Book Summary

Lily Campanello is a high school senior in a small New Hampshire town looking for a new beginning. A few years earlier, Asher Fields and his mother, Olivia, also ended up in the same town also with hope of a new beginning.

Shortly after Lily’s arrival in town, she meets Asher and their love story begins. On the outside, they’re the perfect couple – inseparable, sweet, happy. But there’s a part of Lily that wonders if she can fully trust Asher.

Not too long after their relationship begins to blossom, Olivia receives a call that Lily has been found dead and Asher is the main suspect. He says he didn’t do it, but with his father’s dark and violent past, would people believe him? As the investigation begins, secrets begin to be revealed and twists you’ll never see coming unravel.

Trigger warnings: domestic violence, death of a child

My Thoughts

Words can’t describe how much I love Jodi Picoult. Her books and writing style are genius. Many, including this one, are written from multiple viewpoints (A Spark of Light has eight VPs!) while also moving in reverse – you might call it a signature writing style. I also so appreciate the thought and research that goes into her writing, along with the boldness of taking on the big, often controversial and timely, topics.

I love how she and Jennifer Finney Boylan (JFB) partnered to co-write this book for so many reasons, but it got me wondering – how do authors co-write books? In this case, the how is pretty crazy: the story came to JFB in a dream and, never even having met Jodi Picoult, reached out to her on Twitter in 2017 about writing the story together and the rest is history. Talk about amazing!

This book is a beautiful, timely, multi-level love story and is a top contender as being one of my favorite books by Jodi Picoult, and I am glad to have found a new author I enjoy.

Most Memorable Moment

“The secret weapon of mad honey, of course, is that you expect it to be sweet, not deadly. You’re deliberately attracted to it. By the time it messes with your head, your heart, it’s too late.”

TLDR

• Book: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
• Release date: October 2022
• Genre: literary fiction, domestic fiction
• Stars: 4.5/5
• Burn speed: medium
• Steam level: 2/5
• Suspense level: medium
• Conclusion: add it to the top of your TBR

Need it? Get it here.