The Honey Farm on the Hill

What a wonderful read. The Honey farm on the Hill is a story that just keeps giving, the plot never has a dull moment so I didn't want to put it down. The characters are warm and likeable, the scenery description is atmospheric and the food descriptions are the mouth watering!
Captures the Greek sense of family values and traditions perfectly. I would definately recommend this book!

Another fantastic book from Jo. She always manages to make you feel like your actually there. Can't wait for the next

From start to finish this book had me hooked, I’ve loved all of Jo’s work and this did not disappoint. I have never been to Crete but feel now that I need to visit, the descriptions are wonderful.
The characters so likeable and the fact that we learn all about bees and honey is a truly unique and special storyline to read about in a book. The romance and gorgeous food really topped off this perfect summer read for me.

One of Jo Thomas' best books so far.
A really well written tale of family, love and hard toil

Transport yourself to Crete this summer, to a rather special Honey Farm (that is missing its bees), a huge mystery as to what is happening to rare herb, masses of great Greek food, and the search for a lost love, in this wonderful new novel from Jo Thomas.

Incredibly enjoyable to read and a relatively quick read at that, it is full of one main great story plus a few other threads interlinking in. This is a book where I learnt a whole new acronym that I had never come across before, for Nell decides to spend summer in Crete as a WWOOFer (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farm), on a Honey Farm near a village she spent time in many years ago. She is also hoping to track down the love of her life, and father of her now grown up child, but isn't sure if he even still lives there or what the reactions to her will be.

I loved how Nell slotted into life in Crete with Kostas, Maria and Mitera who own the honey farm on the hill. Learning about the properties of various herbs and spices and the general way life in rural Crete was eye opening and made me really long to be a part of life in Vounaplagia. Nell having been a mother for 18 years, is slowly trying to rediscover who she is, while her daughter has an adventure in London.

This is a rather apt book to read in summer, as often the discussion of how to keep bees safe emerges, as they play such a critical role in the world, and this is a story that encompasses that as a theme. Admittedly I could have done without descriptions of angry swarms of bees as I tend to run a mile if I see a single bee, but other than that, there is definitely a useful message to be taken from that element of the book.

The writing is evocative and I could practically smell the herbs in the air in Crete, taste the various foods and when there was the sense of danger, my heart was beating extra fast for the characters. This is easily my favourite book so far from Jo Thomas, an author who seems to improve with each book and they are all fabulous!

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I absolutely loved this book. From the start Jo Thomas takes the reader on a wonderful journey through the Greece that I remember as it comes under attack from mass tourism. There is a magical quality to this book in the form of a healing herb that only grows in one remote spot. Coupled with Nell's memories of her visit to Greece many years before, this book is one for everybody who enjoys romance, Greece and a darned good story.

You know when you have an auto go to author? Well Jo Thomas is one of those authors. There is something warm and fuzzy about all her books that makes them divine and utter perfection.

This time round we end up in Crete. A place that has special meaning for Nell, who fell head over heels for the country and a special man. Years later she is back. As a WWOOFer (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farm). A term/acronym that I have never heard of, but all the references had me laughing out loud.

One thing I really loved was the descriptions of rural Crete. I could almost smell the sea and the wild herbs on the mountains. As well as picturing gorgeous landscapes. And with some lovable characters this was the perfect book to settle down with and read with a cocktail or two...

This was an enjoyable and fun read. The attempts to lure the bees to the news hives had me in stitches and the romance left me with butterflies in m stomach. This was a warm, touching and beautiful read, one that I can easily read again and again.