The Enlightenment of Bees was surprisingly and refreshingly real. There was not only adventure and romance; the book also explored confusion, disappointment, loss, heartbreak, and even rarely written-about topics like struggling with a savior complex in helping others. It was not only fun and light-hearted but also deeply challenging and inspirational.

I particularly liked Mia (along with just about all the other characters), the main character, as she reminds me a lot of myself. She longs to help and love others but struggles with finding how she should practically do this. On a lighter note, I also appreciated her love for baking since I myself enjoy this hobby (and along with this, I liked the references to the Great British Bake Off).

And, can I just say, the ending was absolute perfection. It was better than if I had written it myself.

Honestly, I am quite surprised by the negative reviews that this book has gotten. I will admit that I thought the story line was a bit odd at times (and, like others in the reviews I have read, I somewhat expected for the trip to turn out to be a reality TV show or something along those lines) but, overall, I greatly enjoyed it and found that it was just what I needed to get out of a reading slump. 4 stars.

“Your purpose is where your greatest passion meets the world’s great pain.”