The Hive

by Melissa Scholes Young

A story of survival, sisters, and secrets.

The Fehler sisters wanted to be more than bug girls but growing up in a fourth- generation family pest control business in rural Missouri, their path was fixed. The family talked about Fehler Family Exterminating at every meal, even when their mom said to separate the business from the family, an impossible task. They tried to escape work with trips to their trailer camp on the Mississippi River, but the sisters did more fighting than fishing. If only there was a son to lead rural Missouri insect control and guide the way through a crumbling patriarchy.

After Robbie Fehler’s sudden death, the surprising details of succession in his will are revealed. He’s left the company to a distant cousin, assuming the women of the family aren’t capable. As the mother’s long-term affair surfaces and her apocalypse prepper training intensifies, she wants to trade responsibility for romance.

Facing an economic recession amidst the backdrop of growing Midwestern fear and resentment, the Fehler sisters unite in their struggle to save the company’s finances and the family’s future. To survive, they must overcome a political chasm that threatens a new civil war as the values that once united them now divide the very foundation they’ve built. Through alternating point-of-views, grief and regret gracefully give way to the enduring strength of the hive.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Family, Audiobook, Literary Fiction, Novels, Coming Of Age

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 8, 2021

About the author

Melissa Scholes Young is the author of the novels The Hive and Flood, and editor of Grace in Darkness and Furious Gravity, two anthologies by women writers. She is a contributing editor at Fiction Writers Review, and her work has appeared in the Atlantic, Ms., Washington Post, Poets & Writers, Ploughshares, Literary Hub and elsewhere. She has been the recipient of the Bread Loaf Bakeless Camargo Foundation Residency Fellowship and the Center for Mark Twain Studies’ Quarry Farm Fellowship. Born and raised in Hannibal, Missouri, she is now an associate professor in Literature at American University. http://melissascholesyoung.com

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the beginning I was really enjoying this story of a family of four daughters and their parents whom they referred to as the hive. The family has a pest control service so there interesting facts about bugs interspersed throughout. More facts about bedbugs, however, instead of bees which I thought odd given the title. The book is told in five voices which is a lot given that the book is only about three hundred pages. It works but ultimately a little too idealistically and neatly. Where the author lost me was in what felt like an attempt to include every social and political issue relevant to today. Racism, sexual identity, the patriarchy, mental illness, gun control, etc. Everything is commented on but nothing explored. Unfortunately, I have read several books in the past year or two with this issue. It is like the authors feel they have to touch on every issue in order to make the book relevant and sellable instead of just focusing on the story.

[James Aylott · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a cast of forgotten Rust Belt men and the type of ladies trapped in a Springsteen ballad, Hive is my kind of novel. I like books with defined structures and this one with multiple interwoven POV’s is almost too tidily crafted. I am sure some of the nuances; sundown towns, abortion battles, small town parochialism and brutal heat would feel like fantasy if I wasn’t sitting a few zip digits away from this reality myself. Most books set in this part of the heartland tend to be bleak, but I commend the author on writing about life in Missouri without the usual emphasis on the “misery”. The newsy historical setting has an almost John Updike feel to it. Just like I had Rabbit Run on my reading list for a late twentieth century focused History class. I could see Hive as a literary aid to illustrate the Midwest electoral choice of 2016. I highly recommend this book.

[Caroline Bock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read THE HIVE by Melissa Scholes Young! I had the great joy of getting a hold of an Advanced Reader's Copy-- and it is a character-driven novel that is still buzzing in my head.

Think of a cross between Where the Crawdads Sing and Little Women -- and you will have the evocatively written story of the Fehler family. I knew it would be something special when the prologue ended on this line: "The only moment that matters is the one you are living," which in this moment in America, seems so true and telling.

Four sisters and their mother Grace are the center of this novel set in early 2000s in small-town Missouri. Their family business, pest extermination; their family getaway spot, the Fehler Family Fish Camp, a dilapidated trailer where the Mississippi River and Ohio River come together amid a gorgeously-rendered Huckleberry Finn-ish naturalistic setting; and their family's obsession with 'prepping' or survivalist planning ground the novel.

However, it's the relationships among Grace and her young adults daughters, as keenly drawn as the mother/sisters in Little Women, which are the heart of the story.

I am only sorry that this novel is not set to be published until June-- I need THE HIVE now to read for my book club! This is a novel that I would strongly recommend for book clubs. I plan to suggest it to mine this year.

Onward into 2021!!
--Caroline
1.7.21

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn’t for me, there was nothing in the book that grabbed me. I couldn’t relate to the prepper story and the focus jumped among too many uninteresting characters (4 sisters and their mother). I was expecting the family to relate like the bees in a hive. The author just says they’re a hive, but I didn’t get any of that from the book. Honestly, I am sure that all of the 5 star reviews are from friends of the author. The narrator of the audiobook was adequate. I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.

[Denver Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like family stories, quirky characters, and strong women, you’ll want to grab a copy of this book! It reminded me of a modern mash of Little Women and Pride and Prejudice, which both feature mothers and daughters who face self-worth challenges because of patriarchy. The interjection of bugs and the general exterminator business also gives the book a unique twist and keeps the story from feeling overly saccharine.

The Hive puts a finger on what American media has been chasing since the Tea Party formed and through the previous presidency: small-town Midwestern Americans’ motivations. The Fehlers, a working-class family holding on to a struggling small business during the height of the Great Recession, are forced to reconfigure their lives. The four Fehler sisters all have different relationships with the family “bug” business, from the oldest being a junior CEO and the youngest falling into her mother’s apocalyptic visions, and Young crafts each character carefully. This short novel covers a lot of territory: racism, adultery, homophobia, recession, bankruptcy, secrecy, small-town cronyism and politics, class, interracial relationships, and so much more without it ever feeling forced.

[Jamy Bond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this intimate portrait of the struggles faced by the Fehler sisters as they work to save their family business in the face of economic hardship and rural, small town drama. Scholes Young is adept at moving the story forward through the distinct voices and perspectives of multiple narrators. The writing is lyrical and moving, and each character shines with vibrancy, complexity, passion, and love. Ultimately, the book explores questions of individual vs family identity, loyalty and responsibility. Grace, in particular, is a fascinating character who offers the reader important insight into the psychology behind survivalist culture. I learned a lot of things I didn’t know about bugs and preparing for end times. All of it is fascinating. I highly recommend this book.

[Barbara Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fehler family has been in the pest control business for decades with their dad Robbie, as the head of the team and their mom, Grace, running things at home and doing all she can to prep her family for doomsday. Their 4 daughters are all expected to take over the family business since they’ve been working in it all their lives, even though all but 1 don’t want anything to do with it.
Then Robbie dies and leave the family reeling with his loss, and then all his secrets come to light as well as the secrets that all the sisters and their mom have been keeping. Thankfully, they rally together and use the mom’s prepper ways to rebuild the “hive “ even stronger. Given the past year’s pandemic situation, her prepper ideas aren’t too bad!
I enjoyed this, however there were times when I fast forwarded some when it started to drag. The narrator was really good though. Clearly distinguished the different characters and brought them to life. She made the story better for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

[Shelby Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this beautiful novel with (happy) tears in my eyes. THE HIVE is told through the viewpoints of the strong women of the Fehler family. Each voice was different from the others, and compelling enough to have carried the entire story, though I’m glad readers get to intimately know each of the women in the family. The story and plot kept me turning pages, but the beautiful writing and the message of family, race, and class touched my heart. This is a lovely novel I high recommend to all.

[Julia Tagliere · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s something to be said for comfort food. With the absolute train wreck that was 2020, escaping into a satisfying, funny, moving book has never felt more like self-care, and Melissa Scholes Young’s new novel, The Hive, fits the bill perfectly.

With her opening pages, Scholes Young welcomes the reader with open arms into the lives and loves of her main characters, the four Fehler sisters and their mother, serving up a generous helping of nostalgia-inducing childhood pleasures: lazy summer afternoons on the dock by the river, the ubiquitous fragrance of sunscreen, the taste of Mom’s grilled-cheese sandwiches and homemade granola bars, the reassuring constancy of family and tradition.

But what happens when those idyllic days are shattered by loss, when children suddenly have to grow up far more quickly than they should, when young hearts ache to carve out new paths for themselves, when we come face-to-face with thorny truths about our loved ones’ fundamental values and beliefs—and our own? That is where the real work of The Hive begins.

With compassion, humor, and a steady, loving hand, Scholes Young takes us deep inside the hearts and minds of the Fehler sisters—Maggie, Tammy, Kate, and Jules—and their mother, Grace, chronicling their dreams and their struggles, their fears and their triumphs, in the wake of devastating loss. Each Fehler faces her own unique set of challenges, some that will even come to threaten the ties that bind them so closely together. But, just as bees rally to their queen when their hive is threatened, so the Fehler women rally ‘round each other, each in her turn.

Scholes Young’s characters are richly and skillfully drawn, each Fehler woman’s voice unique and distinctive; her depiction of a hardworking family’s hard-scrabble life, stretched to their limits trying to make ends meet, is a candid and unvarnished reminder of how close to the margins so many families find themselves these days. But what really shines through in The Hive is love, the kind of fierce, protective love a family provides, and how that love creates a safe haven for us, even in the darkest, thinnest of times; after the year we’ve had, that is comforting, indeed. As sweet and satisfying as a teaspoon of honey, The Hive is just the read I needed.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Kate Lemery · Rating 5 out of 5]

With passion and empathy, Scholes Young provides a window on the culture of a small Mississippi River town.

The Fehler women’s (mom Grace and daughters Maggie, Jules, Tammy, and Kate) lives are shattered with the untimely death of the patriarch Robbie, their youngish husband/father whom they never doubted would guide them forever.

Told through alternating points of view, the story tracks the sisters’ determination to save the family pest-control business amid an unfriendly political and social landscape.

Similar to Flood (Scholes Young’s debut novel, set in Hannibal, MO), The Hive is peppered with fascinating Mark Twain facts. The Hive also contains interesting bug facts, as well as a view inside prepper culture through the eyes of the Fehler matriarch. Fans of Flood will also recognize a beloved character, who makes an appearance in this narrative.

The Hive offers many lines to savor, while presenting well-drawn characters you feel you know intimately by the end.

The relationships among the Fehler women ring true. They zing honest opinions at each other, whether or not they’re requested. They’re blunt and backbiting, while the hide their own secrets. And yet, they love each other fiercely. Just like real families do.

The Hive touches on themes of identity and what it means to be a woman and mother in 21st century America. It explores universal questions—how much do we owe our family? What are our inherent responsibilities towards our parents or siblings? What does it mean to be a good parent? And what does it mean to be enough?

An enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Caron Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hive, a story about a family struggling to hold onto their family business while dealing with deep grief at the sudden loss of their family patriarch, is one of those books you're definitely going to want to share with friends so you can discuss all the dynamics of the four Fehler sisters: their challenges, faults, and choices. At various points in the story I had different favorites, identifying with the responsible eldest sister Maggie, loving the rebel sister Jules, cheering for the Phoenix-like Tammy to come into her own, and impressed by the clear passions of the youngest sister Kate. Author Melissa Scholes Young doesn't stop there though, giving us a mother figure, Grace, who is just as complicated and provokes no end of judgment and fascination from the reader.

Set against a working-class background in the Midwest in 2008 -2009, at a point where our nation was reckoning with racial injustice and a devastating recession (sound familiar?), Scholes Young deftly and subtly weaves our national conversation about larger cultural and political issues into the main characters' conflicts and growth. Cape Girardeau is iconically Missouri but could be anywhere in the US where people work hard for what they have, holding onto many of the family and community rituals that define their upbringing while adapting others, asking no favor or handouts but just the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. Enjoy The Hive; read it with friends, and immerse yourself in the lively conversations that will surely ensue.

I enjoyed receiving an advance copy of this book in exchange for my free and unbiased review.

[Margo Littell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fehler family’s pest control business has long been the center of their world. Robbie steers the ship, with his wife, Grace, following reluctantly behind. The four Fehler daughters are varying degrees of helpful. Maggie, the oldest, believes she might take over the business one day. Jules can’t wait to escape to college, where her liberal views won’t make her a pariah. Local beauty Tammy is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. And Kate, the youngest, watches her sisters as she tries to figure out her own path. When Robbie unexpectedly dies, the Fehler women are blindsided by his surprising directive to leave the business to a male cousin. But Grace--a devoted prepper--sees this as a chance to finally take control of her family and her fate. She and her daughters uncover new layers of capability, and, through their grief, they find a way to carry on.

Told in multiple points of view, The Hive is a portrait of a complicated family whose differences are always outweighed by their commitment to one another. Grace’s prepping is particularly timely in light of the pandemic and political unrest, and Young does an excellent job of showing the difference between protecting a family and pushing for civil war. Readers won’t easily forget the voices of the Fehler women.

***Review originally written for the City Book Review. I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

[Lynn Kanter · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a small, conservative, Missouri town in 2008, four sisters must scramble to save their family pest control business and figure out a future for themselves in the wake of their father’s death. They learn that he has plunged the company into debt, and left it in equal shares to them and a distant male cousin, certain that no woman can manage a business, although the oldest sister had been doing so for years. Their mother, a “prepper” who’s convinced the end is imminent, especially if Obama is elected, is exploring her own freedom and is little help with the business. I appreciated the close and textured view of a working-class family struggling for survival, redefinition, and a reason to hope. While I felt no love for the selfish and prejudiced patriarch whose death launches the plot, the author convinced me that his family did, and that’s exactly what you hope for from a novel. This is the rare book that recognizes racism, sexism, and the shifts of history are as much family concerns as grief and debt. And although the novel deals with serious themes, it’s shot through with warmth, quirkiness and wit, like the Fehler family itself. I don’t want to live in the world The Hive created, but I was grieved to leave it behind. I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of the novel; The Hive will be published in June, 2021, and has already been optioned for a movie or TV show. But don’t wait to watch it; read this vibrant novel now.

[Amy Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. What a satisfying ending. No spoilers; I'll just say oh, the list, the list.....

Through exquisite details and a slew of credible narrators, The Hive dropped me right into the Fehler's midwestern family's teetering family business. Scholes Youngs chronicles the family's individual struggles about who they are, what's expected of them, and what they really want with compassion and without judgment.

I was particularly moved by Grace, the matriarch and doomsday prepper driven by a certainty that her meticulous planning will ensure her family's survival when worse comes to worst. She gave me a window into a world about which much of what I assumed was flat-out wrong.

This book is so beautifully crafted that I know I'll reread it, to pluck out the threads the author seamlessly weaves throughout the chapters.

[RubieReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Wendy Hahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hive introduces four strong sisters and their mother who must ban together following the death of the family patriarch to keep the family and the family business together as a rural culture prepares for the end times following the election of President Obama. These women are fierce and conflicted; each brings something essential to the table in terms of survival. If you'd like to figure out how we got where we are as a divided country today, reading The Hive is a fabulous place to begin with vibrant characters who provide glimpses into the changing landscape of America.

[Travis Naughton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hive is a masterfully written story about a completely fascinating midwestern American family. This book is accessible, relatable, and stunningly beautiful. It is rare to find a book that honestly and lovingly depicts small-town life without reducing it to a caricature or a hackneyed stereotype. The Hive is a must-read for people seeking an antidote to the negativity that pervades today’s world.

[Rhiannon Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.



I was drawn to this novel because it's not often I see the phrase "crumbling patriarchy" in a summary. I was also intrigued with the story's location: rural Missouri, near Hannibal, which is the halfway point between where my mother and my father live. I'm familiar with this geographic area and I'm familiar with the way of life that author Melissa Scholes Young depicts in this story. The Fehler parents, Robbie and Grace, are Catholic Republicans running a business in a small town and raising four daughters. Maggie loves the pest control business and wants to bring their services up to date so the business can survive into the future. Jules wants nothing to do with the business or her family's political ideals. Kate is the people pleaser who doesn't want to cause any disruption, most notably not wanting her family to know about her sexuality. Tammy's teen pregnancy broke my heart. While it was supposed to show strength, it just gutted me because I know firsthand how hard that is and I saw so many other young women experience it in my rural communities. The chapters of this novel rotate through the female characters but Robbie's imprint is heavy. The women are facing financial ruin after his death and they won't be able to hang onto the business much longer. In their grief they each must decide on their own paths and figure out how to move forward as a family. If you like feminist fiction and/or character driven novels about families, I highly recommend this book.


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[Teresa Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Women on the Mississippi: A Modern Take on Alcott’s Classic Novel

Melissa Scholes Young’s novel, “The Hive,” transports readers to a time before MAGA hats were donned and members of the Squad took their seats in the United States House of Representatives. The chasm between red and blue America had not reached its current depth, but fissures were forming. Scholes Young’s novel, set in the heart of flyover country, invites readers into the lives of a working-class family coping with a deep economic recession and the election of Barack Obama.
In Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the Fehler family is blue-collar royalty. They have owned and operated a pest control business since 1938. On the night Maggie Fehler is awarded the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce Emerging Business Woman Award, her father, Robbie, has a fatal heart attack, upending the patriarchal order that has held sway for three generations. Since Robbie and his wife have failed to produce a male heir, everyone in town expects Maggie, their oldest daughter, to take charge of Fehler Family Exterminating. Fresh out of community college, Maggie has big plans for improving the business. Those plans are jeopardized when Robbie’s will is read and the family learns that he has left a substantial share of the business to a male cousin and none to his wife, Grace. They also discover that Robbie has incurred so much debt that they are in danger of losing the family business. Told in alternating points of view, “The Hive,” is the story of how the Fehler women manage loss and renewal.
In both style and substance, “The Hive” pays homage to Mark Twain and Louisa May Alcott. Scholes Young, an Associate Professor in the Department of Literature at American University, was born and raised in Twain’s hometown of Hannibal, Missouri. Twain’s influence is evident in Scholes Young’s rich descriptions of the landscape as well as in her adroit portrayal of the psychosocial aspects of contemporary American life. Much like Alcott’s “Little Women,” “The Hive” captures the vibrations of family life, chronicling the tribulations and triumphs of a long-suffering mother and her four daughters. Grace, a pistol-packing, God-fearing Catholic, listens to Rush Limbaugh and watches Fox News. She sees herself as a “survivalist,” not only preparing her family to survive the end of the world, but also surviving her own life as an ambivalent wife and mother. Raised to be self-sufficient, Grace views life as “a war she [knows] how to win.” Each daughter, in turn, learns to assemble her own survival kit. Maggie, a “bug girl” since the age of nine, unlocks the shackles of her father’s sexism and takes charge of Fehler Family Exterminating. Jules, a first-generation college student, combats racism and classism when she falls in love with Niko, a Black student from an upper middle class family. Tammy, a Kim Kardashian loving teenage beauty, contends with her family’s pro-life stance and the sexism of her Catholic school after she becomes pregnant. Kate, “her parents’ fourth and final try” for a son, is a skateboard-riding middle schooler who relinquishes her role as the family appeaser by confronting their homophobia.
In less capable hands, “The Hive” easily could have turned into a didactic diatribe. Scholes Young’s antidote is to plumb the depths of her characters’ vulnerabilities, saving them from being caricatured for political expediency. She skillfully captures the complexity of young people who are forging new paths for themselves, all the while maintaining loyalty to and love for their family. The narrative is particularly stirring when it comes to the characterization of Jules, the family “risk-taker,” whose outward defiance masks the anxiety she feels. Having wrested from her father the right to attend the University of Missouri rather than the local community college, Jules finds herself in an unsettling place. Life at the university both excites and exasperates Jules as she faces challenges that students who have been groomed for university life take in stride. Navigating the space between her academic aspirations and working-class roots, Jules is uniquely positioned to understand her family’s fear of change and their view that “Obama [is] the monster to blame it all on.” Her family and people like them are “ripening for a savior, someone who would reverse the order and bring back the good ole days that had been good only for them.”
While “The Hive” exposes the fault line along which America’s ideological differences lie, many commonly held problems, including rising health-care costs and soaring college tuition fees, are also explored. The commonality most likely to resonant with readers, however, is the age-old challenge of how members of a new generation decide to order their lives. From its poetic opening lines to its poignant close, “The Hive” allows readers to walk a mile or two in each of the Fehler women’s shoes, take a deep breath of the sultry river air, and come to understand that the survival of the whole matters more than any division.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
This was a hot mess but it was their hot mess. A misguided mother who seemed completely crazy will have to raise
4 daughters alone. All of them had struggles, mistakes. And it was a front row seat to their family. This novel was about starting over.
An audiobook for me and the narrator Hallie Ricardo was new to me. She did a fair job and I recommend listening to this.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley.

[Jennifer Klepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and I'm still thinking about the Fehler sisters. Melissa Scholes Young takes the reader to 2007, when the economic recession is throwing families and businesses into financial distress, the foundations for the Tea Party are being laid (lain? 🙃), and four sisters and their mother are at a family pivot point. Young does an expert job of giving each of these women a distinct voice—no mean feat. We're drawn into the story by meticulously detailed characters and the grassroots setting of small town Missouri. Spanning the political spectrum, the Fehler women face individual challenges based on money, gender, politics, and the birds and the bees, but when the family patriarch dies, they have to focus on common values. "The Hive" is a luscious and richly drawn story of a family doing what family does: protect the hive.

Thank you Turner Publishing for providing an advanced copy of the book!

[Anthony Castellano · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of the novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased review*

With The Hive, Melissa Scholes Young has crafted a beautiful, character-driven dive into the close-knit, titular hive of the Fehler family: parents Robbie & Grace, and sisters Maggie, Jules, Tammy, & Kate. From doomsday-prepper/survivalist mom Grace, to teenage beauty queen Tammy & littlest bug-girl Kate, the characters spring off the page with such exquisite detail and intimacy that I couldn’t help but find each captivating and sympathetic, even in the moments where they may not have been particularly endearing. Especially in the current political climate, I found it immensely refreshing to read a character with beliefs diametrically opposed to my own who was still written with compassion and understanding in every sentence.

From beekeeping & the family pest control business, to survivalist training & Bug Out Bags (for “bugging out” at a moment’s notice), the reader is given just enough time to meet the family and grow accustomed to their world as they know it in the first part of the novel, so that when the rug is pulled out from under the characters, the reader feels it too. After tragedy strikes, the real meat of the book comes in the ways the Fehlers put themselves back together again, both individually and as a family unit—which, as the title would suggest, is something of core importance to the novel.

The Hive feels fundamentally concerned with the strength of a collective whole, the titular hive. Within the first few pages, we learn that the protection & survival of the hive is more important than anything else, and that sentiment continues throughout the novel like a refrain—in dialogue, in narration and interior thought, at the ends of letters and in the bodies of excerpted essays: the hive must survive, at all costs. The Hive is a novel about many things—love and loss, fear and hope, bed bugs—but, in the end, nothing is more important than family.

All-in-all, a gorgeous novel which ought to be on everyone’s summer reading list this year.

[Keigh-Cee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melissa Scholes Young writes the Midwest with such gritty realism I can’t help but instantly feel at home in the scenery and with the characters.

The story is real, raw and incredibly compelling. The Fehler sisters struggle to save the family bug business, their mother’s obsession with prepping, the push and pull of traditional values vs. the changing world—all told through the perspectives of the characters themselves—made me feel like I was a part of the family in the best and worst ways.

Scholes Young has a way with words that will leave you captivated and hungry for more the entire time.

[Laura Scalzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A literary version of American Roots Rock. Long live the Fehler women with their scrap and grit and indefatigable ways. And long live Grace Fehler's merciful words, "You can always come home."

[Katherine White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melissa Scholes Young's second novel, The Hive, is the story of a family of self-reliant, resourceful women who overcome tragedy and loss with intelligence, ingenuity, and a love for each other that overrides their disagreements and the inevitable friction of being a family. The book is full of fresh prose, humor, and drama, which makes for a whopping good story. It also provides valuable insight into the mindset of some of the people who live in "red" states, an understanding which is invaluable in these times of national division. Another timely theme is the struggle of women to be accepted as full participants in society in their own right. From survivalist/prepper mother Grace, to innovative and slightly OCD Maggie, to troubled rebel Jules, to pregnant high-school beauty queen Tammy, to ingenious bug girl Kate, these are women you root for who will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melissa Scholes Young’s novel The Hive is a story that will enchant you from the first page. Growing up in Missouri, the Fehler sisters and their parents run a generations-old pest control business. Even though the business has been passed down, the girls don’t want to accept the out-dated ideas about women and business that their father Robbie isn’t ready to let go of. Their mother Grace has different priorities – saving the family if all hell breaks loose and finally needing to use those end-of-the-world supplies she keeps on recounting and reorganizing.

Young’s story is beautifully complex and would make great fodder for a book club read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well done story of four sisters with quirky personalities trying to salvage the family pesticide business when their father suddenly dies. The death and division of the estate is a shock for everyone.
A family saga that will please readers.

[KELLY SILVEIRA · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, thanks to Turner Publishing for this book , which I won in a Goodreads giveaway.
I would highly recommend this book. It is a character driven family drama about four daughters as they try to navigate life after the loss of their father. All four young women are believably imperfect, but that only made me root for them more. This book feels like an inside look into rural middle America with all of its faults and hopes. I won't forget the Fehler women.

[Ashley Fraley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can already tell this is gonna be a book that everyone is gonna go crazy for. And rightfully so. This is the perfect summer read. I fell in love with the Fehler family in these pages and enjoyed every second I was immersed in their lives. Melissa Scholes Young did an excellent job writing dimensional characters with good and bad qualities. I laughed and cried along with each of them. The Hive is, in my opinion, a beautiful story about the power of women; whether they know it or not, family, and it reminds us that people are dimensional. You’ll want to grab a copy of this on June 8th!

[grieshaber.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

My librarian pals and I visited Tulsa last summer and, as traveling librarians do, we visited local bookstores. When the bookseller at Magic City Books discovered we were from Missouri, he immediately recommended The Hive, which was a new release at the time. I finally got around to taking him up on his suggestion and I’m so glad I did! It’s a 2000s retelling of Little Women that takes place in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The Fehler family is the 4th generation to run the family pest control business. When the patriarch of the family dies before his time, he leaves his wife and four daughters (whose ages range from mid-teens to early twenties) scrambling to find ways to save their business and solve the myriad heretofore unknown problems this stuck-in-the-past, ultra-conservative man left behind.

Midwesterners, you’re gonna want to read this one. Lots of relatable situations and recognizable characters. Plus, Missouri is so rarely a setting in novels, that’s a reason to read it in itself. Loved the Mark Twain discussions and references - the Huckleberry Finn stuff is especially excellent. “Maybe she’ll be wise enough to read it as the revolutionary book it is: a manual and a remedy for the ills of American life. Or maybe it will take fifty years of rereading to get Huck’s life lessons: break free, take adventures, accept risks, make choices, have hope.” I enjoyed this one on audio and it was well-narrated and quick (7ish hours).