I’m a huge Jodi Picoult fan so there was no doubt I had to read her new book. It reminded me a lot of another of her books, The Pact, which is my favorite book of hers. I loved everything about this book from the characters to the writing to the setting. The book is told by Olivia, Asher’s mother, and Lily, Asher’s girlfriend. It is also told in the present and past. Lily’s past story got further away from the present rather than closer as I see in most books. The writing expresses every emotion and I found myself lost in the book as I was reading it.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is a truly inspiring story about Lily and Asher. They are high school students who end up falling in love. They have similar backgrounds, and they trust each other. But then Lily dies, and Asher is the main suspect in her death. What happened? What secrets will unfold during the court case? This story was so lovely and informative and sometimes hard to read, but I really appreciated the story. The ending left a little to be desired, but I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Unputdownable. I’m seeing a lot of reviews where Jodi Picoult is getting all the credit for this one — and don’t get me wrong here, I adore Picoult and her work — but I think doing so is such a disservice to Jennifer Finney Boylan, who wrote Lily’s dynamic and heart-wrenching story into existence. Let’s not erase the accomplishments of the trans woman who authored 50% of a story centering largely on trans issues, namely violence against trans women. Yes, this book has all the markings of your typical Picoult work — but it certainly wouldn’t be the book it is without the immense contributions of Finney Boylan. I happen to believe Jodi would agree with this as well.

This novel had me gripped on so many levels. Olivia’s reverence for bees and their strength, as she processed the duality of her own weaknesses and strengths, was unique and spiritual, in all honesty. The bee passages were probably too much for some, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.

And listen, I probably would’ve leaned 4-4.5 stars for this one after some reflection (and maybe if I wasn’t finishing it at 2am), but I’m going for the full 5 because of some of the hateful and bigoted 1-star reviews I’m seeing as I scroll. Amazing that some of these people managed to not learn a single lesson between the pages of this novel.

Olivia McAfee left Boston and her abusive husband to start over in New Hampshire with her son, Asher. Now eighteen-years-old, Asher was dating Lily, a new girl to town, when she tragically dies. Asher is questioned by police in the events surrounding her death, and soon on trial for murder.

While I loved Jodi Picoult’s earlier work, I have struggled with her past two books {THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS was a DNF for me, and I was not a fan of WISH YOU WERE HERE}. I really liked the premise of the novel and the overall plot, but found the story to be somewhat slow and overly lengthy, and was not a huge fan of the ending. However, based on the average rating of 4.3 stars on Goodreads and my feelings about her past two books, I think perhaps Picoult’s writing is just no longer the right match for me personally. Her books are obviously well-loved by the majority of readers, so please give this one a chance for yourself!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my gifted e-ARC!

The last book I finished on my Honeymoon was Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. I received this as an ARC from Netgalley!

It has been a while since I read a Jodi Picoult novel, the last one was probably in high school. My mom and I used to share her books back and forth.

This definitely fit her style and Jennifer was a great companion author. It felt cohesive and yet you had the separate voices of the characters. I thought all the information on bees and honey that was incorporated through Olivia's chapters and Lily's random facts were so fascinating and worked so marvelously in the story. This book hit on heavy issues and a lot of things that are forefront in recent times. I don't want to give too much away because when I reached some of the information I was like, 'wow I didn't see that coming!'

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because I felt that it was a little drawn out in the middle. I also felt that Lily's POV was hard to follow at times. Olivia's timeline is the present and Lily's timeline goes backward into the past.

If you like multiple POVs and timelines, crime, courtroom dialogue, and relevant real-world issues pick this newly published (10/4) book up!

I assumed this was just another book about defending your kid when they get in trouble or arrested, but I was very surprised by the context of this story. I applaud this author how she went about telling this story. It is written alternating between present and past, which was very powerful and important to the story’s progression. I also appreciated the brave mothers who risked everything for their kids.

I enjoyed the two storylines. Jodi always does a great job weaving her plots together. Many hot topics are explored in this story but done beautifully. I wasn't that surprised by the ending.

Jodi Picoult teams up with writer Jennifer Finney Boylan in their first book together, Mad Honey. You meet Olivia, a beekeeper and single mom, who has a traumatic, secret past. You also meet her teen son Asher who is dating Lily who also has a past she'd rather keep under wraps. When Lily is found dead, all eyes focus on Asher.

The stunning cover of this book drew my eyes immediately because it's gorgeous. But this book went in too many directions. So many issues are crammed into this book that it's a social justice parade. I think the book needed more of a singular focus. It starts out with the murder and court case and then blows you away with a twist that changes the book. Frankly, I found the court case boring and felt the crux of the story, which is the twist, should have been the main focus of the book.

Because the twist is so surprising, it's way more interesting than the court case. Nix the murder, and let's just delve into Lily's life and her relationship with Asher.

Then again, the depiction of the relationship felt unrealistic because it was three months old and so mature for two high school kids. What high school kids have the means, the time, and the money to pack in restaurant visits, forays out of the state, and candlelit evenings at that age? Supposedly, Olivia and Asher are always living paycheck to paycheck, so I found this a real stretch.

One of the reasons I started reading Jodi Picoult's books was her unique and expert way of weaving all types of perspectives into a story about an issue. Like A Spark of Light, which covers a shooting at an abortion clinic, or Small Great Things, which focuses on an African-American nurse who tends to the infant of white supremacists. You understand all the perspectives if not to agree with them but to relate. I felt that this book comes from one perspective, so you're not hearing the dissenting voices about the controversial heart of the book.

However, I loved the character Lily and her trajectory before her untimely murder. Her story is written incredibly well, and you really come to feel empathy for this character. It makes me mad that she was murdered. And if it's true that Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote the chapters for Lily ,and Jodi Picoult wrote the chapters for Olivia, then maybe I need to seek out Boylan's books. I really liked Lily. Olivia, on the other hand, sounds too much like many other characters that Picoult creates. I will say that the beekeeping information was really fascinating albeit, at times, too technical.

Once you get to the real reason for the murder, it felt implausible and ridiculous. I noticed one red herring in that and felt it was a missed opportunity. And I did figure out the twist in the court case before it happened. I promise that I wasn't reading ahead (it's harder to do that with an e-book, in my opinion), but the twist, as surprising as it is, was used for shock value, and I would have rather gradually found out.

I wavered about rating this book because I feel that three stars is too low. There are many good points about it, but it needed way more of a focus without the court case. And why does the story need to be so dire? Anyway, this book will garner a mixed bag of reviews. Some readers will love it; others will be less enthusiastic about it.

I don't know how to properly write a review for this book; Mad Honey was so impactful for me, so incredible, the kind of book that sits and stays with you. A story of being a mother, a daughter, a friend, a wife. While I would label the book a suspense, the murder plot is key, Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan are truly telling a story of the crimes against people, crimes of humanity. This book captures the reality of being a human, of our natural tendency to protect and push against things we do not know or understand. Picoult and Finney Boylan capture a mother's desire to protect her son, a mother's desire to preserve her daughter's rights, and a communities desire to condemn evil and the natural inclination of that desire to group think. They capture it so magnificently, in a way that I could relate to all sides, opening my eyes to the difficulties of every side. Even better, we are gifted with gorgeous depictions of the nature of bees and beekeeping, both authors expertly tying in the facts of bees with human nature.

A lot of reviewers are labeling it as politically driven or about "hot topics," but are we not meant to acknowledge that that is the truth of what is happening in our world? It isn't trendy for LGBTQ+ members to live in fear, it isn't trendy that we as humans treat people terribly even when they have not yet been proven guilty, and it isn't trendy that two writers known for writing the truth captured those truths in words. I adored this book, because it was realistic, depicting the reality many people live with, and in a way that is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Mad Honey may be fiction, but it's the realities it is filled with that make it an important story.

Mad Honey will easily be in my Top 5 books for 2022. I loved this book, I cried from first page to last page, and I know it will be a book I can revisit year after year.

Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan have written a seemless novel together alternating chapters from two perspectives, Olivia and Lily. Picoult’s books tend to incorporate timely social issues and a heated courtroom and this one is no exception. I always feel like I learn something that I am better for knowing after reading her books. My reasons for giving less than 5 stars are small; there were some loose ends that weren’t fully explained and felt a little cheated in the end. This is a page turner - definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! This book is available now.

This is another book in which Picoult excels at family drama and tough parental choices. Olivia McAfee left her monied surgeon husband in Boston and went home to New Hampshire. Most people couldn't understand it but her husband was abusive and she HAD to get away. Of course, by that time she had a son, Asher.

Olivia takes over her father's beekeeping business and moves into the house where she grew up. When her son is a teenager, he falls head over heels for the new girl in town, Lily. Olivia constantly watches Asher to see if he shares his father's tendencies toward violence. When Olivia receives a call from the police that Asher is being questioned for Lily's death, she steadfastly backs up Asher, repeating that he is innocent. But, she does secretly wonder, especially after she learns that he is in contact with his father, a relationship she had prohibited.

Who killed Lilly? Was Asher a master of hiding things? Or was he actually innocent? There are not a lot of suspects and Olivia is determined to support her son, no matter what.

Fans of Picoult's other books will enjoy this one.

Jodi Picoult is one of those authors that I will just read, no matter what she publishes. So I basically went into this book not really knowing anything about it. Like all of her stories, there are lessons to be learned and I learned a lot about the lives and work of the honey bee. But then the story took a turn that I didn't see coming and I learned so much more about another topic that I know little about.

Ms. Picoult's books always make me see facts of life around me that I need to better understand, all while wrapping it around a wonderful story with amazing characters. The teenage lives of Lily and Asher are full of fun, love, and teenage drama—times two. And then things take a turn for the worse, when Lilly ends up dead. Asher's life changes in a second!

I found myself totally engrossed with the storyline and the lives of Lily and Asher, as well learning so much about bees on the side. There is plenty of drama, suspense, and love in Mad Honey to satisfy everyone.

I highly recommend Mad Honey, for a story that will open reader's minds to so much that is going on the world, from bees to what some teenagers are dealing with today.

This book is a story told two different ways, one going forward, and one going backward, but work seamlessly together. It is a love story that one of them are murdered, and the other is charged with the crime. It is an insightful book that makes you think about people and also you learn about bees from a beekeepers point of view. A great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my hones review.

Absolutely fantastic and not to be missed! This marvelous book started off as one thing and ended up quite another. I also did not expect to learn so much about beekeeping but there you have it.

"People always talk about how their love for you is unconditional. Then you reveal your most private self to them, and you find out how many conditions there are in unconditional love."

My heart! Olivia, a beekeeper and single mother to a teenaged son, Asher, left an abusive marriage to start over in her hometown of Adams, New Hampshire, a town so small and remote that news that the American Revolution had ended took two weeks to arrive there. Lily is the new girl in town who is also hoping for a fresh start along with her mother.

Asher and Lily fall in love but then Lily is found dead. Asher is the only suspect. Olivia begins to fear that Asher might be more like his father than she could have ever known. I felt for Olivia's terror but also at the sheer tragedy of sweet Lily's death.

"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."

Lily’s story is told in reverse, while Olivia’s is told in the present. This makes sense when you read the book and I found it be a brilliant technique for keeping the twist a surprise. I found both voices completely captivating. I read that Jodi Picoult mainly wrote Olivia’s chapters and Jenny Boylan wrote Lily’s. The writing was absolutely seamless.

Olivia's beekeeping activities were surprisingly mesmerizing. I had no idea about the intricate lives of the bees and the many incredible properties of honey, including apparently, if you drink honey you won't get a hangover. But it is the family drama and the fantastic courtroom scenes that steal the show in this book. This is only my second Jodi Picoult book and I am a fan for life. Highly recommend this gorgeous book. It is a must-read!

"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."

(Huge thanks to the publisher for providing and advanced copy via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.)

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan was a spell binding book that I couldn’t put down. There are so many current topics presented in this story. In order to not spoil the plot, specifics won’t be shared. However, be warned that you will laugh, and you will cry as you read through the complicated family relationships that are presented throughout this story. This book is told from two different points of views, which makes it quite interesting as the chapters go back and forth. This book deserves more than 5 stars. I highly recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

⭐⭐⭐/5 (Liked It)

I really wanted to love this book, and I can see why people love it, but I only liked it. I liked how seamless the writing was so that you couldn't tell that both Jodi and Jennifer wrote their own chapters and then edited each other's so the writing style was similar.

This book was good, and it has a really important message that is prevalent in our current society. I learned a lot about beekeeping and LGBTQ+ issues, which I really liked! But this book was way too long, repetitive, and monotonous.

When Lily is found dead in her home, her boyfriend Asher is suspected of causing her death. This book is dual POV over two timelines. 1) Olivia, Asher's mother from the date of Lily's death forward in time; and 2) Lily, the victim, from the time of her death backwards.

I found the timeline choice very interesting and at first I really liked it, since it felt like I was going to be investigating what might have caused her death as we continued backwards, but that's not really what we got.

Then as Lily's chapters continued, it got boring and repetitive – each chapter being vague about something that happened weeks before, then getting to the weeks before and repeating what was already said, but actually specifying what happened.

For example we'd read 10 pages of how Asher stopped talking to Lily for days because she told him a secret, but then dances around the secret until we get to her next chapter when we finally find out her secret. I found myself getting annoyed that we were dancing around "the secret" in Lily's internal monologue, when I feel like if she's thinking about what happened, it would be in context of the specific thing that was said. It was just a plot device to keep us interested in what the secret could be so there could be a huge twist.

Overall it's worth the read.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group, Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I always enjoy Jodi Picoult’s books.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan was a triumph in co-authoring a book that had me rapt by the mystery, invested in the characters and pleased with the seamless writing style. I’ve been a fan of Jodi Picoult for many years and as some of you know, I had to break up with her books as they became too commercial/formulaic. Suddenly, however, she was back with her competent writing skills, where the plotlines vary, and no formula can be detected.

Because I’ve read so many of her books, I’ve noticed a cadence to her writing. There’s a beat to her prose that continually tells me, this is a Jodi book. Writing as a duo didn’t change that; I immediately knew that Jodi wrote Olivia – a mother and beekeeper and Jennifer wrote Lily – an eighteen-year – old girl student. Both of these main characters were both making a fresh start. The heart of this book is a mystery, but there are so many talking points are woven in the novel.

LBGTQA+, marriage, abuse, motherhood, secrets, art, cello, deadbeat dads, second chances and the metaphor of bee keeping which mirrors much of the plot as it moves forward are all themes in the book. I found it interesting that Lily’s chapters go back in time as the novel progresses while Olivia’s chapters go forward. That had to be a quite a challenge for the authors.

This book makes for a fast and enjoyable read! Highly recommend.

Many of us look forward to reading a new Jodi Picoult and this book is no exception. Filled with lots of twists and turns, some of which we are prepared for and some we are not prepared for. Olivia and her son, Asher, leave Olivia's abusive husband and move home to New Hampshire to run her family's honey farm. Asher, a high school junior, falls for Lily, a new girl in his school. Lily and her mother, Ann, have recently moved from the West Coast. Then comes the call that parents dread. Lily is dead and Asher has been accused of murder. But what really happened? Is it possible that Asher's father's tendency to violence has taken root in Asher's life?

The story is told in back and forth chapters. We learn more about Olivia's and Asher's back stories as well as Lily's story of an abusive parent. The reader learns a lot about the honey business and Lily collects facts which she loves to toss out. There is so much in this story that can't be revealed in a book review without giving away some vital parts of the story.

An incredible read by Jodi Picoult. So well researched, moving, and thought-provoking. This book should be required reading.