Mad Honey
By Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan
Ballantine Books, 2022. 452 pages. Fiction
Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. 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 New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start. For just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Olivia's teenage son, Asher, falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can't help but fall for him, too.
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 unfolds, she realizes he's hidden more than he's shared with her. The courtroom drama makes for gripping reading; a reveal about Lily at the midway point adds another dimension to the case, and Olivia grapples with the possibility that her son could take after her ex-husband more than he does her.
Picoult's books are reliably engaging, poignant, heartbreaking and heartfelt; Mad Honey is no exception. One of the highlights is the richly complex setting that Picoult was able to create at Olivia's beekeeping farm. The language could almost be described as delicious, because Picoult's words seem to bring the sweet honey right off the page! Additionally, Picoult handles yet another hot-button issue with tact, compassion, care, and understanding. This book will completely surprise you and requires readers to have an open mind and an open heart. If you're looking for a lesson in compassion, while also following along with a devastatingly suspenseful murder trial, this book is for you.
By Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan
Ballantine Books, 2022. 452 pages. Fiction
Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. 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 New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start. For just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Olivia's teenage son, Asher, falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can't help but fall for him, too.
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 unfolds, she realizes he's hidden more than he's shared with her. The courtroom drama makes for gripping reading; a reveal about Lily at the midway point adds another dimension to the case, and Olivia grapples with the possibility that her son could take after her ex-husband more than he does her.
Picoult's books are reliably engaging, poignant, heartbreaking and heartfelt; Mad Honey is no exception. One of the highlights is the richly complex setting that Picoult was able to create at Olivia's beekeeping farm. The language could almost be described as delicious, because Picoult's words seem to bring the sweet honey right off the page! Additionally, Picoult handles yet another hot-button issue with tact, compassion, care, and understanding. This book will completely surprise you and requires readers to have an open mind and an open heart. If you're looking for a lesson in compassion, while also following along with a devastatingly suspenseful murder trial, this book is for you.
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LKA
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