Review: Between You, Me and the Honeybees, Amelia Diane Coombs

I’m very excited to review Between You, Me and the Honeybees today, an adorable young adult contemporary with great romance, family vibes and complex friendship, set in sunny California!

Between You, Me, and the Honeybees by Amelia Diane Coombs
Published by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers on June 22, 2021
Genres: contemporary, young adult
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Buy on Book Depository, Bookshop, Blackwell's
Goodreads

Perfect for fans of Jenn Bennett and Sarah Dessen, this swoon-worthy novel follows a teen girl during her California summer of beekeeping, secrets, and stolen kisses.
Josie Hazeldine has just graduated from high school, and she’s ready for a summer full of sunshine, beekeeping, and…lying to her mom.
Josie’s mom couldn’t be more proud of her daughter going to college, something she never got to do. But Josie wants to stay in her California hometown and take over the family business, Hazeldine Honey. So that college acceptance her mom is thrilled about? Yeah, Josie turned it down. But she’s going to come clean—just not yet.
The neighbor’s artsy, adorable grandson who’s in town for the summer makes Josie’s web of lies even more tangled. He’s into Josie and the feeling is very mutual, but he’s a Blumstein—the sworn enemy of the Hazeldines and their number one competition in the annual Honey Show at the end of July. As their secret fling goes on, Josie knows she’s getting in way too deep to leave him behind when summer’s over.
Can Josie keep the boy she can’t stop thinking about without the secrets she’s juggling crashing down around her?

I received this book for free from NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:

anxiety, panic attack, Parkinson disease.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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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!

FINAL RATING : 4,5 drops!

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📚 Books similar to Between You, Me and the Honeybees that I’d recommend:

• For more reads about not exactly meeting your parents’ expectations and great romance, read We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon
• For heartwarming romances, try out Jenn Bennett’s books, like Chasing Lucky.

Did you read Between You, Me and the Honeybees or do you want to? What’s the latest YA book with a great romance you read and enjoyed? Let me know in comments!

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