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A review by evieslibrary
Mad Honey by Jennifer Finney Boylan, Jodi Picoult
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
✨Synopsis✨
Olivia escapes her abusive marriage and comes back to her hometown to run the family beekeeping business with her son, Asher. As Asher grows up and becomes a popular ice hockey player, he finds love with a new girlfriend, Lily. However, tragedy strikes when Lily is discovered with a severe head injury and Asher is accused of murder, leading to questions about the true nature of their relationship.
✨My Thoughts✨
Wow, this book was great, absolutely harrowing in parts and the writing was beautiful. I absolutely loved the use of metaphors throughout, not just about the bees but also just about general life. I loved the representation and the education throughout and thought the growth of the characters was executed well. I enjoyed seeing both Olivia and Lily through their very different journeys of discovering their own identities but also in discovering their own flaws too. I would say the less you know about this one going in the better, I went in very blind and I think it really added to my enjoyment. The reason this one wasn’t 5 stars for me was because it felt like a great ending with 50-100 pages tagged onto the end in a way that I didn’t love, but overall a very heart wrenching, thought provoking read that I’m sure so many people will find themselves in the pages of. I would definitely advise checking the trigger warnings before picking this up as this one is heavy! Particularly in relation to bullying/abuse/gaslighting
Spoilers ahead!!!
Omg what on earth was that last twist?! It was just so unnecessary to the whole book and made the book feel too long too! I would have been so much happier if it ended straight after the trial with an epilogue to follow- I don’t know if it was perceived as being a big potential “mic drop” moment but for me the ending had already happened!
I did absolutely love the transgender representation in this, I loved how they managed to naturally weave so much education and loved experience through the story in a way that didn’t feel non fiction. I just loved it! But it also just broke my heart and made me so angry at humans for being so intent on not allowing people be who they are!
Olivia escapes her abusive marriage and comes back to her hometown to run the family beekeeping business with her son, Asher. As Asher grows up and becomes a popular ice hockey player, he finds love with a new girlfriend, Lily. However, tragedy strikes when Lily is discovered with a severe head injury and Asher is accused of murder, leading to questions about the true nature of their relationship.
✨My Thoughts✨
Wow, this book was great, absolutely harrowing in parts and the writing was beautiful. I absolutely loved the use of metaphors throughout, not just about the bees but also just about general life. I loved the representation and the education throughout and thought the growth of the characters was executed well. I enjoyed seeing both Olivia and Lily through their very different journeys of discovering their own identities but also in discovering their own flaws too. I would say the less you know about this one going in the better, I went in very blind and I think it really added to my enjoyment. The reason this one wasn’t 5 stars for me was because it felt like a great ending with 50-100 pages tagged onto the end in a way that I didn’t love, but overall a very heart wrenching, thought provoking read that I’m sure so many people will find themselves in the pages of. I would definitely advise checking the trigger warnings before picking this up as this one is heavy! Particularly in relation to bullying/abuse/gaslighting
Spoilers ahead!!!
Omg what on earth was that last twist?! It was just so unnecessary to the whole book and made the book feel too long too! I would have been so much happier if it ended straight after the trial with an epilogue to follow- I don’t know if it was perceived as being a big potential “mic drop” moment but for me the ending had already happened!
I did absolutely love the transgender representation in this, I loved how they managed to naturally weave so much education and loved experience through the story in a way that didn’t feel non fiction. I just loved it! But it also just broke my heart and made me so angry at humans for being so intent on not allowing people be who they are!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Bullying, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Self harm, Domestic abuse, and Suicide attempt