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.

Here Is The Beehive by Sarah Crossan is a beautifully written tale of hidden love, loss and grief. The unusual writing style added charm and emotion to the story.

Just the most beautiful book. An extraordinary look at an affair, cut short by the death of one of the partners. This book perfectly conveys the sense of loss (although how much did they ever really "have" each other?) and loneliness and grief. I want to read it again, but must more slowly.

Such an unusually written book. Short sentences and short paragraphs, I initially thought there was a typesetting problem. But this is the way the book is written and the author successfully manages to condense all of the information into just a few lines.

Lawyer Ana meets Connor when she writes his will. They bump into each other a few weeks later (when he’s with his wife Rebecca)...then again, a contrived (by Ana) meeting. This is the start of their affair.

Told from Ana’s perspective in a non-linear narrative, you can feel her pain and heartache when she learns that Connor has died. She blames herself, so many ‘if only’s’, but also berates him for not leaving his wife.

This book has been so cleverly written, I am staggered that so much has been portrayed in so few words. To be able to feel Ana’s building frustration with Connor where it starts as an exciting love affair and turns into a relationship of fighting and bad feeling, it’s excellent.

A real surprise for me, I didn’t think I’d like it and I LOVED it. I rate it 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to the author and publishers Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for an ARC in exchange for an independent review.

This is a novel in verse about Ana. She is married and has been having an affair with Connor for three years. Connor is also married and when he tragically dies Ana is faced with Connor’s wife due to her work as a solicitor. This is a novel that explores the complexities of having an affair and the toll it takes on everyone’s life, but more so the heartbreak of losing the person you love but you not being able to openly grieve because he was never yours. This is a beautifully written book but I found it difficult to connect with. I think reading about grief at the moment is hard and this book captures Ana’s feelings so well that at times I had to look away. This is my issue though and not at all an issue with the book. This is one I would like to re-read at another time because I’m sure it’s one I’ll love. The writing is stunning and I would absolutely recommend it if you feel you’re in the right headspace to read it.

Here is the beehive is a story about love, loss, grief and heartache.
Thus is the first book I have read by this author, which us told in verse, which I found was rather hard to follow. It starts with the loss if her lover and moves back and forwards from the past to the present day.
The story was a fairly quick read but not one I would recommend unless you are a fan if this author.
I would like to say that I find the cover us gorgeous.

Ana is a solicitor and one day the wife of her client rings to inform that her client has passed away. Her blood runs cold, the woman on the phone is the wife of the man Ana loves. Multiple things go through Ana's mind, has the wife found out? Why is she lying? It's not true? Sadly though it is true.

Ana now grieves for a man no one knows she knew, let alone loved, and she can't tell anyone, it's a secret she has to live with, with many unanswered questions.

This verse novel is flutters backwards and forwards in time as we learn Ana and Connor's love before and after his death. It's raw, painful, sad and angry. I didn't find any of the main characters that likeable, but I think that was the point. In her grief Ana is manipulative and in the past both of them played games with each other and with their lives. It's a powerful story, very different to my usual reads.

I reviewed this titles as part of my What I Read in August video on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/wwtPnuDv2ps

It has also featured in a book haul video.

I've read all of the authors YA books and loved them. This was a different kettle of fish. Yes it's aimed at adults. It's well written, was easy to read but I found the subject matter really depressing. It was too negative for me.

Here is the Beehive is yet another incredible Sarah Crossan novel written in verse, although this one is her first written for adults. The story tells the tale of an affair that tragically ends with one dying, so the one left behind must grieve with no real outlet because no one can know the relationship even happened. Crossan's writing is so powerful and evokes such emotion from the reader. If you haven't yet read a novel by this author, do yourself a favor and read them all. Here is the Beehive is the most mature of the bunch being the only adult novel, but they all follow important topics. Highly recommended!

Here is The Beehive is the book about Ana. Her married lover passes away, but as they have kept their affair a secret, her grief has no real outlet and she struggles to deal with her emotions. This book details the events that follow her lover’s passing, and it does so in glorious verse. The language is my favourite thing about this book, it really amplifies the raw emotions of the main character. It also makes it a very quick read, and I sped through this in a few days. There are some issues with the book; there is a lot of moving between timelines, with little indication of what time is being described. This makes it quite difficult to follow at times. My other issue is that as much as I feel for the main character, and appreciate the moral quandaries being raised, I never feel truly invested in the story, and there’s no real take away message. This book has certainly made me want to read other books by Sarah Crossan!

A modern telling of a tale as old as time.
Two things struck me, upon reading this book.
The first was the fascinating prose in which it is formatted. Strikingly original, yet perfectly fitting.
The second was how rare it is to hear this side of the story.
Further details are unnecessary; buy this book and devour its rich honesty and devastating story.
Highly recommend!

I’ve been a fan of Sarah Crossan for so long and I’m delighted that she’s extending her talents in this new direction. She has a gift for capturing a rich, complex experience with all the associated emotions into just a few lyrical sentences. What others may take paragraphs to convey, she manages in a line or two. I’m endlessly jealous of this talent. In her first novel for adults, we see all the dimensions of a tragic affair and a marriage in decline from the point of view of a woman falling apart. Completely vivid, with the sadness visceral in places. I can’t wait to see what Crossan does next.

Sarah Crossan's freeverse writing style is very engrossing, it's so clever how she can tell a story so succinctly and still create a world of emotions. I've read a few of her children's and young adult books and loved them. This is her first adult novel and the tale of adultery and loss was certainly different to her other books.

Ana has been having an affair with Connor for three years when he dies unexpectedly and she is left grieving but can't let explain to anyone why she is behaving so erratically. I felt sorry for Ana that she has lost someone she loves and also that she had found love in a complex situation that she couldn't find a way to resolve. It gradually emerges that not only she is she sleeping with someone else's husband, she has a husband and children herself. Life and love are complex but I struggled with this storyline at times.

This is beautifully written and emotional at times but Ana and Connor's selfishness frustrated me. I gave this 3 out of 5.

Well, this was certainly a very different book than those I usually read in more ways than one! It deals with the difficult subject of being "the other women" when the person you are having an affair with dies and describes how Ana tries to deal with the situation. Very enlightening - not that I intend to ever be in that position......!.

I nearly didn't finish the story as the style of writing is very different but I am glad that I persevered as it is good to broaden your horizons! It wasn't as long as a lot of stories I have read and I think that helped - not sure if I could have got through a really long book written in this style but I am very pleased that I carried on as I did become involved in the story.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review, which is what I have given. Reading different novels such as this is exactly why I joined!