Wow! What a story! It started off like a normal love story between Lily and Asher. We then find the story switching between the past and the present. Different chapters are told from the point of view of Lily, Asher and Asher's mom, Olivia. Once you get deeper into the story, you realize it tackles some difficult topics in our world today, one of which I did not expect at all. I don't want to give any spoilers, but a crime is committed and then I was even more hooked to see who had actually done it. I had several different scenarios running through my mind, but I was really surprised by the ending. The characters really drew me in and several story lines pulled at my heartstrings. The character Olivia is a beekeeper and there are many detailed parts about that job. While it was sort of interesting to learn the details, I think it went into deeper detail than was necessary. However, I did love the honey recipes at the end! And I also liked the author notes, especially the part about where the idea for this story came from. The book was so seamlessly written, that I didn't realized until the end that there were 2 authors. The authors took a controversial topic and made me look at it and understand it from a different angle. I hope they write together again in the future. Thanks for allowing me to read and review this book!

I love Jodi Picoult books and this one was one of her most intense that I've read. Though the main story was about the murder case of Lily, there were several underlying stories and themes throughout the book. It was painfully sad and at times, really hard to read. Definitely not my typical type of book, but intense, raw, and emotional and totally readable. I honestly couldn't put it down. I really loved how the beekeeping references were tied into the story.

However, there were two parts of the book that I didn't 100% love which is why I rated it at 4 stars instead of 5 stars. My husband and my mother-in-law are both beekeepers and even with my family members being beekeepers, I found that the bee facts were a little overwhelming and intense. At some points, it felt like I was reading a science textbook. Also, I found that the story switched back and forth through time a little too much for my taste. It wasn't just with each chapter, but multiple times in each chapter where I became confused several times with what was happening. But overall, a very strong book and I would always read Jodi Picoult books again!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 3
Plot development: 3
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of Reading: 3

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

To say this book surprised me is an understatement. This was my first Jodi Picoult book and I had a hard time putting it down! The true surprise was the transgender story. I really didn’t see that coming!

Kudos to Picoult and Boylan for writing a real life, sensitive and totally captivating book. It was interesting how they wove in the life of bees which also applies to humans and how we are seen and viewed in the hierarchy - male vs female. I absolutely could not put this book down!! Thank you for sharing this wonderful, beautifully written story!

To all my bookish friends…..

I have a PSA

If you have not already request, pre-ordered or heard of this book I am about to share with you, you need to drop what you are doing and RUN on over to request/ pre-order this book.

Holy Freaking Smoke 💨

Mad Honey

I had asked my "bookstagram" friends to pick my next book but of course my little squirrel brain had other intentions . I saw the cover and said let’s just read the first chapter and see how it plays out .

Oh no no no …

This is not how it worked out . One chapter turned into 2, turned into 3, ended in finishing this entire book in one sitting (and it’s a big one!)

My mind is completely blown!!!! The narration was done with perfection. The details had me in awe and just the story itself had me completely consumed . I could not get enough!

This is one of the best books I have EVER read, not just this year but EVER.

If you want to read the book that breaks the internet then you NEED to read MadHoney.

What makes a woman a woman? The way that men perceive her? Her place in society? What she's willing to put up with? Or is it just that she's not a man?
Olivia, a New Hampshire beekeeper, left an abusive marriage to raise her son, Asher. Asher has no contact with his dad, and doesn't quite know the truth of what happened when he was young, though vague memories sometimes cross his mind.
They seem to have a wonderful life-Asher is a star hockey player and good student, handsome and charming. Then Lily moves to town, and his whole life is devoted to her. She's beautiful and kind, and the kind of smart that leaves people stunned upon meeting her. She too has no father in her life, and harbors some secrets about where she came from. To Asher, it doesn't matter. He's never loved like this before.
Then Lily turns up dead. Asher is arrested for her murder.
Olivia KNOWS her son could never do such a thing.. could he? Is he emulating the father he doesn't remember? Does she actually know her son?
A beautifully written book that makes you think about what it means to be a woman, how that relates to a woman's place in society and the expectations therein, and how it can all come tumbling down in an instant.
How easily and quickly life can change due to the secrets we keep.
Another winner from Picoult, and now that I have read work from Jennifer Finney Boylan, the co-author, I will be reading more of what she's written.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!!

Olivia has inherited the family honey business in New Hampshire which has saved her from her failed marriage. Together, Olivia and her son, Asher have built a life that suits them. Asher is thriving as a teenager and even manages to fall in love with the new girl, Lilly. But all of that comes to a screeching halt the day Asher finds Lilly at the bottom of the stairs covered in blood. Olivia knows her son. It has always been the two of them. Even when Olivia was married, her husband was only around when he wasn't at the hospital. She knows her son better than anyone. So when Asher is questioned in Lilly's death, she believes it is only a formality since her discovered her body at the bottom of the stairs. She never once believes he was involved. Olivia internally struggles because maybe Asher is more like her ex-husband than she would like to believe. Did she ignore the warning signs? Could Asher really have been so enraged that Lilly took the brunt of his anger?
I didn't even read the description about Mad Honey. I just picked it up because it was by Jodi Picoult. I am not familiar with Jennifer Finney Boylan but I was excited to see what these two had in store for us. Jodi Picoult does not disappoint. For those that have never read Picoult, she nails down the social issues relevant today and makes you see both sides of the issue. Picoult makes the issues human, relevant, from a point of view you can understand and feel for. I will not reveal more about Mad Honey because I do not want to spoil the twists and turns that Picoult intends for everyone to enjoy. Mad Honey is part legal drama, part social awareness, and just good mom/ son relationship gold. I will ALWAYS recommend Jodi Picoult's writing to anyone and will definitely be recommending Mad Honey to all my book-loving friends. Special thanks to NetGalley, Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5 stars!!
#MadHoney #NetGalley

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan was a really great read!
There are some really great plot twists (no spoilers) and some very important expository info.
The main characters are Asher, a high-school boy, and Lily, his sweetheart.
The story is told in alternating chapters by Olivia (Asher's single mom) and Lily.
The chapters are arranged in a non-linear fashion, such that Olivia's story telling moves forward and Lily's story telling moves backward. They are all clearly labeled in relativity to a major occurrence in the story. (ie., 2 months before, 4 months after)

The story just reels you in, but also teaches you a lot.
Olivia is a beekeeper, which I just loved. I have a friend who keeps bees, and the lingo was a bit familiar but very fun to read.
I recommend this book highly for everyone. You will 100% learn something, and enjoy the ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I did enjoy this book, a lot, but wish the ending was not so rushed. Honestly, I was hoping for something more from the ending but cannot put my finger on it.

I love all of Jodi's books but this was one of her bests! It is absolutely
phenomenal.
Her co-writer was equally as good. So good in fact, I purchased one of
her books.
I don't want to give anything away but I thought it was wonderful.

Thank you so much, Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan, your Publisher,
and NetGalley, for giving me the chance to read and review in my own words
how much I enjoyed this book!

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

I don’t typically read adult books and I certainly stay away from realistic fiction. YA fantasy is more my style. But as the assistant director of a public library, I find it important to occasionally read outside of my comfort zone. In the case of Mad Honey, I’m glad that I did.

Mad Honey was an emotionally brutal read, especially for someone who has lived through domestic violence, but it is such an important one. Authors Jodi Piccoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan address difficult topics (physical and emotional abuse, transphobia, racism, the criminal justice system) with stark honesty through the captivating story of two women.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Picoult is once again at the top of her game and even co-writing with Boylan the story flows seamlessly. Even though the story is fiction the social issues of our time are at the forefront and very well researched. Don't want to give the plot away as the book is not available until October but it"s another Picoult book that I will say is a can't put down amd must read. The characters are very well developed so you find yourself vested in them and routing for them. Enjoy.. Will add to the B&N reviews when the book is due to arrive on the shelf.

This is a beautiful novel that touched on many hard subjects. The main characters were well developed and extremely complicated. I had no trouble relating to Olivia and her struggle as a mom; and I learned a lot about bees and bee keeping. I was not crazy about some of the storyline, but the main plot was good and kept me turning the pages.

Jodi Picoult never disappoints, and I am looking forward to reading more by Jennifer Finley Boylan.

Thank you to the authors, Ballantine and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an h9nest review.

I did enjoy this book. It was suspenseful and kept me turning the pages. I don't usually read a book by co-authors, but this worked! Great read and will be another Jodi Picoult book I recommend.

SPOILERS INCLUDED.
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I wish we could give half stars - because this one would get a 3.5 from me. I love Jodi Picoult - I love that her books are always very well researched, full of facts that you don't think you need to know and they often challenge you to think differently about the current climate of social issues. With that said, I was NOT expecting this book to take the turn that it did! I thought it was about a bee keeper whose son was accused of his girlfriends murder - which it is... Then we find that the girlfriend is transgendered - with lots of detail as to what exactly is done during the gender reassingment surgery. I felt that that this subject was exploited by the prosecution even though they didn't realize it themselves until the trial was already underway. We find out that the real killer was her bff and was an accident - yet - there was ZERO repurcussions to this "teen". I loved all the bee trivia and the in depth day to day operations of a bee farm - that was pretty awesome. I liked most of the characters - except the dads, because they were horrible abusers. There was a tiny taste of a potential romance, but it didn't really go anywhere. All in all, this book was okay. It's not what I expected. There were a few times, where I literally gasped at what I had just read - but all in all, I felt like there were a million different subplots and they weren't all explored. This is an honest review given in exchange for a digtal copy of Mad Honey by authors Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, from Netgalley.

LOVED this. The twists were astoundingly good, and the content matter was right on the nose for what’s been happening in real life. Plus, it means a lot to see a renowned author like Jodi Picoult writing thoughtfully and respectfully about the trans experience.

I finished this book nearly 2 weeks ago and have been trying to put into words my feelings ever since. I’m going to do my best. This book is magnificent. I loved all of the characters, and the story just took me away. I couldn’t wait to finish but I also never wanted it to end.

Asher is a typical high school boy. He lives with his mom and is estranged from his dad. He plays on the hockey team, has tons of friends, and even has a girlfriend Lily. Everything changes however when Lily is found dead in her home and Asher is arrested for her murder. Over the course of the trial, Asher’s mother Olivia is forced to learn things she never wanted to know about her son’s relationship with Lily and truly begins to question whether Asher could be more like his father than she ever imagined. Midway through the trial, a revelation is made that takes everything Olivia thought she knew about Asher and Lily and flips it on it’s head.

This. Book. Is. Stunning.

I love the writing style of Jodi Picoult and jumped at the opportunity to read Mad Honey, synopsis unread. Mad Honey did not disappoint. It was reminiscent of her older works, with a modern twist, that explores in the moment topics.

As a mother, I respect the that a mother would put their child first and leave an physically and/or mentally abusive home to protect the needs of their child, even if it meant starting over and leaving everything they once knew behind.

It was divine intervention that brought Lily and Asher together. Both estranged from their fathers, they find young love until tragedy strikes.
Lily is dead and Asher is a suspect in her murder. During the trial, there is a BIG and UNEXPECTED twist that nobody can see coming, that will make you rethink everything you’ve read. After this shift, the story becomes a roller coaster and the emotional highs and lows and unexpected turns will fill you with adrenaline until the ride ends.

This suspense filled story is a must read.

If you’re a fan of Jodi Picoult, this is your typical Picoult-esque novel where something terrible happens that is currently important, justice may be served, and a lesson is always learned. What’s different about this book was that Picoult co-authored with Jenny Boylan, a well-known trans author.
“Mad Honey” focuses on Olivia, the mother of her teen, Asher, and his girlfriend, Lily. Olivia and Lily narrate the book, and the reader gets a glimpse into Olivia’s life, what she will do to protect her son when he’s accused of Lily’s murder, and Lily’s relationship with Asher.
A whodunnit with the background of the importance of how many trans people are murdered every year.