What an amazing book! I will rave and rave about this fascinating insight to Indian culture told from a highly original perspective of an Indian reporter who emigrated to America as a child, we see a dual perspective and it's gripping!

Wow, wow, wow. For me this book was one emotional ride. It caught me up and whirled me around all the way through and dropped me off at the end with tears in my eyes, my heart racing and me letting out one big sigh.

This was not an 'easy' read due to the subject matter, which was horrifying. Meena's plight was harrowing and incomprehensible. Smita's back story, which was hinted at throughout the book was also harrowing. However, despite everything, the end of the book also filled you with hope for the future.

I would highly recommend this book.

Wow ! This book is a work of art.
The writing is fluid and completely captivating. It was so easy to devour this book in just a couple of days ! I would highly recommend

Such a difficult read in terms of tropes and heavy topics it dealt with. I suggested you look up trigger warnings before starting this one up as I cried hard multiple times. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this copy!

Ahhh I had such high hopes for this! It started off with so much promise, interesting, intriguing and a really important subject….but it just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t like any of the characters, I didn’t believe or really understand any of their relationships, I didn’t feel immersed in India and the decent of the storyline into a cheesy chick-lit romance just ruined it for me.

I enjoyed this book and the way it intertwined the stories of the characters despite their outward differences. Thanks for letting me review this book.

One of the most heart wrenching books I’ve ever read. Taking you into the heart of Mumbai, we follow Smita as she reluctantly returns to India after years in America where she now calls home. She ends up in charge of writing a piece about a Hindu woman + her Muslim husband who were burned alive by the woman’s brothers. Unfortunately, only the woman survived and she’s not charged her brothers for the murder.

Smita comes face to face with dark secrets she’s kept buried away, and to a country she turned her back on because it turned her back on her. She interviews all that was involved, all the way up the verdict.

This is such a powerful story that needs to be heard. There’s a happy ending but not in the way you think. Absolutely heartbreaking.

All I’m going to say is have the tissues ready and steal yourself because this book is a rollercoaster. It makes you think and question all that you know the characters that integrate themselves deep into your heart and soul.

This book was definitely hard to read at times, but it was so very worth it.

I haven't read many books set in India, perhaps this is my first one! A huge eye-opener into the lives of women in India and their culture. Such an important story for all to read.

Really great read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Synopsis:
Indian American journalist Smita has returned to India to cover a story, but reluctantly: long ago she and her family left the country with no intention of ever coming back. As she follows the case of Meena – a Hindu woman attacked by members of her own village and her own family for marrying a Muslim man – Smita comes face to face with a society where tradition carries more weight than one’s own heart, and a story that threatens to unearth the painful secrets of Smita’s own past. While Meena’s fate hangs in the balance, Smita tries in every way she can to right the scales. She also finds herself increasingly drawn to Mohan, an Indian man she meets while on assignment. But the dual love stories of Honor are as different as the cultures of Meena and Smita themselves: Smita realizes she has the freedom to enter into a casual affair, knowing she can decide later how much it means to her.

Wow! This important, powerful story will stay with me forever. I raced through it needing to know the ending then felt bereft when it was over. It broke my heart and mended it again. I loved the writing and how well developed the characters were. The plot was well executed and thought out.

This was a great read - super easy and flowed so nicely. I raced through it which is always a good sign!

4.5 stars

I was attracted to this book initially because it was a Reese’s book club pick. Once I read the synopsis, however, I was hooked.

An Indian American journalist, Smita, had to return to her childhood hometown to cover a story. Meena, the story headline, was a Hindu woman who got assaulted and left for death by her own brothers for marrying a Muslim; a husband who was murdered by the same brothers. Having struggled with her own identity and sense of belonging for a long time, Smita was forced to look at the culture that she left behind closely; that tradition could carry more weight than one’s heart. What was the price of honour?

What a heartbreaking story! Even more so because it’s still happening in some parts of the world in this day and age, even though we might not hear or read about it as often.

Smita’s struggles to reconcile her two worlds were relatable to me. I loved how the story drew parallels between Smita’s and Meena’s lives, even though on the surface they looked totally different. I appreciated the contrasts between Meena who was helplessly stuck in her situation vs. Smita who managed to ‘escape’ her predicament. And I loved the underlying message that the difference between the two could be as ‘simple’ as the price of honour.

This was a book that would stay with me for a very long time.

I was compelled to get my hands on this book after reading the blurb and I'm so so glad that I did.

I don't even know how to begin to review a book that was so raw and thought provoking that its richness was literally spewing out of every sentence in the book. 'Honor' was an incredible read from the get-go. It's been a long while since I've read a book that really takes out all the wind inside of you, making space for itself because I know for sure that I'll never forget this book. It was tough reading about Meena's life and also how hopeless her situation was. I think the awareness that this book brings on the cultural disparities in India is so important. But also there was real beauty to it of love and humanity right until the end.

Overall, 'Honor' was a powerful and insightful read. I found myself thoroughly invested in this book.

So beautifully written, with such a powerful story within its pages.

Once you start reading there's no stopping. The story is immersive, and I was so invested in it, the characters, the culture, their beliefs, and the true meaning of 'honor'.

The characters are intense, credible and well developed.

It's harrowing when you think that although this is a work of fiction, the events portrayed are still happening.

It's incredibly moving, heartbreaking and I defy you not to shed a tear ot two whilst turning the pages.

A highly recommendable read.

Many thanks to Random Things Tours for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

5 ⭐️
A harrowing and immersive dual Hindu- Muslim love story that takes place in a culture where love is impacted by race , gender and religious tensions.

The story begins with journalist Smita who arrives in India to be with her fellow worker who has taken ill. This was a return visit , one she never intended making . Her colleague asks her to take over a story she was working on before her hospital stay . A young lady called Meena has survived a horrific ordeal and wishes to bring the perpetrators to justice . Her two brothers set fire and killed her beloved husband leaving her physically and mentally scared forever . Her reputation trodden by a male dominated and religious extremist culture where woman are treated with abhorrent abuse. Love can only exist within the confines of their religion .

Thought provoking and heartbreaking .It’s hard to imagine that women have to endure this treatment .
It’s a beautifully written tale that reminds us that these atrocious acts still take place today .These stories need to be told and this story will stay with me .

TW for scenes of violence and child abuse .

Thanks to NetGalley for an Arc .
#honor#netgalley

“As children, we were taught to be afraid of tigers and lions. Nobody taught us what I know today - the most dangerous animal in this world is a man with wounded pride.”

✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮

This is such an important and powerful work of literary fiction. I first saw it advertised when Reese Witherspoon chose it for her book club pick, but it wasn’t available in the UK at that point, so when Random Things were running the tour, I jumped at the chance to read it.

This novel is deeply moving, and truly is an unforgettable book. It’s more than just a book of love across a cultural divide, but also a hugely moving book of tragedy, familial and cultural traditions, courage and sacrifice.

I think personally it is easy to forget that things, like what happened within this novel, do still happen today around the globe. Novels like Honor are great at spreading a powerful message, and enlightening those more fortunate through the power of literature.

This book took me on such an emotional rollercoaster, but I have never been so emotionally moved to tears to the likes of this. I recommend highly.

I was so drawn in by this story. Powerful, compelling and curry. It was a privilege to read and I will highly recommend to everyone

Heartbreaking. Poignant. Shocking. Sad. Important. Profound. Insightful. This is another standout of 2022 for me. Honor drew me in from the very start and, by the end, had me tearing up from both joy and heartache.

I'm not overly sure what to even say about this book if I'm completely honest. I finished reading it last week and it's still very much with me. The story is no doubt based in truth that can be found more often that it ought to be. Reading this, I felt so much anger and outrage. The way women are talked about, viewed, treated. The way that religion holds such a power that it causes pure hatred, leads to senseless violence, to depraved actions. It was so upsetting. Yet, this is all at the centre of Honor. We meet some amazing characters in this story. Smita, Mohan and, of course, Meena and Abru. Characters that deserve a lot more than the hand they're dealt. The love and compassion felt amongst this group is an amazing thing to read about, leaving the reader with a feeling of hope.

This story, however harrowing, is so beautifully written. It honestly had my whole heart throughout. As everything unfolds, it will make you ugly cry. A must read from start to finish.

* Please research any trigger warnings before reading *

A beautifully written story about the taboo subject of honor killings and the belief behind it.
The story is set in India. A mixed religion couple are faced with anger from their community; two brothers take it upon themselves to right and wrong in their eyes.
Friendships and hidden secrets come to the forefront of this book. A hard subject to tackle, but I believe it was written with delicacy it was required.