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stephanie_jmc's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This book has been on my to-read shelf for over a decade and I finally decided to prioritize reading it. It’s a very meh book so giving it a 6.5/10.
I liked how it mirrored real life and the drama that can occur with mom cliques. It had some interesting character development and scandals, as well as some unexpected plot twists. There was a predictable ending as there typically is with “mean girl” type story lines. Overall a slow read and boring at times but not awful. It is placed in England and some of the slang terms and language was hard to follow at times. I don’t think I’d recommend this book as it’s not a page turner, but some might enjoy it!
I liked how it mirrored real life and the drama that can occur with mom cliques. It had some interesting character development and scandals, as well as some unexpected plot twists. There was a predictable ending as there typically is with “mean girl” type story lines. Overall a slow read and boring at times but not awful. It is placed in England and some of the slang terms and language was hard to follow at times. I don’t think I’d recommend this book as it’s not a page turner, but some might enjoy it!
lacytelles's review against another edition
2.0
I finished this because it was a quick read. However, the characters are unlikeable and it doesn't follow any kind of smooth arc. It is basically "Mean Girls" but for adults, but too cutting to be funny and actually quite sad in parts.
Eh.
Eh.
carweneve's review against another edition
2.0
I won an ARC of this book from a First Reads Giveaway.
It's not a book I would usually have picked up, unless my book group was reading it, and I've neither worked in a primary school nor had children attend one, so clearly I'm not really the target audience. That being said, it was a nice easy read and a not altogether predictable story. I found some of the characters hard to separate (Clover, Collete, Jasmine, Sharon especially were all pretty frequently mentioned but not fleshed out much beyond the first single-sentence descriptions so I found it hard to keep tabs on who was who and what was what) and some of it seemed a bit slap-dash like the author had thought of something, but couldn't quite figure out how to write it properly.
SPOILERS
Particularly and bizarrely, the whole situation with Bea. She seemed to be a main character and much of the story whirled around her, but we didn't know her at all. Why had she started to ignore Rachel all of a sudden? Why did she really seem to turn on her? Why did she suddenly get a (made up) job? Why was she putting weight on? All these things were happening with no explanation as to why and it made everything feel disjointed and not quite right. And then the ending? Just weird. Bea gets run over and needs a carer? What was the point in that? I just didn't get it.
END OF SPOILERS
I might recommend this book to friends who have/had kids at primary school (perhaps they'll see it in a whole different light), but probably not to anyone else, unless they are looking for a throwaway book to take on holiday.
It's not a book I would usually have picked up, unless my book group was reading it, and I've neither worked in a primary school nor had children attend one, so clearly I'm not really the target audience. That being said, it was a nice easy read and a not altogether predictable story. I found some of the characters hard to separate (Clover, Collete, Jasmine, Sharon especially were all pretty frequently mentioned but not fleshed out much beyond the first single-sentence descriptions so I found it hard to keep tabs on who was who and what was what) and some of it seemed a bit slap-dash like the author had thought of something, but couldn't quite figure out how to write it properly.
SPOILERS
Particularly and bizarrely, the whole situation with Bea. She seemed to be a main character and much of the story whirled around her, but we didn't know her at all. Why had she started to ignore Rachel all of a sudden? Why did she really seem to turn on her? Why did she suddenly get a (made up) job? Why was she putting weight on? All these things were happening with no explanation as to why and it made everything feel disjointed and not quite right. And then the ending? Just weird. Bea gets run over and needs a carer? What was the point in that? I just didn't get it.
END OF SPOILERS
I might recommend this book to friends who have/had kids at primary school (perhaps they'll see it in a whole different light), but probably not to anyone else, unless they are looking for a throwaway book to take on holiday.
lilypembrooke's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting link between bees and the women. Luckily I have never had to deal with a Beatrice at school!
kirabind's review against another edition
3.0
On its face, The Hive sounds like a blatant play for the attentions of moderately vapid female readers, the type of women who sent Fifty Shades of Grey to the top of the NYT bestseller list. (I say this judgily, but I actually read all three FSOG books). And to some degree, The Hive very much is that book. It's about petty arguments and frivolous conflicts and a cadre of women whose lives revolve entirely around their children and one another (and one-another's children). Some of the conversations in The Hive are even cringe-worthy, particularly if you're a 20-something female who aspires to never sit around a coffee shop discussing your friend's sister's daughter's fifth-grade test scores.
But what makes The Hive tolerable/special/good is exactly what is implied by analogizing it to Mean Girls (both The Hive and Mean Girls are loosely based on the same advice book.) Hornby knows these things—and these women—are ridiculous, and knows that this particular brand of ridiculousness only seems to emerges when one pops miniature humans out of one’s lady parts. And while much of The Hive feels like parody, or at the very least exaggeration, Hornby does highlight how the very school-based communities intended to elevate the experience of students also breed a special brand of adult one-upmanship.
[FULL REVIEW]
But what makes The Hive tolerable/special/good is exactly what is implied by analogizing it to Mean Girls (both The Hive and Mean Girls are loosely based on the same advice book.) Hornby knows these things—and these women—are ridiculous, and knows that this particular brand of ridiculousness only seems to emerges when one pops miniature humans out of one’s lady parts. And while much of The Hive feels like parody, or at the very least exaggeration, Hornby does highlight how the very school-based communities intended to elevate the experience of students also breed a special brand of adult one-upmanship.
[FULL REVIEW]
agloe's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the way the book portrayed the "types" of people. Super fluffy, kind of a dud ending.
sue_loves_to_read's review against another edition
2.0
There's only room for one Queen Bee: A hilarious and touching novel about the social world of school mothers.
It's the start of another school year at St. Ambrose. While the children are busy in the classroom, their mothers are learning sharper lessons. Lessons in friendship. Lessons in betrayal. Lessons in the laws of community, the transience of power...and how to get invited to lunch.
Beatrice -- undisputed queen bee. Ruler, by Divine Right, of all school fundraising, this year, last year, and, surely, for many to come.
Heather -- desperate to volunteer, desperate to be noticed, desperate to belong.
Georgie -- desperate for a cigarette.
And Rachel -- watching them all, keeping her distance. But soon to discover that the line between amused observer and miserable outcast is a thin one.
Fairly typical chicklit. At times the characters became interesting but mainly they were stereotypes and events were overemphasised for humour so they became unrealistic. A holiday read.
It's the start of another school year at St. Ambrose. While the children are busy in the classroom, their mothers are learning sharper lessons. Lessons in friendship. Lessons in betrayal. Lessons in the laws of community, the transience of power...and how to get invited to lunch.
Beatrice -- undisputed queen bee. Ruler, by Divine Right, of all school fundraising, this year, last year, and, surely, for many to come.
Heather -- desperate to volunteer, desperate to be noticed, desperate to belong.
Georgie -- desperate for a cigarette.
And Rachel -- watching them all, keeping her distance. But soon to discover that the line between amused observer and miserable outcast is a thin one.
Fairly typical chicklit. At times the characters became interesting but mainly they were stereotypes and events were overemphasised for humour so they became unrealistic. A holiday read.
meggles05's review against another edition
1.0
DNF - the dialog was slow, too many characters for me to keep straight, and the story jumped around quite a bit. I tried to stick it out but ultimately it wasn’t keeping my attention.
kimreed's review against another edition
3.0
Very readable but plotwise, a ripoff of Mean Girls combined with Bridget Jones' Diary. Like the last few chapters were a direct lift of Bridget Jones. Am I the only one who noticed this? The symbolism of the bees was way too heavy-handed. There's a good novel to be written about the interactions of parents whose kids all go to the same school but this was a little too simplistic.