Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. 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 Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .

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 against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.

Review:

This book had me on the edge of my seat!  Did Olivia's son kill his girlfriend?  A parent never wants to believe their child would harm anyone.  But Asher is his father's son, and Olivia's ex was a violent abuser.  Could Asher have inherited his father's brutal way?  There's so many layers to this novel.  

Themes:

This is a story of guilt and shame.  There's a mother's guilt that her child had to witness domestic abuse.  There is also guilt that she even considers that her son harmed his girlfriend.  But the evidence is pretty convincing.  She even feels some guilt that she has kept her son from his father.  Don't all boys need their dads?  But Olivia also feels intense shame that she ever got into an abusive relationship in the first place.  This makes it hard for her to open up to her family about what was going on.  But Olivia will need to be honest with her brother, the lawyer defending her son on the charge of murder.

Setting:

When I think of small towns, I usually only think about the upsides: people know you, and support you in times of need.  But this can also blow up in one's face.  For Olivia, her son's arrest is all anyone needs to blame her for raising a murderer.  She is shunned and loses most of her business as everyone decides Asher must be guilty.

Storytelling:

I liked the different viewpoints in each chapter.  We see the story through the eyes of Olivia, Asher, and even the deceased girlfriend, Lily.  I found Lily's chapters particularly heartbreaking.  She had been through so much and had such a bright future.  Even with the different voices, the reader doesn't know how Lily died until the very end, making for a riveting read.

Story:

The story spans over a year's time, from the arrest of Asher to the resolution of the trial. But the novel also chronicles Asher and Lily's relationship, as well as Olivia's terrible marriage.  This gives the reader lots of information, but not necessarily in any order.  It's up to the reader to piece together what happens.  

Trigger Warning for Domestic Violence

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  October 4th, 2022

Author:  Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan

Publisher:  Ballantine

Genre:  Literary Fiction

Page Length:  464 Pages

Format:  E-Book

Source:  NetGalley

Recommendation:  This is a riveting, and sometime tough to read book.  The subject matter, with it's themes of domestic abuse, had me putting the book down for a while until I was ready to jump back in.  But the payoff is an outstanding book about the secrets we keep and the consequences of those decisions.  This book made me think.  And your heart will break for the main characters.