Olivia McAfee flees Boston and her marriage to a successful surgeon with her young son Asher and returns to her small hometown. She now lives a quiet life where she makes her living tending beehives and selling products from the honey she harvests.
Lily and her mother are newcomers in town and she and Asher are introduced by Ashers’ childhood best friend and fall in love.
How does what seems like a normal teen love story end up with Asher being accused of being not only abusive but a murderer?
This is one of those books where you can’t say more or risk spoiling a riveting storyline.
I loved the descriptions of the process used in beekeeping/harvesting, as well as the importance of honey throughout history. I also have a new understanding of what other “ Lily’s’” go through in our society. I found that the explanations were made in a way that led me to understanding in clear way.
The last legal argument made in court was a little over my head but it did not detract from the story.
Once again a sensitive topic beautifully done.
Thank you to #netgally and #randomhouse for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. “Mad Honey” is available for pre-order now and scheduled for release on October 4, 2022.

What a book. I learned so much. All the people who struggle with gender issues breaks my heart. Live and let live, they aren’t bothering you. This book goes into a lot of these struggles gender identity creates. It brings out all the family dynamics that this brings out including with friends.

I usually love Jodi Picoult, but this was one one of her best novels. From the beginning, it was a typical who done it novel, and you could guess what would happen next. I like books that keep my attention and keep me guessing until the end.

I love Jodi Picoult's books and this one had me on the edge of my seat from page one. I loved learning all about the honey making process as well. you can tell she did her research! But what i truly love about Picoult is her uncanny ability to keep me guessing. When the shocking reveal happened in court I had an audible gasp! But it really helped the story develop and brought in an alternative side of the story. I highly recommend checking this one out for anyone who needs a good page turner!

This is such a unique take on a book - I didn't know until partway through my reading that the two authors wrote it and swapped a few chapters etc. I really liked this story and getting to know everyone in it despite my heart breaking over and over for Lily. I didn't know quite where the book would go and it was nice to spend more time with Jordan who you will know from a few of Picoult's previous novels.

It is a captivating and timely tale about so many things that are hot topics right now and the story is beautifully spun between the two narratives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

An absolutely incredible book. I could not put it down. One part literally made me gasp out loud! A must read for thriller and/or Jodi Picoult fans!

I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I want to write this review in such a way that it does not have spoilers in it but these authors are not afraid to take on really sensitive issues.

This book is a multi-topic one. It touches on subjects such as family dysfunction, abuse, bullying, escape and lies. It deals with raising bees, young love, loss, strong women, transgender people and murder. The fear of trust and forgiveness is a struggle for so many people. How can authors include so many themes in such a book? Jodi and Jennifer are amazing in the telling of these themes. I learned so much about bees that I never knew. The trial holds you spellbound and on the edge of your seat. The details included about the life of transgender people is sensitively explained and will affect your point of view on the subject. The gentleness of the love story is beautiful. I highly recommend this book and know that it will be accepted by readers in all age groups. I found myself wondering what I would do if I was in these situations and the answer really amazed me. What would you do?

FIVE STAR ALERT
I read this book about a month ago and haven't reviewed it until now because I wasn't sure how to arrange my thoughts in a way that would both implore readers to grab this title but also convey the weight of this story without giving too much away.

Jodi Picoult, ever the timely and expertly researched storyteller, has done it again. I believe Mad Honey is my favorite book so far this year!! Jennifer Finney Boylan was a new-to-me author and I am deeply invested in checking out her other work after reading this title.

The story is centered around Olivia McAfee and the budding relationship between her son Asher and the new girl in their town in New Hampshire named Lily. Tragedy strikes and immediately the community in which they live label Asher an abuser and tried for murder. The book is presented with more than one timeline and narrators, sharing the before/after of Lily/Olivia's version of events.

The legal proceedings, I thought, were handled quite well and those events didn't overshadow other important events and histories of the characters. Mad Honey is jam-packed with universal themes and ideals, explored in great detail, as only Picoult can portray them. Systemic racism, gender & self-identity, starting over, the love a mother possesses for her child, and the strength to walk (read: run) from abusive relationships are all highlighted in Mad Honey and as with any book written by Picoult, I came away from this story with a new appreciation for what other people, some just like me & others not at all like me, must endure just to get through each day. The incredible detail of beekeeping, honey harvesting, and the lives and roles of bees nearly pushed me away from this story, but I ended up finding it to be quite relevant to the plot and packed with information I had not acquired prior to reading this book.

I only hope this won't be the last collaboration between these two talented and sought-after contemporary authors.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher, Random House/Ballantine Books, for an advanced digital copy of this book! I loved it so much!!

Powerful and unexpected. I will be thinking about this story and characters for a while. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion

3.5 stars! If Jodi Picoult writes a book, I want to read it. While this was not a favorite of mine, it was still a worthwhile read that tackled serious subject matter in a very thought-provoking way. Huge thanks to Jodi’s team for emailing me an advanced copy of this book, available 10/4/22!

I love love love Jodi Picoult, and her books never fail to haunt me and make me think long after I've turned the last page. Mad Honey is so timely, and well written. It took a minute for me to get into, but once I did I was in it and didn't want to put it down. Sensitive topics are addressed with dignity and obvious research - which is one of the things I love most about Picoult's work. So so good.

This is a book for our times. Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan seamlessly tell the story of two teenagers who experience a deep love. When one of them ends up dead, did the boyfriend do it? Their single mothers are devastated. Told in multiple voices with extended flashbacks, this book is best read with no more knowledge of the plot than that. Hopefully other reviewers will leave out any spoilers to allow readers to experience this book firsthand. This book will be in my high school library.

Jodi Picoult never flees from current issues and she and Ms. Boylan don't in this book either. Without ruining it for those who will read it, I had a moment of "wait...what?", where I had to go back and read the sentence again, which changed the whole way I was comprehending the story. Which may have been exactly what the authors wanted. I really didn't get the bee thing--It seemed like filler to me, although maybe if I read the book slower instead of wanting to find the ending I may have been able to see some analogies. So I just skimmed over those parts and went on with the story and really don't think I lost anything in the process. The story is compelling and I believe I learned a lot from it. I can't say too much more without giving everything away--so I won't...

Wow! What an incredible book! Full disclosure - I had absolutely no idea what this book was about prior to reading it. I only knew that Jodi Picoult had a new novel coming out - and that was the only thing that mattered. As always, she did NOT disappoint. This book was co-written with Jennifer Finney Boylan, a new author to ME. The story was told in two distinct voices but meshed together incredibly well. For me, not knowing what the story was about was one of the reasons that I enjoyed it so much. I was able to fall in love with the characters (and fall in love I did!) before I knew any of their backstory. Because of my own experience, I am hesitant to reveal anything about Lily, Asher, Olivia or any of the other characters. I will say that I did NOT see the end coming.

I learned SO much while reading this book. The amount of research that must have been done prior to the actual writing is mind boggling. I also found myself examining my thoughts, beliefs and prejudices as I was reading and feel as though I am better for having read this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read an ARC of this incredible book.

I adore Jodi Picoult novels, especially because I typically learn about specific topics that are woven into the main storyline such as elephants in Leaving Time, Egyptology in The Book of Two Ways, and beekeeping in Mad Honey. The detail and storytelling around the bees in this book was a wonderful addition, and honestly a stress-relieving moment when the main storyline gets emotionally intense. I have to say that I did not see the twist coming, and once its been revealed, it felt like the tone of the book shifted completely. I felt like there was far too much detail about the medical transformation and surgical detail. The book serves as a platform to educate, but I think because it wasn't included in the description of the book, the reader is a bit too blindsided and it takes a moment to collect your thoughts around everything that happened in the book to that point.

This is easily my 20th Jodi Picoult read, and one of my favorites! It brings in a very prominent lawyer from a few of Picoult's earlier titles (a character I MAY have had a literary crush on!) Picoult is known for her research and you can tell that the beekeeping and sexuality topics have been well-researched.

I know this book is a co-write, and Jennifer Finney Boylan I am not familiar with. A lot of the book seemed like it was typical Picoult written, so they must be a good match.

Olivia raises her son Asher as a single mom in her hometown. Both Olivia and Asher are very likeable characters. Lily, Asher's new girlfriend, has a tragic past which made me like her immediately for all she has gone through.

I would certainly buy this book for friends and family - excellent read!

Jodi Picoult’s latest book Mad Honey is LONG - 464 pages. She’s written it with Jennifer Finney Boylan. She writes about controversial “topics” in her books and this is no exception. Olivia and her son Asher move far away from an abusive relationship with Asher’s father. Asher’s girlfriend was found murdered at the bottom of her stairs and who finds her but Asher himself! He’s accused of under murder, thrown in jail and has to prove he didn’t do it. Now beekeeping have been in Olivia’s family for years. Lots of bees facts throughout the book!! And i could tell lots of research went into this book. I don’t want to give too much away with my review. I’d say this is one of her better books I’ve read. This book had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what and who killed Lily. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published October 2022.

I received a complimentary ARC of Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan in exchange for my honest review.
This book completely changed me. I couldn't put it down and stayed up late into the night on several occasions just to finish it. The characters are real, so incredibly real, and the writing is flawless. You feel what they feel, see what they see, ache for them. I don't want to put any spoilers in my review, so I will just say that I have a vastly different outlook on a few situations. If you only read one book this year, you simply must read this book!
Olivia McAfee and her son, Asher, are starting a new life, away from her ex-husband who was violent and abusive. She moves back to her family home in Adam's, New Hampshire, after her mother's death and takes over the care of the family business...bee keeping.
She hopes this will be the fresh start that she and Asher need
Ava Campanello and her daughter, Lily are also making a new start in Adam's. Lily will finish her Senior year in high school and then go to college.
Asher and Lily meet and become inseparable. Asher has never felt this way about anyone before, he loves Lily, but Lily has a secret.
Olivia is getting her Christmas decorations out and planning to get their tree when she gets a phone call, Lily is dead and Asher is at the police station.
Asher stands accused of Lily's death, and Olivia must fight to protect her son at all costs, but is Asher like his father? Could Lily's secret have pushed him over the edge?
Hang on, because the twists and turns in this book will leave you unsettled for sure!

I love Jodi Picoult, While some call her books formulaic, her formula works for me! The lats couple of books I've read from her haven't quite had the magic spark her old ones did but this one brought me right back.

I loved the rich, rich descriptions of the beekeeping process. The back and forth between the then and now were so good. Jodi does such an amazing job of diving into complex issues and really making you think about your own moral reasoning.

THE TWIST. I was reading it in bed and I yelled out loud to my boyfriend!

I highly, highly recommend this one!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I don’t know what to think about this novel. I usually love Jodi Picoult’s novels, but I just liked this one. She tackled current ethical dilemmas like she normally does, but this novel just moved so slow for me. I usually devour her novels even with their controversial nature that is usually involved, but this one was one that I couldn’t move as fast through as usual. It is clearly a novel that needs to be read because it addresses current issues, but I wish I related more to her characters, like I usually do. Overall, not her best novel, to me. #MadHoney