An incredibly thoughtful authorial pairing. An engaging, balanced murder mystery, weaving in trans struggle that felt entirely natural where others I've read have felt forced. I read about mad honey - from rhododendrons - in the Kew Gardens hot house the week after reading this and would class this read as intoxicating too.

The authors of this novel created characters that were easy to identify with and the story was an emotional rollercoaster.

I hope to see future novels where these two talented authors write together from a dual perspective. The chapter they switched characters for was seamless.and I was not able to guess which one it was.

I really enjoyed Mad Honey but I can see that this wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea unfortunately.
In this book Picoult has a co-author, Jennifer Finney Boylan (for reasons that are well articulated in the author’s note - don’t read this until you have read the book), but the two of them wrote such a seamless story, I couldn’t tell which chapter was written by who! And it isn’t jarring at all.
Mad Honey features topics which are very much in the headlines at the moment and is a story about social change/justice which is definitely up my street.

The main topic in this is presented very sympathetically, sensitively and with fact and I won’t share what this is as I do not want to spoil it. It is co-written by someone that has walked a mile in the main character’s shoes, which in this instance, is very important.

I also learned a great deal and hope that some of my behaviour will change positively.

At first I thought the caretaking of the bees would take over the story but actually the care of the bees and their way of life is threaded together in what else happens in the story really nicely.
This is also not a classic boy meets girl teen rom com either, some really sensitive, challenging and difficult themes are dealt with so brilliantly in this book.
Trigger warning for self-harm, suicide, homicide, bullying, Trans and gender issues to name but a few.

Asher and Lily are young and in love, but this is not to be.
Lily is found dead at the bottom of her stairs, and Asher literally has her blood on his hands and is charged and put on trial with her murder.
The court case was interesting to see develop.
What follows is the peeling back of everyone’s backgrounds and their layers, Asher’s fractured relationship with his father, a very unlikable doctor, and how his parent’s past is very dark and secret filled.

Lily’s relationship with her parents, and the secrets there. The real reasons for Lily’s constant moving around with her mother, and the lies buried and truths hidden.

This book is well written, the co-writing is not an issue and the transition is smooth; all voices are as interesting and unique as they are meant to be.
There’s a couple of twists, one of which I did not see coming.
I was really moved by this book and I think this will resonate with a lot of readers.

Recommended for readers from young adult and above, this was a great reading experience.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A great book from Jodi & Jennifer, I really enjoyed the plot and the characters and I found myself hooked. I did not expect the twist at all but didn't think it needed to be hidden to begin with. The ending was a little weak however. Thank you netgalley for the review copy!

Seen this book advertised a lot everywhere and enjoyed the twists and turns through the book. Did not see the twist in the middle of the book coming at all which was a good surprise and wasn’t sure how the trial was going to go at all because it could have gone either way. Was an enjoyable read.

Phew, this was an absorbing read! When teenage sweethearts Lily and Asher are found at the bottom of the stairs in a pool of blood, it soon turns from the scene of an accident to homicide and Asher is put on trial. This was such a tense read, as we are taken back and forth in time to reveal the past in snippets and learn of the progress in the present. We get to find out about the relationship and learn more about Lily as a person. There are several big reveals that I didn't see coming and these make for great discussion points. One involving Lily and then the ending regarding whether justice has been served. Mad Honey talks about big topics with sensitivity. #madhoney #jodipicoult #jenniferfinneyboylan #netgalley

This brought me back to the original Jodi Picoult books. It was twisty, gripping and thought-provoking

This author does story telling like no other. You will cry, you will laugh and you will love Mad Honey. It has everything in it for all ages and types of people!

It is so easy to read this book ,short excerpts mean the long story doesn't feel too long, something important in a domestic violence subject matter I think!

Despite all the forced woke topics, I did actually enjoy this book. I think it helped having read previous reviews and knowing what to expect.

It was interesting to read about transitioning and what goes through ones head at the time and also how society deals with it.

The story itself was good, I liked the characters and the twist at the end was unexpected.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I have read several books by Jodi Picoult in the past and enjoy her narrative style as much as the content; I like the way she gradually reveals events and emotions for each character as the story moves towards a surprising climax. This book has a co-author and I thought this had a big effect. I thought the book was over - long, with an enormous build-up on Lily and her background, almost as though the book is a vehicle for explaining about people like her (I don't want to create a spoiler). I also found the information about the bees was distracting, most of it did not seem relevant. The plot was good, with a very surprising twist at the end, but this is definitely my least favourite of Jodie's books.

Really enjoyed this - will definitely be recommending and looking forward to the next one by this author!

I'll have to admit I was nervous to start this book, as I had high expectations from Jodi Picoult, being a fan since a very young age. BUT, what an amazing read. It did not disappoint, I cannot emphasise enough how much I adored this book.

For more book reviews, check out my Instagram @blondesbooknook

I loved this book so much, I bought the hardback, It's wonderfully put together and inspired. It's one of those you don't want to put down, it's so so good.

Absolutely loved the book. Beautifully written and couldn't put it down! I also learned a lot about bees, what fascinating creatures. How the story links to bees and their story, it's amazing.Thank you

I'm a relatively recent convert to Jodi Picoult and I can't believe I've been missing out all of these years! This is an fantastic read - a novel about Olive and Lily and their efforts to reinvent themselves. I was moved by this, especially the characterisation.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The language in this book is incredibly flowery and it made it hard for me to get into the story - that being said, what I was able to read in the time I had was pretty interesting and I have since bought the book on kindle to see where the plot goes.

Tentative, 3/5, will edit when read in full

Wow what a read! Absolutely loved this and found that I learnt so much through the pain and joy of the story. Beautifully written with words that just touch your heart. This book will definitely stay with me for a while and that is when you know it’s exceptional.

Highly recommended and it so deserves the 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley

I don't know where to begin to review this book without giving spoilers!

This book was a bit of a slow burner to begin which wasn't helped that I couldn't read it in long chunks due to life/work commitments. However once I got to the main part of the story and the major reveal half way through I was hooked.

I loved that the story was told in dual narration, it was really interesting seeing things from both Olivia and Lily's perspectives. I did have an idea of who had been involved in the murder however I was completely wrong!

This was a very thought provoking story. The detail and depth of which the topics were discussed was phenomenal. I learnt a great deal.

Yes there were a lot of discussions and topics described that may make some people uncomfortable and there certainly are some trigger warnings related to DV. However these discussions are so important to have and I think they were written beautifully and sensitively. I myself have learnt a great deal and will be thinking about this book for a long time to come.

I was initially drawn in by the sunshine yellow colour and because I’d heard a lot about Jodi Picoult’s writing, and Mad Honey was incredibly moving and emotional. I’m not normally one to gravitate towards sad reads but I enjoyed this

This story is genius. It is difficult to describe too much without giving away some very big spoilers but it was incredible and definitely worth the read.
Asher is being raised by his mother Olivia, who is a beekeeper and fled an abusive relationship with Asher’s father. Not wanting him to turn out like his father, she started again with her son and rebuilt her life entirely. But Asher’s girlfriend Lily is found murdered and he is the number one suspect, especially after his own secrets start tumbling out for the court.