Mad Honey – book review (AD)

Mad Honey – book review (AD)

2nd June 2024 0 By Rachael Stray

I was kindly given an electronic copy of Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan in exchange for an honest review*.

Mad Honey book blurb

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 realises 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.

My overall thoughts on Mad Honey

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.

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*Disclaimer

This review has been written with 100% honesty.

I was not financially compensated for this post. I was given an advance copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own based on my own experience.

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CategoryBook review Reading Recommendations review
Tagsbook book review Jennifer Finney Boylan Jodi Picoult Mad Honey Reading Recommendations review TBR

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