Honor Girl Review: An Honest and Relatable Graphic Memoir

May 4, 2016 by Jenna | 4 stars, Books, Reviews

Honor Girl Review: An Honest and Relatable Graphic MemoirHonor Girl: A Graphic Memoir by Maggie Thrash
Published by Candlewick Press on September 8th 2015
Source: Publisher
Genres: Contemporary, Graphic Novel, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult
Amazon | Book Depository | Publisher | Angus & Robertson
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Maggie Thrash has spent basically every summer of her fifteen-year-old life at the one-hundred-year-old Camp Bellflower for Girls, set deep in the heart of Appalachia. She’s from Atlanta, she’s never kissed a guy, she’s into Backstreet Boys in a really deep way, and her long summer days are full of a pleasant, peaceful nothing . . . until one confounding moment. A split-second of innocent physical contact pulls Maggie into a gut-twisting love for an older, wiser, and most surprising of all (at least to Maggie), female counselor named Erin. But Camp Bellflower is an impossible place for a girl to fall in love with another girl, and Maggie’s savant-like proficiency at the camp’s rifle range is the only thing keeping her heart from exploding. When it seems as if Erin maybe feels the same way about Maggie, it’s too much for both Maggie and Camp Bellflower to handle, let alone to understand.

All-girl camp. First love. First heartbreak. At once romantic and devastating, brutally honest and full of humor, this graphic-novel memoir is a debut of the rarest sort.

Maggie is fifteen and at the summer camp that she goes to every single year. She’s just one of the many girls who attend the camp and she tries to blend in as much as she can. But this year, she’s discovered a new hobby… and a newfound interest in an older counselor of the camp. A girl counselor, who makes her feel confused about her feelings and who she is.

What I enjoyed most about this graphic memoir was the honesty and how relatable the story and Maggie was. Because it’s based on true events and memories from the author and illustrator’s life, it felt very realistic. From the drama of being surrounded by a hundred girls every single day and the hesitance and doubts that come with new crushes, I could imagine myself going through the exact same events. The constant worry that they don’t feel the same way about you, the uncertainty about what the next acceptable step is, and the constant hiding and inaction were all things that I’ve experienced myself. And it wasn’t only the romance in the book that was relatable – the portrayal of a teenage girl’s everyday life was so realistic and easy to connect with. I’ve been that same girl who’s found a new passion and hobby that she’s good at only to have other people call her a show-off. It was just a really truthful and heartfelt story that I think anybody can relate to, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. I’m a little bit disappointed with the way that it ended but this is real life and not everything is going to end cleanly and be fully resolved… because life goes on.

But I wasn’t thinking of that at the time. I wasn’t thinking of anything. It’s just this mythological desire you have to suddenly – to be unrecognizable to yourself.

I thought the characters in this book were wonderful, which feels like a bit of a strange thing to say considering they’re based on real people. But I thought the way that they were portrayed was fantastic and I liked how much of their personalities Maggie Thrash allowed us to see. I felt such a deep connection to Maggie, the protagonist, because I got to see all of her vulnerabilities and insecurities and I’m grateful that the author shared so much of her past with us. I enjoyed her love interest, Erin, as well as they connection and chemistry that the two had together. I also thought Maggie’s best friend, Bethany, was perfect and I loved their friendship and how much Bethany supported Maggie. And I also really liked some of the other minor characters, like Maggie’s brother, Drew.

The art style in this book was great. It was very minimalist and clean, with big panels, which made it very easy to read and follow along. The illustrations weren’t busy and full of detail and that was something that I really liked because it allowed me to really focus on the story and not on all the little things distracting me in the background. I also appreciated that each character had a distinct look and it was easy to tell who was who at a glance. The simplistic art style and the beautiful colours that were used in all of the illustrations made it a feast for the eyes.

epilogue

If you’re looking for something relatable and accessible that you can read in just one sitting, Honor Girl is the book for you. It has beautiful illustrations, and a beautiful and heartwarming story that you won’t be able to let go of.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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Thank you to Walker Books Australia for providing a review copy.

Jenna-Sig

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Jenna is an Aussie blogger and reader who loves to indulge in great books and great food. She is a doctor (of philosophy) and can usually be found fangirling about something, devouring delicious food, or taking a nap. You can find her on Twitter @readwithjenna and on Instagram @readingwithjenna.

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16 responses to “Honor Girl Review: An Honest and Relatable Graphic Memoir

    • Yeah, I had absolutely no idea that this featured an LGBT romance and adored the book so much more because of it. You should definitely try to pick this one up!

  1. Ohhhh it sounds so real and relatable and I'm glad you enjoyed the characters and the story! It's interesting how this is based on real people and they were portrayed really well.

    • Hey Jeann, check it out. I'm finally replying to comments 😀
      Yeah, I didn't really know what to expect going into this because of the fact that it was a memoir but I thought it was done in a really honest and simple way. It was impossible not to love the characters.

  2. This sounds like a lovely book, Jenna. I especially like that it's so relateable. And the fact that you were able to connect so well with the characters is a sign of the author's writing prowess. Even the secondary cast sounds great. I must pick it up one way or another.
    Wonderful review, Jenna!
    My recent post Do You Ever Second-Guess Your Negative Reviews?

    • Thanks Nick. It was a lovely and simple story that I think everyone can connect to because it's based on real events. It just felt very genuine and I was really impressed with how the story was told.

  3. I don’t usually read graphic novels, and this is the first time I hear about this book. It takes some courage to share your personal experience, and this story sounds good. It’s wonderful that you were able to connect with characters and find them relatable. As for the end…While I love HEA some stories are better with open ending or sad ending, sometimes neat happy ending takes something important from the book. Wonderful review, Jenna! Thanks for bringing this book to my attention.
    My recent post Audio Obsession #9. Audiobooks with multiple narration.

    • Yeah I completely agree. I thought it was authentic how it ended and that we don't always get a HEA. But I did feel that it might have ended a bit abruptly. That's really my only complaint though.

    • Yeah, I was really impressed by what I read. I don't usually connect very well with memoirs, but the way that Maggie Thrash put this one together made it feel like fiction, while at the same time keeping me aware that these were real events.

    • The illustrations in this one are really simple and has a really contemporary feel to it. It was a really easy to read graphic novel!

    • This is my first graphic memoir too. I've read Maus but I'm not sure if that completely counts as a memoir. It was definitely a really interesting reading experience. The whole time I had to remind myself that all those things actually happened to the author and not to nitpick at the plot.

  4. I'm glad you enjoyed this, Jenna!! 😀 I read it last year and honestly wasn't in love with it. Gahh. I wanted to! But I actually found the art so simplistic that I got all the characters confused #mybad And by the end it all felt very open-ended and pointless? BUT THAT'S LIFE THOUGH. So I give it full marks for realism! (And it's a memoir right?! So I always feel bad for critiquing a memoir. haha.!)

    • Haha yeah, it feels weird to be like "I hated that aspect of the plot" because it's real life. Though tbh, the author probably is thinking that she hated it too. But OMG that ending. What was that ending?!!! I was seriously looking forward to that reunion from the VERY FIRST PAGE.

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