4.5 Stars

This is a beautifully written character driven book about Olivia and Lily. If you haven’t read a book by Jodi Picoult, you really should. Her books are thought provoking and will pull at your heart strings. They are filled with extensive research and compelling characters and this book was no different.

I’m not going to say much because I don’t want to give away the “twist” the book, but I highly recommend. You will learn about beekeeping and bees which was fascinating. There is a murder and a trial for those that enjoy true crime. It’s a very emotional and powerful story about love, bravery, and honesty.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advnced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Well written by two authors in one blended voice. Very thought provoking. I loved the education on honey throughout. As is typical with Jodi‘s books you will walk a mile in someone else’s shoes that seems different from you but by the end you will realize we are all just the same. I know I’ll enjoy Jodi’s books but what a great idea to pull in Jennifer as a co-author on this one.

MAD HONEY is a complete delight - a heart wrenching, breathtaking, beautiful novel.

As an avid reader of Jodi Picoult, I was thrilled to receive this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I'm a new reader of Jennifer Finney Boylan, but I adored this collaboration with Picoult and will seek out Finney Boylan's other work as well.

MAD HONEY tackles a large number of hot issues with grace and care. I loved this story - my heart broke for Lily, for Asher, for Olivia, for the tragedies they have all seen. I found the characters believable, compelling, and lovely. This book delivered a few twists and whole lot of heart. 4/5 stars, only because I didn't fully feel the romance in Olivia's storyline. Regardless, MAD HONEY is, a lovely, important, timely story that I would recommend to all.

I had no idea what to expect when reading this book. I went in blind, which is what I typically do, but Jodi Picoult wrote such a thought provoking, controversial, unconditional story, like her stories in the past and I enjoyed it.⁣
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I thought I would be learning about bees, sort of like the elephants in Leaving Time, which is my all time favorite book of hers; and while we do, learn about bees, we also learn so so much more than I ever expected.⁣
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This book truly educated me, on many things. I don’t want to give much a way, because it’s an unexpected twist, that I didn’t see coming, but I learned so much. ⁣
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I loved learning about honey and bee keeping. I loved learning about Lily throughout the murder mystery, her struggles, and secrets. We learned about the domestic violence that went on in Liv’s life. ⁣
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This covers a lot of touch topics: suicide attempt, domestic violence, toxic relationships, and murder. ⁣
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I really enjoyed learning about Asher and Lily and their beautiful, mature relationship as high school seniors. ⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jodi Picoult has long been an auto-buy author for me, and this pairing w/ Jennifer Finney Boylan - what a powerhouse!

This novel captured my heart from the very first sentence and had me glued until the last. I can always count on Ms. Picoult to offer new perspective, to raise questions about controversial topics, and to leave me more enlightened than before. And I would say she and Ms. Finney Boylan have accomplished just that.

Readers are taken on a journey that shows the best in people, the worst in people, and the fine line that separates it all. I, much like Lily, have always sought to believe people's goodness, but have often been disappointed to discover that people aren't always whom I expect them to be.

"𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒙 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓."

Not only do readers learn fascinating information about bees and their intricacies (which is a brilliant metaphor in this story), but there is so much more to unpack in this novel.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House and Net Galley for gifting me with this advanced reader's copy - I am under no obligation to review this book, but I just couldn't wait to share my thoughts on it!

I have read all of Jodi Picoult's novels; she is an auto-buy author for me. I have read none of Jennifer Finney Boylan's novels but I will need to remedy that soon. Together, they have seamlessly written a heart-wrenching but absolutely necessary novel. I love learning more about relevant issues in today's world through my reading, and I learned so much from reading this novel and highly recommend it. At its core, it is about 2 moms who fight for a better life for their kids. It's a love story, a mystery, with lots of secrets all rolled into a propulsive read. Those who have read Picoult's past novels know that she writes about current topics in such a thoughtful and well-researched way. This novel is the same. And for this reason, I will not include any more details other than to indicate that there are many triggers in the book, so please look to other trusted sources for trigger warnings.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #PenguinRandomHouse #Ballantine for early access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

It all started with a dream. Jenny Boylan, had a wild dream that she had co-authored a book with Jodi Picoult and tweeted about it. That led to a DM and here we are… with Mad Honey. After reading this one, I’m certainly glad that dreams do come true.

Olivia McAfee and her son Asher move from Boston to Olivia’s hometown in New Hampshire to get a fresh start after her marriage ends. It’s a small town and she takes over her father’s beekeeping business. Nine years later Ava Campanello and her daughter Lily move from California to the same small town to start over after her divorce and some additional trauma. Asher and Lily meet and instantly connect. Four months later, Lily is dead. Asher is found with her body and is accused of murder.

Boylan and Picoult alternate authoring the story in differing timelines, Lily’s starting at her death and working backwards and Olivia’s starting at Lily’s death and going forward. Of course, this being a Picoult novel there is a HUGE twist and you come away with tons of knowledge (you’ll never look at bees the same way).

This is the first Picoult novel is quite a bit that I’ve enjoyed. Seems that Boylan is her lucky charm. I’ve admired Jenny Boylan for quite some time for her advocacy work, but hadn’t had a chance to read anything by her, that will change. They worked seamlessly together and although they alternated characters you could not tell between the two. They developed rich characters and even though the chapters were longer than the typical book these days (most coming in at around 30 minutes or so as per kindle) I often found myself looking down to see if I could *maybe* squeeze in just one more. You have to appreciate that in a book.

I had to give a teensy deduction because Olivia is in court every day to support Asher BUT she is a witness. I understand why this was done since we only have two narrators but it was just so glaringly wrong. I still give the book a 4.75 (rounded up) 😉

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of "Mad Honey", written by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. It was released on October 4th, 2022!

Overall, I rated this novel 4/5 stars!

This book centers around Olivia, who moves back to her hometown with her son Asher after discovering that her husband has some personality/character traits that are less than desirable. Lily and her mother also move to this town for a fresh start and for Lily's senior year of high school. Things take a dark turn when Asher is later suspected of killing Lily when she is found dead.

This is one of Picoult's novels that I've thoroughly enjoyed as of recently. It is filled with suspense and intrigue, and I was unable to put it down for very long between readings.

Jodi Picoult does it again! Readers can depend on Jodi to cover complex social issues and humanize them for the reader. This time she does so with a co-writer Jennifer Finley Boylan. I was not familiar with this writer. It works! The story alternates between two characters. Olivia McAfee (written by Jodi), and eighteen-year-old Lily.(written by Joyce). Olivia left her successful surgeon husband who his abusive and moved with her teenage son, Asher, to a small town in New Hampshire to escape her abusive husband who is a successful surgeon. Olivia inherited her father’s home and beekeeper’s business. Asher is eighteen, and he is captain of the soccer team. Lily Campanello and her other Ava have just moved into town to start over.

A myriad of social issues are covered. Lily and Asher fall in love. Lily was murdered and Asher is put on trial. So we have a murder mystery to unpack and the back story of the characters. There is also a twist in the middle of the story. The authors made me care for the characters, and I was invested in their stories. I do feel the book was too long, and I wish there were shorter chapters. For me, the extensive information on bees detracted from the story. I also wish that Ava had a voice in the story.

Everybody needs to read this book. It’s a book about love: love for a child, love for an abuser, romantic love, enduring love. It’s also a book about identity, gender, and sexuality. This story was breathtaking. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like it.
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Olivia is a beekeeper who lives in small-town New Hampshire with her teenage son, Asher. She is haunted by the memories of the abusive marriage she fled years ago. Lily is a senior in high school who is haunted by her own past. She has moved to Adams, New Hampshire with her mother in hopes of a fresh start. Their worlds intersect when Asher and Lily begin dating. Asher is the kindhearted golden boy of Lily’s dreams. Or is he? When Lily is found dead in her own home, all signs point to Asher. Does Olivia really know her own son after all?
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Mad Honey is told from the alternating perspectives of Lily and Olivia. It’s literary fiction, but also a suspenseful mystery. I was so anxious to piece together the truth about what happened to Lily! Could not read this gripping story fast enough. I was holding my breath until the very last pages.
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Make sure to read the authors’ notes at the end! Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Mad Honey - Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan
5/5⭐️

I wasn’t sure where this story was going, but once it got there I was very invested. These are complex characters and I appreciate the perspectives the authors brought to the dual narration. I always love how Picoult handles contemporary social issues and I now want to read more of Boylan’s writing as well.

@jodipicoult has been a favorite author for me since college, and I'm always impressed with the way she is able to weave complicated, nuanced social issues into beautiful, relatable, and highly engaging stories... When I heard she was co-writing this book with @jenniferfinneyboylan - a writer best known for her memoir about life as a transgender woman - I was immediately intrigued...

Per usual, I learned SO much - about bees, about the law, and about people - and I did NOT see the end coming... Honestly, I don't want to give too much away, because the "twist" shook me exactly the way it was supposed to, but Mad Honey exceeded even my (very high) expectations. 🍯 🍯 🍯 🍯 🍯

(Five Stars)

#samandscoutreads #bookstagram #netgalleyreads @netgalley

I have been a big fan of Jodi Picoult for many years. Recent books have fallen a bit flat, but Ms Picoult is back in force with Mad Honey. Perhaps its the addition of Jennifer Finney Boylan which has jump started this novel.

This story centers around two single moms and their kids: Olivia McAfee, and her son, Asher; and Ava Campanello, and her daughter, Lily. Both families are new to town and fleeing from something. Asher and Lily fall in love. We get some glimpses into their relationshiip which at times is a bit rocky. Then Lily turns up dead, and Asher is the prime suspect....or is he?

As with many Picoult novels, this is a thorough exploration of a current hot topic. This one has the added 'mystery' to it. Thoroughly enjoyed this new Picoult/Boylan duo novel.

The genesis of the literary collaboration of powerhouse authors Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan on Mad Honey is literally something out of a dream . . . In May 2017, Boylan awoke to the realization that she had dreamed she was writing a novel with Picoult about a "girl who died; her boyfriend, who had been accused of her murder; and the boy's mother, who was torn between the compelling evidence of her son's guilt and the love she bore for him in her heart." They had long been fans of each other's work. When Boylan Tweeted, "I dreamed I was co-authoring a book with Jodi Picoult," she soon received a private message from Picoult asking what the book was about. Picoult, who is known for examining thorny social issues through her fiction and had been contemplating a book focused on transgender rights, was intrigued. Picoult imagined "creating a trans character who was so real and compelling that . . . [readers would] love her for who she was, not what she was." They began crafting the book in early 2020, just as the world shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The book opens on December 7, 2018, the day on which Olivia receives the kind of phone call every parent dreads. She is a beekeeper who returned to her home town of Adams, New Hampshire, twelve years ago with her son, Asher, now a high school senior. The story is related through two first-person narratives. From Picoult's perspective, the division of labor was mandated by the subject matter. Thus, it was agreed that Picoult would draft Olivia's account. Asher has been dating Lily since September. She is a new student who relocated from Point Reyes, California, with her mother, Ava, a U.S. Forest Ranger who accepted a desk job in order to facilitate her transfer to New Hampshire. Lily's narrative, drafted by Boylan, begins on the same day as Olivia's and is presented on alternating chapters. However, as Olivia's account moves forward in time, Lily's moves incrementally in reverse chronological order. The co-authors agreed, however, that they would each write at least one chapter in the other character's voice, and re-edit each other's work in order to ensure continuity and consistency. The technique worked, leaving even the authors unable, after revisions, to recall which portions they penned.

Olivia is a strong, protective mother who has already taken bold steps to protect her only child. As the story progresses, she tells the story of how she met and fell in love with Asher's father, as well as why their marriage ended in divorce. Revealing those details gradually, as Olivia's strength, resolve, and faith in her son is tested, proves highly effective. Specific junctures in the investigation into Lily's death -- Asher's interrogation, arrest, and the ensuing trial -- dovetail with past events to provide insight into Olivia's psyche. She loves Asher unconditionally, but there is strong circumstantial evidence linking him to Lily's death, which is ruled a homicide. Current events trigger Olivia's memories of incidents that occurred during her marriage, culminating in the moment when she knew it had reached the proverbial point of no return. Olivia took steps to ensure that Asher would be protected from his father's influence, so Asher has not had a relationship with him since he was six years old. Still, Olivia is unsure about how much Asher remembers of their life with his father and worries that Asher could have inherited undesirable traits from him. Her brother, Jordan, one of New Hampshire's most famous defense attorneys (who has appeared in prior Picoult novels), agrees to defend Asher and has he explains the legal significance of the evidence against him, Olivia's belief in Asher's innocence wavers. She understandably questions whether her child has a capacity for violence that resulted in the death of the girl he loved. And that is one thing she is sure about: Asher loved Lily. But Olivia also learns that Asher has kept secrets from her, invalidating some of her assumptions about her son's character and further challenging her belief in his innocence.

Olivia is a highly sympathetic character with whom readers, especially parents, will readily empathize. Moving to Adams in order to keep Asher safe and shielded from his father's example was a sacrifice, but she does not regret having returned to her hometown for the sake of her son. Asher is poised to graduate from high school and begin college, leaving Olivia to think about her own needs and desires for the first time in years. She liked Lily from the moment she met her, and was thrilled to see Asher happy. Picoult (and Boylan) compassionately and believably portray Olivia's internal emotional struggle as she desperately wants to believe that her child is not a killer, and questions her parenting and whether she did enough to prevent him from becoming like his father. Like Lily, Olivia knows Asher to be a "gentle, gentle spirit" but, also like Lily, she has seen his temper flare and it frightened her. Her anguish, as Asher's bright future teeters, is palpable and credible, especially when Jordan competently and frankly explains the legal peril in which Asher finds himself.

Lily's story also begins on "the day of" her death. Five days earlier, Asher picked her up at her house, promising a wonderful surprise. But things did not go as Asher hoped and Lily has missed the past three days of school because she hasn't felt well, but she is also avoiding Asher and her classmates. Lily is a talented cellist who, like Asher, is excited about graduation and college. She considers her mother, "Ranger Mom," not just a "badass," but also her staunchest protector, defender, and friend. Indeed, Lily reveals how Ava, like Olivia, has proven that she will do whatever is necessary to take care of her daughter, shield her from harm, and help her lead a happy life, authentically. Because readers are informed immediately that Lily has died, getting to know her and understand her emotional journey is bittersweet, but exponentially more poignant and impactful. While Asher's future hangs in the balance, Lily's has been obliterated, leaving her mother grieving and, like Olivia, wondering if Asher could be capable of taking her only child's life, just as she was on the brink of attaining so many of her goals. Like Asher, Lily's relationship with her father has been troubled and she is estranged from him. She has even lied to Asher, telling him her father is dead in order to avoid explaining the reasons why he is no longer part of her life. She says, "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." At the beginning of their romance, there is more about Lily that Asher does not know, and Lily fears that if Asher learns the real reasons why she and her mother moved to Adams, their relationship will end.

Picoult is known for her skillful misdirection and shocking revelations, and Mad Honey is no exception. Readers are expertly drawn into Lily's compelling story, a big portion of which is, of course, focused on her relationship with Asher and its evolution. It is deeply moving, in no small part because Boylan flawlessly captures Lily's teen tone, style, and angst. Boylan deftly conveys Lily's emotional struggles, joys, and determination to navigate the world as her true self, buoyed by her mother's tireless and unconditional support. She also educates readers by setting forth information in a straight-forward manner that enhances readers' understandings of various issues and the practical ways in which they can be addressed. She and Picoult thoroughly enmesh readers in Lily's challenges before abruptly revealing, in dramatic fashion, one salient fact that decimates assumptions held up to that point and forces readers to view Lily's journey through a completely different lens. Which is, of course, the point. With knowledge of what Lily went through and who she was, Picoult and Boylan ask readers to see her in exactly the same way they did before they were made privy to private details about her.

In true Picoult fashion, Mad Honey is a clever and absorbing murder mystery featuring riveting courtroom scenes that is marred only by its predictable and, frankly, overused resolution. The story is punctuated with details about bees and beekeeping that parallel the action in the characters' lives, as well as a deeply touching and thought-provoking meditation on social issues. It is an examination of motherhood, depicted through the characters of Olivia and Ava, both of whom are called upon to stand firm in their convictions about and defense of their child. They have both "protected them from their fathers, giving enough love to spackle over the hate." They have sacrificed their own dreams in order to shield their children from physical and emotional abuse, as well as the aftermath thereof. Olivia is undergoing the unbelievably stressful experience of seeing a child accused of a heinous crime, facing possible imprisonment for life, and digging deep within her emotional resources to be balance the need to pragmatically evaluate the evidence and its implications against what she knows about the child raised. In contrast, there is nothing more Ava can do for her child except mourn and remember her, and hope that justice is served.

Mad Honey is also a thoughtful exploration of what it means to be one's true self and how hard that can be when others -- sometimes even those who should steadfastly accept and love us unconditionally -- refuse to accept us as we are. It's the candid and excruciatingly heartbreaking story of a girl who wanted most to be, and be seen and acknowledged as just that: a girl whose internal self-concept matched what she presented to the world. Through their characters, they ponder the concept of privacy vs. secrecy. "There is no set of rules that dictates what you owe someone you love. What parts of your past should be disclosed? . . . Where is the line between keeping something private, and being dishonest? What if the worst happens? What if honesty is the thing that breaks you apart?"

Boylan says that as the manuscript was nearly finalized, she was "dogged by two melancholy thoughts" that readers will undoubtedly share. First, for Ava who lost and will always miss her only child. But also for Lily, who will not go on to college or have all of the other wonderful life experiences to which young people look forward, in no small measure because far too many real girls like her are killed every year. But Boylan hopes that by telling Lily's story, she will "open hearts" and "shine a light on issues that you may have never thought about in this way before." For Picoult's part, she doesn't want readers to take anything away from reading Mad Honey. Rather, she wants readers "to give -- a chance, a thought, a damn. . . . [D]ifference 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." And that's the clear message imbued in Mad Honey, a book that should be required reading in every high school and college in America because that's the deceptively simple and quite timely point that Picoult and Boylan make through its characters.

What is the price one has to pay for being honest?
How to write a review about this book without any spoilers? I mean, this book was a intense read that just never stopped adding more and more suspenseful, thought provoking and unexpected events.
Was it a good read? Yes, it was for sure.
Was it a intense read? Yes, it absolutely is.
Did it bring up topics others may not like or want to read about? Yes, it does for sure.
Should you read it? Yes, you definitely should.
Will you learn a lot about bees? Yes, for sure you will.
Do I recommend this book? Yes I do.
With all the above said, I do have to say that I had a difficult time with the back and forth narration of the characters. By the middle of the book, I had started to get into the flow of it.
That’s about all I can say without giving too much about the story.
Definitely a book I could not put down.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

What a powerful duo in authorship! This book was nothing I expected and that was all the better. I was throughly swept away in the story and have already recommended it to several other readers. Thank you so much for an early copy!

This was a really good book. I liked it more than I thought I would. This book is about the relationship between two high school seniors, Asher and Lily. Asher and Lily are in love and they can't get enough of each other. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes and someone is left dead. Now with a murder trial happening, readers are left to wonder if the main character could of actually committed the murder. I found myself at times going between believing the main character was guilty or not guilty. In the end, someone is revealed to be trans which was a huge shocker for me, but non the less the outcome of this mystery is very pleasing.

Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we can’t always leave the past in the past.

Lily Campanello, has had to go through lots of things in her past, but her and her mom are hoping for a fresh start in Adams.

Olivia, moved back to Adams to run her family’s honey business after she realized that her and her son, Asher, were no longer safe with her husband. They moved to Adams for a fresh start.

Lily meets Asher and they instantly fall in love…but Lily is keeping a lot of secrets and Asher is hiding a dark side.

Olivia receives a phone call saying that Lily is dead and Asher is being questioned. Olivia knows that Asher is innocent, at least she thinks she knows…Asher is keeping a lot of secrets of his own.

Throughout the trial process, Olivia and Asher discover sides of themselves and each other.

Jodi Picoult has done it again…written and beautiful story that makes you really think of how you would handle these situations. I always enjoy her books because they make me evaluate my feelings on subjects that are so relevant in today’s society.

The characters were great. The storyline was compelling. And we even learned a bit about the honey business in the process.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

MAD HONEY brings in a myriad of topics in a rather longish book: transgender issues, murder, parent-child relationships, and even beekeeping, with a twist that takes you by complete surprise. I usually love Jodi's books but think the collaboration with author/trans activist Jennifer Finney Boylan did not work in the seamless fashion they'd hoped for.

I enjoy Jodi Picoult’s writing and loved reading Wish You Were Here and The Book Of Two Ways!

Mad Honey was such a different read from her previous read but in a good way. This mystery thriller was so realistic. Olivia, Lily, Asher all the characters were likable and fully developed. This book and story shook me to my core. Suspense buildout was gradual and kept me engaged throughout! I highly recommend this book!

Thank you random house, Ballantine books and NetGalley for the gifted galley.