Mad Honey A Novel

started off good, then it got preachy/lecture-y/forced, then a little better, then boring

Love this! I had trouble putting this away, as I kept on wondering what would happen next. All my expectations of a Jodi Picoult story were met as I was placed in the different viewpoints of the characters. I loved that it addressed the controversial issue of transgender individuals and what they go through as they grow up. Very insightful. Mind blowing ending!!!

This is the kind of book you want from Jodi Picoult. Jodi is someone you can count on to build a thought provoking, character driven, layered story. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book and could not put it down. There’s twists and turns, there’s characters you’ll love and hate at the same time. You feel so conflicted at times and so resolute at others. She delivers characters that have dimension, show growth, and just feel like real people. Absolutely loved it.

engaging and interesting but i found the ending weak and some characters lazily written

"We don’t say anything as we ascend the path back to temple street... A few pedestrians pass us by. How similar does someone have to be to you before you remember to see them, first, as human?" 

"The secret weapon of mad honey, of course, is that you expect it to be sweet, not deadly. You’re deliberately attracted to it. By the time it messes with your head, with your heart, it’s too late."

Got this book on my line to read right on the Christmas day.. and it became my new year reading to end the year! Gosh, I have many things to say for this book throughout the rollercoaster emotion that I have been through. I didn't expect it will be this good.. Like, THIS GOOD. I ever read Jodi Picoult's book before, it was Wish You Were Here if I am not mistaken? And I had a so-so experience to get through that so this one is out of my league. 

Okay, so this book was all about the murder cases; how it happened, the people who are involved, and the reasons or motive behind it. But it wrapped in tragic love story behind it. I listened to I Hear A Symphony by Cody Fry each time I dig to the story.. Please consider it one since the melancholy drama suits the tone very well. I learned more about the difference of sex and gender, also sort kind of disease from the causes and mechanism how it works in our body. I never cried this hard on the love sex scene but I DID IT IN HERE T__T 

The language usage! I believe it will be so easy and page turner for everyone.. You will find some poetic phrases but it's so enjoyable. Just personal cases since one of the character remind me of someone I really knew in the past, I need to take a break few times since it is quite triggering for me, but it's still okay! This book taught me to see thing from the crystal clear glass, of how we didn't see people as an object, and treat them as equally and nicely as it could be. Also being a woman has meant being someone who gets talked over in conversations or ignored; who gets judged as a body instead of as a sentient soul; no matter who you are or what you are doing, always has to be on guard, lest someone else decide that you’re going to be his victim. 

Mad Honey is a book about the shades of gray of love life, like its title, you will find this world is not black and white as it seems? As it goes back, coming all around, sometimes it works just like a funnel; not every bad thing that happens is a crime, not every crime can be prosecuted. Not every prosecution results in a conviction. Not every conviction results in jail time or whatever the victim’s family may want. For the thriller cases, this book wouldn't offer you like a detective-solver type, but it's so deep and meaningful for people who need it. This book is so dear to me. 

Engaging story, twist ending

predictable

** spoiler alert ** There’s so much I disliked about this book, but first want to say I do applaud the author for integrating important themes into a book and raising awareness of trans visibility and perspectives. Disliked: 1. The Mom and all of the anecdotes were too much 2. All of a sudden Olivia and Mike, that was random 3. The names didn’t match the characters 4. Even with Lillie the reflections were too much, repetitive, and annoying at times. I had to fast forward quite a bit in the second half of the book. 5. They only dated for a few months? 6. I’ve never rated a 1 but this book was insufferable. I considered DNFing but fast forwarded instead.

I had read that Mad Honey was reminiscent of Picoult’s earlier work and I am SO GLAD it’s true! I started devouring Picoult’s novels when I was in 8th grade starting with My Sister’s Keeper and once I finished I didn’t stop until I got my hands on everything she had written. Honestly, the past few of her books hadn’t really hit the spot for me for different reasons, but this one went back to her roots of controversial topic + courtroom drama + family dynamics and it equaled a hit! My favorite thing about Picoult novels are that they educate and make me think. I typically know next to nothing about whatever topic she is writing about, so I really enjoy the learning aspect that comes with taking in her story and how I have to keep an open mind. I brought up some of what was addressed to my husband and it sparked great conversations. In an effort not to spoil the story, I felt that the characters were interesting and likable, the bee facts were surprising, the family dynamics hit hard now that I am a mother, and the courtroom drama was very compelling. I will warn you to embrace the twists and just keep an open mind as you read this story.

There’s a twist partway through that I genuinely didn’t see coming and added an interesting thread to the plot. Unfortunately, that’s really the only positive thing I have to say about this book. After that I found the storyline was repetitive and dragged on. I held out for what I hoped would be an exciting/shocking ending of redemption, but felt that fell flat as well.

4.5 This book audibly made me gasp about halfway through - always a good sign when you don’t see it coming. I think this book is about so much more than honey and a mystery- and I think it could open so many peoples minds. Absolutely loved. Also loved that there were honey recipes at the end!

I would rate it five stars but the ending seemed like a copout to me. It is not an ambiguous ending that also speculation and for you to draw your own conclusions as a reader, which is what I hoped for the entire book. Still very good.

I really enjoyed this read. Both authors write so seamlessly that the reading experience is very smooth. I did predict a lot of the twists in this book so maybe I'm just not cut out for mysteries. But overall...a good read with a powerful message.

WOW. what an absolutely beautiful story   I’m gonna be honest at one point I even forgot about the trial because I was so caught up in the story. I truly loved this one and was absolutely shocked at the ending 

BOOK REVIEW

Mad Honey / Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan

My rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️ / avg bookclub rating 4.14

“better to have a boy, who would never be someone’s victim”

I have never read a Jodi Picoult book, although I see them at every single secondhand book fair and I went into this one completely blind. It was extremely well researched, and I did learn a lot about the legal system and beekeeping, whilst constantly trying to put pieces of a puzzle together and almost felt like I was on the jury.

By the end, I did feel, that the beekeeping side of it was dragging and despite loving a dual POV book, I struggled to get through some of the chapters from Lily’s POV. I also don’t think the final two chapters were necessary, as nothing came out of the revelation.

There’s actually not a lot I can say about this one without ruining anything, but I would definitely recommend checking the trigger warnings as there are some heavy themes. Overall, I would recommend this for a bookclub pick or a buddy read as it is a great one to discuss as a group.

⚠️ trigger warning, this book contains mentions and chapters expressing abuse, abortion, and suicide. Read with caution

This book is HEAVY. I don't mean in weight physically but mentally. I expected the murder, the love story, the tears, the heartbreak. What I didn't expect was LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE.

I by the middle of the book I had 4 ideas on where this could go. This book needs to be read with tissues nearby if you are a sucker for tears.

Way back when Piccoult first started publishing books, I absolutely loved them. They were engaging, heart-wrenching stories that were impossible to put down. I blew through each new one and waited impatiently for the next, like millions of other readers. There was another author I read around the same time named Sarah Dessen. She primarily wrote young adult novels about teen girls and their angst. I blew through those as well. They were easy to read and usually quick reads. But book after book I realized that these stories were all sad. Every one of them. I wasn’t in the happiest place in my own life, so I spent a lot of time feeling exceptionally blue, and the books truly didn’t help. I finally had to decide to seek out lighter reading fare, so I gave up reading Piccoult and Dessen, for years. This is the first of hers I have picked up in about a decade, and the only reason I did was because it was a Good Morning America Book Club selection. In the grand tradition of Piccoult (I know nothing about Boylan, that will likely change), it’s tragic from start to finish. Asher and his mom were refugees of a physically abusive husband and father, Lily’s mom whisked her to a new place to protect her from an intolerant father. Asher and Lily connect and find love and acceptance with each other. If the story had ended there, it would have been a good story. Alas, it got even more tragic. Lily is found dead, and Asher is the prime suspect, facing a jury of his peers as he defends himself against the murder charge. During the trial, we discover Lily’s secret, which is even more heart-wrenching than the story already was. Here’s the thing though, it’s a damn good story. As much as I hate the tragic nature of her books, they are really good books. These characters are all expertly crafted, invoking empathy from the reader. I never once believed Asher to be guilty, which I suppose was the whole point. When the story reaches the boiling point, I was taken completely by surprised, for more than one reason. This book is though provoking and emotional. I need to point out the honey part of the book. Asher’s mom is a beekeeper in the book, and facts about bees and honey are included throughout. I think I found that more fascinating than the entire story. My husband and I sat around googling honey facts, especially mad honey. He now wants to find some mad honey. There might be something wrong with him.

Absolutely loved this book!! So well done. It is not for people who are closed minded to some controversial subjects but I loved it. I did not expect the ending and I love that in a book.

So much better than I could have ever expected it to be.