Mad Honey: A GMA Book Club Pick - Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan

Mad Honey: A GMA Book Club Pick

By Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan

  • Release Date: 2022-10-04
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature
Score: 4
4
From 4,663 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Alternatingly heart-pounding and heartbreaking. This collaboration between two best-selling authors seamlessly weaves together Olivia and Lily’s journeys, creating a provocative exploration of the strength that love and acceptance require.”—The Washington Post
 
Look for Jodi Picoult’s new novel, By Any Other Name, available now!

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • PEOPLE’S BOOK OF THE WEEK • A POPSUGAR BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR


Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising their beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined that 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 she wonders if she can 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 Ash, 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.

Reviews

  • Heart Opening

    5
    By Mellew1234567
    I enjoyed this book: 1) As a parent who loves her children wholeheartedly and what I hope is unconditionally….but who has been in a position to wonder if I am being blinded by this deep love. 2) because of the incredibly cool lessons about the life of bees….I have never heard about “mad honey”. 3) but especially as a human being wanting to understand and listen to the heart of the matter when it comes to transgender people. I have people in my life living in varying realms of the spectrum of gender identity and my eyes and HEART were opened to many truths I have wondered about. This book will live in my consciousness for a long time and I will recommend to people I know as a way to open more hearts…or to support readers whose hearts are already open and raw and may find recognition and support within the pages.
  • Beautifully done

    5
    By Cherry the Ginger
    I absolutely love a mystery and the way this one is written from multiple voices made it one of the best mysteries I’ve ever read. I love everything I’ve ever read by Boylan. And now I want to read more from Picoult.
  • The best!!

    5
    By pau-washington, mi
    Excellent Book! Expected nothing less.
  • Surprise

    5
    By readingridinghood
    This is the first book that gave me a surprise I wasn’t expecting. I loved it.
  • Terrible

    1
    By Mommamaniac
    Terrible story, I knew immediately who done it, and the story dragged on and on. Like they had to check alllll the PC boxes.
  • Meh

    3
    By adip2017
    Mad honey fell a bit flat for me! I appreciated the perspective of Lily and all that her character stands for. The point of view here was refreshing and at times eye opening. Where I struggled was with the over arching murder plot line. Many times the story points did not line up or the narration was so jumpy it became difficult to follow. I did like the cute quips about beekeeping and the nature of honey. In the end I am falling right in the middle on my rating for this one.
  • A disappointment

    1
    By avid reader13
    It was disturbing to read about teenagers sex lives and then to layer on the trans narrative.
  • Misrepresented

    1
    By Av1d Reader24
    Misled by book description. Used as a vehicle to push a special interest agenda.
  • Thought-provoking and poignant

    5
    By Brosfene
    👍
  • interesting!

    4
    By Mrs.Merllark
    i did enjoy this book, however (slight spoiler) i did feel like several cool characters where only there just to educate the readers on being transgender, when i think they could have been much more than that. i was a little bored in the last couple of chapters. regardless, it is worth the read.