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Honey Bee Mine
In this small town, enemies-to-lovers romance from the author of Birding with Benefits, a type-A beekeeper and a former bad boy join forces to plan a summertime Honey Festival.
Like the bees she keeps, Penny Becker lives by a golden rule: never stop working. That mantra kept Becker Farms running when her grandfather, dad, and ex all left for greener pastures. But after taking out a loan for an expansion plan that crashed and burned, Penny has to find a way to pay or risk losing it all, and she’s betting everything on the Sullivan’s Glen Honey Festival. To save the farm, she has to make the festival bigger, better, and more successful than ever before—and she plans to do it all on her own.
Reformed bad boy turned restaurateur Zander Bouras left Sullivan’s Glen in a blaze of glory and vowed to never return. But when his ex-wife wants to go back for the summer, Zander grudgingly follows. He refuses to miss time with his son, and figures it’s finally time to deal with the farmhouse his grandfather left, for some reason, to him.
His first day in town brings Zander face to face with Penny, the girl whose perfect life mocked him from next door. It’s just his luck that his son loves her and her bees, and before he knows it he’s been volunteered to help plan a honey festival with the sexy, stubborn beekeeper whose braid he just wants to tug. As they learn to work together, Zander faces his demons and learns to see Sullivan’s Glen in a new light as Penny realizes that accepting help isn’t so bad—especially from the right person. But as the festival day and Zander’s departure draw near, they’ll have to decide if the romance buzzing between them can last past the sweet days of summer.
Like the bees she keeps, Penny Becker lives by a golden rule: never stop working. That mantra kept Becker Farms running when her grandfather, dad, and ex all left for greener pastures. But after taking out a loan for an expansion plan that crashed and burned, Penny has to find a way to pay or risk losing it all, and she’s betting everything on the Sullivan’s Glen Honey Festival. To save the farm, she has to make the festival bigger, better, and more successful than ever before—and she plans to do it all on her own.
Reformed bad boy turned restaurateur Zander Bouras left Sullivan’s Glen in a blaze of glory and vowed to never return. But when his ex-wife wants to go back for the summer, Zander grudgingly follows. He refuses to miss time with his son, and figures it’s finally time to deal with the farmhouse his grandfather left, for some reason, to him.
His first day in town brings Zander face to face with Penny, the girl whose perfect life mocked him from next door. It’s just his luck that his son loves her and her bees, and before he knows it he’s been volunteered to help plan a honey festival with the sexy, stubborn beekeeper whose braid he just wants to tug. As they learn to work together, Zander faces his demons and learns to see Sullivan’s Glen in a new light as Penny realizes that accepting help isn’t so bad—especially from the right person. But as the festival day and Zander’s departure draw near, they’ll have to decide if the romance buzzing between them can last past the sweet days of summer.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published February 10, 2026
260 people are currently reading
11514 people want to read
About the author
Sarah T. Dubb
5 books584 followersSarah T. Dubb is a writer, public librarian, parent, and activist living the dream with chickens and desert tortoises in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona. Birding with Benefits is her debut novel; she is currently working on her second romantic comedy. Visit her at SarahTDubb.com.
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Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was fun.
Sure, I rolled my eyes sometimes, it was a bit cheesy, a bit corny, but that’s okay because overall, I had a really good time reading this.
Now I will say that I don’t think this is a second chance romance. These people didn’t really know each other. Yes, as a teenager Zander spent like three summers in town or something staying with his grandfather who was Penny’s neighbour. But they never really had anything to do with each other. There was some one-sided animosity, but they barely even talked in the past.
It was kind of insta-lusty, too, which I hate. For some reason though I wasn’t too bothered by it here. I mean, I would have appreciated it if they hadn’t lusted after each other from the start. Because they didn’t like each other at first. But they still constantly thought about how hot the other person was and that’s just something I’ll never understand. If I really dislike someone, no matter how attractive they are, I’m not going to think about them with no clothes on all the time, because I’ll be preoccupied with just really disliking them. But maybe that’s just me.
Ultimately, though, I liked everything else about this story, so I managed to overlook this.
I enjoyed Penny and Zander as the main protagonists, they were so sweet together, and they communicated so well which is a crazy thing to remark on if you think about it, but at this point it’s not something I can say about a lot of other romances … so unsurprisingly, I was invested early on.
The side characters were perfect, a great addition to the story, and I really liked the queer representation here. Everyone was actually part of the story and not just random people we meet once and never see again just so we can put a checkmark behind inclusion of queer characters.
The small-town setting paired with the summer vibes were exactly what I needed, and the plot about the festival and the bees was both interesting and fascinating.
I’m being kind of vague about everything on purpose because this book surprised me a few times with some of its plot points and their careful exploration and I don’t want to give any of that away.
I’d call this a feel-good summer romance with more depth than you’d expect. It made me cringe sometimes, but it made me smile more, and I almost cried at the end because the epilogue was beautiful.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Sure, I rolled my eyes sometimes, it was a bit cheesy, a bit corny, but that’s okay because overall, I had a really good time reading this.
Now I will say that I don’t think this is a second chance romance. These people didn’t really know each other. Yes, as a teenager Zander spent like three summers in town or something staying with his grandfather who was Penny’s neighbour. But they never really had anything to do with each other. There was some one-sided animosity, but they barely even talked in the past.
It was kind of insta-lusty, too, which I hate. For some reason though I wasn’t too bothered by it here. I mean, I would have appreciated it if they hadn’t lusted after each other from the start. Because they didn’t like each other at first. But they still constantly thought about how hot the other person was and that’s just something I’ll never understand. If I really dislike someone, no matter how attractive they are, I’m not going to think about them with no clothes on all the time, because I’ll be preoccupied with just really disliking them. But maybe that’s just me.
Ultimately, though, I liked everything else about this story, so I managed to overlook this.
I enjoyed Penny and Zander as the main protagonists, they were so sweet together, and they communicated so well which is a crazy thing to remark on if you think about it, but at this point it’s not something I can say about a lot of other romances … so unsurprisingly, I was invested early on.
The side characters were perfect, a great addition to the story, and I really liked the queer representation here. Everyone was actually part of the story and not just random people we meet once and never see again just so we can put a checkmark behind inclusion of queer characters.
The small-town setting paired with the summer vibes were exactly what I needed, and the plot about the festival and the bees was both interesting and fascinating.
I’m being kind of vague about everything on purpose because this book surprised me a few times with some of its plot points and their careful exploration and I don’t want to give any of that away.
I’d call this a feel-good summer romance with more depth than you’d expect. It made me cringe sometimes, but it made me smile more, and I almost cried at the end because the epilogue was beautiful.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 4, 2026
Honey Bee Mine by Sarah T. Dubb is a 4-star read for me, and I truly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. I found myself really invested in both main characters, Penny and Zander.
One of my favorite things about this book was the dynamic between them. Their relationship felt refreshingly mature, there was next to no unnecessary drama, and they actually communicated like two adults. It was so satisfying to read a romance where issues weren’t dragged out for the sake of tension but instead handled with honesty and care.
Penny was such a wonderful heroine. I absolutely loved that she’s a beekeeper, selling her goods at markets and building something meaningful for herself. That lifestyle felt both cozy and inspiring, honestly, it’s a future I could see for myself one day. It added such a unique and wholesome layer to the story.
Zander really stood out to me as well. His growth throughout the book was beautifully done. I appreciated that he went to therapy and actively worked on himself. Seeing a male main character committed to personal growth, being a great parent, and showing up as a supportive partner was incredibly attractive. He genuinely sounds like someone who would make a wonderful long-term partner.
Having previously enjoyed Birding with Benefits, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who liked that book. I’ll definitely be checking out future releases from Sarah T. Dubb!
One of my favorite things about this book was the dynamic between them. Their relationship felt refreshingly mature, there was next to no unnecessary drama, and they actually communicated like two adults. It was so satisfying to read a romance where issues weren’t dragged out for the sake of tension but instead handled with honesty and care.
Penny was such a wonderful heroine. I absolutely loved that she’s a beekeeper, selling her goods at markets and building something meaningful for herself. That lifestyle felt both cozy and inspiring, honestly, it’s a future I could see for myself one day. It added such a unique and wholesome layer to the story.
Zander really stood out to me as well. His growth throughout the book was beautifully done. I appreciated that he went to therapy and actively worked on himself. Seeing a male main character committed to personal growth, being a great parent, and showing up as a supportive partner was incredibly attractive. He genuinely sounds like someone who would make a wonderful long-term partner.
Having previously enjoyed Birding with Benefits, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who liked that book. I’ll definitely be checking out future releases from Sarah T. Dubb!
April 1, 2026
A lovely second chance romance!
For the main characters, the secondary ones, the Becker farm, the small town of Sullivan's Glen, upstate New York!
All of the males in the Becker family have something in common.
They leave!
Penny Becker, a beekeeper, who owns and runs the farm with the help of JR, her best friend from school and the manager of the apple orchards, works hard.
Her ex boyfriend Henry was always having ideas and the last one he had, a microcider brewery, needed money to invest, and Penny took a loan giving the farm as collateral.
But the person who was going to built it took the money and disappeared and Henry went away too.
Now she's struggling.
She can't pay the loan.
Only JR knows what she's going through.
Her mother Ruth, abandoned by Penny's father when she got pregnant, and Mimi, her grandmother, also abandoned by her grandfather, don't know about it too!
And Zander Bouras, 35 years-old, comes from Boston to spend the summer and sell his grandfather house and farm he inherited and with him came his ex wife Mallory (Mal), his best friend Quin, now Mallory girlfriend, and Winter, Mallory and Zander 11 years-old son staying with Mal's parents.
His house is next to Penny bee yard, and Winter wanted to see the bees, but her answer was no. She was busy.
She and JR go to all the farm markets to sell her honey and all the products she grows and the delicious pies JR makes.
When he has to leave because his mother carer had an emergency, she is alone, swamped and Zander decides to help her without being asked to, so she relents to show his son her loved bees.
Working with her, seeing her for the first time without the protecting bee suit, he sees how beautiful she is.
Blue eyes, golden hair in braids, strong and curvy body.
And his body reacts to the proximity.
He is attracted to her.
Penny wonders how he got all those tattoes, how he could give all the culinary advices, and why being next to him sents a wave of heat through her body.
Zander used to be the town bad boy and everybody wants to gossip about him, a tall, broad shoulders, black hair, handsome man.
Why he returned now.
The day she shows Winter and Zander her hives the boy is amazed with the bees and Zander also with her laugh, and when she touches his forearm, even through the suits, his chest and throat tightens, breath shallow.
He hasn't felt that way in years.
And he makes her feel nervous and out of sorts.
Who is this new Zander?
He's a known restaurateur.
He helps start restaurants.
JR tells Penny that she could use his help with The Honey Festival and she doesn't want help. She's fine.
She sees him studying her without pretense, making her dizzy and liquid too!
When Zander finds a hive in his house, she is the one to take care of it, and they're talking while working, ending both apologizing.
Her for thinking he was still that angry boy and him for hating her, his grandfather always telling him he should be like perfect Penny Becker.
So she lets him help with the festival on a trial basis if he will help JR with the pies and pastries, making it a business!
JR gets a chance to play matchmaker and when they go on a date, that it's not a date, they end up kissing, soft, hard, possessive and it escalates to spicy moments, stolen from work, and when there's no one around, like teenagers!
The banter between them absolutely hilarious!
In two months Zander will return to Boston, after selling the house, because we will always be were his son is.
But they don't want to be apart!
Will they handle the long distance romance?
Will The Honey Festival gets Penny the money she needs to start paying the loan, now that she told Zander and her family that she could lose the farm?
Will some secondary characters want to change their lives so much that it will affect Zander and Penny in a good way?
Will the universe, gods, fate, whatever, takes pity on them?
Well, will see about that in the epilogue!
I loved this book as much as her previous one, Birding with Benefits!
For the main characters, the secondary ones, the Becker farm, the small town of Sullivan's Glen, upstate New York!
All of the males in the Becker family have something in common.
They leave!
Penny Becker, a beekeeper, who owns and runs the farm with the help of JR, her best friend from school and the manager of the apple orchards, works hard.
Her ex boyfriend Henry was always having ideas and the last one he had, a microcider brewery, needed money to invest, and Penny took a loan giving the farm as collateral.
But the person who was going to built it took the money and disappeared and Henry went away too.
Now she's struggling.
She can't pay the loan.
Only JR knows what she's going through.
Her mother Ruth, abandoned by Penny's father when she got pregnant, and Mimi, her grandmother, also abandoned by her grandfather, don't know about it too!
And Zander Bouras, 35 years-old, comes from Boston to spend the summer and sell his grandfather house and farm he inherited and with him came his ex wife Mallory (Mal), his best friend Quin, now Mallory girlfriend, and Winter, Mallory and Zander 11 years-old son staying with Mal's parents.
His house is next to Penny bee yard, and Winter wanted to see the bees, but her answer was no. She was busy.
She and JR go to all the farm markets to sell her honey and all the products she grows and the delicious pies JR makes.
When he has to leave because his mother carer had an emergency, she is alone, swamped and Zander decides to help her without being asked to, so she relents to show his son her loved bees.
Working with her, seeing her for the first time without the protecting bee suit, he sees how beautiful she is.
Blue eyes, golden hair in braids, strong and curvy body.
And his body reacts to the proximity.
He is attracted to her.
Penny wonders how he got all those tattoes, how he could give all the culinary advices, and why being next to him sents a wave of heat through her body.
Zander used to be the town bad boy and everybody wants to gossip about him, a tall, broad shoulders, black hair, handsome man.
Why he returned now.
The day she shows Winter and Zander her hives the boy is amazed with the bees and Zander also with her laugh, and when she touches his forearm, even through the suits, his chest and throat tightens, breath shallow.
He hasn't felt that way in years.
And he makes her feel nervous and out of sorts.
Who is this new Zander?
He's a known restaurateur.
He helps start restaurants.
JR tells Penny that she could use his help with The Honey Festival and she doesn't want help. She's fine.
She sees him studying her without pretense, making her dizzy and liquid too!
When Zander finds a hive in his house, she is the one to take care of it, and they're talking while working, ending both apologizing.
Her for thinking he was still that angry boy and him for hating her, his grandfather always telling him he should be like perfect Penny Becker.
So she lets him help with the festival on a trial basis if he will help JR with the pies and pastries, making it a business!
JR gets a chance to play matchmaker and when they go on a date, that it's not a date, they end up kissing, soft, hard, possessive and it escalates to spicy moments, stolen from work, and when there's no one around, like teenagers!
The banter between them absolutely hilarious!
In two months Zander will return to Boston, after selling the house, because we will always be were his son is.
But they don't want to be apart!
Will they handle the long distance romance?
Will The Honey Festival gets Penny the money she needs to start paying the loan, now that she told Zander and her family that she could lose the farm?
Will some secondary characters want to change their lives so much that it will affect Zander and Penny in a good way?
Will the universe, gods, fate, whatever, takes pity on them?
Well, will see about that in the epilogue!
I loved this book as much as her previous one, Birding with Benefits!
November 6, 2025
Immediately after finishing Sarah’s debut, Birding With Benefits, I knew she was an author whose work I’d seek out time and again. Her characters are flawed but likable, their circumstances are rational and relatable, the romance is steamy, and the payoff is earned. Honey Bee Mine has all of that, and it seamlessly combines the realness of life and complexities of being human with a romance that makes you sweat. I thoroughly enjoyed its unique take on the “girl next door” and summer romance possibilities. It’s not what one typically sees when you’ve got those two ingredients, and I loved it for that. If only this one could be made into a movie as well…
Things I Loved:
🍯 Penny (FMC) - She’s strong, smart, handy, and self-sufficient (to a fault). I understood her drive and fears and enjoyed watching her learn to accept help and heal. I applauded her standing up for herself and others.
🐝 Zander (MMC) - Present day Z gave Jess from Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life while younger him was the epitome of early Jess when he first arrived in Star’s Hollow. Sarah dedicated this book to her therapist and mentions that the work they’ve done over time is present within the pages. As someone who has been working with a therapist for over a decade, I felt that so deeply here, particularly through Z’s character. We love a man in therapy who isn’t afraid to show his emotions and puts in the work to do and be better for himself and those around him.
🍯 The Communication - Honest and heartfelt. Tough conversations weren’t shied away from, even early on, and I wholeheartedly appreciated that.
🐝 How Parenting and Coparenting Was Presented - This right here is what healthy relationships and coparenting looks like. The situation was complicated but handled maturely. Winter, Z’s son, was going through it as a tween, but Z and his ex-wife’s teamwork with him was beautiful. Winter and Z’s heart-to-heart also made me cry.
🍯 The Friendships - I love friendships where they aren’t afraid to call you out on your $hit and help you get out of your own way. Quinn and RJ were getting the job done.
🐝 The Romance - Offering each other a safe space, making the other feel seen and heard, physical chemistry off the charts, what’s not to love? Trespassers for life.
🍯 The Bees! - Sarah has this remarkable ability to make me want to take up new hobbies. First birding and now this. My YouTube search history is about to be buzzing.
🐝 The Town - Quirky and quaint without trying too hard.
🍯 The Epilogue - Oh look, it’s me, crying again. Z!
🐝 No Unnecessary Drama - Thank you.
There are so many quotes I want to share but have to wait until publication to do so. In the meantime, lemme just say that my Kindle highlights are popping off.
** Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this text in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. **
Things I Loved:
🍯 Penny (FMC) - She’s strong, smart, handy, and self-sufficient (to a fault). I understood her drive and fears and enjoyed watching her learn to accept help and heal. I applauded her standing up for herself and others.
🐝 Zander (MMC) - Present day Z gave Jess from Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life while younger him was the epitome of early Jess when he first arrived in Star’s Hollow. Sarah dedicated this book to her therapist and mentions that the work they’ve done over time is present within the pages. As someone who has been working with a therapist for over a decade, I felt that so deeply here, particularly through Z’s character. We love a man in therapy who isn’t afraid to show his emotions and puts in the work to do and be better for himself and those around him.
🍯 The Communication - Honest and heartfelt. Tough conversations weren’t shied away from, even early on, and I wholeheartedly appreciated that.
🐝 How Parenting and Coparenting Was Presented - This right here is what healthy relationships and coparenting looks like. The situation was complicated but handled maturely. Winter, Z’s son, was going through it as a tween, but Z and his ex-wife’s teamwork with him was beautiful. Winter and Z’s heart-to-heart also made me cry.
🍯 The Friendships - I love friendships where they aren’t afraid to call you out on your $hit and help you get out of your own way. Quinn and RJ were getting the job done.
🐝 The Romance - Offering each other a safe space, making the other feel seen and heard, physical chemistry off the charts, what’s not to love? Trespassers for life.
🍯 The Bees! - Sarah has this remarkable ability to make me want to take up new hobbies. First birding and now this. My YouTube search history is about to be buzzing.
🐝 The Town - Quirky and quaint without trying too hard.
🍯 The Epilogue - Oh look, it’s me, crying again. Z!
🐝 No Unnecessary Drama - Thank you.
There are so many quotes I want to share but have to wait until publication to do so. In the meantime, lemme just say that my Kindle highlights are popping off.
** Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this text in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. **
March 25, 2026
3.5 stars
This was yet another totally fine, palate cleanser, passive listening romance audio book for me. Nothing wrong with it! Just didn't spark my interest in the least.
Penny and Zander's relationship went from one sided loathing to lust pretty quickly, so the spicy scenes were fun, if not a little out of place feeling for the slow, bucolic world we were introduced to. I would have liked to have seen a little more small town charm, but the story was very focused on Penny and Zander and their immediate family. Lots of great representation, though it did feel like ticking off a check list rather than organic.
I listened at 2x speed and have no complaints about the dual narration, which was clear and easy to listen to, though I never fully locked in due to not connecting with the characters.
🍯🐝 Thank you Simon Audio and Gallery Books for the ALC
This was yet another totally fine, palate cleanser, passive listening romance audio book for me. Nothing wrong with it! Just didn't spark my interest in the least.
Penny and Zander's relationship went from one sided loathing to lust pretty quickly, so the spicy scenes were fun, if not a little out of place feeling for the slow, bucolic world we were introduced to. I would have liked to have seen a little more small town charm, but the story was very focused on Penny and Zander and their immediate family. Lots of great representation, though it did feel like ticking off a check list rather than organic.
I listened at 2x speed and have no complaints about the dual narration, which was clear and easy to listen to, though I never fully locked in due to not connecting with the characters.
🍯🐝 Thank you Simon Audio and Gallery Books for the ALC
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Sarah T. Dubb’s sophomore novel, “Honey Bee Mine,” is a contemporary romance between a small-town beekeeper and a reformed bad boy who returns home after his grandfather’s death.
Thirty-four-year-old Penny Becker has been obsessed with bees since childhood. After her father abandoned her mother, Ruth, upon learning she was pregnant, Penny became determined never to be a burden or an obligation. When her boyfriend, Henry, convinces her to leverage Becker Farms for a capital-gains venture that ultimately fails, Penny is left with just two months to earn enough money to cover her debts, or risk the bank seizing her thirty-eight-acre farm.
Thirty-five-year-old Zander Bouras has loathed Sullivan’s Glen ever since his addict mother dropped him there every summer so she could get high, leaving him in his grandfather’s care. Known as the town’s bad boy, Zander rejected his grandfather’s guidance, constantly testing the limits of both the school and the community before fleeing town with his pregnant girlfriend, Mallory. Now a successful restaurateur, Zander returns following his grandfather’s death with his ex-wife, Mallory, her girlfriend Quinn, who also happens to be Zander’s best friend, and their eleven-year-old son, Winter. His plan is simple: renovate the house, sell it, and return to Boston once the summer ends.
Everything changes when Zander encounters “Perfect Penny,” the girl next door his grandfather idolized and held up as an example of everything Zander was not. She seemed to have the perfect family and the town’s unwavering affection. But when Winter asks for a bee tour of Penny’s farm and Zander learns that Penny also grew up without a father, he realizes how flawed his assumptions about her truly were.
Determined to save her farm for another year, Penny plans to revive Sullivan’s Glen’s annual Honey Festival. Thanks to her RJ and Winter, Zander volunteers to help. As the two work together, they must learn to trust each other and dismantle years of misconceptions, not only to ensure the festival’s success, but also while knowing that any relationship between them has an expiration date, as Zander intends to return to Boston once the summer ends.
Dubb’s sophomore novel is a classic contemporary romance that notably avoids both miscommunication tropes and a third-act breakup. She grounds the story in realistic conflicts and enriches it with a diverse supporting cast, including a trans and ace side character, a sapphic relationship, and a mixed-race couple. Penny’s ex never appears as a traditional villain, which is a refreshing deviation from genre expectations. However, the antagonism between Penny and Zander dissipates quickly, shifting most of the tension toward saving the farm and Penny’s reluctance to share the extent of her financial troubles. “Honey Bee Mine” is sweet, much like its title, though Dubb’s debut novel ultimately remains the stronger work.
I received an ARC through Edelweiss from Gallery Books via Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thirty-four-year-old Penny Becker has been obsessed with bees since childhood. After her father abandoned her mother, Ruth, upon learning she was pregnant, Penny became determined never to be a burden or an obligation. When her boyfriend, Henry, convinces her to leverage Becker Farms for a capital-gains venture that ultimately fails, Penny is left with just two months to earn enough money to cover her debts, or risk the bank seizing her thirty-eight-acre farm.
Thirty-five-year-old Zander Bouras has loathed Sullivan’s Glen ever since his addict mother dropped him there every summer so she could get high, leaving him in his grandfather’s care. Known as the town’s bad boy, Zander rejected his grandfather’s guidance, constantly testing the limits of both the school and the community before fleeing town with his pregnant girlfriend, Mallory. Now a successful restaurateur, Zander returns following his grandfather’s death with his ex-wife, Mallory, her girlfriend Quinn, who also happens to be Zander’s best friend, and their eleven-year-old son, Winter. His plan is simple: renovate the house, sell it, and return to Boston once the summer ends.
Everything changes when Zander encounters “Perfect Penny,” the girl next door his grandfather idolized and held up as an example of everything Zander was not. She seemed to have the perfect family and the town’s unwavering affection. But when Winter asks for a bee tour of Penny’s farm and Zander learns that Penny also grew up without a father, he realizes how flawed his assumptions about her truly were.
Determined to save her farm for another year, Penny plans to revive Sullivan’s Glen’s annual Honey Festival. Thanks to her RJ and Winter, Zander volunteers to help. As the two work together, they must learn to trust each other and dismantle years of misconceptions, not only to ensure the festival’s success, but also while knowing that any relationship between them has an expiration date, as Zander intends to return to Boston once the summer ends.
Dubb’s sophomore novel is a classic contemporary romance that notably avoids both miscommunication tropes and a third-act breakup. She grounds the story in realistic conflicts and enriches it with a diverse supporting cast, including a trans and ace side character, a sapphic relationship, and a mixed-race couple. Penny’s ex never appears as a traditional villain, which is a refreshing deviation from genre expectations. However, the antagonism between Penny and Zander dissipates quickly, shifting most of the tension toward saving the farm and Penny’s reluctance to share the extent of her financial troubles. “Honey Bee Mine” is sweet, much like its title, though Dubb’s debut novel ultimately remains the stronger work.
I received an ARC through Edelweiss from Gallery Books via Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 2, 2026
3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I went through a lot of different emotions with this one. I genuinely really enjoyed it up until around the 60% mark. The premise was strong, the writing was fantastic, and I was fully invested in the story.
For me personally, the shift in the romance felt a little sudden and leaned more into insta-lust than I was expecting. Some of the spice also felt more intense than the overall vibe of the book had set up. I’m usually very much an open-door reader and love a good spicy scene, but in this case it just didn’t fully match the tone I had settled into.
That being said, I can absolutely see other readers loving that aspect of it. It just didn’t totally land for me. I still really appreciated the story, the concept, and the author’s writing style. It just wasn’t a perfect fit for my taste this time 💛
I went through a lot of different emotions with this one. I genuinely really enjoyed it up until around the 60% mark. The premise was strong, the writing was fantastic, and I was fully invested in the story.
For me personally, the shift in the romance felt a little sudden and leaned more into insta-lust than I was expecting. Some of the spice also felt more intense than the overall vibe of the book had set up. I’m usually very much an open-door reader and love a good spicy scene, but in this case it just didn’t fully match the tone I had settled into.
That being said, I can absolutely see other readers loving that aspect of it. It just didn’t totally land for me. I still really appreciated the story, the concept, and the author’s writing style. It just wasn’t a perfect fit for my taste this time 💛
April 25, 2026
If you've been sleeping on Sarah T. Dubb, wake up! Especially if you like: a quiet angst that feels real, couples that are mature, good settings and job/character tie in with plot and development, complex relationships outside of couple that aren't detracting or flat.
The pacing in Honey Bee Mine (Dubb's "sophomore" release-apparently a snail book didn't work but I'm HOPING) is more successful than her debut for me, her characters are very grounded and mature and ready for each other. Well rounded Zander & Penny have independence streaking through them in a way that bees do not-despite strong de defacto (Penny) and found (Zander) communities. What results is white hot chemistry between a mature couple of well established adults who know who they are and are willing to make it work. Interestingly, zander's reconcilation with his past work far better than I've seen from most small town books. This is just a romance that felt age appropriate and earned and is full of interesting characters and situations. I particularly liked zander's dawning understanding of his grief.
The pacing in Honey Bee Mine (Dubb's "sophomore" release-apparently a snail book didn't work but I'm HOPING) is more successful than her debut for me, her characters are very grounded and mature and ready for each other. Well rounded Zander & Penny have independence streaking through them in a way that bees do not-despite strong de defacto (Penny) and found (Zander) communities. What results is white hot chemistry between a mature couple of well established adults who know who they are and are willing to make it work. Interestingly, zander's reconcilation with his past work far better than I've seen from most small town books. This is just a romance that felt age appropriate and earned and is full of interesting characters and situations. I particularly liked zander's dawning understanding of his grief.
January 19, 2026
A very cute romcom! I enjoyed the characters and the setting, and the pov changes. The story was believable and leaned lighthearted, which is good depending on your mood. Overall, a solid read for when you want something fun and feel good.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC
February 20, 2026
Disappointed as fuck after the first book. Felt very cookie cutter. And then half the supporting cast were DEI hires
April 11, 2026
This was a cute and fun read but for some reason, it didn’t hit in the way I’d expected it to. It leaned a little too far into insta-lust than I would have liked and I dint feel all that connected to the characters. Having loved Birding With Benefits, I’m sad I didn’t enjoy this one as much but I still had fun with it and will definitely pick up Sarah’s next book.
March 28, 2026
i had such a fun time with this one!!! so cute and fun and i loved getting to learn a little bit more about bees from penny <3
December 21, 2025
Birding with Benefits was one of my top reads in 2024 so I was so excited and ready to love Honey Bee Mine. Unfortunately it fell completely flat for me and I struggled to get through it.
What worked for me: a queer ex-wife and her new trans partner, the line about this not being a Hallmark movie. I died.
What didn't work for me: pretty much everything else. Two MCs who don't use their words, and probably both need some therapy. I didn't love the life is better in rural America plot, or the reformed bad boy swoops in to save the day. I especially hated when Zander took Penny for pancakes - I won't spoil the plot, but Penny needed assistance from a partner, not a white knight saving the helpless little lady, and it all felt off. Overall Romance-reasons was doing a lot of heavy lifting in the plot and everything tied-up entirely too neatly.
Thank you to Gallery Books for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
What worked for me: a queer ex-wife and her new trans partner, the line about this not being a Hallmark movie. I died.
What didn't work for me: pretty much everything else. Two MCs who don't use their words, and probably both need some therapy. I didn't love the life is better in rural America plot, or the reformed bad boy swoops in to save the day. I especially hated when Zander took Penny for pancakes - I won't spoil the plot, but Penny needed assistance from a partner, not a white knight saving the helpless little lady, and it all felt off. Overall Romance-reasons was doing a lot of heavy lifting in the plot and everything tied-up entirely too neatly.
Thank you to Gallery Books for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
March 5, 2026
4.5 stars. What a wonderful neighbors-to-lovers romance! Penny and Zander both think they know who the other person is based on who they were in high school but that is not the case at all. They get off on the wrong foot when Zander comes back into town for the summer with his son Willow, ex-wife Mallory, and her girlfriend Quinn. Thanks to a little meddling from their loved ones, Penny is forced to accept Zander's help in planning the upcoming festival and the proximity leads to good things.
The tattoos, the hair, the brooding...Zander couldn't be more my type. He has no desire to be back in Sullivan's Glen. He left home 17 years ago and never saw his hard grandfather again and is shocked that he inherited the house. This forces him to actually deal with not only his grandfather's house and belongings but their complicated relationship, as well as reifying his decision to go no contact with his mom. It was such a relief to read an honest portrayal of estrangement that doesn't shoehorn in a reconciliation. Zander knows it's for the best with his mom, truthful about how he maybe could have given his grandfather a second chance but realistic about his fears and why he didn't. This meant so much to me. Also: I adored the pep talk he gave himself in the car before his date with Penny. He loves to get a rise out of her but he also can be earnest and caring and does a great job of looking out for her and making sure she eats.
Penny grew up with her mother and grandmother, helping them bee keep and run the farm. Now she's largely in charge and treading water due to a financial mistake she hasn't told them about. She feels the need to be "perfect" and has a hard time accepting help from everyone. What I appreciated about this characterization is how it directly ties into generational cycles and trauma. Penny grows up hearing about how all the Becker men leave and fears she's to blame and that's why she has to be indispensable, often at her own expense. She has to learn how to really let people in, from Zander to her own mother. There was only one misstep for me with her arc. It would have been more powerful if The author needed to trust her characters and her readers, for that matter.
Penny and Zander have their own journeys but at each turn, they orbit around each other, sometimes at odds but increasingly drawing closer. And yet there's a deadline: Zander is going to return home at the end of the summer. I really loved them. They had great chemistry and I understood their respective fears about the relationship and about their personal lives. I was fully in their corner!
The romance is wonderfully rounded out and diversified by the secondary characters. Penny has a standing Spa Night with her best friend RJ, who is a talented baker. Her Mimi stole every scene she was in and her mom was imperfect but deeply loves her daughter. Then there's Zander's family who round out the cast. I particularly appreciated his best friend (and ex-wife's girlfriend) Quinn who is trans and has her own experience with estranged family. It was a delight to see how they all start to fit in to the town.
Looking forward to whatever Dubb writes next!
Characters: Penny is a 34 year old white beekeeper. Zander is a 35 year old white Greek American restauranteur with ADHD. He has an 11 year old mixed race son named Willow. This is set in Sullivan's Glen, New York.
Content notes: MMC's mother deals with substance abuse and bipolar (they're no contact now), past emotional abuse, sinkhole, police abuse of power, past homophobia and biphobia, past familial rejection (trans secondary character), diet culture, secondary character's mother has MS, secondary character recovering from hip replacement surgery, financial stress, threat of foreclosure, gambling addiction (secondary character), family estrangement (MMC is no contact with his mother; he never talked to grandfather again after leaving home 17 years ago), past divorce, past death of MMC's grandparents (including cancer), past theft by contractor, past death of family friend (stroke), past unstable childhood, past therapy (MMC), FMC's father left at the news of her conception, MMC doesn't know who his father was, on page sex, alcohol, gendered pejoratives, ableist language
The tattoos, the hair, the brooding...Zander couldn't be more my type. He has no desire to be back in Sullivan's Glen. He left home 17 years ago and never saw his hard grandfather again and is shocked that he inherited the house. This forces him to actually deal with not only his grandfather's house and belongings but their complicated relationship, as well as reifying his decision to go no contact with his mom. It was such a relief to read an honest portrayal of estrangement that doesn't shoehorn in a reconciliation. Zander knows it's for the best with his mom, truthful about how he maybe could have given his grandfather a second chance but realistic about his fears and why he didn't. This meant so much to me. Also: I adored the pep talk he gave himself in the car before his date with Penny. He loves to get a rise out of her but he also can be earnest and caring and does a great job of looking out for her and making sure she eats.
Penny grew up with her mother and grandmother, helping them bee keep and run the farm. Now she's largely in charge and treading water due to a financial mistake she hasn't told them about. She feels the need to be "perfect" and has a hard time accepting help from everyone. What I appreciated about this characterization is how it directly ties into generational cycles and trauma. Penny grows up hearing about how all the Becker men leave and fears she's to blame and that's why she has to be indispensable, often at her own expense. She has to learn how to really let people in, from Zander to her own mother. There was only one misstep for me with her arc. It would have been more powerful if The author needed to trust her characters and her readers, for that matter.
Penny and Zander have their own journeys but at each turn, they orbit around each other, sometimes at odds but increasingly drawing closer. And yet there's a deadline: Zander is going to return home at the end of the summer. I really loved them. They had great chemistry and I understood their respective fears about the relationship and about their personal lives. I was fully in their corner!
The romance is wonderfully rounded out and diversified by the secondary characters. Penny has a standing Spa Night with her best friend RJ, who is a talented baker. Her Mimi stole every scene she was in and her mom was imperfect but deeply loves her daughter. Then there's Zander's family who round out the cast. I particularly appreciated his best friend (and ex-wife's girlfriend) Quinn who is trans and has her own experience with estranged family. It was a delight to see how they all start to fit in to the town.
Looking forward to whatever Dubb writes next!
Characters: Penny is a 34 year old white beekeeper. Zander is a 35 year old white Greek American restauranteur with ADHD. He has an 11 year old mixed race son named Willow. This is set in Sullivan's Glen, New York.
Content notes: MMC's mother deals with substance abuse and bipolar (they're no contact now), past emotional abuse, sinkhole, police abuse of power, past homophobia and biphobia, past familial rejection (trans secondary character), diet culture, secondary character's mother has MS, secondary character recovering from hip replacement surgery, financial stress, threat of foreclosure, gambling addiction (secondary character), family estrangement (MMC is no contact with his mother; he never talked to grandfather again after leaving home 17 years ago), past divorce, past death of MMC's grandparents (including cancer), past theft by contractor, past death of family friend (stroke), past unstable childhood, past therapy (MMC), FMC's father left at the news of her conception, MMC doesn't know who his father was, on page sex, alcohol, gendered pejoratives, ableist language
January 14, 2026
Thank you to Gallery Books for the ARC to read and review!
Penny Becker, beekeeper and all-around show runner at Becker Farms has dug herself into quite a hole. She needs this year’s Honey Festival to be a massive success in order to satisfy the bank and avoid foreclosure. When reformed bad boy, Zander, moves back to town, Penny finds that his help in planning for the festival might be exactly what she needs.
After loving Birding With Benefits, I was SO excited to read this new romance from Sarah T. Dubb and it did not disappoint! There’s so much to love about this quirky town and its characters. Zander is such a dreamy single dad (I love his son, Winter!!!) and we LOVE a man in therapy 👏. Penny and Zander had some great banter, and their communication and honesty was refreshing.
The relationships are where the novel really shines, and I adored reading the really lovely and introspective dialogue that many characters shared with each other. Zander and his son had some great conversations, Penny and her mother and grandmother were able to talk through a lot of Penny’s questions and fears. There are just so many powerful human moments.
This one is out on 2.10 and it’s totally worth a read, especially if you loved Birding With Benefits!
Penny Becker, beekeeper and all-around show runner at Becker Farms has dug herself into quite a hole. She needs this year’s Honey Festival to be a massive success in order to satisfy the bank and avoid foreclosure. When reformed bad boy, Zander, moves back to town, Penny finds that his help in planning for the festival might be exactly what she needs.
After loving Birding With Benefits, I was SO excited to read this new romance from Sarah T. Dubb and it did not disappoint! There’s so much to love about this quirky town and its characters. Zander is such a dreamy single dad (I love his son, Winter!!!) and we LOVE a man in therapy 👏. Penny and Zander had some great banter, and their communication and honesty was refreshing.
The relationships are where the novel really shines, and I adored reading the really lovely and introspective dialogue that many characters shared with each other. Zander and his son had some great conversations, Penny and her mother and grandmother were able to talk through a lot of Penny’s questions and fears. There are just so many powerful human moments.
This one is out on 2.10 and it’s totally worth a read, especially if you loved Birding With Benefits!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Let me just say that Sarah T. Dubb may just become an auto-read author for me after her second fantastic novel.
I was lucky to read Birding With Benefits in my romance book club, and that was my first introduction to her work. I am so thrilled with how wonderful (also) Honey Bee Mine was as well!
I absolutely love when we get MCs that are older (and wiser) than the majority of romance heroines/heroes. In this novel our FMC is 35, which is wonderful and relatable!
I loved learning about the beekeeping aspect in this novel (as much as I learned about birding from her debut!) and found so much of it fascinating! I thought that the relationship between Penny and Zander was very believable and felt realistic with their concerns on both sides. It is refreshing when we get a MMC who is emotionally intelligent and communicates with his partner.
Much of the novel surrounds her family's farm and seeing how it can be saved from foreclosure. We get to see the power of community in this one, which was wonderful.
Overall, I loved this one and cannot wait to see what the author has in store for us!
If you enjoy these tropes, you may also love this one:
- Small Town Romance
- LGBTQIA+ Representation
- Older MCs
- Supportive Family
I was lucky to read Birding With Benefits in my romance book club, and that was my first introduction to her work. I am so thrilled with how wonderful (also) Honey Bee Mine was as well!
I absolutely love when we get MCs that are older (and wiser) than the majority of romance heroines/heroes. In this novel our FMC is 35, which is wonderful and relatable!
I loved learning about the beekeeping aspect in this novel (as much as I learned about birding from her debut!) and found so much of it fascinating! I thought that the relationship between Penny and Zander was very believable and felt realistic with their concerns on both sides. It is refreshing when we get a MMC who is emotionally intelligent and communicates with his partner.
Much of the novel surrounds her family's farm and seeing how it can be saved from foreclosure. We get to see the power of community in this one, which was wonderful.
Overall, I loved this one and cannot wait to see what the author has in store for us!
If you enjoy these tropes, you may also love this one:
- Small Town Romance
- LGBTQIA+ Representation
- Older MCs
- Supportive Family
March 5, 2026
Thebeespot read Honey Bee Mine. Yes, the family has already made all the jokes about this one. But aside from that, I found Sarah T. Dubbs’ romance story of a beekeeper and single dad to be a fun and enjoyable read.
Penny has been working so hard with the upkeep of her family’s farm. Though her mother is always positive that things will work out, that optimism eventually grates on Penny because there is no plan behind it. And everything always falls on Penny.
Penny is quite focused on beekeeping, but the former bad boy is back in town and to stay. The romance between Penny and Zander is a slow burn, but the transition to the spicy parts surprised me—in a good way. Zander has quite a mouth on him. I can understand why he was known as the town’s bad boy.
I liked Zander’s son and the relationship he built with Penny. That was sweet. Overall, it was a pretty positive story.
Thank you to @gallerybooks for the #gifted copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Penny has been working so hard with the upkeep of her family’s farm. Though her mother is always positive that things will work out, that optimism eventually grates on Penny because there is no plan behind it. And everything always falls on Penny.
Penny is quite focused on beekeeping, but the former bad boy is back in town and to stay. The romance between Penny and Zander is a slow burn, but the transition to the spicy parts surprised me—in a good way. Zander has quite a mouth on him. I can understand why he was known as the town’s bad boy.
I liked Zander’s son and the relationship he built with Penny. That was sweet. Overall, it was a pretty positive story.
Thank you to @gallerybooks for the #gifted copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 2, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
When I read Birding with Benefits, I knew Sarah T. Dubb was going to be a must-read author for me. Honey Bee Mine did not disappoint. Sarah has an incredible ability to write complex characters who are flawed but show up for one another. This book’s FMC hit really close to home. Reading her journey healed some parts of me. I loved both Penny and Zander and was sad when the book was over because I wanted more time with them and their families/chosen families.
When I read Birding with Benefits, I knew Sarah T. Dubb was going to be a must-read author for me. Honey Bee Mine did not disappoint. Sarah has an incredible ability to write complex characters who are flawed but show up for one another. This book’s FMC hit really close to home. Reading her journey healed some parts of me. I loved both Penny and Zander and was sad when the book was over because I wanted more time with them and their families/chosen families.
September 17, 2025
Oh, this one was pure sweetness. The story has that cozy, feel-good energy that makes you want to curl up and read it in one sitting. The characters are charming, the romance is adorable, and the whole vibe just leaves you smiling like you’ve been wrapped in a warm hug. Such a delightful read from start to finish.
March 14, 2026
3.75⭐️ Cute! I love when the FMC and MMC are in their thirties, it just reads more grown and sexy. Bonus points for skipping the big miscommunication and other annoying romance tropes. It also had some unexpectedly sweet moments about family and learning to accept help. Really happy with this book club pick. A perfect low-stakes spring appropriate romance.
March 26, 2026
Penny Becker is a bee keeper and farmer. She runs Becker Farms like a well-oiled machine, but she may lose it because of a loan she took out to make her ex's dreams come true. Penny is desperate for that not to happen, so she needs to make a lot of money at this year's Honey Festival. Zander is back in town with his son, ex wife, and best friend to sell his grandfather's house. Zander's son is really interested in bee keeping, which leads Zander into helping Penny with planning the festival and making it more profitable. Sparks fly as they work together, but Zander is leaving at the end of the summer, so they can't expect anything serious. But it's hard to deny the attraction they have, so they decide to have a no strings summer romance. That can't possibly get complicated, right?
Honey Bee Mine was an adorable single parent romance that is perfect to read in the warmer months. I really liked that this book showed a healthy coparenting relationship. I don't see that in a lot of single parent romances. Typically, the other parent isn't in the picture or has passed. Zander slowly falling in love with the town he spent summers in, as well as with Penny was beautiful. He worked through his past trauma to be able to see how wonderful the town was. I also liked that Penny learned to allow others to help her and not make everything her problem to solve.
Honey Bee Mine was an adorable single parent romance that is perfect to read in the warmer months. I really liked that this book showed a healthy coparenting relationship. I don't see that in a lot of single parent romances. Typically, the other parent isn't in the picture or has passed. Zander slowly falling in love with the town he spent summers in, as well as with Penny was beautiful. He worked through his past trauma to be able to see how wonderful the town was. I also liked that Penny learned to allow others to help her and not make everything her problem to solve.
March 18, 2026
There were parts of this I enjoyed but it all felt a little too melancholy for me, perhaps it was from the narrators, I don't know. It had interesting parts but the middle really dragged. I did love the ending though.
April 16, 2026
I love a good romance where the adults are adults (hello romance in your 30’s!) and can ✨communicate✨
This had all the magic of “Birding With Benefits” and then some. Really enjoyed this second novel from Sarah!
This had all the magic of “Birding With Benefits” and then some. Really enjoyed this second novel from Sarah!
March 3, 2026
Absolutely adorable storyline! Loved the writing style too. I’ll definitely be checking out Sarah Dubb’s other books and rereading this one at some point! Highly recommend!
February 10, 2026
🤍👒🐝🍯👩🏼❤️👨🏻🧺🍷🏘️
This book was such a breath of fresh air, I enjoyed it so much! Not only was it a beautiful love story between Zander & Penny, but it was also a tale of healing, acceptance, family, and belonging. The cast of characters in this book was so diverse and that really stood out to me. I loved watching a group of people in “non traditional” families come together to form a beautiful one.
Zander and Penny’s love felt so gradual and real because I feel like they became friends before falling for each other. I loved watching Zander continue to show up for Penny, while she slowly let her walls down and allowed him in. And the chemistry between those two was off the charts, their romance was so sweet and wholesome, yet also so spicy!
The fictional small town of Sullivans Glenn was a joy to escape too, and the way everyone in this town always came together was so delightful.
If you’re looking for a romance story that run deeper than just surface level love, and a book to escape reality and just feel all the butterflies while reading, I highly recommend this!
It was my first book by this author, but certainly won’t be the last! I absolutely loved her style of cozy writing and look forward to reading more by her!
February 2, 2026
Synopsis: Penny is focused on trying to save her family farm when complications arise in the form of Zander, the former bad boy next door, returning to town.
Thoughts: I’m going to start with my favorite thing about this book, and that is that there is no miscommunication or unnecessary third act breakup! 👏 These characters communicate as adults and work together as teammates, and I just love that for them. It’s super refreshing to see realistic and grounded characters behaving maturely. I also loved the diverse cast, the unique coparenting situation, and the superb found family vibes. And who knew beekeeping was so cool?! If you’re looking for a super sweet, feel-good romance with a lot of depth, look no further!
Read this if you like:
🐝 beekeeping
🐝 small town
🐝 single dad
🐝 opposites attract
🐝 family
Thoughts: I’m going to start with my favorite thing about this book, and that is that there is no miscommunication or unnecessary third act breakup! 👏 These characters communicate as adults and work together as teammates, and I just love that for them. It’s super refreshing to see realistic and grounded characters behaving maturely. I also loved the diverse cast, the unique coparenting situation, and the superb found family vibes. And who knew beekeeping was so cool?! If you’re looking for a super sweet, feel-good romance with a lot of depth, look no further!
Read this if you like:
🐝 beekeeping
🐝 small town
🐝 single dad
🐝 opposites attract
🐝 family
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 ✨
Thank you Gallery Books for the eARC in exchange for a review.
Listen, I didn't expect to cry in the last 15% of this book but I did and I'm here to talk about it. Honey Bee Mine was such a sweet romance. It hit in all the right spots for me & gave me small town hallmark romance vibes in the best possible way. It was cute, swoonworthy and honestly emotional. I think Dubb beautifully covered some very real topics and tied them into the story in a way that really added to the story. I adored and related to both Penny and Zander and found them both to be really well written & fleshed out characters. And while we're talking about Zander !!! The man that you are!!! We love a man who goes to therapy and can reflect on his behavior, truly one of the best MMCs I've read in a long time.
I'm excited to reread when it comes out with the audiobook!
Thank you Gallery Books for the eARC in exchange for a review.
Listen, I didn't expect to cry in the last 15% of this book but I did and I'm here to talk about it. Honey Bee Mine was such a sweet romance. It hit in all the right spots for me & gave me small town hallmark romance vibes in the best possible way. It was cute, swoonworthy and honestly emotional. I think Dubb beautifully covered some very real topics and tied them into the story in a way that really added to the story. I adored and related to both Penny and Zander and found them both to be really well written & fleshed out characters. And while we're talking about Zander !!! The man that you are!!! We love a man who goes to therapy and can reflect on his behavior, truly one of the best MMCs I've read in a long time.
I'm excited to reread when it comes out with the audiobook!
March 14, 2026
The Sweet Work of Healing (and Honey) 🐝
Honey Bee Mine opens with a surprising amount of emotional depth. Both of the main characters, Penny Becker and Zander Boursas, arrive carrying complicated histories and painful backstories, and the story doesn’t shy away from that weight. At first, it felt like a lot to take in right away, especially compared with the lighter tone I remember from Birding with Benefits, which charmed me almost immediately with its playful energy.
That earlier book had such an easy, joyful rhythm that I found myself recommending it to people almost from the start. Honey Bee Mine takes a different approach. It leans more into emotional vulnerability and the messy ways people carry their past with them. While the opening felt heavier to me at first, it ultimately sets the stage for a story about healing, trust, and learning to let others in.
The romance between Penny and Zander definitely brings the heat. Zander’s slightly “bad boy” reputation is something Penny—very much the good girl—finds hard to resist, and their chemistry leads to several open-door moments. Readers who enjoy a more openly written romance will likely appreciate those scenes. As someone who personally leans more toward closed-door romance, I occasionally skimmed ahead, but the emotional arc between them still came through clearly.
Another aspect of the story is the broad mix of supporting characters surrounding Penny and Zander. While the central romance is between a man and a woman, the wider friend group includes a couple of prominent LGBTQ+ characters. Penny’s friend RJ identifies as ace, and Quinn—Zander’s best friend—is trans and currently dating Zander’s ex-wife, Mallory. Their presence, along with occasional conversations that touch on LGBTQ+ topics, feels woven into the everyday life of the characters and the community around them. It seems to be part of the author’s storytelling style to portray a wide variety of people within the world of her books.
Penny’s farm also plays a wonderful role in the story. With its apple trees and honeybees, the farm almost becomes a third main character in its own right. I especially enjoyed the details about beekeeping, learning about the bees themselves, and the process of producing different types of honey. Those moments added warmth and texture to the story and definitely left me looking at honey a little differently—especially with a new appreciation for locally made honey rather than the mass-produced kind.
What stayed with me most, though, is the underlying theme of how people carry old hurts and try to manage them alone. So many of the characters are struggling quietly, convinced they need to solve everything themselves. Over time, the story gently pushes them toward something better: opening up, asking for help, and allowing themselves to be known.
The honeybees themselves become a lovely metaphor throughout the book. A hive works because every bee has a role and no one succeeds alone.
Much like the honeybees that appear throughout the story, the characters slowly learn that life works best when everyone contributes, supports one another, and shares the weight of what they carry. 🐝
Honey Bee Mine opens with a surprising amount of emotional depth. Both of the main characters, Penny Becker and Zander Boursas, arrive carrying complicated histories and painful backstories, and the story doesn’t shy away from that weight. At first, it felt like a lot to take in right away, especially compared with the lighter tone I remember from Birding with Benefits, which charmed me almost immediately with its playful energy.
That earlier book had such an easy, joyful rhythm that I found myself recommending it to people almost from the start. Honey Bee Mine takes a different approach. It leans more into emotional vulnerability and the messy ways people carry their past with them. While the opening felt heavier to me at first, it ultimately sets the stage for a story about healing, trust, and learning to let others in.
The romance between Penny and Zander definitely brings the heat. Zander’s slightly “bad boy” reputation is something Penny—very much the good girl—finds hard to resist, and their chemistry leads to several open-door moments. Readers who enjoy a more openly written romance will likely appreciate those scenes. As someone who personally leans more toward closed-door romance, I occasionally skimmed ahead, but the emotional arc between them still came through clearly.
Another aspect of the story is the broad mix of supporting characters surrounding Penny and Zander. While the central romance is between a man and a woman, the wider friend group includes a couple of prominent LGBTQ+ characters. Penny’s friend RJ identifies as ace, and Quinn—Zander’s best friend—is trans and currently dating Zander’s ex-wife, Mallory. Their presence, along with occasional conversations that touch on LGBTQ+ topics, feels woven into the everyday life of the characters and the community around them. It seems to be part of the author’s storytelling style to portray a wide variety of people within the world of her books.
Penny’s farm also plays a wonderful role in the story. With its apple trees and honeybees, the farm almost becomes a third main character in its own right. I especially enjoyed the details about beekeeping, learning about the bees themselves, and the process of producing different types of honey. Those moments added warmth and texture to the story and definitely left me looking at honey a little differently—especially with a new appreciation for locally made honey rather than the mass-produced kind.
What stayed with me most, though, is the underlying theme of how people carry old hurts and try to manage them alone. So many of the characters are struggling quietly, convinced they need to solve everything themselves. Over time, the story gently pushes them toward something better: opening up, asking for help, and allowing themselves to be known.
The honeybees themselves become a lovely metaphor throughout the book. A hive works because every bee has a role and no one succeeds alone.
Much like the honeybees that appear throughout the story, the characters slowly learn that life works best when everyone contributes, supports one another, and shares the weight of what they carry. 🐝
April 23, 2026
Happy library week! I love being able to check out audiobooks from my local library. I have also come to love the books of Sarah T. Dubb, a librarian by day. Honey Bee Mine has no librarian characters that I’m aware of. It does feature a bee keeper/orchard owner and a restauranteur (person who runs a restaurant). Once again, Sarah T. Dubbs has given us a funny, thoughtful, and sexy book about putting your trust in the right people.
The day before I started reading Honey Bee Mine, my housemate was talking to me about her women’s bible study group. They were going to talk about a the importance of handing your worries over to God and trusting that God will handle everything. I am a lifelong agnostic and I hadn’t had any coffee yet so I responded in an unfiltered manner. I told her that only works for people who have staff or wives, that people who don’t worry about the future are driving someone to an early grave doing the worrying for them. Don’t talk to me about theology before I’ve had coffee, I’ll hurt your feelings.
Lo and Behold, this is one of Penny Becker’s arcs in Honey Bee Mine. Penny is having to do all the worrying about the farm because her mother will just leave it up to the universe. Penny doesn’t feel like she can ask for help because her mother wants to leave it up to the universe, and her former boyfriend talked her into taking out a loan for a project that never came to fruition and then he left.
Zander Bouras is staying at his late grandfather’s house (to put it on the market) while his ex-wife, her girlfriend (who is also his best friend), and son spend the summer with her parents, who are recovering from illness. Zander is grumpy about being in a place with a lot of bad memories, but he wants to stay connected to his kid, who wants to learn more about Penny’s bees. Zander bullies his way into helping Penny so that she will have time to show his son the cool bee stuff.
As Penny and Zander get to know each other, their respective families/friends start to meld into one. The secondary characters are so great. Quinn and RJ round out their best friends provide loving voices of reason. Penny gradually allows herself to trust Zander, if not the universe, and Zander is able to see this small town in a more positive light. If I trusted the Hallmark channel to handle queer characters better, I would be begging them to make a Honey Bee Mine movie.
The day before I started reading Honey Bee Mine, my housemate was talking to me about her women’s bible study group. They were going to talk about a the importance of handing your worries over to God and trusting that God will handle everything. I am a lifelong agnostic and I hadn’t had any coffee yet so I responded in an unfiltered manner. I told her that only works for people who have staff or wives, that people who don’t worry about the future are driving someone to an early grave doing the worrying for them. Don’t talk to me about theology before I’ve had coffee, I’ll hurt your feelings.
Lo and Behold, this is one of Penny Becker’s arcs in Honey Bee Mine. Penny is having to do all the worrying about the farm because her mother will just leave it up to the universe. Penny doesn’t feel like she can ask for help because her mother wants to leave it up to the universe, and her former boyfriend talked her into taking out a loan for a project that never came to fruition and then he left.
Ruth tsked and shook her head. “You know, honey, the world won’t stop turning if you let yourself take a break.”
“No.” Penny huffed a laugh as her thoughts tipped and tumbled, falling right into one of those potholes Quinn had described. The one worn by years of Ruth promising Penny everything would be fine, then letting Penny do the work to make it so. “The world would still turn. It’s only this place that would fall apart.”
Zander Bouras is staying at his late grandfather’s house (to put it on the market) while his ex-wife, her girlfriend (who is also his best friend), and son spend the summer with her parents, who are recovering from illness. Zander is grumpy about being in a place with a lot of bad memories, but he wants to stay connected to his kid, who wants to learn more about Penny’s bees. Zander bullies his way into helping Penny so that she will have time to show his son the cool bee stuff.
As Penny and Zander get to know each other, their respective families/friends start to meld into one. The secondary characters are so great. Quinn and RJ round out their best friends provide loving voices of reason. Penny gradually allows herself to trust Zander, if not the universe, and Zander is able to see this small town in a more positive light. If I trusted the Hallmark channel to handle queer characters better, I would be begging them to make a Honey Bee Mine movie.
October 25, 2025
Honey Bee Mine
3.5 ⭐️
If you’re looking for a feel good, Hallmark style small-town romance then you’re in luck! The authors previous work is currently being adapted into a hallmark film so it’s fitting!
The who
- Penny, the small town bee keeper with a big problem who has a hard time trusting others or asking for help. She needs to throw the most buzzing Honey festival in the history of bees in order to afford a huge loan she took out a few years earlier…in steps…
- Zander, reformed bad boy turned doting dad who has returned to the town he hated spending his summers in. He wants to make a point to his pre teen by making the most of the summer . How does he do this? By helping out his neighbor throw a honey festival even though he hated her his entire young adult life.
Okay , admittedly both of these characters kinda got on my nerves a bit. Pennys refusal to ask for help kinda drove me insane even though her reasoning was understandable. Also the insta-lust wasn’t for me, admittedly. Zander had put in some hours with his therapist but penny could definitely use some. I know Zander talked her into it eventually.
Again, this felt like reading a hallmark movie (in a good way) everyone was likable, the side characters had some cute things going on, and the big festival drama of it all made for a fun backdrop. I could picture in my head how each scene would be shot - were it actually a hallmark movie and not just in my head.
If the tension had lasted a bit longer I feel like I’d have liked it a lot more as I’m a sucker for a slow burn and this was…not slow but still very cute!
Thanks NetGalley and Gallery books for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion!
3.5 ⭐️
If you’re looking for a feel good, Hallmark style small-town romance then you’re in luck! The authors previous work is currently being adapted into a hallmark film so it’s fitting!
The who
- Penny, the small town bee keeper with a big problem who has a hard time trusting others or asking for help. She needs to throw the most buzzing Honey festival in the history of bees in order to afford a huge loan she took out a few years earlier…in steps…
- Zander, reformed bad boy turned doting dad who has returned to the town he hated spending his summers in. He wants to make a point to his pre teen by making the most of the summer . How does he do this? By helping out his neighbor throw a honey festival even though he hated her his entire young adult life.
Okay , admittedly both of these characters kinda got on my nerves a bit. Pennys refusal to ask for help kinda drove me insane even though her reasoning was understandable. Also the insta-lust wasn’t for me, admittedly. Zander had put in some hours with his therapist but penny could definitely use some. I know Zander talked her into it eventually.
Again, this felt like reading a hallmark movie (in a good way) everyone was likable, the side characters had some cute things going on, and the big festival drama of it all made for a fun backdrop. I could picture in my head how each scene would be shot - were it actually a hallmark movie and not just in my head.
If the tension had lasted a bit longer I feel like I’d have liked it a lot more as I’m a sucker for a slow burn and this was…not slow but still very cute!
Thanks NetGalley and Gallery books for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion!
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