An excellent tale with a twist or two that I never saw coming and all the better for that. A very sensitive and informative tale which is so much more than the sum of its parts. Mad Honey should certainly be on your "to read" list and very close to the top as I am quite certain that you will enjoy it and very likely learn a lot too.

Why oh why do first class authors like JP feel the need to dumb down their first class writing with an avalanche of expletives; 79 versions of that (in)famous F-word? I would normally dock 1 star for the egregious use of expletives but this book is so good that it keeps its 5 Star rating.

Excellent story telling from the two authors, one in the voice of the victim, the other in the voice of the mother of her accused killer. At its heart this book is about identity and abuse and love against the fascinating backdrop of bee keeping and a courtroom drama.

Olivia fled from her abusive marriage with her six year old son Asher. She takes over her family bee keeping business & Asher grows up to be a popular athletic young man. Now at eighteen he is a player on the ice hockey team, nearly ready to go off to college when new to the town Lily captures his heart. All seems well until after an argument Lily refuses to speak to him. Eventually he decides to make her see him. The next thing Olivia knows she is informed by the police that Lily is dead & Asher is being charged with her murder.

This book was written by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan. Jodi, writing from Olivia's point of view in the present & Jennifer, writing from Lily's point of view in the past. Unlike any other jointly authored book I've read, the narrative runs along seamlessly. A great deal of the book is a courtroom drama as Asher is tried. It was nice to see Jordan from 'Nineteen Minutes' (My other favourite book of Jodi's!) I loved this book. It dealt with some sensitive subjects with empathy. I also unexpectedly enjoyed the 'Bee Facts'!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book. It's one of my favourite reads this year.

What a thought provoking read; although I have come to expect this from Jodi Picoult. This is an excellent joint venture with Jennifer Boylan and the story behind how the book was conceived is fascinating!

The story centres around teenagers Asher and Lily, who meet and fall in love. Their relationship is not all plain sailing and they have a terrible argument, after which Lily doesn't speak to Asher. He can't accept this and goes to try to sort things out once and for all. When he gets to Lily's house he finds her murdered and is charged with her death.

This is a great book, it will make you think and be open to things which you may not be comfortable with. It's a game changer of a book, made all the ore remarkable by how is was conceived and written by the two authors.

Thoroughly recommend this book.

Not only an enjoyable book but I really felt fulfilled in finishing it- I’ve felt like I’ve learned a lot about the justice system in the US . This book wasn’t the easiest read but worth the effort. Wonderful storytelling which reminded me of why I loved Jodi Picoult books and made me want to find out more about Jennifer Finney Boylan

“Most People in Adams, New Hampshire, know me by name, and those who don’t, know to steer clear of my home. It’s often that way for beekeepers…. Honeybees are far less vindictive than their yellow jacket cousins, but people can’t often tell the difference, so anything that stings and buzzes comes to be seen as a potential hazard.”

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Mad Honey’ by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan.

First off, this is a novel that I really would recommend be read ‘cold’. As I have a long history of reading Jodi Picoult’s novels, this was not difficult as I trust her storytelling skills and prefer surprises to spoilers. In ‘Mad Honey’ Picoult has collaborated with Jennifer Finney Boylan, an author who previously was unknown to me.

This is a return to the courtroom style dramas that were prominent in Picoult’s early novels and features her recurring character criminal defence lawyer, Jordan McAfee.

Indeed, McAfee’s younger sister and nephew are leading characters in ‘Mad Honey’. So a few plot details for context: following her divorce Olivia McAfee returned to her childhood home in Adams, New Hampshire and taken up her family’s beekeeping business. Details about bees and beekeeping are scattered throughout the narrative.

Her son, Asher Fields, is a high school senior and member of their hockey team. The novel opens in December 2018. For the past few months Asher has been dating Lily, who had recently moved to town with her mother, who works for the Forest Service.

Olivia’s world is forever changed when Asher calls her from the police station and tearfully tells her that Lily is dead. Not long after Asher is arrested and charged with her murder. Olivia turns to her older brother, Jordan, for help. He comes out of retirement to defend his nephew.

The story is told by Olivia and Lily in alternating chapters. Obviously as Lily is no longer alive in the present, her chapters focus upon the events leading up to her death. Olivia’s chapters cover the days, weeks, and months following Lily’s death including the dramatic murder trial.

I found ‘Mad Honey’ a powerful story that unflinchingly addresses timely social issues, including troubling aspects of the USA legal system. It is also a moving love story, made all the more poignant for an awareness of its loss.

Following the main text there are a number of recipes featuring honey and both author’s contribute insightful Notes about how they came to collaborate on ‘Mad Honey’, background on their writing process, as well as on its key themes.

Jodi Picoult has long been known for tackling difficult ethical and/or moral themes in her writing. I certainly appreciate that this novel is bound to provoke controversy, though hopefully it will also serve to encourage discourse.

I do expect that this thought provoking, compassionate novel will not only prove popular with individual readers but with reading groups as it provides plenty of material for discussion along with a well written and engaging story.

On a side note the golden hued cover art was very striking and within the novel the occasional bee decorates the pages.

Highly recommended.

This is not a book for the faint hearted. I had to put myself away in a quiet room most of the time to really concentrate on the story!!. I have a noisy house!!.
This book is definitely worth spending time in a quiet room!. This had a strong plot with a fantastic story, the likes of which I haven't seen or read about for quite some time, with strong characters with full stories of their own. I really can't believe this story was written by two authors as it's so seamless!.
This story has a lesson and a message which when you read this amazing story you will totally get loud and clear!!.
But who am I to spoil the suspense ive built up for you!
There are a couple madly in love, Asher and Lily, whose parents have both escaped abusive situations and started again in the same town, the death of Lily with Asher as prime suspect, a trial with all the upset that is created for both mums, and a conclusion with a fantastic twist in the ending. All in all this book deserves the five stars I'm rating it at and more!!.
This is the first book for a long time which has made me think about it while I was reading it and after!!. A great thought provoking and educational story and I mustn't forget the bees in all this!!. That was obviously seamlessly linked in too!!.
#Netgalley, #hodderbooks, #jodipicoult, #jenniferfinneyboyl...

Mad Honey is a moving contemporary fiction novel about a New Hampshire teenager accused of the murder of his girlfriend. A collaboration between two bestselling authors - only one of which I had heard of/read previously - this has an unusual alternating chapter structure: Olivia (the boy’s mother) tells her story in traditional (although present tense) format, while Lily’s (the victim) begins on the day of her death and works backwards, revealing the history of her passionate relationship with Asher and the secrets that led to the tragedy. This worked surprisingly well, and the dual author origin doesn’t stop this being a classic Picoult offering with all the elements you’d expect. To mention the main theme of this would be a major spoiler so I recommend caution reading reviews - but it makes writing about it tricky. Let’s just say that it’s an important issue that the book handles sensitively but that will upset some conservative readers.

Olivia McAfee escaped her abusive marriage to a charming surgeon and has raised her son Asher alone in a small rural town, making a living as a beekeeper. She’s fond of his clever new girlfriend Lily, who only moved to the town a few months earlier, so when Asher is found cradling Lily’s body in a pool of blood, Liv is shocked and horrified - but cannot believe that her beloved child is responsible. Then Asher is arrested and charged with murder, and when his trial begins, Liv discovers that she doesn’t know him as well as she thought, and must face the question - could he be like his father after all?

I hadn’t read a Jodi Picoult novel in years, because they started getting quite repetitive, but this had positive advance reviews and I was ready to try her again. This was an engaging but thought-provoking read covering a variety of social issues, including (trigger warning): domestic abuse, attempted suicide, bullying, depression, youth sexuality and the dysfunctional US criminal justice system. There’s also a lot about beekeeping! Sometimes courtroom dramas can get a bit dull, but the return of recurring Picoult character Jordan McAfee, Liv’s lawyer brother, and avoidance of too much legal procedural detail meant I was never bored. I didn’t anticipate the ending either. I thoroughly enjoyed this and felt educated about an area I don’t know much about without feeling I was being preached at. I’ll end this with a quote: “How similar does someone have to be to you before you remember to see them, first, as human?”

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
Mad Honey is available now.

This is a difficult book to write about...not because of the quality, that is Jodi Picoult being her fabulous self with the addition of Jennifer Finney Boylan who I want to read more from, it is because I'd hate to ruin anyone's reading experience by giving too much away.

I will only say this felt like a return to an older style of Jodi's writing, think Nineteen Minutes, & saying hello to a few of her old characters. Mad Honey made me think, it taught me things, including what Mad Honey is but also much more important things too.

It has great characters & two narrators with a back & forth timeline that was easy to follow. I was a little frustrated one element of the story but nothing that would stop me recommending it.

This is classic Jodi Picoult – a great read with plenty of twists and turns but some thought provoking topics mixed in. I’m not familiar with her co-author, Jennifer Boylan, but will be adding her to my list of ‘must read’ authors.

The story starts with Lily and Asher, who are nearing the end of school, falling madly in love. Both are from single parent backgrounds and are not in touch with their fathers. All is seeming to focus on absent fathers with possible twists and turns where the fathers will become a larger part of the action. But then, in an instant, the book goes in a direction that I wasn’t expecting and straight into completely different territory for many readers I suspect. There is a tragic death and a court case to follow.

The story is intertwined with Olivia, mother of Asher, who is a beekeeper. There is quite a lot of dialogue about beekeeping which goes into considerably detail and act as a metaphor for the main events of the story. I can't say as I cared too much for these sections as there seems to be a surfeit of novel centred on bee-keeping recently and it is starting to feel a little forced.

I found the procedural bit of the court case a little dull but loved the writing of the characters and all the different dilemmas that each had to deal with as more became known about one of the main characters. It was well written and I hope educational to readers who have more understanding and empathy for the theme this book highlights. It’s hard to write more without major spoilers but I was I would thoroughly recommend this book and look forward to more by both authors.

With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was absolutely gripped by this book and read it avidly, developing a number of theories about what had happened to Lily. Along the way there were twists that I did not anticipate, a turning point that gave the book depth and characters that felt real.

This is not an easy book to read - not because of the writing, which is engaging and compelling, but because of some of the themes which I won't spoil here. Suffice to say, this not only gripped me as a mystery/drama but also made me consider others' points of view as the authors put me into their shoes and helped me to experience their challenges.

Great read and one that will stay with me.

Thanks to NetGalley, authors Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan and Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book.

First and foremost, though written by two authors, the writing was seamless. As one expects from Jodi Picoult there was a moral dilemma, so no surprise there.
I loved the information about the bees interspersed in the story - it was interesting, informative and a relief from the tension and the controversial subjects covered.
The main characters were fully developed and realistic. Of course Olivia was fully supportive of Asher, but she still had her concerns as to whether he had inherited any of the harsher characteristics of his father.
Ava was totally supportive of Lily but still mourned the loss of her son. Unfortunately the husbands and fathers in this book do not come out too well.
Add to this a court case and this is a compelling read.
Many thanks to `Netgalley/Jodi Picoult/Jennifer Finney Boylan/Hodder & Stoughton for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have put this book off for a while and I’m not sure why, there was a reason I requested it so who knows.
Read as a buddy read it started well and kept my attention but it seemed to take such a long time to read. I think it’s possibly 100 pages too long.
I loved the little details on the bees 🐝 and it taught me things along the way.
There were topics in the book I thought were dealt with delicately and handled it well.
Overall I would recommend this book but it is longer than necessary in my opinion.
3.5 stars ⭐️

Mad Honey, a combined effort from Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is a powerful contemporary read filled with courtroom drama, heartbreak and beekeeping.
The book centres on the stories of two families. Olivia fled her abusive husband with her young son over a decade ago, cutting all ties and returning to her family's beekeeping business. By and large she and her son Asher have a good relationship, she is proud of her popular hockey playing boy who is now over six foot tall and thinking about college. He's also hiding secrets from her, including the fact that he has reconnected with his father and has been meeting him in secret.
One thing he is not hiding is his love for girlfriend Lily, a new arrival to the town with her mother . Lily was in need of a fresh start but one thing she was not counting on was falling for Asher, and the speed and intensity of their feelings and relationship is proving to be a challenge of its own,
One dreadful day Olivia gets a phone call she never expected. Lily is dead and Asher is being questioned as a suspect in her murder. Soon he is on trial and facing life in prison for something he swears he did not do, but as the courtroom drama unfolds secrets start to tumble out , Olivia is left to question how well she knows her son.
This was a really powerful and compelling story, I was quickly hooked and couldn't stop turning pages as the story unfolded and I learned more about the characters and the secrets they were keeping from each other and sometimes from themselves. I was fully invested in the story and really cared about the characters and how it would all end, which is usually a sign of really good writing. On that note I was also impressed by how seamlessly the two authors were able to combine their styles and voices to create a book that never felt disjointed. I really enjoyed the author's notes at the end which explained how the collaboration came about and how they made it work so well. Neither shies away from tackling difficult subjects with an almost brutal honesty in this book, something that makes it a difficult read at times but a very worthwhile one.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I didn’t enjoy this one which is a shame as I love Jodi’s book. I found this one depressing and slow going. I struggled to get to the end and I was glad to finally finish it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Following a traumatic marriage break up, Olivia has moved back to her home town of Adams, New Hampshire with her son Asher. Raised by her father in every aspect of bee keeping, she now lives on the family farm, runs the apiary and has expanded the business.
The detail was well balanced - not too heavy so that the reader became bogged down with detail, but enough to give a feel of Olivia’s abilities and what exactly bee keeping entails.
Her son Asher falls for newly arrived Lily, whose own mother has left an abusive relationship and moved to Adams. The romance blossoms, until Lily is found dead and Asher is accused of her murder.
It’s a multi-layered plot which deals with a myriad of topics, including marital abuse and family secrets. Although different from my usual reads, I enjoyed the journey Jodi and Jennifer took me on. The characters were well developed and the story held my attention. All in all quite a thought provoking read.

My thanks to Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan, NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of Mad Honey in exchange for an honest review..

I’m a massive fan of Jodi Picoult but was a bit sceptical to read a novel she co-wrote just incase it didn’t live up to my high expectations. But I did enjoy this novel.
I could tell which parts were Jodi and which weren’t and while I guessed Lily’s secret and the twist at the end, I still couldn’t put the book down.
I would definitely recommend.

A good partnership between two authors has brought out this great read, Mad Honey.
I loved the story lines and the basis of her beekeeping experiences.
The transgender topic was full of information, some I found very educational.
Characters were lovely and kept me guessing the whole way through. I kept thinking there was a bad guy but there wasn't which felt nice

I'm not a usual reader of Jodie Picoult I have only read two of her books previously one I absoulty loved the other not so much, this one for me lies somewhere inbetween.
The topics covered in this are very heavy and can feel a little daunting with so much going on. The main murder mystery storyline I enjoyed, I liked finding out more about Asher and Lily's relationship and how it evolved I did struggle with the time line for the first half but once I figured out lolly story was being told backwards it was a lot easier to understand.
I did enjoy learning some fun facts about bees however I do feel like the book was slowed down a lot by this and bits with Olivia felt like a bit too much filler.
The ending! I liked how it turned out I had premptied part of it so it was a surprise it also wasn't at the same time. I do feel the end was over very quick after such a slow build up.
Thank you to Netgalley for this Arc.

Another cracking read from Jodi Picoult. I was absolutely captivated and compelled to read on. Such a powerful story and premise and the information on bees, which weaves through the whole story is mind-blowing - it shouldn't work, but it does. Only after reading this book, did I learn how the dual narrator worked. Jennifer Finney Boylan and Picoult write seamlessly and I could not tell one writers work from the other Boylan brings her own experience and knowledge to this story to add to the authenticity and experience.

I have never thought about grief in so many ways. This wonderful story captures the true difficulties that life throws at us and encourages the reader to explore their attitude to difference - how would you respond if you were Lily, or Olivia, or Ava? These characters are developed beautifully and each of their stories are heartbreaking.

I loved that this book pulls in previous characters, too! Jordan and his wife are a wonderful contrast of how a relationship can be.

Amazing read: a book of its time. I did not see the big twist coming, though I probably should have - I was just so caught up on each characters' story. I laughed and I cried; this is a gritty read will genuine emotion. Do not miss this title!