The story was interesting, I think the authors added too many factors into the story and characters, the pacing was good. I liked the first part then it started to drag a bit, with so may difficult topics in one book was a bit over the top. I think doing a series and writing a few of them in each would've been better. Please proceed with caution as it has a lot of triggers.

This book was eloquently written. I loved the switch up of point of views as well as one POV going back in time while the other one went forward in time. The characters were well developed as well as the storyline and plot.

TW: there is trans violence mentioned in this book. The book is not mainly about this, but it does play a role in the storyline.

5⭐️

Olivia is a beekeeper, and inherited her hives from her father. She and her son, Asher, take care of the bees and live a relatively quiet life now, after Olivia left her ex-husband 12 years prior. Asher plays hockey, and has a new girlfriend named Lily who makes Asher completely light up. One day, Asher leaves the house and Olivia discovers that a bear has gotten into one of the hives. As she frantically works to save the hive, she doesn’t notice that Asher is late coming home until she receives a call from him saying that Lily might be dead. When Lily’s death is ruled a homicide, Asher becomes suspect number one.

This booked gripped me immediately and would not let me go, and it keeps you guessing to try to figure out what really happened to Lily - and even makes you question if Asher really did it. The writing is so incredible and the story is surprising and unexpected, but beautifully done. Major trigger warnings though: suicide, domestic violence and abuse, and violence towards an LGBTQ+ character. I would not be surprised in the slightest if people try to challenge and ban this book, but it is such an important read in it’s depictions of domestic violence, the flaws with the justice system, and being transgender. I love this book so much, and found that I truly grieved Lily even though she’s a fictional character. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Another outstanding novel written by Jodi Picoult! Well, she is a co-author of this one but her typical style and tone is still prevalent throughout. As with all of her novels, not only are the major storylines incredibly deep and thought-provoking, but the topic of bees and beekeeping is also intriguing and demonstrates great evidence of her research. Her talent is showcased as she captures the readers attention on all subjects in this book consistently and easily. I would never think that not only would I be as fascinated about bees as I became while reading this book, but I was also pleasantly surprised that there was so much information about them that this topic continued to be a focal point throughout the entire novel. She has a way of teaching the reader about a topic that most do not know much about, and also in such a way that the reader is pulled in and becomes vested in. But the bees and beekeeping is not the only compelling topic written with immense talent. Picoult always has such realistic characters who are not only always struggling with some physical or mental challenge or challenges, but usually one that is controversial, sensitive, or severe. She challenges readers to read about topics that may be uncomfortable, or ones that may force readers to deal with their own inner struggles similar to, or as a result of, the ones in the book, or even question your own opinion on the topic and ponder what you would do. With this book, I was greatly drawn to each character as well as the multiple storylines. The authors shifted from each with such perfect timing, I was eager to find out what was going to happen next. I recognized and welcomed the addition of the style of the co-author, Jennifer Finney Boylan. I say welcomed because it did complement Picoult’s style and tone, and I truly enjoyed it. I am curious about this author and would like to read some of her other works.

We read about abuse, murder, and LGBQTIA, and my emotions were strong and all over the place, as is common when I read Picoult’s books. I am certain this is going to be a bestseller and will gain immense attention. I highly recommend reading this five star book and being a part of the discussions.

This book started off so intriguing but it lost me with it’s repetitiveness and it could have been shorter. The book deals with multiple heavy topics like suicide and abortion. However the twist to the story got me.

Olivia McAfee left her abusive ex husband and is starting over in her home town. She has a really cool bee keeping business and her teenage son Asher seems to be adjusting well to their new life.

Things come to a crashing halt when Asher is accused of murdering his girlfriend. Did he do it? You be the judge.

Mad Honey is out now.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing-Ballentine for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc copy of this book!

Although Lily is brand new to Adams, she has quickly fit in with a fellow musician, Maya, and her best friend Asher, the handsome co-captain of the hockey team. It’s doesn’t take long though for Lily and Asher to become inseparable. They are always together - at his hockey games or her fencing matches or concerts, the perfect couple. But is everything as perfect as it seems on the outside?

Olivia escaped to Adams after suffering in an abusive marriage for years. She ran to protect Asher and has loved their quiet life on her family’s farm where she tends her bees. But suddenly that quiet is upended when Lily is killed and Asher is the one found holding her lifeless body. Could he be violent like his father - how did she miss it?

This book was a great read! I’m hesitant to say too much because going in blind, I think, made the story much more enjoyable for me. There were some twists that I didn’t see coming. I will say that at times, it did feel wordy and long winded, but overall, I like how much development each of the characters got. For those that prefer short chapters, these are very long. Lastly, getting the duel perspectives from both Lily and Olivia really made the story for me.

*You may want to check trigger warnings before reading*

Thank you to net galley for giving me an early copy of Mad Honey. I always enjoy the writing style of this author however this book took a turn in style that I was not expecting. The premise of the book a murder, a love interest and the mother daughter and mother son relationships were intriguing. However the middle of the book took a turn and became a bit long winded in explaining some things that took away from the premise and plot. To discuss these things would be a definite spoiler. I had hoped that there would be more of an explanation concerning the death rather than a jump to the trial. I found the beekeeping information interesting to a point. It did appear that at times that Olivia, beekeeper had more concern for the bees that her son who is accused of murder. I was also not very satisfied with the ending.. all in all I do enjoy a Jodi Picoult novel and the subject matter is very timely, as always.

A good middle-of-the-road Jodi Picoult book -- better than some, not as great as others. Thanks to the publisher for the advanced reading copy.

This book was fantastically thought-provoking. You felt invested in these characters and emotions as the authors unwound this complex, yet realistic story. I did not see the twist/main topic coming and I was glued from then on. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

I have been reading Jodi Picoult for almost 20 years! She is one of my longest read authors and her last few haven't been big wins for me, but I did really enjoy this one! For longtime fans - there is a recurring character, Jordan McAfee, the attorney from Nineteen Minutes.

In true Picoult writing, there is a big twist about halfway through that I did not see coming!
There are so many wonderful, positive takeaways from this book I had including feeling more educated and have a better understanding of the transgendered community, being a beekeeper, and the legal system.

The characters are compelling, layered, and nuanced. This is great, relevant plot you will feel completely invested in. It just feels quite long at times and I didn't love part of how this story was told - one POV is told backwards. I just didn't think that part added much to the story and just felt repetitive. I also had a tough time connecting to Asher's character and didn't see much growth or understanding of some of his decisions. I still highly recommend this to others and think it's well worth the read!

I have to start off this review by saying that I am a huge Jodi Picoult fan, and I have been for the last 15+ years. I always look forward to when she has a new book coming out, and I have read everything she has written. It's no secret that Picoult is known for tackling "big", often controversial topics in her writing, from stem cell research and abortion to mercy killing and more. I feel like Picoult usually handles these topics in a way that are sensitive yet objective and truly allow the reader to consider all elements of arguments for and against. It's important to note that Picoult has a co-author of this book. I don't know what was going on, but this one felt messy. There were SO many things that were packed into this one- domestic abuse, suicide, and the "plot twist"- one of the main characters, Lily, is transgender. This plot twist felt like a cheap party trick to be able to market this book in a certain way, even though readers may feel completely blindsided once this revelation comes to light. The reason I say this is because it had no bearing on the reason why Lily was killed, just like the fact that Maya had two moms and no bearing on anything in the story, only that we are reminded of it just about every time Maya's name comes up. It was like the two authors came up with a myriad of issues and decided to put them in the story in one way or another. There were a bunch of loose ends, and let's not forget to mention that this book is over 400 pages long. The constant back and forth of the time from Olivia's previous marriage to days after Lily's death and back to when Lily and Asher were dating gave me whiplash. It was hard to find a groove in reading because the timeline is constantly switching. We're not given one continuous story; we're giving snippets upon snippets that we have to keep organized in order to understand what is going on. This review pains me so much because I am such a huge Picoult fan, but this one completely missed the mark for me. Thank you to the publisher for my digital copy and my finished copy.

Jodi Picoult used to be my favorite author. I haven’t picked up a book of hers since The Storyteller. When her writing changed somehow.

Unfortunately. This one was not for me either. I know a lot of people loved it, but that’s what makes books so great.

I can’t even get into what this story is about without giving away a huge part of the plot. As a long time fan of Picoult and a new fan of Boylan, I am just blown away by this book. I am used to Picoult making me think and putting me in moral dilemmas. This book is no exception. Dealing with a topic I readily admit to not knowing much about, this book is eye opening and heartbreaking. I highly recommend!

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is a good book, as Picoult’s always are. It is a lesson in understanding the idea of transgender, the terror of not being able to protect one’s child, and how easy it is to fall into the trap of seeing every situation through the lens of one’s own experience. It was a simple enough story, told in increments from Lily’s death forward, mostly through the lens of Olivia, a divorced, middle-aged mother of a 19 year old son and a bee-keeper. Then we would look back for a while into the life of Lily, the girlfriend of Olivia’s son, Asher, who also had a complicated life. We learned a lot about bees, and about transgendered folks, at least a couple of them. In many ways it was a heart-breaking story, which is really Picoult’s forte. She is so good, but she always wants to teach the reader about something that she thinks is important in today’s society. Personally, I am kind of tired of being taught, or lectured to, no matter how subtle the technique.

Here is the outline: Asher is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Lily. If you are to believe the prosecutor, the motive was that she told him she was transgender. He was innocent, but no one really believed him, even Olivia. I thought I had it figured out but I was wrong. Asher was a good kid but both he and his mother were worried that he was just like his father: an abuser. Signs pointed toward it. Luckily, Olivia’s brother was a retired criminal defense attorney, one of the best, so he took over Asher’s case. Lawyers have reputations and they deserve them. It seems to be less about justice and more about winning. Even Asher’s lawyer didn’t want to know things that seemed pertinent to the case. If he knew, he would have to disclose. Doesn’t seem right. He wasn’t fighting for justice. He was fighting to get his nephew off. It was a well-done book. Picoult is an excellent writer and her daughter looks to be following in her footsteps. The characters were compelling and the plot was a good one. I recommend it. Just know what you are getting in to.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Mad Honey by Ballantine Books, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #BallantineBooks #JodiPicoult #JenniferFinneyBoylan #MadHoney

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. All the aspects off beekeeping was utterly fascinating to me, so much so that the murder mystery was secondary to me. This was a fast read for me, the parts did drag a bit.

Although I appreciated the topics at the heart of this book, it fell short for me. It felt too forced and sensational as if the authors threw as much into the plot as they could at the expense of believability. I’m a fan of Picoult and was excited to receive this one from Ballantine and am grateful for the opportunity. As an activist supporting and advocating for the rights of all kids and who they are, this book felt a little like it was exploitative. A miss. I know I’ll be in the minority.

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. Her writing, character development, topics and twists always delight and this was no exception. I do think the book was a bit long and at times I found it a bit confusing dealing with the switches between present and past time. These two items were the only reason I didn't give this a 5-star rating. This book reminded me of those Picoult was writing several years ago when she took on contemporary and controversial issues as an integral part of her stories, characters and plots. And those were my favorite Jodi Picoult books.

I loved reading this emotional story. This is an author that I have loved reading from the first book and have been reading her books for years. This is one of my favorite by her yet. This is a well written book about who you chose to keep in your life whether it is from the past or from the present. This is a book that took me on an emotional roller coaster ride that I didn't want to stop. The characters were written with heart and brought the story to life. I found them to be connectable and have great growth throughout. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is fast paced and engaging. I highly recommend this must read story.

I went in totally blind on this book - I didn't even read the synopsis before I dove in. I picked up Mad Honey because I saw Jodi Picoult's name on the cover, and that was really all I needed to know. She so deftly navigates multiple sides of contemporary issues, and I knew I'd be in for a thought-provoking read.

But this one didn't work for me the way I hoped it would.

In typical Picoult fashion, there's a major "twist" at the halfway point. And I'll admit that it surprised me, because I definitely didn't see it coming, but beyond that point... the twist itself really didn't have any bearing on the remainder of the story.

Based on the twist the authors gave us, we could have ended up with a really impactful story about [violence in intimate relationships and how that disproportionally impacts certain populations. Or we could have had a really honest look at transphobia and the ways that some people's hatred can fuel criminal intent.

But... none of that happened. So to have opportunities for those kinds of stories to be heard, and then to get the ending we got... it honestly just felt cheap and avoidant.

The book itself was still engaging and well-written; the characters were layered and nuanced; and it was an enjoyable read. I just felt like the authors took the easy way out on the ending, in a way that was entirely out of sync with a minor character's prior behavior and attitudes, and it kind of lost me.

A huge thank you to Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan, Ballantine, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Fantastic story of family bonds, young love, secrets and lies that explode when a young girl is found dead at the bottom of the stairs and her boyfriend is the suspect.