Heat Factor: Not quite fade to black, but the sex writing is more focused on the emotions than the mechanics
Character Chemistry: Veering into insta-love territory; maybe it’s fate
Plot: Grace has an identity crisis
Overall: Messy and beautiful

For the record, I really enjoyed a lot about this book. But I think marketing it as a romance does everyone a grave disservice. If you’re looking for a sapphic Vegas-wedding-gone-right book, this *technically* fits the bill, but the romance plot does not ground the story. Sure, Grace’s out-of-character wedding is the precipitate factor that pushes her out of her safe (toxic) world of structure and routine, but her path to healing only partly involves Yuki. Yuki herself remains a cipher. I was never quite sure why Grace decided to stay married to Yuki - she had a gut feeling that they were happy when they were drunk and decided to get married, and though that was perhaps enough for Grace, it wasn’t enough for me. Hardcore romance fans, who want the swoon of the love story, may therefore be disappointed in this book, which is light on the romance and heavy on Grace’s journey of self-discovery.

Our story opens with a dream - a drunken haze of champagne pink and roses, that turns out to not have been a dream at all. Rather, Grace awakens in a Vegas hotel with a hangover, a ring, and a note from her new wife, whose name she doesn’t know. Grace has just finished her PhD in astronomy and is hunting for jobs. It’s not going perfectly, like it was supposed to after her eleven years of working and striving and being better than the best, so she’s not in a good space. Her marriage, perhaps because it’s so wildly out of character, becomes something she can latch on to; in her words, it’s something that feels “good” in her life when everything else feels so out of control.

However, summarizing the book that way doesn’t really capture what’s going on here. The book is loosely divided into thirds. The first third takes place in Portland and covers Grace’s backstory with her family (her parents and her found family) as she slowly reveals her secret marriage and processes her emotions around it. The second third takes place in New York, as Grace spends the summer with Yuki, the enigmatic wife. And the final third takes place in Florida, where Grace learns to stop running and works on her relationship with her parents. More than a romance, this is a book about Grace learning to accept help - and figuring out that pushing herself until she breaks means that she has no space left to help others who love and need her. (This revelation sort of includes Yuki, but is more tightly focused on her friends.)

I suspect that many people will feel seen when reading this book. Grace is a deeply lonely person who struggles with feeling like she must be perfect to be love, to make those who love her proud. So when she feels seen - by her friends, by Yuki - it hits really hard for the reader because it hits really hard for Grace. With that said, there are some content warnings for this book, including anxiety, depression, and self-harm; if you struggle with reading extremely messy characters who are really working through some shit, please continue with caution.

Tonally, this book is interesting, because the persona Grace shares with others leans feisty - she cracks jokes and she (at least pretends) that she doesn’t put up with bullshit. But the reader is a bit removed from this. We are not entirely in Grace’s head (the book is written in third person), but we are deep enough in her thoughts that there is a distinct disconnect between the jokes and what’s going on with her internally; her sadness and loneliness and anxiety are really overpowering. Though other characters might laugh, I never did.

The language leans poetic, which worked for me in the beginning but started grating later in the book. Too many siren metaphors, perhaps? Anyways, here’s a short passage from early in the text:

What happened in Vegas is tucked away in her suitcase. It is under her shirt in the shape of a key. It is hidden in her hair with the last little bits of dried petals. It hides in the gold ring wrapped around her finger like a brand.

As you can see, we’re in third person present here. We’ve got metaphors. We’ve got allusions to earlier images in the text. The result is that the book feels really immediate - though it sometimes also feels really forced, like I was at a meeting of my college poetry club. Overall, though, the writing really worked for me, and some passages are both beautiful and really capture the essence of what’s going on with these characters.

Is this an important book? Yes. Is this a beautiful book? Yes. Is this a satisfying romance? Well, the jury’s out on that one.


I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Honey Girl was a sweet and emotional love story that focuses as much on loving another person as it does on loving yourself. Although Grace is twenty-eight, I often envisioned her and her friends as much younger.

The book put a lot of focus on black women in academia and how hard it is to be accepted as an equal and the difficulty of getting your foot in the door. This was an especially tough struggle especially in the field of astronomy. Grace was a complex character; she came from divorced mix-raced parents, a militaristic father with obscene expectations and was drunkenly married in Vegas to a woman she met just hours before.

As Grace and her friends figure out who the woman is, the personalities of the supporting characters are unleashed. Rogers created an interesting support posse around Grace and uses poetic license in both Grace and her wife, Yuki’s, voice. As much as this story touched me, I definitely felt it read like a YA book rather than an adult novel. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy YA, I just wasn’t expecting it. Everything from mental illness, sexual identity, parental control, choices we make, family and love were explored.

Honey Girl is a great debut by Morgan Rogers. I featured the book as Book of the Day across all of my Black Fiction Addiction social media platforms.

The dynamic between Grace Porter and Yuki was so electrifying. The words they would use to describe each other gave me butterflies. They were adorable and getting to see how their relationship blossomed was a joy!

I enjoyed that we saw each character in this relationship being as a whole person. I say this because we got a sense of who Yuki was, not who Yuki was in relation to Grace but who she was as a character. Her character was cohesive and I loved getting to learn about her as the story goes on, her quirks, likes/dislikes, and her work was amazing! I want to listen to some monster podcasts.

Grace’s journey was one that I identify with and her development was exquisite. We start the novel with a character who has just graduated and according to her has everything figured out. As it progresses however we see the reality of Porter and how the choices and the circumstances she has been in have taken a toll on her. Her development is not solely based on Yuki, it includes many factors like relationships with biological family, her found family, and friends.

Overall, Honey Girl was a pleasant surprise. The romance was amazing and made my heart full. Even though I loved the romance I was drawn to Grace’s journey and relationships. Another aspect of the novel that I enjoyed was how modern it felt, sometimes contemporary stories don’t feel like they are set in the present they feel a bit like they are set in the earlier 2000s. Honey Girl was an amazing debut with swoon worthy romance and beautiful character relationships.

Absolutely loved this book. Definitely not just a typical "romance", which is sort of what I was expecting. Instead it has does have the cute WLM love story, but also so much more. Our main character Grace has just graduated with her PhD in astronomy and suddenly faces the real world after burying herself in her studious responsibilities for years. We see how she deals with the complications that come along with her real family, as well as the love and support she receives from the members of her "found family". (SO many interesting and fleshed out side characters in this one) Essentially a realistic modern coming of age novel with a splash of romance that reflects how real lives tend to function. One hundred percent would recommend; amazing for a first novel.

Grace Porter has been striving to be the best her entire life, to make her dad proud, to be everything she thinks she’s supposed to be. But one day, she wakes up in Las Vegas, having gotten drunk and is now married. Her new wife, who Grace barely remembers, has left to go back home across the country. As Grace struggles to find her place in the world, she tracks down her wife and spends the summer with her in NYC, where she ultimately finds love. But now Grace must figure out what she wants and what being happy looks like.

I really loved how this book explores the reality that so many of us face—experiencing a coming-of-age in our twenties after working so hard for so long. Finding ourselves. Figuring out our lives. It also deals with mental health, the effects of perfectionism, and accepting that sometimes we might need help. It depicts complex family relationships and deep friendships. 

I didn't go into this book expecting something so heavy, but it did not disappoint!

I would say that this is a great book for anyone on the precipice of their adult life and at a crossroads. It explores a lot of topics, ranging from depression to more coming of age aspects. It illustrates the feeling of being overwhelmed and unsure of where you want to go, which is often the case after finishing something as all consuming as a college degree (or in this case PhD). I really enjoyed how fleshed out Grace was, she was a wonderfully complex and real character. Some of the other characters weren't as well established as her and for me some of the relationships weren't completely believable in some aspects but these were very small nit-picking things. I really enjoyed this novel, and really appreciate that it was an #ownvoices debut novel, I definitely look forward to more from Morgan Rogers in the future.

Honey Girl was such a unique story! I loved that Grace was a queer black woman in a white-male dominated field. The way Rogers incorporates the stigma that all black women are supposed to be strong and hard working at all times really stuck with me. Mental health awareness is something that is oftentimes downplayed in many cultures and communities and I really liked how Grace opens up to the idea of therapy and addressing her issues. I also related to Grace's need of constantly being in control and working towards some type of big goal to feel successful. I think many women will find it easy to see themselves in such an amazing character as Grace. Really enjoyed this one and it gets 4 stars.

Honey Girl follows the story of Grace,a woman who has just gotten her PhD in the Astronomy field. Everything is going according to plan until a drunken Las Vegas wedding. After the wedding Grace’s world is flipped upside down and she starts a relationship with the stranger she’s married to. She decides to fly to the East Coast to meet her wife, navigate their feelings, and decide what’s the next step that she can take in her career. In Brooklyn, the two immediately feel a deep connection with each other, and Grace realizes that she needs to tackle adulthood face on.

If you know my reading tastes I love coming-of-age and self-discovery stories. Honey Girl is one of those. Its a story about falling in love and finding yourself. Grace has been working so hard to get her Astronomy degree and now she’s unsure of what to do since her whole life has been mapped out for her till this point. Her experience of burn out is relatable to its audience as it’s something that people experience at somepoint in their life. She has to take a break and ultimately figure out what she wants in life and not what someone else wants for her.

Grace is a kind and intelligent woman who is a bit unsure of herself. I really admired her tenacity of defeating the odds in her field as she discusses being of Queer and Black in the STEM. Faced at a crossroad in her life she struggles not to feel alone even though she’s surrounded by so many people that care about her. She slowly starts to realize the barriers she’s built up all these years and tries to open up to rely on others. One of my favorite parts about this book is Grace’s friends with their lively personalities and how we see them step up as a strong support system for her. The small intimate conversations with her friends, family, and Yuki (her wife) provided so many candid and tender moments thoroughout the novel.

While this novel is a mainly self-discovery story laced with romance. It’s most importantly about the message that “it’s okay not to be okay”. I reallyappreciated the open discussions and representation of mental health in the book too. This is a fantastic debut novel from Rogers! I hope to read more of her books in the future.

More books that tackle post-grad insecurity and uncertainty, please! I am so glad this book takes that on, not to mention the main character, Grace, graduating with a doctoral degree, facing racism at job interviews, and the internal push-and-pull between her true self and the version of herself she's spent years working toward in school. That was lovely.

But unfortunately, my overall reading experience with Honey Girl was frustrating. Almost every scene was a back-and-forth conversation between the main character and someone else from a too-long list of side characters about the same thing: Grace's uncertainty. Again, I'm grateful to this book for taking on a topic I've spent so long wishing I could find in a novel, but sadly it didn't go anywhere for most of the book - one emotional note that's hit over and over. And the storyline about marrying a perfect stranger in Vegas...I struggled. Even though many of the best moments of dialogue came from Yuki's friends in NYC (sadly a one-dimensional group of side characters that are impossible to track), those rare rom-com moments felt telegraphed in from a future draft of this book that we'll never get to see.

This was such an interesting story about an overachieving millennial trying to find herself and her way in the world. Grace Porter has just received her PhD in astronomy but hits a road block in trying to figure out where to go with this. Her strict father has always encouraged her to strive high in life and she has always tried to make him proud. Grace has struggled with issues regarding both her parents through the years and she has reached a breaking point. After drunkenly marrying a stranger while on a trip to Vegas Grace’s life is even more confused. Grace goes to New York in search of her new wife and to see if they can build a relationship. There were many poignant moments throughout the book where Grace digs deep to really understand herself and what she wants. As with many people graduating from university she grapples with what she wants her future to be versus expectations she feels constrained by. Overall an interesting book and even more importantly is that Grace is black and has always known she has to strive harder than a white woman to achieve her academic and career successes.

Mark my words - this is going to be the next “it” book. Funny and relatable, it brought me right back to my mid-twenties. Grace is someone you’ll root for, cry with, and want to meet in real life by the time you’re done reading.

I loved the characters in this story and was 100% here for the queer rep! It was both funny and at times moving. Seeing the way Grace struggled between her chosen degree, her parents varying expectations, and just how to start her life was poignant and so well written. Did I ugly cry? Yes I did, I saw myself and my children in Grace Porter.
This is definitely a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Go buy this book NOW!!! Thank you @harlequinbooks @parkrowbooks for digital copy of the book to review!!!!

3.5 stars. A cute, somewhat tropey novel about Dr. Grace Porter, a biracial Black lesbian living in Portland who is trying to work out what to do with her PhD in astronomy when she gets repeatedly rejected for jobs in her field. Grace ends up drunkenly getting married in Vegas to Yuki Yamamato, a radio show host who lives in New York. Chaos, cross country trips, and a whole lot of therapy ensues.

While this book was worth the read, I personally wish there would have been more relationship building between the two main characters and that Yuki Yamamato was more fully fleshed out. Though the story was enjoyable, I was still left with a lot of questions at the end of the book and was left wishing for more. The timeline in the book was also a little confusing for me to hold onto.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital copy for review purposes.

Underwhelmed by the lack of storyline and character development.

This is the story of Grace Porter, a mixed race 29 year old lesbian (Black father in the military and white, bohemian mother). She lives in Portland with her very strict father; she went against his wishes bny studying astronomy instead of medicine. She still still ends up with a PhD but she feels like she let her father down. She wasn't able to make him proud of her.

We are following this Honey girl character and her acceptance of not following the path her father set up in his mind for her. Her pursuit of purpose. She struggles with her relationships, with her choice of a professional path, with who she is. Does her mom in Florida still cares for her. Does this mystery female she marries by accident on a celebratory night in Vegas really exist? Who is she? Should she look for her and touch base? Or should she annul the marriage?

I did not connect with any single character as I felt like all remained quite stereotypical with little depth. I also wasn't able to put myself in Grace's shoes, understand her and empathize for her. Her friendships were a little "too much" for adult women, not realistic. I felt that there was too much hoopla for nothing , really. I expected so much more out of this book.

Thank you Net Galley and Wednesday Books for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

this was immaculate.

From page one I knew I was going to love this book. This book is a love story for those of us who are struggling to figure our shit out–who feel lost, and lonely, and unsure of the things in our lives we can't control. Don't go into this story expecting a light and fluffy romance because it's not that. This is a story for those of us muddling our way through our twenties during a global pandemic where nothing feels concrete. I had to put this book down several times because it left me feeling so exposed and vulnerable but in the best ways.

Welcome ! As always a disclaimer: My thoughts are my own and the ARC in no way affected my opinion.

TW: mental health, self-harm, homophobia, racism.

NOW the good stuff ! This book is about found families, love and acceptance of one's-self. When I read the blurb for this book I was automatically intrigued, it sounded just right up my alley. It is after all Queer and if that is not something I look for into books, I don't know what is. As a bisexual woman myself, I love good representation, I love when we get amazing books with a sweet queer romance that makes me feel things and this made me feel for the characters and what was happening to them. I related to our main character, the dilemmas that come with having an immigrant family (my mother's side of the family) and the struggles that come with that when being Queer.

I loved getting that funny, charming and yet deeply touching tale of two women getting drunk in Vegas and getting married without knowing one another. This book had the perfect mix of angst, funny and romance. It is about being true to yourselves and becoming who you were meant to be. While the romance is a big part of the book it is not the main focus, the true subject of this book is Grace, a brilliant black lesbian woman with a PHD in astrology who is finding herself and finally allowing herself to be happy.
The author approached the delicate subjects she touched on in such an organic way, Grace's anxiety, her struggles and her growth as a person through the book felt natural. I loved the character development and story telling were the true strengths of this novel. the author has a wonderful way with words. Do I want to re-read this book and own it as a physical copy; YES. Do I wish the author would sign a copy YES YES YES.

I loved this book, this is a new favorite and a read that will stay with me long after having finished it. I cannot wait to read the next books this author will be writing.

5/5 stars

Bookarina

After completing her PhD in astronomy, Grace Porter goes on a girl's trip to Vegas, where she drunkenly marries a woman whose name she doesn't know. Having grown up with a strict ex-military father, she doesn't know how to do anything but focus on work/school/career. Being black and queer works against her in the job market and she is left feeling lost and without direction. Visiting New York, she escapes all her worries while falling in love with her poetic and beautiful wife Yuki Yamamoto. When reality hits, she has to face her fears and worries head on.

What a beautiful read. This book shared so many unique perspectives, and did a wonderful job of portraying that strange time that most of us face once we're choosing/finished whatever form of education and have to make a career or life choice for the future. It can be intimidating and scary, and there can be a lot of external pressure and expectations. It can feel overwhelming at times.

I am in awe of Grace's community, there is so much love; from her family, her friends and her wife. She has 2 best friends and her employers are like family; they all support her above and beyond what one would expect. Yuki is so poetic and I love how she speaks about Grace.

This is supposed to be a romance but it's so much more than that. I recommend it for anyone who's looking for a read that is different than the usual.

CW: self harm

Thank you to Park Row Books & NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

>>3.5/5★<<

"I know who I am, but who are you? I woke up during the sunrise, and your hair and your skin and the freckles on your nose glowed like gold. Honey-gold. I think you are my wife, and I will call you Honey Girl."

And so begins the sapphic romance between Grace Porter and Yuki Yamamoto; two lonely souls who found each other in the desert. Grace and her two roommates and best friends, Ximena and Agnes, are on a mini vacation in Las Vegas to celebrate Grace's PhD in Astronomy. On their last night in the city Grace meets a girl with rose-pink cheeks and pitch-black hair. When she wakes up the following morning in her Las Vegas hotel room she finds a photo, a business card, and a note on the bed next to her. These are the only items she has connecting her to the woman she drunk-married the night before. She doesn't remember her name but she can't forget how the beautiful girl made her feel. With only these memento's and snippets of a champagne-bubble dream, Grace and her girlfriends get on a plane and fly back to Portland, Oregon, where Grace must once again face her stark reality. The only thing Grace knows for certain is that she doesn't want to give up her wife, whoever she is, or the connection they inexplicably have.

I'll admit that this book started out on a bit of a bumpy course for me. The story felt a little disjointed and the prose didn't seem to flow well. Dialogue didn't smoothly segue into thought. Unfortunately when I read a book that starts out this way I have a hard time deciphering whether it's the book or just me. I also felt the pacing was a little off with the first 40% of the book following Grace and her friends from day to day and then in the second half there were quite a few time jumps. This was necessary for the progression of the story but the book would have benefitted from a more consistent timeline. All in all these are pretty minor infractions. Where the book really shines is in the characters and their growth throughout the story.

Grace's mother lives in Southbury, Florida where Grace grew up among the trees in their orange grove. Grace's father, the Colonel, took Grace and moved to Portland when she was quite young. Growing up in an unfamiliar city with only her father and lovely stepmother, Sharone, Grace slowly built her own family- an eclectic group of colorful humans that love and support one another above all else. Her two roommates, Agnes, the girl with claws and sharp teeth, and Ximena, the Spanish goddess who is the glue that holds them together, lean on one another and pick each other up when they need it.

Grace works at the Tea House owned by the lovely Indian family that has adopted Grace as their own. Meera is the calm and supportive sister-figure, while Raj plays the role of big brother and protector. Baba Vihaan, their father, lovingly embraces Grace as if she is his own. Later, we meet Yuki, the gorgeous Japanese storyteller that Grace married in the desert along with her 3 roommates. Sani, the Native American MMA fighter, Dhorian, the dark-skinned resident doctor, and Fletcher, the silly and loving school teacher.

The diversity in both ethnicity and sexuality make this a decadent and vibrant story. Different cultures and beliefs are touched upon throughout the book in subtle ways. Biracialism is front and center; Grace is half black and half white. The struggles she faces in both her life and her career are heartbreaking and appalling. Intersectionality also plays a big role in this book. The Colonel is both black and disabled; he lost a portion of his leg in the war. Grace is not only biracial but suffers with mental illness as well. And she isn't the only one. Agnes is thriving with Ximena and Grace but she's still battling with her illnesses.

"I am here, says the darkness inside Grace. I am listening."


Both Grace and Raj are buckling under the weight of their father's expectations but in very different ways. While the Colonel is extremely strict and refuses to give an inch, Baba Vihaan is loving and warm but their culture demands the eldest son take over the family business when the patriarch dies whether Raj wants that life or not.

When Grace decides to take some time for herself after eleven grueling years of non-stop education and job rejections that are based on her race and sexuality rather than her above board and absolutely stellar resume, she does so against the wishes of her very strict father. For the first time in her life she is making a decision for herself rather than someone else. Little does she know that flying to NYC and getting to know her wife will become the catalyst she needs to finally face her fears, confront the people that have hurt her, and begin the arduous task of freeing herself from many self-inflicted burdens.

Grace is a brilliant astronomer, vastly knowledgable, and has the degrees and doctorate to prove it but when it comes to knowing her inner-self, the things she needs to make her happy, she is woefully inept. Following along on her journey of self-discovery is both heartbreaking and inspiring; I have a feeling her story will resonate with many people of color, especially women. These beautiful humans can read this story and feel seen. Whether the reader is black, biracial, Indian, Spanish, Japanese, Native American, disabled, Buddhist, lesbian, bi, gay, or straight- this story is a love letter to you. That being said I highly recommend reading an own-voices review; a review from someone who has shared the experiences of our main character. I suggest the following reviews for your perusal: Mina Reads & Ahtiya (BookinitWithAhtiya).

If you're someone who loves diversity, strong female leads, found-family, or self-discovery in your stories than look no further. Morgan Rogers did a phenomenal job representing so many marginalized people. This is a novel that I read with google open on my phone to search all the new things I discovered while reading, whether it was about culture, food, or ethnicity. This is an absolute feast of a book!

This book is on tour! Honey Girl will be featured on my blog on 2/25/21.
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The quotes used in this review were taken from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change upon publication.

This book was PHENOMENAL! Morgan Rogers is a wonderful, fresh new voice in romance. The book is captivating and I couldn't put it down or stop thinking about it!