Although not a fan of stories told through verse, the reason I requested this book is because of the storyline.

Ana is grieving the death of her lover. Her lover who has a wife and children. How does one grieve the death of someone they aren't supposed to love? She can't grieve loudly & she can't grieve with the others who mourn him.

The verses flit between past and present to build a full picture of Ana, Connor and their love affair. Because of the free form way in which their story is told, some may struggle with the time hopping but I think the author did a great job with making it subtly clear as to when I was reading verses when Connor was alive or when I was reading verses after Connor had died.

Rarely are stories told from the perspective of the other person and so I enjoyed this book for what it was; a look into the life of a tragic secret.

Thank you @netgalley for this arc.

This was such a beautiful, yet tragic read. The lead protagonist reveals an unusual perspective; a widowed mistress makes sense of the world without her lover. This would be slightly easier if she wasn’t also his estate lawyer. This intimate and crucial role clashing with her status as his lover proves for some heartbreaking and alternative perspectives, I felt sympathy for her and surprisingly didn’t feel as much for his wife.

I love Sarah Crossan's writing and was so excited to read her first afult novel. But the characters turned me off instantly and I found the narrator wholely unsympathetic, despite her grief.
It was a quick read, and written in Crossan's distinctive compelling style. But narratively I hated it.

I wouldn't usually pick up a book in verse but I was completely won over by the beautiful cover and further intrigued by the title and blurb.

This tells the story of Ana, whose married lover of 3 years dies suddenly. Ana is married with kids and doesn't have anywhere to turn to share her loss.

Crossan's writing style is so captivating that I found myself completely invested in the story as it ebbed and flowed to it's inevitable end. Ana's character felt so real and although some of her actions and behaviours were questionable, it was hard not to empathise with her throughout.

The story was easily devoured in one reading. Having never read any of Sarah Crossan's YA fiction, I will definitely look it up.

I had to return to this review several weeks after reading the book to upgrade it from 4 to 5 stars (!). There is so much to this story that I have remembered long after many books may be forgotten. It has already made it's way to my re-read pile and I will be recommending it to friends as soon as it is released.

Thanks to #netgalley and bloomsburypublishing for an ARC.

A strange kind of book for me; I can't say I enjoyed it all the way through but when I reached the end I look back on it fondly!

This is the story of an extra-marital affair told in a different way. Ana and Connor had been having a fling for three years when he died. Ana is left in limbo; she can't grieve openly as no-one knew about their relationship but it's affecting her and she cannot leave it alone to the extent that she does the unthinkable and reaches out to Rebecca, his widow.

This is a very quick read. I can't say I was very taken with the prose, but it does get the information across in a satisfactory way. I found it easy to sympathise with Ana whilst also being horrified at her actions. Trying to hold everything together without support is not easy - well, let's be honest here; it's hard to get over a sudden death even with the best of support from your nearest and dearest. This all comes across clearly - it's a very cleverly written novel, with maximum revelations for minimal reading. It's a grand story, and many an author would have padded it out into a much longer and possibly softer book and the jury is still out on whether I would pursue the same style of writing again. However, having enjoyed it overall I'm happy to decide on four stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

I am a huge fan of Sarah Crossan’s YA books and was therefore a little worried about her first adult offering and whether the rawness of her writing would transfer. I received this book three hours ago and have just devoured it! Telling the story of Ana, a probate solicitor who learns of the death of her married lover, she is a character you normally would despise. However, Crossan’s trademark, beautifully written prose allows the reader to see Ana’s thoughts, fears, shame and instability unravel and I found myself both empathising and being incredibly irritated with her as she looks back over the affair and integrates herself in his family’s life. Desperate to be loved, noticed and acknowledged, Ana’s emotions are clearly felt - even in such few words. Powerful, compelling and exposed - I loved it.

I loved this book, it had me gripped all the way through, with an engaging lead character and a devastating story-line about obsession and the way it drives you to cope when faced with loss. A lifelike portrayal of a character you would normally dislike was at times painful to read and the type of book that could easily relate to real life, I can see this being a bestseller this summer, thought provoking and it left me wandering what would have happened next to the main character.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARE copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book that I have read in verse and found it very strange
It is the story of a married woman’s affair lost because her lover has died and how she morns him and through his wife tried to find out more about his life
For me I felt that it lacked depth as if we were just skirting over the story
I just wanted more depth

Here is the Beehive is a beautifully written book. Told in verse this book explores the thoughts and feelings of a married woman who is mourning the loss of her lover and how difficult she is finding it as she cannot publically grieve for the man she had fallen in love with.

I enjoyed the fact that it was told in this format as I don't tend to gravitate towards them but after reading this one I will definitely be trying to add more into my reading.

I did however find this book hard to read at times due to the changing in timelines. There was no real clarification and left me having to re-read sections and figure out where they fitted into the timeline.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book having thoroughly enjoyed her YA novels. This is her first adult novel.
There is so much more to Sarah’s books than just the story. The book is written in prose and the layout of it on the page is so interesting.
I read this novel in one afternoon. It’s an easy book to read and I became totally invested in the story. It’s a powerful book that has stayed with me and left me with lots to think about (Ana’s character and some of her decisions).
A good read that I definitely recommended.

I love and adore everything Sarah writes, and this is no exception. I was swept away in Ana's story, at times rooting for a certain love interest, at others screaming at the top of my lungs for her to walk away.

A story told in verse about a married woman mourning the sudden loss of her lover. It starts at the end of the affair, in death, and focuses on how Ana begins to unravel in her hidden grief and jealousy towards wife Rebecca (I see those Daphne Du Maurier hints!) The whole story oozes bitterness, regret and sometimes even shame. Ana is unable to find a relase for her emotions, and has no one to talk to about her lover other than his best friend – who hates her. This isn’t a nice story about nice people.

Ana has made, and continues to make, some incredibly poor decisions that could affect her future, and as the story progresses we see her becoming more undone – to the point where she starts to question if she even had an affair, and if her lover was even real. Although the reader knows she isn’t a good person, I still couldn’t help feeling connected to her and wallowing with her in grief. I wanted her to find some happiness or reconciliation, or even some justification for her behaviour.

I will say I found the transitions between the present and flashbacks a little hard to get to grips with. There’s no warning as to when we jump back in time, and this could feel a little disorientating and sometimes threw me out of the story as I struggled to get to understand where in Ana’s timeline we were. The ending is also a little abrupt, and has no real conclusion – which in one sense sums up the whole affair and Ana’s thoughts, but I would have liked some kind of closure to wrap the story up.

However, I cannot deny that this is beautifully told with prose that feel very easy to read and conjure up a whole host of emotions. Crossan is a master writer, and I’m anxious to look up her back catalogue of YA novels so I can fully immerse myself in more of her words.

Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Usually, before I write up my review I have noted down my thoughts and rating and have a quick eyeball of other reviews to see if anyone else is on the same page. Having seen a huge list of 5-star reviews and nothing else I think it is safe to say I may have missed something here.

This book is written in verse which makes for a rather interesting reading experience. Even for those unfamiliar with this form of writing, it flows well and fits the narrative well. Ana has been having an affair with Connor for three years until he suddenly dies. She is left to deal with her grief alone as no one knew about the affair. When Connor’s wife Rebecca phones to make arrangements, Ana is forced to confront her grief and look back on the affair.

I feel like I have read so many books lately along this vein where a man dies, and his secret life is exposed. Maybe it’s just coincidence or sign of a weirdly specific literary trope. This is also one of these books about horrible, selfish people who are just shitty people in almost every way. Ana is awful, Connor was awful, Rebecca is mostly ok. I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to feel sorry for Ana, but I most certainly didn’t, and I feel this impacted how invested I was in her story. If this book had been any longer I am not sure I would have finished it because I find these books about terrible people really emotionally draining.

I did like how things about Ana’s life slowly unfolded as the book progressed. I made assumptions about her that turned out to be incorrect and it helped keep my attention despite everything else.

It feels very "worthy" and I’m sure it will receive tons of accolades, but it wasn’t a particularly enjoyable reading experience for me personally.

To say I enjoyed this book is probably incorrect. It’s more of a reading experience.

I loved Sarah Crossan’s YA verse novels so was really excited to receive an advanced copy of her adult verse novel.

This is such a raw and intense book.

When Ana’s lover, Connor, dies she is overwhelmed with a grief that she cannot share.

Ana is not a particularly likeable character. Despite being married with two young children, she is instantly attracted to Connor and before long they are having a passionate affair.

She makes so terrible decisions that put her marriage and career in danger but she is unable to think or act rationally as her passion and grief consume her.

Ana believed Connornwould leave his wife and when she meets Rebecca is shocked to find that the woman she imagined for so long bears no resemblance to the real person.

The verse style adds to the intensity of the emotions throughout this book. At points I had to put it down as there is such a harsh truth and beauty in the words.

This book is not going to be for everyone, but it is haunting and extraordinary.

Thank you Bloomsbury and Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

It’s been way too long since I last picked up a Sarah Crossan book. So when I saw this one I just knew I had to read it. Also look at how pretty that cover is!

‘Here is the Beehive’ is Crossan’s first adult fiction novel and it has a slightly different feel to her previous works. I thought the plot based around Ana and Connor’s affair was quite controversial and what stopped me from completely falling in love with this book. However, I think the way it explores how confused and hurt Ana was as well as the effect it was having on the people around her was really thorough. Don’t be fooled, this book isn’t just about the affair, it’s about grief as well which I think is what makes it stand out. As with all of Crossan’s books, I was still drawn in by her verse-style writing. It was exceptionally effective and I also like how each layer of the Ana’s background was slowly revealed in the book.

Overall, I didn’t love it as much as I've loved all of Sarah Crossan’s other books. But I don’t think it’s completely awful either. It was different and kind of dark seeing Ana psychologically spiraling downwards. But I know I’m always going to go back to reading her book no matter what because I think the verse-style writing is incredible.

This is a strange book - the whole book centers around a woman and her affair - it constantly switches between little snippets of thoughts - at times it was hard to keep track.
No real storyline, just a series of thoughts......
An interesting concept - I'm not sure I'd like to read again.

Possibly a Marmite book, though it seems I may the only person that hasn't loved it. I've not read this author's work before and couldn't say I was particularly taken with this tale. It is skillfully written in a poetic first person, though using the 'flawed narrator' style that's familiar from Paula Hawkin's Girl on the Train. I felt no pathos for the protagonist, a woman grieving for her dead lover with whom she was having a secret affair. The book evokes feelings of loss and longing for answers that won't come. However, her irrational behaviour just didn't ring true to me. There wasn't enough character depth for it to feel 'heartbreaking', nor was this storyline original enough to be shocking.

This is the first book by Sarah Crossan that I have read. Before reading I was unaware that it was written in verse and must admit at first I thought my Kindle was malfunctioning. It took me a while to get used to the writing style. I thought Ana's character was difficult to like and sympathise with but I did read to the end interested to see the outcome.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advance reading copy of this book.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love Sarah Crossan’s writing. Her first verse novel for adults was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it didn’t disappoint. The concept is brilliant; Ana, the main character, has been having an affair with Connor for three years, but he dies quite suddenly. Nobody knew about the affair, so Ana is left alone, trapped in a secret. How do you cope with loss when nobody around you even knows he was yours to lose? Ana’s friends, family and colleagues notice a change in her mood and behaviour but have no explanation for it. And then she befriends Connor’s wife, who is also grieving for him. There are no likeable characters in this book and yet you feel deeply for them all. It’s beautifully written, looking into the complexities of affairs and how wide-reaching and destructive their impact can be.

I have read Sarah Crossan's books before and was excited to be given this opportunity to read her latest novel. I missed the fact that this was written for adults so the first few pages were a little disconcerting, but that was my mistake and once I had rectified that I was able to get on with enjoying the book.

Knowing Crossan's YA style, verse rather than prose was expected and the format worked beautifully with the content, as it highlight's Ana's misery and distraught response to the situation. Ana and Connor have been having an affair for a number of years when he unexpectedly, and suddenly, dies. As a reader you are confronted with the grief from the perspective of 'the other woman'. Ana has been Connor's lawyer and the grounds of their relationship are always questionable. In this book Ana has to try and come to terms with her sudden loss and the fact that she must grieve in silence. She 'stalks' Connor's wife, Rebecca, almost befriending her, in an attempt to gain insight into her lover's relationship and judge her own importance in his life. The narrative is brutal in places and heartrending as Ana mourns her lost love and reexamines her own marriage to Paul.

There is something horrifying and yet captivating about Ana's situation... don't expect a happy ending!