A review by ladygetslit
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

emotional 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

I needed this book four years ago, when I was also 28 and having a millennial crisis. 

Grace Porter is a beautifully flawed character who has spent so much of her life building plans around what other people expect from her, what others think she can't accomplish. I initially thought this book would be about her romance with the girl she marries in Vegas at the beginning of the book. What this book was actually about: a messy, chaotic, beautiful young woman trying to figure out who she actually is and what she truly wants for her life. 

Elements I truly loved: 
  • Grace's found family in Portland: they support her constantly and are super affirming, even when she's falling apart and is generally a really terrible friend
  • Yuki's radio show: no spoilers, but just read and appreciate
  • the constant references to how we're all part of the universe really spoke to my galaxy-obsessed soul (even though I'm not a science nerd like Grace is)
  • representation of what it's like to be Black in an academic field: this is super important and eye-opening
  • mental health representation: I loved that Grace not only gets a therapist, but that she has to try out a couple ones first — this is how it actually is and I loved getting this representation

What didn't work for me:
  • to be honest, the writing just left something to be desired... I'm not a fan of the 3rd person present tense style narration, especially in a character-driven story
  • sometimes, the corny, lovely found family stuff got really cringe-y to me... but this could be my reading because I'm honestly jealous and wish I had friends like Grace does
  • I wanted more: more of the quirky queer side characters, more of Grace working through her traumas, more steam between her and Yuki... I just wanted more. I think this author will really blossom in future writing and I look forward to reading them! 

Overall, while I don't think this book is for everyone. But for those of us that it speaks to... wow, I am so glad I finally made time to pull this off my never-ending TBR. Thank you, Morgan Rogers, for writing a book that helped me feel less alone in how long it took me to figure out the path I truly wanted.
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