Honey Girl

Grace Porter, a 28-year-old biracial woman with a newly completed PhD in astronomy, wakes up hungover in a Las Vegas hotel room after a celebratory trip with her two best friends, Ximena Martínez and Agnes Ivanova. She discovers a gold wedding ring on her finger, a BRIDE T-shirt, and the lingering scent of sea salt and herbs on the sheets. Fragmented memories surface: a girl with rose-pink cheeks and pitch-black hair, dancing through neon-lit streets, buying love locks and exchanging keys on necklaces, stumbling into a chapel, and saying "yes." Grace finds three items left behind: a wedding photograph, a business card for a late-night Brooklyn radio show called Are You There?, and a handwritten note calling Grace "Honey Girl" and inviting her to "follow the sound of my voice" (4). Agnes spots the ring and the photo but promises to keep the secret.

Back in Portland, Grace's post-graduation life feels stalled. She works at the White Pearl Tea Room, run by Baba Vihaan, alongside his children Meera and Raj, who have become like family. Her father, Colonel James Porter, a retired military officer who lost a leg in service, pressures her about finding a job. Before Vegas, Grace interviewed at Kunakin, Incorporated, a company her academic mentor, Professor MacMillan, arranged for her, but the experience made her feel small and questioned her worth. She stormed out. At a tense dinner with Colonel and her warm stepmom, Sharone, Grace admits the interview failed. Colonel insists she figure out her next move, revealing he had wanted her to study medicine. Grace pushes back, asserting her career is hers.

The novel flashes back to establish Grace's key relationships. She grew up on her mother's orange grove in Southbury, Florida, until her parents divorced when she was 13 and Colonel moved her to Portland. She met Ximena, a Dominican-American hospital companion, while Colonel recovered from his leg amputation, and they became inseparable. They later befriended Agnes, a young woman receiving psychiatric care whom Ximena was assigned to support. Despite Agnes's sharp edges, Ximena recognized a kinship, and the three formed an unbreakable unit. The narrative also reveals Grace's own buried struggles: she claws at her skin to ground herself and hears voices telling her she will never make her family proud.

One night, Grace confesses the Vegas marriage to Agnes and Ximena. They look up the radio show and discover her wife is Yuki Yamamoto, a waitress and late-night host who tells stories about monsters, folklore, and loneliness. Listening to Yuki speak directly to her "Honey Girl" on air, referencing the key necklace from their wedding night, Grace is deeply moved. She calls Yuki from the tea room, and their first conversation is awkward, funny, and genuine. They begin a pattern of calls and late-night listening sessions. Meanwhile, a recruiter from another company questions Grace's memberships in a Black STEM group and a queer science organization she founded during her doctorate, reinforcing the systemic barriers she faces.

Grace visits Professor MacMillan, who affirms her talent but admits she cannot solve the systemic barriers Grace encounters and tells Grace she has earned the right to step back. When Grace raises the idea of slowing down with Colonel, he dismisses it, comparing her to her mother with shame. Grace challenges him, then has a mental health crisis at the hospital while waiting for Ximena. She breaks down crying, scratching at her own skin until Agnes finds her and stops her. Their friends hold her together through the night.

In the aftermath, Grace reconnects with Yuki by phone. She tells Yuki the story of the Opportunity Mars Rover, designed to last 90 days but which operated for 15 years before sending its final message: "My battery is low, and it's getting dark" (112). Grace uses the rover as a metaphor for her own exhaustion. Yuki shares that she, too, feels like a machine sending messages into the void, which is why she started her show. Grace confesses her battery is low, then asks if she can come stay with Yuki in New York for the summer.

Grace arrives in Harlem, where Yuki waits on a stoop with yellow and orange flowers. She meets Yuki's roommates and chosen family: Dhorian, a Black ER resident; Fletcher, a white first-grade teacher; and Sani, an Indigenous MMA fighter. At the radio station, Grace learns Yuki studied history but could not pursue it professionally because her first-generation Japanese immigrant parents would only fund a practical degree. Yuki performs shows about Japanese folklore, including the Yamauba, old women pushed to society's margins who became monstrous. Grace recognizes herself in the stories.

Their relationship deepens over the summer. At the Rose Center for Earth and Space, Grace passionately explains astronomy, and Yuki tells her she would make a good teacher. On a road trip to Lake Champlain to hunt a legendary monster, Sani explains that Yuki's show has never really been about monsters but about connecting with lonely people. Raj visits New York and, over drinks, confesses he gave up his dream of studying medicine to run the family tea room after his mother died. He accuses Grace of running away. Grace fires back about the systemic barriers she faces, and they reconcile the next morning. Yuki later confesses she wants to feel like a home for Grace, not a temporary stop.

On the eve of Grace's 29th birthday, she and Yuki sleep together for the first time. The next morning, Professor MacMillan emails with two opportunities: a second interview at Kunakin and a junior faculty position at Ithaca College. Yuki pushes Grace to consider that "best" could mean something that makes her happy. Grace insists anything less than the most prestigious position would be settling. Yuki asks if Grace was ever going to stay. Heartbroken, Yuki walks out. Grace, unable to face the aftermath, flees to Florida.

At the orange grove, Grace's mother welcomes her with fierce warmth. Grace breaks down, confessing everything: the marriage, the burnout, the failed interviews, the years of pushing past her limits. Mom suggests she talk to a professional. After two poor fits, Grace finds Heather Huntley, a Black therapist who proves to be the right match. Grace is diagnosed with major depressive disorder and anxiety, begins weekly sessions, and starts taking daily medication. She turns her phone off for weeks. When she reconnects, Colonel reveals he walked out of her graduation not from disappointment but from anger that other parents had resources he could never provide. He calls her "Grace," a first name he has not used in years. She tells Raj she is considering teaching and emails Professor MacMillan to decline the Kunakin re-interview, expressing interest in teaching positions near New York.

Mom's fiancé, Kelly, asks Grace to officiate their wedding. She agrees. That night, Grace records a long voice message to Yuki, pouring out her fear, her therapy, and her realization that "best" must include being happy and in love. She reaffirms their wedding vows and sends the recording.

At the wedding, Grace dons a deep purple suit and officiates, going off-script to speak honestly about imperfection and love. Colonel surprises her by attending, and during a dance, tells her he is proud. After the reception, Grace finds Yuki barefoot among the orange trees, brought by their combined friend groups. Yuki listened to the recording. She is still angry but in love. Grace apologizes for leaving and explains she is learning that "best" must include rest, love, and herself. Yuki demands that if they continue, Grace cannot disappear again: They talk, they fight, they stay. They kiss under golden light, pinkies linked in a promise: "Finders keepers. No take-backs" (293). Grace tells Yuki she believes in her, in her monsters, in them.