Mad Honey - Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan

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"Mad Honey" is an absolutely captivating story. Many parts heart-pounding courtroom drama, some parts teenage love story, some parts still motherhood and finding oneself after loss (of many kinds), this book ticked all of the boxes for me and unfolded in a complex yet really beautiful way.

The story centers on Olivia, an apiarist with a complicated history, and her son, Asher. When Asher's short-time girlfriend Lily is found dead in her own home, what ensues is a very character-driven story that somehow kept my interest the entire time despite it's staggering almost-500 pages. 

Picoult (as usual) and Boylan have crafted such nuanced, human characters in Olivia, Asher, Lily, and others that it's impossible for readers not to tumble head-first into their world as Asher is left scrambling for his innocence once accused of taking Lily's life. Told in alternating chapters between the present-day trial and past of Asher and Lily's relationship, their upbringings, and Olivia's marriage, this story not only kept me guessing until the very end, but it made me think in ways a book hasn't in a long time.

Utterly perfect for fans of HBO's limited series "The Undoing" and book clubs looking for a propulsive, discussion-perfect read, "Mad Honey" is an absolute force of a novel. Read it today.

Rating: 5 stars
Publication Details: Out 10/4/2022, Random House

Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!


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