Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

15 reviews

thecriticalreader's review

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emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Plot:
There’s not much of the plot that doesn’t stem from the main character making problems for herself. I know that in real life, a lot of problems are self-made, but Grace’s problems seem unoriginal and inconsistent. It’s easy to see where the plot is going, especially in the last third of the book. 
 
Characters:
My main problem with this book was the main character, Grace Porter. She’s supposed to be super #relatable, but it never really works out that way. Supposedly, Grace is a workaholic perfectionist, but all of her flashbacks show otherwise. She just completed a doctorate in astronomy, but she never even thinks about her research. 
Grace has all of these (almost unnaturally) dedicated friends who act like she’s the best person to walk the planet, but it is never clear how she’s able to win over so many people. Seriously, she has an absurdly robust support system, both financially and emotionally, and yet she complains about being lonely all the time. Outside of her problems, there is not much to Grace Porter’s character. 

Most of the other characters seemed unoriginal. There’s the hardened, strict, military dad who puts unrealistic expectations on Grace. There’s the carefree, hippy mom who wanders the world in search of enlightenment. Grace’s wife, Yuki, is more unique but she still didn’t seem real to me. 

One thing that annoyed me is that the book is so clearly trying to fill a bunch of diversity quotas. I get it. Millennials, especially queer millennials of color, want more representation in literature. I love diversity in literature myself. But the way this book goes about it (similarly to The City We Became) acts like it has to check all of the boxes: White? Check. Black? Check. Mixed-race? Check. Indian? Check. Native American? Check. Transgender? Check. Asian? Check. Muslim? Check. Mentally ill? Check. It feels awkward and forced, especially as the author tries to make it seem natural. Yet the result is an artificial cast of characters that fit into an almost utopian color-blind scheme, with the exception of Grace who faces hiring discrimination for her skin color and queer identity. At least The City We Became tried to directly confront the tensions between identities, but Honey Girl just mentions them but rarely delves deep into the tensions beyond “quirky” millennial jokes. 
 
Setting:
Not much to say here. The setting bounces around the country a couple of times, but it never stuck out to me as a good or bad part of the book.
 
Themes:
Honey Girl explores themes of perfectionism, pressure, relationships, and depression. None of the points made seemed original or new, and I got bored very quickly.
 
Writing Style:
The writing style also irritated me. Rogers tries to be both relatable and flowery in her writing, but I just got mad because no one talks like that. It’s supposed to be poetic and beautiful, but I found it annoying. Sentences such as “There was a girl with rose-pink cheeks and pitch-black hair, and, yes, sea salt and age behind her ears and over the veiny parts of her wrists” appear so often that it gets stale very quickly. 
 
Conclusion:
This book really disappointed me, because I loved the premise and I always want to support authors from underrepresented communities. Unfortunately, Honey Girl is not a good book; it’s barely mediocre.
 
 
Other Points
·      A lot of the side characters would have made better main characters than Grace. I would happily read a book from the perspective of Agnes, Meera, or Raj. 
·      A lot of the characters, including Grace Porter, seem to be borderline alcoholics? There is hardly a chapter in the book where everyone stays sober. I’m not sure if this was supposed to be part of the #relatable content of the book, but I thought it was vaguely concerning.
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megg's review

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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.
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mirichasha's review

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emotional reflective sad 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

I loved it, especially the found family and incredible important platonic, non-blood related relationships that Grace has, a whole constellation of love. I would gladly read books about almost any of the secondary characters (maybe excepting Grace's parents, who I thought were interesting and fleshed out characters but don't necessarily want to inhabit their worlds more). 

I had experiences in the past year and a half that meant I related a lot to Grace's struggle, and to her need to step (or run) away from it. To the feeling of a life plan changing or needing to be recalibrated when you realize that discrimination, disdain, or just plain old difference based on identity isn't something you can just power through by caring a lot or trying harder. I enjoyed this book a lot, and it hit home (although not all the way fully - I had been kind of hoping for a catharsis that would get me all the way to tears and that didn't happen). I wanted, and want, more. The mental place Grace is in at the end of the book felt familiar to me and I’m only just getting out of it. I wanted to see what it looks like for her to move through, and out of, it too.
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queermath's review

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emotional 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

3.5

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papercraftalex's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

Honey Girl is a millennial coming-of-age book for adults with a romantic underbelly. It features a black lesbian main character who just finished her PhD in astronomy and is trying to figure life out; part of this figuring out also includes figuring out where the girl she drunkenly met in Vegas fits into her life plan. This was such a wonderfully emotional read with a cast of characters that felt so real, flawed, and loveable. The queer found families are so beautiful and the familial relationships are so honest and raw. The writing is poetic and stunning. I would recommend this book to every person that feels lost in the never ending expanse of the universe. 
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 
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