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Turtle Bread
The debut graphic novel from The Great British Bake-Off star and author Kim-Joy, Turtle Bread explores mental health and the power of friendship, community and, of course, baking!
On her way home from another unsuccessful job interview, Yan stumbles upon Baking Club.
Her social anxiety tries to keep her away, but the bakers encourage her to come out of her shell, especially the caring and supportive Bea. As the club bakes together, Yan discovers that her new friends may need her too, more than she realises…
Features illustrated recipes throughout, for some of Kim-Joy's favorite bakes!
On her way home from another unsuccessful job interview, Yan stumbles upon Baking Club.
Her social anxiety tries to keep her away, but the bakers encourage her to come out of her shell, especially the caring and supportive Bea. As the club bakes together, Yan discovers that her new friends may need her too, more than she realises…
Features illustrated recipes throughout, for some of Kim-Joy's favorite bakes!
Kindle Edition
First published May 2, 2023
585 people are currently reading
682 people want to read
About the author
Kim-Joy
20 books69 followersShe was born in Belgium to an English father and Malaysian-Chinese mother and now lives in Leeds with her partner.
Kim-Joy rose to fame having made it to the final of the Great British Bake Off 2018 with her unique, intricate baked creations that captured the hearts of the nation.
Her iced woodland creatures, space turtles and beautifully decorated cakes - along with her calmness and vibrant positivity - put a smile on everyone's face and Kim-Joy has since earned a legion of baking fans around the world.
Having previously worked in mental health, she now devotes her time to creating cakes and treats that bring a little Kim-Joy to as many people as possible.
Kim-Joy rose to fame having made it to the final of the Great British Bake Off 2018 with her unique, intricate baked creations that captured the hearts of the nation.
Her iced woodland creatures, space turtles and beautifully decorated cakes - along with her calmness and vibrant positivity - put a smile on everyone's face and Kim-Joy has since earned a legion of baking fans around the world.
Having previously worked in mental health, she now devotes her time to creating cakes and treats that bring a little Kim-Joy to as many people as possible.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
September 23, 2024
In a Nutshell: A graphic novel about a socially anxious character who learns how to be comfortable in her own skin. Great potential, below average execution.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Bookish Yays:
🎂 The baking content, though I myself am not much of a baking fan. I wasn’t aware of this author, but it seems she is a cookbook writer and one of two runners-up in the ninth series of The Great British Bake Off. Her love for and knowledge of baking clearly shows in this book.
🎂 The book includes many baking-related recipes. Even better: instead of being appended at the end, they are a part of the story. The titular ‘turtle bread’ recipe is also included.
🎂 Yan has a pet cat named Mr. Mouse! So cute! Wish he had a longer role.
Bookish Mixed Bags:
🍰 Yan’s character development is somewhat mixed. We know the struggles she faces in the present, but her background is left hazy. There’s no detailed explanation about her family, or what caused her anxiety or even how long she has had it. We only see the symptoms and effects, not the causes.
🍰 The portrayal of Yan’s social anxiety is somewhat inconsistent. There is a good depiction of how mental demons can affect daily routines and self-esteem. But it is tough to accept that someone with such crippling social anxiety willingly goes and joins a baking club full of strangers. Moreover, a few scenes before the ending, we clearly see that Yan is still struggling with her anxiety. But the ending has her undergo a turnaround, suddenly being comfortable not just with people but even with handling a club. It is quite unconvincing and anticlimactic.
🍰 The other club members are very interesting (especially Bea and Amit), but their character development is also somewhat incomplete. We know only minimal details about their personal life and that too, we learn through their conversations at the club, which are more about therapeutic and philosophical statements than about baking. All the club characters are portrayed in a positive vein, leaving a lack of external conflict.
🍰 The stunning cover art promised a rich graphic experience. While the inside illustrations were cute, I was disappointed that they were in grayscale. Such a story needs coloured visuals.
Bookish Nays:
🥚 The book seems to suffer from an identity crisis because it doesn’t know what its primary aim is. Too many themes, none covered in depth.
🥚 The execution is hence too rushed, jumping from topic to topic with no link between the start and the end.
🥚 Though the cover and the narrative viewpoint focusses on Yan, the story is more about the baking club than about her. So only the club-related details get proper focus and the rest of the content is vague.
🥚 The storyboarding isn’t smooth. Many scenes feel choppy. Yan’s change in focus from job search to baking club is abrupt.
🥚 Though the club members are mostly strangers who gathered to bake, each of them has a mental health condition that the club helps resolve. Too coincidental and quite farfetched!
🥚 The final section is especially dissatisfying. Why show a new relationship and a new job only to show both fizzing out a couple of weeks later? It went against everything established till that part. And if the point of this was to show that social anxiety isn’t that easy to overcome, what is she doing leading the baking club confidently just a few days later?
Overall, the intent must have been great but the execution is haphazard. It tries to include too many things and ends up doing justice to none except baking. Moreover, the language and content is aimed at adults, but the approach makes it feel more like a YA work with its overly straightforward plotline.
Some more finetuning could have made this a worthwhile read. But as is, the only other positive I can think of is that I didn’t spend anything on this, thanks to my Prime subscription.
Recommended only to those looking for a freebie graphic novel through Prime with the added motivation of some tempting baking recipes.
2 stars.
The digital version of this book is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Twenty-three-year old Yan has been looking for a job unsuccessfully, with her social anxiety coming in the way of her confidence. One day, she decides to enrol at a new baking club, where she meets fellow baking enthusiasts who all seem more confident and capable than her. Can Yan learn how to ignore the doubts her mind throws her way, and focus on the positives of life with the help of her new friends?
Bookish Yays:
🎂 The baking content, though I myself am not much of a baking fan. I wasn’t aware of this author, but it seems she is a cookbook writer and one of two runners-up in the ninth series of The Great British Bake Off. Her love for and knowledge of baking clearly shows in this book.
🎂 The book includes many baking-related recipes. Even better: instead of being appended at the end, they are a part of the story. The titular ‘turtle bread’ recipe is also included.
🎂 Yan has a pet cat named Mr. Mouse! So cute! Wish he had a longer role.
Bookish Mixed Bags:
🍰 Yan’s character development is somewhat mixed. We know the struggles she faces in the present, but her background is left hazy. There’s no detailed explanation about her family, or what caused her anxiety or even how long she has had it. We only see the symptoms and effects, not the causes.
🍰 The portrayal of Yan’s social anxiety is somewhat inconsistent. There is a good depiction of how mental demons can affect daily routines and self-esteem. But it is tough to accept that someone with such crippling social anxiety willingly goes and joins a baking club full of strangers. Moreover, a few scenes before the ending, we clearly see that Yan is still struggling with her anxiety. But the ending has her undergo a turnaround, suddenly being comfortable not just with people but even with handling a club. It is quite unconvincing and anticlimactic.
🍰 The other club members are very interesting (especially Bea and Amit), but their character development is also somewhat incomplete. We know only minimal details about their personal life and that too, we learn through their conversations at the club, which are more about therapeutic and philosophical statements than about baking. All the club characters are portrayed in a positive vein, leaving a lack of external conflict.
🍰 The stunning cover art promised a rich graphic experience. While the inside illustrations were cute, I was disappointed that they were in grayscale. Such a story needs coloured visuals.
Bookish Nays:
🥚 The book seems to suffer from an identity crisis because it doesn’t know what its primary aim is. Too many themes, none covered in depth.
🥚 The execution is hence too rushed, jumping from topic to topic with no link between the start and the end.
🥚 Though the cover and the narrative viewpoint focusses on Yan, the story is more about the baking club than about her. So only the club-related details get proper focus and the rest of the content is vague.
🥚 The storyboarding isn’t smooth. Many scenes feel choppy. Yan’s change in focus from job search to baking club is abrupt.
🥚 Though the club members are mostly strangers who gathered to bake, each of them has a mental health condition that the club helps resolve. Too coincidental and quite farfetched!
🥚 The final section is especially dissatisfying. Why show a new relationship and a new job only to show both fizzing out a couple of weeks later? It went against everything established till that part. And if the point of this was to show that social anxiety isn’t that easy to overcome, what is she doing leading the baking club confidently just a few days later?
Overall, the intent must have been great but the execution is haphazard. It tries to include too many things and ends up doing justice to none except baking. Moreover, the language and content is aimed at adults, but the approach makes it feel more like a YA work with its overly straightforward plotline.
Some more finetuning could have made this a worthwhile read. But as is, the only other positive I can think of is that I didn’t spend anything on this, thanks to my Prime subscription.
Recommended only to those looking for a freebie graphic novel through Prime with the added motivation of some tempting baking recipes.
2 stars.
The digital version of this book is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
November 19, 2023
Loved Kim-Joy as a contestant on Bake-Off, and now she's written a wonderful graphic novel about a group of amateur bakers, all with their own problems, coming together in a baking club to help eachother along. And it's really sweet, both the writing and art are lovely.
If I have one bit of real criticism, it's that it all tends to be a bit too on the nose for me - everyone's problems end up being openly discussed, and when it happens the dialogue is maybe a bit too therapy-y.
(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)
If I have one bit of real criticism, it's that it all tends to be a bit too on the nose for me - everyone's problems end up being openly discussed, and when it happens the dialogue is maybe a bit too therapy-y.
(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)
May 5, 2023
*read for free with Kindle Unlimited *
Very cute story, and the recipes made my mouth water 😋
Some very touching moments in here as well.
Another where I identify with the brain 🧠 monster (as I call them) Yan was battling..I wanted to exchange numbers with her so we could talk.
I would have loved to see some of these scenes in color, just a minor quibble.
It might be just a me thing, but had to read this more slowly 🐌 and closer to my face because the way it was formatted/done in the ebook made it hard on my eyes. Just a heads up if anyone else has eye or head issues.
Very cute story, and the recipes made my mouth water 😋
Some very touching moments in here as well.
Another where I identify with the brain 🧠 monster (as I call them) Yan was battling..I wanted to exchange numbers with her so we could talk.
I would have loved to see some of these scenes in color, just a minor quibble.
It might be just a me thing, but had to read this more slowly 🐌 and closer to my face because the way it was formatted/done in the ebook made it hard on my eyes. Just a heads up if anyone else has eye or head issues.
October 28, 2024
3.5
A mix of mental health awareness and baking manga.
A mix of mental health awareness and baking manga.
October 9, 2023
The storytelling in this one wasn't always great, but I enjoyed the art.
June 7, 2023
My family is a huge fan of the show The Great British Bake-Off (or The Great British Baking Show on US Netflix). Kim-Joy, the author of "Turtle Bread", was one of the contestants whose creative and decorative bakes, piping skills, and personality were major highlights of the show's season 9. Turtle Bread is her debut graphic novel that talks about baking (of course) and navigating life, mental health, and friendship while dealing with social anxiety. I love the story line set in the north of England, the amazing artwork, and the recipes included in the book. The graphic novel is available for free to read with Amazon Prime.
January 9, 2024
3.5 ✨
Yan is a young adult searching for a job and belonging. When she finds baking club, she sees the opportunity to make friends but also needs to tackle her anxiety.
The style of the book is really cute! It was a heartwarming story to read due to the illustrations and relationships. The plot wasn’t very complex and Yan wasn’t my favorite character, though. Super quick read!
Yan is a young adult searching for a job and belonging. When she finds baking club, she sees the opportunity to make friends but also needs to tackle her anxiety.
The style of the book is really cute! It was a heartwarming story to read due to the illustrations and relationships. The plot wasn’t very complex and Yan wasn’t my favorite character, though. Super quick read!
July 6, 2023
Sweet, fluffy, smooth, overall tasty
September 25, 2023
so cute and sweet and I’m cryingggg
July 31, 2024
3.5*
Such a sweet graphic novel about baking, friendship, and dealing with social anxiety.
This is actually one of the best depictions of social anxiety I've seen, it was all too relatable!
There are also some mouthwatering recipes throughout, which was a great addition.
Such a sweet graphic novel about baking, friendship, and dealing with social anxiety.
This is actually one of the best depictions of social anxiety I've seen, it was all too relatable!
There are also some mouthwatering recipes throughout, which was a great addition.
April 15, 2025
So cute and so relatable I love reading about main characters that also deal with low self esteem and anxiety 💕
July 24, 2023
Didn’t really work for me. Cover was adorable, but the illustrations were black and white, which wasn’t ideal for me.
Not a lot of context on the main character who suffers from anxiety. Just not that great.
Not a lot of context on the main character who suffers from anxiety. Just not that great.
July 25, 2023
corto y entretenido. me sorprendió bea y el final.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2024
3.5
Could relate to the MC's anxiety and loved their baking club.
Could relate to the MC's anxiety and loved their baking club.
June 5, 2023
Content/Trigger Warnings: Depictions of severe social anxiety, depictions of depression, brief mentions of PTSD, mentions loss of loved ones (in the past), grief, talk of cancer
Actual rating: 4.5 ⭐
How dare this graphic novel make me ugly cry! How dare! This was really cute, wholesome, and I was so surprised by how much mental health was talked about, shown, and addressed throughout this entire graphic novel. The way mental health was handled in this graphic novel definitely stems from a lot of care and I'd even go as far to say the author's personal experience. Not to mention, can I talk about how this graphic novel normalizes using a mental health tracker?! First time I've ever seen that in any book and it fills my heart with so much warmth, and appreciation. I know so many people who use apps or paper trackers (like the main character) and even I use a journal to keep track of my own mental health, as well. So it was really nice to see that normalized in this graphic novel. We also need to address the food! I love that baking and this Baking Club are the center of attention in this comic. The fact we get so many recipes throughout this story was everything and now I want to try making some of these recipes at home. However, the thing I loved most about this comic was the theme of found family. Found family is one of my favorite themes in any type of book and touches a soft spot in my heart every time. The friendship our main character finds among her fellow Baking Club members is so beautiful and the way they all come together for one another during hard times was so wholesome. I loved it so much and I think that's one of the best highlights of this story, the found family and how powerful friendship love can be. Overall, this felt like a really strong, powerful story and I loved that at the end we get some author notes, and even more recipes! I just had a really good time reading this and I think anyone who loves slice of life, mental health, and food should give this graphic novel a chance.
All thoughts, feelings, experiences, and opinions are honest and my own.
Instagram|Ko-fi|Throne
Actual rating: 4.5 ⭐
How dare this graphic novel make me ugly cry! How dare! This was really cute, wholesome, and I was so surprised by how much mental health was talked about, shown, and addressed throughout this entire graphic novel. The way mental health was handled in this graphic novel definitely stems from a lot of care and I'd even go as far to say the author's personal experience. Not to mention, can I talk about how this graphic novel normalizes using a mental health tracker?! First time I've ever seen that in any book and it fills my heart with so much warmth, and appreciation. I know so many people who use apps or paper trackers (like the main character) and even I use a journal to keep track of my own mental health, as well. So it was really nice to see that normalized in this graphic novel. We also need to address the food! I love that baking and this Baking Club are the center of attention in this comic. The fact we get so many recipes throughout this story was everything and now I want to try making some of these recipes at home. However, the thing I loved most about this comic was the theme of found family. Found family is one of my favorite themes in any type of book and touches a soft spot in my heart every time. The friendship our main character finds among her fellow Baking Club members is so beautiful and the way they all come together for one another during hard times was so wholesome. I loved it so much and I think that's one of the best highlights of this story, the found family and how powerful friendship love can be. Overall, this felt like a really strong, powerful story and I loved that at the end we get some author notes, and even more recipes! I just had a really good time reading this and I think anyone who loves slice of life, mental health, and food should give this graphic novel a chance.
All thoughts, feelings, experiences, and opinions are honest and my own.
Instagram|Ko-fi|Throne
August 11, 2023
Such a cute story! I love Yan’s character development and the baking recipes too :). It makes me feel so happy to see her coming out of her shell and finding her love for baking!!
I also read this for free on kindle unlimited!
I also read this for free on kindle unlimited!
November 24, 2023
I don't even like to bake and I loved this. SO WHOLESOME <3
Read
October 3, 2024This book talked to me on a very personal level. It does a great job of showing what might be going on in the head of someone with social anxiety (I know sometimes it might seems a little exaggerated, but it's actually not, trust me on this), while also reminding (through the character of Bea, mostly) that sometimes (most of the time?) things are not as bad as you imagine them to be.
It is a very heartwarming story about friendship, self-confidence, and "getting out of your shell". All this illustrated by a beautiful and dynamic art-style.
That being said, the book does have one big flaw: everything seems rushed. It is probably due to the fact that it is only 132 pages long, and that the author had to make do with that to cram everything she wanted to touch on in it. But this does mean that some things end up underdeveloped. For instance, weeks (if not months) of Yan's life, including her growing friendship with the other members of the baking club, her finally successful hunt for a job, and her finding a boyfriend, is illustrated with a 11 pages-"montage" of key moments. Still better to have those moments illustrated rather than just having a big ellipse, but in my opinion, getting things more slowly would have been better, because, at the end of the day she got to know the other members more, but we didn't, so when we learn that Amit , it just leaves us confused, because we do not really know him or his story.
This also appears in the art. For instance, there's a point where Bea seems to suffer on a specific panel...And on the panel right next to it, she seems right as rain. Such a big change in behaviour felt strange to me, and it probably would have been done more smoothly if they had had more pages to really develop everything.
That being said, it is still worth a read. If Kim-Joy decides to give another try at writing fiction, I hope she'll have the opportunity to work on something longer, to develop the story and the characters as much as they deserve to be.
It is a very heartwarming story about friendship, self-confidence, and "getting out of your shell". All this illustrated by a beautiful and dynamic art-style.
That being said, the book does have one big flaw: everything seems rushed. It is probably due to the fact that it is only 132 pages long, and that the author had to make do with that to cram everything she wanted to touch on in it. But this does mean that some things end up underdeveloped. For instance, weeks (if not months) of Yan's life, including her growing friendship with the other members of the baking club, her finally successful hunt for a job, and her finding a boyfriend, is illustrated with a 11 pages-"montage" of key moments. Still better to have those moments illustrated rather than just having a big ellipse, but in my opinion, getting things more slowly would have been better, because, at the end of the day she got to know the other members more, but we didn't, so when we learn that Amit , it just leaves us confused, because we do not really know him or his story.
This also appears in the art. For instance, there's a point where Bea seems to suffer on a specific panel...And on the panel right next to it, she seems right as rain. Such a big change in behaviour felt strange to me, and it probably would have been done more smoothly if they had had more pages to really develop everything.
That being said, it is still worth a read. If Kim-Joy decides to give another try at writing fiction, I hope she'll have the opportunity to work on something longer, to develop the story and the characters as much as they deserve to be.
September 4, 2023
Yan is struggling. Hard. Diagnosis: social anxiety and depression. No job, living with her pushy family who just want her to get a job and make soemthing impressive of herself. Yan just wants to stay in her shell and hide. And then there’s baking club, run by the tender Bea, filled with people that Yan is desperate to be friends with…if they even like her.
But through baking, through turtles, through time and patience, Yan begins to find her place in baking club. And maybe, just maybe, this special little place can help her take a deep breath and a tiny step into the bigger world. Even if she’s still afraid.
When I heard that one of my favorite competitors on The Great British Baking Show had written a lovely little graphic novel, I had to snap it up immediately. And gosh, was this ever wonderful. This was a beautifully drawn deeply relatable story about anxiety and baking paired together. Kim-Joy has spoken beautifully and vocally about her mental health and is using her platform to help others in an incredibly lovely and charming way.
Paired with real recipes and a very emotional and true to heart story, Turtle Bread left me absolutely speechless. I needed this little book today.
But through baking, through turtles, through time and patience, Yan begins to find her place in baking club. And maybe, just maybe, this special little place can help her take a deep breath and a tiny step into the bigger world. Even if she’s still afraid.
When I heard that one of my favorite competitors on The Great British Baking Show had written a lovely little graphic novel, I had to snap it up immediately. And gosh, was this ever wonderful. This was a beautifully drawn deeply relatable story about anxiety and baking paired together. Kim-Joy has spoken beautifully and vocally about her mental health and is using her platform to help others in an incredibly lovely and charming way.
Paired with real recipes and a very emotional and true to heart story, Turtle Bread left me absolutely speechless. I needed this little book today.
October 28, 2023
The art was cute and I liked some of the characters I would’ve liked a longer story to get to know some of them a little better I like the overcoming of anxiety and other personal issues I want so they told he overcame it but at least they made progress in the steps and I like the friendship that developed it’s a cute little redhead and I think people who like graphic novels will get something out of this.
Read
September 1, 2024yan is literally Me??
23, struggling w Everything, cbt didn’t work (looool) and can’t find a job… starting to think someone’s been spying on my life??
except i can’t bake/cook for shit! but this was so lovely and warm and the cutest little pick me up to show found family can help build up your confidence and self worth!!
23, struggling w Everything, cbt didn’t work (looool) and can’t find a job… starting to think someone’s been spying on my life??
except i can’t bake/cook for shit! but this was so lovely and warm and the cutest little pick me up to show found family can help build up your confidence and self worth!!
Read
July 9, 2023my first graphic novel! the art style was so cute and kind of contradicted the story because it was sad at times. i loved seeing Yan grow but also her setbacks and her mindset towards herself. this was such a lovely story and i love how real recipes were added throughout the book!
July 3, 2024
Cute and Meaningful
I absolutely LOVED this graphic novel. It’s full of great food and a sweet story of growth and strength. It was a fast read, but it is one that will stick with me.
I absolutely LOVED this graphic novel. It’s full of great food and a sweet story of growth and strength. It was a fast read, but it is one that will stick with me.
June 17, 2023
This was cute, and also surprinsingly emotional. I loved all the added baking touches, and it made me want to bake everything they did! It drew you in, and it was a quick little read.
September 8, 2023
"It's sad that the world makes it hard for you to be at ease in your own shell."
Baking Club is all about overcoming obstacles & perseverance. Exactly what Yan needs!
Baking Club is all about overcoming obstacles & perseverance. Exactly what Yan needs!
March 6, 2024
Cute, approachable, helpful quick little guide to life.
March 12, 2024
V cute (: 3.5 stars (why is there no half star rating option ):< )
April 30, 2024
A quick and stirring read, TURTLE BREAD shows that amazing things can come in small packages, including works of graphic medicine.
February 9, 2025
História é simples, mas fala sobre um assunto importante e pouco tratado na sociedade que é a ansiedade e a fobia social.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews