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A review by adoras
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
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
3.0
This is more of a coming-of-age story than a romance. Grace Porter is 28-years-old and struggling after working her way through 11 years of school and finally getting her phd in astronomy. I really enjoyed the way the novel explored mental health, with Grace struggling and needing... healthy communication! And therapy! It was so refreshing to see, especially because Grace also had an amazing support system of found family and gained more throughout the novel. Those friendships were amazing, but so was the message that sometimes you need professional help too. Honey Girl also explores the systemic racism (and homophobia) that Grace faces trying to get a job in her field. Her mentor is a straight white woman, so as much as she values Grace and wants to help her, she can only understand a small fraction of what Grace is facing. This was such an interesting facet of the story, and really well handled.
Now, the writing style... I just don't know. In the beginning, I was surprised by the tone and the kind of ethereal world all of the characters seemed to live in. There was kind of an insta-love situation with Grace and Yuki, but initially it worked for me because of the writing style. However, sometimes it was also incredibly clunky. There were little repetitive phrases and themes that the author kept returning to (monsters, lonely people, and of course "honey girl"), and in the end they felt overused. If they'd been brought less often, the callbacks would have made more of an emotional impact. But as it was, it ended up feeling like Yuki and Grace had trouble communicating outside of Tumblr-style poetic phrases. I liked the concept and themes and liked Grace's character growth, but sometimes it felt like the writing was trying to be poetic to make up for missing depth in the relationships and in every character other than Grace herself.
Now, the writing style... I just don't know. In the beginning, I was surprised by the tone and the kind of ethereal world all of the characters seemed to live in. There was kind of an insta-love situation with Grace and Yuki, but initially it worked for me because of the writing style. However, sometimes it was also incredibly clunky. There were little repetitive phrases and themes that the author kept returning to (monsters, lonely people, and of course "honey girl"), and in the end they felt overused. If they'd been brought less often, the callbacks would have made more of an emotional impact. But as it was, it ended up feeling like Yuki and Grace had trouble communicating outside of Tumblr-style poetic phrases. I liked the concept and themes and liked Grace's character growth, but sometimes it felt like the writing was trying to be poetic to make up for missing depth in the relationships and in every character other than Grace herself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Self harm
Moderate: Medical trauma
Minor: Suicide attempt