As always, the minute I hear Picoult has a new book out, I have to hunt it down! So first off, a HUGE thank you to Random House Publishing for giving me another opportunity to enjoy her latest book.

Now, for the review: Mad Honey was classic Picoult writing, which is most impressive because this book was written in alternating chapters by both Picoult and Finney Boylan. The voice through-out felt seamless to me, even as the chapters are different character POVs. All the characters were flawed, but they each felt relatable and for me, it was difficult to choose which one to sympathize with the most. I tore through it, even though it was a heavily emotional read, because I had to know how things would turn out. I also LOVED the references back to Nineteen Minutes and the familiarity of the setting and some of the characters.

I don't want to say any spoilers, but as always, Picoult's novels always have some sort of current event/socio-political issues, and this is no different. I haven't read any of Finney Boylan's novels, but from what I have researched on the author, this aligns with some of her writing as well, especially regarding the LGBTQ+ community. In Picoult's previous novels, and now in Mad Honey with Finney Boylan, the writing offers so many perspectives on a hot topic, which really makes the reader assess and challenge their own thoughts and biases. I personally love that in a novel, but I do acknowledge some people struggle with that kind of writing- life is already so politically charged, I understand some choose to escape into novels to get away from it, rather than choosing to read about it. However, I really enjoyed the novel and would recommend it to fellow readers.

I love a good courtroom drama 😍

Y’all - this had everything. Mystery, romance, family drama, teenage angst, coming of age, and trans representation ❤️

It’s hard to say what this book is about without giving everything away but I will say I loved it. I loved how the chapters bounced back and forth between Olivia and Lily. I love how the timeline went forward on one and backward on another.

My only criticism is that I kinda called the ending - which is not the norm for JP books in my opinion. My fav reason I love her books so much is there’s always a twist at the end you don’t see coming and just knocks you out. But this didn’t really have that kinda bang for me.

However - it’s still a very important story to tell. And I highly recommend ❤️❤️❤️

We learn from the afterword or acknowledgments that the Jodi Picoult/Jenny Boylan co-authorship started with a dream of Boylan's and was nurtured with a Twitter DM exchange, which is awfully sweet. I don't think I've read Picoult before, and I've only read Boylan's nonfiction. Their collaboration started I believe as a shared outline and each other writing one character's chapters. They say that with extensive editing, each can't entirely tell which parts she is responsible for. I share that just because it's interesting, not entirely germane to my review. However, I do think it's a smart way to give dual narrators a different feel from one another.

Boylan's character is Lily, who started senior year at a new school and almost immediate fell in love with Asher, whose mother, Olivia, is Picoult's narrator. Olivia is a beekeeper, of all things, and her narrative is skillfully entwined with what seems to be deeply researched and rendered beekeeping lore that bumps up the novel's literary cred. I believe Picoult is perceived by the Franzen crowd to be a lightweight, but I'd say she's boxing above her weight class.

Both main characters have depth and relatability. I was particularly in sync with Olivia, despite having little life experience that is similar. The one weakness with Lily is the author's need to explain and justify certain things, which says more about readers than the writer.

When the story becomes a legal battle, Olivia's brother jumps in, giving this depressing, but accurate advice to his client

"Remember the whole point of a trail is that it's an adversarial process. We're supposed to attack each other, in the hopes that the truth is the only thing left standing after the carnage. I'm going to do the best I can."

And here's Lily comparing Jesus Christ and Charlie Brown

"Actually, I sometimes think there is something very Jesus-like about Charlie Brown--his heartbreaking patience, his endless suffering.
You have to admit the show would have a different ending if, after he and Linus bought the sad little Christmas tree, the other kids in the Peanuts gang came after them with a hammer and some nails."

Lol, who even knows. Lily's mind is full of eclectic knowledge. In the same way Olivia furthers her story with bees, Lily's is embroidered with trenchant factoids.

As I write this, two weeks after I finished reading the book, I'm realizing it really made an impression. I look forward to digging into other novels by both writers. The one disappointing element, alas, is the final whodunnit.

How did Lily die? What secrets is Asher keeping? Do you want to learn a lot about bees?

Jodi Picoult is a gifted writer, no doubt, and this collaboration with Jennifer Finney Boylan is mostly excellent literature, but there were a lot of times I felt like it was just a big info-dump, hence the 4 stars.

I did care about the characters and I wanted to see what happened. There is a lot of buzz about this book and topics it handles.

Picoult's books always are great fodder for discussion groups as well and this one did not disappoint in that matter.

I don't want to give too much away because of course there are a few twists, some I saw coming and some I didn't. If you have enjoyed her previous books you will most likely also like this one.

I've been reading Jodi Picoult books the minute they are published (or before in this case) since I can remember. Picoult has a rare gift of being able to create unique but totally believable people and gives the reader a glimpse into the inner workings of their brain while they go through hard situations. Mad Honey is a brilliant book.

Like all of Picoult's books, the narrator changes and we get see the POV of all the major players in the book. Olivia is a mother who fiercely protects her son, Asher. Lily is a girl who is new at Asher's school who has already conquered a lifetime worth of personal and family struggles. When Asher is arrested for Lily's murder, it's more than the community and their families can bear.

I'd recommend Mad Honey to Picoult's fans, it's definitely in line with her other blockbuster bestsellers. I'd also recommend it to fans of literary fiction and suspense. Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy of Jodi's book.

*Thank you to the authors, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review*

I really wanted to love this book. I'm a fan of Jodi Picoult and was excited to see a collaboration with Jennifer Finney Boylan. Unfortunately there was a lot going on...A LOT. The story itself was completely overshadowed by all of the information. I learned more about beekeeping than I did the characters. I didn't learn nearly enough about the Trans community but instead felt like the focus was on regurgitating information. You were definitely able to determine which author wrote each character or chapter. The chapters were written from the view points of Lily (a young girl who is trans) and Olivia (the mother of Asher, Lily's boyfriend) and it was a strange combination. I wasn't able to connect to any of the characters and the plot veered off so often that I'm still unsure what the hope was from this story. The ending fell incredibly flat. Overall a 2 star for me because the writing was beautiful and I did enjoy about 1/4 of the book. This is not the book I would recommend as an introduction to either author...or honestly, recommend at all.

WHEW this one blew me away!!! ❤️ From the moment I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. One of the best “eye opening” contemporary books I’ve read this year. 📚🤩

It’s a heartbreaking story of a girl who only wants to be her genuine self and the hardships she faces to attain it. It’s also an incredible “journey of the heart” for a boy who falls head-over-heels for the girl. I had no idea when I requested this book that it would have such a strong impact on changing the way I viewed certain things, but it did. I never would of guessed it in a million years.. BUT.. THAT TWIST WAS JAW DROPPING. 😮 It took me by complete surprise.. SHOCKED is the word I’d use.

This book starts off with 18yr old Asher being arrested for the murder of his girlfriend Lily. Having been the one to find her lifeless body, of course, he’s the police’s main suspect for her death.

It follows the POV of Asher’s mother Olivia who’s a beekeeper 🐝, hence the title, with interesting facts about bees, also delving into spousal abuse and single motherhood; -this also follows the POV of Lily before her death. There’s coming of age, young love 👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏻, courtroom drama 👩‍⚖️, the consequences of unrequited love 🥺, and the complexities of gender and identity. Kudos to these two authors stellar collaboration!!! 👏🏻 Highly recommend.
5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub. 10/4/22

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was definitely a page turner and very informative about gender assignment and life as a trans person. I learned a lot and loved the story.

* Publish date 10/04/22. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine for the advanced e-copy of this book.

I could not put this book down! The complexity of the characters coupled with an unfolding mystery kept me guessing and turning pages until the very end. Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan hit this one out of the park! A warning though, domestic violence - both emotional and physical - is a thread throughout the book.

What is the difference between what is private and what is secret? How far do you need to travel to outrun your past? And what lengths will a mother go to in order to protect their child? In the lives of the characters in the book, everything is NOT how it seems. Olivia McAfee and Ava Campanello are two single moms who each left a troubled marriage, each moved to a small town in New Hampshire for a fresh start, and each have a child who is a senior at the local high school. One child ends up dying and the other is accused of their murder. The story is told from each family's point of view - revealing more secrets and background that make up who they are and who they pretend to be.

I highly recommend this book - as in pre-order NOW!

Review to follow-loved this!
Jodi Picoult's books are always a surprise-she takes on subjects that you wouldn't expect, and entices you to care about them. This is about a woman who moves back to her hometown with her son to take over her father's beekeeping business, and in some ways the bees are characters in the novel. The research into the science of beekeeping is amazing. There is domestic abuse, along with first love, and the love of family members for each other. There is a murder of a teenage girl. I loved reading this, only thing I did not love was something that happened near the end, but it would be a spoiler to say more. Highly recommend, five stars. #madhoney #jodipicoult #bookstagram #booklover #beekeeping #booksbooksbooks #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookblog #fivestarbook #lovetoread #readallday

Another great read by Jodi Piccoult which I would call a truly modern story. It centers on a murder trial of a young lady with Her All-American boyfriend is the one on trial.

Jodi Picoult does it again! This story follows a mother, son, family and a town through a harrowing event that challenges all to different lengths; how are relationships tested amongst “the hive” when faced with a death and pasts that make them question everything they thought they knew?

Her novel combines a heart wrenching plot line with metaphors and emotions that draw you in until the end. Just like her previous books, you leave this book changed for the better. I appreciated how each character took up their own space within the novel and each brought their own perspectives-positive, negative and in between- to challenge the reader on their own beliefs.

Absorbing, compulsively readable. Picoult and Boylan created multidimensional characters and shed light on what it means to be transgender.

Jodi Picoult will always have you wanting to skip to the end of know what happens but resist the urge... you know the story is not what happens at the end but the journey each character and you as the reader will go through (and you know the twists and big moments are waiting for you!). Take your time with this one. Truly go get some local honey, make a cup of tea, and maybe a baked good with some honey (recipes at the back of the book!).

This book has a lot of layers to examine, mother/son relationships, themes on teenage love, domestic abuse, and many other important themes worth a reader's time (I will not spoil a book journey!). The examination of honey and bees woven in is symbolic and works well to think about many of the books more abstract themes, I liked that part of the story. There is also an elegant section on private selves, the idea that there are parts of us we don't ever really reveal or we reveal only after time. That was thoughtfully expressed and as a developmental psychologist I appreciated that language and the ideas shared.

What stood out though was the honesty once again in the characters' lives, the emotional resonance and rawness as the story unfolds, and the willingness to write a book that will likely be banned/ruffle some feathers.... I am here for that and for books that get conversations going.

I remain a long time fan of Picoult's and a new fan of her writing partner, Jennifer Finney Boylan, and this books adds to me appreciation for their work. I am grateful that Random House invited me to review this book through NetGalley, I appreciate being trusted with this story and the characters' lives and their secrets.

The only issue I ever have with Jodi Picoult's novels is that she tends to overpontificate. My editor's pen wants to yell..."show, don't tell!" I adore the extended metaphor in this novel - the element of beekeeping is masterfully woven into this novel. Given her audience, too, the focus on trans rights is well done, if heavy-handed. A long read, but a good one.

just beautiful story; really made me think. It was beautifully written and so engaging the entire time. The perspective of Olivia and Lily were two fantastic viewpoints to write from.

Mad Honey is a return to form of Jodi Picoult’s courtroom drama expertise. Jennifer Finney Boylan and Jodi Picoult are a dynamic duo of writers! I was so happy to read this book, their writing styles compliment each other so well! The story is intense and beautiful and sad. You won’t want to put it down. I hesitate to write too much about it - just know that you will question EVERYTHING in the best way. Highly recommend!

Honestly, I couldn't tell there were two authors writing different voices in this book. I found from the authors notes at the end of the book that Jodi Picoult had written Olivia's story, and Jennifer Finney Boylan, wrote Lily Campanello's story (all but one chapter each where Picoult wrote one chapter for Lily and Boylan wrote one chapter for Olivia - I couldn't tell at all!) The story was seamless and flowed well. The writing draws you in and makes you want to keep turning the pages. The content is, of course, thought-provoking, relevant, and timely. It was both an enjoyable read as well as an educational one - mostly what I've come to expect from Jodi Picoult. Well researched, well described, and well written. In the authors notes I found that Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote

There are varied difficult subjects in the book: abuse, gender identity, suicide, amont others. The prose is riveting and the court battle is dramatic. The characters are well-drawn and came alive in the story.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on October 4, 2022.

Mixed feelings about this book. On one hand: incredibly easy to read and hard to put down. This was a story where there was no lack of a driving plot. OTOH, so much of the plot was centered around weird conveniences - his lawyer doesn't want to know Asher's side of the story NO MATTER WHAT! The prosecutor has condemned the boyfriend based on...something... and isn't really looking at any other options! Then there's a different reveal mid-case (see spoiler below) and the prosecutor changes their whole strategy?

If I had been a better librarian and actually known who Jennifer Finney Boylan was prior to reading this book (HUSH, I KNOW), the reveal of Lily as trans probably wouldn't have been that shocking to me, but NGL, I was not expecting that cognitive shift at all. And some of the narrative after that point just seemed to be over-explaining in service of red-state readers. (Like seriously, Olivia and Elizabeth's whole conversation was HELPFUL but extremely contrived.)

Then again, I feel like suspension of disbelief in service to a DRAMATIC PREMISE is definitely Picoult's signature (It's been a long time since I read My Sister's Keeper, but I feel like the same vibes were present here). And even if I had problems with the way elements of the plot unfolded, it didn't change the fact that it was both well-written and extremely easy to read. Teen appeal? For sure. Adult appeal? Has that as well.

Can we just file under "it is what it is, I don't know what you were expecting?"

What a jam-packed book. Wow. I finished reading a few days ago, and I'm still trying to put my thoughts together about this story. Like every other Jodi Picoult book I've read, Mad Honey is gorgeously written, with fully-fleshed out characters, tons of heart, and numerous current events / societal topics as major plot points.

Before reading it, I researched Jennifer Finney Boylan, having never heard of her and wondering why she would be a co-author. Once I discovered her background and professional interests, it almost "spoiled" the book a bit, because I predicted there would be the topic of transgender peoples and gender identity. However, it wasn't until those topics were introduced in the story that I really found the book interesting. The first third of the book dragged quite slowly, and the purpose of all the bee discussion wasn't clear. But then, the reader learns that a main character is transgender woman - and from that point on, I was fully engaged in the story and read the remaining half in two days.

Another challenging aspect of this book is the way the story unfolds and the overall timeline. There are 3 POVs for this book, and some move forward in time, while others move backwards from the time of the main event, when Lily dies. By the end, it made sense, but because of the way the characters talked about events, and when they were referencing them, it was sometimes difficult to know when something happened, or if they were talking about what I thought they were talking about.

Reading the authors' notes informed me that each author took charge of one of the main character's voices. The entire story flows well and I never would have known that Picoult primarily wrote the Olivia chapters and Boylan primarily wrote Lily's chapters, but I thought it was an interesting way to craft the book.

This book would make an excellent one for a book club to discuss. There's the spousal abuse that Olivia suffers, the debate over nature / nurture, the question of whether Asher is guilty or not guilty of Lily's death, parenting questions, and larger topics of identity, gender, and what make a person who they are. There's a lot of learning and info-dumping in regards to transgender issues, but it doesn't slow down the narrative. Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is ready for a deep dive, heavy story, with many sensitive topics done in Picoult's signature way.