Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers-4.5 stars
Wow I had no idea what I was in for when I picked up this book and I honestly mean that in the best way possible!
Now, I’ve seen few people say this but I think it needs repeating: this is not a romance. Not in the way you’re probably expecting it. If you’re like me, you heard this was a book where a woman gets drunk and wakes up married to a stranger and you just pictured all the rom-com gloriousness…but I’m here to tell you this story will not be giving you that. Not exactly. See, this book is more of a coming of age with a side of romance. It’s definitely there and the romance we get is so beautiful, but it’s not the focal point of this novel. This is a book about a woman named Grace who has tried her best in life to be perfect. She over works herself to the point of exhaustion and even then, she will try to keep going. This book is about Grace and what happens when her body and mind finally give in and give her no choice but to start taking a look at what her life is really like and what she needs if she wants to be happy.
There are so many things that I loved about this book: the diversity, the found family (aka the amazing secondary cast), the writing and the way that the author can make you feel so many things. I found all the intricate and multi-faceted characters and their relationships with each other so fascinating and fun to read. Ximena and Agnes, Meera and Raj…honestly I could read books on each of them because I found them so interesting. But the thing that I loved most about this book is probably Grace’s journey and reading her story. I found her to be such a relatable character and even when she made mistakes, I loved her. I love that this book is a gentle reminder that there is no age limit to when we should have our crap together. You don’t just wake up one day and become a fully efficient and responsible adult. We all grow and learn at different times and sometimes you can spend your whole life thinking you know who you want to be only to wake up one day and realize that who you wanted to be when you were 18 is not who you are now in this very moment. I needed that reminder and I bet many other readers will feel the same way too.
That being said, there were a few things that didn’t quite work for me and what ultimately led to me not being able to give this 5 stars. While I found the writing to be very beautiful, there were quite a few times where I felt like I was being told things rather than shown, especially when it came to the relationship and time between Grace and Yuki. I also felt like we didn’t get to really know Yuki and I felt like there was so much more there that should’ve been explored with her character. Honestly, the same could be said about all the secondary characters. The author builds these characters up and gives them such interesting backstories, but then they kind of just…disappear and for some of the side characters, we don’t really get to find out what happens with them.
Overall, this was such a great read and I definitely recommend it to everyone! I cannot wait to see what this author writes next because I will definitely be picking it up!
Ravings of a Booklover 