Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Mad Honey by Jennifer Finney Boylan, Jodi Picoult

25 reviews

dernhelms_bag's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is basically To Kill a Mockingbird but begging oblivious readers capable of human empathy to give a shit about trans people. I DO NOT recommend this to trans readers or anyone who already has trans people in their life they love and respect because this is intentionally deeply upsetting.  A trans woman and activist asked Picoult to write this with her to make an appeal to society to do something about the violence and persecution.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Outing, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Death, Abortion, Medical content, Hate crime, and Animal death

internationalreads's review against another edition

fast-paced

2.0

SO PROBLEMATIC

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Self harm, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Grief, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Sexual assault

pattyreader's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Starting slowly but building to edge of your seat page turning, Mad Honey is a story told in two POVs. Olivia's son is on trial as she deals with her own history of abuse and loss. Lily's story is told in reverse and we slowly come to know her and her history. Emotional, tense, thoughtful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Child death, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Outing, Self harm, Death, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Confinement, and Pregnancy

karyan1's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Abortion, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infertility, Murder, Outing, Sexual content, Transphobia, Bullying, Child death, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

booksbytheglass's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative slow-paced

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

3.0

jodi picoult’s books almost never let me down!! they always have a fantastic topic with a background that’s shrouded in mystery that will eventually be slowly explained through context 😅

that being said, this one wasn’t my favorite of hers (wish you were here still takes the cake wow!)

MAD HONEY definitely wins for best captivating legal courtroom drama I’ve read this year! however, I think it dragged on a little too long for me 🥴 I definitely found myself getting glazed eyes at the long paragraphs

the subtopic of this book was so wonderful to read about, and showcasing the lives and struggles of LGBTQ+ people on the daily was beautifully written. the MC olivia had me screaming at the book because the questions and assumptions she was making about transgender folks were 🤨🤨🤨 but I guess that made a point in itself 

what didn’t really work for me, other than the length and slow pacing, was the bee backstory. like there was SO much of it 🐝 and yes, the MC is a beekeeper but like … every other chapter was about her taking care of her bees which did not even play into the story at all …

we get it homie, you like queens 👸🏼

it was a powerful read and one that I’ll keep thinking about for a while! a big thank you to netgalley and ballantine books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: australian chardonnay 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Transphobia