A review by sunshine_sophia
Mad Honey by Jennifer Finney Boylan, Jodi Picoult

emotional mysterious sad 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? No

5.0

this was my first jodi picoult book, and oh honey (no pun intended) did it not disappoint! this was an absolutely heartbreaking story about compassion, overcoming hardships, and trauma, with some crime/mystery thrown in. 

i love multiple POVs and seeing the story through both olivia and lily's eyes was a great stylistic choice. i absolutely adored lily's character and was so heartbroken to see such a wonderful soul gone from this, albeit, fictional world. i found myself so engrossed in the story, and loved the facts about bees in the background of the story. the analogies that were made between the story and bees/beekeeping were a fascinating experience, one that was enthralling and educating. 

overall, this is one of my favorite books i have read so far this year (yes, it is january, i know, but i can see this book being one of my favorites of 2024). i really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more jod picoult!

i have seen some critiques that asher seemed like too obvious of a suspect and that the police should not have honed in on him but honestly, what did we expect???
also,
i knew early on that it was not asher, but i did not expect maya. that part i did not love because it seemed a little cliche and cheesy
but nonetheless it was still a good story. 
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