I was sent this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Set in the summer of 1972 in California, we follow 15 year old, Nani who is dealing with the loss of her father, discovering herself and trying to fit in with the honey girls on the beach. This story was very unique because it's about a Hawaiian girl living in 1972 where girls weren't allowed to surf and being gay wasn't accepted. We see scenes of how you were treated if you were gay and it saddened me. There is a scene where a gay man is beat up and screamed at for being gay. It was fascinating to learn about how different it was then vs now.

Nani is a complex character who is dealing with her mother, now a widow and living somewhere that isn't Hawaii. Throughout the story, Nani is focused on following rules she was taught to abide by to become a honey girl herself. Nani grows a liking to the lead honey girl, Rox and discovers that she likes boys and girls.

However, the story was very slow for me and I didn't feel that there was much emphasis on Nani having a crush on Rox. This story is full of emotion and grief while Nani is grieving the loss of her father and trying to figure out a way to dump his ashes into the ocean where he belongs. Honey Girl has a lot going on but I did enjoy the read. Historical fiction isn't a genre I normally read and I enjoyed the setting as well as Nani's character. Lisa Freeman included Hawaiian slang and there is even a glossary in the back! It was fun to learn some Hawaiian words, it was very different!

I do believe that this is a great read for young readers because of Nani's character and discovering her sexuality.