Honey Girl by Morgan RogersMy rating: 4.5+ of 5 stars
For most of her life, Grace Porter has done everything right. She's followed her father's (aka the Colonel) orders, living life according to the rigid "Porter way." Now she's twenty-eight, with a newly acquired PhD in astronomy. On a girl's trip to Vegas, Grace strays from her workaholic, straitlaced ways, gets drunk and marries a girl she's just met. Upon returning home, Grace feels burned out and less fulfilled about finally attaining her degree than expected. So she leaves home (and her father's expectations) to spend time in New York with a wife she doesn't remember and certainly doesn't know. In New York with Yuki, Grace feels something real for her new wife. But acknowledging her feelings for Yuki will also mean confronting what made her flee home in the first place.
"I got married last night, Grace thinks. To a girl with rosebuds on her cheeks. To a girl whose name I don't even know. I should be screaming."
I loved this book so much I could cry. (I did cry.) Oh Grace, my sweet, emotional girl, and oh this book. This beautiful book. Do not go into HONEY GIRL thinking it is a gimmicky read because of the Vegas marriage premise. It's a real, heart-wrenching book that will rip and tear at your soul. But don't worry, this is a good thing. Because this is a ridiculously romantic and adorable story, as well as a nuanced coming-of-age/finding yourself (hey, it can happen at twenty-eight) story.
"Have you ever gone to bed thinking of someone you only knew for a night? Have you ever stared up at the sky and wondered where it was you saw yourself, all those years ago? Which star it was you followed here?"
Rogers writes with a lyrical beauty. She gives us Grace and Yuki, two sweet, lovely, flawed, real characters whom I adored. As for Grace, I wanted nothing but good for her. I identified so much with an anxious workaholic crippled by the expectations of her parents. ("Being angry at his unattainable expectations is so much easier than accepting that the only ones I have to meet are my own." -- I think I may need to have this bronzed, as it sums up my life.) Grace struggles with the pressures placed on her by her ex-military father, by intense racism that makes it difficult to succeed in a field where she's extremely qualified, and with mental health/anxiety issues. Rogers handles all of these excellently, covering them so well in her story, along with Grace and Yuri's burgeoning relationship. It seems like it should be too much for one book, but everything fits perfectly together.
Honestly, no review of mine can do this book justice. I love the characters of Grace and Yuri and the supporting cast is excellent (and the book is diverse). It's hilarious and funny yet deftly and kindly covers mental health issues. It also takes an insightful look at racism--especially in academia--and how difficult it makes life for Grace. There's romance, friendship, family, and so much more. I loved it all, and I highly highly recommend HONEY GIRL. I cannot wait to read what Morgan Rogers writes next. 4.5+ stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and Park Row Books for my copy in return for an unbiased review.
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