Falling in love just got sweeter in this charming, romantic YA graphic novel from WEBTOON, the #1 digital comic platform. Ray, a young seer struggling with her powers, discovers first love and friendship in her town's magic bakery.
In a very special town, there’s an even more unusual bakery with a selection of baked treats hand-crafted to help your dreams come true. For Ray, a quiet young woman with special powers of her own, the order is always the same: a hot tea with a delicious side of romance.
When Ray meets Laurie, the kind barista who aspires to be a professional musician, she gets a real taste of love for the first time. But even with a spark of magic, romance isn’t so simple. Both Ray and Laurie are chasing their own dreams and even when Ray starts to see the future, she can’t predict her fate with Laurie.
Based on the beloved webcomic from WEBTOON, this sweet coming-of-age story of friendship and first love comes to life in graphic novel format with gorgeous illustrations and exclusive content.
Crumbs by Danie Stirling is a 2,000 image Webtoon YA comics fantasy romance converted into a 300-page novel. I’ve read enough of contemporary romances to almost--but not quite--be cynical about the way this story uses the ideal ingredients of a hot YA graphic novel: Romance (check), between two young people of different races (check) and sizes (check) [one named Ray, female, and Laurie, male--are these folks straight, or trans? I see no clear evidence, so whatever, it's all good), written by a queer author (check), with magic (check), and set in a sweets bakery (check).
I mean, what else might you be looking for in a YA fantasy romance? Maybe they could fly to Venice and kiss at sunset in a gondola under The Bridge of Sighs? But okay, it’s pretty sweet, if a little overlong for my tastes, (not that I pored long over it). Ray, a seer, has witchy powers, has a broom, and so on; Laurie is a musician (check) and barista at the bakery. Let’s see, what else: Phones have little creatures/pets coming out of them (what else might you want from your phones, right? I'll just say check again right here).
What's not so great? There's some vague government mind control thing going on, with memory-erasure? I basically have forgotten it already (hey, maybe this is really happening?! What was I talking about, again?). Also, I wanted more bakery in a bakery story (see Antique Bakery by Fumi Yoshinaga), but to walk in and buy a slice of Romance? Sweet.
This remarkable graphic novel is a wonderful blend of wizardry, romance, and baking!
In a land of people with unusual powers, Ray is a bit of an anomaly. She has the power of prediction, but instead being able to see far into the future, her special gift allows her to see what will happen immediately. Ray is thrilled when selected to train at the Council Academy, though she struggles to find her place there. Meeting Laurie, a budding musician, changes her world, as her feelings for the young man grow over time.
Wonderfully written and illustrated by Stirling, this book is a treat! – Louisa A.
Ugh, I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a little disappointed by this one.
Crumbs was everything that I was looking forward to. It has queer rep, takes place in futuristic, magical world similar to ours, and it promised a cute romance. While those things held true and I enjoyed the artwork, there was an uncanny sense of lacking that I got from the plot. There were aspects of this story that felt unexplored which is interesting considering that it's almost 400 pages long. As someone who reads graphic novels quite frequently, Crumbs, to me, felt as though it was full of fluff and lacked substance where needed. The world wasn't explained to it's full extent. I never really completely understood the purpose of Ray's job and how that whole department worked in context of the community at large. There were some unexplored relationship dynamics between Ray and her mother. She was clearly hesitant in revealing her decisions to her mom, but the complicated nature of their relationship felt skimmed over. The same could be said for Laurie. He clearly is a people pleaser and tends to move through relationships quite quickly, but it all still felt very surface level. This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy certain aspects of the graphic novel. The art was fantastic. I loved the potential of the world and the bakery scenes were to die for, but for the length of the book, I think that Stirling could have gone a little deeper with the text. Overall, this was a solid read. It isn't my favorite graphic novel year, but it also isn't the worse one that I've read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Clarion Books for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
A beautifully illustrated graphic novel about discovering who you really are while also finding a little romance. I enjoyed the fantasy elements and the characters were as sweet as the baked goods in the bakery setting.
Expected Publication Date 19/07/22 Goodreads reviews 27/03/22
A gentle and bittersweet coming of age romance set in a vague world of magic users with casual LGBTQ+ representation. It's all about relationships and thinking about relationships and talking about relationships while dealing with some annoying job issues, like imposed temporary amnesia and long commutes. It meanders a bit too much and the baking isn't as central to the book as the title would have you believe, but its a comfortable ride. I do fear it may evaporate from my mind within a few weeks though, being a sweet confection more than a hearty meal.
Unul dintre cele mai frumoase romane grafice citite de mine🧡 Are romance, are fantasy, are aventură, umor, pisici și zburat pe mătură:))
E foarte faină lumea creată și parcă mi-e ciudă că nu a fost mai mult dezvoltată:)) Băiatul nostru, Laurie, ele cântăreț și visul lui este să ajungă faimos. Până atunci, muncește cu drag la patiseria mătușii sale. Acolo o întâlnește pe clienta fidelă care comandă mereu ROMANCE:)) și care visează să prindă un loc în Council - un fel de FBI vrăjitoresc. Între cei doi se înfiripă o poveste de dragoste si îi urmărim cum se dezvoltă si cum luptă pentru visurile lor.
Cartea e perfectă de citit toamna asta🧡 E cute & wholesome. Mi s-a părut la fel de cute ca Pumpkin Heads🎃🧡 RECOMAND😄
This was such a sweet, cute little story (for the most part)! I really loved the witchy themes, especially Marigold's kitchen magic in her bakery. I wish that we'd gotten more focus on the various paranormal elements of the other characters, and less focus on Ray's job, because the parts about her job were honestly mostly a bit boring and felt like "too much" (not in the sense that it shouldn't have been included, but in the sense that there were too many separate threads within the career subplot and most of them weren't wrapped up in the end).
I loved the characters, and the development we got to see in several of them. Ray was a very lovable main character, though I thought some of her behavior was immature and maybe not addressed as thoroughly as I'd have liked for it to be. While Laurie's transgressions are pretty well handled, it felt like Ray's are swept under the rug, whether it's related to her emotional unavailability or her poor handling of situations at work.
I hate to throw in another "I loved this, BUT —" point, but the romance: I thought it was absolutely adorable and I sensed so much chemistry between Ray and Laurie in the beginning, but this story suffered from the classic case of these characters getting into a relationship too early into the story, which led to a lot of their conversations being repetitive. The conflict between them was fine (and I say this as someone who usually hates the infamous Romance Break-up Act™️), but I was kind of disappointed in the ending! I get why so many YA/NA authors go this route with endings to their romance books, but I'm a hopeless romantic and these two had SO much potential and cared so much for one another that the ending felt unrealistic and forced.
Overall, this graphic novel was mostly enjoyable, but I had a lot of caveats that pulled it down from the 5-star rating I originally had hoped to give it. Writing this out, I actually struggle with even giving it 4 stars, but the massive amount of love and joy it brought me in the first half makes it hard to go lower than that, too. Plus, the art is adorable.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
✨ Representation: Ray, Laurie, Marigold, and multiple other side characters are BIPOC and/or queer; two side characters use they/them pronouns
The artwork in Crumbs is adorable. This is a cozy contemporary fantasy about romance, friendship, and trying to figure out what you want to do in life.
2022 Spring Bingo (#SpringIntoLoveBingo🌷): Sparks Fly
Romantic graphic novel featuring a seer and musician in a magical bakery. I am so confused by the worldbuilding?! The storyline was building up to a "the ruling council is sketchy AF with the memory-erasing potions and bad treatment of the interns" climax... and then just doesn't go there. Did I completely misread the foreshadowing?
I get the impression that the story wants me to believe this ruling council is good when in reality I'm advocating for revolution (terrible leadership and zero transparency!). I've read way too much epic fantasy. Otherwise: very lovely and cozy illustrations.
Die Geschichte an sich war ganz gut, ich habe allerdings die Welt drum rum nicht verstanden. a) sind das gebannte Geister in den Telefonen?? b) Keine Ahnung, was Ray in ihrem Praktikum so macht und was der Unterschied zwischen den Abteilungen ist c) Keine Ahnung, was das Council ist und macht. Politik? Spionage? Sicherheitsbehörde? d) Keine Ahnung, ob Secret Forest Bland ein Tee oder ein Kaffee ist und wonach das schmeckt (aber es scheint sehr beliebt zu sein) e) Keine Ahnung, wonach Romance schmeckt* (aber es ist pink)
* In der Bäckerei, in er Laurie arbeitet, kann man Gebäck mit dem Geschmack von Gefühlen kaufen
I sooooo enjoyed this. The cozy, whimsical vibe was on point. The art work was wonderful and added to the story as well. Anything witchy with a little romance sprinkled in is right up my alley. I am so glad I read this. Exactly the cozy, happiness I needed.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
A young seer named Ray befriends a barista named Laurie at a magical bakery, discovering first love along the way.
This was sweet, but I felt let down in the end. I liked the overall message, and the ability for Ray to know what she did and didn't want. I also like how supportive all the characters were of one another but unfortunately, I was just bored at times, and I kept finding myself putting it down and avoiding picking it back up.
This was a cute YA graphic novel about a seer and a musician who fall in love while trying to figure out what their futures will look like. I really wanted to like this book more than I did but I found it overly long with not enough plot. The romance was cute but nothing spectacular. Not going to be one I recommend unfortunately. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Enjoyed the world building in this one, it's a very interesting mix where magic is part of everyday life. The art style is cute. Wish it was more focused, but otherwise found the characters' career struggles very relatable.
Rep: poc main character (bi maybe???), sapphic side characters, poc side characters
Not sure what I expected but I was immersed and impressed by Crumbs. There were a lot of "lows" and moments of "melancholy" but those moments-- and rooting for Ray and Laurie during them-- made their victories that much sweeter.
The cover of this graphic novel caught my eye at the book store on more than one occasion. Many times I almost bought it. When it was up for a Goodreads award, I knew I had to read it so I borrowed a copy from my local library. I am so glad I did and wish I had bought it one of those many times I was eyeing it.
Crumbs was such a cute story. Danie Stirling explores concepts of growing up and self discovery. Stirling also explores finding love and what it means to love another person, and be vulnerable with another person. This was such a beautiful story set in a magical world of wonder. And the art... the art is INCREDIBLE!!! I really loved the art style and the color palette. Crumbs is a well crafted graphic novel that I will definitely be purchasing for myself.
Such a cute and a quick easy read! Its heartwarming and tugged on your heartstrings just for a lil bit.
Personal Ratings : 4🌟
Crumbs tells the story of Ray and Laurie, two souls who met together and somehow formed a bond with each other. Ray is a seer who can see the present, practicing to oversee the future, and Laurie works is a music enthusiast who's working towards his dreams to become a musician. The one thing they had in common was going to Laurie's aunts Bakery :) Its a real depiction of a relationship, finding yourself and working towards your own goal for each other.
Personal Thoughts This book was heartwarming at its very best. I didn't expect any magic in the book, but I loved how seers and broomsticks are a sort of your transportation system in the story which is kind of cute. This is a YA Romance that is so innocent it makes you smile with the innocence of the characters. I loved how Ray and Laurie have each their own stories and pathways to make off and that eventho they liked each other, they found ways to stay together till the very end.
One of the things that I loved was the character growth for Ray and Laurie. Ray is just an adorable character, who sticks through to herself but also puts a lot of expectations on herself. She is a hard worker and always thinks about moving forward to challenge herself, but I love how she still stumbles and seeks for others when she needs a shoulder to cry on. Laurie is a character that is somewhat a people pleaser, that does not like to show his vulnerabilities to others and wants to cater to everyone's else feelings except his own, which made he seemed that he created a wall for the people who loves him. I liked that both of them practice EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION without unnecessary drama. Its very realistic and it made me smile on how they handle their problems.
I loved how the author had shown that being in a relationship is not all just rainbows and butterflies, it needs hardwork, and constant reassurance for both sides for the relationship to work. Its a story of growth and wanting to achieve your dreams. There may be times that we will fall and would not know what to do , but at the end, hard work does pay off, even if it takes a little bit of time to achieve it.
Definitely recommended for a light read :)
Biggest thank you to Times Reads for providing me an ARC copy of this famous webtoon in paperback! Loved that I can read offline.