1.12k reviews for:

Honeybee

Craig Silvey

4.32 AVERAGE

jessmilbs's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

teigancollins's review against another edition

4.5

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Violence, Stalking, Sexual harassment

Minor: Deadnaming

accio_sandy's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

steffkay93's review against another edition

5.0

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Sometimes from the second you open a page, you can tell immediately you're going to love a book. This was honeybee for me. It is perfection. It is heart-wrenching. It is, at times, heartwarming. You are given such a clear and honest insight into Sam's personal growth that by the time we meet Victoria, you didn't realise you could cheerlead for a fictional character you've never met so hard. It is powerful on so many levels whilst also providing a gripping story. I roared through it and couldn't put it down. One of those books you stay up late in to the night out as you have to know how Sam's story ends. It was hard not to fall totally in love with Sam, Vic, Edie and Peter. Highly recommend.

lauraannamaria's review against another edition

4.5

emotional hopeful reflective sad

veggiemegs's review against another edition

5.0

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I cried, I smiled, I couldn’t stop reading. This book was absolutely fantastic.

jacqueline_bosi's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ryyzap's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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The first half of this book was so trauma heavy I could hardly get through it and I read a lot of dark and twisted books. I was crying every chapter for characters I didn’t even care of yet because it was written so ghastly. 

By the first 100 pages we had touched on nearly every traumatic experience one could think of, and half of them felt unnecessary. I nearly stopped half way because it was becoming all a bit much but it was for book club and I saw a review that made it seem like it was worth finishing. 

It did ease up on the second half although it was still really sad and I was still crying pretty much every chapter. Thankfully there was a light at the end of the tunnel for the main character. 

Part of me though still feels uneasy with the author as it never quite felt like I was reading the story of this 14 year old exploring their gender identity but a straight middle aged man writing the story. I also don’t quite understand the desire of the author to write this protagonists story as it feels like a sacred space I’m not sure I feel the genuine nature of this story cause it’s so clear the author has not lived this experience. I searched up about 70 pages in if he were a straight cis man because it felt that way and he is so it kinda took me out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail

amber_waves's review against another edition

5.0

dark hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal cruelty

saminda's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes