{Thank you to Harlequin for my gifted copy}
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Book Summary:
When becoming an adult means learning to love yourself first.
With her newly completed Ph.D. in astronomy in hand, twenty-eight-year-old Grace Porter goes on a girls’ trip to Vegas to celebrate. She’s a straight-A, work-through-the-summer certified high achiever. She is not the kind of person who goes to Vegas and gets drunkenly married to a woman whose name she doesn’t know…until she does exactly that.
This one moment of departure from her stern ex-military father’s plans for her life has Grace wondering why she doesn’t feel more fulfilled from completing her degree. Staggering under the weight of her parent’s expectations, a struggling job market, and feelings of burnout, Grace flees her home in Portland for a summer in New York with the wife she barely knows.
In New York, she’s able to ignore all the constant questions about her future plans and falls hard for her creative and beautiful wife, Yuki Yamamoto. But when reality comes crashing in, Grace must face what she’s been running from all along—the fears that make us human, the family scars that need to heal, and the longing for connection, especially when navigating the messiness of adulthood.
Publication Date:
February 23rd, 2021
Genre:
LGBT/Coming of Age Fiction
Purchase Your Copy:
Amazon Link | LibroFM Bookstore Link
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My Review:
Honey Girl is the debut novel by author Morgan Rogers and first came on my radar when saw it was a February Book of The Month choice.
It was intitally categorized in the romance genre (I believe it has since been updated!) which I think might have confused some readers because it is really is much more of contemporary fiction and coming of age story. As a reader who much prefers those types of novels, this was a delightful discovery, but could have also lead some readers to be a bit disappointed. While there is certainly romance in this book, I would classify it much more about self-discovery and the journey to loving oneself.
We meet Grace, a Black and queer woman, who has worked tirelessly to obtain her PhD. in astronomy, only to still feel like she is floundering under both family and societal expectations. Most of us can relate to the feeling of trying so hard to keep up that we ultimately crash and burn and Roger’s authentic and nuanced writing made me feel like I was along for this ride.
We follow along with Grace as she upends her life both literally and figuratively on the path to self-discovery and healing. Honey Girl has the perfect balance of being insightful and also incredibly cathartic. The impactful messages woven within this storyline highlighted the beauty of slowing down, opening up, and the power of connection. The reminder that no one has it figured out and that many of us have felt lost and lonely too. 
The realistic depiction of mental health was such a powerful part of this book and I loved how Rogers just had it as another part of this multifaceted storyline. From the heaviness Grace felt to the struggle to find the right fit in therapy, it all just felt so spot on and real. Grace’s friends and her relationship with Yuki were such unique and endearing parts of this novel and I loved the messages of a chosen family and that it is always okay to ask for help. I highly recommend this book and really look forward to reading whatever Morgan Rogers writes next.
Thank you to Harlequin Park Row for my gifted copy.
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