I was given an opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. Thank you to Melissa Scholes Young and Dreamscape Media!

I inhaled this book! There is something very comforting about a story that feels like it's about a very "real life" family. The Fehler women’s (mom Grace and daughters Maggie, Jules, Tammy, and Kate) lives are turned upside down when the death of the family patriarch unearths secrets that could destroy the family and their livelihood. The Fehler women describe themselves as "Bug Girls" because the family business is Fehler Family Exterminating. Each plays an interesting role in the family business as the book goes on and I think each of the women finds a way to bring her own skills and ingenuity to the narrative about the business and their role in the family. I had a hard time keeping everyone and their roles in the story straight at the beginning but I enjoyed learning about them all as the story went on and how they fit into the complete narrative.

The best way to describe this book would be to call it an Obama-era Little Women. It captures life in a small town during this time and shows us how each family member navigated their life and the culture at large.

Overall, I enjoyed this book but I think it could have benefited from more background on each woman at the beginning of the story to help the reader sare more about them off the jump. I would definitely read more by this author in the future.

I absolutely loved The Hives by Melissa!
This was such an amazing book.
The Fehler girls are trying to find themselves and make their mark in this world.
While struggling to keep their family business afloat "Fehler Pest Control"
My favorite thing about the book was how the author touches on topics that ring true today.
The book was beautifully written and well crafted.
I was hooked from the very beginning.
And the audio version....wow that narration was done so well. ♡
I can't recommend this book enough
The Hives is going to be a hit June 8th 2021.

Thank You NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for this advanced audio version.

If you watched January 6th and thought to yourself, “I’d like some backstory on these people.” Or “I wonder what all of these guys were doing in the late 00s.” then this is the book for you! Doomsday preppers, people who halfway threaten to fire their employees if they vote for Obama, and people who get mad that their daughter lets her black boyfriend come to her father’s funeral all meet for wacky times when one of them kicks the bucket but can’t imagine letting a woman run the pest control business. Just not quirky enough to be amusing or touching.