Mad Honey

4.5 ⭐️ As usual, another great book from Jodi Picoult. I love that she had a co-author for this one. First, and I know, I know... “don't judge a book by it's cover”, but this has a beautiful cover. Even without the dust jacket, the shimmery red letters on the spine, beautiful. One negative is that I felt like I could tell which sections were primarily written by Jodi vs Jennifer, though not fully a negative because it did give some differentiation between the characters. I loved this dual POV from Olivia and Lily. They were so similar and we got to watch as Olivia realized that. I also thought the beekeeping/honey info was an interesting concept. And adding Jordan MacAfee to this book, ah perfect. I loved that. Very nearly a 5 star to me, but I compare everything to 19 minutes and this one did not have a shocking end to me. I felt like I knew what was going to happen and I wanted the build up to it to be a little more. Overall, though I really enjoyed and I can't wait to see if these two work together on more.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and while I'm sure reading the book would have been great, the voice actors brought even more vulnerability and humanity to the characters. The chapters from Lily's point of view were so honest and authentic, you could tell they were written by someone with experience on the subject matter (i.e. Jennifer Finney Boylan). This was my first book by either of the authors but definitely not my last!

I hadn't read a Jodi Picoult novel in quite a while, and I am very happy to have entered the world of her prose again. Her writing style is so engaging and easy to read. Every time I had to put the book down, I found myself upset to be leaving the story and excited for when I could return to it. Though I would have preferred a little less detail about beekeeping, I love this story and consider it a new favorite.

The story is about a mother, a son, and the girl the son loves. Olivia is a beekeeper who has raised her son, Asher, on her own. Asher falls in love with a new girl in town, Lily. When Lily dies and Asher is accused of her murder, Olivia takes action to defend him. However, she starts to question how much she knows about her son and whether he has inherited his father's temper.

The plot of this book is masterfully constructed, providing just enough details in each chapter to maintain suspense about what really happened to Lily. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of Olivia and Lily and provide dual timelines that reveal both the events leading up to the day of Lily's death and the events in the aftermath. There is a twist that is revealed once Lily's trial begins that is a bit shocking and changes how the reader views certain scenes already read. I found myself looking back to previous chapters to find the hints I missed.

Picoult and Boylan do an excellent job of developing the characters of Olivia and Lily. The reader gains insight into the feelings and motivations of each character and can understand the actions they take as result. I love when writers can make me feel connected and sympathetic to both characters even though there is conflict surrounding them.

While I enjoy most aspects of this novel, I do find the many details about beekeeping to be distracting at times. Sometimes, it enhances the main plot, but others it just takes the reader out of the main plotline. It is all interesting, yes, but it is a bit too much. I also find a reveal at the end to be a bit cliche, but not so much that it ruins my overall enjoyment of the book.

This book is going to live in my mind for some time. It explores some important topics in a respectful and thought-provoking manner. I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy good storytelling that explores relationships and socially relevant topics.

I loved this book, but it was lacking. I literally know more of what it takes to transition betweeb genders than the actual murder itself or how Lily was and most times I felt like I was being preached to. I admire the explanations but if I wanted to know about how doctors turn a penis into a vagina or the debate around gender I'd have chosen a book that was specifically for those topics.. it also didn't feel like there was enough of a reason for Olivia to think that Asher was anything but innocent.

I just finished Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult; Jennifer Finney Boylan

Olivia is no stranger to the dark. Having to start over with her son back in the town she grew up in and watching her son, Asher grow up.... A son who has some of his fathers tendencies.

Lily moves to Adams with her mother, for the last year of high school. Hoping this is the new start both of them need.

Asher and Lily fall in love and they seem to share a lot of the same pains.... Then one day Lily is found dead at the bottom of her home stairs... Asher is found cradling her body. It was no secret that they had been fighting.

Is Asher as innocent as he is leading everyone to believe? Or is there more to this than anyone knows.

I am a huge fan of Jodi's. Always have been but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. The writing was on point but the storyline had so much crammed into it, it felt like every hot topic button from the last 10 years had to be hit. I felt that by doing that, it took away from the book. Quality over quantity would have been nice here. The premise of the book was clever and I, for the most, was kept entertained but I also felt like the book was trying too hard.

I didn't enjoy the jumping back and forth in the timeline or the multiple POV. I felt a little lost a few times and that is not a fun feeling when you are reading.

If you love her books normally, you will likely still love this one but be warned, it is a little overstuffed even for Jodi!

Thank you #netgalley and #penguinrandomhouseca for my review copy

4 stars! If you like a lot of meat to your reads, then this one will exceed your expectations!

It started slow for me, but boy, did [b:Mad Honey 59912428 Mad Honey Jodi Picoult https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1642705453l/59912428.SY75.jpg 94339228] pick up steam. I'm a huge fan of [a:Jodi Picoult 7128 Jodi Picoult https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1657141143p2/7128.jpg], but I'm unfamiliar with her co-author [a:Jennifer Finney Boylan 30973 Jennifer Finney Boylan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1200414859p2/30973.jpg]'s work. Let's just say they make beautiful books together.Not sure what I liked best about this book. The tidbits on beekeeping? The LBGTQ info? The honey recipes at the end? I think there's something for everyone in this book.I'm a sucker for courtroom trials and this one takes it to the next level. Picoult's always been a master when it comes to this skill, but I think this is her best yet. I never guessed the ending and I really thought I had it from the very beginning, yet when it unfolded, I realized all the clues had been well planted. Loved this book. It's a fatty, but it's worth it. In spades!

This book was hit and miss for me. I absolutely loved the character of Lily and thought her chapters were incredibly well-written and engaging. Jennifer Finney Boylan is an excellent writer and could bring her own experiences which made it feel very real and raw. I'll absolutely read more from this author.

The parts written by Jodi Picoult I found far less interesting. Although I (mostly) liked the character of Olivia, it felt to me like JP had done an extensive amount of research on bees and wanted to include every bit of it in her chapters. Yes, there were (sometimes tenuous) links to the main story line but generally these information dumps dragged and I found myself skimming over them to get back to the story.

I find it frustrating that this concept was (literally) dreamed up by Boylan and half written by her, and yet Jodi Picoult is the only named author on Goodreads, and the one being publicised. I appreciate that JP is the better known author here, but she is not the one doing the story justice. In the author's note, Boylan talks about writing Ava's story and that she would have to do it without Picoult - I hope she does.

Overall, I think this is a really important and eye-opening story highlighting trans peoples' rights and experiences. I just think it would have been a far superior book if it was written solely by Boylan. I like Picoult and will usually read most books she releases, but IMO she was definitely the weaker link here.

I liked the book from the story perspective. Well told, from many different perspectives, with influence from the proper people in the proper places. Overall I enjoyed it, and just when I thought I had things figured out, I didn't. So, it kept me engaged through the book. The ending was rather anti-climactic though. There needed to be more. Either more story, or more drama, or more consequences. That's why this got a 3 star instead of a 4 star, in my opinion.

Spoilers: Don't read beyond if you don't want things potentially given away.
I did have a few issues with the way certain things were addressed.
If Asher were not white, he wouldn't have walked away from the initial crime scene. (They did kind of address this in a conversation with Jordan's wife, not recalling her name, but it was just glanced upon.)Were there no chaperones at their high school dance?! WTF?
Minimal parts of the storyline for the fathers of both Asher and Lily.Maya - WTH??? There needs to be more here!! She just walks? Nothing??