He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox
Callie and Beckett have no idea the other exists until each are named in the trust of beekeeper George Walsh. As the two women are thrown together, they slowly begin to understand what George intended and why.
Both have been damaged by the past. But with help from each other and their friends and family, they begin to heal and discover a new is possible.
This story had some unusual elements including an apiary, a tornado and a small “alien.” The characters were relatable and loveable, especially Fern. The author leaves some questions unanswered but provides a satisfactory and believable conclusion. I found myself wondering what would happen to the characters after the conclusion of the book, a sign of a well-written book.
I appreciate the complimentary copy of this arc, in return for this, my honest review.

A beautiful and moving story withe believable faith elements.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't realize that the idea of 'telling the bees' was actually something that was done back in the 19th century. If something happened to a beekeeper or their immediate family, the bees would be informed of things such as marriage, death, or birth. Very heartfelt story using nature to teach a life lesson.

Thank you to Ananda Cox and Revell publishing for the arc version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"If anything ever happens to me, tell the bees . . . They need to know or they'll die too."
- He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox

Happy Pub Day to He Should Have Told the Bees! I love its cover, its title, and most importantly its story. Amanda Cox is an auto buy author, and her novels earn (rare) five star ratings from me, so having her third book in the world is a gift for readers.

Beckett Walsh has a pleasant solitary life on a farm with her father, keeping hives of bees. When he suddenly dies, she's devastated, even more so when she learns that she's inherited the farm along with Callie Peterson, someone she doesn't know. Who is this person? Why did her father include her in his will? Will Beck be able to continue living in the only place she feels safe?

I was completely drawn into this story from the first chapter. The author's professional background as a counselor uniquely equips her to create characters that are nuanced and complex. Telling the story in alternating chapters from Beck and Callie's points of view allows readers to know their thoughts, struggles, and motivations, all of which felt very realistic. And the secondary characters, especially Fern, Annette, and Beck's aunt, added humor, context, and depth to the plot.

This is Christian women's fiction at its finest. I especially appreciated the theme of mental health, elements of faith, and the character growth arcs. The facts about bees and beekeeping were very interesting and supported the theme; Ms. Cox's first-hand knowledge was evident without feeling like a seminar or information dump.

Thank you to the author and Revell Publishing for the review copy of this excellent novel.

When Beckett Walsh unexpectedly lost her father, she didn't think she might lose everything else too. Their farm has been her entire world since her mother left when she was a child, when the grief and insecurity of the loss drove her to become agoraphobic. Now her father has left the farm into the care of two people—Beckett, and an unknown woman named Callie Peterson.

Callie is on the verge of setting up a permanent store front for her online business, but her alcoholic mother may come between her and her dream—again. Rehab is expensive, and if her mother is willing to go, shouldn't Callie do all she can to help? But when she finds out a man she's never heard of has left her half a bee farm, maybe that will allow her to help her mother and grow her business without giving up anything.

But who was George Walsh and why did he leave his farm to two young women who didn't know the other existed?

This is a gentle story that explores big emotions and the needs of humanity. Both Beckett and Callie have endured deep wounds, and both are in need of help from others to help them overcome. But help isn't easy to accept when you've known loss and betrayal from the ones who should have loved you most.

I deeply related to Callie but I also loved Beckett's part of the story. I appreciated the way faith was woven in and truths were expressed by the supporting characters. The hints of romance and one young girl also brought a lot to the novel.

I'd recommend this for fans of contemporary and womens fiction. "It's possible for treasured things to come out of brokenness. Even if it doesn't happen the way any of us would have wanted. Even if it comes through loss." (Chapter 44)

I received my copy of the book from NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own.

It was very slow going for me for the first half of the book. I would say after Callie met Beck things started to fall into place and things started to make sense and relationships started to develop that I cared about. I was going to give up on this book around 25% and then again around 35% but I’m glad I didn’t. It had some good messages and a really nice ending.

I really enjoyed this tale of family and courage. I loved how Beckett and her problems are handled in the story. I felt Callie was an interesting character full of courage. This story made me laugh and cry. I loved how Beck could relate the bees lives to her own. I received a copy of the book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

I found the start quite confusing, it would have been easier if using an actual book rather than an e-book (to be able to flick back a few pages, checking names) – it took me quite some time to figure out the connection between the two girls.
I must say I felt sorry for George, the bad things thought about him when all along he was always trying to help others, putting them first.
I thought I had ‘cracked it’, reasonably early on, & eventually the others in the book (they are too ‘real’ to call them ‘characters’) reached the same conclusion – only for us all to be wrong.
Well, I sure learnt a lot about bees... but I find I have mixed feelings about this book : although I did love the farm, I didn’t really ‘bond’ with any of the characters. I kept reading great things about it, but I definitely preferred her earlier two books. 3 1/2 stars

He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox is an outstanding book with intriguing and unique circumstances as well as excellent lessons. I appreciate how Ms. Cox writes her books, full of realistic life struggles of people that seem so real they could be walking past you or sitting beside you in your day to day activities. In some sense Ms. Cox brings out how each one of us can relate to the characters' struggles, even if we haven't experienced exactly what they have.  I think the excellent characters and situations are some of why Ms. Cox's books are so widely loved.
The themes of He Should Have Told the Bees on grief, family, past trauma, overcoming anxiety, dealing with control, and learning to overcome and adapt to what God brings into each of our lives are honestly so important to delve into. I appreciate how Ms. Cox doesn't shy away from the tough topics and twisted family situations. I appreciate the honest struggles, fears, insecurities, growths, and hope that the characters dealt with. Overall, I was genuinely impressed by He Should Have Told the Bees. I am thankful to Ms. Cox for writing books like this that almost feel like we're getting to sit in on a therapy session.  I really enjoyed the imagery and illustrations that were used in this book as well as the focus on God and each character's walk with God. It is always refreshing and unfortunately surprising in modern times to find such a good, wholesome book as He Should Have Told the Bees.  This book by Ms. Cox is well worth the read and the lessons and characters will resonate and stay with you after you read the last page.
Beckett Walsh lives a very simple, yet isolated life on her family farm as a beekeeper, preferring not to leave the farm...as in......ever.  When Becket's dad dies suddenly, Beckett's entire world changes especially when her father's will lists a completely unknown and strange name alongside her as part owner of the family farm.  Why would Beckett's father have put her in a position to potentially lose not only her home, her purpose (beekeeping), but also her only place where she feels safe?
Callie Peterson has not lived a life of ease and plenty, but her life is flipped around when she is contacted by an estate company out of the blue and told that she is now co-owner of a family farm of an utter stranger. On paper this might be the solution to Callie's financial concerns as she is trying to support her mother in rehab while also supporting herself and growing her small business.  When Callie and Beckett come face to face for the first time, can they discover the truth of their pasts? What will these discoveries do to the future of the beekeeping farm? Can Callie and Beckett figure out how to work together and help each other overcome their struggles and life obstacles?  Read He Should Have Told the Bees if you are looking for a well-written, real-deal life, faith filled book; you will not be disappointed. Happy reading!
Disclaimer: Revell graciously provided me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and part of an unbiased review.

Love and identity are timeless themes, expressed in every story in some way or another, it seems. Amanda Cox breaks these down in a tale of two women in He Should Have Told The Bees. Beckett Walsh’s father made a comfortable world for his beloved daughter on the farm they shared alone after her mother left them. She was his apprentice and was happy to carry on in his shadow until his death ripped away the security she relied on even more than she had known. Callie Peterson had no such stability in a world without a father and with a mother whose addictions stole any illusion of security. She should have been through living with the weight of her mother’s continued rejection and chaos, but the boundaries she so carefully constructed are torn down again by her mother’s pleas for help. There is no reason why Beckett or Callie should know about the other’s existence, until George Walsh’s trust divides his estate in half between them. Where each woman has struggled for a lifetime to understand who they are and why they weren’t enough for their parents to stay, this pivotal point begins a new search for understanding neither ever expected.

He Should Have Told The Bees is both heart wrenching and soul stirring, as Cox explores issues we all wrestle with, and does it in a manner that has the reader invested from the first appearance of a spunky alien waif in the Walsh Farms apiary. I have to confess that I was listening to an audiobook in which a spunky alien waif pops up in the path of an unsuspecting young woman, so I had to put He Should Have Told The Bees down for a time in order to keep the storylines from getting jumbled together. I was a bit trepidatious, then, when I resumed this book and hoped it wouldn’t be just another iteration of a storyline I had so recently explored. I worried this one might not hold its own against such a similar cast of characters. There was absolutely no cause for concern. He Should Have Told The Bees is its own story, with its own characters, and there is no confusing the two once those relationships between reader and subjects have been forged. And frankly, Katya Amadeus Cimmaron of the Vesper Galaxy is the kind of lovable, spunky alien waif you just want to scoop up and feed cupcakes. With galaxy frosting. And star sprinkles.

Without a doubt, Amanda Cox’s latest release, He Should Have Told The Bees, is a bit of a tear jerker, a bit of an emotional struggle, and a triumph.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

First, this title really caught my attention. I wondered who it was and what should he have told the bees. Well according to a superstition, beekeepers need to tell the bees when their lives get turned upside down, or the bees may die. Interesting, and this story was quite interesting as well.

We are introduced to two women who both seem to be carrying the world on their shoulders. Many family secrets abound, and when Beck's father dies, their worlds collide, and they need to find a way through this new truth.

Beckett Walsh is a beekeeper who has been an assistant to her father all her life. He suddenly dies and leaves her alone. Alone, she doesn't mind too much, but she lives with an almost debilitating fear that has imprisoned her. After her father's death she needs to deal with things she never even bargained for.

Callie Peterson has never really had a stable life. Her alcoholic mother moved her around constantly and she never really put down any roots. Now she is on the cusp of her girlhood dream to become independent of anyone and open her new business. Until unfortunately everything seems to fall through. She is dealing with financial problems and red tape while trying to open her business. And her mother steps back into her life with all her problems again.

Callie and Beckett are in for a surprise. And that surprise can either heal them or tear them apart more. This is a story of addiction, tragedy, mental illness, family, and the important role of motherhood and how it affects children, good or bad. There is also a couple of men who are ready to help, and a very precocious girl who is very convincing as an alien.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

George Walsh has a farm and bees. Whe he died, his daughter Beck decides to go on with the farm and the bees. She loves working with the bees. In the next months she discovers new details about her father life, some good and some strange.
I choose to read this book because I love the bee world, so interesting and well organized.
The book doesn't disappointed me: the story is good, well written and intriguing, with love, lies, illness, regret.
Christian fiction book, mention church in passing, but it isn't a main theme.
I recommend this book, enjoy.
Thank you to let me read this book to: author, editor, Review&Interview, Netgalley.

“He’s gone. He’s not coming back. It’s just me now.”

Two young women, strangers and alone in the world, find themselves thrust into each others’ lives in an irrevocable way. Finding their common denominator brings its own crisis, as each would have given her eye teeth for what she believes the other had. Can the young women with so little in common, work together to forge a better future than the pasts they endured? Will they allow others around them into the deepest parts of their hearts and lives, or will they continue as they were, totally alone, totally “safe”?

With He Should Have Told the Bees, Amanda Cox has penned a poignant, angsty, yet faith-endowed story that will stay with me for a long time after the last page swipe. My heart hurts. Yours might, too, and you might need Kleenex. This is really the story of two grown-up children.
Both Callie and Beck have become young adults, but their troubled backgrounds keep their emotional growth stunted. Beck hides out on her farm, continuing to raise her father’s beloved bees, and Callie is trying to get her own small business going when the past comes back in physical form.
I was happy to see that Cox mentions therapy a lot in the book. Some issues are too deeply ingrained for a person to find their way out alone. I was also happy to see how well she describes panic attacks (people that have never had one, often don’t understand the seriousness of one.) And these are serious! I wanted to cry for these little girls grown up so many times.

But… there are many people who are knocking on their heart’s door, trying to get in to offer support, comfort, and a listening ear, if not wisdom. Will either or both girls open their hearts’ door, or had they slammed them too tight years ago?

My runaway fave secondary character is
Katya or Fern. Because of her imagination. Her love for the bees. Her quick “adoption” of Beck, whether Beck wanted claimed or not!!

I highly recommend this book. I received a copy from Revell Reads. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“It’s hard to know the difference between tough love and giving up on someone.”

“…beauty comes from the light. Dust doesn’t change itself. The light does that.”

“Healing is like an onion. It might feel like you’re going in circles, but you’re actually discovering new layers.”

What a beautiful story of two strangers thrown together only to find family, healing and restoration.

Callie’s dream is about to become reality, but when her mother walks back into her life, everything comes crashing down. Beckett’s world revolved around her family’s apiary farm, but when her dad dies of a heart attack, everything she believed to be true about her life is challenged.

There’s a lot to love about this story.

The characters are rich, three-dimensional, relatable, and characters you’d like to meet in-person. Though the story is about Callie and Beckett, there’s a lot of substance to the others – Annette, Isaac, Luke, and little Fern.
The bees are significant to the storyline. They serve as a connection between a struggling young girl, and a grieving Beckett. Memories are beautifully woven as Beckett continues taking care of bees and planning for the future. Parallels from nature to the story world’s reality were poignant.

As the story unfolds, the past is seamlessly connected to the present as Beckett and Callie learn more about each other and the impossible situation they are faced with.

Faith is intricately crafted into the lives of both main characters, and the truths that others speak into their lives are truths that so many of us need to hear.

This is a compelling read, and I highly recommend it.

I received a copy from the publisher from Net Galley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I haven't read a book this good in a long time. It touched my soul and carried me to a different place, a world that I don't live in but now feel deeply about. I learned a few things about bees as Callie and Beckett learned about themselves and found healing together for their troubled lives. Highly recommended.

This book has one of my favorite covers of 2023! I’m in major cover love! And the story behind it is just as sweet!

“He Should Have Told the Bees” is a beautifully woven tale that wrapped me in a sense of belonging, hope, and renewal. Set against the backdrop of a family apiary in Tennessee, it explores the challenges of life, while offering moments of hope, vulnerability, and unwavering faith.

The story revolves around two women, Beckett, and Callie. Beekeeper Beckett Walsh’s world is upended by the sudden loss of her father. She struggles with her father’s decision to share ownership of their beloved family apiary with a stranger and is faced with the possibility of losing everything she holds dear. Callie Peterson’s own battles with her business and her mother’s substance abuse provide a poignant contrast, because the potential sale of the apiary seems like a lifeline for her.

I enjoyed Beckett and Callie’s journeys of self-discovery and healing. And even though the story deals with weighty topics such as grief, mental illness, substance abuse, and trauma, it also shares moments of humor, vulnerability, and unwavering faith. It was easy to connect with these women and I enjoyed the serene yet demanding world of the apiary.

#CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are 100% mine.

I savored this book. Callie and Luke, Beck and Isaac, and the others became cherished friends. And I absolutely adored Fern. Even the animals take on qualities that made them endearing. The ordinary became extraordinary when their lives collided. Unraveling all of the memories, the present struggles, the dreams & goals that each of the characters had wove a beautiful story of forgiveness, healing, and moving forward. Beyond that, the analogies found in the apiary were unforgettable. I’m so very grateful I got the privilege of reading this amazing book, and its messages will resonate with me. I listened to much of it on audiobook and found it to be exceptionally well done. I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

"God, help me know what to do next. Help me to make the next move. I don’t want to be motivated by my fear of all the things that could go wrong or trying to plow ahead on my own strength. Teach me how to rely on you. To trust You."

Everytime I pick up one of Amanda's books, it's like a breath of fresh air. Every story is different, and every character is unique but relatable in some way or other.
And there's always a gentle faith lesson gracefully woven in that gives her books a special depth and character.

This book is a blissfully and passionate tale of faith and hope that I enjoyed, and hope you will too.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the complimentary e-book I received to review through Netgalley. The thoughts and opinions above are my own.

A tradition among beekeepers is to let the bees know when their owner has died as is portrayed in Amanda Cox’s latest Christian fiction, He Should Have Told the Bees, which was published August 1. George Walsh brought up his young daughter Beckett alone when her mother Lindy deserted them. George taught Beck everything he knew about beekeeping before he died, leaving the 60-acre farm to Beck but also to someone named Callie Peterson who lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Beck suffers from agoraphobia so when her father dies, she has a hard time facing the outside world. She is content caring for the bees, producing honey for sale, and taking care of a horse, a donkey, and some goats. She would rather pay a teen to deliver her groceries and animal supplies rather than to go to Sweetwater, Tennessee, herself. When she learns that she is to share ownership of Walsh Farm with a stranger who leans toward selling the property rather than keeping it, Beck becomes very upset with her father, leaving half the property to a stranger.

Who is this mysterious person who now owns half of Walsh Farm? What should Callie do when she has never even heard of the man endowing her with half his farm? She would love to sell it to finance her own dreams of opening a store to sell the candles and soaps she makes. Furthermore, she has the responsibility to provide treatment for her mother who is currently in rehab dealing with her alcoholism and mental health issues.
When Beck and Callie finally sit down to hash things out, they learn there exists a web of secrets in both of their lives, one of which makes their surprising relationship clear. How can they satisfy both their needs with the Walsh Farm?

Amanda Cox, with a bachelor's degree in Bible and theology and a master's degree in professional counseling, finds she enjoys telling stories and tending her honeybees. Her two previous books--The Edge of Belonging and The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery--won the Christy Award Book of the Year in 2021 and 2022. She lives in Tennessee with her family.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting September 5, 2023.

I would like to thank Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

This is a touching novel of secrets and dreams and healing of relationships. Cox has plotted out a seemingly impossible situation. Callie needs money and the opportunity to get it easily is placed before her. But that would also mean Beckett would lose the foundation to her well being. Wondering how Cox would work out this impossible situation kept me reading.

The pace of the novel is methodical as secrets become known and relationships develop. There is some suspense near the end but the focus of the novel is on relationships. Cox explores trauma, abandonment, building walls, addiction, and more. One issue that really stood out to me was trying to be a fixer, making others well at the expense of one's own wellness.

Cox's writing style is wonderful. Her prose is well crafted and this is a book to savor. The plot is well thought out except I thought the cause for the suspense near the end was a bit contrived. The characters are well developed. My favorite was Fern, a supposed alien from space wearing non-matching socks. This is a good novel that will tug at your heart strings.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.