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boba_n_books's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Mad Honey is one of those books that sucks you in and just doesn't let go. I went into it not knowing much, and there were multiple times where I audibly gasped at this story.
Olivia and her son, Asher, have been through hell and back. To escape Olivia's abusive ex-husband, the pair moved back to Olivia's childhood home in New Hampshire to take over her father's beekeeping business. Lily is a high school student who also needed a new start. She and her mother moved to New Hampshire to start over. Asher and Lily eventually cross paths at their school, and the two teenagers can't help but fall in love with each other. Olivia is so happy for her son, but one day, she gets a call from Asher: "Lily is dead." Of course, as Lily's boyfriend and the one who found her body, Asher is the number one suspect. Through a dual timeline and dual POV, we follow Lily through the past leading up to her death and Olivia as we watch Asher's trial.
This novel surprised me in so many ways, and it really was such an amazing collaboration between the two authors. I listened to the author's note at the end and found out that Jodi Picoult wrote Olivia's POV while Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote Lily's POV, but I would have never known that from the way their writing styles complemented each other and blended together. It was such a unique story that centers around secrets. What secrets are that, secrets? And what secrets are ones that are private information that should only be shared by their owner?
Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Abortion, and Suicidal thoughts
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Child death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Bullying, Death, and Toxic relationship
rgs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Deadnaming, Violence, Sexual violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Suicide attempt, Child death, Medical content, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Toxic friendship
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Outing, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Body horror, Cursing, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Gaslighting, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
karlymarcy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual violence, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Hate crime, Transphobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Outing, and Suicide attempt
cannaebehorsed's review against another edition
Graphic: Murder, Death, Transphobia, and Domestic abuse
jenijenocide's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Child death, Physical abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Death, Transphobia, and Toxic relationship
shelovedtoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Death and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Hate crime, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Outing, Emotional abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Child death, Murder, Self harm, and Suicide
bookwormcat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Deadnaming, Outing, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Violence
kelseyreads94's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Outing, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Hate crime
Minor: Abortion and Sexual harassment