KATIE’S BOOK NOOK MAD HONEY

by Katie Frailer

Mad Honey 

Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, 2022

5 stars

“The story that officially took my Jodi Picoult virginity and left me begging for more”

“Mad Honey” follows Olivia (shoutout to Liv), a beekeeper and single mother to her 18-year-old son, Asher. The two moved to Adams, New Hampshire when Asher was six and built a home in the small New England town. Flash forward 12 years, and Asher meets Lily, a seemingly shy but incredibly smart girl who's new to town, and hits it off with her immediately. They enter into a relationship that is quintessential young love: epic, dramatic, and tumultuous. That is, until Lily is found dead and Asher is the only suspect (enter legal drama.)

Told through the eyes of Olivia and Lily, the reader is brought along through varying perspectives and timelines as Asher is portrayed, in one moment, as a sweet-natured boy in love, and the next, as a golden boy who might have something more sinister lurking beneath the surface. Asher's character is both confirmed and questioned by the two women closest to him, who are navigating their own truths and trying to figure out which pieces of their history they want to stay in the past, and what they have no choice but to confront. 

I went into this book expecting a middle-aged lady drama about a small town (probably my fault for not reading the book’s description beforehand) but what I got was an unexpectedly poignant and thought-provoking story about what it means to exist in the world and the things we choose to share with it.

Wild Honey had shocking courtroom moments and complex characters while talking about trauma in a way that felt respectful and real. Vibes are a mash-up of a crime podcast and the Barbie movie told by a badass divorcee and an impressive young girl, which made for a timely and well-told story that is a must-read this spooky season. 

Favorite quotes (without spoilers)

“How similar does someone have to be to you before you remember to see them, first, as human?”

“There is no set of rules that dictates what you owe someone you love. What parts of your past should be disclosed?”

“People always talk about how their love for you is unconditional. Then you reveal your most private self to them, and you find out how many conditions there are in unconditional love”

Who I think will yum this book:

All of you

Who I think will yuck this book

Trump supporters

Honorable Book Mentions this Month (With No Context)

Fourth wing by Rebecca Yarros, 2023

5 stars

Combination of Harry Potter and Divergent, but with spice and dragons.

On Earth Were Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, 2019

4 stars

A son’s letter to his immigrant mother who can't read. Very prosey.