Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Grace Porter is not a failure.

Grace Porter, who goes by Porter, has cracked under the (met) expectations of her father, whom she calls Colonel.

During a trip to Vegas, Grace Porter aka Porter wakes up with fuzzy memories of getting married to a mystery woman the night before. There’s a note written on the back of a business card placed on a pillow. This impulsive act is a far cry from the reserved and disciplined person that she has always been. The trip itself is a gift from her close friends in celebration of completing her PhD. She’s only in her late 20s.

As the daughter of a white orange grove farmer mother and a Black ex-military father, doing things not expected of her isn’t the norm for Porter. When she breaks out, she does it big. Her strict father wanted her to become a medical doctor. Instead, she becomes an astrophysicist so that she’d still have the title “doctor.” When she needs a break from the disappointment of not landing a dream position, she leaves her Portland, Oregon, home, friends and family to run to New York to get to know her stranger bride.

Yuki is a tattooed Japanese-American waitress and late night radio show host who has been disowned by her family for being gay. Her tagline: “are you there?” draws in listeners who also feel alone and like outcasts. She has three male roommates, who welcome Porter into their inner circle. Still, after several summer weeks in New York, she’s still not at ease and abruptly leaves to join her mother in Florida.

Growing up, Porter’s mother told her her hair gained its honey blonde color because she is favored by the sun. She wishes some of that favor would carry into being accepted into a program for which she thought she was a shoo-in. She worked hard through a PhD program earning outstanding marks and recommendations; however, faculty makes it known that as a non-white queer woman does not fit in with their culture.

I enjoyed reading Honey Girl even though I found the storyline of marrying a stranger in Vegas and trying to make it work a bit of a stretch. I appreciated the two characters’ backstories that push them to make them want to make it work. Feeling unaccomplished, like outsiders, lonely, and unseen. Some might call it unhealthy trauma bonding, but still bonding. Ironically, this is not a topic discussed when Porter finally goes to therapy. Overall, the novel attacks love (romantic and self), friendship, family and fitting in.



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