Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Review: In Honor by Jessi Kirby

Title: In Honor
Author: Jessi Kirby
Published: May 2012 (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers)
Format: Physical copy from the library
Summary: Hours after her brother’s military funeral, Honor opens the last letter Finn ever sent. In her grief, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously decides to go to California to fulfill it. Honor gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen Rusty in ages, but it’s obvious he is as arrogant and stubborn as ever—not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Honor’s better judgment, the two set off together on a voyage from Texas to California. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn’s memory—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?

My Review: In Honor was, without a doubt, one of my most awaited books of the summer. I waited on it for months, my expectations climbing higher and higher with every pre-publication (and post-publication, too, since it took my library FIVE BAZILLION YEARS to get it in) review I came across. I really loved the whole idea behind the book, and the cover was overflowing with cuteness.

In Honor had me crying in under twenty pages. Although I do tend to have ridiculously overactive flowerpot tendencies, I usually need to be at least attached to the characters in a book first before I start welling up. But I felt an almost immediate connection with Honor, and her situation was heartbreaking. However, this is not to say that the book was all depressing; that was not the case at all. Honor was dealing with a huge loss, but she was not defeated. There were also touches of humor throughout the book, not to mention the excellent romantic build-up between Honor and Rusty.

I love that this story took place over the course of a road trip. It made a great metaphor for the personal progress both Honor and Rusty were making in their grief and other things, as well as for the relationship between the two of them. They had known each other since childhood, as he was her older brother's best friend. But during this book, they grew to have the potential for more, and I loved the two of them because they felt real to me. One of my favorite parts of the book was where Rusty harassed Honor about how terrible her feet smelled after she took off her boots. This might seem like an odd choice, but I liked it because it was a sign of how well they knew each other, that they were comfortable enough to give each other a hard time. There was no infatuated disillusionment here.

I enjoyed Kirby's writing in In Honor; she had a great way with words, particularly when it came to describing things. She also had a unique approach wherein she actually changed to the present tense in two specific scenes. At first I thought it was a mistake, but it actually worked to heighten the things happening in those particular scenes. The only drawback was that it initially drew me out of the story because I was confused as to why the tense had changed.

There were some aspects of In Honor that were not what I expected. I was hesitant about this at first, but I think the book was stronger for it. To put it the way I did when talking to Racquel from The Book Barbies earlier today, it was something I appreciated the day AFTER I read the book. All in all, In Honor is a lot of things. Sugar-coated, it is not. But it is realistic, refreshing, and romantic. If you are looking for a great summer read with a road trip and the potential to make you shed a few tears, check this one out.
Quotes
He always told me to look strong, even if I didn’t feel it, because sometimes that’s all you can do.

Denial’s a stubborn thing. And necessary, at first, so the world doesn’t come crashing down on you all at once.

...the thought of actually meeting her brought back my little fangirl urge to jump up and down and squeal about it.

And Rusty, he was always the kind of reckless you either admired or shook your head at.
Staying In Tonight
Purchase this book at: Amazon || Barnes & Noble || The Book Depository

10 comments:

  1. I love you review of this book, it sounds like an emotional read. I'm just afraid it will be to sad ) : I found your blog via twitter and really like the layout ! I'm planning on reading The Truth About Forever this summer .

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you.  Honestly, In Honor wasn't TOO sad.  It was at the beginning, and of course there were sad moments.  But it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be.

    Thanks!  And The Truth About Forever is my favorite YA ever, so that's an excellent choice! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really enjoyed this one as well! I totally felt a connection to Honor right away. She was just so... likable! <3 I did love how the book just wasn't depressing, there was some hope mixed in with the sadness, which really worked for this book. And I totally LOVED the road trip!! I love road trips in books, and this book was no exception. 

    Overall, such an adorable book! I loved your review, Sharon. <3

    -Aneeqah @ My Not So Real Life

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very well put!  I think the hope mixed with the sadness really is what made the book not nearly as heavy as it could have been.  And the road trip was wonderful!  I really need to read more road trip books.

    Thanks! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I cannot wait to read this book! I just won it in a contest recently, and I can see it on my shelf right now... Your review has me convinced that I need to read it right away! I mean, road trip - that's enough incentive.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 20 pages? Wow, that's really quick to cry. OMG I CAN'T WAIT. Seriously who doesn't love to emote while reading? And a road trip! Ah!

    I need to request this from my library stat.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tell me about it!  I mean, I wasn't heaving sobs or anything, but there were definitely several tears shed.

    It was a good one; definitely library check-out potential.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, congratulations!  It's a great addition to your shelves.  Speaking of road trip books, I really do need to read more of them!  Every time I - rarely - read one, I'm reminded of this.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, yay!! So glad you loved this book! I really enjoyed it too, and Jessi Kirby is so fantastic. Have you read Moonglass? If not, you should definitely pick that one up too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I really did!  It was great.  I need to go back and read your review (or E's...I think one of you reviewed it a while back, but I don't remember who it was, haha).  I've heard that about Moonglass!  I have about a gazillion books checked out from the library, and I just bought a couple new ebooks.  But I'll be reading Moonglass soon.  It looks really good, and I loved Kirby's writing in In Honor.

    ReplyDelete

Psst! I now reside over at The Book Barbies. I'd still love to hear your thoughts, though!