I’ve really enjoyed her YA stuff and was really interested to see how it would work for an adult novel. Her sparse style really is brilliant, so easy to read and almost possible to skim over but every word is carefully chosen and no word wasted. Our heroine’s story is gradually pieced together with her overwhelming grief and guilt swirling all around while treading water through the mundane experiences of life, work etc and it’s all completely relatable, emotional, at times frustrating and just brilliant.

I read this in one short sitting. It's written in verse and is the story of a three-year affair between two people who are married, Ana and Connor. Its told from Ana's viewpoint in the aftermath of a tragedy. I enjoyed the book but wasn't too fond of Ana as a person. She came across as selfish and a bit spoilt.

This is a great book to take on a longish journey or to read on holiday. I'd like to read some more of Sarah Crossan's books.

This is certainly a quirky little book written entirely in verse. It took a while to get used to but once I did I flew through it.⠀
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Here Is The Beehive tells the story of Ana and Connor. They have been involved in an affair for 3 years when suddenly Connor dies in an accident. Ana is grief stricken but clearly unable to turn to anyone for comfort or support.⠀
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𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. ⠀
𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. ⠀
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲.⠀
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The book jumps back and forth between present day grieving Ana and past encounters with Connor, beginning with how they met.⠀
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I did at times get confused as to who was talking, and this is because of the way it is written. I often had to go back over a section and read it again.⠀
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Ana is not a likeable character, she seems selfish and cold. She barely acknowledges her children. She pushes her husband away even after Connors death. ⠀
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Her unhealthy obsession with Connor is highlighted when she decides to befriend his wife after his death and shows just what a twisted individual she is.⠀
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𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗮 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻.⠀
𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗲. ⠀
𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗲.⠀
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I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book but unfortunately it didn’t quite grip me like I thought it would. It has wonderful writing and a distinct style but I won’t be rushing to read one like this again.⠀
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Thanks to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing and the author Sarah Crossan for letting me read and review an advance copy of this book.

3.5 rounded down

Approaching a Sarah Crossan novel -- after having read a number of hers previous books -- you kind of know what you're going to get: a fast-paced and emotive story told through short, snappy sentences of verse. This being her first novel for adults I wondered if this tried and tested formula would prove as effective, and I'd venture that fans of her other works will not be disappointed by this offering.

Here is the Beehive tells the story of a woman, Ana, who is mourning the loss of a man (Connor) with whom she was having an affair. This is a point of view I've not experienced in a book before, and Crossan does a great job of making you feel sorry for Ana whilst also recognising the issues and complications of this - Connor was unhappily married (at least this is what he'd told Ana... but he wouldn't leave his wife), and left behind three sons. The novel unfolds as Ana reflects on their affair, and Crossan shows us the implications it has on her life, but most specifically the impact it has on her family. I found Ana's reaction in the wake of Connor's death to be all too plausible, and the pages flew by as I kept reading to find out what the conclusion of her spiral into self destruction would be.

My absolute favourite thing about this book is how it’s written. It’s different from anything I’ve ever read before. It really pulls you in. Written as a constant stream of consciousness; it’s like poetry interwoven with gripping dialogue.

It’s a truly addictive story, flicking between life during and after an affair. You say to yourself “I’ll just read one more page before making lunch” and then you’re still glued to the book 20 pages later. I have a feeling this book will start a trend!

Ana is a (married) solicitor who has an affair with one of her (married) clients, when he dies suddenly and unexpectedly Ana must find a way to deal with her grief, and keep their secret at the same time.

The way the narrative jumps between passion for her lover and complete coldness to her husband is so immersive and impressively done, especially within such short lines of dialogue. The story unfolds at a gripping pace and yet doesn’t feel rushed either, I honestly can’t find a fault (and I try really hard to find faults.)

Favourite quote:
When I think of the things
I almost said,
the flotsam
in my head,
a hand tightens around my throat.
I wish I could speak simply
or simply speak,
whisper the wrecking yard junk
hidden in my pokiest corners.

Here is the Beehive is out 20th of August and I will be recommending it to every reading circle I know! A new favourite.

Ana’s life implodes when the widow of her lover comes to her office to ask her to help with the will.

Told from her point of view, she reels between current events and the before and during of their affair, sparked by a meeting in her office and carried on, pursued by them both as they recognise something in each other that they can’t find in their public lives.

Ana’s not a likeable person. She is envious of basically everyone and everything, she lies, forgets her niece’s birthday and spends the majority of the novel justifying their affair by reasoning that his wife was clearly a terrible human being who just didn’t understand him.

Somehow, Sarah Crossan’s writing brings Ana’s humanity to the forefront – the reader sympathises while recognising that the Wife may not actually be as terrible as he made out to be.

A slim novel of just over 200 pages, and with a prose poetry hybrid on the pages, this isn’t a long read. That’s not to say it’s not complex though, and on more than one occasion I got the feeling that we were peeling back layers of revelations with each page. None of these I’ll tell you now, of course – part of the impact is the deadweight of another reveal, something else to add to the narrative which fleshes out the characters into real people, with relatable bad decisions and broken dreams.

Not the most upbeat of stories and actually, not really much optimism in there but something in the way that their affair, the connection between two humans, is so well described it doesn’t feel like relentless doom and gloom.

You might be familiar with Crossan as a YA author – perhaps her most well known is the Breathe series, or maybe The Weight of Water. I enjoyed the window into another world, and look forward to reading something with her unique voice again soon.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Circus for the ARC!

Solicitor Ana finds out the hard way that her lover has died when his wife rings to ask her about his will. How she handles the news as she carries on with life with her husband and children whilst trying to find a way into her lover’s family life is interspersing with flashbacks to their tumultuous affair, told in Crossan’s signature beautiful verse style. I loved Crossan’s teenage books and was excited to get this review copy from Netgalley but on the whole was disappointed because Ana was such an unlikeable character. The writing is excellent as always but there was it much in the story for me to enjoy as Ana alternates between appalling behaviour in past and present as she tries to find the happy ending her lover clearly didn’t want to give her.

I have heard of Crossman for her YA stories so I wanted to try her first foray into Adult fiction. Wow she has such a skill for creating the most relatable and likeable characters I think I have ever read. The story follows Ana a solicitor having an affair, when Connor dies Ana is left to deal with her invisible grief. This story stayed with me and I still feel such an emotional attachment to it. Well done Crossman. Beautiful.

This book was very different for me, both in the style it was written and the content. It took me a little while to get used to the style - at times I felt like I was reading a poem.

This is the story of Ana and Connor, who are having a secret love affair. I liked the description of the book as I felt it could be a really interesting insight into the taboo subject of extra-marital relationships.

I spent a lot of this book waiting for something to happen - I felt the twist happened right at the beginning and we were taken on a series of flashbacks mixed with Ana’s present situation. For an intelligent woman, I did feel that she was acting totally out of character, but maybe you would in that situation.

I wouldn’t say I didn’t enjoy the book, but it won’t be going in my favourite pile either..

I have read and loved all of Sarah Crossan's other books. This was no exception. The storytelling is innovative, honest and raw.
Here is the beehive is a look at grief, guilt and adultery shown through the prism of Sarah's powerful free verse format.

*Thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

<b>2.5 stars</b>

I wanted to read "<b>Here is the Beehive</b>" because the subject is not something I would typically read about or would be of interest me, but I wanted to give it a shot because I enjoyed Crossan's "<b>Moonrise</b>" and I thought because it's written in verse it would make it more interesting for me, which it did - if it was written normally I definitely wouldn't have tried to read it. I'm glad I got to read something different, but unfortunately, it just didn't work for me. One thing I can say I liked is that it didn't at all condone affairs/cheating. I wouldn't have been able to finish it if it did. It simply depicts the psychological toll it has on the people involved. And I didn't have a slick of sympathy for them. I expected to dislike Ana and Connor, but Ana was just <i>awful</i>. Seriosuly awful. I couldn't stand following her story. I'm glad it's over.

Thanks to Netgalley for the copy.

I found the style of writing difficult to get to grips with. and I admit it was unusual.

The story about Ana moves back and forth on its timelines. I did not find her an engaging character. It was a struggle to finish the book.

I have previously read and adored all of Sarah Crossan’s books for young adults and this first novel for adults does not disappoint.

Beautifully written in verse, like all of her other books it reads as smoothly as a ‘traditional’ novel.

Here is the Beehive details Ana’s grief when she discovers her lover has died suddenly. As ever, Sarah Crossan details the raw emotions of her characters and leaves you feeling every emotion with them. Fantastic.

I had to remind myself this was an adult book - but I enjoyed it being in prose format and an adult read

After reading Toffee by Sarah Crossan with my children/teen I was excited to see what her first novel for adults had in store, believe me when I say I was not disappointed.
First of all let’s start with the writing style, if you have never read a book written in poetic prose you are in for a treat. You can read this book fast (which helps when you absolutely cannot put it down) but it does not lack in detail and feeling.
The poetic prose gives everything to the tone of the story. I was heartbroken for Ana, there is no feeling like a loss and grief you are not socially entitled to. I felt every sticky, awkward moment of Ana’s affair. I felt every piece of hope she had that her relationship with Connor was the real deal, that they would leave their spouses and families and live happily ever after. I felt every disappointment Ana had, every let down, every moment of true anger and annoyance.
To say this book is something special is an understatement. It is unique, clever, passionate and simply heartbreaking in places.
Here Is The Beehive is a book we will definitely all be talking about this year

Ana and Connor’s affair envelops both of them in a deep, delicious secret. When events take a tragic turn, there’s nobody to talk to, nobody to understand the grief, solitude and unending loss. This is an unflinching account of a love affair, the obsession, the deceit and the heartbreak. I was hooked from the opening paragraph and read the book in one day. There are lines of monologue that are poignant, poetic and almost hypnotic. Sharp observations of the pain and discomfort of being married, being in love and being left. Crossan has been a highly successful author of the young adult genre for years, but I feel sure this adult novel will eclipse her prior success and launch her into the forefront an entirely new audience.

As a fan of Sarah Crossan’s teen novels I have been excitedly waiting for her first book intended for adults for months. I was not disappointed! Here is the Beehive follows the destructive path of Ana and Connor, two people drawn into an intense affair making Ana obsessive and selfish. Crossan cleverly reveals Ana’s character in snapshots throughout the novel, at times making her seem hopelessly lost in love while at other moments she is downright unlikeable. This raw and honest portrayal of Ana makes her character seem all the more real. We feel her grief and isolation, her frustration of being “the mistress” that does not allow her to be seen by others. There is no space for her, in fact she “had to flee” from her lover’s funeral. She desperately searches for closure throughout the book to the detriment of her own family where perhaps she might have found some acceptance. I love Crossan’s poetic prose and I could not put this book down. You feel that there isn’t a single wasted word or intent and I found myself lingering over delicious lines of emotive prose. Fabulous.

This was my first Sarah Crossan book and I was surprised to find that it is actually a novel in verse! I found it so easy to read, the story slipped away at such a fast pace, I was really shocked to find it was over. Certainly a sign of an enjoyable read.

The thing that I liked most about this story was that the protagonist, Ana, is absolutely remorseless about embarking on an affair with her client, Connor. While Connor struggles with his responsibilities at home and the constant web of lies he is weaving, Ana is assured in her decisions. Connor's manipulation of Ana is clear, but I think it's even clear to Ana herself. She is waiting for Connor to leave his wife, while surely knowing that day will never come. She was frustrating at times, due to this, however I really liked that she was relentless in pursuit of her goal (which she ultimately failed to achieve) and the self reflection she engages in after Connor's death was fascinating. Ana is certainly a very sinister character and I found myself feeling sorry for Connor's wife, Rebecca, her name surely a nod to Du Maurier's first Mrs DeWinter,) who Ana so desperately wanted to hate, but ultimately, like her affair partner, found that she could not.

Thank you for providing the galley!

I really loved this latest offering from Sarah Crossan. Having read Toffee, I was hoping that this book was going to be equally brilliant and it was. Each word and each sentence is carefully chosen and constructed. Not one word is wasted. I wasn't sure about this book initially as the story revolves around cheating and affairs, however, the story certainly made me consider the situation from all character perspectives and highlights how, in the end, there are no winners. It's an emotional read and one that can be read in one sitting. I loved it. Another sure winner for Sarah Crossan

My thanks to NetGalley

I found Here is the Beehive rather bland overall. Although it lends a little poetry to the novel in some places, I didn't really see the point in using verses. The plot is unexceptional. The book is rather depressing, sometimes to the point of cynicism, and none of the characters are very likeable. It was a quick read, and will probably be as quickly forgotten.