What can I say about this book that will do it justice? I felt exhausted after I finished it but didn't want it to end. As with every other Jodi Picoult novel I have ever read I finished this book with a new view on something I honestly had not thought much about before, the transgender community. I feel like I learned so much. This story was so much bigger than just that though. I felt drawn to every character and loved each story. And I had no idea that she wrote it along with Jennifer Boylan!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I loved the two character viewpoints and how while Olivia’s went linearly forward, Lily’s went backward leading up to her death. It was a very cool way to include both characters’ perspectives. The two characters also felt like they could’ve been written by the same author, which is not always the case with novels with two authors.

I love how Jodi Picoult very clearly researches and includes a ton of information about certain topics (in this case, bees and beekeeping) and in this case, I found it to be successful and interesting.

There was clearly a lot of research and information on other topics in here as well, but I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t go into more detail.

Overall? Very well-written, with well-developed, believable and relatable characters.

I am a fan of Jodi Picoult books, and have read every one. This book is very timely, but truly controversial.
I think many readers are too conservative for the topics included. A trans- gender main character. I understand
that Ms. Picoult writes about issues that face us. However, I am not sure that we are ready for a book like this one.
Very graphic information on what being trans-gender involves physically.
I loved the information about the bees, but sadly can't recommend this book.

This book about a son accused of murder was very thought-provoking. The writing process of both Picoult and Boylan made this book even more interesting. They seemed to try to cram a lot of topics into this book: transgender, abuse, recovery.

I absolutely LOVED this book! As usual Jodi Picoult (this time in collaboration with Jennifer Finney Boylan) is very topical in her theme, and hits it right on the mark with Mad Honey. I'd give it 10 stars if I could, but I guess I have to settle for 5.

Asher and Lily are teens in love. As with all teens, they each have secrets and things are not always what they seem. Lily is new to Adams, a small New Hampshire town, and Asher has been there since his mom Olivia, a beekeeper, fled an abusive relationship when he was young. But Adams is Olivia's hometown and the roots are deep. As a newcomer Lily is still something of an outsider.

Olivia fled a seemingly successful live in Boston for the safety and comfortable remoteness of Adams. She's taken over her parents successful beekeeping operation and her primary goal is to keep Asher safe from his abusive father. It's a comfortable rewarding life until Olivia receives a call that Asher is in jail....for the possible murder of Lily.

In Mad Honey Picoult and Boylan explore how things really aren't what they seem on the surface: relationships, who you can trust, where you are safe and whether those you think you know best are who you think they are. I couldn't put Mad Honey down, and the startling turns and revelations kept my turning the pages far into the night. You don't want to miss this book and you'll want to read it again as soon as you finish it! Mad Honey is a great story and a fantastic book!

This book reminded me why I love Jodi Picoult. And I’m looking forward to reading more by Boylan.
The characters are complex and relatable, and the story is so engaging. And so important and timely. Just read this book. You will like it!

Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan collaborate on this powerful new novel that reminds me of Picoult’s early works. The family drama and mystery tied in with the courtroom drama are what longtime readers of Picoult love. This is the story of Olivia, a beekeeper and single mom to Asher who is accused of killing his girlfriend Lily.

This book may not be for everyone with topics of abuse, suicide, and grappling with LGBTQ identity issues. However, I *highly* recommend it to fans of Picoult, who as we all know, manages to hold us all accountable to important issues facing us in society today. Picoult writes the character of Olivia, and Jennifer Finney Boylan writes the point of view of Lily. Olivia tells the story from the day of Lily's death moving forward in time, Lily's voice moves us back in time so readers can see what happened leading up to her death.

I loved this book. LOVED. I will be thinking about it for a long time. Bravo. I can't wait to talk to others about it. Also. How did I miss that @jodipicoult has a reoccurring character with defense attorney Jordan McAfee? He’s back for the courtroom drama to defend his nephew.

Thanks to #netgalley and #ballantinebooks for an advance copy of #madhoney in exchange for a review.

Unpopular opinion. Ive seen many great reviews. Ehhh, this was my first Jodi Picoult novel. I think I was expecting more from this. I think if you have no expectations going into this book and if you are already a fan of hers, you will probably like this one.
I did like the information on the bees! That sort of stuff is a bit fascinating to me but I don’t believe it was needed in such detail for the story. Which, for me, just led to other details only being skim worthy. I couldn’t find myself invested in the story. I thought there were too many plot holes and didn’t enjoy the final conclusion of the story. Maybe this one just isn’t for everyone, but if you like the newer coming to age stories with a bit of suspense, you might like it better than me.

I am typically a big fan of Jodi Picoult. The set-up for this story was compelling and had me hooked from the start. I loved the first half of this book; the character development, the timeline of events, the display of real and raw emotions. I truly enjoyed learning about the art of beekeeping. But after “the twist” at 50%, I felt that the whole tone changed.

The emotions explored, the life experiences shared, were all realistically portrayed. Yet I could not help but feel that the writing became heavy-handed, and almost preachy. I find it extremely hard to believe that “the twist” would not have already been discovered. The ending was suddenly predictable, and the storyline was far less interesting. I did not enjoy Lily’s backward storyline, and I felt the book was a bit longer than it needed to be.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a fabulous read! Mad Honey definitely took me on a whirlwind while reading it, and was so hard to put down. I will say that there are a lot of triggering events in this book like suicide, domestic violence, abortion, and gender equality. With that being said, I felt like I was taught an important lesson in each event and gained a perspective I didn’t have before. So many twists and turns throughout this book that I did not expect for Jodi Picoult! I even enjoyed learning about the bees.

I especially loved how they tied in the recipes at the end and loved the authors notes (which I don’t normally enjoy!) I would never have guessed this book was co-written. It flowed together seamlessly for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc copy.

I have read every single one of Jodi Picoult’s books. Her earlier books are my favorite, especially Nineteen Minutes. I was so happy to see that Jordan Mcafee was going to be returning in Mad Honey, that is until I remembered that Picoult has broken my heart in every Mcafee book. This one was no different. Mad Honey is a tour de force, a heartbreaking, necessary story to be told. I don’t want to give spoilers so it’s hard to discuss but I learned a lot about the main topic that is part of this book. It was handled with sensitivity and the clear voice of wanting to educate. Jennifer Finney Boylan is the co-writer and her writing meshed seamlessly with Picoult’s. The main characters, Olivia and Lily both are exceptional and the way they are written, I felt as if I had always known them. I can’t say enough good things about this. Also, once again, Picoult has done extensive research into a topic, this time, it’s bees. It was fascinating and never overwhelming. Mad Honey gets 5 stars from me.

This novel is great! It gets back to the suspense that I really liked in Jodi's works. I feel like this is a riveting novel that focuses on a death of a young woman. There are multiple people involved and the stories all weave together. There are twists and turns until the end that kept me entertained and wanting more!

This review may contain spoilers






Let me start off by saying TRIGGER WARNINGS
Self harm, domestic violence, transphobic bullying to the point of sexual assault

This story was exactly what I needed before I realized I needed it. It has a little bit of everything; romance, court room drama, mystery, resilience,survival & some really fun facts!

I really enjoyed this book because it has such a real time feel for me. I could really understand what each character was thinking and feeling while I was reading, almost as though I was there with them. The characters were very relatable. Asher reminded me so much of my little brother it was hard at some points to bring me back to reality & remind myself this is fiction.
I love a book that has strong, independent women and this one was 3! I was not expecting the twist at all & the Hail Mary witness was incredible. I thought I knew who the murderer was from the beginning but I was NOT expecting that confession at all.
Overall, this story was very good; one I will think back to for many years. I do think that there needs to be some mention of the tiggers for the book though.
Ps I can’t wait to try the recipes 😋

I haven't had the best luck with Jodi Picoult in the past. In the past, I have found her concepts interesting and I enjoy the way that she researches her subjects in detail, but I tend to find that the books drag on or lose me in their execution.

I had a much better time with this one. I think this collaboration with Jennifer Finney Boylan was done really well. First, in the sense that I think it was the right choice to pair up with a trans author who could capture the experience with first-hand eyes. Second, it was done in such a smooth way that I would not have known two authors worked on this together.

The characters, setting, and (unfortunately) many plot points felt extremely real and tugged on my heart strings. At first I questioned the choice to tell Lily's story backwards, but after I finished I appreciated it more. Ultimately I didn't LOVE a piece of the conclusion, but overall it was a really captivating story that kept me reading.

I happened to witness the genesis of this book on twitter years ago, as I follow both authors there, and I've been eagerly awaiting the end result ever since. MAD HONEY does not disappoint. Take everything you've ever loved about Jodi Picoult's work, add the unflinching take of a coauthor whose life experience informs a lead character in beautiful, heart-wrenching ways, and the result is a master class in storytelling. (Mad respect to Jennifer Finney Boylan for starting it all almost on a whim—and carrying it through with such brilliant purpose and intention.) MAD HONEY will open your eyes, challenge what you think you know, and change your mind again and again. I couldn't put it down, and I won't soon forget it.

This phenomenally written book by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan deserves all the accolades. It is extremely well written and well researched. For a book written by 2 authors it's difficult to tell who wrote which parts. It is an extremely well done collaboration. At the beginning of this story, I thought it was only about the outcome of domestic violence for someone who had been exposed at a young age. It's so much more than that. Jodi P8xoult is a master of unexpected story twists but this book had more than one and it caught me com0letely by surprise right up until the end. As a teacher, I'd be proud to share this book with my students and I plan to buy a classroom copy when it comes out in paperback. I highly recommend this novel to any and all.

This definitely reminded me of early Jodi Picoult. The twist had me SHOOK. I was worried ab it being co-authored but it worked so well and blended seemlessly. Loved it.

Escaping abusive husbands, two women end up in New Hampshire where their children, Asher and Lily, meet and fall in love. After an argument between the two, Lily lies dead, with Asher hovering over her. He is arrested and the trial that follows opens avenues of debate. Could Asher have inherited his father’s abusive nature? Could Lily’s secret, once revealed, result in her murder? Gender identity is an underlying issue. Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finley Boylan, using flashback upon flashback, provide the reader with answers and perhaps an understanding of the lives of these victims. Against their sorrow and loss, we read about bee raising and the roles of the colony members. Their fragility can be compared to the characters who tend to them and use their products.. In the hands of good storytellers we are enlightened in this study of ethics and find a deeper understanding of a complex existence.

It's not until your almost halfway through the book do you realize the real subject matter of the book and by that point you are so invested in the characters and their stories that no matter what your opinion would have been on the main subject you find yourself re-evaluating your previously held opinions. I loved the book and read it overnight I just couldn't put it down. Would make a great book club read.

My Heart Strings! When i finished this book, I hadn't realized I had been holding my breath. Jodi Picoult has a knack for covering deep topics that make you think. This was my first Jennifer Finney Boylan book and I look forward to going through her backlist. Mad Honey will keep you on the edge of your set with suspense and a riveting journey of secrets kept, the power of love and risks taken to move forward. There were several twists I didn't see coming and I am still thinking about it. There is no doubt that this will be one of the most impactful books I read this year.