Honeybee in Aussie Readers

Jan 27, 2021 Kim rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, australian-author, 2020-aus-release, australian-fiction, act-library, ya-fiction, lgbti

The very hyped Honeybee.
While I found this compelling, very readable, and felt invested in the characters, sometimes wanting to slap young Honeybee on the cheek to make them be more honest with those adults who were able to help them (Yes, I know, a slap wouldn't have been very helpful to Honeybee), I didn't get that wow feeling that I did with Jasper Jones nor other novels I've read recently.
I've read a reasonable share of queer fiction, and while this novel will be a valuable addition in the ...more

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May 13, 2021 Natalie Manuel rated it really liked it

If I’d written this 1/2 way through I think I might have given 5 stars, however I really think the story became a little too simplistic as it went on. Something about it started to feel too after school special for me, which is a shame because there’s so much to like about it.

The good - It’s interesting right from the get-go. Sam is a great character, VIC is an amazing character, both well drawn and the story was immersive from the time they met.

It felt a lot like a not quite as good version of ...more

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May 19, 2021 Dee-Ann rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-literature, lgbtqia, movie-material, friendship, domestic-violence, elderly-main-character, five-star, australian-authors, autism, mental-health

Amazing. Wanted the book to continue to see what happened next. Lots of uncomfortable bits which made me cringe or cry but also bits that had me laughing or cheering.

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May 15, 2023 ink_and_pages_ rated it liked it

This book hooked me from the very first line. It's a very brutal and harsh look at a teenager's struggle to even conceive of living their own life on their own terms.
I do think there is a quite a bit done right here, its heart-warming and loving in the best ways with a found family and a "living your own life" message too, of taking the time to really learn who you are. I also really appreciated the very Australian-ness of this book in its myriad of ways.
I did like the ending - it just seemed ...more

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May 05, 2021 Karen rated it really liked it

Sam Watson is a 14 year old boy struggling with who he is, he loves dressing up in women’s clothes, but he knows that is not what he is supposed to do. He is so unhappy and decides he can’t take it any more and he is standing on the overpass looking at the road below when he looks up the other end and sees an old man smoking a cigarette. They see each other and it is the beginning of an unlikely friendship. Slowly it is revealed what brought Sam and Vic to the overpass that night. Honeybee is a ...more

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