Well, after following Flo and Renee through Paper Aeroplanes, and Goose, I was looking forward to this, their next chapter. And I have to say I have mixed emotions about it.
We start with the two of them back in Guernsey. Renee is currently staying with her Aunt Jo and still floundering in life, still wanting to write. Flo is returning back from London, arriving with a huge suitcase, the two reuniting at the funeral of an old enemy. Long story short but, after not speaking for ages, their reunion is not particularly smooth, but after the alcohol starts flowing, they eventually sort of make up... They also both move in together, into Flo's brother's flat, vacant whilst he is away.
Flo starts her new job at the Guernsey branch of the ad agency she was working for in London, and is a bit upset when Renee also gets a job there...
And so begins a bit of a warts and all, throw everything into the mix, story that has the two young women facing up to certain things as their lives are thrown into turmoil. I personally found this to be maybe a bit too busy and certain main topics that could have been developed more suffered by the overload of issues that were discussed within the girls' lives. It probably also didn't help that, despite our previous relationship over the first two books, I failed to reconnect with them probably. I did however migrate to Aunty Jo, bonding over the menopause of all things!
All in all, mixed emotions about this book. But I think, on the whole, despite the above, mostly positive. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I really enjoyed it this book.
I've read reviews stating that it may be for the younger audience, at 42, I enjoyed it, and was able to reminisce about when I partied a lot!
It covered a lot of different issues, alcoholism, affairs, bereavement, not being comfortable in one owns skin.
All in all, I think it was done well and I'm happy I read it. I liked all of the characters. I wish I'd got to see a bit more of Lilian, as she was a hoot.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful feel good read this is. It’s not all happy, in fact it all starts with a funeral where former childhood friends, now estranged, meet and rekindle their friendship. I’ve since found out that there are two previous books featuring Renée and Flo but this read well as a standalone. It’s 2001 and both women, now 22 years old, are back on their childhood home of Guernsey. Flo has been living and working in London and Renée has been living in Spain with her father and his second family.

Briefly, their friendship soon rekindled the two women soon end up both living and working together, the latter much to Flo’s chagrin. With Renée’s encouragement Flo starts to let her hair down but it’s all too much for her and her stress levels rocket. Meanwhile Renée is attracted to an older man and she finds herself falling head over heels, but there is just one problem, one massive problem!

A character driven story about relationships and forgiveness there are some great characters in the book. Strangely I didn’t love the two main characters but I did love their elderly neighbour Lilian and Renée’s Aunt Jo, probably more my age to be fair, as well as the two women working with Renée and Flo. Renée really annoyed me at first but as her story was revealed it became clear that her party girl, fun loving, devil may care attitude, was her reaction to her childhood. Flo similarly was quite annoying but in her case it was clear fairly early on what her issues were and sad that no one had tried to help her sooner. There are some difficult issues dealt with in the book including menopause, alcoholism, adultery and sexual promiscuity but I thought they were handled well. This was an enjoyable read that I finished in a day and the end left me feeling very satisfied.
4.5⭐️

Honeybee tells the story of two estranged best friends, Flo and Renee, who reconnect on their childhood island of Guernsey after an unexpected funeral. Despite the initial awkwardness, they move in together and confront the argument that caused their friendship to fracture years ago.

Renee dreams of leaving the island to pursue a writing career in London, while Flo is returning from London, hiding a secret she's struggling to keep. As they both end up working at the same marketing company, their friendship is tested again, but it also gives them a chance to support each other through life's challenges.

The book balances humour with moments of tragedy, reminiscent of a Dawn O'Porter novel. Honeybee is a light yet thoughtful summer read, blending humour with more serious themes.

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I had mixed feelings going into this book as I found Dawn's last one not really to my taste. However I was glad to discover that she is back to her best. I really would recommend.

I read the first couple of chapters but found that this book wasn’t for me at this time. I’m sure plenty of others will love this book, and maybe in time, I will too. I guess it’s a case of wrong time, right book.

Honeybee by Dawn O'Porter

Honeybee is a good book that touches on incredibly important and often overlooked topics. I loved reading about everyday issues that no one really talks about, like grief, menopause, and yes, even fanny flaps! Dawn O'Porter’s candid approach to these subjects was both refreshing and thought-provoking.

The audiobook was also fantastic and I highly recommend.

The story itself is compelling and well worth the read!

This was more of a slower burn that her other books but I found it very hard hitting and my god the laugh out loud moments! I loved the audiobook, the narrator was perfect! The female friendships in this were perfect and I adored it. I am very drawn to plots with difficult mother/daughter relationships as it reminds me I’m not the only one that doesn’t have the perfect ‘my mum is my best friend’ life

A cute coming of age read focused mainly on the friendship between Flo and Renee. The book also gave a good feel of the island of Guernsey.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I was excited to read this as I loved other books by Dawn previously, This one was such a great read with amazing characters and relationships.

“Honeybee” is a really lovely book but not one that avoids some dark subjects. It tells the story of Flo and Renee, two young women who have been friends since school on the island of Guernsey where they grew up. They have both had grief in their lives and grew apart in their late teens/early twenties but find themselves back “home” and their friendship resumes. But as it does so, they have to confront the issues in their past as well as issues which they find in their present. And they have to work out what they want from their lives now that they’re adults and no longer care free youngsters!

Suffice to say, much happens along their paths of self discovery and a lot of it, I’m sure, people will relate to, I know I did. And it’s written in a wonderfully low key way which I mean as a compliment, It didn’t feel like there were any ridiculously big plot points that were clearly signposted. Everything that happened seemed to happen much more naturally and therefore felt more real.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to others. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

“A sweet tale”
This is a lovely story about facing your past, dealing with your present and stepping into your future. I hadn’t read Dawn O’Porter’s first book so Flo & Renee were new to me; it might have helped with some threads but ultimately made no difference to my enjoyment of the book.
The start intrigued me, and watching the story grow from that point was engaging and clever. The setting of a small island, Guernsey, was written like a love letter to a place Dawn clearly holds close to her heart, and rightly so. The double narrators bring a vibrancy and change of pace to reading, which meant I always wanted to read more.
This story deals with some big issues; grief, growing up, love, families, life changes and illness. There are almost too many to do justice to, and at times I found myself wanting each storyline to have more time to play out and develop.
I was also unsure why the story was set in the past, with a major world event slightly disjointedly included, but maybe I missed that in the blurb (or the first novel!)
Overall this had enough to keep me page turning and invested, and perhaps even wanting more….

I always enjoy a book by Dawn O'Porter so I was thrilled to reveive digital copy of her latest book, Honeybee. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for providing an ARC.

Renee and Flo used to be best friends but have drifted apart since leaving school. At the age of 22 the two friends are brought back together at a funeral on their home island of Guernsey. Both women have their own struggles and demons to face. Can they rekindle their friendship and support each other while working out how to be an adult?

I found this to be a wonderful read, full of warmth, wit and some truly cringey moments. We hear from both Renee's and Flo's POVs who are great characters, who one moment had me laughing out loud and the next shedding a tear. This book has all the feels. I did love the side characters too, in particular Aunty Jo. It was good to read about character going through menopause, a subject I really relate to. I would love a book with Aunty Jo as the MC.

While Renee and Flo have featured in previous books, it's not necessary to read those first to enjoy this book as it totally works as a stand-alone. I would definitely recommend Honeybee if you're looking for a laugh out loud book with strong female characters.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Honeybee.

I really enjoyed this, it was funny, relatable, in terms of figuring out your life/ finding work situation and I loved Flo and Renee’s friendship . I didn’t like Ben or the affair storyline however, really enjoyed the writing style and the dual perspectives.

Five stars from me.

When Flo and Renee go their separate ways after school, they are reunited randomly at the funeral of their common bully. Tracking the ups and downs of their relationship, Honeybee is a story about female friendship and the trials and tribulations of being a woman.

I got into this book really easily and enjoyed seeing the characters develop. I read Dawn O’Porter’s Cat Lady last year, and like that book, Honeybee is well-balanced between serious topics and humour. I found a couple of the plot points a bit predictable but overall I found it a thought-provoking, funny and heartwarming read.

Renee and Flo are besties, they live in the Channel Islands , Guernsey to be exact. This is about them and their experiences whilst they deal with life as young adults. I love Dawn and I loved this. Amazingly written as always.

I really enjoyed this story about Renee and Flo's friendship and how they navigated their early 20's as 'grown ups'. Dawn's writing is very sharp and funny and I laughed out loud whilst listening. I found them relatable and real and loved Lillian's character too and Aunty Jo's menopause struggle.

Last 2 audiobook chapters were missing so I requested the written version to complete the book. Enjoyed reading it as much as listening but really loved the narrators. One of them sounded a lot like Dawn and I was surprised that it wasn't her!

When life gives you lemons, make sure you have a decent wing woman who will sweep them straight in the bin and pour you a glass of wine. Renée and Flo had their hopes pinned on securing high flying marketing jobs and winning at life, but reality keeps stamping all over their plans. Adulting is so much harder than they imagined with disappointments in work and love. The pair nose dive into one disaster after another, but arm in arm, they tackle it together with lots of laughs alongside the melée disasters. A wonderful celebration of female friendship and solidarity. A freeing and uplifting read despite some heavy topics. #honeybee #dawnoporter #netgalley

Honeybee is a gem of a read about youth, resilience and self discovery.

I loved the warmth and wit of Dawn O’Porters writing. A character centred story, I was so invested in Renee and Flo’s experience of navigating relationships, grief and loss, substance use and finding their purpose and place. The egocentricities of youth were captured with empathy and understanding, and the broader story read as a testament to the female experience, of aging, relationships, adjustment, health and identity.

I’d highly recommend to anyone looking for a heartwarming and captivating read, and look forward to picking up more of O’Porter’s work.

Thank you HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for a copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Many thanks for netgalley for allowing me to review this book. I really enjoyed this book, so much so I read it in under 24 hours. It was a perfect way to show the imperfections of young adults and how office culture can be so difficult. Flo and Renee had to find their new place as friends but also when push came to shove, they were each others people and meant to be in each others lives. The book shows so beautifully how important real friendships are and to cherish them. I will definitely be reading more from this author.