This is a book about relationships-both good and bad. It's about secrets, loss, deception, and finding yourself. I enjoyed the characters and the two points of view it was written in, but it jumped around to different timelines a lot which got confusing at times. It got long and repetitive in parts, but it was informative and well researched. There are some very heavy topics in this book and overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Jodi does it again and this time - I was so intrigued to find out she had a partner! I loved how they weaved the bee keeping into the plot. She knows how to tackle relevant and tough topics in a way that is relatable and engaging. She makes you think and opens the door for conversations. Thank you for the opportunity to read this - I hope they are working on a next collaboration!!

As a big fan of Jodi Picoult, I was so thrilled to receive this ARC of her latest novel. She always touches her readers with events from current controversial events. In this novel, she touches upon domestic abuse, single parenthood, and transgender identity among other topics. The authors seamlessly wrote the two main characters, Olivia and Lily, from their own perspectives. I didn’t realize this until I read the Author’s Notes at the end of the book.
This is a love story, a mystery, a courtroom case, and loss. Secrets are being kept by many of the main characters. Slowly, throughout the novel, they are revealed.
Olivia is a single parent raising her high school aged son Asher. She raises honey bees as a living and the author provides great details and research regarding the history of bees and what is required year-round to have a successful career raising bees.
Lily is a new student at Asher’s school. They begin dating and a few months later Lily is found dead. Asher is brought in by the police and is questioned regarding her death. It is during this time that Lily’s secrets are revealed. They are quite shocking and will leave you questioning everything you read prior to this point. The ending was another surprise for me.
The characters in this novel are well developed showing two women who are surviving life despite many setbacks. The novel is told from both of their points of view and is in non-chronological order. I immensely enjoyed reading this book and look forward to another collaboration from these two authors.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Olivia, a single mother, is raising Asher by herself after leaving her abusive husband. Asher is now 18: years old and is love with Lily. Lily is found dead and Asher is accused of killing her. Olivia must come to terms with her past and Asher's present. This is a page turner!

I fully believe that you should go into this book 100% blind. I am going to try to share a spoiler free review as much as possible, so this is just be my thoughts overall without much detail instead of a more in-depth review.

Why I Decided to Read This:
Jodi Picoult is one of my sister's favorite authors. I've read a few books by her before and really enjoyed them, so I was really excited to be approved to read this book.

Plot:
As I mentioned above, you should go into this book blind, so I won't be talking about the actual plot, but more of my thoughts on the plot. I really enjoyed the plot of this book. It was super interesting, and there were several WOW moments that I was not expecting. I think this was very well done and everyone should read this book because of the topics brought up in it.

Brief Thoughts:
This book was INTENSE! It took me 6 days to read this one because I had to take so many breaks. I would get done with a part, and just put the book down so I could think about what I just read. Half the time, I thought I was reading an episode of Law and Order. This book is not a romance, so don't pick this up thinking you are going to be reading a romance book. It is an intense book with mystery and is very information heavy.

Characters:
The three main characters in this book were Lily, Olivia, and Asher. It was so interesting to learn about Lily's past, and the struggles that Olivia and Asher had to go through. I feel like this was a very realistic representation of characters that I actually got to see into their heads and what they were thinking instead of a more surface level book.

Writing Style:
This was written by two authors: Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. It's written in first person and switched between Olivia and Lily's chapters. Picoult wrote most of Olivia's chapters, and Boylan wrote most of Lily's chapters. I love how throughout the chapters, you learn about the characters pasts and how it affected how they thought and acted in their current situations.

Likes:
- The Information: I feel like you get a lot of information in this book about a very important topic. I think this book gives a great insight into that topic.
- The Bees: I learned a lot about bees. Clearly from the title, this book has to do with honey, and that was a very large part of this book. I learned a lot about bees and honey throughout, and I liked that the authors included recipes in the back of the book.
- The Mystery: I would say that this book was a mystery. I was constantly trying to figure out who did what and how it would end.

Dislikes:
- Inconsistencies: Since this book was written by two different authors, I actually felt like I could tell at certain parts. Clearly, my copy isn't the published version, so I hope it goes through another round or two of edits before it gets published because certain parts didn't make sense. Although, this in no way reflects my rating.
- The Length: This book was intense, which wasn't a bad thing. I just felt like it was a very long book. To me, this book seemed to take forever to read, and it felt more like a 1,000 page novel than a 460 page one.
- The Scene Jumps: This book was a little all over the place. While I did like getting background information, I did feel like at times, it was a little too much going back and forth.

Recommendation:
I 100% recommend this book to everyone. This book has some very heavy topics that a lot of people should know and read about. I feel like I know more now after I read this book and can understand certain people than I did before reading it. Again, I don't want to go into too much detail, but just know that I recommend this book.

What’s in This Book & Trigger Warnings:
Please only read this section if you actually have trigger warnings that might be an issue for you. You should go into this book blind; however, I still want to include this list in case you have a trigger.
- Abuse (Physical & Mental)
- Courtroom
- Death/Murder
- LGBT+ Characters
- Jail
- Abortion
- Suicide
- Bullying

Wow, Mad Honey is a truly amazing book. It started a little slow for me but I’m so glad I stuck with it. This book is so incredibly well written that it has me asking myself why haven’t I read more of Jodi’s work in the past? This story was both heartbreaking and also addictive. A major twist halfway through the book left me speechless. This book brings the reader a gamut of emotions, and I am certainly not complaining when I say that. I plan to suggest this book to my book club once it’s published as there are so many extraordinary elements in the story to discuss. I highly recommend this book to others! Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

Spoiler alert: I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult's. I have devoured every book that she has written and can honestly say I have loved every one of them. Picoult has tackled some tough topics with her beautiful storytelling.. Mad Honey is no different. It touches on transgender issues, and domestic abuse, all while teaching the reader about beekeeping. As with all of Picoult's books, I couldn't help shedding some tears for both of the mothers and the heartache that they endured through the pages. I loved this book and will sing its praises on my blog as well as on Instagram. Thank you for the advanced copy.

I’m always up for a Jodi Picoult book. In this case she had a co-writer, Jennifer Finney Boylan. It was an interesting story with main plot lines revolving around a teenage love story, single parenting, spousal abuse, transsexuality, and a murder trial. It’s told in the present tense by Olivia, mother of the accused Asher; and in the past tense by Lily, Asher’s deceased girlfriend.

Lily’s story was told in reverse order which both confused and drove me nuts.. I was scratching my head until about halfway through there was an AHA moment, and the light came on as to why the author(s) decided to take that route.

Sometimes I think Jodi is too smart for her own good. The honeybee sections were long and arduous - to the point where I told myself -“it’s ok to be too dumb to understand this stuff, let’s skim!” Not to mention other detailed sections about cello music, blood disorders, legal theory, and animal species who can change their gender. (Admittedly, that last one was a revelation!) Despite the aforementioned nitpick, I felt the story was very well written and it certainly opened my eyes and heart to some of today’s social issues. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Publishing for the chance to read this book.

I have read a lot of Jodi Picoult's book. I think this one and last year's Wish You Were Here are some of her best work. This is the first book by Jennifer Finney Boylan that I have read but I will be picking up other books by her.

I don't want to give anything away with my review, but WOW this book. I did not see the twist that was coming. I do think that this book is very important in this time of change we are currently living in. Kids are growing up so much faster and unfortunately parents don't have all the resourced needed to help our kids navigate new and changing norms.

Olivia is a single mother the escaped an abusive relationship. She neglects to tell Asher all that happened in her marriage and does not allow Asher to have a relationship with his father.

Lily is a young girl with a tragic past with her father. Lily's mother took Lily and left Lily's father due to the wounds Lily's father inflicted on her. Lily is still dealing with events that happened at her school in another state a little over a year ago. She has sought help dealing with her tragic and painful past.

Lily and Asher seems like the perfect couple. They obviously love each. So what happened? How did Lily die and why role did Asher play.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book so much, but it wasn’t my favorite by Jodi. I felt like I knew who killed Lily very early on in the book and wasn’t surprised when my theory was correct. The twist was definitely interesting and kept me on my toes. However, I just felt it was too long of a plot. I loved all of the bee information in the book! Thanks Net Galley for giving me an ARC!

Wow…. I have not been so taken by a book in a long time. Mad honey sucked me in from the very beginning and didn’t let me go. This is a must read for everyone. I love how Ms. Picoult is willing to take on so many controversial topics and this one I found is needed in our world today. I don’t want to give away an spoilers though, but you will not be disappointed.

I’m a huge fan of Jodi Picoult and how she flawlessly writes books with her very controversial and thought provoking subject matter and Mad Honey is no different! We follow a murder of a young girl, Lily, and her boyfriend, Asher is the prime suspect. The story alternates between two POVs of Lily leading up to the actual murder and present day, Olivia, Asher’s mother while he is on trial. There was some definite twists that you couldn’t guess if you tried but as always, a thought provoking emotional read that you should go into with an open mind.

Wow! Picoult and Boylan knocked this one out of the park! It was beautiful written, and I loved the parallels between life and the bees! Picoult always is able to take on big, hard to talk about subjects and does it so well! Mad Honey has more than one difficult topic inside! Thankfully through books like this one, we can put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and imagine what life for them must be like! Thank you ladies for sharing this book with the world!!

Wow! These two women have jointly written my 2nd favorite book of this year -my first being Jodi’s Wish You We’re Here. With beautiful prose, Jodi and Jenny have brought to life the love story of Lily and Asher; the families of these children including 2 single mothers; secrets that can kill; and the unconditional love from a mother that every young soul deserves. This is everything- heart breaking, joyful, optimistic, frightening and freeing. I loved the whole ride!!! 5⭐️🌟✨💥 and a meteor ☄️thrown in! ❤️

Anytime you read a Jodi Picoult book you can plan on 2 things. #1 - You will learn something. #2 - She tackles topics that other authors avoid. In Mad Honey, you will learn about the intricacies of beekeeping with one of the main characters - Olivia. She put her ex-husband through medical school and as his career took off so did the amount of abuse she received. She did not want her young son influenced by his father's behavior so she left. Olivia returned home and helped her father with his bees.

Lily has had a rough time of it lately. Her parents have separated. She was bullied at her last school and is now facing her senior year at a new school. After being bullied, Lily wants to fade into the background at this school. Her new friend Maya introduces her to Asher and everything changes. Lily and Asher get to know each other and romance begins.

This would seem to be a gentle coming-of-age story. No. Picoult and Boylan have other things in mind. Murder, dysfunctional families, and gender identity are the topics here. Telling the story through the eyes of someone going through gender transition gives the reader a more personal and thought provoking viewpoint. Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Boylan combined their skills seamlessly delivering a book that can and will engender healthy discussion and debate. By the way, there really is something called "mad honey" and you can buy it on the internet (of course).

I found this to be a very engaging read. I particularly enjoyed the court scenes. Though there was more detail about the beekeeping than I needed, I did find it educational. Another outstanding novel by Jodi Picoult!

Asher and Lily are in love. After only 4 months together it’s obvious that their relationship is not like any other high school relationship. But when Asher and Lily argue, and he tries to reconcile the relationship, he doesn’t expect to find her bleeding at the bottom of the staircase in her house. When he becomes the prime suspect in her death, his mom is at a loss as to what to do. Does she believe him? Or does he share the same violent streak as his father, who abused his mother for years? Told from differing points of view, the complicated web of love and lies leaves the reader questioning so many different aspects of life, and not just guilt or innocence.

A thought provoking story of young love, trust and betrayal that touches on a controversial subject of modern times, with the beautifully written words of Jodi we’ve all come to love, and unexpected twists you didn’t see coming.

Mad Honey was a beautiful book. My favorite type of book is one that mixes a mystery with great literature, and this book fit that criteria for me. I found the reference and relationships to the "bees" to be a beautiful touch. Sometimes, the message of the book was a bit heavy but it is a topic that needs to be spoken about more. I think it was done respectfully and will hopefully bring more awareness. Again, Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan did not disappoint with this beautiful story.

How does Jodi Picoult do it? She has the power to reach down deep into the most emotional core of me and light a fire. Her newest novel, Mad Honey, written with Jennifer Finney Boylan, is the story of Lily and Asher and of their mothers, who suffer pain along with their children. I inhaled this book. For me, her prose is like music.
I spotted the murder suspect immediately. But after a few more clues, I realized I was wrong and hazarded another guess. I was wrong again. The trial portion of the book is the most fascinating, and the drama is heightened by twists and turns and the most fascinating of endings. I loved reading about the bees and the honey-making process, but that is not the only educational part of the book. These authors address a controversial gender topic in an informative and yet compassionate manner. The original idea for the book came from Jennifer Boylan, but Jodi Picoult’s voice echoes on every page. Even with two writers penning the lines of separate characters, the plot flows unheeded. It is a gripping and passionate tale. You’ll take to it like bees to honey.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the advanced copy.