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blakethebookeater's review
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Drug use, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, and Sexual content
daydreamermoonwalker's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, and Self harm
jourdanicus's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
I thought I wouldn't be able to get past the setup of this book (impulse Vegas marriage to a stranger) because I'm decidedly not a romantic and have trouble suspending disbelief for romance themes. But I loved the aspects of the characters that author illustrated using the plot points (difficulty with parent/child relationships, not knowing who you really are or what to do next after a big life change like graduating from higher education, dealing with racist institutions). The characters being believable and relatable was what it took for this story to win me over. All in all this was a sweet book and a great read for anyone in need of a happy ending.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Self harm
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, and Drug use
literarypenguin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"The stars glimmer above her. They gleam under the gaze of people like Grace, searching for meaning in their formations. They are doing their best for all the people that stare up at the dark and do not know that they, too, shine brilliantly."
At its center Honey Girl is about the loneliness of the human experience. Grace was never alone,she had her parents, her two best friends/roommates, her found family that treat her like she is their own. She has many people that love and care about her but it doesn't stop her from feeling isolated. Every day she feels the crushing weight of her father's expectations and her own. For 11 years she has had a picture perfect plan and she has followed that plan dutifully. Unfortunately the job she plans to get doesn't pan out and she starts to rethink everything she has done so far up to this point. It all comes to a head after going to Las Vegas and getting drunk married to a girl she has never met in her entire life.
Grace is not a woman to run away or give up but she has truly reached her breaking point and feels like she has to stop a moment and just breathe. She has done everything perfect up until now knowing how hard it would be for not just a Black woman but a Black queer woman. It gets tougher for her the more she goes on and she realizes how much harder for her it is then anyone else in her field. So she feels it is better for her to stick to the status quo and not say anything at all, just be appreciative of getting this opportunity and dont complain.
“Sometimes I wish,” she starts, staring blankly out at the road in front of them, “I didn’t have to have everything figured out. I wish I could turn off the part of my brain that needs perfectly executed plans, you know?”
This book explores the difficulties advancing in that environment and how hard people have to work just to even get a interview. How being a certain way can be a detriment to you and how biased some workplaces can really be. It is bad enough that Grace is being questioned about if she really did her research without assistance but to be silently judged about who she is and working with people who dont respect her is a terrible thing to go through.
Grace has to live up to her father's expectations and pressure. She has been doing that for most of her life. The more and more good she does, whether it is getting her doctorate or even graduating college, the more impossible it seems to get his approval. He has taught her to never stop and keep going, never show weakness or vulnerability and keep working until you break. He taught her to be this way because he never had the luxury to be that way himself so he passed that way of thinking on to his daughter. This leaves Grace in a sort of grey area with him, she understands him but at the same time she still resents him and how he treated her growing up.
I loved how therapy was portrayed in a positive light in this book. It also shows that it might not be for everybody and it isn't a one size fits all type of deal. It takes time to find the right person to speak to, the right diagnosis that fits and the right type of medication that will really work for you.
"Here is the thing about the tar, the sludge, the inky black poison. Once it starts its ascent out of your body, there is nothing you can do to stop it. It tastes like volcano ash and fire, and you must taste it, and gag on it, and ultimately, you must spit it out. There comes a time when you cannot swallow it down any longer. Everything that is buried will be unburied. Everything that is pushed down will find its way out. It is the way of the universe."
The romance between Grace & Yuki was very essential to the plot and how the plot developed and moved along. It really made my heart happy and truly was so beautiful to see. You could tell they both liked each other and were attracted to one another but it was done in a way that felt natural and comfortable. They didnt hide how they felt about each other and almost istant sparks flew when they were together. I loved their time apart and together and how they both got to know each other and spend time together reaffirming everything they thought about each other. Yuki was such a complex and interesting character. I loved her radio show stories, they were so breathtaking and impactful. It was one of my favorite parts to read, how stories about monsters reflected our own stories of humanity and all we have done. It was a great way to make Grace feel even more connected to Yuki and bring them closer together.
"It’s okay to admit that something can be best just because it makes you happy, and not because you had to tear yourself apart to get there."
Another one of my favorite aspects of this book was the found families that Yuki and Grace both formed. The White Pearl, a tea shop Grace works at, is her second home. She calls Meera and Raj her brother and sister, the father has taken her in like one of his own. She also found Ximena, a nurturing woman who worked at the same hospital as her father was in and Agnes, a former patient of the same hospital. They live together and love each other so much it hurts. Yuki has made herself a home in New York with three roommates, who are charming in their own very different ways. They felt so real and heartwarming. This book definitely proves that sometimes family isn't those who raised you but those who you have met along the way and love you know matter what.
This book was truly a gem and is a book for all those lonely creatures out there who just need to know that they are never truly alone.
Are you there? ....
Are you listening?...
At its center Honey Girl is about the loneliness of the human experience. Grace was never alone,she had her parents, her two best friends/roommates, her found family that treat her like she is their own. She has many people that love and care about her but it doesn't stop her from feeling isolated. Every day she feels the crushing weight of her father's expectations and her own. For 11 years she has had a picture perfect plan and she has followed that plan dutifully. Unfortunately the job she plans to get doesn't pan out and she starts to rethink everything she has done so far up to this point. It all comes to a head after going to Las Vegas and getting drunk married to a girl she has never met in her entire life.
Grace is not a woman to run away or give up but she has truly reached her breaking point and feels like she has to stop a moment and just breathe. She has done everything perfect up until now knowing how hard it would be for not just a Black woman but a Black queer woman. It gets tougher for her the more she goes on and she realizes how much harder for her it is then anyone else in her field. So she feels it is better for her to stick to the status quo and not say anything at all, just be appreciative of getting this opportunity and dont complain.
“Sometimes I wish,” she starts, staring blankly out at the road in front of them, “I didn’t have to have everything figured out. I wish I could turn off the part of my brain that needs perfectly executed plans, you know?”
This book explores the difficulties advancing in that environment and how hard people have to work just to even get a interview. How being a certain way can be a detriment to you and how biased some workplaces can really be. It is bad enough that Grace is being questioned about if she really did her research without assistance but to be silently judged about who she is and working with people who dont respect her is a terrible thing to go through.
Grace has to live up to her father's expectations and pressure. She has been doing that for most of her life. The more and more good she does, whether it is getting her doctorate or even graduating college, the more impossible it seems to get his approval. He has taught her to never stop and keep going, never show weakness or vulnerability and keep working until you break. He taught her to be this way because he never had the luxury to be that way himself so he passed that way of thinking on to his daughter. This leaves Grace in a sort of grey area with him, she understands him but at the same time she still resents him and how he treated her growing up.
I loved how therapy was portrayed in a positive light in this book. It also shows that it might not be for everybody and it isn't a one size fits all type of deal. It takes time to find the right person to speak to, the right diagnosis that fits and the right type of medication that will really work for you.
"Here is the thing about the tar, the sludge, the inky black poison. Once it starts its ascent out of your body, there is nothing you can do to stop it. It tastes like volcano ash and fire, and you must taste it, and gag on it, and ultimately, you must spit it out. There comes a time when you cannot swallow it down any longer. Everything that is buried will be unburied. Everything that is pushed down will find its way out. It is the way of the universe."
The romance between Grace & Yuki was very essential to the plot and how the plot developed and moved along. It really made my heart happy and truly was so beautiful to see. You could tell they both liked each other and were attracted to one another but it was done in a way that felt natural and comfortable. They didnt hide how they felt about each other and almost istant sparks flew when they were together. I loved their time apart and together and how they both got to know each other and spend time together reaffirming everything they thought about each other. Yuki was such a complex and interesting character. I loved her radio show stories, they were so breathtaking and impactful. It was one of my favorite parts to read, how stories about monsters reflected our own stories of humanity and all we have done. It was a great way to make Grace feel even more connected to Yuki and bring them closer together.
"It’s okay to admit that something can be best just because it makes you happy, and not because you had to tear yourself apart to get there."
Another one of my favorite aspects of this book was the found families that Yuki and Grace both formed. The White Pearl, a tea shop Grace works at, is her second home. She calls Meera and Raj her brother and sister, the father has taken her in like one of his own. She also found Ximena, a nurturing woman who worked at the same hospital as her father was in and Agnes, a former patient of the same hospital. They live together and love each other so much it hurts. Yuki has made herself a home in New York with three roommates, who are charming in their own very different ways. They felt so real and heartwarming. This book definitely proves that sometimes family isn't those who raised you but those who you have met along the way and love you know matter what.
This book was truly a gem and is a book for all those lonely creatures out there who just need to know that they are never truly alone.
Are you there? ....
Are you listening?...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Self harm
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual content and Drug use
irlchaosdemon's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Cursing
Moderate: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Racism, Medical trauma, Medical content, Homophobia, and Grief
Minor: Drug use and Alcoholism
honeyhistory103's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What a fantastic debut novel. I really enjoyed this book, and consumed it at a breakneck speed. Morgan Rogers has done an excellent job of combining realistic, relatable emotions and characters, the gay fantasy of found family, and the perfect touch of unrealistic romance into one cohesive, truly enjoyable story. Grace's life is unique while still echoing with sincere problems, ones that anyone who's recently graduated from college (of any level) is able to empathize with. While I picked up this book expecting a romance, the truth of the matter is that it is a story of human emotion and growth, with all the relationships that come with that: friends, romance, and parents.
Besides Grace's very human story, what really makes this book shine is its cast of background characters. Rogers has had huge success in creating a group of characters who exist not as a moon to the main character's planet, but rather as planets that are in the same system as the MC: revolving next to each other, but each on their own distinct path. Characters' lives don't freeze when Grace isn't in the picture, and the each have their own problems and challenges that they are concerned with outside of Grace's narrative. Rogers has also built a gloriously diverse cast of characters, whose main concerns aren't their diverse identities - something I found wonderfully refreshing. The cast read as diverse (in race, orientation, mental health issues) simply because they were, not because the author needed them to be. Rogers also succeeded wonderfully in showing, rather than telling, what each character was like.In particular, the moment in which Grace told Baba she was going to New York, and his hand immediately shot towards the cash drawer of his desk as he asked if she needed money, stood out to me in this way. Rogers didn't need to tell us that Baba was generous and saw Grace as his own - she showed it with his actions easily.
Rogers's writing was a joy to read - I usually don't enjoy present tense prose, but it had such a lovely flow and some truly gorgeous sections. I particularly loved the passages of Yuki's radio show - I could practically hear a voice speaking the words, crafting together a beautiful story into the empty night air. Those things said, one can definitely tell that this was a debut novel. Rogers's skill is undeniable, but moments for improvement can be found throughout the book - slightly weaker sections here and there, and I felt generally that there wasn't quite enough space between one character speaking and Grace responding - there were a few times when I was surprised to realize that Grace was crying, or when her reaction to a comment seemed almost to fast to have occurred.
One other note I will make is that overall, Honey Girl reads a bit like fanfiction in pace and beat. I wasn't surprised when Rogers's final acknowledgement was to fanfiction. Obviously it has been elevated beyond much of what haunts AO3, but some echoes of a fanfic writer can be found within the book - a casual mention of MONSTA X, the characters briefly discussing the plights of capitalism, etc. If you've been stuck in a rut of only being entertained by fanfic, this is definitely an excellent book to get you back into printed narrative. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find myself seeking out fanfiction of this novel - I absolutely adored Yuki as a character, and would love to sink my teeth into an arch focussed on her. Though I loved the ending of this novel, I was disappointed personally that we didn't get to spend more time with Yuki in it - Rogers did a brilliant job of creating someone that I certainly wouldn't have been mad to accidentally marry in Vegas, while also keeping her a very human character.
I am so, so pleased that I decided to pick this book up. I'm excited to include it on my shelf, to loan it to my friends, to re-read it at some point down the line of life when I'm feeling lonely or lost and need to surround myself with lonely and lost characters. I look forward to seeing what Rogers puts out next - as she concludes her acknowledgements with, this is only a beginning of her writing career.
Besides Grace's very human story, what really makes this book shine is its cast of background characters. Rogers has had huge success in creating a group of characters who exist not as a moon to the main character's planet, but rather as planets that are in the same system as the MC: revolving next to each other, but each on their own distinct path. Characters' lives don't freeze when Grace isn't in the picture, and the each have their own problems and challenges that they are concerned with outside of Grace's narrative. Rogers has also built a gloriously diverse cast of characters, whose main concerns aren't their diverse identities - something I found wonderfully refreshing. The cast read as diverse (in race, orientation, mental health issues) simply because they were, not because the author needed them to be. Rogers also succeeded wonderfully in showing, rather than telling, what each character was like.
Rogers's writing was a joy to read - I usually don't enjoy present tense prose, but it had such a lovely flow and some truly gorgeous sections. I particularly loved the passages of Yuki's radio show - I could practically hear a voice speaking the words, crafting together a beautiful story into the empty night air. Those things said, one can definitely tell that this was a debut novel. Rogers's skill is undeniable, but moments for improvement can be found throughout the book - slightly weaker sections here and there, and I felt generally that there wasn't quite enough space between one character speaking and Grace responding - there were a few times when I was surprised to realize that Grace was crying, or when her reaction to a comment seemed almost to fast to have occurred.
One other note I will make is that overall, Honey Girl reads a bit like fanfiction in pace and beat. I wasn't surprised when Rogers's final acknowledgement was to fanfiction. Obviously it has been elevated beyond much of what haunts AO3, but some echoes of a fanfic writer can be found within the book - a casual mention of MONSTA X, the characters briefly discussing the plights of capitalism, etc. If you've been stuck in a rut of only being entertained by fanfic, this is definitely an excellent book to get you back into printed narrative. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find myself seeking out fanfiction of this novel - I absolutely adored Yuki as a character, and would love to sink my teeth into an arch focussed on her. Though I loved the ending of this novel, I was disappointed personally that we didn't get to spend more time with Yuki in it - Rogers did a brilliant job of creating someone that I certainly wouldn't have been mad to accidentally marry in Vegas, while also keeping her a very human character.
I am so, so pleased that I decided to pick this book up. I'm excited to include it on my shelf, to loan it to my friends, to re-read it at some point down the line of life when I'm feeling lonely or lost and need to surround myself with lonely and lost characters. I look forward to seeing what Rogers puts out next - as she concludes her acknowledgements with, this is only a beginning of her writing career.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, and Sexual content
megg's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh my god I'm sobbing 😭 What a beautiful, well-written story. LOVE the family dynamics in this book, and its realistic approach to mental health. Also deals a lot with academia, and the discrimination a queer Black woman will face in it, how that tears her down, and how she finds her own place within it. Huge trigger warning for self harm. This book made me so happy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Racism
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Police brutality
ashleycmms's review
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Self harm
mandkips's review
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent, Self harm, Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, and Drug use
katherinenzr's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Grace Porter has always been the best, always had a plan, and always worked five times as hard as everyone else. After getting her PhD in Astronomy, she’s supposed to go on to work at the most prestigious company there is—but a disastrous interview, and a drunken Vegas wedding to a girl she doesn’t know snaps the tension she’s been putting on herself and causes everything to come tumbling down. This book is by turns fiercely funny, and cathartically heartbreaking, with the poetic lyricism of This is How You Lose the Time War, and the witty banter of Red, White, and Royal Blue. Honey Girl tore me to pieces and then put me back together again—I laughed, I cried, I said “this is so sweet” out loud multiple times. This book is for you, you lonely creature. Are you there?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Emotional abuse and Drug use
The racism is mostly of the systemic sort. This book is about a Black woman and how she moves through the world.
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