Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Mad Honey

I didn't know anything about this book besides that it was by one of my favorite authors. I'm glad I didn't because it made the story more surprising and exciting. I highly recommend it.

Content Warnings

aecy's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Okaaay. I can’t read another book without reviewing this one first. I’ve read many good reviews about this novel after it came out, and I decided to read it when it was @bookclubbabes.pod’s pick for February’s book of the month. I thought this would be an easy read, and boy, was I wrong?

‼ SPOILERS AHEAD ‼

Reading the first few chapters, I thought the pacing was too slow and that it was going to be the usual whodunnit story where the least obvious one is the murderer, but I’m a sucker for whodunnit tropes so I continued reading. Then, the bomb was dropped halfway through the book. I was utterly shocked, but I liked that the plot developed the way it did because, in my case, it opened so many inner conversations. And story-wise, it raised a plethora of questions, which made the book so much more interesting and relevant.

After the revelation that Lily was a transgender woman, I knew that the prosecution would paint Lily’s death as a hate crime. I was still suspicious at this point about whether or not Asher killed Lily, but as the story progressed, I found myself wondering if it was even really murder in the first place. Events that happened in the past unfolded very slowly, but it was good that the authors did it that way because it almost felt like Lily was opening up to me. Everything was her story to tell, and I felt like I just had to wait until she was ready to reveal her truth. There was this thing that Lizzie told Olivia about learning the difference between secret and private, and for me, that was one of the main points of the book.

I pride myself on being an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, but my concepts about their struggles were challenged, and I came to realize that I really didn’t know the full extent of the discrimination they face. As written in the book, "If you want to understand something, you first need to accept the fact of your own ignorance."

When it was revealed that Asher did not, in fact, murder Lily, I was relieved but slightly annoyed that Maya did it and wasn’t charged at all. Although I understand that Ava may not be able to survive another trial while still grieving for her daughter. I also think Ava believed Asher harmed Lily because her grief was so intense, and she could only assume the worst knowing Lily had gone through so much simply because she shared her true self with the world. But if I’m really being honest, I was annoyed because I had guessed the "murderer" wrong, lol. I had my eyes on Braden the whole time because he’s proven to be violent.

The real heroes of this book are both mothers, Olivia and Ava, who did everything to protect their children. Overall, I rate the book 4.5 stars out of 5 only because the story pacing was a little slow for my liking. Now, I rest my mind and hope to find another book as good as this one.

Content Warnings

pattyreader's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Starting slowly but building to edge of your seat page turning, Mad Honey is a story told in two POVs. Olivia's son is on trial as she deals with her own history of abuse and loss. Lily's story is told in reverse and we slowly come to know her and her history. Emotional, tense, thoughtful.

Content Warnings

laurensilva's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I felt weird at first when the legal bits start and the main character, Olivia, talks about her brother Jordan as a private defense lawyer. She clearly respects and reveres him, and we're supposed to be on their side, but as a lawyer, Jordan defended a school shooter.... which is morally indefensible.

However, I guess this is a large point of Mad Honey - that no one person is all good or all bad. Jordan defended a school shooter (bad), but is also fiercely protective of his family (good, generally). The book heavily explores this theme, showing the bad and good sides of Olivia and Asher as well.

Generally, the book is a classic Jodi Picoult read, with added educational passages (re: queer and trans identities). The ending left something to be desired.

They went after Asher so quickly with a murder charge and even floated a manslaughter plea deal, but then quickly drop the case when the truth is revealed about Maya's involvement. We get a brief explanation from Mike Newcomb ("Some bad things that happen are just accidents, Liv."), but there is such a discrepancy between the reactions that this explanation feels disingenuous and meant only to avoid a continuation of the story.

Also for so long I thought that Dirk did it, that someone would find his English paper in Lily's room and figure it out, especially since he's a known creep towards Lily. Red herring, though, I guess.

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