking competition. Suddenly, Peony is whisked away to the set of Space Battle Lunchtime, a competitive cooking competition, where each round in judged and whoever has the lowest score is dismissed. Peony not only gets to experience space, but encounters various alien species as she cooks against the galaxy’s top chefs. But among all of the hustle and bustle of the competition, something strange seems to be happening and Peony is going to find out first hand.

I really liked Peony as our main character. I think she’s very cute, sweet, and creative. I feel like she’s the type of character who makes friends really easily, connects with people through the food she makes, and has a positive energy about her. I also liked that Peony’s skills were put to the test. Even though she’s thrown into a situation where she doesn’t know how everything works, she’s able to think quick of her feet and we see her creative skills put to the test. And I just loved how that didn’t dissuade her from giving it her best effort.

I also have to put in here that I absolutely love Peony and Neptunia together. Neptunia is one of the contestant chefs on the show. Neptunia is very much a lone wolf, has that vibe of being very mysterious, but there are a few moments that kind of give it away that Neptunia is a cinnamon roll. I think they balance each other out really well and I think the slow burn of their connection is fantastic. And we already have a ship name, Petunia! I really hope the next volume will have more of them and maybe we’ll see a little development with them. Seeing them work together in the competition and the subtle way Peony asked Neptunia out to dinner filled my soul with so much warmth. I truly love them so, so much!

The art style is absolutely beautiful. The coloring is vibrant and there are particular moments where those vibrant colors really highlight and emphasize that moment. It reminds me of a few graphic novel series I read and I find that I really enjoy when there’s vibrant colors, but not to the point where it feels too busy. There was a good balance and I think many readers will enjoy the coloring as well.

Despite the things I loved in this graphic novel, I had a few issues. For starters, this graphic novel felt too short and the storyline felt like it rushed everything. I think this graphic novel would have benefited if it went into the 200 page mark. I say this a lot especially with graphic novels, graphic novels benefit really well from extra details. For example, Peony has never seen aliens before or knew they existed, Peony never has never heard of the show and it gets brushed off with a short response, and there’s also gaps of information where it concerns the chef Peony replaced. It that extra page or two with those type of details that can make a difference with the reading experience.

My other struggle with this graphic novel was the villain was made too obvious. I counted close to ten times it was made painfully obvious who the villain was and the connections to the shady things happening in the book. When I read a book that involves shady dealings, sabotage, and characters vanishing, I don’t like the answer to be shove into face right from the beginning. I think the storyline would have done better, not only with extra details, but if we saw more allusions and mystery around who was doing everything. This is incredibly important because there are four to five times stated throughout this book that everyone knows who is responsible for these things happening yet no repercussions happen.

Overall, I truly had a fun time reading this. I think it really would have benefited from extra details, extending the length of the book, and making certain things less obvious. I’m curious to see how volume two will play out. The ending of this graphic novel does end on a cliffhanger and I’m eager to know what Peony will do. I definitely recommend this for those who are just looking for a fun, quick read. This is a graphic novel that’s very much designed to be more entertainment and to be consumed in a short amount of time. So keep that in mind when picking this graphic novel up.

Peony is beamed away from the cafe she works in on Earth, to compete in an intergalactic cooking show.
The illustrations were really cute and the story kept me hooked. I can't believe it ended on a cliffhanger! Where can I get the next one???

I thought this was such a cute graphic novel for young children. I love the concept of having a competitive cooking show in space. I am a huge fan of all the competition shows on Food Network and this had all the vibes. I love the characters and art style of the graphic novel. I now need to read the next volume to see what happens next.

This is delightful, and I appreciated how quickly (almost immediately) the comic plunged the reader into its zany world and premise. It's very fun, and the cliffhanger makes me want to pick up the 2nd and forthcoming 3rd volumes.

Simplistic and slightly twee, this rough and ready comic book will appeal to some people, for sure.  When a humble server in a humble coffee shop gets talent-spotted by an alien looking like a frog on two legs, she fails to twig in time that the invite for being on a pan-galactic Strictly Come Baking (or whatever) will result in more problems than she might expect.  But she agrees to it, is immediately teleported to the Great Cake Whisk in the Sky, and told to film with an inordinate amount of alien foodstuffs.  Surely getting somewhere will be a fluke, especially when the contest is being rigged by someone, or something?  I'm not really surprised this only made eight issues (or at least two trade volumes, with four being in this first book), and I'm a little surprised we haven't got an all-in-one.  But I was a little surprised at how I found myself wanting to see the conclusion, having dismissed this as an obviously smart idea and elevator pitch with not much to add to that.  It was quite good fun – and that was before the Douglas Adams riff.  Definitely an all-ages froth, and not something to challenge your reading brain much, and definitely for people who can let slightly dodgy art slide, this is actually worth a commendation.

An absolutely adorable sci-fi comic for kids of all ages--including the grown up kind. A human baker is transported to the set of Space Battle Lunchetime when one of the contestants unexpectedly goes missing. With no knowledge of space food, and unable to tell her Earth sugar from her Mars sugar, Peony is forced to use her best baking instincts to win over the judges. Unfortunately, not all of the competitors are playing fair. 

I'd been hearing good things about this comic for a while, and I'm so glad I finally got the chance to read it. The perfect fun read. I loved the creativity of all the intergalactic foods being depicted and the vast array of alien characters. Can't wait to read the next volume!

Imagine The Great British Bake Off in space! This graphic novel has fantastic illustrations and a fun story-line that includes some great characters and ideas. 

I really enjoyed reading it and the cliff-hanger made me desperate to read the next instalment. 

A great fun adventure. I recommend this to younger readers and fans of graphic novels.

This book has been on my radar for a  while so I was so excited when it popped up on Netgalley! I loved everything about this. 
It was super adorable, the actual plot and idea behind this graphic novel was so cute and the illustrations were incredibly wonderful. 
I definitely would pick this one up if you get the chance! (that ending though...)

What could be more appetizing than a cute and funny book with culinary out in space?
Seems like Peony has what it takes to become the greatest chef in the galaxy. Those are some big words.But if she's capable of winning Space Battle Lunchtime, a culinary reality show, she might be the greatest chef in the galaxy.

This is my first time reading something related to culinary shows and furthermore it's set in space so everything is even more alien not only for me but for Peony, too.
The chapters are quick paced and interesting, and the recipes are all so cool. It's funny watching Peony struggle with alien ingredients and kitchen appliances so it's always a new surprise around the corner.

I can't wait to keep reading the next volumes

This was such a well done graphic novel! I especially enjoyed the illustrations and set up of images per page. The storyline was so clever and I loved the idea of an intergalactic version of Top Chef. Readers can very easily take away such powerful messages about LGBTQ+ love stories, which are so necessary. I'm definitely looking forward to recommending this to my students and looking into the other books as well!

THIS. BOOK. IS. ADORABLE!!!

I mean a cooking competition in SPACE? Hello, yes sign me up!
I mean from the cover alone, i already knew this book was going to be a bundle of cuteness, (which my heart would not be prepared for), but was I ready for it?? NO

Peony is a star (not literal, but metaphorically), and she bakes the cutest creations in her little bakery on Earth, That is until an alien frog orders coffee from the shop and decides to invite her to a space cook-off! Boy do things kick off!

There's betrayal, a mysterious cannibal cooking show, and contestants that could frankly be a bit nicer to our Peony but lets not start that argument. (i'm glad they were eliminated though just saying)

I won't go on for much because i don't want to spoil the whole novel, but please read it! If you enjoy cute and fluffy graphic novels, with amazing artwork, also some really cute love interests and BAKING, then please pick this up. It's wonderful.


Rating: 5/5 galactic stars
-- Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review, All opinions are my own.

Suuuper cute and enjoyable, although it ended on quite a cliffhanger! Recommend to anyone who enjoys cooking competition shows.

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
This was a really fun graphic novel! The art is super cute, the characters are very different and also cute, and the story was lovely! I loved the friendships that are developing here, and how nice and easygoing Peony is!  I really can't wait to continue this story, and I have already ordered copies of volume 1, 2 and 3 for myself to find out where this story goes!

Cheerful and Upbeat

This is bright, lively and amusing. Our spunky heroine is invited/kidnapped to appear on a space-based galaxy wide cooking show. In over her head, she rises to the challenge, makes friends, deals with tricky fellow contestants, and shows the Universe the wonders of pie. The pace is fast, the heroine is appealing, and the plot is straightforward. (This volume collects the first few issues, but is just the first part of the story arc.)

The drawing is crisp and bright and colorful. There are lots of little jokes and bits of business scattered in the panels and the big page splashes, so there's lots to look at. It's also breezy fun and an engaging, clever diversion. A nice change of pace.