⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5
Music of Bees is about the unusual & unexpected friendship between a 44-year-old beekeeper & grief stricken woman - Alice, a Mohawk rocking & wheelchair riding teenager - Jake, & an anxious & nearly homeless 24 year old - Harry. Their friendship grows & their lives are transformed as they work together to save the bees from a threatening pesticide company.

The author, Eileen Garvin, is a beekeeper & this is her debut novel. I really enjoyed the time she took to introduce each character. It subtly wove in conversations about grief, anxiety, physical disabilities, Christianity, therapy, and immigrants. All of which I love to see added to a book! I also learned a lot of cool things about bees!! Overall, I just felt there was something missing. It seemed that some parts went into too much detail when not necessary & then lacked detail during important parts. It was a veryyyy slow read with no big climax or page-turning storylines. Also, there were quite a few typos, but since this is an ARC I’m hopeful they will be corrected before the pub day!! Ultimately, I enjoyed it & think it‘s a great debut novel for the author..... but it just didn’t knock my socks off.

I really enjoyed this debut novel - a wonderful story of friendship and courage. I found it to be well written with great development of the three main characters. Special thanks to NetGalley and the Penguin Group for a free, electronic ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Right from the very first page, I was captured by the expressive writing of the author as well as the storyline. Alice, the main character, is a forty-four year old woman who has recently experienced tremendous loss in her adult life and is still grieving. She works in a dead end job which helps pays the bills but her true passion lies within her hobby as a beekeeper. A moment of distraction while driving home one night ends in a minor mishap with an 18 year old paraplegic boy and his wheelchair. The boy, Jake, is also dealing with his own demons and still trying to accept his life that is now defined by his wheelchair. Alice brings him into her life and shares her knowledge of beekeeping with him and awakens a natural talent within Jake. Into this mix, a third “misfit” is introduced. Harry, a 24 year old homeless man, answers Alice’s want ad for a handyman. The bond that develops between these three individuals as they learn to trust and lean on each other is what makes this book so captivating. The three ban together, with Alice leading the way, in fighting a pesticide company that threatens their beekeeping enterprise. Their bond is not only tested but ultimately strengthened in the fight that ensues.

I found this story to be not only interesting but uplifting as well. It’s the kind of feel good novel that we could all use right now. As an added plus, I learned so much about beekeeping - a subject that I knew nothing about but found fascinating. Turns out the author herself is a beekeeper and obviously a very well educated one given the knowledge that she shares about this profession with the reader.

I always enjoy reading stories of friendship and this is about 3 lonely people that find each other. I could relate to one of the characters and loved the sweetness of the friendship that was taking place. I did find the beginning a little slow, but then got into the story and wanted to find out what would happen to these relationships.

This book is about three strangers who end up living together, and becoming a family of their own. You find our about their own struggles, and how they bond over the honeybees.
I enjoyed this book. It took a while to get into it, and I did find two of the characters more enjoyable during the entire book. The third character did grow on me. It shows that you don't need to be blood related to be loved by and cared for by others.

This is a wonderful debut about three very unique characters in rural Oregon. Of course the name of the book gives away the fact that there will be lots of bees in this book, and it’s fascinating to learn about beekeeping and bees in general - but mostly it’s the way these three lives come together and how they change each other that makes this story worthwhile.

Just give me stories like this and I will live happily ever after! What a delightful book! Love learning about bees and absolutely love these people. Oh, Jake! I so ached for this boy and his terrible father. Are people really like that? Oh, Harry! So quiet but so full of feelings. And kind-hearted Alice. Trying to figure out how to live after such a loss. A perfect little group of misunderstood misfits. And the dog! Dang. That had me cheering out loud when it jumped out of the sherriff’s car. I just want stories like this!!! The world would be a better place if we could accept our differences and put our judgements aside. MORE PLEASE!

Bees have a fascinating social structure and business model. They work together for the good of the hive and the survival of the queen.. Alice has kept bees since her husband brought her a hive years ago. She has come to love the bees and is trying to come to terms with the death of her husband. So when she finds herself living with Jake, a teen paraplegic, and Harry, an early 20’s self-described ne’er do well, her complacency is certainly shaken. As each of them learns to adapt, they help each other to heal from the hurts in their lives. And the bees help them all .

Eileen Garvin's debut novel

Alice is stuck in a bad place. Her life is going nowhere. Her husband died as a result of drink driver. All she wants to do is raise honeybees on her bee farm, instead, she is stuck in a boring job working for the county planning office. Doing far more work than her share, she suffers from panic attacks and depression.

Rushing to pick up a load of bees, and lost in her own thoughts, her pickup strikes a young man in a wheel chair. Jake is 18, and a paraplegic. Alice makes sure she has not killed him, then starts trying to gather up the bee crates that have fallen off the truck. Jake, sporting the largest Mohawk ever known, becomes her very skilled employee and her housemate. Jake has no fear of the bees, not even bothering to suit up as he cares for the hives. Who knew that bee queens sing in a perfect key of G? Jake is able to hear this and knows he has a life calling.

Then we meet Harry, the most socially awkward young man ever. Living with his uncle who lived on the fringes of society, he doesn't seem to fit anywhere. As the uncle lies in the hospital, dying, Harry interviews for a job with Alice and she hires him, also giving him a place to live in the bunkhouse.

Along comes a pesticide company, SupraGro, whose pesticides will be used in the many orchards in the area. The downside - this chemical is known to kill the bees which pollinate the flowers of those fruit trees. Alice and her very unusual crew find themselves fighting SupraGro.

This is such an odd group of characters, but somehow it all works. An uplifting story for the times we live in today.

Sometimes you read a book that is just good for your soul, a book where you can relate to the characters, feel their pain and grief, share in their misfortunes and their accomplishments. Such is this book and I highly recommend it to all readers.

Set in the beautiful state of Oregon, 3 damaged individuals come together on a honeybee farm and there in that idyllic setting they learn to heal and form a bond that becomes more than family. The bees become an integral part of this story, flowing parallel to the human narrative, and what I learned about these bees will stay with me for the rest of my life.

This one is worth putting on your to-read list.

I found this book way too slow. Character development was also too slow and i couldn’t finish this one.

#FirstLine - Jacob Stevenson had the tallest mohawk in the history of Hood River Valley High School.

I love this story so much. It is amazing that this is a debut because it reads like Garvin has always been here writing amazing stories. This story was so original. I have never read anything like it and that is what I loved most about it. It was one of those stories that you cannot help but read quickly, devouring every word, every detail of the story. You will not soon forget this book because of the setting, characters and beautiful cadence of the book. A must read debut author and one to watch!

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

A heartfelt story that I really got caught up in. The characters are so true and well-developed that it is easy to grow to love them and care about what happens to them. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy books by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Susan Mallery, and even Debbie Macomber. Very sincere and emotional.

𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕄𝕌𝕊𝕀ℂ 𝕆𝔽 𝔹𝔼𝔼𝕊⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
By Eileen Garvin (Release Date April 27, 2021)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: Three broken and lonely strangers in a small Oregon town work together to build thriving bee colonies, and in doing so they help each other heal. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🤷🏻Casts of Misfits⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
👨🏼‍🦽Stories about overcoming loss⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🐝The Intricate Lives of Bees⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🥰Feel-good Stories⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🦺Second-Chances⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐩: This one is a slow burn. Garvin spends a lot of time setting up the characters before they literally collide together, so be patient! Also, have some 🍯 at the ready, this book will make you want to eat honey everything.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

What could a middle aged widow, a paraplegic teenager and a 20-something young man suffering from anxiety have in common? Not much really but circumstances and bees bring them together in this story about making life work no matter what gets thrown at you.
3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and I enjoyed learning facts about bees. This book was engaging and really made me feel good in these odd times of covid. I will purchase this book for the library and I feel many will enjoy it.

When Alice's husband is killed in a car accident her life loses meaning. Jake is left in a wheelchair after a foolish prank at a high school party. Harry makes poor decisions and heads west after his release from prison. Alice needs help in her apiary, the only thing that gives her life meaning. After running Jake off the road she takes him home and hires young Harry to do some carpentry. As friendships grow stronger they realize that together thay are strong and old wounds begin to heal.
An easy but captivating read that teaches a lot about bees and apiaries but more about human nature and the need for caring people in everyone's lives. #The Music of Bees#Net Galley#Indigo Employee

This is the soul-warming novel everyone NEEDS to be reading!! The Music of Bees has it all— a fantastic (and original) storyline AND characters you won’t ever want to say goodbye to!! I find myself thinking about these characters long after I finished the last page. Eileen Garvin does a great job with keeping the reader on the hook the entire way through, I honestly found this book unputdownable!! I was shocked to learn that The Music of Bees is Eileen Garvin’s debut novel!!!! Talk about hitting it out of the park on your first try!! I am so excited to see what Eileen comes out with in the future!!

The most lyrical, magical book I have read in a very long time. Three diverse strangers become their own unique family. As they adjust to life together they actually become friends. While it is a novel about friendship, growth, and overcoming adversity the reader also learns a great deal about beekeeping in a informative but respectful way. A heartwarming story. Ms. Garvin has outdone the debut novel risk of failure. This one should be on everyone's list and go all the way to the top. Can you tell loved it?

I enjoyed every minute of this book! It was a light, enjoyable read set in state that holds a special piece of my heart. Oregon is by far the most beautiful state and fruit picking was a major family event for us. When she talks about the fruit farms, my mind immediately replays all the wonderful years of eating ourselves sick on cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and peaches. I also connected on a beekeeper level as I had two hives of my own before moving. I enjoyed seeing the story come together and these three strangers who all had major life events, find comfort and growth in each other.

A nice story and I learned a lot about bees, too! This copy needs editing for typos, but it didn’t take away from the telling of it.
Each chapter started with a fact about beekeeping or bees and then the chapter developed into the continuation of the story of Alice, who is grieving the loss of her husband. Two young men enter her life and upsets her life in good ways.
Ms. Garvin does a great job of telling what it’s like to live in a small town and dealing with neighbors and co-workers. The story’s ending is satisfying and has a little surprise.