Readers who enjoy inspirational stories will love this heartfelt book. Told in three first person accounts, early onset dementia will become real to readers as the story progresses. The author’s personal experience with FTD as explained in the note gives the story an authentic take. Loved the characters! It’s enjoyable to see families bonding and working together. Recommended!

When you stand at the altar in all your wedding finery and you promise to love that other person ‘in sickness and in health’ you don’t usually think that all the way through. And why would you? You’re typically still young enough at this stage that the possibility of a life-disrupting illness never crosses your mind. But for Honey McKerry, her husband’s FTD diagnosis (a type of early onset dementia, not the florist) means she is living a very different life than she imagined she would be in her late sixties. The sort of altered life that author Melody Carlson knows from personal experience with her own late husband’s FTD diagnosis, as explained in the note at the end of Welcome to the Honey B&B, something which gives this story not only an air of tender authenticity but also lots and lots of heart.

I’m not gonna lie, parts of this book were emotionally exhausting – and that’s not a bad thing because it means the characters showed me what it’s like to walk a mile in their shoes. CT’s dementia – the humorous, the frustrating, the sweet, and the heartbreaking sides of it – and what it’s like to live with it as a spouse and as a family is so well-written, including the occasional snippets portrayed from his point of view, that my heart welled up with compassion for him, his wife Honey, and their adult daughter Jewel (a single mom who moves back home with her teenage daughter Cooper to help out). The author does keep the story as light as possible though, and some well-timed wit and a hint of romance lift the mood whenever needed. My favorite part of Welcome to the Honey B&B though? The character growth in 13-year-old Cooper!

Bottom Line: Welcome to the Honey B&B by Melody Carlson proves that grace tastes a whole lot like a peanut butter & honey sandwich and smells a whole lot like a fresh coat of paint. I felt so deeply for these characters and their journey through frontotemporal dementia as a family, and my respect for those currently in the trenches with a loved one in this battle grew a hundredfold. CT and Honey, Jewel and her daughter Cooper, and next door neighbor Miguel (who deserves accolades for his compassion and understanding) all took up residence in my heart before all was said and done, and I appreciated the layers that Carlson gave them. The very light dash of romance between Jewel and Miguel may not be the focus of this story but it is a sweet bonus that of course I enjoyed. Fans of Katie Powner, Amanda Cox, and Sara Brunsvold will feel right at home in Welcome to the Honey B&B too!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Not what I expected, but still a nice read. the story deals with one man’s battle with dementia, and the way his family comes together in order to care for him, and each other. A lovely Christian fiction read, and while billed romance, it is more of a women’s fiction, with romantic elements thrown in.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

This is a somewhat humorous and empathetic look at a family dealing with the dad having dementia and all of the problems that result from his illness. Jewell returns home to help out her mom with her dad and decides that changes have to be made and quickly in order to keep him safer. The two-story house that her parents have lived in for years will not work any longer for a man who continues to stumble and fall, so she resolves to turn the old house into a B & B and install her parents on a new manufactured home on the property nearby. The determination of Jewel to help her parents is heartwarming, even if she does seem to move faster than they can keep up with. I really enjoyed the multi-layered plot, with a teen daughter not wanting to move and having to establish new friendships, a mom with her own health problems, a neighbor who is helpful and kind but whom her dad does not like and a former classmate who is trying to strike up a new romance. Jewell manages to keep her eyes on her goal, get the help she needs and awakens to new insight into the lives of her parents and some self-discovery truths, too. I liked the dynamics between the realistic characters and the way they each had their own individual strengths that made the well-paced story work so well. I liked Jewell’s ability to think outside of the box and to be willing to make sacrifices for herself and Cooper in order to help out her parents. This is a wonderful story, with a hint of romance and a lot of love for family on every well-written page.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own honest ones.

Melody Carlson wrote an inspiring heartfelt story based on her own experiences with the early onset dementia of her husband in her new book, Welcome to the Honey B&B. In this very special tribute, Carlson shares the ups and downs of dementia and the life-changing impact on loved ones with her readers. Filled with love, compassion, humor, and faith, Carlson, with her exquisite prose, draws her readers into the world of caregivers, in this unforgettable story.

Set in a small Oregon town on a little bee farm in the country we join three generations as they come together working toward common goals with the help of God as they care for CT. Honey, the loving wife of CT, is overwhelmed as his dementia worsens affecting her own health. Jewel, his artist daughter, and his rebellious granddaughter Cooper, move back to the farm to help their mother with caring for him. I was so drawn to this family and felt all of their heartfelt moments as they each interacted with CT constantly with respect. 

Carlson reminded us throughout this story that we all need help in our lives sometimes, and that it is okay to ask for assistance when we need it, as sometimes it takes a village to care for those we love.

I highly recommend Welcome to the Honey B&B, a touching story of romance, laughter, and redemption, by Melody Carlson, who teaches life's lessons with sweetness with her Christian romance stories.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Revell Publishers via NetGalley through Interviews & Reviews. I was not obligated to write a favorable review, and all opinions are my own.

Welcome to the Honey B&B by Melody Carlson is a heartwarming story. I felt for the family who is caring for CT who has frontotemporal dementia (FTP—Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with this disease). They need to keep an eye on him constantly (he is wily and can disappear in an instant). I cannot imagine what it would be like to have your father (or grandfather, mother, etc.) not recognize you (heartbreaking). I was surprised that the family did not utilize items with modern technology that would help them keep better track of CT (baby monitor, tracking device, security cameras around the farm, sensor alarms). I felt for Jewel who was discovering the severity of her father’s condition. I thought it was wonderful how she worked to find ways to help her parents. I like the fact that the characters were realistic with flaws. I liked all but one side character (I wanted to toss this guy off a cliff). The romance was the slow burn type which suited the story (it did not need to be rushed). I was not a fan of a certain man causing problems though (same guy that I want to toss off a cliff). My favorite character was Jewel’s daughter, Cooper. It was great how she cared for her grandfather and learned to care for the bees. I appreciated the author’s note at the end in which she explains why she wrote the novel and her experiences with a loved one who has frontotemporal dementia. Welcome to the Honey B&B is a touching tale with a father with FTD, a green haired granddaughter, picking paint colors, buzzing bees, a pesky contractor, fun at the fair, friendly neighbors, and a loving family.

WELCOME TO THE HONEY B & B is going to make you want to run to this B & B in Oregon! The beautiful words Melody Carlson uses to describe the picture perfect family farm in Oregon will have you feeling like you are right there sitting on the porch watching the bees. Jewel is returning to her family farm to help her mother take care of her father, CT, who has dementia. Jewel needs to remember to trust in God when things aren’t going the way we expect them to go.

I have read many Melody Carlson’s books and have loved them all. WELCOME TO THE HONEY B & B is exactly why. Melody is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She makes me feel so many different things while I’m reading her heart-warming stories. One minute I’m giggling and the next there is a huge lump in my throat. Melody’s personal experience for caring for a loved one with dementia, really came through in this heartbreaking story and makes the experiences much more real. You can tell she knows what she is talking about. All of the characters are flawed in different ways, but you will find yourself cheering for them throughout the book.

My heart hurt while Jewel tried to figure out how she could help her parents. I tried not to rush through the story of Jewel and Miguel. I loved Jewel’s daughter, Cooper. Some of the characters annoyed me, but it was part of the story and they had to be that way. Most of them came around though. I just wanted to reach in the pages of WELCOME TO THE HONEY B & B and give them all hugs. I can’t wait to read more by this wonderful author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A sweet story with real struggles and triumphs that warmed my heart and kept me rooting for the characters. Enjoyed Honey and CT especially, but most every character was endearing in their own way.

I do not even know where to begin on this review. My emotions are all over the place after finishing this book. Melody Carlson always writes emotional books with heartfelt stories, but the subject matter for this story made it even more emotional. We do not like to talk about dementia and the effects it has on everyone around the person suffering from this horrible disease. But the author told a heartfelt story about this family and their very real struggles, while also mixing in a little humor as well.

Honey spends her days taking care of her beloved husband, CT. CT suffers from frontal temporal dementia. She grieves the loss of her stout, hard-working husband who loves his bees and his honey and peanut butter sandwiches, but she keeps chugging and remembers her marriage vows. This does not mean that it was not hard for her, but she tries to remember the good times.

Jewell decides to move back to Oregon with her parents using the excuse that her parents need her help, which they do, but the real reason for her move is she is worried about her 13 year old daughter, Cooper. Cooper is your typical moody teenage girl, and moving across the country seems like the end of the world for her.

Miguel is Honey and CT's next door neighbor who adds a splash of something extra to this story.

They will have to work hard together, which at times seems hopeless for all involved. All of the main characters had real life issues that were affecting their daily lives. This had a little romance, but it was more what I would call women's fiction with a little spark of romance. There were so many lessons that were learned as these characters learned to adjust to a new way of living, such as finding blessings in the little things, giving grace to those who you may not think deserve it and finding hope in faith. Also, seeing a bright future when the present seems so dark.

I think my favorite character was Cooper. This move was hard for her 13 year old self. She was in for a culture shock. She also had to leave everything she knew behind. She showed true strength. It did my heart good to see her taking care of her grandfather's beloved bees as if they were her very own. She was a surprisingly likable character after you got past the grouchy, moody teenager. CT stole my heart a little too. He knew that he forgot things, but he could not figure out why. I cried several times. You will definitely want to have your tissues handy.

I usually forget about characters in a story after a read a book, but these characters are really sticking with me. You will understand when you read it.

Thank you to Revell Books and the author for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A clean romance about family and new beginnings? Sign me up. As I read this charming new release set on a farm in Oregon, I soon realized that there was content inspired by Melody Carlson's own life experiences. More about that later. Here are five things I liked about this bee-utiful book:

🍯CT, the patriarch of the family, has a fondness for peanut butter and honey sandwiches with a banana on the side. His wife Honey relied on this staple for her dear husband. For me, the banana gets sliced on top of the peanut butter.
🐝I learned new things about beekeeping from this story. The hives on the farm have some challenges and it was interesting to see how they handled them. Granddaughter Cooper (named after her grandfather) was a great help.
🎨Daughter Jewel sold her art gallery in San Jose to move home and her vision for a B&B on the property will not be easy. Loved her artistic flair and how that contributed to her success.
🏡The old farmhouse was a character all on its own. With some TLC, this old house has a good amount of life to live yet. Reminded me of the house I grew up in.
🧑‍⚕Honey is finding that her retirement years are much different than she had dreamed about. Her husband has FTD (Frontotemporal Dementia) and her experience mirrors Melody Carlson's real life. The author's notes tipped the scales to five stars for me.

My own mother had a similar experience when my father was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy over a decade ago. He had recently retired and had a workshop built to spend much of his extra time on a favorite hobby. Unfortunately the disease cut his time short. As Honey cares for CT, I saw glimpses of our family experience. Melody Carlson includes resources for families dealing with neurological disorders like these.

Thank you to Revell and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading Welcome to the Honey B&B, a contemporary fiction novel set in a small Oregon town. Jewel is an artist who owns a gallery in San Jose, California. She’s a single parent with a thirteen year old daughter, Cooper, who’s difficult to manage and has friends who could lead her astray. Jewel decides to relocate with Cooper back to her home town in Oregon to help her parents, Honey and CT.

Honey is a retired school teacher in her late sixties who lives on the farm with CT who has FTD—early onset dementia. Honey’s retirement plans are in tatters as the daily grind of caring for CT wears her out. Honey welcomes the arrival of Jewel and Cooper who live with them in the two storey farmhouse and help her manage CT’s caring needs.

We meet Honey’s neighbor, Miguel, who has a daughter around the same age as Cooper. Jewel has plans to generate farm income by converting the farmhouse into a B&B. Cooper shares her grandpa’s love for bee keeping.

The story includes many humorous and poignant moments as we discover how CT’s dementia has a profound and life changing impact on his loved ones. The reality of caring for a loved one with FTD is not sugarcoated and we see the raw emotion of their rollercoaster journey on the page. The characters draw on their faith to understand and process CT’s diagnosis and what it means for their family.

I recommend Welcome to the Honey B&B to contemporary fiction readers who like charming small town family stories that include issues relating to a loved one’s dementia diagnosis, romantic elements, and relevant faith threads in the story.

Many thanks to Revell and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Heartfelt story told from three perspectives: Honey McKerry, her husband CT, who has dementia, and their daughter Jewel, who has come home to the farm with her daughter, Cooper.
Told in an informative and sensitive way, this story deals with FTD, a form of dementia. CT does some outrageous things but his loving wife, Honey, and daughter Jewel, are determined to keep him home as long as possible. This story became more interesting when I learned that the author had a personal connection with this brain dysfunction.
The story had humor, danger, a budding romance, relationship concerns, and showed a struggle with faith and family dynamics.
Very well written from all angles of a difficult situation, even from the one who was directly impacted. This story encompassed so many feelings, and dealt with them admirably. Certainly a worthy read.
*A complementary copy of this title was provided by Revell through Interviews and Reviews via NetGalley. All opinions are mine alone.*

Welcome to the Honey B&B is a warm, welcoming honest story about a family and a husband, father and grandfather that is going through the horrible disease of dementia. I felt the frustration, desperation but the light and joy of their love shining through the hard times topped off it all. I enjoyed the book from the first page until the last.

"He used to call his hives his paceful place"
Honey and CT are a old couple with a big farm to tend. Their only daughter lives in other State. Life can change so fast and become upside down, expecially when a illnes is involved.
One topic of the book that my mother agrees is "But she'd recently read a good rull. I fyou keep it out of sight and rarely use it, get rid of it." It's a good rull, but I used to keep and then my house is full of stuff, LOL. I'm a creative person and love to learn different crafts techniques, reuse and recycle.
I received a complimentary copy, thank you to let me read this book to Author, Editor, Interview&Review.

Welcome to Honey B&B is written by a long-time favorite Melody Carlson. She was one of the Christian YA authors that I fell in love with in junior high and have been reading on and off for years. When I see a book is by Melody Carlson, I instantly know it is going to be a good book. And this was no exception. I was swept into the story from the vert start.

The character development was amazing. Seeing the decline of CT was so hear breaking. But getting to see how each character interacts with him was so telling of who they were. I loved seeing Honey’s love for her husband, but also being torn by her hopes and dreams. I loved getting to know Jewel seeing her interact with her father’s decline and navigating two different love interests. I also loved seeing Cooper step up to help her mom and grandma with her grandpa, while also moving to a new state and trying to make new friends.

The setting and storyline were perfect. I loved being on a little bee farm in the country. Helping Jewel turn the farmhouse into a little B&B was a cute hallmark storyline and setting.

The romance element was cute. Very closed door and low spice, which I appreciate. It was fun that she had two men interested in her and Jewel had to decide between the two.

Melody Carlson did a great job intertwining faith throughout the novel. It was really encouraging. I also appreciated the personal touch to this story. Make sure to read the authors notes on this story.

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

Welcome to the Honey B&B is a sweet story of family overcoming challenges and growing together. It was heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. When the last chapter is finished, and it’s time to say goodbye, you’re going to feel like Honey and Jewel have imprinted on your heart forever. Knowing that the author wrote from her own experiences, makes this even more of a precious treasure.

Welcome to the Honey B&B

This story covers a serious subject. Jewel McKerry returns to her childhood home, trying to help her parents, Honey and CT, and give her daughter a new direction. Honey is dealing with early onset dementia of her husband CT. The daily challenges and struggles of memory loss were taking a toll on Honey. Trusting God when things don't make sense, this story is heartbreaking yet inspirational.

Melody Carlson has written a compassionate story reflected by her own ongoing experience. Her characters are believable and reflect her ability to bring the story to life.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thanks to Netgalley for my review copy.

I really enjoyed this book. It deals with a serious subject early-onset dementia. We meet Honey and CT who is suffering from early-onset dementia at the beginning of the story. They live on a farm and one of CT’s favourite things is honey from his bees. We can see Honey’s struggles with CT’s memory. Their daughter Jewel and granddaughter Cooper live in California and make the choice to move back to Oregon to help.

Cooper is 13 and having teenage issues which the city isn’t helping. Jewels needs a change of scenery and Honey needs the help. CT thinks their neighbour is trouble which causes some interesting encounters. Jewel has the idea to turn the house into a B&B to generate some income.

This book shows how early-onset dementia affects everyone in a family not just the affected person. While this is a story it highlights what it is like caring for someone with dementia. There are times I can feel the frustrations of the characters. Seeing how the characters learn coping skills as the book goes one mirrors real-life. Personally, my dad suffered a stroke that affected his ability to make decisions. Reading this story I could see my mother in how Honey handles many situations.

This would be a great book for a book club wanting to talk about a serious issue and how it affects us in different ways. This book can help educate people as to how it is to live with someone with dementia. How there are no easy answers, and everyone has a different response.

I enjoyed that the story was told from the point of view of the two female characters, Honey (mom) and Jewel (daughter).


Jewel returns to get childhood home with her teenage daughter to help care for her dad, CT, who has dementia. The author's personal experience for caring for a loved one with dementia, shines through in this story and makes the experiences much more realistic. The story really centers on CT and how the family tries to support him best.

Cooper, the teenage daughter, was probably my favorite character. Once they made the move to Oregon, she seemed to be the one who adapted the best. Cooper also worked so well with her grandpa and seemed to have a calming presence for him.

I would have liked to see more of the bed and breakfast and how that worked out for the family.

Thanks to netgalley and Revell for the arc. The opinions are my own.

I liked how the author gave us a peek into the main character’s head space, throughout the story. Melody Carlson’s novels are outstanding because they never fail to inspire me and transport me to fascinating places. This novel is deeply moving as the author shared (through her characters) some of the challenges she faced with her husband when he was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. The author beautifully depicts how this illness affects the entire family.

Since Jewel McKerry’s mother is the only caregiver for her father Jewel can't help but feel an urgent need to help her mother. She also thinks that this will be very good for her thirteen-year-old daughter, who just started to hang out with the wrong group of kids.

.As Jewel and Cooper begin to assist her mom, Jewel has a brilliant idea that she believes will benefit the family. I thought Jewel's idea was fresh and innovative. I like how the author drew the reader into her experience as her plan unfolds. I thought it was wonderful that she took the time to visit the county fair and witness the incredible sense of community there.

In many ways, Jewel's plan would represent a fresh start for the whole family. I liked how the author had interwoven a lighthearted approach to dealing with weighty issues. This novel is a thought-provoking, inspiring read, mixed with honesty, humor, and faith. I highly recommend it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I requested and received a copy of this book from the publisher, Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog https://psalm516.blogspot.com/