Member Reviews
A sharp, relevant mirror into the moments that make us all come of age; Honey Girl is pragmatic in it's appeal and manages to delve into heavy hearted territory with it's prose. Author Morgan Rogers certainly has a gift for being able to capture feelings into words. Without giving too much away I will say the representation this novel allows was done exactly right without tip-toeing around word choices and without hesitation. If you have ever felt lost (and who hasn't?) this book will feel all too reveling in a comforting familiar way.
This novel feels warm. It feels like home and it should absolutely feel like your next read.
It's rare to find a book which captures the millennial experience as fully as Morgan Rogers' Honey Girl does. Within its pages features Grace Porter, a Black lesbian who just acquired their doctorate degree in astronomy. When the declined job and interview requests begin rolling in, Porter goes from the overachieving star pupil to an undesirable company match. Suddenly, everything from her work's integrity to who she is is questioned and scrutinized by companies and universities who do not want to make space for anyone but their own. Porter responds to this quarter life crisis in an interestingly uncharacteristic way: she goes to Las Vegas and gets married. The rest of the book follows the fallout and lessons Porter learns from her past decisions. At the core is one single action: Porter must ask herself if she wants the best or what's best for her.
Grace Porter is 28 years old and facing a world which doesn't have the opportunities for her she was promised. After nearly a decade of additional schooling and nothing to show for it, this book delves deeper into what it means to make life tolerable in a very fraught and lonely world. While it does have it's share of light-hearted conversations and romantic intrigue, at its core, Honey Girl is about the decisions people make while coping. It's not just Porter who feels as though she is falling behind. Porter has friends who are stuck in jobs they never wanted, whether it be out of obligation or the paycheck. The stress of maintaining appearances wears on each person differently, and its fascinating to see how each character copes and makes sense of the life they are given. The end of the book is particularly rewarding, as lapses in understanding are fixed with honest communication.
On a personal note, this book was particularly relatable in ways I was not expecting. Porter's experience was not too unlike my own, excluding the clear difficulties that systematic racism plays in academia. I had also lived in the world of STEM research and academic grinding, wearing myself out at the cost of my mental and physical health. Honey Girl starts at the beginning of Porter's independent life, and I related strongly to the emptiness the main character felt when the research opportunities and university classes ran dry. There is a great emptiness that comes with selecting a job field which does not make space for you. Like Porter, I had also had to evaluate what the best truly meant and what was important to me to have in my life moving forward. After finishing the book, I was astounded that Rogers had no documented experiences in either STEM or graduate programs. In either case, Morgan Rogers' debut is a strong and realistic entrance into the realm of literature.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advance reading copy!
i don't think i enjoyed this book as much as i thought i would. it wasn't much of a love story, it was more of the story of a black woman trying to find out who she is what she wants to do, after spending a decade studying in a predominantly white field (astronomy) and facing systemic barriers.
i loved the way the author wrote the characters. i enjoyed the friend groups and loved the main love interest. i think i was expecting more, though. i dont know more of what... but more.
the ending left me unsatisfied. i felt like my arc was cut. i'm not saying it was, im just saying if that's truly how it ends.... im not at all satisfied. there were important things that were left unanswered and it bothered me.
nonetheless, morgan rogers is a promising author whose work i will keep on reading in the future.
Readers need the voice of this author! Morgan tells the story of a quirky set of BIPOC characters who readers will soon come to love. I enjoyed this book tremendously.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
Honey Girl was a book with
-f/f insta love
-marriage of convenience/vegas wedding
-flirting through a radio show
-found family
-opposites attract
I have been so excited for this book since I heard about it, but it was a lot heavier than the blurb conveys. Morgan Rogers is a talented writer, Her writing pours off the page as almost poetry. It was beautiful. But the content of the book was more than just a girl burnt out, it was heavy. While the writing and flashbacks provided an emotional read, the romance didn't strike me. I would have loved to have seen Grace have a conversation with Yuki that was a bit deeper. The radio show as a way of outreach was a great twist. The writing also appeared to change once Grace began medication and therapy which I also found interesting.
I loved the elements of found family, the reality of having people close to you yet feeling so alone. Not feeling like you can let people in, trying to figure out your life. That is relatable at any age. Especially with the state of world right now that feeling of loneliness and trying to connect with others was especially poignant to me. This is a book about the traumas of childhood that build and finally dealing with them as an adult.
Rating: 3
Steam: 2
CW: major depressive disorder, anxiety, suicide attempt (Side character), self-harm, microagression, racism, parental abuse (emotional), parental abandonment, mental health
The characters in this novel are smitten with love and don't know how to process their feelings, thanks to a number of missteps throughout their childhood. The cast are mostly black or brown lesbians, which adds a nice dimension to those of us who aren't either. I found myself immediately warming to the opening premise: two women vacationing in Vegas get drunk and then married despite having just met. And while the situation could easily have degraded into some "Hangover" spin-off, the book remains true to their characters and brings us deeply into their world. The couple is an interesting pair: a recently minted astronomy PhD and a radio talk show host who reminded me of Allison Steele of WNEW-FM days. The book will challenge you to think about love and loss and conflict and reconcillation, and I highly recommend it.
I know some readers will be disappointed when picking this one up because it's much heavier than is typical for the romance genre it's been pitched as. I'm torn between irritation and appreciation. On the one hand, I expected a light, fun read that would balance out my heavier nonfiction reads. On the other hand, every time I read a romance novel I come away complaining about its lack of depth. This one delivered LOTS of depth.
I loved the found family element the best. Both Yuki and Grace have forged these beautifully queer found families and, in Grace's case, non-queer chosen family, as well. That's not something you see often in any book, especially in romance novels. Queer romance novels also have a tendency to fall into a very heteronormative romantic ideal that gets very boring very fast. (I'm thinking particularly of the recent romcom novel Written in the Stars and how I DNF'd it halfway through because it was so incredibly cis- and heteronormative.) This book resists that in just about every way possible. Yuki and Grace's relationship never feels insular; they're not abandoning their people to be with each other.
My rating is 3 stars because I had a hard time making myself go back to it every time I paused to read another book. The constant references to "honey girl," "rosebud girl," "bees," "honey," "sunshine," the smell of [insert same three scents in Yuki's room], etc were a little much for me, and I had trouble sorting out the chronology in places. I also feel like this could have benefitted from a little tighter editing.
Overall, though, I'm excited for this book to hit shelves. I want to be able to give it to people at the library and say "here, read this, it breaks a lot of molds."
Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for the advance reader copy.
CW: self harm
Another book with a Virgo main character... is this a new trend in literature? Sources are unclear.
The writing was filled with metaphors, every thought, every conversation, every observation was described with metaphors. While objectively I can see that it is beautiful, it is not a writing style that resonates with me. I had a hard time staying committed to reading the book because it felt dense to me. I absolutely recommend this to people who like more flowery, poetic writing! I think they’ll find this gorgeous and exactly what they want. The rep is this was amazing and I LOVED how confidently the term lesbian was used and how embraced it was by the main character. We need more of this!
If I had to sum up Honey Girl in one word, it’d simply be exquisite. It's a tale spun out of stars; a million warm hugs and tough-love conversations wrapped in tales of lonely monsters and folklore. Every once in a while, you’ll find a book - or maybe, the book has found you, I’m not really sure how the magic of books works - that seems to be exactly what you need to hear at that moment. A story that has nestled its way into your soul, and has said “I’ve made myself a permanent home here”. Honey Girl is one of those books, for me.
Morgan Rogers is a brilliant wordsmith; her words have a way of making you feel like you’re there in the story. I want to frame her words and hang it in a museum, tattoo it on my skin, imprint it in my brain - you get the idea. Point being, Rogers’ writing is simply beautiful. There’s no other word for it.
Full review to come on 2/16, on here, Goodreads and on my blog www.teatimelit.com/
“Us lonely creatures have to stick together.”
*3.5 beautifully relatable stars!
Do not let my rating dishearten anyone from reading this book, because the book is beautiful!
The premise of the book alone is enough to hook you in, it adds a little mystery into the romance that’s done amazingly. The found family aspect within the book is enough to make your ‘I want friends like that’ heart swoon.
This book does not shy away from tough topics like mental illness, racism, the crazy (sometimes toxic) dynamics with family, self harm, loneliness, and the pressure we put on ourselves, and at some parts I found myself tearing up at all of the feelings I was getting, relatable or not, I was feeling so much throughout.
The way the romance is written between the two characters is slow, but in a way fast, which might not make sense. But, with half of the book being about a mystery girl the main character married and then finding and interacting with said mystery girl, and learning to love this girl after one night of champagne bliss, it all flows slowly when it comes to the meeting and understanding. Then, when it comes to the feels? The love? The intense emotion? That’s fast and as I’ve already mentioned: beautiful!!
But there was something about this book that made it hard for me to breeze through, the book is not incredibly long and it is the perfect length in my opinion. I just found myself taking forever to read through it/finish it, and I’m sure it had more to do with myself than the actual book and it’s writings.
Which is why, even though I adored it so much, I’m giving it a 3.5.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for this ARC! I think I need to come back to this book when I'm more in the mood for it - so please note this may be throwing off my initial thoughts! It's a beautiful premise, and I thought there were some beautiful moments - but I just wasn't connecting to this book and the style as much as I was hoping to! Again - I'll try to pick this one up again soon as I see so many people loved it!
A not-so-young adult coming of age 🍯 💫
HONEY GIRL is not quite what I expected from a book advertised as a romance following a quickie Vegas wedding between strangers. Instead, it’s a sweet and soulful novel exploring what it’s like to still be finding your path well into adulthood.
I loved the side characters and one-liners in HONEY GIRL, but sometimes it felt like the lyrical prose was having to work too hard for a so-so plot. Although it wasn’t what I thought it would be, HONEY GIRL is special in its own way and I’ll always love seeing queer POC celebrated.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for providing an eARC in exchange for this review.
Grace Porter spent her entire adult life focusing on one goal: earning her Ph.D. in Astronomy and becoming the best in her field. At twenty-eight-years old, she's got the diploma, but now what? Grace and her two best friends decide to celebrate by going to Vegas as a way for Grace to finally let loose. Being raised under a strict ex-military father, Grace isn't one to let her inhibitions go wild, so the last thing she expected from this trip was to wake up after a drunken night only to find a ring on her finger, an empty bed, and a note from the woman she hazily remembers marrying asking to come find her.
This one fleeting moment of rebellion against her regimented lifestyle leaves Grace questioning everything she's ever known. All of a sudden, her degree no longer feels fulfilling, and the weight of her father's expectations and repressed anxieties come crushing onto Grace's shoulders. So, she does the only thing she could think of to escape the burnout-- she tracks down her elusive wife and flees her home in Portland to visit her in New York City. When Grace finally properly meets her wife, Yuki, she's thrown for an even bigger loop. In New York, Grace is finally able to breathe for the first time in years, and it's all thanks to this wonderfully weird creative woman she married. But Grace soon learns all good things must come to an end, and when reality comes crashing down, it hits her like a ton of bricks. For Grace to find true fulfillment in her life, she'll need to stop running from all the pain she's hidden deep inside and decide what really matters most.
I went into this thinking it was going to be a fluffy contemporary, and while there is a romance, it's more of a subplot. This was more about Grace coming into her own and discovering what she truly wants out of life. She has spent the majority of her life doing what she thinks others expect of her and not stopping to think if that's actually what she wants. I enjoyed watching her go on this journey of self-discovery, and while at times, it was difficult for her to face her fears, she eventually sets herself onto the path of closure she needs. It was so satisfying and very relatable. Going back to the romance between her and Yuki, while it did play a smaller part than I originally thought, it doesn't mean it wasn't impactful in its own right. The pair were adorable together and brought out one another's vulnerabilities. Another highlight was the friendships. Both Grace and Yuki have an amazing support system and I loved every second their friends were on the page. They also added such levity to this which helped it not feel so dark. There were only small details about this that I had issues with. Namely the pacing, which felt uneven between the first half and second, and the writing, which at times just felt a bit clunky. Other than that, I thought this was enjoyable.
Honey Girl is a delightful, smart, funny, brave, emotionally tender book. Rogers is a great, talented writer with a wonderful sense of both sentences and pacing. Honey Girl tackles some huge, big-picture issues---oppression in academia, racism, familial pressures, the job market for millennials--while still keeping the focus on our main characters and their unique, dark comedy sort of long-distance love. The book is wonderful for its work about queer women (the main characters) but also includes a medley of queer friends, which is not seen nearly enough in literature. Queer/chosen family is so special in this book, and was done really well and meaningfully. I can't recommend this book enough, and relatedly, think it would work wonderfully for a movie/TV adaptation. Whatever else Rogers writes, I'm definitely buying.
This was not an easy read, but it’s one I’m going to be recommending all through 2021. For one thing, Honey Girl is gloriously written and every single character is their own universe you want to dive into. The relationships between family members, friends, and otherwise are so honest and telling of the variety of human experience. As we follow Grace’s physical journey across the USA and mental journey as she settles into life post-graduation, her struggles ring true the more she delves into them. I appreciate the way that the institutional racism she’s endured in her professional life doesn’t just go away after just a side mention, but it is a trauma she finds herself working through. This is a beautifully written novel about risk, the connections we make with other people, and being lost in this huge universe.
I want to start this off by saying that I was not in the right mood for this book. Based off the synopsis, I was expecting something light and funny. I was expecting a romance, and that is not what I got. If I go back and reread this, I can definitely see myself enjoying it more, but now was not the right time for this.
Unlike some other reviewers, I actually enjoyed the first half of this much more than the last half. I loved meeting Grace's friends, and Yuki was a super interesting character. The second half, and especially the last quarter just felt clunky to me. The story began focusing on Grace's mental health and her family relationships, which were not what I was in the mood for.
I also really struggled to connect to Grace. This might have been because of the way this was told. It wasn't first person, but we were told what she was thinking, and it was just a little strange. I do feel like her conflicts were super important to the world right now, and she was an inspiring character though.
I think the real strength in this story is the side characters. So many strong friendships were represented, and they were all so diverse. I loved when we actually got to see them interact with each other, which is why I liked the first half of the book so much.
Overall, this wasn't the right book for me personally, but I can see why other people like it! This is an amazing debut, and Rogers has serious potential as an author!
Thanks to Netgalley and Morgan Rogers for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review
When I saw the 'woke up married to a stranger in Vegas' plot I thought this was going to be a tropetastic cheesy romance, but it turned out to be far more thoughtful than that - more focused on protagonist Grace's post-PhD lostness, the systemic oppressions she faces as a black lesbian trying to have a career in the sciences, and the immense pressure and perfectionism that's chipping away at her mental health after a lifetime of her military father's harsh expectations. Plus a burgeoning romance with her unexpected wife. A lovely read about a woman putting herself back together after years of pushing hard which I think lots of people will relate to, with some dreamy romantic writing too.
I was elated to get an e-ARC of this from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review! I think the universe knew I needed a book like this right now (or at least I knew I did). This is a coming of age novel that isn't about high school years and the MC isn't an adolescent; which it refreshing and makes it all the more believable as an actual coming-of-age to me.
This was not at all what I expected it to be, but it was really nice. For some reason I expected it to be more comedic, but it's actually terribly heartbreaking and beautiful. Morgan Rogers takes the drunk-married-in-vegas trope and turns it into something wonderful and touching, instead of corny or funny.
The representation in this book is fantastic. Our protagonist Grace is a Black, biracial, lesbian protagonist and her love interest, Yuki, is a Japanese lesbian. Grace's best friends are Black and Latina, white and mentally ill, and Indian. There are also Black, Muslim, trans and Indigenous side characters, and this is how books should be: reflecting reality. This is also one of the first books I've read that faces mental illness head-on in a way that is neither glorifying nor demonizing of it.
I think the most disappointing part of this story was the relationship between Grace and Yuki to be fully honest. I didn't like how mean and even overbearing Yuki could be at times; she acted like she knew Grace or knew better than Grace in a way that seemed like a red flag to me. I wish there had been a longer buildup of their relationship because it moved quite quickly... but then again, they got married the first night they met! It was also hard to keep track of how much time was going by at the end of the book. For this reason, I liked the first half of the book better than the second.
The relationships that Grace has with her friends and her chosen family are absolutely beautiful and was by far my favourite aspect. I wanted to cry so many times just reading about how much love she has for Xi, Agnes, Meera, Raj and Baba Vihaan. I also enjoy books where characters don't have a perfect relationship with their parents, especially the parent(s) still involved in their daily life, and this is definitely one of those.
I felt both comforted and haunted by this book; there were some parts that resonated so deeply with me, even though Grace is 28/29 and I'm only 21, that it scared me. Rogers' writing is poetic and beautiful, especially when talking about the stars and the universe and Grace's place within it all. This novel definitely had all the components and more of a great coming-of-age tale.
CW: self harm, misogynoir and systemic/academic racism, mental illness, parental neglect
Grace has just attained her PhD in a predominately white male field. Grace is neither white nor male. Grace is, however, a perfectionist and over achiever. So when life after graduation doesn't go according to the plan she has lived by, she doesn't know how to cope. She wakes up one morning, in a hotel room in Vegas, wearing a wedding ring and a t-shirt that says bride, with a photo of her and a woman whose name she doesn't remember getting married. There is also a business card that has the information for a late night radio show. Grace heads back to her life, not knowing who her know wife is or what drove her to get married in the middle of the night in Vegas to a stranger. When things get difficult, Grace tunes in to the radio show only to hear the voice of the woman she took vows with.
This was a beautifully written book, but I felt that the description made it feel more like a romance novel than it was. From my perspective it was a coming of age novel with a romance sub plot. I adored the cast of characters and their interactions. I liked seeing Grace work on her relationships with her parents, her friends, and her relationship with herself. I like how comfortable the writing was and how the plot moved without significant down time.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
What I didn't like: Some of the language had inconsistency. Certain parts were described beautifully, poetically, and read like a song. Others felt young, as if they were being written by a young adult. I believe that it may have been a purposeful decision by the author, but it left a big of a disconnect for me, as a reader.
What I liked. I was originally pulled into the story because of the premise of two women falling in love and waking up married in Vegas. What a fun plot for a story! However, this book was so much more than that. Grace is a well- developed, thoughtful, beautiful character. I feel like anyone would be able to relate to Grace and her flaws, and her search for perfection and acceptance. I think that this is an important book about mental health, acceptance, and the complexities of being a Black, LGBTQ+ woman in the STEM field who is trying to navigate both her professional and personal life. While the book covers some difficult topics, I found the book hopeful and enlightening. The theme of romance and and family (both chosen and given) were beautifully interwoven into the story. Yuki was probably my favorite character in the book (I love her podcast!), and I absolutely adored the minor characters surrounding Yuki and Grace. I hope this author writes a novel from the perspective of one of Yuki or Grace's friend groups!