A very interesting and enjoyable book. The story is centered around a teenage couple, Lily and her boyfriend Asher. Both had difficult beginnings in life. Lily is Trans (although I had no idea about this fact when I started the book, so this was a revelation to me!) and her mother removed her from the family home when her father could not deal with 'his son's' sexuality. Asher's mother was in an abusive relationship with his father. She left taking him with her allowing Asher no contact with his father. Lily's is found dead at home with Asher and he is charged with Lily's murder.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the advance copy of this book.

I’m going to go just a little against the grain here…….. I have long enjoyed Jodi Picoult’s writing, and found that the shared writing in this book was absolutely not an issue - the book read as if it was written in one writer’s voice and I’m full of admiration for that skill. What I was not so sure about was the issue based themes in the book. Of course we should all be thinking about domestic abuse and transgender issues, and it is absolutely right that they should be sensitively explored in a book such as this. But for me, it just felt a little too worthy and, dare I say it, a little contrived at times. A really good story, fabulously real characters, skilful writing - this book has it all, but it didn’t quite hit its mark for me. This is the first review I have written in the first person, but to me, it did feel personal, and I guess that’s a sign of thoughtful and excellent writing.

Struggled a bit with this one and was tempted to put it down, but glad I just paused and picked it back up. Some of the story was quite ‘difficult’ to read

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this eARC of Mad Honey.

I am a big fan of Jodi Picoult and when I saw this new novel I knew I had to read it. However I am not familiar with Jennifer Finney Boylan's work so I was intrigued on how the two writers would fit together.
Both author's styles blended perfectly to create this novel which is reminiscent of Jodi Picoult's older work, think the pact, nineteen minutes etc.

I loved how both author's took modern day issues and push the boundaries by writing about them, there's a reason most Jodi Picoult books get banned and that's because they're brilliantly written and don't conform. (not that I agree with them being banned as I said, I'm a massive fan).

The characters are well carved out and so natural. Olivia questioning whether her son is capable of murder is a heart wrenching moment, he's showing signs of his abusive father's traits, could he be a killer? I think as a parent it's extremely difficult to think of your child in that way.

The twists and turns left me shocked, the direction the novel takes I wasn't expecting and I was truly pleased when an old favourite turned up, any one who's read Jodi Picoult will know this happens sometimes.

As with all of Jodi Picoult's novels it left me in an emotional state. In my opinion it's another fantastic novel.

Wowzers…. This author is my go to holiday author! This book didn’t disappoint, I gasped twice with unexpected end of chapters! I read this book in one long sitting, loved the story and wanted to hug Asher, learnt so so so much about bees along the way too.

This is a really good story covering some topics which are not always spoken about fully however at times it was a bit long winded getting to the point.

I was granted access to this novel on NetGalley and couldn’t wait to read it, bumping it to the top of my TBR when I had a free weekend. This is Jodi Picoult in her element. Her last book was an interesting take on the pandemic and a couple of her recent novels have been more experimental, moving away from the legal case structure of her earlier work. When I met Jodi Picoult several years ago I asked about her writing. Did she start with character, or was it the controversial issues she explores that start the writing process? Having covered racism, school shootings, teen suicide and abortion it seems that these complex issues drive her imagination. She admitted that these issues do spark her creativity, that if an issue stays in her mind for a couple of weeks she realises it has potential. Then she starts to research and during that process, characters form and make themselves known to her. I love the flow of Picoult’s writing and the tension that builds around the legal case, but thought that she’d maybe moved away from this way of working. When Jennifer Finney Boylan approached her with the idea to write a book together with a trans character at it’s heart, Jodi Picoult had been wanting to write about trans rights for a number of years. I’ve never read Jennifer Finney Boylan, but I can say with confidence that Mad Honey is vintage Picoult. Even where Jennifer Finney Boylan takes over the narration I didn’t notice a difference in tone or style. Picoult and Boylan haven’t shied away from controversy, choosing to write about one of today’s hottest and most complicated topics; the complexities of being transgender.

We meet Olivia and her son Asher, who live near a small town in New Hampshire. When Asher was a toddler she fled her abusive marriage to return to the place she grew up. Her timing was perfect, as her father was starting to struggle physically and needed to teach Olivia all the wisdom he’d accrued in a lifetime of keeping bees. Now Olivia is the bee expert, tending daily to her hives where each queen bee is named after a musical diva: Celina, Gaga, Beyoncé. The toddler who was just steady enough on his feet to intervene when his father attacked his mother, is now a six foot ice hockey player in his final year before leaving for college. Asher is a popular teenager with lots of friends and now he has Lilly too. Lilly understands starting over, so Olivia feels they have something in common. She likes Lily when she’s been over to the house and she’s helped them with the bees, who are a good judge of character. Lilly feels happy for the first time in her life and Asher is a huge part of that, although there is still a part of her that wonders if she can truly trust him, be open and vulnerable. Then out of the blue comes the call every parent dreads. It’s the police. Lily is dead and Asher has been arrested for her murder. She calls her brother Jordan to come to New Hampshire and be Asher’s lawyer. There’s no way that the boy she knows could have done this. However, as the case starts to unfold she realises that Asher has hidden more than he’s shared. Could he be exhibiting the same tendencies as his father? As Olivia knows more than anyone, we rarely know the people we love as well as we think they do.

I think it’s incredibly hard to take on writing about someone else’s experience, especially someone from a minority group. When it comes to books about disability, my own minority, I do prefer ‘own voice’ narratives. After all, who better to write a character with a disability than a writer with a disability? Failing that I want to know that an author has done their very best to represent that minority, through research and spending time with people who have a disability. I want to know they’ve asked the hard and sometimes uncomfortable questions that take them to the heart of how living in that body might feel. Armed with that they can hopefully create a character who feels real rather than clichéd and avoids stereotypes. I have to be honest and say I don’t know enough about being transgender to judge whether the authors have got it right, but at least they wanted to write about transgender rights in a mainstream novel that’s very likely to be a bestseller. I guess time will tell how the book is received as it moves out into the world. In her acknowledgments, Jennifer Finney Boylan quotes a terrible statistic; in the year that she and Piicoult wrote the book, ‘more than 350 transgender people were killed around the world, more than a fifth of them inside their own homes’. This awful number stayed with me and made me think that at least these authors are trying to start a conversation, using their fame and renown to bring the subject into the mainstream. It helped me have a conversation with my 75 year old dad who becomes confused between gender and sexuality and is totally baffled by labels like transgender, transsexual, non-binary.

Picoult speaks for me when she says it never occurred to her to think of a transgender woman as anything other than a woman, so it was good for me to have my view challenged, because it opened me up to how vehemently some corners of society disagree with me. We are given a lot of background information that clearly comes from both author’s research, but is presented in the guise of Olivia educating herself. She talks about how common it is for animals to change gender, from clown fish to bearded dragons and female hyena’s who can have retractable penises. She’s pressing home the argument against those who claim transgender people are unnatural and if you don’t have the internal sexual organs of a woman then you’re not a woman - but where does that leave women like me who can’t have children? Or those who’ve had a hysterectomy? Are we not real women? I was very interested in something called ‘passing’, a concept that applies to race, disability, sexuality: an African-American man may be treated very differently if he has a lighter skin tone; a gay man may ‘pass’ as straight in order to be treated differently; someone with an invisible disability like mine can be seen as able-bodied with all the benefits of both ways of being. If a transgender woman has a naturally feminine look she can pass as a woman more easily than someone who is is taller, broader or has large and feet. This ability to pass means no one, not even someone the transgender woman is in a sexual relationship with, need ever know that their assigned sex at birth was different. Of course this then begs the question of whether there is an obligation to disclose this information and when? All of this information comes in the courtroom, in the guise of expert testimony so it doesn’t feel like endless exposition.

The story flows beautifully and really grabbed hold of me quickly. I found myself unable to do anything until I’d finished reading, so I let uni work and household chores pile up, completely engrossed in the terrible situation both Asher and Lily’s mums find themselves in. I did feel this was Olivia and Ava’s story, despite our narrators being Lily and Olivia. For me the transition between the two writers is seamless. I really couldn’t tell whether I was reading Jodi or Jennifer’s writing and I know they worked hard at this, swapping sections for re-writes at times. I did feel for Olivia who has fled a terrible situation to protect her boy from her violent husband. I understood how she and Asher had become a tight unit, now challenged by Asher’s age and this new person coming into their small world. I thought the aftermath of being a victim of violence was tackled really well, as Olivia’s job keeps her hidden from the world. She doesn’t make friends and relationships haven’t been on her radar at all. I felt this massive change looming over them, Asher going away to college and leaving his mum alone for the first time. Her protection of them both has been necessary but she must be lonely at times. It was interesting to see her reaction to a possible romance, could she take down those walls and start to build a life for herself? By contrast, Lily’s chapters are lighter than Olivia’s, capturing that moment of being at the cusp of adulthood. Lily is brim full of potential and possibility. She’s like a newly transformed butterfly taking it’s first flight. Then all of a sudden she’s gone and it feels like a light has been snuffed out. How much harder must it be for Ava, who has nurtured and protected her daughter in much the same way as Olivia has? Ava stayed with me after the book had ended because her loss is unimaginable and her only solace is to retreat into the natural world where she feels at home. I found myself hoping she experienced the healing power of nature and didn’t feel too lonely out there on the Appalachian Trail.

I enjoyed the bee analogy that ran through the book, the reference to Mad Honey referring to bees who’ve collected pollen from rhododendrons and laurels. Unfortunately the honey produced is poisonous, causing dizziness, convulsions and cardiac symptoms. The ancient Greeks used it in germ warfare, it’s secret being that we expect it to be sweet not deadly. The analogy between this and Olivia’s husband is clear as she describes the love bombing in their early relationship and her utter shock when he first lashes out in anger. Her biggest fear is that Asher could be cut from the same cloth as his father, she sees nothing but her sweet boy. However, she knows that her own mother-in-law would have struggled to accept that her boy was a monster behind closed doors. The tension is brilliantly handled, rising slowly as we get to the final days of the court when I found myself biting my nails! I wasn’t sure how I felt about Asher and the potential verdict, I wasn’t sure I believed his version of events and if Asher was found innocent, would we ever find out what happened to Lily? The twists and turns here were brilliant, with the killer blow delivered just as everything is starting to calm down.

I’m hoping that this novel can be a gateway novel, an introduction to what life can be like for transgender people, hopefully inspiring readers to search out writing by transgender authors going forward. There is one scene where Olivia seeks out the woman who runs the town’s record store, because she’s known to be transgender. Here she gets to ask the questions that are running through her mind and although he’s a reluctant authority on the subject, he doesn’t get offended by her insensitivity or ignorance. What he does reinforce for her is that no one can speak for all trans women, because ‘when you’ve met one trans woman, you’ve met one trans woman’. What it reinforces for me is that gender and sexuality are a spectrum, there are as many ways of being as there are people. Our need to categorise, label and compare creates a pyramid of bigotry and ultimately divides us. All we can hope is that future generations find ways of relating to each other that bridge these man made divides. It’s only then that all people can live ‘with power, and fierceness, and with love’ and, as one of our characters says, without the obligation ‘to explain and defend the things I have known in my heart since the day I was born.’

I've read every Jodi Piclout book. To me, she almost writes 2 types of books and my favourite types of books by her are ones like The Pact, Nineteen Minutes, House Rules, Plain Truth etc. They are perfection to me and make Jodi my favouritr author. This book was almost like those books so I loved reading it. It did have a lot of prose about bees though, and while I do love the effort she goes into to research topics I find it slows the story for me, it's one of the things I dislike about her other 'type' of books. Still a 5 star for me though.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW!
Many thanks to Netgalley and @hodderbooks for the ebook in exchange for an honest review. Oh gosh, I really don’t know how to review this one.
I don’t want to give any spoilers at all. I went in completely blind and got a few shocks along the way to say the least! This is a good thing. I’d hate to ruin anything for anyone else.
The story is told from two perspectives, Olivia and Lily, Asher Field’s Mother and girlfriend. I liked the way this was done. I liked the actual writing and the general idea of the story. I just didn’t really like the ending in that Asher’s actions throughout didn’t fit with the outcome of the story for me. It’s so hard to explain without spoiling things. Maybe it’s his character I didn’t like, or how the end was written? I’m not too sure but that’s where I have a problem with this book.
Maybe you’ll have to read it to make up your own mind. It is also very educational about bees!

I found this a hard book to read - it covers many intense themes - it’s content at times quite heartbreaking.

Olivia a survivor of domestic abuse moves with her son, Asher, to take over her family’s bee keeping business. Ava moves east with her daughter, Lily, to escape bullying and abusive relationships.

Asher and Lily find each other with devastating consequences.

This book is written from the perspective of both Olivia and Lily and is so hard to read at times.

It deals with the themes of violence, toxic relationships, gender, secrets, the right to choose and depression. There is a huge plot twist in the middle which I did not see coming.

A worthwhile read though hard.

This is a remarkable story about a girl and her mother who relocate to a small town to start their lives afresh.
Also, the story of a divorced mum and her son, who keep bees, and how their lives intertwine with the girl and her mother..

Twists and turns, this was compulsive reading. But it is a story with sadness, regret, abuse and emotion.

I loved the detailed facts about beekeeping, and the recipes at the end of the book, a lovely touch.

I really enjoyed this story and will definitely seek out other books by these authors.

Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC.

Picoult is back! After struggling with The Book of Two Ways I was eager for her to get back to the style we know her for - the one that makes you question your morals. The one that makes you think about every difficult question.

She has co-written this and now I have another author to read too!

We have two students who fall hopelessly in love with each other. We hear from the boy, Asher, who is the typical high flyer. Captain of the hockey team. Super good looking. But you’re never sure if you should trust him or not because he has a temper. Did this temper come from his Dad? The one that his mother Olivia left in the middle of the night?

Olivia now tends the bees that her own dad used to keep. I was concerned early on in the novel, when there was a detailed history of bees, that this was going to be like The Book of Two Ways. I am happy to report that this simply enhances the plot. She’s still nursing the wounds that her husband gave her, whilst hiding it all from her home town. But she still sees echoes of the abuse in her own home.

We have Lily, who is new to the town. She’s super intelligent and plays in the orchestra. But she’s hiding a secret of her own. The one that’s made her and her mum Ava move too. But she’s fallen in love and can she really risk that perfect relationship by telling Asher the truth?

This was a complex and intriguing storyline. One that provokes many different questions within the reader. I enjoyed it throughly.

Wow what a book! This was impossible to put down, everytime I thought I knew where the plot was going Picoult and Finney Boylan were masters at throwing curve balls at the reader. I found it impossible to tell who wrote what part of the book as it flowed so well. I have not been able to stop thinking about the characters. I love a book that challenges my thoughts and really shows me a characters point of view I've not read before. I feel to get the most out of this book you should start reading without knowing very much about the plot. This was a wonderful author partnership that really worked well. This could well be my read of the year, it is such a powerful story, I was on the edge of my seat as the mystery unfolded and it was heart breaking.

Mine is a review of two halves; the half that loved the book and the half that was bored by what is supposed to be the main plot. The things that have made me love Jodi Picoult's writing all these years is all here: quirky character traits, interesting insights into things we wouldn't normally consider, deep discussions around subjects that people are often afraid of, normalising conversations that everyone has in private but rarely out loud, asking us all to confront our prejudices and our society and writing stories that are so beautifully human and relatable that we put ourselves into the community and live with the characters. It's great to see the return of a much beloved character of hers too. I found myself reading some of the things 'Lily' says and thinking 'Yes, actually. Yes, she's right. Yes, that's what the world should be like' and I loved that - I loved how this isn't an idealistic perspective but an aspirational one.
Then, there's the legal thriller/'whodunnit part of the story which, I presume, is the work of her collaborator and that's where, I feel, the book falls short. It is painfully and woefully predictable, the supposed twist is obvious from the beginning because it's been used countless times in countless novels so stripped away all the suspense for me.
If you love Jodi Picoult's books then read this, you won't be disappointed with the depth of emotion in this novel. If you're after a dramatic, heart pounding, breath taking crime thriller, maybe skip this one.

An enjoyable read however i found all the information about the bees a bit over the top and found myself skipping that dialogue. As always though i love Jodi picoult's book so it wouldnt stop me recommending the book. Great story line and well written.

An interesting collaboration between 2 authors. The subject matters were very relevant and current. There were parts of the book that were a bit lengthy but overall an enjoyable read. I did feel that the ending was a bit flat.

This was a great rug-pulling thriller. I thought I knew what was likely to happen, but I really didn’t.

The story tells the story of the murder trial of a a teenager accused of killing his girlfriend. It charts how both their family secret histories brings them to that point.

Now I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult and have read numerous books of hers. She always seem to write on topics and life events you would not normally think about and always makes you think, 'What If'!

But I must say that I was not overly enamored with this one. The story started off well and it started drawing me in to the story of these people and their lives, before, during and after. I was really excited about reading it and was looking forward to a strong and interesting topic of conversation.

But I must say that the further I read the more I lost interest. Not because of the topic but because it be came a bit repetitive, the bee story was a little overdone and unless you are into bees it really did slow the story down. I also liked that the characters and what happened in their lives set up the outcome but again it became a bit long-winded and overdone!

The characters in their own right where well thought out and well presented but it just became so depressing and made the world sound so off centre that I felt I was in some ways being dictated to which I find a great downfall in a book.

I do look forward to seeing what Jodi Picoult does next and hope whatever it is she pares it back a bit and makes a good story and a good read rather than a lecture.

Wowwowwowwow! This novel will undoubtedly make it onto my list of favorite books of the year!

Olivia receives a phone call and learns that her son Asher has been arrested for the murder of his high school sweetheart Lily. The backdrop is New Hampshire, near the White Mountains, and Olivia works as a beekeeper. Olivia enlists the help of her brother Jordan, a well-known defense attorney, to defend Asher.

This is a book about how people are not always who they appear to be, and things aren't always as they seem - and I'll leave it at that so as not to spoil it for anyone. There's a significant revelation at about the halfway mark and a plot twist at the end. I didn't see either one coming; they were both so satisfying!

Amazingly, two authors (Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan) wrote this novel together. It's so seamless and perfect you would never know. I love a good courtroom drama and enjoyed following Asher's murder trial. I also appreciate how much I learned about bees and beekeeping!

Bonus - There are recipes that include honey at the back of the book, which feels like the perfect takeaway.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Books for an advance review copy in exchange for this honest review.

Jennifer Finney Boylan had the idea for this story during the night of May eighth 2017. She dreamed about the main characters in her storyboard and in that dream she was co-authoring the story with Jodi Picoult. She tweeted what had happened and almost straight away Jodi sent a private message asking what the story was about. Jodi was impressed with Jennifer’s outline and immediately wanted to make the dream come true. This is how their collaboration was born. The idea stayed with them until Lockdown 2020. They agreed that Jodi would write Olivia’s story and Jennifer would be the voice of Lily, but that each author would write one chapter of the other’s character. Their collaboration was managed through the Internet.
Olivia is a single parent who left her abusive husband when their son Asher was six years old. They live in close harmony in Adams, New Hampshire and are ardent beekeepers. It is their life blood. When the main story begins Asher is a strapping, handsome and popular six footer, eighteen years old and captain of the school ice hockey team. Each summer time he coaches children in his spare time. He is in his last year in school and looking forward to going to University. He is happy, kind and gentlemanly.
Ava is also a single parent who has had serious parenting issues with her husband, forcing her and Lily to leave their home. They have moved on several times because Lily has been bullied. She and Lily have recently settled in Adams, hoping for another new start. Lily has changed and is ready to give her new school a good go. Ava is a ranger and being near to the coastline is very exciting for her. Asher meets Lily when a boy is hitting on her. He tells the guy Lily is his girlfriend and thus the boy leaves Lily alone.
Lily and Asher actually become a couple and both of the teenagers soon fall deeply in love. They tell each other about their families, go on dates and enjoy each other’s company. Soon they have an intimate relationship, they are serious and life is good, until it isn’t. They squabble and Lily takes a timeout. Days go by with many unanswered calls until Asher knows he has to break the stalemate. He goes to Lily’s house to try to talk to her, but when he gets there the door is wide open and Lily is on the floor at the bottom of the staircase. She is bleeding and non-responsive, so Asher carries her tenderly to the lounge sofa. Asher is found alone with Lily when Ava returns home, still cradling his precious Lily. The police and ambulance are called but Lily is pronounced dead. Olivia goes with Asher to make a statement. Asher is eventually charged with murder, still claiming he did not kill his girlfriend. So the preparations for the court case begin with his uncle Jordan taking control. He is mourning the loss of Lily and very scared.
This is a heartbreaking, powerful and riveting story. The storytelling is simply fantastic and the characters are vibrant, imaginative and engaging. I loved them all (apart from the two hateful and abusive husbands). I am in awe of the meticulous amount of research undertaken to enhance the story, adding even more authenticity and interest. The storyboard is enticing, filled with action, mystery, thrills and twists and turns. The issues explored are relevant and challenging: the power of untold secrets, abuse, the right to claim your identity and love and loss. I loved the back stories of both Olivia and Lily. These chapters gave poignant stories that helped the story become complete and explained the situation from the beginning.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Hodder & Stoughton through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you very much for my copy of this novel, sent in return for an honest review. These are my opinions of my own reading experience. It is a really well earned 5* review from me. It is a real page turner, totally unmissable and it will stay in my mind for a long time.