This was something quite different to my usual reads, but I enjoyed it very much nonetheless. The prose is beautiful, even though the story is challenging in places.

Written entirely in verse, Here is the Beehive follows the tale of an affair, from the point of view of a mistress trying to understand more about her (now dead) lover. She eventually befriends his wife as she tries to uncover more about his life.

The whole thing felt rather sordid in places but I think that was the point - to give an honest and frank depiction of an affair and it's aftermath. I found the story totally absorbing, and read the majority over the course of one afternoon.

Tricky subject matter - people will make judgements about the characters on account of their actions here. But the book itself missed the mark for me. Not for me.

I found this book and the vehicle of verse extremely refreshing and novel to me. Not an uplifting story, and the protagonist isn't' always likeable but it's human and the use of verse makes the emotions described more easily accessible.

Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan
I found this story of love and loss powerful to read but the fact that it is written in verse for me made it hard to follow. I have read other books in verse such as the wonderful The Emperor’s Babe by Bernardine Evaristo so it is not the format that made it difficult to access. It is the story of Ana who is devastated when her lover’s wife requests, in a telephone call, that she organises her lover’s will as he is dead.
The affair had been going on for three years and having only spoken to Conor, her lover, a few days previously she finds it difficult to process what she is being asked to do.
The writing is very powerful but I was not fully engaged with the characters. I would like to thank the publishers, the author and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

The story of an affair, written in verse, from the point of view of the mistress who is going to befriend the wife of her dead lover in order to better understand his life. The idea is quite original, but a love story will always be a love story - no matter how sad or frustating it is.

That was probably the point: to tell the truth of the affair, sordid and miserable. Beautiful too, sometimes. And although it isn't Sarah Crossan's best novel, the writing always arouses intense emotions with a very interesting ending.

Woman has an affair. Experiences the loss of her lover and eventually confesses. The ending was a cop out. I hate giving bad reviews, i really like supporting authors. But this book was short unimaginative and sadly uninspiring. This is such a profound topic that could have been explored richly. I really flat experience sadly.

aplacetoread_
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“I want him to tell me that our love shattered you.
I want him to tell me that if you were alive
you would have picked me
eventually.” Sarah Crossan
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"Here Is the Beehive" is a novel written in poetic form that tells the story of Ana, who is unhappily married with two children, and has been having an affair with Connor for three years. When Connor dies at the start of the book, Ana is grieving, but finds herself trapped with her grief; unable to share her thoughts or memories with anyone else. Ana soon becomes obsessed with Connar’s wife Rebecca, while she processes the details of their affair, and contemplates whether Connor would have ever left Rebecca for a life with her.
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Crossann shows how truly destructive an affair can be, not just to the cheated on partners, but, ultimately, to the participants themselves. The relationship in this book is toxic. It consumes and destroys everything it touches.
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The narrative, which is written solely in verse, captured my attention right away. The poetic pages made the style pacey and I imagine many will read this book in a single sitting. I enjoyed the exploration of grief and loss from an alternative perspective.
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Thank you to @netgalley for my copy of this book 🤩

A novel told in verse about a woman dealing with the sudden death of her married lover. This is a really immersive and intense reading experience, you can feel the sadness and obsession pervading Ana's life in the aftermath of her lover's death. Her obsession with Rebecca (her lover's wife) borders on the creepy, at times the novel feels like a record of Ana's spiral into a really dark place.
I enjoyed the way the novel is written in verse, it's very fast paced, but the narrative tends to bounce around a lot from past to present which made me lose track of the story at times. Neverthless,'Here is the Beehive' is a compelling and good read.

A beautifully written book, in verse, about a toxic relationship, this is a fast read but one that got right under my skin. I wish there were more books like this - perhaps there are, I just haven't found them - but this novel in verse thing is so so lush to read when it's well done, and it is so well done here.

It took me a while to get into this book because the style of writing is so unusual. Read an extract and you will see what I mean. The narrative is written as the thought stream of a married probate solicitor, Ana, as she talks to her lover. It opens with a telephone conversation with her lover’s wife in which it is revealed that Connor, her lover, has been tragically killed in a road traffic accident.

There are many twists and turns as Ana gets to know Rebecca, Connor’s wife and each of them peel away the layers of deceit that have surrounded the affair. It is well written and is very thought-provoking.

The ending is fairly good but could have been much more dramatic and impactful.

I would love to see a side story: the thoughts of the ghost of Connor. That would make interesting reading.

This is a short read and is worth the effort.

Sadly I didn’t engage with either of the two main characters, one of which had died. I found Ana’s motivations and self centredness just irritating and at times I wanted to shout at her and her selfishness. The best person in the book was her long suffering husband who didn’t deserve to be treated as he had been. A thoroughly disgusting person with whom I had absolutely no sympathy. All the above just masked a badly written, self indulgent novel.

Very rarely do I come across a book that I feel I should give a bad review - but unfortunately this is one of them.

Such a strange writing style - half a book and I am so glad I had been gifted this book and not spent money.

After 3 years of having an affair with Connor she finds out he has died. With only one other person knowing they were involved.

The writing was more like bullet points - short bursts of dialogue. I do get that this writing style is to accentuate the rawness of Ana's heartache and anger.

For me the book lacked substance and was a weak storyline. Two married people have an affair, the one doesn't want to leave his spouse, back and forth over time thinking it will change. Then for one to die and the one left to be heartbroken and lost. Wanting to clutch on to the memory. And basically that's it.

I see this author has written other books, with good reviews and this one wouldn't put me off trying another of her releases - just sorry this one wasn't for me.

I received this book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased honest review.

A delightful and intriguing approach to the age old story of the other woman who suffers deeply, but is unable to show it, when her lover dies! The verse makes the story fresh and captivating. It is a really good read. Recommended.

I like Sarah Crossan's unusual style of writing and was pulled into this tale that slowly revealed the layers of complexity. Our narrator has just learned of the death of her married lover and we enter her world of grief and the madness that come with it. Very interesting story.

I'd heard a lot about this novel but unfortunately just couldn't get into the flow of the writing or engage with the characters.

This is a beautifully written book with an innovative and clever storyline. A tale of love, loss and I think obsession. It is an easy and quick book to read and I enjoyed reading it. I found the characters to be cleverely drawn and a little sad. However, I do not like the writing style, this is a personal opinion but verse does not work for me and I cannot therefore give it 5 stars.

Ana is married to Paul but loves Connor but Connor is married to Rebecca. A complex tale of an affair cut short by the tragic and untimely death of the other.

This story was written in verse which made it so much easier to read, like sliding into and old jumper or even falling in love with the wrong person.

Although neither Ana or Connor are good people or even likeable for that matter it was hard not to be feel the loneliness and desolation of losing a love but never being able to mourn them.

Fantastic book. I will definitely be looking at more from this author.

I read this gorgeous book over two days yet I know it will stay with me for many more days to come. The writing, which is in verse, is stark yet very beautiful This is a love story that could never have a happy ending, it’s a story about secrets that can never be told. I loved the absolute honesty of the female character, so refreshing, so modern, so real.

I love Sarah Crossan’s writing and I was delighted to receive this copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found the story a very average one, without much plot if I’m honest. The characters weren’t likeable and I wasn’t too invested in where the story went. The writing style made this a very quick read which helped to get through it in under a few hours.

I have been a huge fan of Sarah Crossan's young adult books since 2017, when I went along to a Waterstones event with a friend to hear her talk with Brian Conaghan about how they wrote We Come Apart together.  I read the wonderful One just before the event and I was blown away.  Written for older teenagers, her work is mostly written in verse, which make her books perfect for reluctant readers as they are easily accessible, yet write about quite hard hitting subjects.
Here is the Beehive is her first adult book and is also written in verse. It tells the story of Ana and Connor who have been having an affair for three years. Ana is a solicitor and meets Connor when he visits her on a legal matter. She spots him in a bar some time later and they get talking and so embark on an affair - getting together in hotel rooms and coffee shops, they build a world for just the two of them, away from their spouses and children.
The book begins when she finds out that Connor has died in a tragic accident. They were on a break and she finds out purely by accident when Connor's wife Rebecca calls her in a legal capacity to discuss his will. Ana is utterly alone in her grief - no-one else knew about the affair so Ana has to try and get on with her life as if nothing has happened.
How can we lose someone the world never knew was ours? How do we grieve for something no one else can ever find out?
Ana's solution is to end up befriending Rebecca. She meets her to discuss the will then offers to go to their house to get all the paperwork together that they need. Extending the hand of friendship to the unsuspecting Rebecca, she is desperate for any snippets of their lives that she can discover.
Ana isn't a very likeable protagonist - I always find it hard to have sympathy for someone who has had an affair and despite her devastation of the loss of Connor, she still isn't a sympathetic figure. The books flits back and forwards in time to before and after Connor's death. We hear about the affair from Ana's point of view - about the early thrill of their forbidden relationship and the jealously that springs up between Ana and Connor as they realise their lives are still going on with their spouses. They still have sex with their partners, they still go on holiday. We can see from the outside how badly she treats her husband, especially after Connor's death when she is so engrossed in her grief that she doesn't even pretend to be a caring wife anymore.
It is unusual to read a book where an affair is the central theme. Affairs never end well and it was an uncomfortable book to read as I couldn't help but judge Ana and Connor. But the devastation Ana feels is portrayed brilliantly and there is a lot of emotion, I could really feel what Ana was feeling. Crossan's writing is so clever - she can tell a story so effectively in far fewer words that a normal novel but her writing also packs an emotional punch. An engrossing story, uncomfortable to read but engaging none the less.