Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Mad Honey: A Novel

Top positive review

It makes you say Ah-HAH!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 24, 2023

I try to read as many Jodi Picoult (and with her on this book Jennifer Finney Boylan) books as I can get my hands on, and I'm glad I got my hands on this one! What I love about Picout's books is that she presents her readers with a new issue in every book, a different main issue that we didn't know how little we knew about it.

Here, it is about trans people - transsexual and transgender people and the ways other people accept - or not - transsexuals into their world.

Asher is a great kid, a great teenager and companion to his divorced mother Olivia, a beekeeper in tiny Adams, New Hampshire. Asher has a best friend named Maya, and girlfriend named Lily. These three, plus parents and school mates all find themselves navigating a murder in their midst. That's when you say, "Ah-HAH!" at the end. I can say no more.

If anyone ever wanted to know about beekeeping, this would be the book that would make you want to learn more. The details about beekeeping are plentiful and sometimes they run parallel to the story. Bees are fascinating creatures that keep us all alive.

Get this book for the compelling page-turner and read it for the beekeeping lessons! You won't be sorry on either account!

3 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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reader1018

Not a favorite

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 1, 2023

Pros: Jodi Picoult is a great writer and I usually enjoy her books. I liked the storyline of young love and murder (?), and she does a great job sustaining suspense. The parent/child dynamics were interesting all around.
Cons: it’s hard to believe a parent would allow a 12 yr old to make such a life altering decision.
Also, there were so many details about bee keeping and I felt like the talk about equipment and processes was confusing and unnecessary. I get it, some life lessons from bees, but I felt it was overdone.
Lastly, who lets their “lifelong best friend” suffer needlessly when they could have cleared up the whole problem quickly? This didn’t ring true at all. I felt like the book was about 50 pages too long (too much bee info). I probably would not recommend.

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From the United States

GTeller

It makes you say Ah-HAH!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 24, 2023

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3 people found this helpful

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Lauren

This would make a great assignment for 11th or 12th graders!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 19, 2023

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I really enjoyed the book and became completely engrossed. I thought the character of Lily was very well-developed, as was that of Asher. I liked the technique of telling her story from the end to the beginning, as even though she is murdered early on, she is brought vividly to life, along with flashbacks to when she was younger. Her story is very moving. I also found the parallels between the two young lovers very interesting, and not over-stated. I was a little frustrated with Asher's attorney, who would have liked the authors to grapple a bit more with the ethical issues raised by his approach to Asher's case. It wasn't very client-centered. The best defense attorneys that I have known have been much more client-centered, so it was hard to understand why he was at the top of his field. The relationship between Olivia and Mike also seemed a bit contrived, and her abusive marriage and its impact on her was a critical part of the story, but not overly convincing. The bad fathers seemed a bit two-dimensional to me. All in all, a compelling, engrossing story, but it could have been even better if the adults were as well developed as Asher and Lily.

11 people found this helpful

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Megan

Good

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 20, 2023

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I wrote my review trying to not give any spoilers, I think everyone should form their own opinion.

I liked this book, I think it is 3 1/2 to 4 stars though. The twist is in the middle and I did not see it coming. I am a person who believes live and let live, you do you and I’ll do me. Also believe you might not agree with someone 100% but can respect and listen to their views.

With all that said there were a couple things with this book and not what you think. I do feel it dragged and got a little repetitive, I did end up skimming some areas. I feel the ending could’ve had a little more closure. I think this is as a mom of 2 boys, is why the ending is a little hard to swallow for me but life is not fair. Overall I think it is a good book.

6 people found this helpful

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Fefer

An educational read for sure

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 8, 2023

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Mad Honey is certainly a well-written interesting novel, though it seemed to me that some of the chapters repeated themselves. But I learned a great deal about the business of bees and the transgender movement and the possible links between he two. The central characters Olivia, Lily, Asher, and Jordan are well-developed, but the development still leaves room for doubt as to the motives and actions of the characters, raising the question as to whether we can ever really KNOW anyone. And there are some true surprises as the story unfolds. Sometimes, I felt that the authors were repeating themselves and some of the chapters could have been shortened, but still I could not put the book down. I am still not sure how I feel about transgender people. I certainly don’t think they should be bullied or persecuted, but at the same time, I don’t think the idea of changing genders or sexes should be pushed on anyone either. I did find the novel educational. I’m glad I read it. I give it 4 1/2 stars.

18 people found this helpful

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Emily Dukes

Only docking some points because it was too long

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 23, 2022

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I’m only docking points for how long it was. I’ve never read a JP book before, so perhaps she’s just not my style: by the last 50ish pages, I was skimming most of it, ready for the story to wrap up. I’m dating a beekeeper, so it was cool to read about bees in that way, but I could see it becoming a drone for someone not interested in it. After a while, I cared only about the plot, so maybe I’m more plot-driven than I am flowery details.

I appreciated the twist in the middle and how much I learned from it. At first, I was as shocked as the characters in the book, wondering if I’d missed something. I read some of the reviews on here and saw how cruel the one star reviews were, some downright hateful and disgusting. It made me tear up, seeing someone rip the back of the book so only Jodi’s face shows, not Jennifer.

I think this was an important book: it was honest, and I can imagine the experiences of Lily could mirror Jennifer’s. This wasn’t exactly the kind of book I was looking for, but I’m so glad I bought it and that it fell into my lap. It made me think, really think, and I hope others will remain open to this book as well.

30 people found this helpful

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Melinda Davis

A MUST read for everyone!!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 21, 2023

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I would recommend this book to everyone! We live in a world that could use a little more compassion and understanding and less division. Whether we are cisgender, transgender or no gender (nonbinary), we all have one thing in common,.... we are human. We have the same thoughts, feelings, dreams and aspirations. We want to live our lives as who we are with who we love, without fear or explanation. This book so gently and gracefully shows us the thoughts and dreams of a teenage girl who falls in love, her heartbreaking journey to get there and the tragedy the befalls her. These authors seamlessly invite you into the world of these characters and make you feel as if you as walking through their journey with them. I can't wait to read this again!

8 people found this helpful

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Truth Seeker

A Well-Written, Important Book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 23, 2022

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Reading Mad Honey was a learning experience and I'm glad I went on the journey. The characters are well-developed, the dialog is good, and the plot held my interest. I've read some criticisms of the use of different speakers and the way the speakers go backwards and forwards in time, but I actually appreciated the use of those devices. I assume that parts of the book are close to autobiographical and I appreciate the author's willingness to share things that may have been painful to write. It's hard to see how anyone could read this book and not come away with more empathy for people's lives that you may not understand. The book isn't perfect. Some things that I found hard to believe: 1. that a woman who has the means to leave an abuser would stay in a marriage like the one in the book. 2. That a mother would allow her child to languish in jail when his father could bail him out. In one of the one-star comments, the reviewer criticized the book as "too political". I'm not sure what was meant by that; maybe confusing a current cultural/social issue with politics? But the book does not concern politics in any way. Good book and I highly recommend it.

23 people found this helpful

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judy walker graves

Important Truths

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 1, 2023

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I read the entire book in less than 24 hours. I slept 5 hours and wanted to stay awake. This book is incredibly wonderful! It touched my heart in many ways. Such as what it means to be a woman, a mother, a lover, a teenager, or a child. Social issues we see, are how people tend to choose hate over love. The story is full of compassion, relationship issues, and forgiveness. There is a mystery, twists, surprises, loss, and love.
Courtroom drama. Educational for me as the story is woven around the amazing biology of bees and making honey.

2 people found this helpful

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Christina

Incredible book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 22, 2023

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I read the synopsis for this book (because I really love reading Jodi Picoult's) but it didn't seem interesting so I moved on. Because I belong to a few book clubs, one required that I read an editors pick. I did not really care for any of the editor's picks but Mad Honey was there and I figured why not. I can't say anything particular about the story because it would become a spoiler but there is so much I would love to say. This book educated me, moved me and changed my opinion on something I thought I knew about. I have to say that if you read only one book this year, make it this one. I'm so thankful and grateful that I did. I highly recommend this to everyone and anyone. It was truly wonderful!

11 people found this helpful

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Michelle

An Important Story

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 2, 2023

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This book was an emotional page turner. Ava letting her daughter go through something so extreme at such a young age was hard to understand but as the story progressed it became harder to judge her knowing everything Lily went through and how hard she had to fight just to fit in. The only part unbelievable is Maya facing no consequences for not speaking up considering everything that happened as a result of her inaction. Overall a raw and heartfelt story about finding courage and having empathy for others.

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