Author: Elizabeth Bass Parman
Published: September 2, 2025 by Harper Muse
Format: Kindle, Paperback 352 Pages
Genre: Magical Realism
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Blurb: Set against the optimism and excitement of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969, a feat many said was impossible, one woman struggles to achieve something she thinks is impossible--living a happy and fulfilling life.
Rennie King's world isn't at all what she expected when she married the hotshot baseball player from her small town of Spark, Tennessee. Reeling from the loss of her newborn son, she desperately needs the support of her husband, but instead of providing comfort, he is becoming increasingly angry, often turning that anger on her.
When a glowing bee lands beside her, Rennie senses she needs to check on her beloved beekeeper uncle. The bee stirs long-forgotten memories of a childhood lived close to nature, a connection she lost over time. As the summer progresses, she finds both the bees and her uncle advising and encouraging her. While healing from her loss, she gains the courage to break free from the husband who is becoming increasingly violent.
With help from her family, her friends, and of course, the bees, Rennie dares to hope that she can build a happy life for herself and opens a business that could provide a path to independence. But starting over is hard, and as the heat rises that summer, so do tempers, until everything comes to a head the night the astronauts first step onto the moon's surface.
My Opinion: There’s something about bees on a cover or woven into a storyline that always makes me want to pick up the book. Bees in June leans into that fascination, using bees not just as symbols but as literal, sometimes mystical, messengers. There’s even a side conversation between two bees, though it’s never entirely clear if they’re actual bees, spirits, or something else altogether. That ambiguity adds a layer of charm, even if it leaves the reader slightly puzzled.
Set in Tennessee in 1969, at the time of the moon landing, yet the novel feels steeped in the atmosphere of the 1950s, with its small-town rhythms, cultural echoes, and law enforcement that still thinks women are the property of their husbands. At the heart of the story is Rennie, caught in a marriage with Tiny, a man who has been abusive from the start. Rennie’s naïveté and longing to hold onto the love she thought she had blinds her to the truth, even as those around her quietly recognize what she cannot yet admit. This is where the book shines: in its portrayal of family and community, as they patiently wait for someone lost to find the courage to ask for help.
Parman layers the narrative with many threads of abuse and survival, the possibility of new love, the grounding presence of scripture, and the uncanny “woo-woo” sense of knowing the future without being able to explain how. Bees themselves become part of this tapestry, sending messages to those willing to listen, reminding us that love and change can arrive in unexpected forms.
What struck me most was the balance between simplicity and depth. Some readers may call it folksy, but for me, it carried a quiet resonance. Sometimes a book doesn’t need to be grand or polished to hit just right; it only needs to speak to the part of us that still believes in small miracles.
And really, who doesn’t want to believe in the magic of bees and the possibility of change?
Rennie King's world isn't at all what she expected when she married the hotshot baseball player from her small town of Spark, Tennessee. Reeling from the loss of her newborn son, she desperately needs the support of her husband, but instead of providing comfort, he is becoming increasingly angry, often turning that anger on her.
When a glowing bee lands beside her, Rennie senses she needs to check on her beloved beekeeper uncle. The bee stirs long-forgotten memories of a childhood lived close to nature, a connection she lost over time. As the summer progresses, she finds both the bees and her uncle advising and encouraging her. While healing from her loss, she gains the courage to break free from the husband who is becoming increasingly violent.
With help from her family, her friends, and of course, the bees, Rennie dares to hope that she can build a happy life for herself and opens a business that could provide a path to independence. But starting over is hard, and as the heat rises that summer, so do tempers, until everything comes to a head the night the astronauts first step onto the moon's surface.
My Opinion: There’s something about bees on a cover or woven into a storyline that always makes me want to pick up the book. Bees in June leans into that fascination, using bees not just as symbols but as literal, sometimes mystical, messengers. There’s even a side conversation between two bees, though it’s never entirely clear if they’re actual bees, spirits, or something else altogether. That ambiguity adds a layer of charm, even if it leaves the reader slightly puzzled.
Set in Tennessee in 1969, at the time of the moon landing, yet the novel feels steeped in the atmosphere of the 1950s, with its small-town rhythms, cultural echoes, and law enforcement that still thinks women are the property of their husbands. At the heart of the story is Rennie, caught in a marriage with Tiny, a man who has been abusive from the start. Rennie’s naïveté and longing to hold onto the love she thought she had blinds her to the truth, even as those around her quietly recognize what she cannot yet admit. This is where the book shines: in its portrayal of family and community, as they patiently wait for someone lost to find the courage to ask for help.
Parman layers the narrative with many threads of abuse and survival, the possibility of new love, the grounding presence of scripture, and the uncanny “woo-woo” sense of knowing the future without being able to explain how. Bees themselves become part of this tapestry, sending messages to those willing to listen, reminding us that love and change can arrive in unexpected forms.
What struck me most was the balance between simplicity and depth. Some readers may call it folksy, but for me, it carried a quiet resonance. Sometimes a book doesn’t need to be grand or polished to hit just right; it only needs to speak to the part of us that still believes in small miracles.
And really, who doesn’t want to believe in the magic of bees and the possibility of change?
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