Wow wow wow! After last year’s Wish You Were Here that I strongly disliked, I was worried Jodi Picoult might have lost her magic for me. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. Along with Jennifer Finney Boylan, she has written another one of her classic novels packed with social commentary and so much heart that will absolutely break you, but keep you turning the pages. One of my favorite things about Picoult’s books is how she puts her characters in situations that really make you question what you’d do in the same scenario. I felt so much for both Lily and Olivia, and my heart absolutely ached for Asher. The characters were so complex and multilayered, and I was absolutely floored by the big twist in the middle of the book. The symbolism with the bees and honey was perfectly crafted, but not at all overdone, and I actually loved learning so much about beekeeping. I may not have read all of her books, but I can say this is easily one of the best Picoult books I’ve read, and I will definitely be picking up some of Boylan’s soon as well. This is a must read!

Emotional, Thought-Provoking and So Damn Good.

Olivia is a single mom, who makes her living as a Beekeeper. She and her teenage son Asher have been on their own for a long time now. Asher is a popular High Schooler who falls for Lily, the new girl in town. Lily and her mother Ava moved to Adams, New Hampshire for what they hope will be a fresh start. When young love blooms, no one is surprised. Unfortunately for Asher, when Lily is found dead, well, he’s the first and only suspect.

Frantic, Olivia does the only thing she can, she calls on her brother, attorney Jordan McAfee, for help. (Fans of Salem Falls, The Pact, and Nineteen Minutes, may remember him). A courtroom drama ensues. What happens next, I cannot say, except that I didn’t see it coming and was astounded by every minute of it.

A novel about many things, including family, friendship, relationships, love, self-acceptance, and self-exploration, as well as trials and tribulations.

There are authors and then there is Jodi Picoult. Mad Honey is a book she co-authored with Jennifer Finney Boylan. While I’ve read almost every book written by Ms. Picoult, I’ve only read two books by Ms. Boylan, and yet, let me just say that I was wholly unprepared for this.
4.75 stars

A buddy read with Kaceey that kept us talking.

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine for the arc via NetGalley.

This is the first Picoult novel I've loved since 2016's Small Great Things. I feel like we are back to classic Picoult in this book. Lily's story told backwards is a little confusing. I don't understand why it was told that way and think it would have worked better to have it be in chronological order. I thought I knew what the twist at the end would be but I was wrong! I learned a little about bees and honey, which was interesting. I really connected with both Lily and Olivia's characters and thought they were well written. I appreciated the authors' notes at the end that gave more insight into how the book was written.

Mad Honey follows the lives of Olivia, her son Asher, and his girlfriend Lily. The novel is told from the perspectives of Olivia and Lily, and it does move partially backwards in time. Asher is accused of Lily's murder, and we watch Olivia grapple with believing in her son's innocence as shadows of her past move in to cloud her judgment. Secrets are exposed, lives are ruined, and identities are upended in this fast-paced read.

This book surprised me. I was not expecting the main twist at all, though I did anticipate the other major revelation at the end. This is not my typical genre; I think I'd categorize it as some combination of legal suspense, women's fiction, and LGBTQIA+. Despite it being a rather long read, I flew through it and found it really enjoyable. I will caution all readers that there are some pretty critical and graphic content warnings, which include but are not limited to: domestic abuse, self-harm, and transphobia.

Co-written books can be tricky — I imagine it's difficult, as two separate people, to write an entire story in a style that flows well and doesn't sound choppy. Jodi and Jennifer describe their writing process in the authors' notes, which I found interesting and I highly recommend not skipping!

Thank you to Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

This one felt more like Picoult’s older books, which I appreciated. I absolutely loved all the facts about honey and bees as that was so much more interesting than the other niche topics in her previous books. This book felt a bit disjointed, trying to throw a lot of topics in there at once which didn’t work for me. I didn’t see some of the twists, but I didn’t really love the outcome. It felt rushed and unfinished in a way that didn’t work for me. Someone who is looking for a book to tackle a lot of big topics and likes Picoult’s older stuff will appreciate this one probably more than I did. I will absolutely keep reading her books as they are bingeable!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful moving book, about love about survival about courage,truth and belief. It is the story of two mothers, who have left bad marriages and the children they carry with them. It is a love story between those children and when one of them dies, it is a story about the fight for justice for them both.

This is one of my top reads of the year for sure!

My favorite part of this book was the story telling structure. Olivia's POV going forward in time and Lily's going backward was a great way to create the full picture of both the events leading up to the murder and then the events after.

The epigraph at the beginning of the book describes it perfectly: "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

I also loved the classic Jodi Picoult feel it had. It reminded me a lot of some of my favorite books of hers like Nineteen Minutes or House Rules. There's a murder mystery element, but also deep character exploration, making it the perfect mix of a character driven and plot driven story. Also, it was fun to see a character from one of her other books play a part in this one!

With that said, I am so glad that both authors were able to lend their voice to this book. The writing is seamless and they blended their voices well, but both of them bringing their individual expertise and experience was invaluable.

There are some tough topics discussed, so I would recommend checking trigger warnings, however the things that the characters have to grapple with and the topics discussed are so so important. I can just imagine how meaningful the conversations between Jodi and Jennifer must have been when writing the book and I'm so glad they were able to have that reflected in these characters.

There's so much to process with this book, that it's hard to do it justice in a short review, so I'd suggest picking it up for yourself. You won't regret it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.

Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business.

Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .

Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.


I really enjoyed this book. I used to read Jodi Picoult all the time and just kind of forgot about her! I can't believe I did though. This book is just like all of the beloved books I remember!

I really loved the character development. I loved getting to know each of the characters. I loved that at the 50% mark the big twist came! Really really enjoyed this book!!

Thanks to NetGalley for my arc.

4.5 stars. I finished this book last week and it's been difficult for me to conjure into words just what I feel about it. I was caught off-guard by the emotions of this book and by some of the plotlines. I definitely was caught unawares and shocked by one of the twists, which I don't want to mention because I don't want to give any spoilers away. I've always thought of myself as an open-minded person, although there have been issues in society that I haven't always understood. This book helped me open my eyes and shed some light from a different perspective. It was absolutely gripping. Told from two different POVs and alternating timelines, I found myself s emotionally invested in this story as a woman and a mother. I'm so thankful to Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan for writing such a beautiful story in such a powerful way and helping to open the eyes of anyone who may read this.

Mad Honey is told from different perspectives revealing secrets, lies, trust, doubts and love. The lives of two families, running away for different reasons, are upended when their children meet and one of them dies. I was engaged from beginning to end with the buzzing of the bees always present. This will be a popular book club selection.

I was provided this ARC from NetGalley and it was my first Jodi Picoult novel.

I feel like this is going to be one of those books I think about for a long time. The multiple perspectives, the jumping timelines, the twists, and beautiful writing made it such a compelling read. It was as heartbreaking as it was informative, filled with compassion, strength, love, loss — and of course — honey.

I love everything Jodi Piccoult writes and Mad Honey was no exception! I can always find some way to make a personal connection to one or more of the characters in the books. The ability to do this. Ales me much. Ore interested and invested in the book. The mother/son relationship has been explored in so many stories but there is a fresh take on the relationship in this story. It’s a great one!

Another fantastic read! Jodi Picoult has done it again and has brought along Jennifer Finney Boylan to create a thought provoking, complicated love story that is intertwined with a courtroom drama revolving around the murder of one of the main characters. This book is so much more than what the description reads. Asher and Lily meet and fall in love during their senior year in high school. They both have a complicated family history that often leads them to make assumptions about one another based on past experience. Until one day Asher goes to check up on Lily and finds her lying at the bottom of her stairs, bloodied and dead. And then Asher quickly is arrested for her murder.

Olivia, Asher's mother, turns to her brother Jordan for help in serving as Asher's attorney. This starts the courtroom portion of the novel. As the evidence is outlined, the reader is met with several surprises along the way, and the authors do a great job of navigating the fine line of presenting the evidence in an unbiased way that leaves the reader wondering the outcome.

This novel was told in alternating perspectives (Olivia's and Lily's) and told in opposite directions. Olivia's part is told in the present and moving forward, whereas Lily's is told backwards. There is a bit of jumping around in each chapter, which requires paying attention to why the authors have included each of the tidbits to move the story forward. As with many of Jodi's books, there is a lot of research provided about a specific topic, and in this novel's case, it was bees. And like many of her books, it also tackles an important topical issue, which I appreciated learning more about.

Thank you to Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review.

If you're an old school Jodi Picoult fan, this will be right up your alley. It brings me back to the old court room dramas that she started writing in the beginning of her career. This one will not disappoint.
Its a story of a high school student that is arrested for the murder of his girlfriend. It is told from his mothers perspective and the gfs perspective prior to her death. Half way through Jodi gives us a huge twist that i didnt see coming.

SPOILER ALERT :
(stop reading if you dont want to know the twist).

This book ends up centering around a transgendered highschool student. The authors had an impeccable way for making you sympathize the journey of this character. It tugs at your heart strings and provides a perspective everyone should understand.

Unfortunately, I was able to figure out the ending of this story and who the murderer was, which is always a bummer. That being said, this is still an excellent novel that I would highly recommend. I couldn't put this one down, I had to know if Asher got convicted and if we would find out who the killer was. And although I knew the answer to both, until I read it on the page I couldnt put this down. I will read anything Jodi puts to print!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

It never feels good to give a book a poor rating, but this was a really tough book for me to get through. I really tried up until about 50% through, and I was done. Right away the story had my attention with the mystery of how Lily died, but that was still all that was happening halfway through the book. I was so confused about the "hot topic" inserts all throughout because they didn't seem relevant to the story at all. It was also confusing at times with the flashbacks in each character's POV because it wrote as if it was in the time stated at the beginning of the chapter. I wouldn't recommend this book.

This story is about two families who move to New Hampshire for a fresh start. Olivia McAfee and her son, Asher, move to take over her father’s beekeeping business and live in her childhood home after a divorce from her successful but abusive husband. Lily Campanello and her mother also want a fresh start. Both families settle into their new homes, content and happy with their moves, and Lily and Asher fall deeply in love.

This contentment is shattered when Olivia receives a phone call from the police. Lily has been killed, and Asher is being held as the suspect! Olivia knows that Asher could never have committed murder. But in the back of her mind, she wonders if he might take after his short-tempered, abusive father.

This amazing story is narrated by Lily and Olivia in turn. The realistic characters are taken to the edge of their sanity, as they are forced to reveal their secrets. This story is about true love and compassion. It tenderly explores a very timely and controversial topic with sensitivity and empathy, gently enlightening the reader through the experiences of these characters. This is one that cannot be missed! I could not put this book down!

Two single moms. Two high school students. One charming town in New Hampshire trying to solve an inexplicable murder. Olivia McAfee grew up in Adams and she couldn’t wait to leave. Dreaming of college and a career as a zoologist Olivia couldn’t get away quick enough after graduation. She never dreamed she would find herself taking over her family’s beekeeping honey business and raising her precious son Asher on the very same farm she fled. Ava Campanello is another local single mom. This brave, independent woman drove across the entire country to start over with her daughter Lily. Both seniors and instantly attracted to one another, Asher and Lily become inseparable. With holiday cheer in the air, college applications in the mail and hockey practice at ungodly hours, Olivia is shocked to receive Asher’s phone call from the police station. Lily is dead and Asher is the person who found her. Heartbroken and terrified, Asher is questioned and quickly released. Days later the puzzle pieces begin to fall into a devastating picture that simply cannot be true. Asher is arrested for murder. As this mystery unfolds completely unexpected twists and turns (no spoilers here!) will keep you on the edge of your seat. The chapters are expertly narrated and intertwined by the past and present lives of these two grieving families - one thing becomes crystal clear, you most certainly should not judge a book by its cover. Loved the suspense, education, characters and dual writing skills of these incredible authors. FIVE STARS! Wow! A must read for fall!!

I had been in a reading slump when I picked up Mad Honey and want to thank these two amazing authors, Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, for changing that for me. From the minute I opened this book I was hooked and invested in the story. The honest and emotional look at self love and acceptance, secrets versus privacy, mother/child relations, young love, and living ones truth, made this a very powerful and educational read for me. I was also really swept up in the suspense, which felt like an added bonus! I did find the bee information a little distracting and rushed through it to get back to the main plot. I really enjoyed and was deeply moved by this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review. Mad Honey publishes 10/4/22, I highly recommend it.

This was a fascinating & heartbreaking book & I enjoyed it much more than the author’s last book, Wish You We’re Here. I really loved the characters in this one, & if Jodi Picoult can write about anything, she really writes wonderful mother characters. As a mom myself, I could feel all of their emotions—the worry, the doubt, the crushing love (as a wise friend once told me, you are only as happy as your least happy child). She really nails how it feels to be a mother.
The character of Lily was really wonderful too….I must admit, I don’t know any trans people (that I’m aware of!) personally so I can’t speak to her authenticity but she did teach me a lot. About what it felt to be trans, about empathy & how you never really know what a person might be going through. How they may be struggling, *just* trying to live their life.
And I *loved* all the beekeeping details—super fascinating!

Mad Honey is the newest book by Jodi Picoult. If you read her last one, Wish You Were Here, you’re probably thinking this one couldn’t possibly live up to that one. Yet it does! And it does so with a massive twist about halfway through that I never saw coming.

The story revolves around two single mothers and their two teenagers, Asher and Lily, who have fallen in love with each other. When one of the teenagers is found dead, the other is accused of having something to do with it. It’s difficult to describe this book too much without giving something away. And I would caution readers to not read too many reviews to avoid spoilers.

Jodi Picoult always does such a good job of creating characters and their perspectives that are all so different, yet fully engaging to the reader. Plus, you’ll learn some very interesting things about bees!