Review: The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin

The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin

Blurb from Goodreads:

Forty-four-year-old Alice Holtzman is stuck in a dead-end job, bereft of family, and now reeling from the unexpected death of her husband. Alice has begun having panic attacks whenever she thinks about how her life hasn't turned out the way she dreamed. Even the beloved honeybees she raises in her spare time aren't helping her feel better these days.

In the grip of a panic attack, she nearly collides with Jake--a troubled, paraplegic teenager with the tallest mohawk in Hood River County--while carrying 120,000 honeybees in the back of her pickup truck. Charmed by Jake's sincere interest in her bees and seeking to rescue him from his toxic home life, Alice surprises herself by inviting Jake to her farm.

And then there's Harry, a twenty-four-year-old with debilitating social anxiety who is desperate for work. When he applies to Alice's ad for part-time farm help, he's shocked to find himself hired. As an unexpected friendship blossoms among Alice, Jake, and Harry, a nefarious pesticide company moves to town, threatening the local honeybee population and illuminating deep-seated corruption in the community. The unlikely trio must unite for the sake of the bees--and in the process, they just might forge a new future for themselves.

Beautifully moving, warm, and uplifting, The Music of Bees is about the power of friendship, compassion in the face of loss, and finding the courage to start over (at any age) when things don't turn out the way you expect.

My Review:
I really enjoyed this book from almost the first page.  I just felt for all of these characters and I was unprepared for how they would come together into one cohesive story.  The author was masterful at describing the characters, their interactions and all in the context of beekeeping.  I actually learned so much about beekeeping and the music of bees is beautiful!

This book will make you feel so good.  The Music of Bees comes out TODAY April 27, 2021, you can purchase HERE, and I hope you consider reading this one!

Jake didn't have the words to explain what he felt when Alice handed him the frame from the beehive that first morning. He was simply overwhelmed by the beauty of it. The wooden rectangle hung heavy in his fingers as he drew it toward his face. He saw a tapestry of multi-colored pollen, capped honey and glistening nectar. He breathed in the sweet aroma of fresh beeswax and fermented honey and felt the thrum of a thousand tiny bodies vibrating in unison. It hit him in the heart like a drug.