Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

Whenever Jodi Picoult releases a new novel, it is a must-read for me. I don’t even read the summary, I just dive in knowing it’s going to be an emotional rollercoaster with an incredible twist or two or three. And it was.

Mad Honey brought me to tears again and again. Like her previous works, I’m left wanting to know exactly what happened to certain characters but I’m not mad at that. It just works.

I stayed up late to finish this book and I am in sheer awe. I absolutely recommend this book.

Olivia’s son Asher is in love. When his girlfriend dies under mysterious circumstances, all eyes are on Asher as he is arrested for murder.
Olivia enlists her brother Jordan to help her clear her sons name, and as the trial goes on the secrets Asher kept, are revealed one by one.

This was a great read with twists I did not see coming.
The side stories were all well developed with a great. cast of characters.
With alternating POVs and dual timeline chapters you get a great picture of all sides of the story, with just enough being left in the dark you keep you guessing.
A fast read I didn’t want to put this one down.

Picoult is an American best selling author of many books, including 2021's "Wish You Were Here". Boylan is less well now but a successful author as well. As a transgender woman, her memoir "She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders" has been a bestseller and 'is popular both as a textbook in high schools and colleges as well as with readers's groups'. Her most recent book was "Good Boy: My Life In Seven Dogs". This new novel is told from the point of view of two characters. Olivia is a beekeeper who has established a new life for herself and her son Asher after escaping an abusive marriage. Lily is a teenage girl who is new in town and becomes Asher's girlfriend. When Lily is found dead in her home with Asher cradling her body, he ends up being charged with murder. The story jumps back and forth in time, but is a riveting portrayal of two mothers and their love for their children. This is a wonderful recommendation for not only Picoult or general fiction fans, but mystery fans as well. I would also be very comfortable recommending it to teens.

Once again Picoult, this time with Finney Boylan, has taken a topic out of the news and used a compelling story and characters to educate readers while entertaining us. . The story format is similar to Picoult's other books including: multiple narrators, multiple timelines, information about a unique topic, and a societal issue that needs addressing. Long term fans of Picoult will not be disappointed with the addition of Finney Boylan and will feel satisfied with the book's writing and conclusion.

'I explain everything as if it has happened to someone else, some other mother, some other boy. As if I've had the privilege to watch from a distance.'

'Is it really lying if all you're doing is keeping your mouth shut, about something that's nobody's business anyway?'

'It's a whole pyramid of bigotry....'

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

There were so many things that I loved about this book that I had an exceptionally difficult time closing my Kindle each night as my eyes refused to stay open any longer. I can't imagine anyone reading this and not enjoying it. It has all the elements of a classic Jodi book that I adore, including a couple of returning characters who made my heart sing.

Jodi and Jennifer have put together a story that captured my heart, played with and teased my emotions, and challenged my own prejudices - because this book shows us that no matter how open we think we are, how accepting we think we are, we always have more ways to grow and learn and be a better human to those around us. Jodi and Jennifer are masters at this, this book is evident of that. As a former women's studies major, self-identified feminist and anti-racist, and social justice advocate, I can say with full honesty and without shame that this book opened my eyes even more than I already thought they were open.

As an endometriosis survivor, I was brought to tears by this inclusion into the story - we endo survivors already feel so invisible that this small mention really moved me. Thank you for bringing this into the light.

After relocating back to her hometown to take over her family's beekeeping business, Olivia is raising her son Asher alone after being in an abusive marriage. Ava and her daughter Lily have come to New Hampshire to get away from their own secrets. Asher begins a relationship with Lily, but with teenagers no relationship is perfect. When Lily dies, Asher is accused of her murder.
Told in two different points of view this is a courtroom drama with a mix of mystery and drama.
The authors tackled some extremely complex issues in the book and it is beautifully written. It didn’t take me long to finish. I have read several other books by Jodi Picoult before but never any by Jennifer Finney Boylan. I will definitely have to change that now. Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, Net Galley and the two authors, Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The following review will be posted on my blog, Thursday, October 6th, 2 days after publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram today, and has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.




“This has always been my favorite fact about bees: in their world, destiny is fluid. You might start life as a worker, and end up a queen.”

Genre: Fiction, Women’s Fiction (I would add Mysteries and thrillers here)
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: N/A, was clean, but does mention the act itself.
Content Warnings: Discusses transphobia, homophobia, suicide attempts, self harm, and bullying. Described domestic abuse and child abuse. This is a hard, serious read.

“Mad Honey” follows Olivia McAfee, a single mother to Asher and professional beekeeper, as she lives through her son’s murder trial. This book also follows Lily Campanello, Asher’s girlfriend, before her death. Built between flashbacks and two points of view, this book will take you through a rollercoaster of emotion like no other.

This is one of the best books I’ve read all year. I loved absolutely everything about it—from the writing, to the timelines, to the characters. Everything. I loved and grieved Lily with Asher. I suffered through the trial with Olivia. My heart shattered for Ava, Lily’s mom. The plot twists where literal breathtaking.

—Can’t say I was completely surprised with who ended up being the murderer, but I still loved how it was revealed and executed. This book will be nothing how you expect it to be.

I would highly recommend this book above any other suspense or mystery or just general fiction book you’ve got on your TBR. “Mad Honey” will have you on the edge of your seat and you’ll just wish you could finish it in one sitting, I know I did.

If you’ve enjoyed books like “The Guest List” by Lucy Foley or “The Maid” by Nina Prose, then this book is for you.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: October 4, 2022

“You read about tragedies in the paper, where a student athlete falls dead in the middle of a basketball game or a National Honor student is killed by a drunk driver or a school shooting claims the life of a preteen. In the news you see their faces, braces and cowlicks and freckles.
You tell yourself this wouldn’t happen in your
hometown.
You tell yourself this isn’t anyone you know.
Until it does, and it is.”

This book is told by alternating POV’s of Olivia McAfee and Lily Campanello.

Twelve years ago Olivia took her son Asher and fled her abusive husband. Her parents are both deceased, so she ended up in the farmhouse she grew up in running the family strawberry and beekeeping businesses.

Lily is the new girl in town, living with her mother. She is also Asher’s girlfriend and first true love. Lily has secrets in her past though too, we initially don’t know all the details but we know there is a failed suicide attempt and issues with her father.

Everything seems to be going well until the day that Olivia learns that Lily has died, and Asher is being questioned by the police.

Overall I really enjoyed this book because 1) the details about beekeeping were extremely interesting 2) the characters were intriguing and multifaceted 3) the twist that I totally didn’t see coming 4) the plot was well paced 5) this book was both entertaining and thought provoking 6) the recipes at the end were a fun bonus, and great for book clubs.

The only thing I didn’t love was that the book was a tad too long. But overall, I strongly recommend this book to anyone.




Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

An absolute must read. Go out buy this, pre order it whatever but you need it. An incredible story.. I dont even know where to start. First of all, my emotions were played with.. I went back and forth so many times. Secondly, this book was chalked full of information that I often had to put the book down and just absorb. There were so many twists I just didn't see coming at all! I really enjoyed the courtroom drama and all the information on bees!! I also love how the authors were able to touch on sensitive topics with such grace.

Thank you netgalley and penguin random house for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

I have read every Jodi Picoult novel, so I was thrilled to get my hands on her latest, this one a collaboration with Jennifer Finney Boylan, an author who is new to me. Mad Honey is a captivating domestic drama/mystery. I loved the never-saw-it-coming twist in the middle that sets the stage for the second half of the story. As much as I enjoyed the book, it meandered a bit too long and I was getting impatient for the resolution. This one is pretty good but even better are Jodi Picoult’s 5-star novels The Storyteller, My Sister’s Keeper, Vanishing Acts, Lone Wolf, and Wish You Were Here. I will certainly read more Jennifer Finney Boylan now that I've this great introduction!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Be forewarned that I am going against the majority in my thoughts on this book, which is really disappointing since I wanted to love Mad Honey and I sure love the UK cover.

Jodi Picoult is joined by Jennifer Finney Boylan and after reading the notes at the conclusion from both told of the unique way this story came to be and how many years in the making it was.

Mad Honey is told from the POVs of Olivia, single mom to Asher and keeper of bees. The other is Lily, girlfriend of Asher. When I started reading, I was entranced and captivated right away, the setting was unique with the inclusion of bees and their habits, I received an educational lesson throughout the story. The sudden passing of Lily is when things slowed down and the past had to be revisited. But things started to slow down, and even when the twist came (which totally took me my surprise) it was the slow pace that took over which also slowed my reading down. The mystery started to drag, and the way the story jumped from present day to past memories felt jarring at times.

Known for her twists the first one totally caught me off guard, but honestly, it wasn’t enough to redeem how I was starting to feel. The story drag for the last half, and even the conclusion was underwhelming it left me with some unanswered questions, anticipating a little more.

It's hard to say exactly what this story is about without revealing spoilers, but suffice to say Mad Honey is a story of fresh starts, young love, acceptance and family.

White this isn't a favourite read I will continue going through Picoult's back list.

My thanks to Random House CA and Netgalley for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

Thoughts on this: courtroom drama, high emotion and currently relevant topic. Things I liked: courtroom drama! One of my favourite plots. I also love the way Jodi Picoult isn’t afraid of touching on subjects that are complicated and “controversial”. I’ve been reading her books for years and I always learn something. I felt at times like there was some disconnect in plot but I can’t really pinpoint what I thought was missing or not working for me. I think the two authors worked well together! Overall, I did enjoy this one, and would recommend it!

I am normally a huge Jodi Picoult fan but unfortunately this one didn't scratch that itch.

I found it very heavy on the bee content
And I felt it was distracting and took away from the story.

After trying to read this book i guess Jodi Picolut’s books arent for me. Thank your for approving me yo read this book. Its much appreciated. I just couldnt get into it

Jodi Picoult's newest book, Mad Honey, takes me back to her earlier works revolving around family, moral dilemmas and secrets. Co-written with Jennifer Finney Boylan ,the book is told from a dual point of view, the story leads us on a journey of family relationships, a court room drama and relationships, while also discussing and teaching the reader about bees and beekeeping. It's interesting because you have no idea which authors is writing whos point of view as the flow is seamless.

I really appreciate that the transgender point of view is written by a transgender person and not someone hoping to capture Lily's point of view. As well the explanations in the book related to being transgender were greatly appreciated and I hope educated people who read the book who might be encountering these terms for the first time.

I found that the book started out strong and I wanted to keep reading to find out what all the twists and turns that Picoult is known for. It did start to slow down a bit in the middle, and I was not a fan of the ending but overall I really enjoyed the book and even learned some new things about bees!

Be sure to read the Authors’ Notes at the end of the book about how both authors worked together on the story and their views on the dilemmas brought up in the book. I

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advanced copy of this book.

Mad Honey started out strong and had a crazy twist at the end but dragged in the middle. I found myself wanting to skip some of the chapters because I just wanted to know what happened to Lily. I wasn't all that interested in why bees do what they do. I was also wondering why we never got any chapters from the perspective of Lily's mom Ava or Asher himself, we just heard from Olivia and Lily. While i think this was an important story to tell i still struggled to finish it.

Wow!

As a teenager, I devoured Jodi Picoult books - the incredible combination of heartbreaking emotion, courtroom intrigue and fascinating social issues was always extremely compelling to me. I enjoyed some of her more recent books, but hated both Wish You Were Here and The Book of Two Ways.

This was a true return to form. Halfway through at the first 'plot twist' I was kind of appalled by what was being used as a plot twist, but upon reading the authors' notes, I am thinking it's okay - but would love to hear from own-voices reviewers.

The ending did feel slightly too neat and tidy, but I particularly loved reading of Olivia's struggles to overcome abuse and Lily's incredible bravery.

Overall, SO compelling.

4.5 stars.

Mad Honey, for me, marks the return of Jodi Picoult’s wonderful earlier novels, themed around questions of ethics, relationships and family dynamics. This novel is a collaboration with Jennifer Finney Boylan and it is so well done that I honestly couldn’t tell who had written which chapters. The writing style was consistent throughout, flowed well and was easy to read. A wonderful collaborative effort!

Told from two different points of view, there is a huge, jaw-dropping twist at just before the half-way point that set the stage for the second half of the novel. There are so many great elements to the story - family relationships, self-acceptance, discrimination, secrets, trust, and a court-room drama. Bees and beekeeping are interwoven in the story - one of the main characters is a beekeeper - and not only did I find learning about both interesting but I also appreciated the analogies that the authors made between bee culture/society and human relationships.

I really enjoyed this engaging, topical and timely novel that raises many interesting questions/questions around moral dilemmas. I would note that there are many sensitive issues covered in the book, including domestic violence. but they are handled in a very careful manner. There are different timelines in the story and at first, I did find it a little hard to figure out but it became easier very early on. However, these did not take away from my enjoyment of this excellent novel. Highly recommend!

Lastly, I highly recommend reading the Authors’ Notes at the end of the novel on how the two authors worked together on the novel and their views on the moral dilemmas raised in the book.

Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced electronic copy of this book. This review is spoiler-free (which is a bit tricky with a story like this one).

Mad Honey is a story of a mother who leaves an abusive relationship to protect her son, who is now on trial for the murder of his girlfriend.

I’ve seen many reviews saying to go into this novel blind, and while I do see that adding maximum impact to some of the twists and turns, I’d also advise looking at the content warnings before starting (Mad Honey content warnings include domestic violence, self-harm, suicide, and transphobia).

I found this story very heavy. It did draw me in, and I wanted to know more about the characters, their perspectives, and their histories. I think there are many readers that this will be a five-star read for, It was a great concept that was both educational and suspenseful.

I’ll be honest. I’ve never read a book authored by Boylan but I’ve read so many by Picoult. This book was amazing. Heartfelt , poignant and VERY engaging. I feel privileged to have read it. It was a very quick read for me…so very prevalent and so enlightening. Here I thought I knew it all. I did not. So very well written. Thank you thank you for giving me more understanding. I highly recommend this book. To the world.