Oh my godddd, Jodi never fails to blow me out of the water! I was hooked from the start. This story is riveting, heartbreaking and eye opening.

This book gave me much needed insight into the struggles and joys of living as a transgender woman. How exhausting it must be to fight to exist as who you are in the world. How scary it must be to lose those you love over something so personal, so foundational to who you are.

A must read.

Without a doubt, another amazingly powerful read by @jodipicoult and @jenniferfinneyboylan. I don’t want to say too much, but I was blown away by the reveal at about the 50% mark. Picoult’s reveals drop out of no where and literally leave me sitting there in shock.

In similar fashion with Picoult’s well-researched novels, I learned so much from reading this one. The beekeeping facts were extremely interesting.

You know I love a good dual timeline. My only problem with this one was that the different flashbacks were so long, I forgot what had been going on in the present when those chapters returned.

Despite that, I HIGHLY recommend reading this one. Please be warned that there is domestic abuse portrayed that could definitely be triggering to some.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult; Jennifer Finney Boylan is one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and it did not disappoint! I enjoyed the book very much, from the characters to the courtroom drama to the bees and the twist that took the book in a completely different direction.

Olivia McAfee is a single mother to Asher. Olivia and Asher moved to Adams New Hampshire, Olivia’s hometown when Asher was six years old. Olivia’s father kept bees, and Olivia returned to continue the business as well as escape the horrors of her marriage to a cardiac surgeon in Boston. Lily Campanello recently arrived in Adams, with her mother to escape a terrible situation back in California. Lily’s mother, Ava is a Forest Ranger, and also a single mother.

Asher and Lily start dating and fall in love. One day, Olivia gets a phone call from her son, telling her he’s in jail for the murder of Lily. Olivia can’t believe her son could or would do anything to hurt Lily, but in the back of her mind, she remembers the terrible temper of Asher’s father and the few times she had a glimpse of that temper in Asher.

I really enjoyed this one! I loved the courtroom drama, the little bits of information about the bees, and the small-town charm of Adams, NH. But most of all, I loved the characters. Two strong single mothers, Olivia and Ava, both sacrificed their own wishes and lives to ensure their children were safe and protected. Their strength and selflessness shine in this book, and I loved both of them.

Next is Asher and Lily, who both fall in love, and there is nothing like first love. They are each other’s strengths and support each other, their relationship seems solid until Lily is murdered, and the only suspect is Asher. Lily's murder takes place early in the story, but we get flashbacks to her life back in California and her relationship with Asher throughout the book.

My favorite part of this was the courtroom scenes, I was on the edge of my seat each time a witness took the stand, as the tide of the case went back and forth in Asher’s favor and then against Asher. And it’s during the courtroom scenes that we learn so much about their relationship.

I also enjoyed all the trivia about the bees. I have 2 beehives in my backyard, and I still learned a lot about them from this book. But, more importantly, I liked how the bee trivia related to what was going on in the book. It was clever how the authors used the bee information and tied it into the story.

I will be thinking of this book, and these characters for a long time to come. I highly recommend Mad Honey to anyone who enjoys fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Comes out 10/4/22.

Please, please be careful when you look at reviews for this book. A massive spoiler to this book was just casually mentioned in someone’s review and it’s infuriating. THIS will be a spoiler free review.

Olivia is a Bee Farmer. She moves back home with her 6 yo son, Asher, after a really rough start to her marriage. Asher thrives in her hometown. He plays hockey, does well in school and the girls love him but he’s never smitten until Lily arrives senior year of high school. She takes his breath away. They date and fall in love. Then one day he comes over to her house because she’s been home sick and is not answering his texts and she’s at the base of the staircase - dead. Suddenly, Asher is being tried for murder.

A lot of this book takes place in a courtroom, with Olivia, her brother Jordan who comes home to be Asher’s attorney. The other piece of this book is Lily’s life with her Mother and how she ended up in this small town. We go back and forth *a lot* and sometimes it’s choppy because of it. We also talk about bees and honey a lot but I actually love that piece.

I hesitated between 3 and 4 stars but this book is haunting and challenging me. And I love a book that does that.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for this advanced copy through NetGalley. This gave me all the feels, and I’ve always had an interest in courts and law; so it definitely peaked my interest. It was flawless and unable to notice there were two authors splitting the storyline.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine as well as the fabulous authors for this ARC. Superb as usual.
#NetGalley #RandomHouseBallantine #MadHoney
Oh my goodness! This book was amazing! Jodi Picoult is the master of handling difficult subjects with respect and heart. This book is no exception. It covers suicide, abude, murder, abortion and even some gender and LBGTQ+ . This book is about the lives of two different women crossing in several ways and not all of them good. This story features many twists and turns. It kept me reading almost compulsively. I would expect nothing less from Ms. Picoult. Her companion author on this book, Jennifer Finney Boylan, is unfamiliar to me but I’m intrigued to read more from her. I did notice a slight difference in the writing style. I also liked how much I learned about bees and beekeeping.
Trigger warnings should come in neon on the cover of this book. At times, it seemed like the drama was a little overwhelming. Be advised when reading this book.
Even with the trigger warnings, I highly recommend this powerful book. Just have something a little lighter to read when done.

I loved this book, as I’ve loved all of Jodi Picoult's writing. This book had a similar vibe as many of her books; contemporary issues- trans high schoolers, violent relationships, acceptance.
I read this book in just two days. At first, I was intrigued learning all about beekeepers and the life of bees. As the story moved on, we meet Olivia, a mom who escaped a violent marriage and her son Asher. Asher’s girlfriend , Lily, and his long time friend, Maya. They live in a small town, where the kids go to high school and ice hockey is the big game in town. I really can’t share too much more of the story, without giving it away. Just know that this is not a book about high school love or love gone wrong. It teaches the reader about bees ( yes, I learned some interesting info), and the journey of a trans youth. There are abusive relationships, loving characters, warm families and a death in this, story. As expected, Picoult, along with Boylan, has another best seller !
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for this arc in return for my honest review.

Jodi Picoult has a knack for writing about current issues with sensitivity while simultaneously educating the reader about conflicting points of view on the topic. When I saw that she had partnered with Jennifer Finney-Boylan, author of She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders, I was excited to read the product of two such cutting edge authors. Mad Honey was so engrossing that I actually found myself dreaming about the characters and how the novel could possibly end. I was not at all disappointed.

Told from the perspective of Olivia, whose son has been arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, and Lily, the murdered girl who tells her own story moving backward in time, I could not stop thinking about what was happening. Readers should be aware of trigger warnings for domestic abuse and transphobia, which are interspersed throughout. The storyline also includes a ton of information about bees and beekeeping, as that is Olivia's occupation.

Character development is a strong-suit in Picoult's novels, and the writing of Finney-Boylan meshes seamlessly with hers. It is near impossible to tell which character was written by whom, though they do spill the beans in the author's notes (and each wrote one chapter from the others' perspective). I challenge anyone to avoid letting this one get under your skin!

I’m new to Picoult despite her large following and I think at least one book turned movie. With that said, I was excited to receive this ARC as my intro to such a well loved author. However, Mad Honey felt like a Lifetime movie with too many reveals and not enough depth. Every woman is a victim and all of the men oozed with toxic masculinity. Felt dated and droned on in parts. The ending was aggressively stupid and the book could have been a hundred pages less, easily.

The only pros were the bees and the discussion on trans lives. With that said, I kept wishing I was instead watching a documentary about bees.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Single mother Olivia, a beekeeper, lives with her son, Asher, handsome athletic hero of the high school hockey team. When single mother, Ava, who works for the Parks Department, moves to town with her daughter Lily, the two offspring quickly fall for each other. Lily is found dead and Asher is soon charged with murder. Olivia steadfastly supports her son, but comes to wonder if perhaps he has some of the same traits as his abusive father, from whom she escaped.

The co-writers tell the story from two points of view, Lily’s and Olivias, and two different times frames, before and after.

As with many of Picoult’s novels, this touches on some very important topics including gender identity, domestic abuse, the vulnerability of women, suicide. It is poignant, sensitive and enlightening. There are meaningful discussions of bigotry, all the ways people can be horrible to each other, and how people often hate what they can’t or refuse to understand.

As always, Picoult’s research is thorough and readers learn some interesting and diverse info. This time, the topic is beekeeping and the many benefits of honey.

I found the first half of the book to be a bit of a drag. The second half kept me fully engrossed and unable to put it down. My only problem with the book was how convenient it was for Olivia to have a recently retired brother who had been a successful criminal attorney and was available to handle Asher’s case 24/7. Most people don’t have that advantage.

Make sure you read the authors’ notes at the end.

If only the authors could perform magic and transform some the haters out there…..

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, I was provided an ARC of Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

*****Publishing October 4, 2022*****


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️Olivia and Asher move back to her family’s farm in New Hampshire after her father died of a heart attack. She has to take over the bee hives as no one else in her family has the knowledge. When Asher is a senior in high school, he dates Lily. Asher as a Christmas present for Lily surprises her with her estranged dad. Lily is upset, is offended, and can’t believe he has done that. After that meetup, Lily is out of school because she is sick and refuses to respond to Asher’s text. When Asher goes to check on her, he finds her dead at the bottom of the stairs. But is it what it appears? Did he really kill her or was he the one who just found her? Will he be accused of murder? A deeply emotional story that will have you turning pages to find out Asher’s fate.

Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan take heavy hitting/controversial topics and weave them into a powerful story. It’s not an easy read and very emotional. Not a book that everyone would enjoy, but would make for a great book club pick!

It's fitting that I'm reviewing this novel now, as Rosh Hashanah starts next week and we'll be having a lot of honey during that time (mainly for dipping apples). Honey features prominently into this novel as Olivia is a beekeeper. At one point, she actually talks about what "mad honey" is and why you don't want to eat it.

I thought Mad Honey would be like The Pact, but it is definitely different. The one thing these books have in common, however, is Jordan McAfee. He's my favorite of Jodi Picoult's lawyers and I'm so glad he's back! This time it's personal for him, as well.

I loved that two writers collaborated on this novel and it was great seeing their thoughts come together. I was fascinated to learn that they each wrote a chapter for the character they weren't normally working with. It was seamless and I couldn't tell which chapter that was for each. Jodi and Jennifer Finney Boylan are a great team and I hope they will team up again in the future.

There were some interesting surprises that I didn't see coming at all. I loved that about this novel. I really liked how Lily's story went backward in time, similar to how Jodi wrote A Spark of Light and Songs of the Humpback Whale. It was interesting to put the pieces together along with what was happening in the present. One of the storylines made me think of a situation from Virgin River, as well.

While I learned a lot about beekeeping, it was hard to visualize what they were actually doing. It would have been nice to have some photos of hives and how things work.

Overall, this novel was really heartfelt and thought-provoking. It releases in early October, so be sure to run to the bookstore as soon as it does (or hop online and pre-order it so it's in your mailbox that day).

Movie casting suggestions:
Olivia: Marley Shelton
Ava: Gabrielle Miller
Jordan: Timothy Olyphant
Selena: Gabrielle Union
Mike: Chris Messina
Braden: Victor Webster
Gina: Julie Ann Emery
Judge Byers: Lorraine Toussaint
I'd prefer new actors be cast in the teen roles as I had a hard time visualizing who should play them.

A beautiful story wonderfully narrated. Asher and Lily are teenagers in love and doing stuff that teenagers typically do when Lily suddenly dies and Asher is implicated in the crime. Asher's mom Olivia and Lily's mom - both single mothers with rocky marriages in their past are drawn into the fray. You begin to think its going to be a courtroom drama when there is that classic Jodi Picoult twist.

I went into this novel blind without even reading what its about because its authored by Jodi Picoult. She is one of my favourite authors for poignant, thought-provoking family drama and I wasn't about to pass up a chance to read an advance copy. This is how I suggest you read it for maximum impact - without reading the back cover or the reviews or knowing anything about the story at all. The book is co-authored by Jennifer Finney Boylan and its fantastic the way their writing styles have been a seamless meld. The book deals with various contemporary issues affecting teenagers and their families today in classic Jodi style, the secret lives they lead and how we never know what goes on in their head. It leaves you thinking long after you have turned the last page.

I don't want to do any spoilers at all hence I will not say any more about this except that if there is one book you will read in October it has got to be this one.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC.

I was provided a free advanced copy of this book by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I have been a big fan of Jodi Picoult for many years and have almost read all of her books! This one is her first collaboration with a non-relative, and in typical Picoult fashion, takes on some difficult subjects.
The story is told from two perspectives, and one of them is in reverse. Olivia was in an abusive marriage, but found the strength to break away when her son was six, to give him a better life. Now, years later, he is a senior in high school and finds his girlfriend dead in her home. When he is arrested and accused of her murder, Olivia struggles with the thought of losing her son and questions if he may have inherited a violence from his father. Lily, is the new kid in town, and the victim in this story. We find out about her life through her own voice, in a reverse timeline. As things are revealed in the trial we get to see how she dealt with those circumstances when they happened. There was a pretty big twist that I didn't see coming, although maybe I should have (I was not familiar with Jennifer Finney Boylan before this book).
It was definitely an interesting read and kept my attention the whole time. The story talks a lot about identity in who we show to others, who people think we are, and who we really are. Do we really know our best friend, son/daughter, sister, or neighbor?
I also enjoyed learning more about bees and beekeeping, and look forward to trying out some of the recipes at the end!
If you are a fan of Picoult I would definitely add this one to your list! If you have not had the pleasure of reading any of hers I'd recommend Songs of the Humpback Whale, Leaving Time, and/or Small Great Things to start with. And you should have time to read some of those before this as it's not planned to be published until 4 October!
#NetGalley #MadHoney

Jodi Picoult does it again! She takes a current, controversial topic and makes you question all your feelings on it! It's going to hard writing a review though without giving it away but it's an explosive reveal in the book so I'm going to try not to spoil it!

Mad Honey tells a story from the viewpoints of Olivia, a beekeeper who moved back to her childhood home with her son, Asher, to escape her abusive husband and Lily, a teenager who has become involved romantically with Asher. When Lily is found dead in Asher's arms and he's accused of murder, Olivia must decide if Asher is more like his dad than she ever believed possible or if this is the result of a terrible accident or suicide! What secrets is Lily keeping about her past? And, is it possible that someone else was involved in her death?

Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan have written a great novel that will make you think and leave you guessing till the end! The biggest drawback of the book is all the metaphors, bees, the cello, fencing...they just seem to go on and on! I would have enjoyed the book more with about 5 less chapters involving the metaphors. Otherwise, an interesting read that kept me intrigued!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jodi Picoult is my all time favorite female writer. Her books always have strong emotion and impactful lessons. This was a very fast and thought provoking read. I hope these authors collab again!

Loved this book. Liked the different voices. Not to be missed.

Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Hands down one of the best books I've read in a long time! My jaw dropped twice in astonishment at the nature of two major plot twists and I burst out in tears once. This book surprised me, educated me, and made me feel so...intensely. The storyline was intricately woven, the many different aspects of this novel were clearly well-researched, and the authors' writing styles fit together seamlessly. The characters were well-developed and deeply compelling. I am recommending it to all my friends and hoping that all of our bookclubs at the library will read this book. While it may push some of our patrons out of their comfort zone, I am certain it will generate some excellent and important discussions.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I have struggled the last few days on how to write this review without giving too much away.

Well, Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Boylan have knocked it out of the park with this one.

I love that the book is told from two viewpoints. Olivia and Lily. Olivia's story moves forward in time and Lily's moves backwards and eventually you have the whole story.

Olivia's son, Asher, is dating Lily and when she turns up dead, Asher is suspected of killing her. Jordan McAffe, from previous JP books is back as Olivia's brother and Asher's attorney.

Then there is the twist. This was a "Holy F$%k" type of twist, I surely didn't see coming. The authors challenge your thinking and morals with this one and touches on several timely topics. I wish I could say more about this but I don't want to give it away.

As the story unfolds, you see Olivia and Lily's side to the story and see why the issue is not all black and white. Everyone has secrets and when and how we tell them is important.

I’ve ruminated on this review for quite some time. I am still conflicted on my thoughts on it. However, it’s not something that has stayed in my mind. The book was easily forgotten.

I appreciate what the authors tried to do. There should be more representation in books (Trying to avoid spoilers). But I don’t think this was a look at responsible parenting. Lily needed more support than she was given. I had a very hard time feeling invested in her storyline. To be honest, other than Jordan, I didn’t like any of the characters. I didn’t care for the bee metaphors and storyline woven in.

I enjoyed the return to the courtroom that made me fall in love with Jodi Picoult, but this isn’t one that I would list in my favorites.


I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.