Between You, Me, and the Honeybees is a sweet, YA contemporary romance about an amateur beekeeper, Josie, who wants nothing more in life than to run her family's apiary when she graduates high school. She absolutely does not want to go to college, but her mother thinks she is. But that's not the only secret she's keeping... She's also secretly dating the grandson of her family's fiercest rivals, and her mother hates that family. What's Josie to do?

I loved learning more about beekeeping in this book! It's such a unique setting that you don't think of much but was very interesting to read. The romance portion was very adorable, kind of insta-love but I enjoyed this one whereas I don't generally like insta-love. The sneaking around and secrets also reminded me of being a teenager and hiding boys from my parents!

I ended up severely disliking one of the side characters by the end, which kept this book from being a 5 star read for me. I just didn't even like reading about this character by the end, and it cut down on my enjoyment of the book as a whole. But, for fans of Jenn Bennett I definitely suggest giving this one a try!

**Thank you to Simon Teen and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

IT WAS CUTE.

I feel like what I got most out of this was a lot of honeybee knowledge. Which I’m not complaining about at all because I really loved that aspect. I love when contemporaries have a new to me vibe and this one did with all of the apiary facts I learned.

Onto the romance side of things, it’s a quick/insta-ish romance. I didn’t find myself upset with that though (and usually I am). It was rooted in a summer style relationship and I liked how things flowed between Ezra and Joie. They were pretty dang cute and all of the honest and meaningful conversations between them was a really nice point.

Josie working through and with her anxiety hit home a lot for me. I loved this mental health rep and how it was portrayed. The addition of complex friendship was great too. While it made me irrationally angry, it went down exactly like I hoped. A lot of growth for Josie and committing to her passion and owning her truth by finally telling others. I love that she left people go and found her niche.

The story moved well. At times faster than I loved, and at times, slower than I loved. Yet I didn’t have a hard time picking this up to continue. I wanted to see where these characters were going and am grateful that they did indeed, go places! I love the pursuit of dreams with a long lasting summer romance to boot.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Contemporary Romance
- Language: some
- Romance: kisses and brief open door scenes
- Trigger/Content Warnings: anxiety, panic attacks, a loved one with Parkinson’s disease

First of all, thank you so much for an eARC!

Between You, Me, and the Honeybees follows high school graduate, Josie, daughter of the Hazeldine honey family in Northern California. She's lied that she accepted her college spot for September, but all she wants to do is work with her mom.

While her mom visits her grandma in Florida as they run tests, Josie sneaks around with Ezra, son of her families rivals. But as things become real, the lies are piled on top of one another.

The anxiety rep in this book was so good. I loved our little cinnamon roll, Ezra, and seeing him struggle to come to terms with his own dreams. Josie, though she knows what she wants, struggles to figure out how to tell anyone.

This was sweet, spicy, and the absolute best summer read! And you get to learn about bees!

Between You, Me, and the Honeybees by Amelia Diane Coombs is an adorable YA contemporary romance that follows Josie as she spends the summer after her high school graduation balancing family secrets, flaky friendships and young love - all while going above and beyond to prove to her mother that she has what it takes to keep her family’s beekeeping business thriving.

I loved the beekeeping background and I am now truly fascinated the business! Coombs beautifully portrays Josie’s passion for her family’s business as well as her determination for following her dreams, even if those dreams are not understood by others. In addition, the story deals with navigating family drama, a friendship breakup, anxiety and, of course, teenage romance.

Now for the part of the story I didn’t love as much…Josie’s love interest, Ezra, was almost too good to be true. He didn’t fault one time, which made the story a little unbelievable. The romance also fell together a little too quickly for me - it was definitely lacking the build-up that defines and solidifies the relationship.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It is a well-written, light read that is would be a great addition to a young adult’s library. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

So, so cute and I think very on trend with bees being very popular on jewelry, on artwork, on clothing, purses, etc. I thought it was a super fun summer read.

Between You, Me, and the Honeybees is an cute and light romance novel with the added bonus of being about a career that is less than glamorous: beekeeping. There were some things I loved and some things I didn't, and I'm settling on a 3 star rating.

For me, three stars is not bad. It means that I liked the book, but it was just missing that extra oomph. The thing I loved most about this book is Josie's passion. She lives and breathes beekeeping and the family business. I truly enjoyed the fact that she found something she loved and chased after it. Josie is a character that is quite the mix of maturity and immaturity. There are things she does that makes her seem so wise, and things she does that makes you roll her eyes. This is, in part, a growing-up novel.

But what I didn't love? The romance. In particular, that it's severe instalove. We're talking weeks of a relationship that become everything Josie is focused on. And again, in true fashion, there were things that I enjoyed about this, as well: Josie and Ezra are a fantastic pair that show the value of consent in a relationship. Their attraction was immediate, but their pacing was a whirlwind.

Overall, this was a sweet contemporary book. It had its fair share of ups and downs, and ultimately I found it enjoyable. It will stand out for its unique focus on beekeeping, but maybe not for its romance.

Minor spoilers ahead: This book was truly darling! I loved the unique premise of beekeeping and was hooked on the concept of pursuing one's passion in their hometown rather than trying to escape in favor of college. I found the romance between Josie and Ezra to be really special. We stan a soft boy who's supportive. I also enjoyed how the author wrote in a friendship breakup, including the trauma that can come from it. Most people have been through a similar experience of a fading friendship in some form or another, and I think it's really important to normalize that for young readers. Really, all of the relationship dynamics were well done and so valid! Plus, the anxiety rep was chef's kiss! We need more of that in books, especially YA.

A perfect read for a hazy beach day but not much else. I just felt as though there was not enough to sink my teeth into with this one. The storyline was fine and the characters were fine and the conflicts were fine--there was just nothing I loved about it. While I do applaud the author for having a new and innovative premise (I have never read a book about beekeeping), it was not enough to keep me entertained the entire time. Also, why was the love interest so perfect? He was attractive and funny and talented? It made him seem very unrealistic and it felt as though he was not fully-formed. I mean, he didn't even seem that effected about his parents getting a divorce months earlier? He just wanted to comfort Josie when beekeeping got overwhelming? Overall, it was fine but nothing that I was obsessed with.

I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This was a super cute YA contemporary novel. I really related to Josie, and loved her character development throughout the story. Also, Ezra is prime book boyfriend material! I loved the beekeeping storyline, it makes this book stand out from so many other YA contemporaries. All in all, cute and a quick read!

BETWEEN YOU, ME, AND THE HONEYBEES follows Josie Hazeldine. Josie just graduated high school and this should be her summer of fun in the sun, beekeeping and getting ready for college (something her mom never got to do). But Josie has been keeping secrets. She’s not going to college. She declined her acceptance to stay home to peruse her true passion: working at the family business, Hazeldine Honey. While she’s avoiding having to inevitably tell her mom the truth about college, Josie takes on a new secret— she’s having a fling with the new boy she met, who turns out to be the grandson of her moms nemesis, the biggest competitor to their family business.
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I had a wonderful time reading this one! I thought it was so sweet— I’d like to read it again some day. Though I wanted to shake Josie and tell her to just tell her mom the truth already, that she was creating and worsening her own problem, I really liked her. And I really liked Ezra, he’s such a sweet boy. I loved their relationship, especially once Josie came to her senses. I loved the relationship between Josie and her mom. I liked the positive mental health rep (Josie has anxiety and is on medication and going to therapy) and I appreciated how mature and respectful Josie and Ezra’s relationship was! This was great. I see this being a new comfort read. I’m so happy I read it! 💛 🍯 🐝
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5/5 stars, BETWEEN YOU, ME, AND THE HONEYBEES by Amelia Diane Coombs is available June 22, 2021!
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Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for sending me an eARC to review!

I ENJOYED…
☂️

Between You, Me and the Honeybees was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021 and I’m so happy to say: it didn’t disappoint. At all. On the contrary: I am now determined to read everything Amelia Diane Coombs writes.
This is the story of Josie, a recent high school graduate living with her mother. She’s helping her with the family business of beekeeping and is dreaming of making this her full-time job, but her mother’s determined to send her to college, something she hasn’t been able to do. Between telling her mother the truth and falling for Ezra, the son of her family’s long-time rivals, the summer promises to be full of surprises… and it is.
I immediately fell for this book. Like, from the very first pages, I knew I would love Josie. She’s so passionate about her bees, I loved seeing that shining through the story. Another thing I enjoyed is the portrayal of anxiety in this story, which felt so familiar and comforting to me, too. I’m always looking for young adult books with anxiety and I loved how this part of her was so well depicted, how she has her own treatment and just, it’s part of her life. Her love story in the book doesn’t “cure” her, either and THANK YOU very much. Anyway, I really enjoyed Josie SO much.
One of the highlights of this book was the mother-daughter relationship. Honestly, I got some Lorelai-Rory vibes and I’m such a huge fan of Gilmore Girls, this made me happy. From their close relationship to their movie nights and fridge filled with absolutely nothing healthy for you… I just really liked them and enjoyed seeing their relationship grow, too.


Of course, I have to talk about the romance, since it’s also a big part of the story. Josie and Ezra’s meet-cute was adorable and I really enjoyed seeing them warming up to each other and falling for each other, too. They both supported each other’s dreams and goals and I loved that, too. And the sex positivity! This was just a beautiful, healthy relationship, not without its troubles or its ups and downs, but it warmed my heart so much. I love them.
Friendship is a good part of Between You, Me and the Honeybees and I appreciated that SO much. It’s about growing up and growing apart and this was such a good addition to the story.

OVERALL
☂️
If you’re looking for a well-rounded contemporary with lovely romance, great family dynamics and complex friendships, I’m recommending Between You, Me and the Honeybees for sure. I really fell for this book and can’t wait to read more from the author!

All Josie wants to do is take over Hazeldine Honey, her family business and shop, but her mom has other plans for her: college. But she turned down the acceptance and still hasn't told anyone including her mom.

Then Ezra shows up in front of her, throwing her entire summer plan off course. Although she's attracted to him, she knows that he's off-limits because he's the grandson of her business rival.

What happens when the two start to fall for each other? Another secret is on Josie's back for her to carry. When will all secrets become exposed?

Star Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)

This book was so cute! I've never read a book about bees and beekeeping so it was a new experience that was definitely exciting.

I found Josie's character to be relatable. She struggles with anxiety and worries about many things normal teenagers would. Her grandmother was also diagnosed with Alzheimer's and the fear of losing her grandma added to her worries.

Overall, Between You, Me, and the Honeybees was an interesting read about Josie's summer after her senior year of high school. Between taking care of bees, friend troubles, and sneaking out on dates, I enjoyed this upcoming book.

This book is absolutely darling and deals with so many real and present relationship issues so many teens face today. I really loved learning about bees, too. A solid title.

This book was a honey-sweet story between two star-crossed teens from rival families. A modern day Romeo and Juliet with bees. Josie's only desire is to take over her mother's bee-keeping business and shop. Her mother's only wish is for Josie to go to college. I immediately connected with Josie as the main character with non-traditional goals and aspirations. Being a teenager is a complicated time where young people are trying to figure out who they are, what they want in life and how to be their own person. Josie has always lived in her mother's shadow, but equally wants to carve out her own path in life, even if that path is the same as her mother's. Coombs paints Josie as a realistic and relatable character where every reader can understand the desire to follow your dreams, even if those dreams are not what your family wants for you. Josie got into college, but turned down the offer. Unfortunately, she hasn't told her mother, or her best friend Nan, who is excited to be going to a college not far from where Josie should be going. But, Josie doesn't want to go to college. She just wants to be with the bees she loves so much. The only problem is finding the right time to tell her mom and Nan, which there never seems to be the right opportunity. So she lies. The plan continues to go down the drain when Ezra moves to town. The grandson of rival beekeepers, the Blumstein's, Ezra is off-limits. Well, he's supposed to be... But the heart wants what it wants. And Josie and Ezra are falling for each other, despite their family's bitter rivalry. Soon, Josie is lying to everyone about everything and hiding her relationship with Ezra is proving to be difficult. In a small town, secrets don't stay hidden for long. And when all of Josie's secrets explode to the surface there are devastating consequences that will effect her family and her future for years to come. Coombs has woven a beautifully intricate story of the teenage experience, first love, family dynamics and finding oneself. She puts you squarely in the mind of a senior in high school with her writing, language usage and description. A highly recommended read for anyone who once longed to follow a different dream. I received an advanced read copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book I really did (I stopped and started at least 5 times because I wanted to try and get through it) but I just couldn't get into it. I loved the premise and it seemed like the type of book I would enjoy when I started reading it. But then everything happened in the first third of the book and it felt like there was nowhere else for it to go. At some point I might try to read it again and see if I can get into it more after a hiatus, but for right now it is a DNF at 40 percent.

Loved this story about Josie who finds bee keeping magical and wants to work in the family business and not go to college. She hasn’t told mom this yet. As she and mom get ready for a bee keeping festival, they’re reminded of a century-old feud with a neighboring family. While out one night by herself, Josie meets a young man and they hit it off. Come to find out later he’s the grandson of the feuding family. Ezra and Josie begin to secretly date, and Josie can’t let her mom find out. As the couple become closer, Josie doesn’t know what to do. End it with Ezra or tell her mom who will be furious. Josie learns if you love something you need to chase after it even if everyone says do the opposite.