I enjoy reading novels in verse, but I did not understand why this was the format the author used to tell this story of a woman's grief over her dead lover.

Ana Kelly should have been a competent, professional woman, but she enters into an affair with a married man. It is clear to the reader that their relationship in toxic, but despite repeated attempts to break things off, they continued to meet up. When he dies unexpectedly, Ana must deal with the fact that only one person knows she is grieving his death.

So what does Ana decide to do? Get close to his widow! The novel is told in dual timelines where we see how the affair started and progressed and how Ana is doing now.

This short little gem of a book was easily devoured in one sitting. Ana is an estate lawyer, who is having an affair with a client. She gets a call from his wife asking about estate details because her husband has just passed away. This book chronicles the aftermath of his death, and how you process the death of someone who wasn't really yours, someone you can't publicly mourn. It's dark and moving and gives us plenty of twists and turns. I flew through it, curious about the ride I was being taken on. Highly recommend this debut novel!

Here is the Beehive is written in short snippets of text, which took a bit of time (and openness) to get used to reading. I quickly became immersed in this story, though, and it is worth a read. It delves into Ana's psychology following the end of her affair with Connor. She struggles with and obsesses over their affair. She is a woman on the edge, constantly making questionable choices as she struggles to cope in the aftermath. Although I didn't agree with these choices, I couldn't help but to feel for her.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m judging a 2020 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory
glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

I was interested in what this novel was doing

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ana is an attorney who succumbs to an affair with a client. When he dies, she chases a relationship with his wife to delve more into his life.

Ana is somehow awful and relatable at the same time. I hurt for her husband and children and hurt for Rebecca, her lover's wife. The lover himself, presented through stories of his past, is not a decent enough human being to mourn.

The ending is satisfying, and it seems there is hope for Ana to be redeemed.

Wow! What an emotional rollercoaster of a book! This was one of the best books I have ever read. I am so glad that I got the chance to read it as an advanced readers copy thanks to Netgalley. I love the solid but complex characters, the reality of marriage, adultery and being parents as well. Sarah Crossan has a way with words that is so powerful and emotional that I felt every single one. Please read this one-it is simply incredible and heart-wrenching.

Entirely original writing, which leads to a compulsive read. The author reveals the main character's life little by little, almost in "jump scares", leaving you unsure what will be revealed next.

Here Is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan is a novel told in verse about an illicit love affair involving two married individuals. Ana and Connor try to negotiate their relationship in a way that they can both have their cake and eat it too while not hurting their other loved ones. A heartbreaker of a story. Read and enjoy!

This book was compelling and well written, and though it wasn't for me, I know that it will tick the boxes for other readers. I wanted to see the innate goodness in the main character in the midst of her deep struggle and I couldn't find it.

That’s it! Sarah Crossan has done it. She’s reminded me that I never want to have an extramarital affair. Because now I’ve seen what life is like as the mistress. And all I can say is “no thank you.” I’ll keep my sanity in check. No Glen Close bunny boiling scenes for me.

UGH. I wanted to reach into this book and smack Ana Kelly. She completely lost herself and became super needy and insecure. And even admitted that she isn’t worthy of receiving love.

I don’t want to be the single white female stalker lady who’s bat-shit obsessed about my boyfriend’s wife. And I don’t want to steal things. And show up at yoga across town. And babysit kids who aren’t mine so I can get closer to my lover’s family.

This is a short, interesting, maddening read. And it’s pretty good at the end.

P.S. I love the quirky writing style.
Like it’s all in verse
And not a lot of punctuation
that you’d expect.
Things can get a bit nutty.

But I love it anyway.
Just love it.



Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for the advanced reader's copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was a quick read. The format encouraged me to keep turning the pages. Well written and heartbreaking...To lose someone and the world around you is not allowed to see your grief. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

In her adult fiction debut, Sarah Crossan with her writing in verse style presents us with Ana. A hard-working married lawyer who begins an affair with a married client. As the story begins, Ana has learned of her lover's death and begins to draw obsessively close to his widow and friends. There is a suspenseful atmosphere to the tale that also makes me wonder if Ana's just fooling herself.

Although I adore Crossan's YA books very much, I thought the end result was a promising sign of future possibilities in the adult fiction genre. I enjoyed the nod to two literary novels- Anna Karenina and Rebecca and the story left a memorable impression on me.

Publication Date 17/11/20
Goodreads review published 01/12/30

Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan is a book that I’m still struggling to figure out how I really feel about three weeks after finishing it. This is the story of an affair and the woman who can’t seem to let go even after her lover has died. Ana is an estate attorney and also happens to be the executor of her dead lover’s will, putting her in contact with his wife and children. Throughout the book Ana looks back on their turbulent relationship, as she also tries to make inroads with his wife, who knows nothing.⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
While I liked hearing about an affair from the inside, with its struggles, secrets and shame, the story itself was very disjointed. It jumped around a lot and sometimes I’d need to do a double take to figure out where we were in time. I think this was a combination of the writing and awkward formatting on the ARC. Both took a bit away from the story, but I liked that it moved fast and I think what Crossan was trying to do in presenting a “widow” who wasn’t the widow was both thought provoking and sad. I’m glad I read it!

Note: I received a copy of this book from Little, Brown and Company (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest thoughts

This is a subtle and moving novel about a woman, Ana, who works as an estate lawyer and executor of people’s wills. When the wife of the man she’s been carrying on an affair with for years walks into her office and tells Ana he’s died, she receives quite a shock, but must hide it from the wife. The narrative reels back in time with memories and fragments from their affair together, how they met, how they fought and what promises were made. The narrative also follows her newfound and controversial relationship with the widow of her lover. This is a beautifully written book with poetic ruminations on this seminal moment in her life. An honest look at grief and loss. Thank you to Little, Brown And Company and NetGalley for the advanced review copy of this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Company for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful novel by Sarah Crossan. 4.5 stars rounded up for an originally written look into a married couple's affair.

Ana is an estate lawyer, used to dealing with the after effects of death; that is, until the wife of her lover calls her to report his death. Ana met Connor when he came in to write his will and they started an affair that lasted three years until his death. The only other person who knew about the affair was Connor's best friend, Mark. Ana is desperate to talk to someone about her grief and pain over Connor's loss so when his widow, Rebecca, comes into her office to discuss the estate, Ana befriends her.

Written in beautiful verse, this is a glimpse into the pain that is caused by an affair. Ana is devastated and feels so alone but must come to grips with the reality of Connor's feelings for her and for her life with her husband, Paul. This book certainly doesn't condone cheating; in fact, it shows the terrible results to all parties. You do feel Ana's pain at the loss that she cannot fully own because it was secret. You see the devastation that she's doing to her family. But it's the unique writing style, completely in verse, that drew me in and kept me glued to the pages.

I wanted you to tear
the world to shreds
to get
to me.

I wanted to be chosen.
pg. 179

In one way or another, I think almost everyone can identify with the above. The realization that a relationship you hold so dear; has ended. Your love for the other person burns so bright it blinds you, but your partner no longer bestows that warm glow upon you. It is a desperate and low period of your life and the recovery is long and hard. Being so overwhelmed with grief, you can make some pretty questionable decisions and our protagonist is no different.

Ana is an estate lawyer and she begins an affair with one of her clients. She learns of his sudden death from his wife who is calling to find out how to handle his estate. Thus begins our time with Ana's slow unraveling as she falls victim to her grief.

Besides this being expertly written, the way this is written (in verse) is FANTASTIC. It gives more power to particular words and takes us inside the mind of someone who isn't thinking clearly anymore. The prose was gut wrenching and I felt so close to Ana that I lived her heartache and obsession. I watched how her deteriorating mental health slowly infected that of everything in her life. I would HIGHLY recommend this to you if you loved Normal People by Sally Rooney. A best book of 2020 for me - no question!

**Small disclaimer: Please keep in mind that because it is written in verse and there are no "chapters" there are little symbols that show a break in thought. This could be a little jarring as your perspective in time jumped around a lot, but once you got used to it there was no problem. It certainly didn't ruin my experience with the book (as you can see), but it might be challenging or frustrating to others. I urge you to give this a try regardless!

Thank you to Little Brown for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.

Review Date: 11/15/2020
Publication Date: 11/17/2020

Quick read told in verse about an affair and the connection between the wife and the girlfriend after the man in the middle dies. Not sure I can say I liked it, but I did feel compelled to finish it. Thank you to netgalley for the copy!

I was gifted a copy of this book from @netgalley and @LittleBrownandCompany in exchange for an honest review. This book is currently available. ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ I dont think I have ever read a book where I hated every character but still loved the book. No one in this book was happy, they were all broken, yet I was invested in their lives and finding out what would happen to them. This is a quick read and one that I enjoyed. I'd love to find out what happens with Ana and Paul.
#HereIsTheBeehive #netgalley #LittleBrownandCompany

How can this be the first book that I have read by Sarah Crossan? This novel was so beautifully written and a character that may be unlikeable if written by someone else gained my sympathy as I read. Ana and Connor had a three year affair. After Connor dies, his widow contacts Ana due to her being an estate lawyer. Ana unfortunately has no one to talk to about her grief, as Connor's wife is the widow. Ana and the wife become closer as the story moves along, which seems far-fetched, but wasn't due to Ms. Crossan's brilliant writing. I am going to read more by her very soon!

It's lonely living in a secret, as Sarah Crossan reminds us in Here is the Beehive. Estate lawyer, Ana Kelly, is used to death. It's her job to plan for it. A large part of her day is speaking with next of kin. But a phone call from her lover's wife is the last thing she's prepared to handle. The widow calmly explains that Connor was killed in an accident. Well that's news to Ana!

Ana secretly dated for Connor for three years. He was married. She was married. They spent weekends away in hotels and were very careful to not get caught. But she had no idea he died. It takes every bit of professional demeanor to help console the widow and settle Connor's estate. In a strange and sometimes funny way, Ana gets through it.

Here is the Beehive is so original. Never have I read such a storyline with a scenario that could happen in real life. It really isn't far-fetched! I enjoyed reading through Ana's grief, memories, jealousy and bitterness. Though at times, she was a bit dramatic to be the side-chick. It would have been nice to read an alternate point of view from Connor's wife. How much did she really know? What was their marriage really like? It left a lot unanswered.

I know a book is good when I don't realize how many pages I've read or how long it really is. Maybe because it is told in verse but it did not feel like 330+ pages. There was no filler. No unnecessary words. No drawn out descriptions or dialogue. It was just right for the content. Here is the Beehive is an example of why I love reading Sarah Crossan's writing style. Soooooo, can we get a sequel with the wife as narrator? *hint hint*

Happy Pub Day, Sarah Crossan! Here is the Beehive is now available.

~LiteraryMarie