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Waiting For The Bee Stings
Mia Maher is nearing forty. She arrives at the funeral of an old friend, Chrissie, who has died suddenly. Happily married, with two school age children, Mia is unaware that this will be the day that changes everything and her life will switch on to an entirely new path. 'Waiting For The Bee Stings' is a story about the lives of four friends who met at Newcastle University in the mid-1990s. It is a tale of love, friendship, passion and betrayal. This is the third fictional novel by Calvin Wade, following his debut, 'Forever Is Over' which rose to Amazon's Top20 ebooks in the United Kingdom and the critically acclaimed second novel, 'Kiss My Name'.
437 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2015
56 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Calvin Wade
8 books35 followersCalvin Wade was born in Ormskirk, Lancashire in 1971. He studied Economics at Manchester Metropolitan University, graduating in 1992. On graduation, he worked in a record shop for eighteen months to fund a backpacking trip around the world.
Since returning from his travels, his working life has been in the mortgage industry, working for Alliance & Leicester, Yorkshire Building Society and Birmingham Midshires. During this period, he has run five marathons - three London Marathons, one in Liverpool and one in New York. His first London Marathon was run in a fancy dress house where he was narrowly beaten by an apple, a banana and a pear.
In 2006, Calvin wrote a five minute monologue for BBC Radio Five Live entitled, "I Hate Football", which was performed by Johnny Vegas. It first aired in June 2006 and was repeated on a Christmas Day special. "Forever is Over" is his first novel and is now available to buy in paperback and ebook via Amazon.
Calvin's fifth novel, 'Our Broken Fairy Tale' was released in June 2020.
Calvin Wade is married to Alison and has two sons, Bradley and Joel.
Since returning from his travels, his working life has been in the mortgage industry, working for Alliance & Leicester, Yorkshire Building Society and Birmingham Midshires. During this period, he has run five marathons - three London Marathons, one in Liverpool and one in New York. His first London Marathon was run in a fancy dress house where he was narrowly beaten by an apple, a banana and a pear.
In 2006, Calvin wrote a five minute monologue for BBC Radio Five Live entitled, "I Hate Football", which was performed by Johnny Vegas. It first aired in June 2006 and was repeated on a Christmas Day special. "Forever is Over" is his first novel and is now available to buy in paperback and ebook via Amazon.
Calvin's fifth novel, 'Our Broken Fairy Tale' was released in June 2020.
Calvin Wade is married to Alison and has two sons, Bradley and Joel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 27, 2021
Calvin Wade is fast turning into my go to author when I fancy something simple, easy to read and that will also hold my attention.
This is a cute book with cute characters and a storyline that is interesting and develops the characters well.
At time of posting this title is available on Kindle Unlimited.
This is a cute book with cute characters and a storyline that is interesting and develops the characters well.
At time of posting this title is available on Kindle Unlimited.
September 4, 2017
Nineteenth book of my holiday reads.
I have to admit when I first started reading this book I didn't think it was going to be one for me. The more I settled into it and further I got though, I really started to enjoy it.
The story flicks between past and present and mainly between Mia and Jason. It is a story very much about friendship and relationships. I have to say that by the end I was so wrapped up in Mia and Jason's life that I wanted more. This really is an endearing and heartwarming read that you won't want to end.
I have to admit when I first started reading this book I didn't think it was going to be one for me. The more I settled into it and further I got though, I really started to enjoy it.
The story flicks between past and present and mainly between Mia and Jason. It is a story very much about friendship and relationships. I have to say that by the end I was so wrapped up in Mia and Jason's life that I wanted more. This really is an endearing and heartwarming read that you won't want to end.
September 1, 2015
Another cracking read from Wade.
I keep saying that these are not usually the sort of books I read, but after enjoying another one so much I think Wade is starting to make me change my mind.
This is the third book I've read from him, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It made a great holiday read. Now I look forward to the next one.
I keep saying that these are not usually the sort of books I read, but after enjoying another one so much I think Wade is starting to make me change my mind.
This is the third book I've read from him, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It made a great holiday read. Now I look forward to the next one.
May 5, 2016
I loved this, a really lovely read
August 29, 2015
I first became aware of Waiting For The Bee Stings by a tweet on Twitter. I loved the cover so I went off in search of more information. I'm so glad that I did as this book is an absolute gem.
Mia Maher is almost forty and when she returns home from a friends funeral to find her husband's naked mistress in her bathroom her life heads in a new direction.
The story that follows is a mix of past and present as we find out how Mia copes with her husband Gary's philandering alongside flashbacks to her past when she was in her twenties and part of a group of four close friends who go on holiday to Tenerife.
I loved every single thing about this book. The story really drew me in and made me laugh out loud in places especially the description of Mia's monumental sneeze at the funeral just as the coffin is being taken out of the church. Calvin Wade has a wonderful talent for getting under the skin of his characters and I was impressed with his portrayal of both Mia and her young daughter Esme.The story was a heartwarming tale of lives not taking their expected paths and is a wonderful read that I can't recommend highly enough and I'll definitely be reading this author's other books.
Mia Maher is almost forty and when she returns home from a friends funeral to find her husband's naked mistress in her bathroom her life heads in a new direction.
The story that follows is a mix of past and present as we find out how Mia copes with her husband Gary's philandering alongside flashbacks to her past when she was in her twenties and part of a group of four close friends who go on holiday to Tenerife.
I loved every single thing about this book. The story really drew me in and made me laugh out loud in places especially the description of Mia's monumental sneeze at the funeral just as the coffin is being taken out of the church. Calvin Wade has a wonderful talent for getting under the skin of his characters and I was impressed with his portrayal of both Mia and her young daughter Esme.The story was a heartwarming tale of lives not taking their expected paths and is a wonderful read that I can't recommend highly enough and I'll definitely be reading this author's other books.
December 13, 2016
Calvin Wade, what can I say? I've read them all now, and this one was as brilliant as the rest. Great characters, great storytelling, just wonderful. I absolutely loved every minute of it. Calvin has a way of writing which draws the reader in and for me, I can always identify with his characters and what they are going through. Bring on the next book quickly please!
May 7, 2016
Love love loved it! So very well written that I can picture each character so clearly! I have to admit a lot of it resonates with my own past - just couldnt put it down & will be ordering a few more by Calvin Wade
October 5, 2016
Not really my genre but decent enough book
October 16, 2018
Well, what a book. I love how Calvin writes, but this one was truly special. You know a book is great when it sucks you in and you find yourself staying up late to read ‘just a bit more’ and then getting up while it is still dark because you are on 88% through and you can’t bear for anything bad to happen to some of your new friends.
I absolutely loved the characters and how we found out about them little by little - no pun intended :), the alternating perspectives were so beautifully done and the change in times just added to the narrative.
Now I feel lost as it has been a long time since I didn’t want a book to end.
I absolutely loved the characters and how we found out about them little by little - no pun intended :), the alternating perspectives were so beautifully done and the change in times just added to the narrative.
Now I feel lost as it has been a long time since I didn’t want a book to end.
July 1, 2025
What did I think? It was terrible. It was so depressing. Each of the characters had so many problems and they never seemed to solve them but just got more and more entwined in misery. Then how pathetic that Paul Murray couldn’t even work out a decent ending for the miserable 600odd pages that he put the reader through. I skimmed lots of pages as couldn’t cope with the minutiae of their depressive lives
September 17, 2018
This was an enjoyable read. I liked most of the characters but not Gary, he was very selfish and only thought about himself. The kids were typical children with their own issues and how they see the world. This book read very easily and was a nice break from my normal genre. I give it 3.5 stars.
May 7, 2018
I was searching through my kindle for my next read and having dismissed a fair few when I saw this I had my Goldilocks moment and chose this one. I really enjoyed the way the story flipped back to their student days and it sparked a few memories of my own time as a student and holidays to Spain. I think what I particularly like is that the characters are all ordinary and feel like people that I might know. Everyone knows a teenager like Joe!!
October 5, 2018
I'm torn on my review. I liked half of the book. I did not enjoy the flashbacks and for most of the book, I didn't like Mia. I thought she was a wimpy, dishrag of a woman. But she eventually got her act together and turned things around.
September 27, 2018
it was good, not great but good :)
October 2, 2018
A story of lost opportunities, new beginnings and friendship - and enjoyable read.
December 22, 2015
Who are all you people who like this book??
There is a mildly interesting tracking of a love triangle from uni which comes in to play 20 years later. Soapy and light but readable.
BUT then wade tacks on a whole other separate section about pregnancy and birth that reads like a dry report. Whose idea was it to add that bit on? What does it add?
And what has the title got to do with anything..
Please learn from my mistake... Do not waste your thoughtful brain or your precious time reading this.
There is a mildly interesting tracking of a love triangle from uni which comes in to play 20 years later. Soapy and light but readable.
BUT then wade tacks on a whole other separate section about pregnancy and birth that reads like a dry report. Whose idea was it to add that bit on? What does it add?
And what has the title got to do with anything..
Please learn from my mistake... Do not waste your thoughtful brain or your precious time reading this.
September 1, 2015
Enjoyed this book immensely. Characters were easily believable and even though one of them started off hideously you couldnt help but warm to him in the end. Great easy read and would be a fab "holiday" book
August 25, 2016
Another wonderful feelgood emotional and funny story by Calvin Wade. Each time I read one of his books it feels like snuggling up with a comfy duvet and having my soul massaged! Loved it.
July 31, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I loved the storyline and characters and found it to be an easy read that I couldn't put down.
February 4, 2017
I enjoyed the humour in this book, however I was disappointed with the ending.
Overall, this is an easy read
Overall, this is an easy read
August 9, 2015
Calvin's books are my guilty pleasure. Good yarn - uplifting and life-affirming. Thanks Calvin.
December 8, 2018
Another one of Calvin’s book that I fell in love with. Mia is at the funeral of one of her old friends. Not old just an old friend. There she meets Jason , again an old friend from university. The book alternates between 1997 and 2014 slowly coming together as the book progresses. 1997 was when the group of friends were at University and Mia met her husband Gary who was one of the group. What Mia has never known is that Jason has held a torch for her all these years. Now divorced he treasures her friendship and when Mia suddenly becomes single again he doesn’t want to frighten her off. I loved Mia and Jason even more so. As for Karen’s daughter- I won’t spoil anything- but so loved her too. Gary however… I think we have all known a Gary in our time one way or another. A beautifully told story of tragedy and hope, life and all it can throw at us. Calvin has a way with words, a wonderful talent which puts you in to the heart of each and every book and the characters within. I smiled, I (almost) cried. I truly loved it.
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
or follow me on Twitter @nickijmurphy1
Amazon Top 1000 reviewer.
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
or follow me on Twitter @nickijmurphy1
Amazon Top 1000 reviewer.
June 27, 2022
I have never read this book but I could tell you is probably the best book I've ever seen I love the cover it's a Bee Can I have a heart outside of it that is just cut it stop I will rip my panties off If literally probably is the greatest book if you have not read it you need to get it right now please and thank you buttcheek guys
April 1, 2020
The book was entertaining, and looks at a new relationship between Mia and Jason, after her marriage split with Gary, and some snippets from Joe, Mia's 15 year old son.
September 5, 2021
I read another one of his books which was ok. But this one was brilliant. Really enjoyable very relatable.
May 21, 2024
excellent read.
Easy reading chapters weren’t too long. I liked the layout of the book, like a diary and how the writer gave the back story.
Good holiday read.
Easy reading chapters weren’t too long. I liked the layout of the book, like a diary and how the writer gave the back story.
Good holiday read.
September 7, 2025
3.5. I love Calvin’s books. The only thing that ruined this one for me was Joe. He was just an awful character and that Mia let him behave that way got very annoyed. Ruined some of it for me
January 12, 2026
Not to my taste, although it starts well, but the story stumbles along.
February 6, 2017
Waiting for the Bee Stings by Calvin Wade.
Some of the very best stories are the simplest. In Waiting for the Bees Stings, we have a prime example. This is a story about missed opportunities, bad timing and renewal. Four friends bound by shared secrets and the damage those secrets can wreak.
The character list is few, six souls all linked by unrequited passions and lies. For Jason, Mia will always be the one that got away.To Mia, Gary is the man she trusted despite her better judgement. To Chrissie, Jason is the man of her dreams. Gary is a law to himself, secretly playing them all off of each other. A fine mess they make in their callow youth, but now they have all met Forty, only misfortune, revelation and recrimination can follow.
Reunited by Chrissie’s untimely passing, these four friends and the secrets of their student days are laid bare, leaving them all changed affected in ways none of them can expect.
This is a simply structured story with Mia and Jason both chronicling the hectic rather than halcyon days of their student life and also bringing their story into the modern day with their meeting at a funeral and the gentle unravelling of the secrets of the past and their gravitational pull toward each other, bonds forged in the past seem to have remained despite self imposed estrangement.
Their two points of view are woven with deft skill and the story of their burgeoning relationship is sweet, but always grounded in realism
Mia’s discovery and reaction to her husband’s Marital infidelity are dealt with in a subtle way (despite her naked confrontation !) There is no disputing Gary is a bounder and a cad, but his part in the story rings true and reveals his vulnerability despite my utter dislike for him.
Had this been a more hackneyed depiction of love unrequited, I would have questioned quite frankly how Mia ever landed up with Gary in the first place! Even with a painfully shy and tentative Jason pulling back vital points, Gary is quite obviously not a great fit, but this book is honest and authentic and all the better for it. Bad matches are indeed forged when true love is thwarted.
Mia’s children are also beautifully described, their reactions to the evolution of their parent’s break up and Jason’s gradual absorption into their presumed idyl is done with humour, sympathy and an obvious attention to how children react and adapt to change. (Esme might just be my spirit animal!)
This is a great book, both absorbing and truthful. For me though, what added the most delicious frisson of joy,was the fact it was based in the lovely Ormskirk. The home of my own crazy student days, I have to admit to many a night spent in the hostelries there and as familiar haunts and places were mentioned, my mind flew back to my own drunken declarations of undying love, misunderstandings and the lasting friendships born of that time.
This being my first foray with Calvin Wade, I feel pretty sure, we will be journeying again.
A Marvellous start to my reading year!
Some of the very best stories are the simplest. In Waiting for the Bees Stings, we have a prime example. This is a story about missed opportunities, bad timing and renewal. Four friends bound by shared secrets and the damage those secrets can wreak.
The character list is few, six souls all linked by unrequited passions and lies. For Jason, Mia will always be the one that got away.To Mia, Gary is the man she trusted despite her better judgement. To Chrissie, Jason is the man of her dreams. Gary is a law to himself, secretly playing them all off of each other. A fine mess they make in their callow youth, but now they have all met Forty, only misfortune, revelation and recrimination can follow.
Reunited by Chrissie’s untimely passing, these four friends and the secrets of their student days are laid bare, leaving them all changed affected in ways none of them can expect.
This is a simply structured story with Mia and Jason both chronicling the hectic rather than halcyon days of their student life and also bringing their story into the modern day with their meeting at a funeral and the gentle unravelling of the secrets of the past and their gravitational pull toward each other, bonds forged in the past seem to have remained despite self imposed estrangement.
Their two points of view are woven with deft skill and the story of their burgeoning relationship is sweet, but always grounded in realism
Mia’s discovery and reaction to her husband’s Marital infidelity are dealt with in a subtle way (despite her naked confrontation !) There is no disputing Gary is a bounder and a cad, but his part in the story rings true and reveals his vulnerability despite my utter dislike for him.
Had this been a more hackneyed depiction of love unrequited, I would have questioned quite frankly how Mia ever landed up with Gary in the first place! Even with a painfully shy and tentative Jason pulling back vital points, Gary is quite obviously not a great fit, but this book is honest and authentic and all the better for it. Bad matches are indeed forged when true love is thwarted.
Mia’s children are also beautifully described, their reactions to the evolution of their parent’s break up and Jason’s gradual absorption into their presumed idyl is done with humour, sympathy and an obvious attention to how children react and adapt to change. (Esme might just be my spirit animal!)
This is a great book, both absorbing and truthful. For me though, what added the most delicious frisson of joy,was the fact it was based in the lovely Ormskirk. The home of my own crazy student days, I have to admit to many a night spent in the hostelries there and as familiar haunts and places were mentioned, my mind flew back to my own drunken declarations of undying love, misunderstandings and the lasting friendships born of that time.
This being my first foray with Calvin Wade, I feel pretty sure, we will be journeying again.
A Marvellous start to my reading year!
February 22, 2017
A lovely easy read by Calvin Wade, it has believable characters and is a story about what happens in every day life. I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews