Synopsis: (Amazon link)
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.
I have never read any of Jodi Picoult’s books, so I was uncertain what this book would be going into it. This book was a book club book which is why I was going to read it. Repeat – WAS going to read it. Actually, I TRIED to read it but stop “reading” halfway (I actually did an audio book on this one). There are some subjects that do not “fancy” my reading tastes and “woke” culture is not one (and if that offends you, sorry/not sorry). I will not post any spoilers in this paragraph but will at the end. I agree with some Amazon reviewers – I would not have read this book if I had known the details of what the book was about which is the exact reason why that was not mentioned in the synopsis.
Let me say, though, as a beekeeper, I did enjoy the beekeeping aspect of the book. I read some reviews that some thought that part of the book was tedious. However, honey bees are fascinating little creatures. God’s design for each bee plays an important role within the hive. It is fascinating to see the intricacies of His Creation.
If you are interested in reading this book, do not read any further. I will end with Happy Reading. If you would like to know the topics I had issues with, keep reading. Since I quit reading this book, some of the issues were taken from the ONE STAR reviews on Amazon (I always like to see if I am the only one that didn’t like a book that apparently got rave reviews).
So…again…spoiler alert so stop reading if you plan on reading this book…
One of the main characters in the book, the one found dead, is transgender. About half way in the book, you find this out during the trial of her boyfriend who is accused of murdering her. I skipped around the audio after this only to hear a brief flashback told through Lily’s perspective of how she (but born a he) knew he was different at the age of 6 when he put on his mother’s lipstick. Since I quit reading the book, I did see (in the reviews) how the book goes into details about sex reassignment surgery (apparently graphic) and puberty blockers. I prefer not to read this and definitely do not think it is appropriate for young readers.
Abortion – I felt it was justified in the book…written about in a way to make readers agree with the mom who aborted her child so the child would not be brought into an abusive relationship. Everyone has their views on this; however, I would not want my high schooler to read this to see a perspective that is different from how we are rearing her.
I love crime thrillers but the story itself was MEH! There are much better books to read than this one.
This book was co-authored by Jennifer Finney Boylan who is apparently a transgender activist. With her name clearly on the front of the book, one may have known the agenda being pushed in the book. However, I have never heard of her so who would have thought?
I would suggest you go to Amazon and read the one-star and two-star reviews if you have concerns about reading this one.
