I loved the book Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult! This is the story of Olivia, who has moved to New Hampshire with her son Asher to take up her father's beekeeping business. This is also the story of Lily, who relocates to New Hampshire for her senior year of high school. Asher and Lily will start dating and Lily will turn up dead and Asher will be questioned. There are several plot twists and turns that kept me reading! I learned so much about beekeeping. I really enjoyed this book and gave a it 4 solid stars! Would recommend to my book club. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

*Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, NetGalley, and authors Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review*


This is such an important book for our times, but more importantly it is a learning process for those who don't know a lot about transgender and transitions from male to female. It is also a story about two fierce mothers who will do anything to protect their children. What I love about Jodi Picoult is that we are always learning something, in this case about transgenderism but also, bees. I never knew so much about bees. In this novel, Olivia McAfee's son Asher is on trial for the murder of his girlfriend, Lilly, who has recently moved to town. But there is always a twist. And this one is a big one. Told from the dual points of view of Lilly and Olivia, we are taken through the relationship of Asher and Lily, and what happens when she reveals a huge secret.

I loved this book as I loved "Wish You Were Here". Jodi Picoult has a gift for revealing the thoughts of her characters and breaking them wide open, and I learned so much. One of my very few five star books this year!

loved it! major defending jacobs vibes. loved that honey stuff didn’t get too deep and “sciency” and didn’t take away from the book. overall very unique highly recommending

Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finley Boylan delivered a thought-provoking and gripping novel in Mad Honey. I am a big fan of Picoult's books, and was excited at the chance to read her latest work that included co-author Boylan.

Lily Campanello and Asher McAfee are high school sweethearts - yet they are keeping secrets from one another. This betrayal comes to a head in December, and the pair stops speaking to one another. Wanting to mend the relationship, Asher goes to see Lily one day when she stays home from school. Upon entering the house, he finds her unconscious and she later is pronounced dead. Grieving from the loss, Asher finds himself entangled in a legal case where he is suspected of her murder.

This book had a lot of thrilling moments and the twists and the beginning and end definitely took me by surprise. The novel kept me invested, as I was desperate to know what happened to Lily and how things between her and Asher became so tense. However, the book felt a bit too long and it was tough to connect with many of the characters, with the exception of Lily. Much of the book was eye-opening and caused me to challenge my assumptions, which I always look for in a Jodi Picoult book. This is another can't-miss book by Jodi Picoult!

As always, Jodi Picoult does not disappoint. I found this book to be an interesting read on so many levels. The storyline was well written with great character development and enough suspense to keep it moving till the very end. What I didn't realize I was going to get from this book - and what made it all the better for me - was all the historical information about beekeeping and all the little bits lore and information thrown in. I've already suggested this book to numerous people who keep bees as I found it to be fascinating.

I really enjoyed this one. I think the writing was so fluid and was very invested in the story. I think it’s best to go into this one without knowing too much

The honey bee metaphor as motif was way overdone, as were every single relationship. Too much angst and too much melodrama.

Jodi Picoult has been one of my favorite authors for years. Every time that she releases a new book, I always pick it up on the day of her lease. After reading this book, I think I will also start picking up Jennifer Finney Boylan books as well. This book was incredible. I love all of the intricate details about each of the characters and getting to read more about a character from a previous book. I love how characters are interwoven between all of her books. This one was no exception.

I really enjoy how Jodi Picoult is able to take difficult topics and put them at the forefront of her novels. Since I read nothing about this book prior to starting it, there were a lot of twists, and turns that I was able to enjoy throughout the book. I also really like that both authors are able to give a twist, ending without making me roll my eyes. I also love the authors’ note at the end. It added more depth to why the book was written.

This was a fantastic novel, and I am eager to see you, both of them write in the future.

The beginning of the book had me completely intrigued, but then slow pacing took over about halfway through and never let up. I found the bee tales and alternating narrators interesting, but both felt overdone by the end. This book could have been at least 100 pages shorter!

I always enjoy JP and this was no different! I loved the use of bees in the story and also learning more about living life as a trans. Very moving novel.

This was definitely one the best books I've read this year and I definitely enjoyed it more than the last few Jodi Picoult novels. I thought it was very timely (without giving a spoiler!) and really enjoyed learning all about beekeeping and bees without feeling like I was reading a textbook. I also enjoyed reading the author's notes mentioning how they both wrote alternating chapters for the characters and I thought the book really flowed and you really couldn't tell who wrote what. I will definitely have to check out Jennifer Finney Boylan's other novels.

Top 5 book of the year for me. Possibly Top 3. This book draws you in from the very beginning in the very best way and keeps you handing on until the very end.

A powerful read showing just how deeply the traumas of the past run and how much they can affect the lives of different generations. One of the best dramas I read this year!

Mad Honey is a terrific book, but I’m still trying to figure out how to review it without revealing a major spoiler! The story involves two teens from “broken homes” who fall in love with each other in a small town in New Hampshire, Lily and Asher. One of the mothers is a beekeeper and the other mother is a forest ranger. I loved that both women had unusual jobs! There are lots of secrets in this story and an interesting distinction between what is secret and what is private. The crux of the story is the relationship between Lily and Asher and what happens after Lily dies suddenly. The book alternates chapters told from either Lily’s point of view (POV) or from Asher’s mom, Olivia’s POV, and the timeline goes back and forth, with chapters labeled with the dates and statements like “six weeks before” or “three weeks after” Lily’s death. Interestingly we don’t get to hear from Asher directly, except through either Lily telling it or Olivia.

I often have at least two books going at one time: an audiobook and a “regular” book (either ebook or print). In this case, I was riveted to the story and bounced between the audiobook (courtesy of my public library) or the ebook. I just didn’t want to put it down; I needed to know what was going to happen next!

Although Mad Honey was co-written by two authors, I really couldn’t tell - that’s how seamless the writing and editing is. I learned a lot by reading this book, and not just about bees and honey. I am now going to try to track down Jennifer Finney Boylan’s memoir.

Don’t skip the Authors Notes at the end of the book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was a bit late to it. The audiobook is narrated beautifully by two different women, Carrie Coon and Key Taw. All opinions are my own.

This was a fantastic read!! Loved all of the characters!! The story was expertly told. This is a must read and I highly recommend!!

Mad Honey is a very compelling read that draws you in from the first page. The characters are well developed with all of the flaws and love that come with being human. The transgender subtext was knitted in skillfully. so that the reader never feels like they are being lectured to, yet they understand the complexities.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy of this one in exchange for a review.

I've always enjoyed Jodi Picoult and this was no exception. Another engaging story with a big twist in the middle.

I loved the characters and the story. The beekeeping aspect was interesting and I learned a few things.

This was a fantastic read, and officially one of my favorites of the year. I read everything that Picoult writes, and I was curious how having a co-author would affect the story and the writing, and I am so happy to say that I didn't even notice the difference in writing styles. They somehow managed to write two characters that FELT different, but still form a cohesive and complete story.

I understand that this book is hit or miss in regards to the twist in the middle of the book, and I want to state that I thought it was an incredible, and necessary, turn of events. I learned so much without feeling like I was being preached to, and I will recommend it to everyone without even hinting as to what is to come. I was shocked by the reveal, but by the end of the book I couldn't even imagine what the story would be without it.

Such a lovely, well-thought-out book! I will say I enjoyed Olivia’s narration more than Lily’s, which felt overly drawn out and repetitive at times. I really appreciate the research that went into this writing and I learned quite a bit from reading it. I wish there had been a bit more follow up around some of the characters, like Lily’s dad, Dirk, and Elizabeth. I very much enjoyed reading the story about how the book came to be and the writing process between the two authors! I will definitely recommend this one to my network.

This book was wild! The writing was phenomenal and the plot twist really was unexpected. Loved the characters and the story line. Overall superb.