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A review by melissafirman
Mad Honey by Jennifer Finney Boylan, Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan
emotional
sad
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have mixed emotions about this book. Let's start with what I liked.
1. I'm a big fan of Jennifer Finney Boylan's writing and a bit less so of Jodi Picoult's. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have picked this up if JFB wasn't a co-author. For those new to her work, I highly recommend her novel Long Black Veil and memoir I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted. This is the third book of Jodi Picoult's I've read and all have been 3 stars.
2. For most of the first half (perhaps even 3/4) of the book, I was fully invested in the plot, wanting to know what happened. I felt the pacing was excellent, up to a particular point.
3. I loved Lily, felt like I knew her, and was truly sorry she was dead. (Not a spoiler-it's right on the book jacket.)
As we got closer to the end, however, it felt like several key aspects started to unravel. Mostly, I HAVE ISSUES AND LOTS OF QUESTIONS. Rant below:
WTF was that ending with Maya confessing???!! After she outright lied on the stand? Why didn't anyone do any semblance of investigation??!! It was like, oh, there's Asher's fingerprints, his shirt has Lily's blood, he's the spurned boyfriend, must be him! I get that Gina Jewett was trying to make a name for herself as the prosecutor (and I think that, in that regard, her last name is unfortunate at best and stereotypical at worst) but nobody talked to Ava about people Lily had problems with in the past, like HER FATHER who clearly knew where they now live and had a previous violent past in regard to Lily? What about that Jonah asshole, who conveniently pops up at Dartmouth? Why didn't they interrogate Maya more? I just didn't get it.
Some other issues: There's a lot about beekeeping, almost too much. I think those sections could have been greatly condensed. Plus, there are a lot of heavy topics included in this novel (read the trigger warnings) and that felt a bit like trauma p**n at times, not to mention repetitive, particularly regarding Olivia's relationship with her ex-husband. Overall, this could have been much shorter.
3.5 stars.
1. I'm a big fan of Jennifer Finney Boylan's writing and a bit less so of Jodi Picoult's. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have picked this up if JFB wasn't a co-author. For those new to her work, I highly recommend her novel Long Black Veil and memoir I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted. This is the third book of Jodi Picoult's I've read and all have been 3 stars.
2. For most of the first half (perhaps even 3/4) of the book, I was fully invested in the plot, wanting to know what happened. I felt the pacing was excellent, up to a particular point.
3. I loved Lily, felt like I knew her, and was truly sorry she was dead. (Not a spoiler-it's right on the book jacket.)
As we got closer to the end, however, it felt like several key aspects started to unravel. Mostly, I HAVE ISSUES AND LOTS OF QUESTIONS. Rant below:
Some other issues: There's a lot about beekeeping, almost too much. I think those sections could have been greatly condensed. Plus, there are a lot of heavy topics included in this novel (read the trigger warnings) and that felt a bit like trauma p**n at times, not to mention repetitive, particularly regarding Olivia's relationship with her ex-husband. Overall, this could have been much shorter.
3.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Outing
Minor: Stalking and Abortion