Jennifer Finney Boylan recalls that she had a dream about writing this story with Jodi Picoult, and when she mentioned the dream to Picoult, collaboration gifted us with this timely, heartbreaking book.
Olivia, young zoologist from New Hampshire meets Braden, a med student, when her blind date is a no show, and at first, Braden seems perfect, We learn that Olivia is great at keeping secrets.
We read that she is raising her teenaged son Asher, at her family's New Hampshire farm, and earns her living as a beekeeper.
Picoult always immerses herself in subject matter, and the beautifully lyrical way she and Finney Boylan describe the relationship with the bees, the magical movements of the bees and their keeper, along with lore about honey, Olivia's talent and vocation add to the poignant beauty of the story.
The stories of her son, his girlfriend, Lily, and the traumatic pasts that both women kept a secret intersect in a tragedy that ultimately tells us that being our authentic selves often comes at a great, personal cost.
I've never read a Picoult book that didn't make me think, feel or marvel at her storytelling gift and research. Finney Boylan adds a tangible complexity to the prose and story. This is a book that needed to be written, and it will be on my unforgettable book shelf. Read, feel and learn.

Jodi Picoult's books are a work of art! I love how well-written each of Jodi's books are. I've been a fan ever since My sister's keeper. Mad Honey is another book that makes you question how things are.

As the title implies, one of the story's central characters is a beekeeper. If you're allergic like me it can be a stressful subject. Luckily I'm also a longtime gardner and understand that without the bees our food chain is at risk. The structure and care of the bee hives was obviously well researched and woven beautifully throughout the story.
This is a thought provoking mystery which alternates between family and friends in the case surrounding Lily's untimely and suspicious death. It spans several years before, during and after her boyfriend, Asher, discovers her lifeless body.
Olivia (Liv) is a beekeeper in a small town in New Hampshire. She's divorced from Braden, Asher's father. The dynamics of that past is layered with dark secrets and painful memories.
Lily and her Mom, Ava, are new to the area, running from their own hurt filled past. Those hidden revelations took me by surprise, were unexpected, even somewhat emotionally difficult to read about.
Asher and Lily fall in love hard and fast. Their relationship goes up and down, on and off again. His childhood best friend, Maya, quickly becomes Lily's best friend, too.
Without giving away spoilers, the plot involves a suspense filled court trial. The legal case was engrossing, hold your breath drama. There was very technical and complicated testimony given by witnesses. The ending and resolution had many twists, most of my predictions and theories weren't anywhere close to the mark.
The book addresses hard issues, it's current and timely, touching, heart crushing and it gave me insight. It was not a fast read, as I had to pause and reflect frequently about whether I have any similar personal biases and predisposed prejudices towards others. I pray not!
Ms. Picoult is an author I've been longing to read and Ms. Boylan was new to me. Their collaboration was seamless and I would recommend the book to others.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance digital copy of "Mad Honey" by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, and to Ballantine Books. These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

Wow. Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan create a seamless work of two authors in Mad Honey. It was amazing. I couldn't put it down. Truly was on a roller coaster of emotions, and audibly gasped at many points. This is definitely a front-runner for a book of the year choice in my book. Absolutely must read.

Mad Honey is written by the dynamic writing team of Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. Two words come to mind when I think of this book: read it! Not only is it an insightful message the world needs to hear, but it is also heart-grabbing, raw and emotional. The writing is intense and eye-opening, so don't miss it!

Synopsis:
Lily Campanello is the new girl at school. She is looking for a fresh start when she meets Asher. With Asher, Lily feels comfortable and happy. In Asher's eyes, Lily is incredibly pretty, loving and smart. As the couple falls in love, everything seems idyllic until Lily dies and Asher is accused of murdering her.

Mad Honey is a deeply moving story that will touch your soul. Despite reading over 200 hundred books this year, this one stood out. Mad Honey is a powerful story that will change the way we see the world.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is available on October 4th.

5 Huge ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a standing ovation to the authors!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine, Ballantine Books, for sharing this incredible novel with me! I love every page of it!

I loved this book at about 3 pages in. I didn’t know really anything about it before starting, other than it probably was about bees. I loved the dual perspectives but Lily’s timeline went back and forward again and it was hard to know where things in Lily’s life stood (IE: had they left her father, what school was she at). Otherwise this is another hit by Jodi P and her Twitter-found writing partner. I’m glad that story was included.

This book has left me gutted. Rare 5 stars.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but If I had, it would have surpassed them. Poignant, emotional, and totally believable. Completely relevant in the days we are living in, yet the elements of insecurity, abuse and nature vs. nurture are timeless.

As much as I want to say much more, I don’t want to spoil it for others. The book packs a powerful message that stays with the reader long after the ending. I learned a lot by reading this, I hope everyone takes something away from it as well.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This book truly has it all! There is romance, suspense, friendships, parenting. I love Jodi Picoult, and this book did not disappoint. This book is for everyone!

There is no way to provide details without spoilers. Don’t read anyone’s review. Just look at the ratings and go grab a copy of this book .Now!!

This is another great from favorite writer Jodi Piccoult, co-authored with Jennifer Finney Boylan. Ultimately this story is about becoming the people we want and need to be, and how much of that past gets left behind.
I am a beekeeper, so of course was drawn to this book from the title alone. At times I find Piccoult's books a little too rich in scientific data, but this one held just the right amount without overdoing it. I never did really catch the connection between the bees to the rest of the story, and maybe there wasn't one beyond it being what character Olivia did for work.
I had no idea where this book would ultimately lead, so I'm hesitant to say too much, but it will definitely take you in unexpected directions.
Thoughtfully written, you can't go wrong with this one.
Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this pre-publication novel in exchange for an honest review.

Mad Honey is the story of Lily and Asher, and the tragedy that falls on their high school relationship. It's the story of people who are different from the crowd and the prejudice that seems to prevail. I enjoyed reading this book, and it certainly had the "character" of other Jodi Picoult books. I read it record time, wondering how this issue would be solved, and actually was a little disappointed in the ending, which I found it to be a little predictable. Mad Honey should be categorized as "Young Adult" reading in my opinion, because it focuses on teen problems.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Mad Honey.

Wow our authors did a great job! I feel like Picoult’s last couple books have been huge wins for me. They usually have a fantastic combination of legal matters or cases, a moral and/or ethical component, and relationship issues. They are also always very thought provoking. This particular one was written with Jennifer Finney Boylan. If you have any topics you avoid I would recommend pulling up trigger warnings, I won’t list them specifically here to avoid potential spoilers. I’m very glad I went into this fairly blind because then when a large part of the story line was introduced it wasn’t something I already knew about.

We know from Goodreads that the book synopsis says “A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind …
Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life … was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back … in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business. Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start. And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross … Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead … Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.”

A fact about me is I’ve always wanted to be an apiarist/beekeeper to support the bee population and help pollination efforts. So I was sucked right into this. There were facts galore, and not ones in other bee books that you may have already read. It was super interesting and factual, while being fiction. That aside the story line was amazing and I thought the characters were incredible. I truly did not want it to end and did not want to be done with it. It is seamless and in my opinion there is no way to know that it was written by two authors. It never felt disjointed or like multiple voices which I think isn’t always an easy task. I think the sensitive topics in this story were handled very well and really challenges the reader, in a good way, to think about the topics at hand. I didn’t want to put this down and I throughly enjoyed it.

Many thanks to our authors and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with an advanced eGalley copy of the book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This will be published tentatively on October 11th, 2022 per the eARC and October 4th, 2022 per Goodreads. I hope if you choose to read it you enjoy it also.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan was incredible! This book took me a minute to get into. It’s not fluff and there’s back story and multiple narrators. Oh and it is long. But at the end I wished I had another thousand pages to read. This book is a mash up: part love story, part court case, and part family drama. It feels so timely and well crafted. Worth a read and a preorder. This book has so much room for discussion and self reflection.

I don't even read the summary when I see Jodi Picoult's name... I will purchase right away. Wow- this book was beautiful and heart breaking in one. Olivia starts her life over again in NH (with her young son) by taking over her father's job as a beekeeper. Asher, her now teenage son falls in love with a girl named Lily who is also having a new start in her life. The book goes back and forth between Olivia & Lily's perspective- both their history and present day. When Lily is found dead and Asher is the #1 suspect, Olivia starts to question everything in her life. A truly remarkable story!

This book was so good. I could not put it down when I started it. I didn't like her last 2 books, so this was a good change-up back to her old writing style. So much so I could not tell which author wrote which chapter in this book.

Wow! Jodi Picoult does it again! I don't think I have ever read a Picoult book I didn't like. This one was no different, very unique and the switching POVs was perfect to keep me captivated and into the story. I really enjoyed this one even though it wasn't very typical of Picoult. Highly recommend!

I went into this book blind. I’m glad I did. I had faith in the authors ability to engross me with her words. And I was not disappointed! This book was an incredible journey. And I learned so many things about subjects I knew very little of. I believe this book should be read by everyone.
Olivia’s story was heartbreaking as was Ava’s. I really felt a connection to their characters as protective mothers.
All the heartbreak was gut wrenching but worth it to read such a great story

Read this book!!
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book before it’s release.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Once again, Jodi Picoult hits it out of the ballpark! She is such an intuitive author and writes about topics/events that are being discussed, analyzed and sometimes vilified in our country. She is not afraid to write about controversial topics (to some people) to make the reader think and share their viewpoints/opinions with others. I do not want to talk much about the plot because the bombshell comes halfway in the book and I don't want to spoil it for any readers.
I read most of this book in one day and didn't get anything done around the house because I had to know what was going to happen. So timely...

I enjoyed learning about beekeeping and making honey. It was very interesting.

Jodi always shut with hard subject and this was no different. A mothers love despite knowing what her son could posses his close to home

Since this book is a collaboration I was not sure it would deliver the Picoult punch, no disappointment here. Additionally, I was introduced to an author unfamiliar to me, Ms. Boylan. Social issues are rampant throughout the novel and they provide a rich narrative for the characters. The lawyer from Nineteen Minutes is back and he is woven seamlessly into the drama creating a defense once again. A bee keeper is prominent as a lead character so a great deal of information on bees goes on throughout the novel. Book clubs will love discussing the parallels between bees and themes in the book. This is a novel that will resonate to many groups and it will spark discussions on many topics. An excellent read that is highly recommended by this reviewer.
Thank you Netgalley.