I absolutely loved this book! It’s a terrific story with interesting and likable characters. It also has a very surprising twist which adds so much to the story. I love books by Jodi Picoult and Mad Honey is no exception!

I have a hard time reviewing this one because as much as a like it, I also dislike it. It was kind of slow but still good. I don't know how to explain my feelings on this one. Just meh.

✨Book Review✨
Mad Honey by Jennifer Finney Boylan and Jodi Picoult
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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This review is going to contain a few key spoilers.
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So, I have very mixed feelings about this book. The first 50 percent was incredible, until the plot twist. Someone's identity should never be used for shock value. That being said, I do FULLY appreciate that this book was co-written with a Trans author and that the book was her idea. I also do understand with a reading demographic like Picoults (i.e. middle-aged white women), waiting to reveal the Trans identity of one of the main characters does a good job hooking readers who may otherwise not pick up or continue reading a book about a Trans girl. And while there are quite a few Trans cliches, this book also does a good job of explaining what it means to be Trans (giving literal definitions of gender and sexual identity and how they differ). I can appreciate that many of Picoult's readers will benefit from these basic concepts and I do think this book will work in small ways to help cis people understand some parts of the journey of some Trans people.
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My only other complaint is the ending! I SO wish things were left ambiguous so that the reader was left to decide for themselves what really happened.
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So, while I would not recommend this book with glowing reviews, I can see and appreciate what the authors are trying to do in writing it together.
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This story is told in two parts - Olivia and Lily. Olivia is a single mom to 18 year old son Asher, a woman who keeps bees, and a woman who left an abusive husband. Her son's girlfriend Lily is found dead at the bottom of the stairs by Asher. Asher is arrested for the murder. And Olivia has to wrangle with if her son is like his father. And you also get Lily's perspective and her life before she died. I enjoyed this story, but what made it shine were the pieces about a trans character which it was really lovely to read from the perspective of a trans author.

I received a free e-copy of this book from Netgalley. This was my first Jodi Picoult book and I got a solid first impression of her writing and style. The structure of this novel consists of alternating chapters between a teenaged girl with a secret past named Lily and Lily's boyfriend's mother, Olivia. The timeline of each chapter supports the other--Olivia's sections occur primarily in the present day and recount her son's trial of Lily's death, but also weaves in flashbacks to her turbulent past; while Lily's chapters seemed to move backward in time from the lifechanging incident that makes up the premise of this book. At first, I didn't enjoy Lily's perspective as much because of her age in the story being hard to relate to. But I think Picoult and Boylan actually wrote her really well. She had character depth and seemed fully fleshed out. On the other hand, Olivia was more interesting to me as a mother with a dark past, but I didn't enjoy the beekeeping facts very much. While the authors intertwined this theme well with other motifs in the novel, the connections felt forced at times. I wondered if something would be revealed at the end that explained some of the soapbox-y monologues that made up big parts of Olivia's chapters towards the end, but no. I also thought the ending wrapped up pretty wildly, but in a strangely hasty and anticlimactic manner...I didn't jive with the way those chose to close this incredible story. Despite these complaints, I will be checking out more of Picoult's work.

Reminds me of old Jodi Picoult and I loved it! Great characters, and plot. Had me guessing until the end. I really love Jodi's style and you can feel the time and effort she puts in to develop her characters and plot. Would recommend to anyone

One of my favorite books by Jodi Picoult. An amazing, inclusive story that everyone needs to read. Well written and heartbreaking, this book will stay with me for years to come.

I have read just about every Jodi Picoult book there is. She was the first author that made me fall in love with reading as an almost-adult. This was an easy 5⭐️ read for me. I audibly gasped while reading it, because parts were so unexpected to me. I loved these two authors together, and hope to see them collaborate more in the future!

My first book by JP, there were interesting characters that I found myself invested in. A mother's anguish was also something that felt very real and was thus deeply relatable. I was actually expecting to learn a lot more about bees, and perhaps have them be a bigger part of the plot/story line. This was disappointing for me. Missed expectations and a novel that ended differently than what I thought it would be going in are the reasons for the 2 stars.

I loved this book. I was a little concerned seeing all the negative reviews, but I loved it.
I understand folks' concerns about the political issues that Jodi wove in, but in my opinion, she did so respectfully, informatively and it was very well done.
Unfortunately, in our current world, situations like the one in this book may become more prevalent and while eye opening, it was timely as well.

This was a beautiful, heartbreaking, powerful book. I know those words often get said about Picoult’s work, and she earns the praise. The addition of Jennifer Finney Boylan here was alchemical. They wrote seamlessly together, and the truth JFB brought to the trans storyline elevated this book from a procedural “whodunnit” or a tawdry murder mystery into something profound. I wish everyone, particularly in America right now, would read this book. The empathy I had for every single character was astonishing, because most of the time I only resonate with one or two characters in a book. I also loved when the title Mad Honey was explained in the book, and how bee keeping was used throughout. It was a very impactful read overall, and one I won’t ever forget.

"Mad Honey", written jointly by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, did exactly what I expect from the books I read. A compelling story that highlighted the secrets we keep hidden while also educating us on topics that are important for us to understand. I was fascinated with learning about the life of bees, but more importantly gaining an understanding into what it means to be transgender in today's world. Jennifer Boylan writes with expertise, understanding and compassion in telling Lily's story as she too is a transgender woman. Jodi Picoult has spent a lifetime writing about topics that are important but difficult subjects. In writing Olivia's story, she truthfully captured what would motivate Olivia's thoughts and actions as a loving mother and also a survivor of abuse that forever colors your life. I thought the structure kept the story interesting with the two narratives that included flashbacks to flesh out the story. I think this novel would make for a very interesting book club discussion with as many different reactions as we see in the ratings so far for this book. I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5131502163 This book really grabbed me from the beginning. I will say though that this book does cover some dark and tough subjects such as domestic abuse as well as many others. I really enjoyed the Court scenes in this book they were engaging but I learned a lot as well. I would like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

When 18 year old Asher's girlfriend, Lily, dies, he is accused of murdering her. Did he do it? Does his mom, Olivia, believe he's innocent? What about Lily's mom, Ava?

"But people never see who you are, all they can see is who you were."

I am not usually a fan of courtroom dramas and murder mysteries but, lucky for me, this book was so much more than that! For instance, I loved the sibling relationship between Olivia and Jordan, who was also Asher's defense attorney. I also loved learning about beekeepers and bees. The portrayal of first/young love between Asher and Lily was sweet and spot on for that age. In my opinion, this book provided so much great information about a timely topic (see spoiler below if you want to know) without being preachy. If you've ever felt judged or misunderstood, or want to understand someone who has, then this is the book for you!

(view spoiler)

Lastly, I would highly recommend Mad Honey for book club discussions. I hosted our local meeting, and we enjoyed an amazing and very open discussion. In fact, I think it's safe to say that we all learned a lot from this book.

If you're interested, here are a few more details from our meeting. Almost all of the dishes I served included honey! I made:

1. Yogurt parfaits with honey granola, strawberries (there was a strawberry field adjacent to Olivia and Asher's home), and honey drizzled on top,
2. Bell pepper ricotta bruschetta (no honey but they had the option to add some),
3. Phyllo tarts filled with brie, brown sugar, pecans, and honey, and
4. Honey cupcakes with honey frosting.

I also had Hot Honey on hand which I nicknamed MAD honey to fit the theme hehe. Lastly, I gifted a Burt's Bees item to each of the attendees.

Bonus: I shared these book jokes with the group ahead of time...

The first time I saw her at her honey stall at the farmers market, I knew right away... she was a keeper.

I had some delicious honey on my toast this morning. Later, as I walked past the hive where it came from, I said "Thank you bees for making the best honey in the world." A few shouted back "It's good, but we wouldn't say it was the best honey in the world." Oh, I thought, they must be humble bees.

Where does Austin Powers get his honey? "Oh Bee-hive!"

Location: Adams, New Hampshire

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Book Club (Host) - April 2023

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC. 4.5 stars. This is a quick and enjoyable read about mothers and their children and the baggage and secrets we carry. What does it really mean to be a woman or a man? The story is told in corresponding anecdotes about honey, bees and the history of both. So interesting. The story goes deeper than I expected and was stunned by the big reveal. I also learned more about the co-authoring of the book which shed light on the story being told.

I have always liked Jodi Picoult books and some have been better than others, but after reading Wish You Were Here, her last book, which I really disliked, I was nervous about reading this one. I hadn't even looked to see what it was about, so my only trepidation was if it was going to have an inane twist like WYWH did.

Short answer? No. I had no idea going in about the big twist, and I was really glad. I'm not going to spoil anything here, either. I really liked all the characters, the beekeeping fascinated me, although I can see where a lot of people might think it was too much. I've read a few books lately that spent a lot of time on beekeeping and yet I still find it interesting. I understood the parallels and lessons the passages about the bees was intended to do. As for the big twist and the perpetrator, I had no idea about the first one but had figured out, or had the correct idea about who that was, but the wrong motive.

I will say, I wish everyone would read this book. Sadly, those that really should, won't, for whatever reason. It helped me understand so much, and I learned a lot.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. Jodi and Jennifer hit it out of the park. All opinions are mine and freely given.

“What would I like you to take from this novel? Absolutely nothing. I’d like you to give—a chance, a thought, a damn. Like gender, difference is a construct. We are all flawed, complicated, scarred dreamers; we have more in common with each other than we don’t. Sometimes making the world a better place just involves creating space for the people who are already in it.”

WOW!! Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan really knocked this one out of the park. I shouldn’t be surprised though—every time I read a book by Jodi, I am left speechless. She has such a unique and fascinating talent of taking problems people face everyday, and make you actually open your eyes to them and learn.

I absouletely loved the format of this book. Jodi tells Olivia’s story in the present tense, going forward. Jennifer tells Lily’s story, from the time of her death going backwards. This was so unique and I loved learning Lily’s backstory while her trial was going on in.

I also really loved how much Olivia and Lily had in common, despite how different they were. They both experiences abuse from the people who were supposed to love them the most, and in turn they guarded not only their own hearts, but fiercely protected those they loved.

On top of such an amazing story, I learned so much from this book!! Bees really are amazing creatures and what they can do it simply amazing. I also learned so much about the trans community, the pain they go through just to feel like its ok to be themselves, and the medical procedures that are possible really blew my mind.

If you haven’t already, go read this book! You wont regret it !!

Each new book from Jodi just gets better and better. I can't wait to read more from Jennifer.
I absolutely loved this book. I didn't see the twist coming at all, and as usual the narration switching and timeline jumping was seamless. This reminded me of a lot of Jodi's earlier books, and I could not stop listening.

The ending authors notes was the perfect ending and really left me thinking. I definitely needed time to emotionally recover from the end of this book.

I somehow skipped over this book on my kindle and man do I regret not picking it up sooner! It's a compelling read that grabs you from the very first pages--a complex story-one of the magic and pain of first love, strength of women in the face of adversity and part legal thriller.
Each of the characters are fascinating in their own right, but the story is grows more intense with every page turn. Dramatic and intense-but told in a way that is not offputting; it feels like it could easily happen to someone you know. The author has a gift of storytelling-weaving the carefully crafted plot with the art of beekeeping.
Well worth your time! I think it would be an excellent book club selection--there's so much to discuss. I would say that there are some triggering issues surrounding abuse that readers need to be aware of, but it's handled in a realistic way.

I was not expecting this book. Well researched, and a twist I never saw coming! I love Jodi Picoult, and I'm excited to have met a new to me author!