Allison's Book Report: “Mad Honey” by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

May has officially taken on a life of its own here, culminating in a whirlwind of wrapping up projects with work and kids before summer and an ill-timed (and thankfully short-lived) plague that descended upon everyone in our house last week. I haven’t had much time to crack open a new book in my quest for the perfect summer read, but I thought I would share something with you that I read a while back. It has been living rent-free in my brain ever since.

“Mad Honey” by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan came out almost two years ago, but I still think about it and recommend it to people at least once a week.  “Mad Honey” introduces us to recently divorced Olivia McAfee. She once had a picture-perfect life in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon and raising her son, Asher.  Everything changed when her husband revealed his darker side, forcing her to return to her sleepy New Hampshire hometown to take over her father’s beekeeping business. Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to the same sleepy town for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start. Their paths cross when Lily and Asher begin dating, and for the first time in forever, Lily feels happy - yet, at times, she can’t help but wonder if she can trust Ash completely. Then, one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and police are questioning Asher. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent, but she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of temper in Ash. As the case against him unfolds, Olivia realizes that he has hidden more than he has shared with her.

I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult, and I can confidently say that I have loved every one of her books. She has a formula for her writing – a current social issue, a meticulously researched theme, a family storyline, a legal/courthouse storyline, and the thing she is famous for, The Twist. The Twist keeps readers coming back for more of Picoult’s books, but unfortunately for me, it also makes her books hard to review without spoiling them for everyone else. All I can say is read “Mad Honey” for yourself. The story is suspenseful and riveting, and those twists… let me tell you, this one about knocked me right out of my chair. My head is still spinning.

I hope we all have a minute or two to dive into a book this week. Don’t forget to visit me on Instagram @allison.the.reader, where I am reading and rambling away daily.