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A review by banned_book
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
One star for the premise and the premise only.
Two girls getting married while wasted in Vegas and feeling ok with it the next morning, even curious about each other, is a dead accurate representation of lesbian relationship commitment. Diving in head first is classic. So on brand for us. Nailed it.
Everything else… What is this book even about? Developmentally delayed angst and a DEI checklist friend group that becomes easily provoked by everything they encounter. Their anger is surface level and misplaced, their catchphrases plucked straight from sociology Tik Tok but devoid of comprehension.
Such as Meera, the daughter of an Indian tea shop owner, becoming exasperated with white people for ordering “Masala Chai…” What would you rather have them do, go to Starbucks? Not support a POC-owned small business? Isn't money changing hands towards historically disenfranchised families the goal? I get it, being mad at white people. Even white people say “fuck white people” all the time. They often fail to acknowledge their privilege, prop up systems of oppression, and then have the audacity to claim we live in a meritocracy (as well portrayed from Colonel's POV at Grace Porter's graduation). But I can't get behind disparaging someone for the simple act of buying tea. That's normal human behavior… of which these characters know little about. Especially Sani. Every time Sani opens his mouth. Oh my god. I can't even make myself go back to cover the ignorant nonsense he spews. Just know that he's the type of guy who gets his jimmies rustled at the pharmaceutical industry over… large pills, of all things. There's more, but I don't have the emotional capacity to rail on his stupidity right now because I have to talk about Grace Porter's.
Everyone surrounding Grace Porter tells Grace Porter that Grace Porter is “an amazing astronomer, capable of many things.” “A talented scientist.” And yet, not a hint of Grace Porter's accomplishments show up on a single page. What has Grace Porter done in 11 years to merit such praise? Was her thesis revolutionary? Did she rapidly grasp complicated equations? Did she invent new ones? Did she record an unusual amount or source of space activity? Did she improve upon existing lab equipment? I couldn't tell you because literally the full extent of details that this book provides is, Grace Porter “worked really fucking hard.”
Cool. Doing what, exactly? Do these questions make me as bad as the "racist, homophobic” interviewers that required Grace Porter to demonstrate Grace Porter's expertise in a highly specialized discipline before offering Grace Porter a job? Which is the whole premise of a job interview? Is her name annoying yet???
I can and have adored works by queer (Barbara Butcher) POC (Robin Wall Kimmerer) pioneers in their field (Siddartha Mukherjee) that relayed how difficult it is for minorities to find their footing in white, male-dominated areas of study. It's a perfectly valid subject that deserves more publishing space. I just can't respect a layman's laments when they can't even be bothered to do Wikipedia-level research on their topics of choice. It's clear to me that Morgan Rogers is here for the vibes, just as a 5 year old might go to an aquarium and pronounce that they will become a marine biologist because they like looking at fish. If that's your thing, feel free to enjoy. I'll fight my “write what you know” corner.
Two girls getting married while wasted in Vegas and feeling ok with it the next morning, even curious about each other, is a dead accurate representation of lesbian relationship commitment. Diving in head first is classic. So on brand for us. Nailed it.
Everything else… What is this book even about? Developmentally delayed angst and a DEI checklist friend group that becomes easily provoked by everything they encounter. Their anger is surface level and misplaced, their catchphrases plucked straight from sociology Tik Tok but devoid of comprehension.
Such as Meera, the daughter of an Indian tea shop owner, becoming exasperated with white people for ordering “Masala Chai…” What would you rather have them do, go to Starbucks? Not support a POC-owned small business? Isn't money changing hands towards historically disenfranchised families the goal? I get it, being mad at white people. Even white people say “fuck white people” all the time. They often fail to acknowledge their privilege, prop up systems of oppression, and then have the audacity to claim we live in a meritocracy (as well portrayed from Colonel's POV at Grace Porter's graduation). But I can't get behind disparaging someone for the simple act of buying tea. That's normal human behavior… of which these characters know little about. Especially Sani. Every time Sani opens his mouth. Oh my god. I can't even make myself go back to cover the ignorant nonsense he spews. Just know that he's the type of guy who gets his jimmies rustled at the pharmaceutical industry over… large pills, of all things. There's more, but I don't have the emotional capacity to rail on his stupidity right now because I have to talk about Grace Porter's.
Everyone surrounding Grace Porter tells Grace Porter that Grace Porter is “an amazing astronomer, capable of many things.” “A talented scientist.” And yet, not a hint of Grace Porter's accomplishments show up on a single page. What has Grace Porter done in 11 years to merit such praise? Was her thesis revolutionary? Did she rapidly grasp complicated equations? Did she invent new ones? Did she record an unusual amount or source of space activity? Did she improve upon existing lab equipment? I couldn't tell you because literally the full extent of details that this book provides is, Grace Porter “worked really fucking hard.”
Cool. Doing what, exactly? Do these questions make me as bad as the "racist, homophobic” interviewers that required Grace Porter to demonstrate Grace Porter's expertise in a highly specialized discipline before offering Grace Porter a job? Which is the whole premise of a job interview? Is her name annoying yet???
I can and have adored works by queer (Barbara Butcher) POC (Robin Wall Kimmerer) pioneers in their field (Siddartha Mukherjee) that relayed how difficult it is for minorities to find their footing in white, male-dominated areas of study. It's a perfectly valid subject that deserves more publishing space. I just can't respect a layman's laments when they can't even be bothered to do Wikipedia-level research on their topics of choice. It's clear to me that Morgan Rogers is here for the vibes, just as a 5 year old might go to an aquarium and pronounce that they will become a marine biologist because they like looking at fish. If that's your thing, feel free to enjoy. I'll fight my “write what you know” corner.