Renee and Flo have been best friends since secondary school and now they find themselves back on the island they grew up on, ready to face it as adults.

I really loved revisiting these two from 'Paper Aeroplanes' and 'Goose'. Their story is still a bit wild but so readable and natural. O'Porter has such an engaging way of writing and this book is no exception, it ebbs and flows in a way that makes it quite difficult to put down!

The content has moved on from the more YA content of the first two stories, and I don't think it matters if you haven't read the first two... I think if you have, you're further invested in the characters but this story is contained in itself too.

It's easy to read in it's style and although it contains themes of alcoholism and death it's not a pessimistic or depressive book. I really enjoyed it, it isn't as twisty or powerful as The Cows or Cat Lady but it's worth a read!

I let out a little squeal when my request was accepted for Dawn O'Porter's upcoming book! She's not only one of my favourite people (gutted that - but understand why - she's taken a step back from Insta) but also one of my favourite authors. Cows & So Lucky are a couple of my favourite books, so go read them if you've not already!
•
Honeybee tells the story of two young best friends who end up back home on the small island of Guernsey. Adulthood hasn't quite started how they both imagined it and so trying to figure out who they are and what they want from life is the aim.
Flo has come back from London, taking on a new role at the marketing company she's been working for. But she's secretly battling inner demons and her way of trying to deal with them? Alcohol. Things are slowly spiralling, but she has it all under control. Right?
Renée has finally given up on building a relationship with her Dad and left him & his new family in Marbella, ready to start working on her goal of becoming a successful writer. It's harder than you think though, to become this hotshot writer she dreams of!
•
The story is a dual POV from both female leads, letting you into their individual perspectives as they both work hard to love each other through the hard times, yet figure out what they want from life.
There are some properly hilarious, laugh-out-loud moments, and I absolutely loved Renée!
As is the way with Dawn's writing, the female characters (all of them!) are unique and just, brilliant! Quirky, down to earth, loveable, relatable. And I feel a special mention should be made of Aunty Jo & Lillian, who both made me smile and wish that all women have role models like these two in their lives.
It was also refreshing to have a broad spectrum of female ages struggling with various stages of womanhood, and especially the menopause.
•
Another cracking book from Dawn O'Porter! Funny, heart-warming, and just a little bit special. If you've loved her previous books, you'll love this. I can kindly recommend this when it's published in September!!

Flo and Renee, who used to be best friends, are both back on Guernsey and, after a brief reunion, living and working together.
My first impression of Renee is that she was disorganised, chaotic and careless. Flo, on the other hand, was a capable office manager, sensible and professional. Well, first impressions are often wrong! I was more drawn to the two older women in the story, Aunty Jo with her bee hives and Lillian, still working in her 80s and wearing gorgeous clothes. Flo and Renee both struggled with unresolved issues relating to their parents, which in the case of Flo and her mum, annoyed me. I did feel Flo should try to see things more from her mum's perspective, and make more of an effort. The "ham sandwich " incident at a restaurant was cringe- city. The humour was a bit hit and miss. I wasn't convinced O'Porter fully succeeded in mixing the humour with the serious topics of belonging, alcoholism and grief.

I always really enjoy Dawn O’Porter’s books so I was very excited to get an advanced copy of her latest book Honeybee! 🤩

The book focuses on best friends Flo and Renee. We first meet them in their school days where they are feeling trapped inside their home island of Guernsey and are desperate to spread their wings and find out who they really are. We meet them a few years later at the age of 22 where they are both feeling pretty disillusioned with life as an adult. Their friendship has drifted although a funeral of an old school acquaintance brings them back together again.

Flo is struggling with her mental health and has some serious issues with alcohol. Renee is also struggling to find her place in the world. Can they be the person that each of them needs to get each other through the tough times?

I love books about female friendship because it really is one of life’s more complex things! Dawn O’Porter explored that complexity really well and showed the highs and lows that friendship can bring, particularly in your twenties. Flo and Renee were a classic case of opposites attract, with Flo being the more serious one and Renee being the more flighty, laid back one. I wasn’t massively keen on Renee’s storyline with Ben. I thought Ben was a coward! But apart from that, I did really enjoy this book and found it very relatable.

I love love love Dawn O’Porters writing style and books. She gets female characters and friendship…….however this one fell short

A lot of it didn’t flow and the connections didn’t match. The characters were very one dimensional.

The book still had Dawn's classic humour and warm, I would recommend reading if you've read the rest but don't start with this one.

A massive thank you to HarperCollinsUK and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thankyou to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an advance copy. Honeybee is about 2 women, Renee and Flo, who grew up together on Guernsey but have since lost contact. They meet again at a funeral and decide to move in together.
This story is definitely inspired by Dawn's own life with a mother who died when she was a child, her life growing up on Guernsey and her sister, who I think inspired Renee's Auntie.
Typically for Dawn, this book is funny and doesn't hold back. The sex and language are fairly graphic, but that's fine with me. It may put off others, though. It seems every book these has a menopausal woman chucked in for good measure. And like the character says in this story, it needs to be talked about, but I wasn't sure what it had to do with anything really.
As well as funny, I also found the story quite moving. The women are dipping their toes in adulthood and finding it hard. There are many themes, alcoholism, bad parenting, infidelity, and loss of a parent. It's gritty.
Well done, Dawn, another cracker!

Another wonderful offering from Dawn O'Porter.
The story focuses on friends Reneé and Flo, as they return to their home in Guernsey.
Both characters were equally relatable and frustrating in their own ways, and I loved reading about them as they navigated the new dynamics of their relationship.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, with some laugh out loud moments along the way. I have since found out their are other books about Reneé and Flo - I will absolutely be seeking them out!

Gutted to say this didn’t live up to my expectation. I loved the Cat Lady by the author, so I was expecting the similar humour and quirkiness, but this book wasn’t it. It is not a bad book, but I expectee something different, I guess, so other people might like it. The friendship between the two girls is lovely to read about. I did like that.

I could have enjoyed the double POV alternating between Renee and Flo, but they share the same tone, so I couldn’t differentiate the two voices. So the book ended up being a bit monotonous.

All in all, 3 stars. I recommend this to readers who love books about female friendship!

Agggh, I wanted to love this book because I really enjoyed Lucky Cow, but I just couldn't get into it. Maybe it's an age thing? I'm in my late thirties and the characters are twenty-two, so I just didn't connect with them. I'm gutted, because I was really looking forward to reading this, and I would definitely still read anything by Dawn in the future.

I'm a fan of Dawn O'Porter and was excited to get the chance to read this book early. Sadly I didn't enjoy it as much as the others, it felt a bit like bringing them back for the sake of it rather than having a story to tell.
It's still an enjoyable read but not one of her best books.

Honeybee by Dawn O'Porter is a funny and heartwarming read about friendship and how it changes over time.

I love Dawn's books and got to read her new one early! It was okay, but not amazing. Two friends, Renee and Flo, are in the story, and I liked how they were close since they were kids. They both have problems, but sometimes it felt fake and weird to read. Dawn's writing is usually funny and bold, but this time it wasn't as funny. It seemed a little too much. I finished the book, but it wasn't my favourite.

I really enjoyed Dawn's other books but I have to admit that I am surprised its now that she's bought Renee and Flo back.

Paper Aeroplanes and Goose were only ever lukewarm for me, but I wondered if that was Dawn getting into her stride as a writer. Now Honeybee has appeared a few books in, I realise that I'm not that invested in the characters.

We meet them again aged 22 and they still are perhaps a bit too young. I wonder if late 20s they may have felt more relatable. Like the setting, but this didn't quite do it for me.

I am a huge fan of Dawn’s books and was happy to receive early access to her new one. However, I feel pretty mixed about Honeybee. Renee & Flo are childhood friends and I enjoyed the dynamic of their relationship. Both have their flaws but I felt at times it was all a bit forced and quite cringy to read. Dawn’s writing style is very upfront and in your face and that has made me laugh out loud in previous books but I wasn’t feeling it so much here. It just felt a bit over the top. Overall, I enjoyed the read but it just wasn’t stand out for me.

Rounding up to 3 stars

Normally I love a O'Porter book, but this one just didn't hit the usually high bar for me.
Maybe the characters were too young (and often irritating) for me.
The only relatable person was the aunt, and I didnt need to menopause explained to me.
There are of course funny bits, and heartwarming bits, and things that will make you cringe, as you'd expect from this author..

I love Dawn’s books and this was a lovely read - welcoming back old friends from Goose and Guernsey

Renee and Flo are back on the island together, leaving behind their plans and dreams as they find themselves back where their friendships began and their home lives broke down. So what has changed now that they are in their early 20s? Well……after a huge falling out previously they first need to re friend. And if that means moving in together and then working together - well what could possibly go wrong?

Set in 2001 with lots of nostalgia from that time, I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you Dawn for your writing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

I am a massive fan of this author’s work, and I was over the moon to read this pre-release copy of ‘Honey Bee’.

As expected, these are relatable characters, and those who are lucky enough to have maintained friendships from younger years will adore this read. There were many scenes in which I found both protagonists charming yet flawed, and I enjoyed getting to know them both.

The storyline is a delightful blend of humour and heartwarming moments. It's a nostalgic and entertaining read that, despite its light-heartedness, tugs at the heartstrings more than once.

If you enjoy books based on strong female friendships, this is a must-read for you!

A five star Read for me, I love all of dawns books, was great to be back with flo and Renee, a wonderful story with some great characters, couldn't put this down

I struggled with this, I'm not going to lie. I'm a massive Dawn fan and love all her other work but I found the whole thing a bit slapstick and a little bit cringe. Hopefully it is just me and others will enjoy but it just wasn't for me.,

Dawn O’Porter’s books often follow the ‘write what you know’ mantra, and luckily for us, all that she knows is massively relatable. This gives her books a warm, comforting feeling, like chatting to an old friend. Even more true in the case of this book, which sees the welcome return of Flo and Reneé into our lives after a much too long absence. Similar themes from lots of Dawn’s other books are touched upon, sensitively and hilariously (sometimes both at once) and I feel v happy that she’s given us an update on all that this lovely pair of pals have been up to lately.