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A review by honeyhistory103
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
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