A few years ago, one of my dear friends passed away. We’d been confidants with open hearts as we’d shared life’s sorrows with each other over the years. 

But we weren’t as close as I’d thought.

Soon after she died, I discovered some horrific events she’d endured but never told me about. I grieved the loss of my friend, now topped by the grief of all she’d gone through that I never knew about. Things she kept secret, tucked away in dark places. 

For weeks I pondered this. It weighed me down. How could I have known someone so well without knowing all of that too? And why didn’t she ever share it with me? Or with anyone? I never knew the whole person. 

No doubt this is what Beckett Walsh was feeling about her father after he passed away in He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox. I could definitely relate to her dismay as she wrestled with feelings of betrayal.

Previously, I featured Amanda’s second book, The Secrets of the Old Depot Grocery. He Should Have Told the Bees has secrets too. Secrets of a different kind.

Blurb

Uncovering long-held family secrets may sting at first–but the result can be sweeter than honey.

Beekeeper Beckett Walsh is living her dream, working alongside her father in their apiary, until his untimely death sends her world into a tailspin. She suddenly finds she must deal with a new part owner of the family business–one who is looking to sell the property. Beck cannot fathom why her father would put her into the position to lose everything they built together.

When Callie Peterson is named in the trust of a man she’s never heard of, she’s not sure what to do. Her fledgling business has just taken wing and her mother has reentered her life asking for help getting into rehab for her lifelong substance abuse issues, making Callie’s financial situation rather . . . precarious. She’s sure she has no right to someone else’s farm, but the money from the sale could solve her problems and give her the stability she’s always craved.

As these two women navigate their present conundrum, they will discover a complex and entangled past full of secrets–and the potential for a brighter future for both of them.

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My Thoughts

I was drawn into this story from the get-go, which means the prologue. This was a perfect example of a prologue’s function. It made sense, worked chronologically, and made me wonder about its significance and how it would work into the story.

Beckett Walsh is a beekeeper. With “bees” in the title, I was concerned about how much bees would rule the story. But the bee tie-ins were natural as a part of Beck’s life, as well as a fitting metaphor–definitely not overdone. The bee information enhanced without distracting from the story.

“With a hive on the verge of swarming, you can read the signs,
but you never know the exact moment a hive will split.
The only hope is to catch them before it’s too late and make space for them.
Convince them they can stay and thrive right where they are. “

I’m a fan of character-driven stories with disheveled and strained family dynamics. This one fit the bill. 

Some of the difficult themes addressed here are anxiety, mental illness, and child neglect. Even so, they don’t overshadow the story, which is infused with humor, hope, and restoration.

Beckett’s dilemma begins when her father’s irrevocable trust threatens the sanctity and security of her beloved home, land, chickens, goats, a donkey, and beehives. Suddenly, she’s not the only one in charge of her future. A stranger and co-beneficiary has equal say-so. 

Where do you go with those broken dreams from that breach of trust in your loved one?

I connected to both Beck and Callie as multi-layered characters. Callie’s  career aspirations conflict with her conscience regarding family responsibilities. I felt both the peacefulness and the isolation of Beck’s quiet life with the bees. Beck is still reeling from being twice abandoned. She has all the reasons to keep the land, while Callie has all the reasons to sell it.

Both women have gaping holes in their lives. One was abandoned by her mother as a child. The other lived with a dysfunctional mother, an unreliable train wreck who came and went at will.  

This story features a great supporting cast, from precocious, nine-year-old Fern next door (a girl with many aliases), to Aunt Kate who likes to take charge, to kind-hearted Annette, to Luke as well as Fern’s uncle. I appreciated how romance is a part of the story without being the story. However, I really wanted Beck to appreciate her Aunt Kate more since Kate was a more motherly and consistent presence than her own mother was.

I appreciated being privy to one of the counseling sessions with its discussion about trauma, boundaries, and emotional needs, illustrating the value of therapy. Some readers might consider the pacing “slow.” But with all the emotional depth and high stakes, the story was very “active” for me—and anything but dull. 

Join me for some Q & A with Amanda Cox.

Questions about He Should Have Told the Bees

What was your inspiration for writing this story? How did you come up with the premise? What is your personal connection to the setting and/or situation?

Amanda: I knew I wanted to have honeybees and beekeeping play a central role in the story. I love bees, I love keeping bees, and I love reading books about bees. Because the working bees in a hive are all female, it lent some interesting symbolism between the drama happening with the women in this book and the drama in the hive. 

Another thing that I wanted to bring to the forefront in this book is how faith and therapy can work together beautifully in a person’s healing process. I explored that a lot with Callie’s character and her struggles with trust in God and in good people. There were a lot of little threads that came together to pull this story together rather than one big idea.

How did you decide on the specific characters and circumstances of your heroines Beckett and Callie? Did they hijack the story or did you have full rein? 

Amanda: I knew that I wanted Beckett to be a beekeeper who struggled with agoraphobia whose “safe place” was threatened by the loss of her father. Callie was a little more of a mystery to me, and I got to know her and her motivations as I was writing and developing her story. For her, I just knew I didn’t want her to be viewed as a villain by the reader, even if that was how Beck viewed her. 

I had a general idea of who each woman was, but as I wrote and revised I added layers and depth to the motivations, hopes, and dreams of these characters. It’s a little like a relationship for me. The longer I knew the characters, the more they fleshed out and became more nuanced.

Did Fern try to take over the story? She’s a hoot! What would Fern have to say about you? 

Amanda: Fern would love to take over the story! I am sure she could have told everyone how to get over themselves, solve their issues, and get back to playing with the baby goats. (Which is the most important thing after all). She is loosely inspired by my daughter who was about her age at the time of writing. 

Fern would probably ask me why I went and tattled on her and made her tell Beck and Isaac the truth about some of her shenanigans. She was so much fun to write. I loved the way her childlike curiosity ended up bringing out some of Beck’s better qualities.

How has your novel writing benefitted from your counseling career? 

Amanda: I had no idea when I got my degree in counseling that my studies of human nature would end up being used in novel writing! I love to study people and their motivations. 

I also love helping people analyze how past experiences inform their current behavior patterns, as well as helping them think through what adjustments need to be made to those patterns to grow and have the lasting change they desire.

Were there any surprises for you along the way as you shaped this story? (Without giving spoilers.)

Amanda: As I was writing this story, I wasn’t sure how I wanted Callie and Beck to be connected and why they were both named on George Walsh’s trust. I ended up going in a different direction than I originally thought I would!

Did you already know about beekeeping when you decided to incorporate it into the novel? What’s the most unusual thing you had to do, learn, or research for it?

Amanda: I keep bees as a hobby! While I’m not an expert like Beck, I have done a lot of research over the years. So most of my research work was fact checking what I knew to make sure I was accurate. 

I think the biggest challenge was figuring out how much detail was needed to introduce readers to the “world building” of the hive without giving too much or too little detail. I had so much fun bringing my love of bees into this story. They are such incredible creatures.

If anyone is wondering if you have to love bees to love this book, I would say this is a great way to enjoy the wonder of bees without worrying about stingers. But also, I would say this book is so much more than a story about bees. It is a story about healing from childhood trauma to find a better way forward. It is a book about loving broken people and learning when to hang on and when to let go.

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Back to Laura . . . On a similar note . . . 

If you like small town stories or Southern fiction about family dynamics and secrets, you might enjoy my novel All That Is Hidden. Set near North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains in 1968, the story spotlights the bond of family and the connections of a tight-knit community. Northern exploitation threatens as a father’s hidden past catches up to him and tests family ties. Learn more and watch the trailer here.

All That Is Hidden awards:

• Winner of the Artisan Book Reviews Book Excellence Award
• Semifinalist in Serious Writer’s Book of the Decade contest

I invite you to join my monthly newsletter for writing updates, freebies, and giveaways. Sign up and I’ll send you a free gift: www.StandoutStoriesNewsletter.com

If you like historical fiction, you might enjoy my novel, A Hundred Magical Reasons. This story spotlights L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, his friendship with a young girl, and his impact through the decades. Set in Holland, Michigan, this dual timeline novel alternates between 1980 and the early 1900s. Read more and watch the book trailer here. The story won a novel contest last year and will be published by Scrivenings Press in January 2025!

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Amanda Cox bio

Amanda Cox is the author of the 2021 Christy Book of the Year, The Edge of Belonging and the 2022 Christy Book of the Year, The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery. She is a Carol Finalist for her 2023 ECPA bestselling novel, He Should Have Told the Bees. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Bible and theology and a master’s degree in professional counseling. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers. She resides in Tennessee with her husband and three children. Learn more on her website.

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Join me next time for a visit with author Erin Bartels.

Meanwhile, have you read He Should Have Told the Bees or any others byAmanda Cox? What’s your experience with bees? Answer in the comments below.

Ever reading,

Laura

Sign up for my monthly newsletter and receive the prequel for All That Is Hidden: www.StandoutStoriesNewsletter.com