Mad Honey

This book lives up to its bookish buzz! 

Mad Honey, a writing collaboration between Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, grabbed me from the first pages and took me on a journey with well-developed characters, a plot that was poignant and compelling and a twist that left me breathless. 

Like some of Picoult's earlier work, she is back with a story that has moral, societal and personal implications for her characters and has a court battle for good measure - and I couldn't be happier. 

Paired with the new-to-me writing talents of Finney Boylan, they have written a unputdownable story that incorporates important topics, well-fleshed out characters and a murder mystery t'boot. And although I identified the culprit early on, this book has one of the BEST twists I have ever read. Evah! It quite literally made me gasp and changes the trajectory of the story. I won't say more but encourage readers to jump into this book blind. You won't regret it.

I always trust that Jodi Picoult will give me a story that has been well-researched, with thought-provoking topics, characters I will care about and will leave me with a massive book hangover. This is one of those books. Along with a subject I will not mention for fear of a spoiler, the authors weave tidbits about beekeeping into their story and I loved learning more about these wee industrious beasties who do so much. The library where I work has its own apiary and since reading this book, I have been adding honey to everything!

This is one of my top three books in 2022 and Picoult and Finney Boylan are a dream writing pair. With the thought-provoking and poignant issues raised, this book would make a perfect book club pick and will hopefully educate and encourage discussion and compassion. I hope you pick up this book.

Note: Do not read the authors' notes at the end of the book as they contain spoilers.

My sincere thanks to Ballantine Books for the finished copy of this book which was sent in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 5 stars

Authors: Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Type and Source: Finished hardcover from publisher

Publisher: Ballantine Books (Penguin Random House Canada)

First Published: October 4, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.

Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business.

Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .

Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.