As an avid reader I am a bit ashamed to say that this is the first book I have ever read by Jodi Picoult, and it absolutely did not disappoint! This review will be short and sweet because this book is one that requires you go in blind!
I loved this story - it was a great mix of family drama, courtroom drama and mystery.
I loved that it was both educational and entertaining - I learned so much from these characters’ experiences and their stories were so intriguing I couldn’t put this book down.
I loved that two authors worked together to share Lily and Olivia’s stories! Each of their voices were represented so strongly yet they echoed each other perfectly to create a seamless storyline and connection between characters.

Thanks to the authors, Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read an e-ARC of Mad Honey - this one is surely to become a favourite for readers everywhere this year!

This was a book that delved into a lot of subjects and kept me racing through it to find out what had happened. Enjoyed the characters, the informing, and particularly the story itself. Also enjoyed learning a lot about bees and honey which although secondary to the main story was interesting.

ALL OF THE FEELS 🤯!!! Wow, did this book ever do a number on me. “Mad Honey” by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is a deeply moving story that truly tests your moral compass and opens your eyes wide to the struggle of finding inner strength and acceptance 🫶

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Olivia McAfee has returned to her childhood town after fleeing an abusive marriage to a powerful man. She brings her son Asher along with her and together they take over the family’s beekeeping business. This is a chance for a fresh start … until it all starts to crumble 🤯

Asher and his girlfriend Lily are young and in love and have trusted one another with their deepest and darkest secrets. But when Asher finds Lily dead inside her house, he quickly becomes the #1 suspect of her murder. Olivia is scared that Asher may have inherited some darkness from his father … or perhaps Lily has been targeted for other heinous reasons?

This story is an emotional rollercoaster that touches on tough subjects such as domestic abuse, suicide, gender identity and bullying. I have kept my synopsis short ONLY because I refuse to give away anything else about this powerful story. There are SO many different layers and I was completely in awe of the twists and turns, the heartbreak and the bravery, and facing the true challenges that are faced within relationships.

The subject matter, the exceptional characterization and the fight for CHOICE is masterfully written and I think everyone would learn a lot from reading this story!

So thankful to @jodipicoult @jenniferfinneyboylan @penguinrandomca @netgalley for my digital copy in exchange for my honest review 🙌🏻

I am a fan of Jodi Picoult so I was excited to see that there was a new book out. The plot was intriguing. I very much enjoy a good thriller.

I was hooked from the first page.

Olivia McAfee has moved to her hometown to start over again with her son Asher, fresh from a divorce. Lily and her mom Ava are new to town, also looking for a fresh start. Asher falls for Lily, Lily falls for Asher; and then Olivia gets a call telling her that Lily is dead and Asher is being questioned by police.

Did Asher do it? Is he innocent? what happened?

I was not expecting the twist that came. It was amazing and probably one of my favorites this year because it was so unexpected!

I was not a fan of the ending though. I felt it was not done right and was a cliche.

Throughout the book, we move between past and present as we learn about each person and their story. What made them who they are. I am a fan of moving between past and present as long as it’s well done, and this one was. I did actually learn quite a bit, which was fun. And I was flipping those pages to get through the book fast.

The writing was seamless. Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan did a great job at writing it together. I highly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from both of them.

Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine, NetGalley and Jodie Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! This one is a stunner and almost as good as my favourite by her, "Small Great Things." The best part is that this one was a book that was co-written together with Jennifer Finney Boylan. You cannot tell which part is written by which author. Now that is a fantastic feat just in itself! It flowed THAT well!

It's a story told in two voices. Olivia, is a single mother and a bee keeper. Her son Asher is 18 years old and his girlfriend is found dead. The other voice is, Lily, the girlfriend of Asher.

I don't want to give anything away as I was totally stunned by the revelations. What a thought-provoking, and powerful story this turned out to be. I felt the emotions and it even had me in tears at some points. This is an important story that everyone in this world should read and try to UNDERSTAND with COMPASSION!

This was brilliantly written and half way through my reading of this my library audio became available. I can say it is written and narrated beautifully. Either way is just as compelling. Definitely one of my favourites for 2022. I will now check out Jennifer Finney-Boylan's books as well. Both author's notes at the end are a must-read!

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for granting me access to this Advance Reader Copy.

It is no secret that I am a huge Jodi Picoult fan. Wish You Were Here was one of my fav reads of last year and The Pact is one of my favourites of all time. While I wasn’t familiar with Jennifer Finney Boylan; this duo was perfection.
I went into this book completely blind and I highly suggest you do too because wow that twist was shocking but perfect. Much like Picoult’s previous work, this challenges societal pressures, stereotypes and real world issues. This had me angry, sad and just feeling all of the emotions.
Told in dual timelines and perspectives, this will be perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Taylor Jenkins Reid, as the emotional component reminded me of their writing style.
While I totally thought this was a romance, it was more so a crime/murder mystery with small themes of romance.
The only downfall was there was way too many small details regarding bees that I found weren’t necessary and took away from parts of the story. This aspect reminded me much of Nicholas’s sparks book The Return, which also detailed the lives of bees.
Overall, this was a powerful book and has just become my fav book of the year.
While I highly recommend it, please check trigger warnings because it is HEAVY.

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Jodie Picoult returns with her newest novel, “Mad Honey”, this time along with cowriter Jennifer Finney Boylan. In usual Picoult fashion, “Honey” is poignant, emotional and gripping, focusing on pertinent societal issues (in this case, transgendered rights and identity) with the backdrop of a life-altering legal trial.
Olivia McAfee moved away to Boston when she got married and soon, her son Asher was on the way. But after years of emotional and physical abuse, Olivia was finally able to break away and she and Asher returned to Olivia’s hometown in New Hampshire, where Olivia took over care of her deceased father’s beehives. Now, with her bees and her son for company, Olivia feels like she is back on her feet. Then Asher’s girlfriend, Lily, is found dead and Asher was the last one with her before she died. Olivia begins to wonder how much of her ex-husband exists in their son, and doubts begin to rise within her- is it possible her son killed a young girl that he claimed to love?
I am on outright die-hard Picoult fan, so it doesn’t take much for her work to impress me. “Honey” had everything I expect to see in a Picoult novel, teenage romance (and the angst that comes with it), a legal battle with life-altering stakes, and a relevant social issue, and I enjoyed every minute. There is so much information packed within these pages (on bees, beekeeping and beyond), too, so you get a little knowledge as well.
The novel is told by Olivia after Lily is killed, but Lily also tells her side of the story in intermittent chapters told from a few months before her death, when she is a new girl in town. Both sides are told, which only adds to the suspense as the cause of Lily’s death remains a secret until the final few pages (and oh yes, there’s a juicy twist)!
I am not familiar with Finney Boylan but she can’t be ignored in this novel either, and in fact, the novel flowed so seamlessly that it was difficult to reconcile with the fact that this was a co-authored effort. I could not tell where one author started and another began, but I enjoyed the suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat drama and the thought-provoking emotions that “Honey” provided, and both Picoult and Boylan get equal props.

Jodi Picoult always hits the spot for me but this literary collaboration between her and Jennifer Finney Boylan exceeded all of my expectations. Based on how much I loved Mad Honey I sincerely hope they end up collaborating again in the future. Jodi Picoult has a penchant for engaging with sensitive, complex topics in a deep and insightful manner and I bet that was one of the reasons Jennifer Finney Boylan wanted to write this book with her in particular. Prepare for an unforgettable emotional roller-coaster with this read!

A small town in New Hemsphire seems to be the place of new beginnings both for Olivia McAfee and her son Usher, as well as for Lily Campanello and her mom. Olivia moved back to her hometown and is now running her family's beekeeping business. She upended her life in Boston in order to escape her marriage and shield her son from the past and his father. Lily never expected her fresh start to include a love story with Asher. When Lily is found dead and police turn their attention to Asher, everything Olivia thought she knew about her life and her son will be called into question.

Complex and complicated dynamics between parents and children. Ups and downs of first love. The weight and price of secrets. How well do we ever really know another person? And is the truth ever simple? All of this and a lot of beautiful explanations and descriptions of the life of bees. I completely lost myself in the world of Asher and Lily. This book made me feel intensely for and about many of the characters. And I loved every second of it. I would definitely love to see this story turned into a mini series. (here's hoping!) Mad Honey found its way into my heart and onto my all time favourites shelf.

I really enjoyed Mad Honey, and I think it is up there in my most enjoyed Jodi Picoult books. I highly recommend this book!

Sometimes it can be difficult to read a book by two authors, because there is a different tone from each- that is not the case here. I thought the chapters blended seamlessly, and I felt that all characters were well developed.

The other aspect of the book that I really enjoyed (despite thinking I wouldn't) was the beekeeping portion. I know next to nothing about beekeeping, and the information in the book was really interesting and entertaining.

All in all, this was an excellent read that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. This will definitely be a gift for a number of people I know this Christmas!

Thank you to NetGalley, and to Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for a honest review.

Where to start…oh I picked up my first Jodi Picoult book when I was in elementary school..probably around 12 years old..yes I know young to be reading her novels but I fell in love with her writing immediately. She writes emotional stories with such strong characters and vivid detail. This book did not disappoint! It was thought provoking and heartbreaking. It covers hugely important topics and really forces us to think about violence, domestic abuse and breaking the cycle.

Reading a novel with coauthors makes me nervous because I worry if the writing will flow naturally or it will be obvious there are two different voices but in this case the two authors mixed so well and added extra dimension to the story. I’ll definitely try another book by Boylan

This is heartbreaking and uplifting and everything in between! I am grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this timely book. May the Lilys in the world read this story and feel seen. May the world read this and perhaps make the world a gentler place for everyone to live in. I will be gifting this book to many this holiday season. Thank you!

Two women, two stories and yet they are connected by a past of violence, become intertwined.

Olivia is a beekeeper, a single mother, a woman who fled an abusive home. Lily is a young woman relocating to the little town of Adams to finish her last year of high school and ultimately start a new life, leaving the past behind. These two women cross paths when Olivia’s son Asher falls in love with Lily. Everything seems perfect until one day, Lily is found dead. The drama begins to find out what happened.

The story had me hooked from the start till the end. I tried to read between the lines to unfurl this tragedy, but it took me almost till the last chapter to figure it out. The storytelling reminded me a lot of 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher: every chapter of Lily reveals more of the past. Needless to say, I loved it. It made the suspense peak in many places.

A story of utter heartbreak on multiple levels and in different forms. There is so much pain in this book - with only glimpses of light at the end of the tunnel. It made me fly through the pages. Because I wanted to come out of this darkness so badly. And yet I felt grateful that Olivia and Lily shared their stories with me. These stories need to be told to understand that we are not alone and that we deserve better.
A must-read for anyone, really.

This is I ​believe the third book I have read by Jodi. I have enjoyed the other books she ​has ​written but this one is my favourite. I enjoy reading books where I come away having learnt something and ​given with a broader level of understanding. This book is ​a ​5 star book for ​me ​as I ​was r​​eading ​it ​I was thinking about which I my friends I wanted to share this with and talk about the book with​ further. It also makes me want to read more about ​trans people to gain a better understanding.

I highly recommend reading this book. I devoured this book over 3 days and couldn't put it down.

What a book! I powered through it, as it was just too good to put down!! That being said, I am finding it hard to actually compose a review about this book without giving away any spoilers! There is a major plot twist in this book and if I talk about the essence of this book, I will basically be spoiling it. This is hard for me because there is so much to say! You will just have to read it!! I will say it was a very timely story with some wonderful insight. The story was wrapped up in a murder mystery that was smartly crafted. As an aside, I also loved how much I learned about beekeeping and honey - some really fascinating facts!

Thank you so so much to @penguinrandomca @netgalley and the authors, @jodipicoult and @jenniferfinneyboylan for my e-arc of MAD HONEY. This one published October 4, so you can grab your copy now!

Jodi Picoult is an auto buy author for me. I have loved everything of hers I’ve read, and I think I’ve read also it every thing she has written! MAD HONEY is no different! I loved this book!

One of the things I love most about iJodi’s novels are how she chooses important and relevant issues/topics that are not really talked about, or should be talked about more, and writes a novel with these issues woven into it.

Mad Honey has a storyline that focuses on beekeeping, which I loved learning more about! But this book also tackles the topic of gender, gender identity, and how society reacts to this topic, and also who a family reacts to this news. This book also has a murder mystery plotline, and a court case! (Which I have missed in Jodi’s more recent novels). All the characters were really well written, I don’t think I can choose a favourite (except for one… #iykyk )I loved getting to know them all. Also, I LOVED how the twist was revealed! Did not see it coming!!

You can really tell that Jodi did ALOT of research into all the many different topics discussed in this book, and it’s all woven together in such an effortless way. I also loved how she wrote this book with Jennifer, you can’t differentiate who wrote what part! Which is something I was slightly worried about, when reading a new book from a favourite author. Also! Make sure you read the authors note at the end of the book where they talk about the idea for this book, it’s the best!

I also listened to this book, courtesy of @librofm , and I thought the audio was so well done!

Overall, I highly recommend this book, as it tackles issues that are prominent in regards to the LGBTQIA+2 community, and you just learn so much about beekeeping!

This book was incredibly moving and timely. Reading this story made me aware of my own unintentional biases. All the facts about bees and beekeeping were fascinating! This novel will impact readers long after they have turned the final page.

Olivia McAfee has had to start her life over. Her picture perfect life in Boston married to a successful surgeon, raising her son Asher, was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. Olivia never dreamed she would end up in the house she grew up in and have taken over her father’s beekeeping business. Lily Campanello is the new girl in town when her and her Mom relocate to Olivia’s town, Adams, New Hampshire. Lily has moved here for her last year of high school. Asher and Lily cross paths at school and they can’t help but quickly fall in love. Just as their relationship is truly beginning, Olivia receives a phone call, Lily is dead and Asher is being questioned by the police. Does Olivia believe Asher when he says he didn’t do it or does her past haunt her?

Jodi Picout has done it again! Mad Honey is a novel full of suspense, an unforgettable love story and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep to protect the ones we love. I could not put this story down. There were twists and turns at the end of almost EVERY chapter. The book switches back and forth between Olivia in the present day and Lily from the date of her death going backwards into the past. There were a few months where I forgot a bit of the timeline but all in all I was able to keep track of the story line. There were some sensitive topics in this book, abuse, transgender rights but Jodi and Jennifer did a great job not only telling the story but also educating you on those topics. There was also a super high level learning about bees which I found so interesting. The way they were able to compare the life of bees to the book's current situation was mesmerizing. I don’t want to say much more and give away the storyline but this one is a must read.

- 4.5 Stars -
This book was like nothing else I have ever read! There were bees, a murder trial, stories of domestic abuse and so much more. I haven’t read a ton of Jodi Picoult’s books but I do know that they typically focus on things going on in society that are super present at the time. In this case, it has to do with a topic that I will not say so as to not spoil the story for those who go into it blind as I did!

Again, I went into this book knowing that it was a murder mystery-style book, but it was so much more than that! The character development was incredible, the way that emotions and thoughts were splayed out on the page like that was phenomenal, and the in-depth way we get to witness both the harmful and loving sides of an abusive relationship really opened my eyes to what this can look like and how it can be so hard to leave.

The murder aspect really had me questioning who did it. And the twist at the end had me absolutely reeling! I did not expect that outcome at all, I had so many more suspects in my mind and was totally wrong haha! Although, despite the twist at the end, the ending was a little bit of a letdown because it ended SUPER abruptly! I learned a lot while reading this book and honestly think that added to my positive thoughts on the book!

⚠️TW: domestic abuse, transphobia, suicide attempt, deadnaming, suicidal thoughts, murder

This book was so beautiful. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I would recommend it to anyone.

It’s difficult to give a review without spoilers. But I will say it is worth the read.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

This was a very compulsive read. I am not sure that I cared for the facts about bees 🐝 but the story was tangled and wild and by the last half I needed to know how it would wrap up. So my desire to find time to burn through it definitely gave it a higher rating from me.

The character development along with the dual povs and the alternating timelines provided a lot of insight for the characters but also kept the sorry moving along.

It was an intriguing thriller that delved into some really difficult topics (tw below) but also handled each topic carefully. There were elements of surprise throughout the book even though the ending felt expected me to.

It has love and death and life in between along with a mystery to be solved.


Thank you netgalley for the eARC.

TW: abuse, suicide, domestic violence