Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Mad Honey

This was my first Jodi Picoult book, and I think it will be my last. This has nothing to do with her writing; the book was incredibly written and it touched on so many important and heavy topics such as the hardships that transgender women and men face, along with the intense and undying love of a mother. I also loved the element of bees, and how the story went through the entire judicial system from the first 911 call to the jury decision… but it just wasn’t my type of book.

The book is a slam dunk. It is such an interesting story and it was so deep on so many levels, but I need my books fast paced and with way more murder 😭 This book dealt with murder, but not in the way I would want. This was just simply domestic fiction, courthouse fiction if that’s even a thing, or simply just small town fiction, where someone happens to die. I did love the small town setting, my fiance is from New Hampshire and I’m from Boston so it all felt very close to home for me. I loved the characters as well - I thought they were so well written and so fleshed out, they felt like real people. The thought that lily is dead literally give me chills, she was so young and wise beyond her years and dealt with so much in her short number of years on the earth. Asher, his mom, and lawyer were well written as well, but besides Olivia (Asher’s mother), they were quite one dimensional.

My few gripes with the story were the way Asher and Lily were written and the somewhat lazy writing surrounding the murder itself and who may have done it. Starting with the murder and the trial,

The whole sudden realization of TTP being the possible reason for Lily’s death immediately took me out. It felt like such lazy writing… she just fell and happened to hit her head and bleed out and die and that’s it? Just… no. It was so much lead up for that to be the thing that got Asher acquitted and it was just a head scratch moment for me. As the book was ending, the last chapter I’d say, I was ready to just assume I knew how it ended and just finish it there… but when Maya confessed, I felt even more annoyed for some reason. Again, it was SO much lead up for that? I totally thought it was Dirk, or Asher, or maybe even Jonah or Lily’s dad… but it was maya in an angry jealous rage fueled accident? It just didn’t make much sense for me and it was just wrapped up too nicely and not enough drama for me.

Secondly, Asher and Lily spoke like they were in their 30s, not just 18 years of age. It was so annoying. I remember what it was like to be a teenager, and I did not have that much wherewithal or intelligence inner dialogue to be that mature and rounded out. For Lily, it made a bit more sense considering the shit she had endured in her life

(being trans, her fathers abuse and homophobia/transphobia, the intense bullying at school)

. But for Asher, it didn’t make sense. It just didn’t feel real to me, their dialogues sometimes brought me back to the reality that I was just reading a book compared to when I was reading Olivia’s chapters where it felt like an autobiography of a real person’s life.

Also, I do not suggest this book on audiobook. I did not enjoy the audio book narrators, and I think based on the writing, this book isn’t meant to be listened to. There are some flashbacks throughout chapters and it’s hard to know when you’re in a flashback since they aren’t announced. It was also nonlinear for Lily’s chapters but in order for Olivia’s which was also confusing to keep up with audio, but probably would’ve been easier to keep up with if I was just simply reading.

All in all, the book was great. It was very well written, and I have no gripes with the author. She just isn’t the author for me, but I am glad I read this book. It was moving and intense and made me think about what it means to be a woman and what it’s like for others out there who wish they were born comfortable in their skin and gender identity the way I am. Everyone should read this book! Just expect small town/family fiction.

Content Warnings

sambatista's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

cocoanut7's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

Heavy read. I’m glad I got the exposure even if some of the writing choices I didnt like. The twist just super floored me. It was excellently done. That being said,

it drove me crazy that Asher was a suspect because his fingerprints were in her room. No, duh. And then there’s all the talk of manslaughter vs murder but when best friend reveals she was involved everyone’s like “meh. Oh well.” Really did not like that. It was too unbelievable and ridiculous.

Content Warnings

kiwi_li's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

3.5

I have very mixed feelings, and I was so conflicted on what to rate this book. I have so many thoughts but at the same time find it so difficult to organize them and say anything. There were aspects of the book I really appreciated, and others that I really just didn’t enjoy. I will say firstly, I strongly believe this book should have trigger warnings for domestic violence, suicide, bullying, and sexual violence. The depictions in this novel were rather graphic, and I wasn’t prepared for that. I don’t know if I just missed them somehow, but that was the main reason I had such difficulties getting through this book. I think it took a toll on my own mental health as well.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the storyline itself, and I was annoyed by Olivia’s character at times, but I think I just don’t relate to her as a mother, so it was difficult to truly appreciate all of her thoughts and experiences. However, I’m glad half of the book is from her POV; I think it was super insightful and important to what the book ended up being.

I wouldn’t recommend this book to those who are just hoping to enjoy another murder mystery, which is what I thought going into this book. However, what I really enjoyed was the writing, not in terms of the plot, but in terms of what the book was ultimately trying to convey and accomplish. The discussions and insight on LGBTQ lives was something I wasn’t expecting but what kept me going through this book the most. And after reading the author’s note, this is probably why I’m giving it 4 instead of 3 stars on goodreads since you can’t put half stars. You can really feel how much effort went into this novel, and the representations are super important (I’m trying to write this without giving spoilers so it feels a bit general unfortunately). I think I gained a ton of insight and a surprising amount of understanding for situations that I can’t even imagine/relate to, thanks to the writing.

Ultimately, I think it’s a significant novel, and I’m glad I stuck through it. Even though it wasn’t the most enjoyable story for me, I greatly appreciate the work that went into it and feel like I’ve come out of it a more knowledgeable person. Side note: this is definitely the longest review I’ve ever written haha

Content Warnings