Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers: Book Review

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers is a poignant coming of age novel that highlights the importance of finding inner peace, making the best decisions for yourself and having deep and supportive friendships.

Who would have thought that becoming an adult meant that you had to learn all about self-love?

Grace Porter is twenty-eight years old and she has a brand new PhD in astronomy so she goes on a girls’ getaway trip to Las Vegas to celebrate her huge success. She has always been a diligent, straight A student. Grace is a die-hard planner—she maps out every decision she makes in her life and she is not the kind of woman who gets drunkenly married to a stranger but that’s exactly what she does in Las Vegas.

That precious moment in time when she deviated from the methodical plans her father had for her life has left Grace wondering why she has these underlying feelings of discontent. She has just completed her hard earned degree so she should be bursting with happiness and eternal contentment, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case because she is trying her best to live up to her parents’ high expectations and deal with a competitive job market while she is trying to cope with feelings of burnout. Grace leaves her home in Portland for a well-deserved break in New York so that she could get to know her wife.

While Grace is in New York she can easily ignore her uncertain future and the all-consuming fears that usually keep her up at night. She had no idea that she would fall so deeply in love with her talented and kind-hearted wife, Yuki Yamamoto. When reality barges in, Grace can’t continue to run away from her problems because she has crucial life-changing decisions to make.

Will Grace be able to face her fears and deal with deep-seated family issues and the aching loneliness that has become a huge part of her adult life?

The Characters

Grace Porter has just received her PhD in astronomy and she is more than ready for a much needed break. Yuki Yamamoto is a waitress by day and a story-weaving goddess by night. I really wanted to give these phenomenal women the biggest hugs ever because they had to come to terms with the fact that they got drunk-married in Las Vegas and they also have to contend with major personal and professional upheavals. Agnes, Ximena and Meera will always have a special place in my heart and I don’t think I’ll ever forget their quirky personalities and their unconditional love for Grace. This author deserves the highest of fives for bringing these awesome characters to life for me!

The Writing Style

Wait a minute, is this really Morgan Rogers’ debut novel? If it is, I just can’t believe it because this author’s entertaining and heart-tugging writing totally blew my mind and left me sleepless in the Caribbean. There are a lot of things that I loved about this story but what I truly enjoyed the most was seeing and experiencing Portland, Florida and New York through Grace’s eyes. Have I mentioned the fact that I was seriously hooked on the witty banter that flowed effortlessly between Grace and Yuki? I must admit that this story made me shake my head at some of the characters’ choices and I also laughed out loudly several times while I was sneaking a read at my work desk!

Pros And My Favourite Parts

This story has surpassed my greatest expectations because this author gave me a unique literary treasure that has flawed and unforgettable characters who were dealing with burnout, perfectionism, loneliness, weighty family expectations and mental health issues. My heart is bursting with joy because I’ve rarely encountered a novel that has people of color who are going to therapy and dealing with their emotional baggage but this story gave me all that and so much more. I couldn’t get enough of the deep and unbreakable sisterhood bond between Grace, Agnes and Ximena! By the way, have I mentioned how gorgeous this book cover is?

Cons And Heads Up

Zero complaints.

The Conclusion

Hear ye, hear ye! This awesome coming of age novel is gonna go down in herstory as one of the best books I’ve read this year (trust me, I’ve read a lot of books so far…) and this story is definitely going to be at the top of my “Love-this-book-forever” list. I’ve been waiting for a story like this one for a long time and the literary goddesses definitely blessed the day when I pulled off the longest reading marathon of my life. After reading this book, I can’t wait to see what Morgan Rogers does next!

TLDR (too long didn’t read)

If you’re looking for a coming of age novel that features an unexpected romance coupled with relatable and endearing characters who are learning how to prioritize self-care and live life on their own terms, then this is the perfect story for you!

Excerpt from Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

It’s quiet. Maybe it’s that word. Married, said aloud in an alleyway, in a deserted kitchen, between two coasts. Married. It makes her laugh. She laughs like she has buzzing fireflies tickling her ribs.

“What?” Yuki demands. She sounds so petulant. “What’s so funny?”

Grace smiles. “Married,” she says lightly. “I mean. That happened. What the fuck?”

“What the fuck?” Yuki agrees. “I came home, and it felt like—” She pauses here, and in the stillness, Grace catches dozens of words unsaid.

“What?” Grace asks, suddenly desperate to be let into Yuki’s thoughts.

“It felt like a dream,” Yuki confesses quietly. “It felt like one of the stories I talk about on my show, you know? Like, there’s no way I married this beautiful girl and was so fantastically happy, and it was real.”

“It felt like that for me, too,” Grace tells her, like a secret. “In my head you—”

“Tell me,” Yuki presses.

“You bloomed,” Grace says. “In my head you bloomed like the flowers that were stuck in my hair. You had—you had rosebuds, growing on your cheeks, you know? That’s all I could think about. The girl who bloomed roses. The girl who held my hand and danced with me and—”

“Got married to you,” Yuki finishes. “That was mad beautiful, Grace Porter. I almost hate to tell you the roses you’re imagining were probably just the Asian flush. Not half as romantic.”

Grace laughs. “That makes you more real and less like the champagne-bubble girl in my head.

“Champagne-bubble girl,” Yuki says softly. “Cute. You were Honey Girl in mine. When I pictured you, it was just honey, everywhere. I woke up next to you, and I swear it was like buzzing bees. That sounds ridiculous.”

“A little,” Grace admits, and Yuki lets out an indignant “Hey.” “It was just my hair,” she says, separating her curls with careful fingers. “It’s not blonde, not brown. It’s gold,” she says. “My mom used to say the sun took a liking to me.”

Yuki hums, and Grace relaxes. “Sounds like something moms say,” she answers. “Do you think she was right?”

“About what?”

“The sun,” Yuki says impatiently. “Do you think it took a liking to you?”

“No more than anyone else,” Grace says.

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