This is more of a micro story and perfect as a bedtime read and also feels longer than a fifteen minute tale.
The audio book narration by Penny Scott-Andrews was absolutely phenomenal and really gave off some eerie vibes that kept me invested in the story.

This is essentially a mini fairytale based on Balkan folklore where Riley is requested to bake some bread with a key ingredient she must find in the forest.

Certainly a short story ill be thinking about for a while.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lore and Lyre for the advanced Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars under the assumption that this is a preview of more to come. If this is meant to stand alone my rating would be lower for unanswered questions.

True Loaf by L. Austen Jones is a cute modernized folktale.It's a bit hard to excuse Riley's naivety given that she's old enough to be tending a bakeshop on her own but it's hard to translate lore-based behaviours into a modern setting.

I'm not familiar with its origins so I'm not sure what the Yaro is meant to symbolize and what Aiden and Riley's bond is meant to represent.

I'm hoping this is a sampler of a book to come- it felt like a prologue to a larger novel given that it was extremely short and I feel like I missed the lesson that was supposed to come from this.

I really loved the narrator though, I'd be disappointed if this doesn't get fleshed out into a full story.

Thank you NetGalley and Lore and Lyre for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was SO short, but still very much entertaining. The audiobook was pretty good, but I did struggle to get used to the narration style -- and since this is a novella, I only had so much time to get used to the narrator's voice and accent. With that being said, I feel like this is such a special little story. I came across the Kindle version while shopping for ebooks the other day, and I'm so glad to have found the audiobook on NetGalley. Cool stuff.

This story was captivating and even a bit weird, which is what made it all the more interesting. My only gripe with it is that I wish it would have been longer. I understand that the author wanted to keep it short and sweet—and I’m by no mean saying it doesn’t work, because it really does—but I think the story could have flourished even more if it had been a tad longer. The narration was great and it’s what truly made it feel like being told a tale before bed, like when I was a child.

This feels like the sort of story to listen to while drifting off to sleep. The narrator has a soothing almost childlike tone to her voice and it is quite pleasant to listen to. The story itself isn't that satisfying - it's very short and I was a bit confused about what it was all about. I would have liked a bit more explanation about who the men were and what the importance was of the loaves. As an audiobook, it was lacking, but as an adult bedtime story I might not expect to hear out to the end, it did the job.

4 stars

I love the way AJ writes. It's lyrical and so beautiful that wraps you in the story and you can't put down her books and this was no exception.
The only reason that this gets 4 stars and not 5 is because I wanted more!
I loved everything about this, the magical setting, the folklore inspiration... it was absolutely beautiful.
Fully recommend this book and the audiobook!

Thank you to Netgalley and Austen Johnson for the chance to listen this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This short fairytale has been adapted for modern retelling. It’s short and beautifully narrated, and the cover artwork is gorgeous as well! As is true with many fairytales. It ends abruptly without satisfying resolution.

A wonderfully short story packed with so much tension, folk lore and adventure. This is definitely a fun, enchanting and modern fairy tale which is definitely best read (or listened to!) in one sitting.

I listened to the audiobook, which took around 15 minutes and left me wanting to hear more about the world the book was set in. I’d recommend it for a teenager’s or YA’s bedtime tale, for sure.

3 ⭐️ from me and I’ll definitely be looking into more reads from the author.

When I requested this book I didn't have any idea how long it lasted. But when I started to listen to it and saw that it was only 16 minutes long, I wondered how the author was going to develop a story in such a short time. I was so surprised by the story, how it was developed and the characters that were introduced. Also the narrator, Penny Scott-Andrews, did an amazing job narrating the story the way she did. I would like to mention that the cover is beautiful and got me into requesting this audiobook. It was a pleasure to listen to this modern fairytale, thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this book. It is a lovely short story that will appeal to anyone who enjoys folktales from different places around the world. This story is from the Balkans and is a story I had never heard before. It centres around a girl in a bakery and two brother who both persuade her to promise to make them a loaf with a special plant. She finds the plant but there is only enough for one loaf. So only one of the loaves is the true loaf and she has to choose which brother gets the loaf.
I enjoyed this short story and feel it could be developed into an interesting longer story. However it was perfect as a short fairy/folktale that could be shared with children to consider how folktales differ from country to country.

When I requested this I saw it was only 16 minutes long, so I had been wondering how full a story it would present. I was pleasantly surprised how much was presented and how entertaining it was. A little bit fable, a little bit magic, it was a fun story to listen to and it moved very quickly. The narrator had an even tone and did a great job of distinguishing all the different characters. Overall I enjoyed this fun story and would recommend it to others.

First of all – I loved that cover! It gave me such warm autumn vibes, I just had to hear this story.

But, though undeniably whimsical and imaginative, I thought this story needed some more work on the point of everything, the moral of the story. If there even was something I should learn from it, I didn't get it.

I had problems getting to the bottom of the symbolism, even had to ask myself once or twice was what we saw really all we were getting. I sure needed more explanation, probably longer than the story itself was.

Who were these people? What was the deal with the mysterious ingredient (which, BTW, is not all that mysterious and special at all and is easily available all over Balkan)? And what's the deal with that ending?

I don't even know how to rate this story. It was short and sweet, great vibes, but - what did I just read?

Thank you to the #NetGalley and to the author and publisher for providing me with an audiobook version of True Loaf by L. Austen Johnson in exchange for an honest review.

This was a magical short story, filled with whimsical intrigue inspired by Balkan folklore. I felt this to be too short though, a bit more explanation about the magical elements would have been appreciated. Overall this is quick fantastical read.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking for a short story to listen to in an attempt to relax after a long exam session, when my attention was caught by "True loaf". Why?

1) The cover. I know, I know, "the cover is not the book", am I right? But it definitely makes the difference when you're simply browsing whatever site looking for something to read (but without any idea of what you're actually looking for). The drawing style is adorable, and contributed positively to the curiosity I felt towards the audiobook.

2) The title. I don't know if the word play True loaf / True love was intended or not (I suppose it might be, considering the style of the story), but in any case I appreciated it immensely. It already sets the atmosphere for the rest of the story, which I'll describe in a second.

Before going into detail about the story itself, I feel like some opinions on the narrator are needed. The narrator voice was definitely suitable for the story, as it reminded me of a mum/grandma telling a tale; moreover, she did her best to express the personality of the different characters by changing the way she spoke.
If there is some little flow that I can point out, it's that in some parts I felt like the narration was a bit too fast and the speed didn't really match what was happening in the story. It's not a major issue, though, and it won't ruin your reading experience.

And finally, the story.
When I first read the plot, I imagined that the story would consist of a tale with the features of traditional tales, but written by a contemporary author. What I did not expect (and don't get me wrong: I'm not saying this as a criticism, but rather a compliment) was that yes, in terms of structure it reminds us of traditional fairy tales, but at the same time it includes several modern details. For example Riley, the main character, owns both a phone and a car. Despite surprising me for a second, these details actually made the story more interesting.

However, what I enjoyed the most about this short story are Riley's witty remarks. Fairytales are usually narrated with a third person narrator and this means that they are quite impersonal, but in "True Loaf" the point of view adopted is Riley's, and her irony makes the story much more relatable for a modern reader and especially an older reader.

It's almost a pity that "True loaf" lasted for so little time, because the ending definitely gives the possibility to expand the narration much more. Despite this, I can openly say that I enjoyed this story a lot and that it's a great choice to spend some time in relax and have a nice laugh thanks to Riley honest, relatable and funny reactions.

"Hey, you lost?"
"I prefer to think that I'm just not found."

This does not even qualify as a novel; it is a short story.

But I loved it so much that I finished it and then immediately played it again ( and then 4 more times just for good measure); then I bought it for my kindle. If I could find a physical copy, I'd swipe it up in a heartbeat. I loved this book so entirely; I am tempted to listen to it again.

Listening to this book is the closest I feel like I've been to child-like wonder in a long time.

This is not a retelling of how one would normally think of retellings, It's of the same thread of the standard fairytale, but L. Austen Johnson has woven it into something new and interesting. Hence, in addition, its length making it easy for anyone to pick up.

loved this short story! already looking into what else L. Austen Johnson has published! also definitely ended up on a foraging website about the different types of yarrow

Note: This review will go live July 17., 2021

True Loaf is a sweet, short adventure which author L. Austen Johnson based on Balkan folklore. It seems aimed primarily at readers who are middle grade and under. I enjoyed listening to the audio as narrated by Penny Scott-Andrews, especially as I was baking bread at the time. It did, however, leave me wanting more of a story and with one niggle of a baking question.

Riley works at a bakery where the owner sometimes caters to odd requests by clients. Asked to bake a loaf of bread with yarrow in it, she consents. Advised by a witch that the best yarrow is picked after twilight, she heads into the woods where darkness falls. There, she is drawn into another bargain.

Johnson has her fairy tale logic down: If you make a bargain, you must keep it. If someone offers you strange advice, you should take it. Riley, to her credit, remembers both rules herself. This makes for a satisfactory heroine but a very short (sixteen minute) story.

The atmosphere is good and Johnson is able to bring modern life in the form of cell phones into the tale without killing the fairy tale feel or the atmosphere: Riley doesn't have cell coverage in the woods. Magic or no cell tower? It doesn't matter. The problem is, the story stops just as Riley is on the edge of discovering magic and mystery. She's dipped her toes in, the end indicates she is learning more. There may or may not be romance on the way--there is if you believe the title pun, at any rate. Then the story ends. Can a short story do this? Yes. Is it frustrating? Also yes.

Penny Scott-Andrews has a pleasant voice with a light British accent. She also knows how to sound breathless and excited without lowering her voice too much. I value good sound balance like this because I am generally busy while listening to tales and cannot, for example, raise the volume to listen to a whisper while my hands are covered with bread dough. Nor do I like reaching for the volume when going to sleep. This tale would, I must say, make a good tale to fall asleep to. It's gentle enough in content for this, and Scott-Andrews' voice is soothing.

All in all, I enjoyed my listen, but it isn't going to become a permanent part of my listen and re-listen library.

The bread niggle: Part of the story hinges on the amount of yarrow Riley decides to pick. No one ever gives her a recipe saying she must use X amount of yarrow, and it can't be that good as a flavoring. So why does she pick more than the minimum? Ah well.

Read this if you like folklore based stories and soothing voices and you don't mind odd recipes and teasing endings.

The Kindle version of this tale is already out. The audio version will be available on July 27, 2021.

Find more:
"True Loaf" Amazon page
Lauren Johnson website

This short audio book is like a teaser for a modern fantasy series - it whets your appetite for the movie. It's a pity there is no sequel (yet?). Fabulous narration by Penny Scott-Andrews.

I am grateful for NetGalley, IBPA, Lore and Lyre, and the author for this ARC.

This was an interesting short story inspired by a Balkan folktale. The story was very short and though it was interesting, there seem to be some gaps in the story line. I would have appreciated more depth and backstory to understand this better.

This is indeed a short story - in fact, it almost feels too short. The audio version was delightful to listen to, but I wanted more from it. Her friend sounded really interesting, and I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to know more about Riley, for her to be a bit more fleshed out. I feel like I would have benefited from knowing the Balkan Folklore that this was based on before I listened to this version. The ending came on fast, and I wasn't sure I totally understood who the two men were, or why they showed up. In the last fifteen seconds, we get some sort of answer, but it wasn't enough for me.

As an educator, I could see using this in a unit if I could find the original tale this was based on. Then I could supplement this material, and answer the questions I know my students will definitely have.