Book Review: Honeysuckle and Bone by Trisha Tobias

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I recently had the pleasure of reading Honeysuckle and Bone by Trisha Tobias, and it was quite the enjoyable journey! Set against the stunning backdrop of Jamaica, the novel follows Carina Marshall, a teen trying to escape her troubled past. She takes a job as a nanny for the affluent Hall family at their opulent estate, Blackbead House. At first glance, it seems like the perfect opportunity for a fresh start—who wouldn’t want to swap their problems for mango trees and ocean views? However, things quickly take a turn for the eerie when Carina realizes that paradise may have its own set of haunting secrets.

From the get-go, I was drawn into Carina’s world. She’s a complex character, grappling with not just her dark past but also the tensions within the Hall family. The side characters are well-developed, making it easy to become invested in their lives. Plus, there’s a hint of romance with Aaron, a charming local who adds to the intrigue. The pacing of the story was spot on; I found myself eagerly turning pages to unravel the mystery behind the unsettling occurrences at Blackbead House.

One of my favorite aspects of Honeysuckle and Bone is its atmospheric setting. The author does an excellent job of capturing the allure and mystique of Jamaica while weaving in elements of suspense. There were moments when I felt as if I could almost hear the whispers of the past echoing through the halls of Blackbead House. The writing is both vivid and engaging, drawing you deeper into Carina's experiences.

I must also mention the cover—just stunning! It perfectly encapsulates the enchanting yet haunting vibe of the story. Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely. It’s well-written and keeps you guessing until the very end. If you’re a fan of atmospheric young adult novels with a mix of mystery and supernatural elements, I highly recommend picking up Honeysuckle and Bone. It’s a captivating read that showcases how new beginnings can come with their own set of challenges, especially when shadows from the past linger close behind.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

This book was reviewed prior to me being on a YALSA committee. I am taking down my opinions so there is no conflict of interest.

2

Setting: Jamaice
Rep: Black author & protagonist

This unfortunately has been miscategorized. It's not horror at all. More like a juvenile paranormal mystery. It's a lot more YA than I thought, and by the 70% mark I found my interest waning as I didn't care about any of the characters and was eager to be done with it.

Actual Rating 1.5

What I enjoyed most about this one was the setting. I loved Jamaica as a setting, and the author did a decent job including details that helped to bring the setting to life. The work also started off quite strongly. But the rest of the book was just somewhat mediocre.

The characters were okay. Carina was a complex protagonist but very difficult to relate to or sympathize with, which made being in her head constantly going over the same worries get tiresome. The plot was okay, but very slow and predictable (granted, it was impossible to guess all the details but easy to guess the broad strokes). And the plot also majorly relied on so many suspensions of disbelief that you really just needed to turn off your brain (why would a family that's so rich/powerful and worried about infiltration not look at a photo of their nanny-to-be beforehand?). The mystery is intertwined with the Halls, but they barely have any page time, and when they do they're just like cardboard, which did away with any real tension or realistic feelings.

If you're looking for a YA paranormal mystery then you may enjoy this one (I definitely wouldn't have classified it as horror, though). My thanks to NetGalley and Zando for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was very slow, and i found myself wanting to skip chunks of it to get to more exciting scenes. While i enjoyed the relationships Carina developed with the other staff and the emphasis on love and finding yourself, i found the overall story to be pretty repetitive and honestly a little silly. I have a lot of suspension of disbelief, but some things in this book were just way too "coincidental".

***3.5 stars rounded to 4***

Ok first things first- THIS COVER!! So beautiful I’m obsessed with it 🤩

Now onto the review…
For being a debut author, Trisha Tobias really knows how to hook an audience and keep them coming back for more. This was a paranormal mystery written with roots in Jamaican culture and lore. I was expecting more “horror” scenes but I thoroughly enjoyed the mysterious writing. I love when I don’t predict an ending- and I definitely did not see this concluding the way it did.

I do think parts of the story felt…improbable (i.e., Carina being the long lost daughter of Ian Hall?? How did that even happen?? Out of all the families on the island she could have worked for?? Yeah right LOL)

The writing was enjoyable, albeit repetitive. I did read a lot of “sucked their teeth” and “kissed their teeth.” I’m not sure why authors default to those actions when writing a story because i’m not even sure I would know what that looks like in real life ??? It got to the point where I was getting irritated with the frequency of the saying.

Overall I had fun with this book. If you’re looking for a quick, kinda spooky, & mysterious read- I suggest giving this book a try.

💥💥💥 Book Review 💥💥💥

Honeysuckle & Bone
By Trisha Tobias
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

Honeysuckle & Bone is a young adult paranormal mystery novel based in Jamaica. This book is filled with gothic political intrigue and mystery though a little on the slow side and a tad repetitive with Carina’s dialogue. Carina is filled with teenage angst and it shows by the messiness of relationships gone wrong in more than one way.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

I went into this book not quite knowing what to expect. From the beginning I was taken aback. Full disclosure, I hate overly descriptive books, and I thought that's what I had in store. This book sucks you into the world very early on. The pacing of the mystery is slower, but you feel like you're in the book. I felt like I could see the patties and see the rooms among other things. As we start to peel back the layers of the character, you get even more invested because even though we know early on the main character is unreliable, we assume one thing and we are never right. I say we but I'm speaking for me. This book is excellent, and I was particularly moved by the discussion of shame.

Included in BookTrib Chill Quill monthly round-up: https://booktrib.com/2025/01/29/the-chill-quill-witches-hauntings-and-dark-thrills/

🍯HONEYSUCKLE AND BONE🦴 by @misstrishatobias is a YA mystery steeped in Jamaican lore! Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publishers, @zandoprojects and @dreamscape_media for the e and audio-ARCs.

🌴🌴🌴

An 18 year old just out of H.S. is heading to Jamaica to be an au pair for the summer for the prestigious and politically connected Hall family. The only problem is that she is not who the papers that got her the job says she is.

🌴🌴🌴

This was definitely a solidly YA read. I have some mixed feelings about it but mostly enjoyed it. I really liked the gothic atmosphere, landscape descriptions, duppy lore and the mystery. However, I just could not stand the main character! I think that was partly intentional - she is a young, anxiety-ridden person just trying to survive and keep her secrets up. But she certainly struggles to tell the truth and has an uncanny ability to rationalize or excuse her bad decisions. She survives on half-truths and easily conjured lies. She also struggles to mind her business, but that is pretty true of most citizen sleuths so I will give her that one! All in all I found her character pretty selfish so it was hard to enjoy following her story.

I did however love the gothic Jamaican folklore vibes so I would give this one a 3 star.

I wanted to like this book so much but in the end I just didn’t. It felt unfinished. For me, the writing lacked descriptors, place setting, and character motivations.

A gorgeous gothic novel that grips you from the first page and refuses to let you go. Tobias has a gift for writing flawed characters who are so deeply human that you can't help but root for them. I loved this book.

The imagery in this book was breathtaking. I was on the edge of my seat while reading, but also mentally somewhere in the Caribbean sucking down a rum punch while the cool salty breeze blew in off the ocean. 10/10 would recommend.

This is less of a horror story and more of a story about ghosts and the past haunting you. In Honeysuckle and Bone we follow Carina, who has come to Jamaica with some secrets. She's swapped places with her friend Joy, as an au pair to the wealthy Hall family. The Hall family are connected to Jamaican politics and have some secrets of their own. Their sweeping estate Blackbead House holds secrets and when Carina starts to feel a strange presence she believes a duppy is haunting the household.

The author does a great job mixing in Jamaican culture and the image people have in their mind of Jamaican even those of the diaspora compared to the reality of living in the country. Carina knows that this country is her mother's homeland and she feels Jamaican but at the same time there's a disconnect because it's her first time stepping foot in the country. She doesn't have the accent or the vernacular down. Some of their little superstitions go over her head.

I didn't find it believable a wealthy American girl would au pair for a wealthy Jamaican family, glorified vacation or not. But I could move past that gripe as the story started piecing together. It took some time for Carina's secrets to be revealed and I would've liked them to be woven more through rather than dumped in succession in the last 25%.

The voices actually felt youthful and fresh as did the situations here and with so much YA right now built off nostalgia that was a nice thing. The mystery was slowburn but the cast of characters is entertaining enough to keep reader's attention.

This bone-chilling read kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

- Though categorized as YA horror, this story gives you a bit of everything: horror, suspense, thrill, paranormal, comedy, and mess/scandal.

- I loved the friend group in this. Ora was my favorite, as she truly carried the comedy and had me laughing out loud. The character banter and Carina's internal dialogue were some of my favorite things to read in this story.

- I was raising my eyebrows only a few pages in, and the suspense just continued to build. When I say I want to be on the edge of my seat, this book is what I mean.

- Although the slow burn of reaching the twist was VERY agonizing, it stressed me out in the best way. The wait was defintiely worth it because I didn't see it coming AT ALL. I had many theories while reading and had to go back and tweak them as more information was revealed. However, the ending was nowhere close to being part of ANY of them.

- I felt like I was watching a TV show while reading. This book would be great as a TV series.

- As far as the audiobook experience, at first, I wasn't feeling the narrator all that much however, they grew on me. I liked that they used a Jamaican accent for the characters, as it enhanced the story's setting.

- After reaching the end, my opinion that Carina was not a good person didn't change. I understood that fate played a significant role. However, I still feel she could've made so many better decisions. Joy deserved better, and I will die on that hill. While I'm glad Carina got some closure, I also think she had a lot of internal issues she needed to deal with.

Overall:
I really enjoyed this book! I can't wait to read more from this author.

This was such a mysterious, emotional, yet fun read.
Carina's character was definitely the angsty teen trope but once you find out everything that she's really been through, it's understandable. I loved the big reveals, the background duppy storyline, and the budding young love.
I highly recommend this read.

Honeysuckle and Bone is a thrilling debut YA gothic horror offering from Trisha Tobias. Set in the exotic backdrop of Jamaica, it delivers a tale of gothic folklore, familial intrigue, and cultural references.

Publisher’s Synopsis: “Carina Marshall is looking to reinvent herself, and what better place to do it than Jamaica, her mother’s alluring homeland where she conveniently has access to an au pair gig for the wealthy and powerful Hall family. After months of being the target of vicious rumors and hate online, Carina might have found everything she wants at the luxurious Blackbead House: a world of mango trees, tropical breezes, and glamorous parties―and a place to disappear.”

Mini Review: Carina is running from secrets and tragedy in her past, and her idea is to use her mother’s homeland for a new start. The problem is that secrets rarely stay buried. Although she creates community with her new job, something isn’t quite right about this estate in paradise. Working for the Hall family, Carina will have to confront more than just the ghosts from her past. She will have to contend with the duppy ghosts at Blackbead House as well.

I loved the Afro-Caribbean context of this novel, and the exploration of folklore with a hint of thriller. If you’re looking for a novel that has culture, family lineage, high society glamour and secrets, then you might enjoy this book.

Original review posted on Goodreads 1/31/25:

I really struggled with the pacing of this story; 40% of the way through nothing major had really happened, and what had transpired wasn't really anything to write home about. I know with a paranormal mystery you don't want to reveal everything RIGHT away, but the tension wasn't ramping up; it was a lot of little samey-samey "oh no, bull imagery is threatening her! Wait, it's gone." moments interspersed with the monotony of Carina's nanny job and her giving herself pep talks about keeping it together.

I skimmed for the next almost-40% of the book until we finally got to the flashback/backstory about what happened between Carina and Joy, and then all the other secrets tumbled out after it in rapid-fire fashion. But when I look back on what was revealed in that last 20% of the book, almost NONE of that connected to the first 40%. If your story's secrets have a lot to do with this family in particular, why are they barely present in half of the book? Carina had one back-and-forth conversation on-page with Mrs. Hall on her first day, and the only time she really interacted with Mr. Hall was her welcome dinner, which was mostly recapped for us after the fact. And perhaps I missed the reasoning in my skimming, but it was incredibly convenient that Joy happened to get this nanny job with the ONE family in Jamaica that Carina had a connection to.

I was interested to see Jamaica as the setting, but aside from brief flashes here and there, there wasn't much local "flavor" that made me feel like we were there, aside from the characters' patois dialogue, descriptions of the tropical flowers in the garden, and mentions of the duppy haunting Carina. Carina herself comments multiple times about how she's been spending so much time at this very white-washed, sanitized house that she hasn't gotten to experience the REAL Jamaica, and like, girl: same!

Ultimately, this really felt like a debut novel, and one that could have used more retooling. An editor to get in there and point out the pacing issues and cut the fat off the tedious parts to get to the meat of WHY am I reading YOUR specific ghost story? What's grabbing me in your words and stopping me from putting this down? Unfortunately...not much.

18-year-old Carina who has a shadowy past, finds herself in the enigmatic Blackbead House. Tasked with caring for the Hall family's children, Carina quickly discovers that this luxurious façade hides dark secrets. Trisha Tobias crafts a suspenseful narrative woven with Jamaican culture and folklore, creating an atmospheric read that keeps you on edge. Carina’s flawed yet relatable character development, alongside the engaging dynamics with Ora, Simone, and Josh, injects humor and warmth into the story.

This book surprised me. I was turning pages so fast ready to read what happened next. After reading this book I’m definitely ready to read more from the author.

Honeysuckle and Bone follows a young woman heading to be an au pair for a wealthy family in Jamaica. Carina isn't who she says she is and is running from something in her past. She is pretending to be her friend and just wants to do her job and get paid.

I struggled to relate to Carina because you don't have much in the way of character background until almost the end of the book. She came off as very fake, which makes sense in the end but was a struggle for me.

I didn't realize it was considered young adult, which is fine, but maybe that is why some of the deeper story was missing? This is a debut novel for the author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Trisha Tobias, and Zando/Sweet July Books for the opportunity to read it. I have written this review voluntarily and honestly.