Dawn O’Porter's Honeybee is a tender and witty exploration of life, love, and self-acceptance. O'Porter creates a rich, relatable world filled with complex characters navigating the messy realities of modern life. Her sharp and humorous writing delves into themes of identity, relationships, and the pursuit of happiness, capturing both the lighthearted and poignant moments of the protagonist's journey. Honeybee is a refreshing and heartwarming read, brimming with honesty and warmth, reminding us of the beauty in embracing our true selves amidst life's chaos.

Honey Bee by Dawn O’Porter

The Blurb ~
For best friends Renée and Flo, adulthood isn’t the party they expected.
Renée’s dreams of being a writer are going nowhere. Flo’s hiding a secret shame. They’re both failing in work and love.
Why did nobody warn them? Why does adulthood feel less like freedom, and more like a trap?
Careening from one disaster to the next, and learning to spread their… wings, Renée and Flo must uncover the secret to living their best lives.
But maybe we never stop growing up. And maybe they’ll survive the course – if only they stick together.

My Thoughts ~ Even though this book covers quite a few difficult topics (alcoholism, grief, menopause, family feuds, to name a few) it is laugh out loud funny! The main characters are really likeable ~ I loved the girls’ friendship and the way they stuck by each other no matter what! I also adored Renée’s friendship with their elderly neighbour Lilian (when she farted in public 😆) The book is mostly set in Guernsey, which is now on my list of places I’d like to visit!
This is the first Dawn O’Porter book I have read and it definitely won’t be my last! In fact I have just discovered that ‘Honey Bee’ is actually the third Renée and Flo book - so I have just ordered the previous two (Paper Aeroplanes and Goose)
A solid four stars from me! 🐝🐝🐝🐝

Thank you to @harpercollinsuk for providing a digital ARC of this book in return for an honest review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#honeybee #dawnoporter #reneeandflo #netgalley #bookreview #arc #harpercollins

Honeybee by Dawn O'Porter revisits characters she first wrote about as young teenage girls in Paper Aeroplanes. It is now 2001 and Flo and Renee are young women struggling with what it means to be adults, trying to find their place in the world and get their careers established , but circumstances have brought them both back to their native island of Guernsey. Adulthood is far more difficult than either of them imagined and they are each struggling in their own ways but the power and strength of their friendship will help them both through, if they can remember to trust and support each other along the way.
I did not realise when I first picked this up that it was part of a series, and I had not read any of the previous books but I have to say that this worked perfectly as a standalone, the author seamlessly seeds any relevant history into the story so it never felt like I was missing part of the story and instead I fully believed that this pair of young women had been best friends for years. Written with the author's trademark blend of humour and poignancy, this book definitely takes the reader on an emotional journey, but one that will definitely have you chuckling to yourself as you read. I also loved the wise older female characters in the book and the suggestion that they have so much to offer if given a chance to shine. If you love a character driven story that highlights the importance and value of female friendships this is absolutely a book for you.

I really enjoyed Honeybee by Dawn O’Porter. The friendship between Flo and Renee was fraught with distance, conflict, understanding and love throughout the book. Dawn doesn’t shy away from the themes of alcoholism and death in this book, but these themes aren’t dealt with lightly. I felt the book gave a real voice to two women in their early twenties trying to patch up their friendship, while living together and deal with their own struggles. Excellent book, I think I will reread this book again at some point in the near future. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Cat Lady by Dawn O’Porter so was excited to read her new offering. It’s safe to say that Honeybee did not disappoint. A story about female friendships, winging it and adult life wasn’t something I was sure I would enjoy but from the first page I was hooked.

I think this is down in part to writing. O’Porter manages to write in a way that is both witty yet sensitive. You feel seen while reading the books and at the same time you can poke a bit of fun at yourself and ridiculousness of it all at the same time. She also manages to cover topics that can be much harder to tackle such as menopause, grief and alcoholism with a sense of understanding and sympathy. In short you will have all your emotions played with while reading but it will be worth it.

Characters are another thing I liked about O’Porter, not only are some extremely likeable they are all very believable. You can easily see the bond between friend Flo and Renee which helps you get dragged into their life. In short this is definitely worth a read, especially if you feel like you might not have everything fully under control right now.

As always thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for my e-arc. My review is always honest and truthful.

I really enjoyed #Honeybee. A story about womanhood, winging it and the wonders of female friendship.
Best friends Flo and Renee are back together on Guernsey where they grew up. But adulthood is not going to plan…
It’s very well written. Witty and sensitive. It covers many relatable issues like alcoholism, menopause and grief which is done so well, it’s refreshing and thought provoking. It had me laughing and crying. It’s entertaining with many heartwarming moments thrown in.
The characters are well developed and likeable particularly Aunty Jo and Mrs Mangle (Lillian). I loved the friendship bond between Flo and Renee. The author brings the characters to life on the page.
Definitely recommend. It’s well worth a read.
With thanks to #NetGallery #HarperCollinsUK @harperfiction for an arc of #Honeybee in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 26 September 2024.

I’ve enjoyed reading all Dawns books so was looking forward to this

I loved it

Easy to read
Funny
Just great

Keep writing

With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

When I read the author's previous novel, Cat Lady, my initial impression that it was just a bit of chicklit fluff changed over the course of the novel, and that has been the case with Honeybee too.

I gather the two 22-year-old friends who are the main characters, Flo and Renee, have appeared in a couple of YA books already, which I haven't read. In Honeybee they have both come back to Guernsey after a few years away at university and working in London (Flo) and chasing the affections of a distant father in Spain (Renee). The two girls have also been estranged from each other for three years after a visit where the outspoken Renee upset Flo.

Back on Guernsey they reconnect and soon end up living together and working in the same office, a bit of a tall coincidence I felt, but one that is necessary to the slightly convoluted plot and which also highlights how hard it is to maintain boundaries and anonymity on a tiny island. Renee and Flo are both finding the responsibilities of early adulthood challenging, and this is very much a novel about the first steps in growing up and defining who you are, as opposed to your teenage fantasies about who you want to be. It's about facing up to fears and making difficult decisions and accepting responsibility. Along the way, Dawn O'Porter revisits some of the themes that were at the core of Cat Lady - the effects of a mother’s early death, and of the inability of an emotionally stunted father to show affection. Alcoholism and dealing with perimenopause also figure.

If that all sounds like a lot to pack into one novel, maybe it is but it is written lightly and is an easy read. It's not particularly profound and is more Hollywood movie than prizewinning high literature, but it's not fluff. A good holiday read.

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.

http://thesecretbookreview.co.uk

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….