Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Mad Honey by Jennifer Finney Boylan, Jodi Picoult

92 reviews

joey1914's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Grief, Emotional abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Self harm, Bullying, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

c100's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Sexual content, Child death, and Transphobia

a_d_maillet's review

challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Cursing, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Self harm, and Body shaming

latashman's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Domestic abuse, Bullying, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Child death, Child abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Deadnaming

amanda_reads13's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

One evening Olivia gets a phone call that no mother wants to get, her son, Asher, is being questioned for the sudden death of his girlfriend Lily. He is adamant that he is innocent. 

This is such a beautiful story. As we flip between Olivia and Lily's POVs shocking secrets are revealed. Olivia is torn between believing her son and her fear that he could be like his father. We see how her own baggage and ignorance influences how she sees the world and her son's trial.

We follow Lily as she struggles to navigate not only her new relationship but her own identity and secrets. She has had extensive trauma and struggles to trust people.

She is nervous to let Asher know her true self but, as we see in the flashbacks, he is actually able to handle it with maturity. He shows a deep love for Lily.

There were some twists in this book that shocked me, in a good way. I love the direction this book took. This is such a heavy topic that was approached with incredible sensitivity and care. 

My only qualm is the ending,

I felt that it was rushed and that Maya's confession came out of nowhere. There was no real indication of her jealousy throughout this book. It was shocking the she allowed her "best friend* to go through the trial knowing he was innocent and when she finally confesses there are no consequences.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Bullying, Child death, Grief, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

kampbellia's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse

Minor: Alcoholism

sandysmith's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A great story told from differing points of view and differing timelines which could have been confusing, but I felt able to follow it. Olivia is a single mum who left an abusive relationship to return home to her family, home, and a beekeeping business with her son Asher, who is unaware. Lily and her mother also starting again setting up in a new home.  Lily and Asher become boyfriend and girlfriend until Lily dies, and Asher is charged with her murder. A massive twist halfway through the book and what felt like a rushed ending. Very educational, and I loved the bee facts interspersed into the story. It didn't feel like 2 authors and read seamlessly. It would make a fantastic book club pick, as there is loads to think about and discuss.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Gaslighting, Transphobia, Self harm, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Child death, and Toxic relationship

kah296's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What a joy it was to read a Jodi Picoult book! I think the last one I read was probably in high school and Mad Honey felt like such a wonderful mix of classic Jodi while also new - I loved that it was written with Jennifer Finney Boylan! I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately and this book was exactly what I needed. It is definitely a courtroom drama but it’s clear that this book was written with love. The honey metaphors were smart but not overdone. It was all perfectly balanced for a quick beach read but it’s definitely a book I will be thinking about for a long time. I got such a kick out of the authors’ notes at the beginning and the end - I really hope they both continue writing thoughtful and thought provoking books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Outing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Bullying, Child death, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse

gracestg's review

emotional informative mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this! Kept me coming back to find out what happened. Thought the timeline jumping got confusing, but loved dual perspectives. I just really liked Lily and Olivia and rooted for them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Bullying, Medical content, and Transphobia

rhireadz12's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief