Two single-parent families, starting over in New England. Both for different reasons, which will tie them together in a tragic way. This story is told from varying perspectives of Olivia and Lilly. Olivia is a beekeeper and mother to Asher, dedicated to raising a strong and kind young man, while also caring for her numerous colonies and attending to queen bees Celine, Cher, Whitney, etc. Lilly, the beautiful young girl, new to the area, who falls in love with Asher, and ultimately meets a tragic ending. When Asher becomes the prime suspect for Lilly's murder, Olivia has to face her past and question the character of her son who she has always shielded from the truth.
If you are a fan of old-school Jodi Picoult, this is for you. In Mad Honey she takes us back to her original slam dunk style of presenting a controversial topic, sharing numerous sides, making you think hard about your opinion, and letting the fictitious jury decide the outcome. I feel that Picoult has strayed from her typical format in her last several books, but Mad Honey is reminiscent of classics like My Sister's Keeper, The Pact, and Nineteen Minutes.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing--Ballentine for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback.
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Mad Honey is created when the honeybees pollinate using rhododendron plants which contain chemicals that are toxic to other animals and ultimately create honey that is hallucinogenic. Best-selling authors Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan successfully collaborated to use this bit of science as a metaphor for the lives of Olivia McAfee and Lily Campanello. Currently a single mother to beloved son Asher, Olivia has a violent and toxic backstory that she keeps secret from all those who know and love her. Asher is falling in love with Lily, the new girl in town, who has her own incredibly personal and secretive backstory that she knows will upend her carefully created fresh start in Adams, New Hampshire if it becomes known. With these two stories on a collision course, 'Mad Honey' is simultaneously incredibly sweet and painfully biting as the characters must reconcile what they know to be true and what they must come to accept and understand while learning what they are hiding is causing more harm than good. The story takes place in what I consider the Picoult ‘Universe’ with the setting and several characters introduced to us in previous novels such as 'Nineteen Minutes' (one of my personal all-time favorite books) and 'The Pact.' As in both authors’ previous novels, timely and relevant themes emerge throughout 'Mad Honey' such as ‘Things aren’t always what they seem to be,’ and ‘…there is a vast canyon between who we want people to be and who they truly are,’ along with thoughts about some of our national conversations.

As told alternatively between Olivia and Lily, the story unfolds in the present with flashbacks to key events in their lives while we are reminded of the biblical symbolism of the bee: ‘the sting of justice and the mercy of honey.’ As Picoult and Finney Boylan write, ‘I sometimes wonder which of my prehistoric ancestors first stuck his arm into a hole in a tree. Did he come out with a handful of honey, or a fistful of stings? Is the promise of one worth the risk of the other?’ Each character receives both literal and metaphorical ‘fistfuls of stings’ while searching for the elusive honey that life should be.

As a long-time reader of Picoult and a newly-arrived reader of Finney Boylan, I’ve learned that no single word is in their writing by mistake. Even the names of the characters take on extended meanings. Olivia wants peace and continually extends olive branches to achieve peace only to be stung in response. Lily is pure and innocent, but if her secrets emerge, there are those who might believe differently and find her to be toxic.

My one single complaint about this book is somewhat personal. I live in Nevada. There is a brief mention of my home state “…Nevada, the Sagebrush State.” Sigh. Yes, Sagebrush is our state flower, and some may have called us the ‘Sagebrush State’ in the past. However, most Nevadans prefer to be known as hailing from ‘The Silver State’ and we frequently refer to our state as being ‘Battle Born.’ Nevada became a state during the Civil War because the Union needed the silver being mined in the Comstock during the mid-1800s. Only four words out of an impeccably written and researched story, I do object to this phrase…but do so carefully (and whimsically) along with the utmost respect. And to be fair, it has little to do with the overall story.

As I read this book, I leaned in, discovering along the way some of my biases and preconceptions in my interactions with others. I ultimately surprised myself with a new perspective regarding how I approach the people in my life. I am better for having read and enjoyed this novel.

This has been a hard review to write because I truly want to steer clear of even a hint of a single spoiler. If something is unclear or hazy, I apologize. To rage, to cry, to shout, to love, and to fully engage in this book as the authors intended, there can be no spoilers. Trust me: read this book and perhaps you can learn to engage in our world without insisting upon stinging justice while indulging in more honey.

Full Disclosure: I was given a free PDF Advanced Reader’s Copy of Mad Honey via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review of this book.

Wonderful collaboration of two authors! No spoilers but the authors’ comments at the end explain why working together was so important. The story is told from the POVs of Olivia, single mom of Asher and a beekeeper with a troubled past and Lily, girlfriend of Asher who also lives with her single mom and has struggles of her own. Lily and Asher are high school seniors who experience falling in love for the first time. I’m reluctant to summarize this story further because I don’t want to spoil the story for other readers. I will say that there is a typical Picoult surprise twist in the middle of the book and that it’s important to recognize that Lily’s story is told backwards while Olivia’s is told going forward from “that day”. I’m adding this because the backwards sections were confusing for me at first and I made the mistake of going to the previous reviews to gain some insight and found that there were no “spoiler alerts” in the very descriptive reviews so the surprise twist was ruined for me.
With my brief synopsis explained, I will say that I really loved this book. The authors take on tough issues and develop their characters superbly. Olivia, Asher and Lily are so real and likable! And the information about beekeeping is a fascinating addition to the story. One of the authors mentioned a possible sequel starring Ava, Lily’s mom and I hope such a book will become a reality because I think there wasn’t enough space in this book to get to know her and she must have a fascinating past as well as a future. Authors: please one or both of you write Ava’s story!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishers - Ballantine Books for the Advanced Reader Copy.

This book was so well-written. The authors did a wonderful job writing their respective characters in a way that blended seamlessly. I love that each of them wrote from one characters POV.

I know I’m going to be in the minority for my thoughts on this book. I enjoyed Picoult’s earlier work, but have found her recent books to be more political or focused around social issues. I can understand why she chooses these topics to write about, but I read to escape reality & don’t personally care for books with these as a central plot line. I read a couple reviews of this book before requesting the ARC & several reviews said this book reminded them of her earlier work, which is what sold me. I thought I knew what I was getting, but I was not fully prepared. I truly believe this book should come with trigger warnings, because there are a lot of heavy topics in here that I did not expect. I read to escape all of the controversial topics in our country. I believe it’s important to be educated and informed, but I also am one of those weirdos that would prefer to not see it in the books I read. That’s not to say these topics shouldn’t be written about. I think I just prefer different genres, and that’s okay!

I *did* like the aspect of how far are you willing to go as a mom to protect your son. I also enjoyed watching the trial play out in the courtroom. There was definitely a jaw-dropping moment I didn’t see coming, and the ending confirmed a suspicion I had early on.

I did not like all the bee-keeping descriptions. There were a lot. A. Lot. I get what the authors were trying to do in having it parallel the plot line, but I felt like I could be a professional bee keeper by the end because of how detailed it was.

This book didn’t work for me. I know it’ll strike a chord with other readers. There are plenty of 5 star reviews, so don’t let my review keep you from reading it. I just don’t think I’m the target audience for this book, and that’s okay. That’s the great thing about books—there’s one for everyone & we’ll all have different opinions!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book will be released in October 2022.

Olivia McAfee had to start over from her picture-perfect life as the wife of a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon with a beautiful son Asher. After putting up with years of physical abuse she finally left her husband once her son was old enough to see the abuse. She ended up taking her son to her sleepy New Hampshire hometown to live in the house that she grew up in and taking over her father's beekeeping business. Years later, Lily Campanello and her mother also had a do-over when they relocated to Adams, New Hampshire. They were looking for a fresh start for her senior year in high school.

It appears that the new beginning is just what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school and Lily fall for him too. Lily is very happy with Asher, yet she sometimes wonders if she can trust him. One day. Oliva receives a phone call that Lily is dead. Asher is being questioned by the police. This is a riveting novel of suspense and an unforgettable love story. The is full of all the secrets that we keep from each other. I highly recommend this book.

WOW. Just WOW, I haven’t read a Jodi Picoult book in years. This was amazing. I loved the story being told from Olivia and Lily’s points of view. I truly did not see some of things coming in the book. I liked the non linear timeline too. This book was stunning.

Absolutely wonderful read with an unseen twist. Very rarely is my mind blown or am I completely surprised by a detail in a book, but this one got me GOOD! I'm so glad I haven't seen any spoilers about the plot of this book because one little detail completely sucked me into the story. I was struggling to get into the book for a bit and the moment of the big reveal, I was hooked and couldn't put the book down until I finished it.

I've been a fan of Jodi Picoult for years. The way that she and Jennifer were able to meld their two separate voices into one strong one is amazing. I couldn't tell who was writing what in some of the chapters and am still unsure as to which ones were written by the other author.

I can't recommend this book enough., Definitely needs to be added to everyone's TBR pile as soon as possible!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House, Jodi & Jennifer for allowing me to read this incredible story early.

I absolutely loved this book. The depth and the characters are so well written. You learn about each one individually and then how their lives are all intertwined. This book also makes you think about the lies we tell and the secrets we hide and how they can impact your life as you move forward. A heartbreaking story about love and loss. A great read with so much information about bees and honey beautifully woven in. I loved this book. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

The two accomplished authors of this novel have written a complex and moving story about secrets, reinventing oneself, community, romance, parenthood, and grief. Because of their skill, Picoult and Boylan were up to the ambitious undertaking, and created characters we care deeply about. At times a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, a teen romance, current events narrative, and a beekeeping how-to, the issues raised never get in the way of the gripping story and the reader's wish to follow the plot. There are enough twists and turns along the way to keep us guessing, and I was never sure of the outcome.
It's probably my own failing that I skipped over some of the technical details about beekeeping, but I don't think I missed anything by doing that.

Spoiler alert:
Boylan is the perfect person to make the reader confident that both the interior and exterior aspects of Lily's character are authentic and accurate.

If you like Jodi Picoult, you'll be right at home with Mad Honey (though I suspect Jennifer Finney Boylan did the heavy lifting here). It has all the hallmarks of a classic Picoult: chapters told in alternating POV's, a court case, the complexities of being a supportive and loving mother, and a controversy that keeps you flip-flopping back and forth, unsure of where you yourself would stand if you were in the circumstances.
The two authors did a remarkable job ensuring the writing felt fluid-- I actually think it could've benefitted from more differentiation between the Lily chapters and Olivia chapters, as the voices felt a bit too similar. I loved the beekeeping backdrop in the beginning, though as the plot progressed, I think we could've done with less. The book could've done with a more editing, particularly in the second half, to pace it up. As we get closer to the denouement, I wanted the engine to kick into high gear, but it just sort of drags along. That being said, the story is worthwhile as it's not just entertaining, but also thought-provoking.

I went into Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan completely blind and had no idea what it would be about. But when you get an email saying "Here's an ARC of the new Jodi Picoult!" you just jump right in. And I'm so glad that I did as I was not disappointed at all. Sensitive topics? YES. Trigger warnings? YES. Likeable characters? YES. Great story? Definite YES! I won't go too much into it because I think more people need to jump right in without knowing the premise. But I will say that I learned a lot from this book and it does involve some pretty sensitive topics. Five stars for me.

Thank you for the e-ARC of Mad Honey in exchange for my review!

Jodi Piccoult is an auto buy author for me and this was a much anticipated read! I thought it definitely lived up to the hype. I was invested in the characters and sympathized with eachbof them in different ways. While I did guess the ending early on, it was a thought provoking and emotional read.

Thank you NetGalley, Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finny Boylan for this eARC of Mad Honey. Let me start with I am a HUGE Jodi fan so I was so delighted I was chosen to receive this book. I don't want to give any spoilers but as usual Jodi draws her line in the sand and soars over it making you question the things you believe and expect. I loved the character creation, facts about bees and suspense you can always count on in any Jodi book. I think Jodi and Jennifer did an amazing job on Mad Honey! I will possibly update with a few spoilers after release but ya'll grab this one and enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this book. I read this book in one sitting!! The story 's main character is Olivia, who after her divorce took over her families property in New Hampshire. She sold off most of it, but is a dedicated, successful beekeeper, and well known in her small hometown. Liv's son, Asher is a senior in High School, and appears to be an all-around great kid. For twelve years, Liv and Asher have been a close, almost insular, pair. In the fall of his senior year, Asher meets a new student who just moved to the town, Lily. They begin dating, and quickly fall in love. There are a few missteps and arguments that occur during the course of their relationship, but not enough red flags to warrant Asher's arrest for her murder.

Along the way, we learn about Lily's past on the west coast, the problematic relationships both teens have with their father's, and Olivia's traumatic and embarrassing (to her) marriage backstory. Olivia's brother and his wife are strong, riveting supporting characters whose presence adds to the fantastic plot pace.

The story is narrated in two voices, Olivia's and Lily's.. Picoult wrote the chapter in Olivia's voice, and Boylan wrote from Lily's perspective. The writing is seamlessly merged, and if you didn't know, you wouldn't know. This is a timely story about current, sensitive issues, yet at no point is it didactic. It is simply a pure fantastic read that pushes the reader to examine any intrinsic biases they may have while staying completely immersed in the narrative.

Huge thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have honestly not read Jodi Picoult in so long but the premise of Mad Honey was too intriguing to pass up. It was a bit slow at first but I tried not to let that influence me too much one way or another because this is not a genre I typically pick up. Eventually, it did pick up and I could not put this book down. There are a lot of tough subjects that these two authors attempt to capture and explore within the confines of Mad Honey and the content and descriptions do get pretty graphic.

There are a lot of elements that tie into this story and it makes it a very layered and multi-faceted read. I did not get through this in one sitting and I think it's a book that requires a lot of thought and energy. Told in alternating points of view of the two main characters, you really get inside these characters' heads and explore their motives. It was a heartfelt read and one that will probably stay on my mind for a while. It is also largely educational, in my opinion. This is definitely a book that you'll want to make time for and I'm glad I did.

REVIEW

When I see a new book being released by Jodi Picoult, I know I will drop just about anything I am reading to read her latest.

For me Jodi Picoult novels are always thought provoking yet realistic, she always manages to throw you the most unexpected twist, she is not afraid to tackle difficult and controversial subject yet beautiful presents all sides – she makes you think about your ethics and moral code.

Jodi Picoult co-authored this novel with Jennifer Finney Boylan. It is a story about 2 women with secrets, secrets about their past, trying to move forward towards a better life by taking risk to be their trust self. It is a haunting love story and compelling “courtroom drama” that will keep you guessing. And half way through .. POW .. you get hit with a twist I promise you will not be expecting .. I sat there with my jaw open.

This story is told in 2 POV; that of Olivia McAfee and Lily Campanello.

Olivia is a single mother, divorced, and a survivor of domestic abuse, she is raising her son Asher on the family’s beekeeping farm. Her brother is none other than Defense Attorney Jordan McAfee from Jodi Picoult novel titled Nineteen Minutes. Olivia’s story is told from present day going forward.

Lily Campanello is 18 years old, just moved to New Hampshire from California leaving her old life and secrets behind. She has move here with her mother Ava who has stood by her daughter trying to help her live her best dream – both women are looking for a new start to their life. Lily and Asher’s love story is touching yet heartbreaking. Lily story is told from the present going back in time. Reading Lily’s story of her fight for being true to who she sees, the insecurities she needs to overcome and the bravery she shows making some very tough decisions even as a very young child. Lily’s chapters often left me in tears.

“Life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards.” Soren Kierkegaard

This story is just not just about young love, love loss, secrets, murder, and suspense, trusting yourself as well as trusting those you thought you knew it is also about make CHOICES, a person’s freedom to make CHOOSE what they want their life to be.

As with all Jodi Picoult’s novels I always close the book knowing I learnt something new and Mad Honey is no exception .. it is all about the bees, the process of making honey and care of the hives. But the real education came from Jennifer Finney Boylan and what is means to be trans.

As I said early this was a co-authored novel and having read so many of Jodi Picoult’s novels I knew almost immediately who wrote which POV but meshed seamlessly. Something I rarely do is read author’s notes. With Mad Honey there are notes from both authors and I was fascinated how this this whole idea came about and their working partnership. And no Jodi and Jenny I never figured out which chapter you wrote of each other POV.

This amazing novel deserves nothing less that 5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Ballantine Book for the ARC edition of Mad Honey in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! Jodi Picoult does it again. This time, in a co-authorship role. Mad Honey follows Olivia, a mom of a teenage son who has her own troubled past with an abusive ex-husband, and Lily, a teenage girl who has fallen in love with Olivia's son and winds up dead. Like many of Picoult's novels (excluding her last book, Wish You Were Here), the novel's plot surrounds a court case in which readers can hardly guess what the verdict will be.

What I liked:
-Pacing of the novel is amazing. Picoult is really great at planting seeds and major plot twists throughout the novel to make it incredibly hard to stop reading.
-It reminded me a lot of The Pact. Jodi writes really well about complicated adolescent love and relationships. She validates young love as true love, and something for all people to learn about.
-I don't want to spoil any of the plot twists of Mad Honey, but Picoult and Boylan introduce a perspective that many in society struggle to understand. They use their characters' struggles with bias to teach us about what empathy and love truly look like.

I appreciate the topic the authors set out to tackle, but overall I found this book quite a slog. I am very clearly in a minority, as most people who reviewed this book ahead of me gave it many stars (both here on netgalley and on goodreads). I had a lot of comments while I was reading the book, but they boil down to a few main themes. There are SPOILERS here.

-There is too much telling, not enough showing. There are many examples, but a few are given here. The doctor who did Lily’s surgery was flown in to take the stand in the trial. Why? Only to give an encyclopedic delivery about what it means to be trans, hormone therapy and bottom surgery. If some of this information (along with the information that Elizabeth super-patiently told Olivia) could have been revealed in thoughts or actions of Lily, the book could have been less wordy. And passages like this “The prosecutor pauses, and I realize all of the questions so far have been easy ones, the breadcrumbs leading Ava off the main trail onto a darker, thornier path,” are totally unnecessary as this is obvious to any reader who is not monosynaptic.
-I never believed there was a strong enough case against Asher to actually worry about his being convicted. He said he hadn’t been in Lily’s room but his fingerprints were there? Easily explained by him explaining he had been in there previous to that day. The case was too circumstantial. And then the case where someone confessed wasn’t even taken forward?
-Olivia should have been a sympathetic character, but was not. I couldn’t stand her. She said so many stupid things. Perhaps if the story had been told in third person instead of her pov, some things could have been relayed in other ways instead of her thinking as saying things that came across as naïve, misinformed, and judgmental. In addition, she refused to call her ex-husband to ask for help with bail money for four months, even though Asher had been beaten his first night of confinement. She kept lamenting about how it hurt her so much that Asher was in jail, but not contacting Braden was stupid and selfish. She was rude to her brother, who was taking on Asher’s case for free. He dropped everything, uprooted his own family, and came to help immediately – no need to yell at him and tell him that any circumstances are his fault or to “shut up” and be family.
-Some of the teen sex scene language was cringy, e.g. “and I opened like a rose,” “he parts me like the petals of an orchid,” and “I’m wet as a harbor seal now.” Barf.

Some questions I had:
The case was big. In four months, wouldn’t Braden have seen the case in the news? They didn’t live that far apart, since Asher was driving to visit him once a month. At the trial there were “news trucks from as far away as Connecticut and New York.” (Asher should have been out on bail immediately, but then those four months of angst couldn't have been part of the story)
Are flannel pants really too warm for an April day?
Why didn’t Asher, the “golden boy,” have more adults to stand in as character witnesses? Escpecially since he just only had to smile to get what he wanted. Really, only his hockey coach?
Would the prosecutor really ask Maya if the dating relationship was “copacetic?”
Do mothers really get to act as character witnesses?
Doesn’t the prosecution generally give closing statements before the defense?
Can you have two Hail Mary witnesses (Dr. Powers and Dr. Oluwye)?
Why was the physical appearance of Dr. Powers elaborated on, but not the physical appearance of Dr. Oluwye? I know why, but why are just the physical features of the trans woman being pointed out?

I was really taken aback by the description of women “like Gina Jewett,” which bashed women who are trying to balance being mother, wife, and professional. I expected better from Picoult. And then the description of Gina’s clothing = “a tailored blue site that looks expensive, though I bet she got it at T,J. Maxx and had her aunt hem it. What the heck is this trying to say? It seemed so judgmental. Again, I expected better.

At 69%, starting with “There is no set of rules that dictates…” was my favorite part of the book. Well stated.

So much to say about this book. This is easily one of my favorite books that I have read so far this year. I went in to it not knowing anything about the story, and I am so glad I took that approach. I read this as quick as I possibly could, just wanting to find out what happens next. I connected with each character in different ways. It took me a second to track the jumping timeline, but once I got the hang of it, it was easy to keep up. Highly recommend!!