Honeybee by Dawn O’Porter

Another series of books – this is a New Year miracle, and we are only a few days into the year.

I was introduced to this series by Dawn O’Porter last year and very quickly read both ‘Paper Aeroplanes‘ and ‘Goose‘, so when I had the chance to read ‘Honeybee’, too, thanks to a fellow Dawn O’Porter fan, I jumped at the chance.

It was a delight to be reunited with Renee and Flo and find out how their lives were panning out in their early twenties. And, as we can imagine if we have read about their teenage years, things are not going quite as smoothly as they could be. There has been a slight pause in their friendship but they have both returned to Guernsey; Flo from London, where life seems to be going as well as her relationship with her mum, and Renee is returning from Spain, where bonding with her father and sister have not been quite as successful as she has hoped. This throws them back together – they are not just back on the same island but they are also living together and working together – and this brings all sorts of drama, mishaps and moments of true friendship.

I have to be honest that I do not think that this is my favourite of the trilogy, but it was an enjoyable read. However, interestingly, I have heard a few people recently talk about how difficult our twenties probably are (even if we do not realise it) and that maybe we are not our best versions of ourselves in that decade, and I think that is true of both Flo and Renee. This is certainly a coming of age tale and both of the women take some time to identify who they are and what they truly want to be, to be the best versions of themselves and that path is certainly not smooth and tests them both, sometimes to the limit.

Yet, this book is again a great representation of female friendship and a study of relationships. I did like the recognition of the importance of talking for all of our wellbeings. And Aunty Jo, as a slightly older character (not at all old, just more senior than our two central characters), bringing to attention the menopause, and the lack of understanding and openess that has often come with this life stage – although hopefully this is improving. Plus, of course, the life lesson that comes from the elderly neighbour: we should never disregard the wisdom of our elders, or disregard them at all just because of their age.

So, if you have enjoyed the adventures with Flo and Renee before, you will continue to enjoy their adventures in this book, and it is definitely a fitting conclusion to the trilogy of books.

Goose by Dawn O’Porter

It has been a little while since I read a book in a day but that is exactly what I did with ‘Goose’ by Dawn O’Porter. And, I must be hooked, as, after never having read any books by Dawn O’Porter, I have read two in a month.

‘Goose’ is the sequel to ‘Paper Aeroplanes‘ and it was lovely to be reunited with Renee and Flo, and see how the time after Secondary School is going for each of them. It will be no surprise that it is not all smooth sailing for our duo and there are challenges thrown in their way – and there is a rather worrying moment when it appears that their friendship may be on the rocks (not a spoiler as we all know the trials and tribulations that come with teenage years and friendship) – but we know our pair will find their way eventually. Allthough, it is not always the path that they thought they would be following, and sometimes you have to be willing to change your path as you go – after all, nothing is ever set in stone.

I do not want to share too much about the year they seem to have as they work towards their A-Levels, but you will become fully invested in hoping that Renee and Flo both find their way as they face the year. I think it is a little bit of a story that shows how opposites can attract and create some of the strongest bonds that can be formed. And just like in ‘Paper Aeroplanes’, Dawn O’Porter does not shy away from tackling some tough issues, but it is always done well, with sensitivity and care, and not to shock.

I do have to reinforce that I do not think that these are books that should be categorised as YA – or at least not as much older YA, anyway. Although it is wonderful that so many important issues are tackled in these stories, I feel that these are books that can be read to be reflective. To, possibly, remind us what it was like to be a teenager, and not what it is to be a teenager.

I am certainly looking forward to finding out more about Renee and Flo in ‘Honeybee’, which has been released this year.

Paper Aeroplanes by Dawn O’Porter

I had not read any of the books of Dawn O’Porter, but when I heard that this series was a YA novel, I thought I would give it a go, especially as she had been inspired by the friendships and girls she knew in her younger years. A friend of mine had a copy, so I asked if I could borrow it and give it a go.

Now, before I go too much into my thoughts, I do have to say that I am surprised that this is presented as YA fiction. I am not sure I would be recommending it to that age group – or, if I did, it would be the older end of the YA age range. It definitely tackles some topics that I am not sure are appropriate to the younger end of the YA age range.

However, I enjoyed this book. Although, that never seems quite like the correct word when there are some difficult topics tackled amongst is pages, but it is a good read. We meet Renee and Flo, both 15 years old and both facing the end of their secondary school education. They have not been friends and there are those in their peer group that would not consider that they are meant to be friends – they are just two very different teenagers, having very different experiences in their teenage years. Yet, they are actually more alike than they realise: they are both lonely, they both have some complex family relationships and they both are not really totally sure who they really are. They both face some real struggles as we read their stories, and at moments it is incredibly difficult for both of our characters and their families.

I absolutely loved meeting Flo and Renee, and could see in them so many of the teenage girls I knew when I was at school. But the novel handled the complexity of being a teenager beautifully – especially that idea of not really knowing what your true identity is, or those friendships that maybe are not the correct ones but, at the time, they are the ones that you feel you should work on, sometimes for little return. And, the moment at the end of the book when Flo and Renee are really honest that maybe they are the friends for each other, and it does not really matter what anybody else thinks, is rather wonderful.

I am really glad that there are more stories of Flo and Renee for me to discover, as ‘Goose’ is the second book and ‘Honeybee’ is coming out this month. I would really like to see what happens to our two wonderful characters.

This, of course, does mean that I may try more of the books of Dawn O’Porter because this one was a very good starting point.