Here is the Beehive is Sarah Crossan’s first novel for adults. It is a sharp and humanistic tale of grief and self-discovery in middle-age. A story about the power of lies and about learning to embrace individual truths.
Ana and Connor were in love, and they were married. To other people. Their story took place in bars, in hotel rooms, in swiftly deleted texts, in weekends away, in secret, The story itself is hypnotic, addictive, and as devastating as the love it portrays. The relationship between Ana and Connor is toxic, all consuming and destroys everything it touches. Written in fractured verse, the story passes between Ana’s grief-stricken internal monologue and the ‘real’ world that is moving around her, unaware of her secret devastation. Alone with her grief Ana becomes obsessed with and seeks the friendship of the one person who she once thought of as her adversary and opposite, but who is now the only one who shares her pain - Connor's wife. As Ana becomes closer to her lover's widow, she is forced to reconcile painful truths about the affair, and the fickleness of love and desire. An emotional roller coaster of a story in which no attempt is made to steer the reader's judgement but leaves the reader free to ponder on and to contemplate the actions and the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I have got to say I didn't really enjoy this book, it's the first Sarah Crossan novel I have read and I think the format definitely got in the way of the plot. There was quite a lack of clarity in the past and present transitions.
It's the story of 'other women' Ana and 'family man' Connor who have been having an affair in hotel rooms for years. When Connor dies unexpectedly, Ana is left behind grieving without anyone to confide in.
That's when Ana becomes completely obsessed with Rebecca.
I am surprised to say that this is the first book I have read that has been told completely in verse! That is the reason I am giving this book a 2 star rating. I felt that the concept was unique but I expected it to be executed in a dramatically better way.
Thank you again to netgalley and bloomsbury publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m going to be upfront and say I didn’t enjoy this book.

I will start with the layout which was unusual. I’m not sure what it was supposed to signify (is it like a poem?) and I don’t know if it didn’t come across very well on my Kindle, however, it felt disjointed.

I could not warm to the characters - our protagonist had an affair and so I struggled to feel any sympathy for her. She’s a successful lawyer who, to me, breaches ethics when she willingly walks into an affair with a man whose will she is overseeing. Her neediness during the relationship grated, after all, if she decided to throw her lot in with a married man, she should have expected him to stay with his wife. She is an intelligent woman and so this could not have been a shock.

The way he treats her makes it clear she is just ‘the bit on the side’, perfectly highlighted by this interaction: “Do you love me?” “Well, I think about you when we’re not together ... is that enough”.

The fact that she’s married, with children, and is happy to ignore her husband and children for the sake of the affair just makes her appear selfish and self-indulgent.

How does she have the energy to have an affair, when she’s juggling a busy career and busy ignoring her family? And how is she able to keep it a secret? And why is she ready to risk her career and her reputation for such an egotistic and selfish man? I never really found that out.

There are definite echos of ‘Single White Female’ when she starts stalking the wife (because it is stalking, in every sense).

I had the slightest stirring of sympathy near the end of the book when she had to deal with the ‘surprise’ she had been left with, but his lack of support did not shock me. What did was the fact that this didn’t open her eyes to the kind of man he was - a privileged egotist, used to getting his own way. And again, when I found out she blamed herself for his death, that would be something terrible to have to try and come to turns with.

I struggled to read this book and, having double-checked other reviews, I did really wonder if I was reading the same book, which goes to show that not everyone likes the same thing (which is a good thing and brings us variety in literature that is needed)

I’m not sure there are words to describe how I felt about Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan. Never before have I read the last page of a novel and genuinely felt compelled to immediately turn back to page 1 and read it all over again. Nor have I ever before devoured a book in a day and then desperately wished I had read it much slower, savoured each page, sentence, word even. This book is incredible.

Written in free verse, it is an intimate portrayal of marriage, family and infidelity. In the opening pages we learn that Connor, the man with whom Ana has been having a secret extra-marital affair, is dead. Through vignettes of varying lengths, which switch between the present day and the past, we learn how the two met, how the affair began and how their feelings towards each other and their spouses progressed over time. In the present, Ana battles with the fact she is forced to internalise her grief, dealing with it in an often questionable way. The inner workings of her probably doomed marriage are also examined, leaving me wondering how different their lives might have been if Ana had managed to remain faithful.

This is a tense and emotional read, with a rawness that demands the reader’s full and undivided attention. I can’t say that I particularly warmed to any of the characters or their actions but their grief, flaws, desperation and fragility make them feel strangely relatable, their stories utterly compelling.

Sarah Crossan’s writing is new to me but I will definitely be going back to read some of her YA novels. I am utterly in awe of her ability to use the fewest words to portray the hugest events and emotions; every word seems deliberately placed, none superfluous.

I was kindly gifted an eARC of this book by Bloomsbury for review but I’m going to go out and buy the hardback when it releases this Thursday. I want to read it again, slowly this time, in order to pick up more of the symbolism that I’m certain I missed first time round. But I also suspect the page layout in the print version will add even more to the reading experience.

This was so different to the kind of books I usually enjoy but I absolutely 100% adored it. it will be in my top 5 novels of the year for sure. Go out and buy it!

I love Sarah Crossan's other books so was really excited about this one. It surpassed my expectations, it was wonderful, heartbreakingly beautiful. I could not put it down.

This is my first Sarah Crossan book and it won't be the last. I loved the way this was written juxtaposing the height of the relationship and the lows and aftermath. Ana was such a complex character and I found myself switching between feeling sorry for her and feeling annoyed by her. Crossan beautifully captured adultery and loss in such a raw and powerful way.

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year. Even if a situation feels like it has been done and written about before, Sarah Crossan's beautiful writing will always bring something nuanced and unique. Every word and each verse is chosen and constructed so carefully and deliberately. I love the experience of reading her verse novels, even when they delve into painful, difficult and 'ugly' places. I recommend her young adult books to people of all ages too - they are unforgettable, emotional and thought-provoking experiences, with equally wonderful writing.

I read this book very quickly, I found I couldn’t put it down as has happened with all the Sarah Crossan titles I have read.
As a school librarian I have been aware of Sarah Crossan’s incredible way with words and the unique way they are laid out on the page for the reader, and also of her popularity amongst young people as a writer. The topics that she writes about are always current and fresh and described in a gripping way.
This first novel aimed at adult readers does not disappoint. Ana discovers that her lover has died in a heartbreaking way and the novel unfolds into the gritty reality of the last three years they have spent together.
The characters seem very real and their thoughts and feelings are conveyed beautifully to the reader in Sarah Crossan’s unique poetic way of writing.
This is a real treat for adult readers and I hope there is more to come for this new age bracket that Sarah Crossan is writing for, but would also heartily recommend that any new readers of Sarah Crossan look to her back catalogue of young adult work - they certainly will not be disappointed.

I just loved this book.

Written at times like a piece of poetry.

We follow one woman, the other woman, a woman scorned if you will.

After finding out that her lover has passed away in a tragic accident, we become immersed in their relationship. Finding out how they met, the passion between their love and their hate because being the other woman comes with its own grievances.

This book is clever because really there isn't an awful lot going on - simple in its layout - but somehow it remains gripping and edgy.

A speedy read.

Finished within a couple of hours, I found myself falling deeper into the tale wondering just where the lies would lead.

I was shocked part way through when I realised that the protagonist herself was also married.

Here is the Beehive shows just how tangled our lives can be, secrets that are kept right under our noses, makes you question those around you.

Sarah Crossan has done a fantastic job at creating something quite raw and real. I think all the more compelling as it could (and possibly has) happen in real life, this story could well be someone's reality.

A story about love, loss and family. The whole story is beautifully written and thought provoking.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Here is the Beehive is an entire story written in verse, it takes getting used to but when it has settled it lends an interesting twist to this contemporary fiction. The verse structure allows the plot to move smoothly between the vital points of the book.
Sarah Crossan tells the story of Connor and his mistress Ana. Connor is involved in a fatal car crash ending his 3 yearlong affair. Ana is sure she is more than the other woman and that they would eventually leave their significant others for each other to live happily ever after, with her plan cut short she has no one to find comfort in as it was just that, an affair.

The story cuts between when Connor and Ana initially met as well as the present day. Her flashbacks make the book disjointed at times. Ana is a character you are supposed to hate, but there’s part of me that great sympathy for her too. She neglects her family to be with Connor to the point you truly do wonder why her husband still lets her have access to her children. Ana was not in love with Connor it was more sinister, obsession. When he dies, she takes her obsession to a whole other level by trying to wean her way into his life by befriending his widowed wife, Rebecca.


Ana’s destructive behaviour is unsettling and it’s even more so that her safe space is in her affair. She worships Connor, often putting him on a pedestal but the seed of doubt is planted when she becomes closer to Rebecca. Rebecca confides in her and it soon becomes clear that Rebecca is not the evil wife that Connor has painted her as. The deeper Ana delves into Rebecca’s grief the more that she questions if her affair was real, did he ever love her? To me, Connor was the ultimate deceiver. He was a man that had wanted his cake and to eat it, realistically he was never going to leave his doting wife. He took advantage of Ana as a vulnerable woman and lied to her to keep his control over her.

The ending was unexpected, I was convinced that the ending would consist of a blood bath with Rebecca and her kids, but the unexpected gave Ana another form of humanity.

I've loved every one of Sarah Crossan's young adult books; her free verse novels were the first encounter I had with that writing style, and it was a revelation.

Here is the Beehive is Crossan's first foray into writing for an adult audience, and while she carries across her distinctive style, lyricism and elegance, the plot and topic is profoundly different. Her young adult novels certainly don't shy away from difficult topics - death, illness, crime, but Here is the Beehive deals with the aftermath of a hidden affair.

I have to say I found it a deeply unsettling read. Ana finds out the man with whom she has been having a secret affair has died - but as only his best friend knew about it, she has to cope alone. The description of the disintegration of her mental health is desperately hard hitting, and very uncomfortable reading. Very well done, but I found this a difficult book.

I've just told a friend that she needs to read it so we can discuss it - I can't say I liked it, but I'm still thinking about it weeks later.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a massive fan of Sarah Crossan's and regularly recommend her books, especially "One" and "Moonrise".

She has developed a form and style all of her own and, with her use of verse and powerful emotion, her writing packs an incredible punch. "Here is the Beehive" was no exception to this, although - written for adults - it had a very different feel to her other books.

Ana is at the heart of this novel and, at the start of the novel, she has been having an affair with Connor for three years. When a tragic accident takes place, she is left in the very difficult position of having to hide her grief from those around her. She becomes deeply interested in Connor's wife and the book tells the story of this short period in Ana's grief.

Ana is both destructive and self-destructive. I didn't find her a likeable character and this meant I felt at a remove from her as I read. I felt some empathy at points, but largely I found myself annoyed with her selfishness and cruelty.

Beautiful writing at point, but ultimately very frustrating read that left me dissatisfied.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Crossan's first novel for adults sparkles with originality and style.
Modern marriage and adultery told in a lucid and exacting style. The messy outpourings of love, jealousy and grief, all drawn with a rare confidence. The delicate cruelties of life are all perfectly observed.
Sparse and heartbreaking. As tender as it is brutal.

I was intrigued by the concept of this novel. Ana and Connor had been having an affair when he suddenly died. (Not a spoiler as this happens within minutes of picking up the book.) As the other woman who no one knows about, how can Ana grieve? How can she face the future without a man she undoubtedly loved passionately?
Beautifully written, using poetic flow and emotive evocative descriptions, I was desperate to find out what happened in the past and what would happen next.
It wasn't an easy read as Ana was not a character I could like. (I tried.) This made it hard to read. She is a very unhappy and flawed character and I particularly struggled with her neglectful parenting. Those children are going to need some therapy!
Thank you to Sarah Crossan, her publishers and @NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review #HereistheBeehive, which is the authors first adult book. I will definitely read her next book.

I had really high expectations going into this book, and unfortunately it fell flat for me. I have read most of Sarah Crossan's other work and thoroughly enjoyed her writing and storytelling.

For the most part of this book I don't think I could tell you what was really happening, I knew there had been an affair and lives were crossing but not much more. I was expecting more from this book and I think had it been written about teens / a different story it would have been a fair bit better.

Overall, I like that it's written in prose, but this one didn't hit the mark for me.

This is a fantastic story of grief and what it's like to grieve someone who was never really yours. Sarah Crossan writes beautiful lyrical verse and I was hooked into Ana's life and couldn't put this down.

Here Is The Beehive is unlike anything I have ever read before, and I’m not sure if I loved it or am left disappointed by it. Easy to divulge in one sitting because of the poetic structure, it is a beautifully written book but one that feels claustrophobic in its central character’s depression.

Ana is the other woman in an affair, grieving for a man that nobody else knows she even knew. Part of her is full of regret and shame, and the other is left completely heartbroken. But mostly, she’s full of bitterness. She’s bitter because a woman that Connor didn’t love is being comforted for her loss, while Ana is forced to go back to her unhappy life as if nothing ever happened. But did he still love Rebecca? Would he have actually left her? We follow the torment in Ana’s mind as she tries to piece things together for herself, a painful journey that isn’t always easy to read.

Affairs aren’t something you can easily relate to, so it’s a story that we shouldn’t really sympathise with because Ana is admittedly in the wrong. But is it so bad that she found happiness? That she wanted to be loved so badly? I felt a little empathy for her at times because the heart wants what the heart wants, and I set aside my judgement to understand her side of the story, but her misery weighs you down so much that you can’t see the justifications in her actions.

I wanted to know more about why Ana and Connor started their affair in the first place. Why did she find him attractive? What sparked their connection? Maybe this was to ensure that we didn’t feel connected to a relationship that was based on deceit, but I didn’t feel any passion between them. They both just seemed constantly unhappy. Ana was never satisfied, which made her impossible to engage with. But I can see why she’s written this way. Affairs show us the worst in people, and that’s certainly what Here Is The Beehive does.

But I kind of admire this bleakness, as well. It’s sharp and blunt and isn’t flowered with positivity just to make it feel more approachable, so I love how true to life it is at the same time. But Ana’s mood is so dark. She’s destructive and full of self-hate which makes it an uncomfortable read, for the most part. I felt her pain, but I wanted to feel her heartbreak, and for that, I needed to feel the love between her and Connor.

Although its fluid narrative makes for an easy read, it’s easy to get disorientated between the past and present because of the book’s structure and confused over different characters when you aren’t allowed the time to be introduced to them properly. There’s also a transphobic comment by one character which seemed completely unnecessary. There are many hints to modern issues such as email scamming and gender dysphoria which I liked, but this one comment wasn’t needed without any more being said about it, especially when it was the only conversation Connor had with Ana before their affair started.

I’m torn with my rating on this book. Part of me wants to rate it a four because of how emotive and raw it is, and I love a story that makes me feel sad. I also love the prose and there are so many beautiful lines of text, but I just didn’t like the characters, which is what makes me want to rate it lower. Either way, it’s certainly a book that I will be thinking about for a long time.

A tale of illicit love, clandestine meetings, and all those we hurt along the way: "It is in the the pause, after the simple question when the liar is revealed". Is it really better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all? As every great love story invariably ends in tragedy...Read it!

This is my first book by Sarah but I absolutely loved it!

I loved Ana's story but felt so many emotions towards her love interests throughout...

Such a good read, a beautiful story! I can't recommend enough x