Mad Honey
Fiction
Ballantine
October 4, 2022
Hardcover
464
Purchased
Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business.
Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.
And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .
Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.
Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.
My review:
She's back! I haven't really enjoyed the format of the last couple books by this author because they veered away from her more typical drama with a trial involved. Of course I always enjoy the characters she writes, they are always so well constructed and make you feel really connected to the story. Such was the case with this book. Written with a co-author (who I was not familiar with), this has the usual current hot button topics included. The main one I'm not going to discuss since that would be a huge spoiler (that did indeed make me gasp). The education about beekeeping was wonderful, and one I've read about in other books and have always had a fascination for. I didn't make the connection (until I read another review) that the lawyer who represents the young man is the same lawyer from my favorite Picoult book Nineteen Minutes! It was interesting that while Asher's story is told in chronological order, Lilly's is told in a backward fashion. This was how A Spark of Light was told and I really did not like it in that book, I'm still not sure that I think it totally worked in this one, but I was much more tolerant of it here. The main thing I always come away from in a book by this author is an education on something that I may not know much about. I love reading fiction that immerses you in a story, but still has you learning while reading. I thought the writing was seamless, I really could not tell which author wrote which parts of the story, and if there were not two names on the cover I would have thought it was written by one person. My only other small criticism (other than the backward storytelling) was that I thought the ending was a bit too convenient. Not a big deal, but I would have appreciated a bit more ambiguity.
As always, this author has a way with characters and hot topics that will keep me coming back for more! The story of mothers and their relationship with their children was definitely the overarching theme, but the added educational aspects and trial were the main highlights for me. I'm happy to be back on the Picoult hype train!
So happy to hear this review! She has always been one of my favorite authors, but, like you, not thrilled with her last few books. Mad Honey is on my list!
I'm not usually one who goes out of my way to read books with trials in them, but for some reason hers just work for me. I hope you enjoy it!