Review – The Honey Farm on the Hill by Jo Thomas

Nell is a single mother with a longing to return to her past in Crete and discover what happened to Stelios, the man she fell in love with one glorious summer eighteen years before.

When the Christmas decoration factory where Nell works has a fire and the staff are unable to work, Nell decides to be brave and return to Crete to see if she can find her first love and her own happy ending. Her daughter, Demi, has never met her dad, but she’s now moved to London and Nell has no reason not to go on her own adventure. She discovers that there is a honey farm in the mountains where she met Stelios and signs up to work there.

Nell is taken to the farm by a local who warns her about travelling further up the mountain as it is out of bounds and dangerous. She arrives at the farm and meets the struggling farmer and his family. Her room is basic and there are no luxuries, and although she initially thinks she’s made a mistake, she soon becomes determined to stick to her plans and find a way to help them. She works hard helping renovate the place and finding a way to encourage the lost bees to return to the farm’s hives to make their aromatic honey. Without the bees and their honey, the farm won’t survive. Nell also learns that the community she remembered in the village has changed drastically and that the farmers aren’t the only ones concerned about their future.

Curious about the area above the farm that she has been told to avoid, Nell decides to find a way to get up there. She makes a discovery that changes everything for her and answers many of her questions. Although her adventure takes a course she hadn’t expected, Nell learns that sometimes in life it is necessary to go backwards before you can move on.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the way Jo Thomas evokes the scents and sights of the Crete mountains and villages. This book was funny, sad with a hint of mystery, and as with all good romances, had a delicious hero.

You can buy The Honey Farm on the Hill here

8 star rating