Dawn O’Porter crafts a great novel. I enjoy the writing style. The characters are brilliant. It was a great read!

Friends Renée and Flo are navigating the highs and lows of ambition, self-doubt, and secret struggles. As their worlds intertwine over one eventful summer, they find solace, strength, and support in each other. Amid the chaos of careers, relationships, and personal battles, their friendship becomes a lifeline - because even when life feels uncertain, women lift each other up.

A feisty, funny and relatable novel by Dawn O’Porter, who writes with rawness and honest about female relationships. Enjoyable.

I don’t know what it is about Dawn O’Porter, but her sense of humour always appeals to me! This was another good read, a bit uncomfortable at times - to be expected - but very funny. It did hit on some topical issues such as alcoholism and grief, both of which I felt the story dealt well with. The mention of 9/11 when the girls were in London - I can’t imagine how scary that would’ve been, I think we all remember where we were that day. All in all, I really enjoyed it. I think this might be a marmite read, not one for my mum, but it certainly entertained me!

I absolutely loved this book. Renée reminds me of myself (maybe a bit too much!). Her friendship with Flo is wonderful and they truly are best friends.

I think this would make a fantastic beach read and should definitely be on your TBR list. Its a great read and one that I will definitely read again in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC - I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Didn't realise this was the second book in a sort of connected series, may have made more sense if I had read the first.

Book Review: Honeybee by Dawn O’Porter
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)

Dawn O’Porter’s Honeybee is an engaging and well-written novel, but it left me feeling like I was constantly waiting for something bigger to happen—something that never quite arrived. The book follows the life of the two protagonists in a way that is both intimate and observant, offering moments of humor, warmth, and insight. O’Porter excels at creating characters that feel real and relatable, and the writing itself flows beautifully, making it an easy and enjoyable read.

However, while the novel had all the makings of something great, it never quite reached its full potential. It felt like it was steadily building toward a major revelation, a dramatic turning point, or an unexpected twist—yet each time, it would simply soften and fizzle out. The narrative remained engaging, but it lacked the depth or surprises that could have made it truly compelling. I found myself wanting more—more side stories, more emotional peaks, more of a payoff for the build-up.

Overall, Honeybee is a pleasant read with strong character work and an engaging narrative voice, but it doesn’t quite deliver the impact it seems to promise. If you’re looking for something easygoing with a slice-of-life feel, it’s worth a read—but if you crave high stakes and big revelations, you might find it a little underwhelming.

Another hilarious, honest and heartwarming story from Dawn O'Porter. I was so glad to be accepted for this ARC, especially as I devoured Cat Lady. This is another great from her!

Honeybee is a sharp, witty, and surprisingly emotional read. Dawn O’Porter captures the highs and lows of a former child star’s privileged but messy life with biting social commentary and moments of real vulnerability. Some parts felt a bit over-the-top, and the characters weren’t always likable, but that only made the story more compelling. A bold and engaging read!

This was a really funny contemporary fiction novels with messy female characters and a lot of laughs. I definitely will be reading more from O'Porter.

How I've missed Renee and Flo! I'm a fan of DOP's writing and her style is one I appreciate, because it's real and holds nothing back. Not even the cringe, ew, moments, they are all in there, centre stage.

This series of books are my favourite of all of DOP's books and I laughed while reading. The drunk tales, the outfits of the neighour, the wrong and illicit snogs. All this mixed up, equates to a book that was delectable on all levels.

I can't wait for the next installment.

My only critisism is maybe make a bigger deal out of the fact it is a follow up. Not for me but for annoying readers who didn't know this and whinged - a lot.

This was a good honest read full of hopes and dreams and feelings. I like the timeframe it was set in and all of the references. The complicated nature of female relationships and how their lives evolve and grow. Overall, it’s a really good read.

I love Dawns work, her h7mor and observation and ability to write about every day life and amazing. This book was great, another fantastic read.

I was really excited to read Dawns new book as I’ve read all her previous books. As expected it was amazing!

I didn’t realise this was part of a series. I found it really hard to keep track of who was who at the beginning, between that and the book being very slow, I was struggling to keep reading. The book picks up in the second half but I was struggling to like Flo, one of main characters and I just thought the book took too long to get there. Not one I’d recommend to others.

Love Dawns writing, honest and real, it draws you in. Loved this book! It was comforting to go back and see where the characters are now, and the story wasn’t predictable, a real page turner

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.

I love all of Dawn's book, I really liked this follow on, set a few years later, from Paper Aeroplanes, lovely exploration of friendship and the transition to adulthood.

I didn’t feel the same thrill from this one as The Cows or Lucky. It was a pleasant read however it felt more YA than her usual style. It also felt very safe, the characters were a little flat and didn’t have the same defining personalities or depth that I love so much about Dawn’s writing.,

I've read a couple of Dawn's books before and had very different reactions, one I only got a few chapters through and one Cat Lady, that I devoured and recommended to everyone and even bought copies for friends, so I was excited and nervous to read Honeybee.

I hadn't realised that this was a book that had characters from others, but that didn't stop any enjoyment or plot development and so woks as a stand alone, but I am definitely going to go back and read the others. (I might even give the old dnf one a go!)

This was a read and like Cat Lady, once I started I couldn't put it down. I love Dawn's writing and so glad I didn't judge her style on one book, because I'm now a true fan!

Another fantastic book by Dawn O’Porter. After reading and loving Cat Lady, I knew I had to request this book as soon as I saw it. I was not disappointed.

I adore how Dawn’s books feel so really and they really make you feel real emotions. This was a fantastic book of friendship and the struggles of your early 20s, trying to navigate life without proper structure for the first time and the many, not always right, choices we make.

Flo and Renee were written so well. I loved the contrast between the two and the different struggles that they both faced. This book really made me feel and I resonated with it in places, as it brought back memories of my early twenties.

I will definitely recommend this book.