Thank you to Harper Collins Audio for the ARC Audiobook to listen & review.

“The relationship you have with your mother will be the backbone to your entire existence.“

Having not read the earlier two prequels following Renee & Flo in Guernsey, I was none the wiser to their history, friendship, etc. If you’re the same, I wouldn’t let that deter you; Dawn does a brilliant job in Honey Bee of exploring the challenges women face in early adulthood. From getting a sense of who we are (purpose, identity, male gaze, etc.) to managing grief, and heavier topics like addiction and sexual abuse.

I don’t particularly connect with any one of the characters, but it’s an enjoyable read nonetheless.

🍯 Audiobook Review 🐝

Title : Honeybee
Author : Dawn O Porter
Genre : Contemporary Fiction
Rate : 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thanks to @netgalley for an ARC copy of this audiobook. This was published on 26th September 2024.

Ever feel in like your winging it in life?
For best friends Renee and Flo, adulthood isn’t anything like what they thought it was gonna be.
Renee’s dream of becoming a writer is going nowhere and Flo is hiding a secret she is ashamed off, while also both failing in love and work.

Why didn’t anyone warn them that adulthood wasn’t anything like freedom but more of a trap?

We follow Renee and Flo work their way through their lives, figuring out who they are, with some disasters along the way. But will they find the secret to living their best lives? And will they be strong enough to stick together?

This was a brilliant story of 2 friends finding their way in the world, and realising what really matters in life.
These 2 girls captivated me and had me laughing out loud at multiple times.
However it also hit on some more serious issues and was dealt with in a great manner.

This is my first book by Dawn but I really enjoyed her writing style. I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future.

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This is one of those books that every girl needs to read! You follow 2 girls navigating their 20s but it’s also so much more than that. It touches on perimenopause, grief, love, alcoholism and more. I absolutely whizzed through this and I’m excited to pick up more of the authors work.

The writing was witty but also so touching. Truly an amazing read

Great narrator and audiobook. Liked the dual pov but for me this didn't get me as excited I was for the hype. I still want to try more from this author.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



✨ real life based feel, affair, menopause.


⚠️ some of the chapters have triggers so be aware.

✨ For the few chapters, I wasn’t invested and felt like it wasn’t me. But , I continue and I’m glad I did. It’s great to be something hits reality of some people can feel.
Definitely worth the read but be mindful for some triggers.


✨ Thankyou @harpercollinsuk for the opportunity to read this book for a honest review.



❤️ shaye.reads

Honeybee follows the lives of two friends as they navigate their way through life and real life. It deals with a lot of real life scenarios but with a light hearted approach. I couldn’t stop liking best friends Flo and Renèe as we follow their lives, the highs and lows and everything in between.

It was nice to catch up with the girls from Paper Airplanes and Goose, now in their 20's and having to face adulthood and all the pitfall's that it ensues.
I listened to the audiobook while I was working and there were points where I was engrossed enough to stop working, but overall it was easy enough to follow along. The narrators (dual) were OK and did bring life to the characters.
Having some knowledge of Dawn's life that's she's shared, I can see a whole lot of it in the book and these parts do feel genuine and having been only a couple of years older than the girls in 2001, a lot of this did ring true, and now that I'm older I felt more connected to the older characters, particularly the menopause parts lol. Overall a nice entry into the previous books, it's nice to come back to characters that you already know, but that you don't need to have read the other books as there are plenty of explanations of what's gone on before

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review it if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to listen and review it if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

Looks at the crazy time between finishing university and having to adult! A time many of us can relate to. It’s an easy read with some funny and some heart warming moments! It’s an easy read with well thought out characters.

Honeybee - Dawn O'Porter

Having read all of Dawn O'Porters previous books I was super excited to get stuck into Honeybee. I really liked the back and forth chapters of friends Renée and Flo, I thought their relationship was really engaging and interesting. I liked how the author touched onto some tricky topics, I always feel she does this with compassion and a very real essence. I personally didn't warm to the two main characters as much as I have with characters in other books by this author but I felt this did not matter in terms of my enjoyment. I thought the narrators did an amazing job at bringing the characters to life. Many thanks HarperCollins UK Audio for the audiobook in return for my honest thoughts and opinions

The story dives into the complexities of identity and friendship, centered around a unique protagonist navigating life's ups and downs. O’Porter’s writing is both heartfelt and engaging, with moments that made me laugh and tear up.

The character development is fantastic; I loved watching the growth of the main character. However, there were parts that felt a bit predictable, which pulled me out of the story at times.

Overall, Honeybee is a touching exploration of acceptance and love in all its forms. It left me feeling hopeful and connected to the characters, making it a worthwhile read!

This is one of those must-read novels for all early-20-something-year-olds! I loved following Flo and Renée’s misadventures as they tried to become "adults" despite feeling like they're still teenagers and wishing desperately that someone would just figure all of life out for them - #relateable. Despite the characters' flaws (and there are many!) it's impossible not to like them, and the author did an incredible job of not only keeping things realistic but also keeping the mundane everyday things interesting. No matter how many mistakes Flo and Renée made (especially Renée) I still loved them dearly because, in the end, we're all trying to figure out life, and it very very easy to relate to the two girls. This is definitely a book I'll be coming back to in the future, and one I'll be recommending to all other twenty-somethings too!

This novel is split between the 2 characters of Renée and Flo in alternating chapters.

O'Porter writes these characters to seem exactly the opposite to one another being brought together through the funeral of someone they used to go to school with.

It's as we get further in this novel that we realise that both characters have a lot of similarities, and they're just trying to make it in the world. Twenty-two-year-olds trying to make it through life and get away from their hometown of Guernsey

I loved how this author twisted everything around, that everything you expect with one character the opposite happens. This book kept me on my toes and always had me wondering what would happen next.

I found this novel to be about friendship, failure and facing life challenges.

I like how these main characters were realistic living everyday circumstances and you could never dislike either one of them

This was a really deep novel and one that I very much enjoyed.

Thank you Netgalley for this copy of Dawn Porter new book honeybee.

Dawn Porter is an amazing talent and I loved the idea of two friends in they early 20s finding out how hard life can be, adulthood can be a shock to the system without added bumps in the road.

Beautifully written and a easy read I would recommend this to our bookclub.

I loved Cat Lady. so much. of course i was excited to read another Dawn O'Porter book. but sorry this wasn't it for me...

basically this book is about figuring out and navigating adulthood, making mistakes, being lost in the process. but the cheating part annoyed me so much. like girl wtf were you thinking??? the resolution of it all also felt underwhelming. like by over 90% mark everything was still messy, and suddenly it's over.

i also hate the fact that the cheater man could get away with it?? poor his wife. it was mostly fucked up, even for the sake of learning from mistakes. so sorry i didn't enjoy this book as much as i hoped.

the narrators were good tho. i enjoyed their performance, and probably the main reason I endured this book

Flo and Renée, childhood best friends who reunite on the tiny Channel Island of Guernsey, find themselves figuring out adult life post-university and who they are/wish to be in this gorgeous novel.

I think what this book does really well is that it is technically a Coming of Age story, but it doesn’t feel like a genre story in that sense. There’s a really distinct start and end to the story we join them for and that makes that time of their lives feel really pivotal. Having been written by someone who is slightly older than them, gives it a beautiful sense of hindsight and retrospect which works really nicely with how pivotal everything feels.

The characters are incredible well written, and thought through, so different from one another but so similar at the same time.

The sense of place was by far my highlight.
It’s written in a way that makes Guernsey the catalyst to the entire narrative yet also the backdrop at the same time. Dawn’s descriptions are lyrical and accurate and creates beautiful visuals.

My only small improvement would be that I read this as an audiobook, and I think it would have been beneficial to have 2 narrators - 1 each for the 2 girls, as it occasionally got confusing.

All in all, the book is tender and funny (the reply all!!) and I will definitely be recommending - and looking at flights to Guernsey.

Honeybee is the story of two school friends who find themselves living together in their early 20's by circumstance more than choice. They try and navigate their new relationship with adulting in the noughties.

Honeybee isn't a bad book, Dawn is a great story teller and is able to tell a serious story without it seeming like a lecture. This issue is the characters. Renee and Flo are just really unlikeable with no accountability and no self awareness and it makes it really hard to root for either of them. The best characters by far are Renee's aunt and the elderly neighbour who lives below the girls but neither are fully explored.

Overall Honeybee is a good, gentle read but not one of the best from Dawn.

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
This was an interesting read. I'd say, especially for people who are trying to find their way in life. How to navigate and to realise you're not a complete screw up, even if it looks that way. It's a raw and real story of how we as women face challenges along the way. We might think we are alone in it, as people don't like to talk about or show the non-instagrammable stuff in life. But really, we're all going through the same things, maybe in slightly different ways. It's the perfect book to read if you're unsure about your life and also a good read when you do think you have your life together. Also, after reading this I'm longing for a visit to Guernsey!
⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Multiple POVs/Timelines
Island life
Troubles in life

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
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.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Dawn O’Porter for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to provide a voluntary honest and unbiased opinion.

I didn’t connect with this book at all. I think this is more suitable to the younger audience.

I enjoyed this story, but felt it was more suited to a younger audience. I've not read any Dawn O'Porter books previously and I didn't realised these were recycled characters.
Great if you want something light hearted.