Wow!! What a book!! I’m a huge fan of Jodi Picoult and this book blew me away!! I’m still feeling lost now that I’ve finished it

This was, for me, a real return to form. I absolutely loved Picoult’s early work - her courtroom dramas - and this was like going back in time. Superbly crafted (with some characters I loved already), fantastic dialogue, complete suspense. In fact, I’m now going back and reading all of my old favourites.

As usual, Picoult has chosen themes and her research shines through.

Cannot recommend more highly.

This book has it all as as far as I’m concerned. A courtroom drama, a plot which makes the reader question their thoughts and beliefs and really credible characters. I have read most of Jodi Picoults novels and even though this is co-written it is as good as all of the rest. Thought provoking and a page turner. Brilliant!

This is a brave subject for Jodi Picoult to tackle, given the current trans rights battles on social media. It’s an eminently readable book with believable and likeable characters and covers a whole gamut of social issues : domestic violence, bullying, young love, and especially transsexualism. There is lots of information about bee-keeping thrown in for good measure. I’m not sure Picoult has done the subject justice and she has presented only one side of a complex argument but the book itself is a good read.

Mad Honey feels and reads like Jodi Picoult’s earliest novels, and that’s not a bad thing. On the contrary, it’s what made this book such a fabulous read. This book is a collaborative effort with Jennifer Finney Boylan, but it has all the hallmarks of a Picoult classic, tough controversial topics, legal court room scenes, moral dilemmas, traumatic scenes that will pull on your heartstrings.

Mad Honey is a mesmerizing and devastating family drama centred around the sudden death of teenage Lily, and the subsequent arrest of her boyfriend Asher. The story is told largely from the POV of Asher’s mother and partly by Lily. These characters give a voice to subjects that are often concealed and kept secret. The story moves fluidly between past and present, allowing the reader to gain an insight into the characters’ life’s, you learn of their hopes and dreams, and you experience their struggles, trauma, pain and heartbreak.

When I’m reading a book, that’s a collaboration. I’m normally able to work out who's written what, but the authors compliment each other and have created a seamless narrative that feels like a single voice has written it, something that is rarely accomplished in writing collaboratives. Rich in research and information, I found the parts about bee keeping fascinating. Mad Honey is a soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind. Highly recommended.

I love Jodi picoult style of writing anyway but this was a great book. Jodie’s themes are normally obvious from the outset but this one saved the theme until halfway so a really good twist when court room dialogue can be a bit dry.

Olivia escaped an abusive marriage taking her son Asher with her, to the farm where she grew up to find safety and give her son his best chance at a good life. When Asher falls for Lily it seems as though life is going their way, until Olivia gets a phone call that changes all of their lives.

Wow, this is such a moving and thought provoking book on a subject that I really knew nothing about. Its told from both Olivias and Lily’s points of view, and although at first I thought it felt a bit odd that Lily’s is going backwards, it really does make sense when you get into it. I like the analogy of the bees and relationships. The story telling is excellent and at no point are there two egos pulling against each other by either author, it all reads seamlessly. A definite must read

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

This is the first Jodi Picoult book I have read and I was absolutely engrossed from the start.

I felt really invested in the characters and felt they were believable. I liked how each chapter was told from a different character perspective and at different points in time. I also enjoyed learning about bees along the way.

I will be going back to seek out some of her previous books now.

Jodi Picoult is one of those authors where I know it’s going to be a good read whenever I pick up one of her books. Always a solid writer, and this one was absolutely no exception.
The story deals with some hard topics which the author had no hesitation in taking on.
Written with all of her usual depth and clear research, this story shines.
Beautifully written with “real” characters, this is one of my best reads so far this year.
This is a story that will stay with me long after I finish the last page.
Highly recommend this one.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my arc.
All thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Wow! What an amazing book!!
Would love to read more from the author.
Thankyou netgalley for the Arc!

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I have read most of Jodi Picoult's books and have always found them to be thought provoking, compassionate and well researched. This was no exception.. It explored young love, sexuality, abusive relationships, trust, identity, self worth and much more. These were interwoven with a court room case and the life cycle of the bees. The ending was not as I expected and fitted with all the twists and turns throughout the case.
I loved that each character told the story from their own perspective and not always in a chronological order. Lily & Asher had a lovely relationship as two teenagers experiencing first love. when something happens! A typical Jodie Picoult style of story where you are challenged to think for yourself. Where do your views lie? Who has your sympathy and understanding? How much did you already know of the issues raised?
I can highly recommend this book. It should be read by all, particularly those who can be narrow minded. The story is well written by the two authors and it is not at all obvious that they each wrote the story from a different characters perspective. I only learnt this when reading the commentary at the end.

Another amazing book from this wonderful author. Brave topics sensitively but intensively handled. The theme of beekeeping helps keep the story flowing without becoming too bogged down and draws some amazing analogies. The flips in timeline allow the full story to gradually unfold. One of the best books I've read in a long time.

Another excellent book from Jodi Picoult. Once again she covers an interesting topic in her own unique style. Highly recommend this book.

I really adored this story of love, bees, honey and a right to be who you want to be.
Asher has fallen in love with Lily, she is his world. When Asher finds Lily dead at the bottom of her staircase he becomes the main suspect and soon ends up on trial.
Olivia is Asher’s mum, having fled an abusive marriage she has taken over her families bee hives. There is a lot of information about bees in the book, how they make honey, how they survive, their mating and feeding and looking out for the queen. I loved all this! It’s woven so wonderfully through the narrative.
The book is told in parts, of before Lily died and now. The lead up to what happened through Lilies eyes and the present with Asher and his family trying to prove his innocence. There is a big reveal halfway through the book so it’s hard to really say too much as it would ruin the plot, but I found this to be a tender, thoughtful book. A belief that we all have the right to live as we are and the lengths we go to to become our true selves
It’s perfect for teens to read too.

#MadHoney #NetGalley

I loved this book and read it in a day. I’m often wary when I see that a book is co-authored but learning that the novel came about because Jennifer Finney Boylan tweeted that she had dreamt that she and Jodi Picoult wrote a book and that then Jodi had contacted Jennifer to ask what their book was about!
The story of Olivia, Asher and Lily was compelling enough but the way that the beekeeping scenes were intermingled with the plot was clever and made for fascinating reading. The scene where Asher, Olivia and Lily were harvesting the honey in the barn was just perfect.
As a mother with adult children I could empathise with everything that Olivia said and thought. Doubt however small is part of the frailty of the human psyche and is far more authentic than a parent who believes everything their child says without any analysis or objective thinking.
I was so happy to read the section at the end of the book where Jenny and Jodi discuss how they decided to collaborate and how they created the story, one taking Olivia’s voice and the other Lily’s. At no point did the novel feel disjointed.
My only tiny criticism was the final plot twist revealed at the very end. Somewhat unbelievable in my eyes but it’s not taking away any stars for such a fabulous novel overall.

I have really enjoyed several of Jodi Picoult's previous books and was intrigued to read her latest offering given that it was co-written with Jennifer Finney Boylan. I wasn't sure how it would feel with two different authors writing alternate chapters but I was pleasantly surprised it was done seamlessly.
The book tackles several different sensitive and challenging social issues , typical of Picoult's usual style, but there is so much more to this with great character development, an intriguing plot and several twists and turns and the odd bombshell along the way. This book really did keep me gripped from beginning to end and left me reflecting on many of the issues raised for quite some time after I finished it.
I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book

I love Jodi Picoult books and this did not disappoint. I loved the references (and learnt lots about) to bee keeping and honey. As is usual in Picoult’s novels, the plot centres around a trial but also explores the characters affected by the murder. As a parent, it made me consider various scenarios and how I would react.

I was really intrigued by the idea of Jodie Picoult co-authoring a book and how that works logistically. I soon forgot it had been written by two people once I started- it is absolutely seamless, so it was interesting to then read in the author’s notes how it did work.
Anyway, I digress. The book itself. ABSOLUTELY phenomenal. With most books I feel like it is fairly easy to guess where the story goes, it’s not often I’m surprised. Picoult’s book, and this one, are the exception to the rule. I was constantly surprised, astounded, saddened, amazed, and enthralled by the twists and turns that this novel took. I won’t spoil it, but it absolutely has made me think about tolerance for those living amongst us and I particularly loved the exchange Olivia had with Elizabeth- a very useful dummies guide for us all to bear in mind to avoid clumsily hurting people we encounter with our naivety. Beautifully written and I’m sad it’s finished.

Another triumph from Jodi Piccoult, together with her co-author.

The writing style was easy to read so that I raced through this court room drama.

The book covers the story of Olivia, as her son is charged with the murder of his girlfriend Lily, after deep seated secrets are uncovered.

The story is narrated through the voices of two characters: Olivia, as she comes to terms with events and tries to support her son through the trial, even while having doubts about his innocence, which are entirely based on her own personal history with her son’s father; and Lily, the victim herself, in the events leading up to one fateful night.

As ever, detailed descriptions include the legal system, and also the process of bee keeping, Olivia’s profession.

The book includes themes around domestic violence as well as gender. I found it both enlightening and thought provoking.

All in all it’s another top class read from one of my favourite authors- I wasn’t sure I would like it when I learned it was co-authored but it was brilliantly put together and Olivia and Lily’s stories blended perfectly.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review, it’s a solid five stars from me ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Jodi picoult has smashed it again!
I’ll be honest, I didn’t actually realise until I had finished this book that it was written by both Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, however that just goes to show how seamlessly it was written that I couldn’t notice. I read at the end that they each wrote one of the characters and I think that’s a fantastic idea.
I went into this book not reading what it was about at all so each little twist was a complete surprise for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I don’t want to give anything away, but I love Lily’s character and I think it was really clever that we got to know her and then found out what we find out about her, it helps to educate people and show that it shouldn’t be a defining characteristic.