He Should Have Told the Bees: A Novel

by Amanda Cox

Overview

"Cox's hopeful, heartwarming novel touches on complicated relationships, the value of friendship, and the impact of trauma with great heart and kindness."—BookPage

Beekeeper Beckett Walsh was living her dream, until her father's death sent her world into a tailspin. She suddenly finds she must deal with a new part owner of the family apiary—one who is looking to sell the property—and she cannot fathom why her father would put her in the position to lose everything they built together.

When Callie Peterson is named in the trust of a man she's never heard of, she's not sure what to do. Her fledgling business has just taken wing and her mother has reentered her life asking for help, making Callie's financial situation rather . . . precarious. She's sure she has no right to someone else's farm, but the money from the sale could solve her problems and give her the stability she's always craved.

With an entangled past behind them and an uncertain future ahead, Beckett and Callie must discover why they've been thrown together before all is lost.

"Cox is a brilliant writer, and her characters feel like old friends. With humor and a tenderness for the struggling, the novel explores what happens when people let the light in on their journey to healing."—Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780800742737
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/29/2023
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	157,264
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Amanda Cox is the author of The Edge of Belonging and The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery, both of which were the Christy Award Book of the Year in 2021 and 2022, respectively. She holds a bachelor's degree in Bible and theology and a master's degree in professional counseling, but her first love is communicating through story. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and their three children. Learn more at AmandaCoxWrites.com.

Editorial Reviews

07/01/2023

Callie Peterson is just realizing her dream of becoming a small-business owner, but the needs of her mother, who is addicted to alcohol, threaten to uproot her newly stable life. Beckett Walsh is a hard-working beekeeper trying to keep the family land solvent after her father dies. She's tied to the land in more ways than one: severe anxiety renders her unable to go farther than the driveway, even to get groceries. A surprise trust names both women as beneficiaries, but a decision that would make Callie's dreams come true could crush Beckett's—and every beekeeper knows there's only room for one queen in the hive. Through good friends, persistent neighbors, and a quirky tween claiming to be from another planet, both women delve into their pasts and seek to overcome their present struggles. VERDICT Cox (The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery) is a brilliant writer, and her characters feel like old friends. With humor and a tenderness for the struggling, the novel explores what happens when people let the light in on their journey to healing.

Library Journal