I always enjoy Jodi Picoult’s books.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan was a triumph in co-authoring a book that had me rapt by the mystery, invested in the characters and pleased with the seamless writing style. I’ve been a fan of Jodi Picoult for many years and as some of you know, I had to break up with her books as they became too commercial/formulaic. Suddenly, however, she was back with her competent writing skills, where the plotlines vary, and no formula can be detected.

Because I’ve read so many of her books, I’ve noticed a cadence to her writing. There’s a beat to her prose that continually tells me, this is a Jodi book. Writing as a duo didn’t change that; I immediately knew that Jodi wrote Olivia – a mother and beekeeper and Jennifer wrote Lily – an eighteen-year – old girl student. Both of these main characters were both making a fresh start. The heart of this book is a mystery, but there are so many talking points are woven in the novel.

LBGTQA+, marriage, abuse, motherhood, secrets, art, cello, deadbeat dads, second chances and the metaphor of bee keeping which mirrors much of the plot as it moves forward are all themes in the book. I found it interesting that Lily’s chapters go back in time as the novel progresses while Olivia’s chapters go forward. That had to be a quite a challenge for the authors.

This book makes for a fast and enjoyable read! Highly recommend.

Many of us look forward to reading a new Jodi Picoult and this book is no exception. Filled with lots of twists and turns, some of which we are prepared for and some we are not prepared for. Olivia and her son, Asher, leave Olivia's abusive husband and move home to New Hampshire to run her family's honey farm. Asher, a high school junior, falls for Lily, a new girl in his school. Lily and her mother, Ann, have recently moved from the West Coast. Then comes the call that parents dread. Lily is dead and Asher has been accused of murder. But what really happened? Is it possible that Asher's father's tendency to violence has taken root in Asher's life?

The story is told in back and forth chapters. We learn more about Olivia's and Asher's back stories as well as Lily's story of an abusive parent. The reader learns a lot about the honey business and Lily collects facts which she loves to toss out. There is so much in this story that can't be revealed in a book review without giving away some vital parts of the story.

An incredible read by Jodi Picoult. So well researched, moving, and thought-provoking. This book should be required reading.

“Nobody is a do-over of anybody else, and if you get to do anything at all on earth it’s live your own life, not be some sort of ghost version of somebody else’s.”

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After fleeing her abusive husband, Olivia returns to her childhood home with her young son, Asher, and takes over the family beekeeping business. Twelve years later, Lily and her mom relocate to the same town, and Asher and Lily start dating. Their lives are turned upside down when Olivia finds out Lily is dead and Asher is being accused of her murder.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Jodi Picoult, but it’s been awhile since I have picked up one of her books. This book made me realized how much I love her stories and writing. Also, reading how the authors came together and wrote this story was amazing. The plot is intriguing and the characters are well-developed. I don’t want to give too much away but this book is pretty heavy. I thought the ending was a bit rushed, but other than that I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Mad Honey.

I've read most of the author's books and enjoyed the majority of them. I'm a fan of her writing and her style of writing.

Mad Honey is my least favorite of her books.

You know how some Law & Order episodes are 'ripped from the headlines?"

Well, Mad Honey is based on a number of headline making headlines from recent years; the one exception being abortion but I'm sure the author will cover that in her next book.

Pretty much every hot topic debated in recent years can be found in Mad Honey; domestic abuse, racial and gender equality, sexual violence, suicide, and even mass shootings get a shout out.

Naturally, since this is a book and not real life, there are a lot of hot people; Braden is a hot doctor, as is Jordan's wife, and she's Black.

Look, I read for fun, to escape, to learn something new; I don't want to be preached or lectured at.

I don't want to read about the social, racial and gender inequality raging across our country. and be reminded we have a longggg way to go.

The writing was fine, but wordy and the narrative unnecessarily long; I get we needed two POVs, especially to see how much Lily has endured and survived, but it got tedious to read.

I couldn't stand Olivia; Jordan was cool, and so was Lily's mom.

I did enjoy learning about beekeeping and really liked the factoids about bees and honey, especially the recipes.

This book was so much more than a courtroom thriller - it was a great coming of age tale with trans representation that really shared an inside look on the experiences of a trans individual. It had a great story in alternating POVs and timelines that all synced up well in the end!

I received is book as an ARC from NetGalley.

The book description made me want to read the book immediately. At first, I was enthralled, but as the novel dragged on, I became less interested and it became a chore to read. I was disappointed in the ending.

This book started out pretty interesting. Olivia left her abusive husband years ago and is a single mom to her teenage son, Asher. And she is a beekeeper, which I found pretty interesting. Their lives are turned upside down when Asher is accused of killing his girlfriend, Lily. The book bounced between Olivia's POV and Lily's. I found the beekeeping thing interesting, but after a while, it just dragged on for too long and it distracted me from the story. About halfway through the story, I got bored with Lily's story and I felt like the authors were trying too hard to take attention away from the actual trial. Between Lily's POV, Olivia's beekeeping facts and her flashbacks to her abusive marriage, the trial itself seemed like an afterthought. The ending was also very anticlimactic. I basically skimmed the last 20% of it because I was just bored.

Wow. I think that’s the only word to sum up this book. A book about a boy and a girl. Who fall in love. The writing between Picoult and Boylen is flawless. There’s a huge moment where my jaw went to the ground because nowhere did I see that coming. I went in blind. #jodipicoult is my #mustread and I always gobble up her novels. This was no different. 10/10 recommend #madhoney #jodipicoult #jenniferfinneyboylan and this happened all because of a dream and a tweet 💕 #NetGalley #booklovers #read #bookstagram

This book was one of my favorites of the year! When I received this book, I was sure that we would be dealing with hot topics of the world because that is what Jodi Picoult does. She takes current issues and writes about them in an unbelievably beautiful way. The writing between the 2 authors was seamless. You could not tell who had written what, where one’s thoughts ended and another started. The author’s note at the back was a great read telling about how the story was developed.

This book dealt with hot button items. It addressed LGBTQ+, murder, and the legal system as a whole. There were moments of education while also sharing the emotions of the characters related to those topics.

While I don’t know that the end sits with me well (I am still pondering that), This book will make people think and create their own opinions about the storyline. It is best for people to go in knowing very little of the story to allow them to enjoy the story in its fullest.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving this book to me in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Mad Honey,
Having seen the hype around you on Instagram, I resisted the pull of another Jodi Piccoult book. I haven't read anything by Jennifer Finney Boylan, and so it made me hesitant. I wasn't sure how a new voice would blend with one of my favorites and so I waited. But as reviews about you came pouring in, I had to give into the hype and pick you up. You felt like coming home. You were written with a voice that was comforting and the older Piccoult formula. I loved how distinct the two voices were and the subtle playing with time in Lily's story. The slow reveal of her secrets and who she was hit me in my heart. I intellectually knew of the struggles of trans children, but hearing it from a point of experience gave so much depth and heart to Lily's life. Olivia was such a strong, inspiring woman who sacrificed selflessly for her son, only to question who he was. I loved your story and you brought a new perspective to my life that will now guide my interactions with children, listening to who they are with a deeper thoughtfulness and Lily in my heart.

This book had its up and downs for me. I was absolutely hooked with the plot and learning so much about topics I was unfamiliar with. What threw me off was the repetitiveness of the timeline. We revisit moments again and again from the same perspective, but to me I didn’t find that doing this gained us as readers anything. Rather, it dragged the book out

This book was amazing in every way possible. Not only was the story incredible and powerful for todays society, but the background story on bees was also fascinating. I could not put this book down once I started it, Kuddas Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Boylan (i still can't believe two authors wrote this together, it was done flawlessly.
Thank You for my free ARC for my honest review

Jodi Picoult does it again! Another novel with a twist I won’t give away at risk of letting too much of the plot revealed that allows the reader to truly think about complex and human issues. Similar to lots of Jodi novels it is told through the lens of a murder trial. Following the murder of Lily, a young teenager in a new hometown, her boyfriend Asher is brought to trial for the crime he claims he would never commit. This novel follows the secrets each have kept over time and is so beautifully written.

A stunning story with complicated and lovable characters. Excited to see what's next from this author.

Argh! I don’t feel like I can give a complete review without spoiling the twist. Needless to say, Picoult being Picoult, there is a social topic that informs this book. And, without spoiling anything, you will learn a lot about beekeeping! I loved the first part of the book, but over the years have grown to HATE plots with court room. In a way, this felt like the book, Defending Jacob. Lots of cliche plotting aside from the twist. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Jodi Picoult is a true master of setting a scene and taking a tragedy through to the courtroom. However, I was wildly taken by surprise about the controversial subject and how it was addressed. i wasn't sure halfway through when it was presented if I would continue to read but by that point, I was already hooked.

“Mad Honey” by @jodipicoult and @jenniferfinneyboylan is one of my favorites of the year 🐝🍯🤩

Thank you to Ballantine Books of @penguinrandomhouse for a gifted eARC of “Mad Honey.” I also saw the authors speak at Tampa Theatre last week and that event really piqued my excitement for the book — ALTHOUGH the discussion was a bit of a spoiler and I regret not reading my eARC before going.

⭐️ rating: 5
📚genre: contemporary fiction
#️⃣ length: 458 pages
🗓 pub date: 10/4
⏳pace: page turner
🍯the vibe: family drama meets legal suspense as only Jodi Picoult can do

Even with a spoiler, “Mad Honey” was fantastic. I think I subconsciously put off reading it because Picoult’s “Wish You Were Here” was one of my favorites of 2021. In my mind, there was no way I was going to enjoy this one as much. But I flew through all 455 pages in less than three days (having the eARC helped because I could take it with me and read in bed far more easily than if I just had the physical copy.

I would advise you to go in blind, but if you don’t want to, here’s a tiny synopsis: Olivia McAfee lives a simple life as New Hampshire beekeeper and single mom — until one day she gets a phone call that her teenage son’s girlfriend is dead and he is being questioned by police.

Please read this one. It conveys a very important message via a very enjoyable reading experience.

Reads like old Jodi Picoult in a very good way.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review