Jessi Kirby

A devastating loss leads to an unexpected road trip in this novel from the author of Moonglass, whose voice Sarah Dessen says “is fresh and wise, all at once.” 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?

In Honor

Zahra

Laura Luchian

Cute, easily read, but not really a book for me. Even almost finishing it I was still hoping that something more will come, something for me to be captivated by.

A devastating loss leads to an unexpected road trip in what Sarah Ockler calls a “beautiful, engaging journey with heart, humor, and just a pinch of Texas sass.” Three days after learning of her brother Finn’s death, Honor receives his last letter from Iraq. Devastated, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously sets off to California to fulfill it. At the last minute, she’s joined by Rusty, Finn’s former best friend. Rusty is the last person Honor wants to be with—he’s cocky and obnoxious, just like Honor remembers, and she hasn’t forgiven him for turning his back on Finn when he enlisted. But as they cover the dusty miles together in Finn’s beloved 1967 Chevy Impala, long-held resentments begin to fade, and Honor and Rusty struggle to come to terms with the loss they share. As their memories of Finn merge to create a new portrait, Honor’s eyes are opened to a side of her brother she never knew—a side that shows her the true meaning of love and sacrifice.

Lisa Collins

4.5 stars

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I don’t know how it happened, but it’s like I planned to start reading Jessi Kirby’s books from the most recent to the oldest. I didn’t actually plan it, but that’s how it’s working out. I read Golden and loved it and now I read In Honor and think I might have another auto-buy author on my list.

In Honor by Jessi Kirby was one of those books that immediately appealed to me. I totally respect sibling relationships (including my own), so I was particularly drawn to the story because the main character, Honor, lost her brother in the war. But then there was a road trip too! And a possibly swoon worthy boy! Why WOULDN’T I want to read In Honor? Right?

For the most part In Honor was everything I was hoping for. There was self-discovery and grief and fun and and and… There actually wasn’t the type of romance I was expecting. I’m not really sure what I was expecting before I started reading the book, because, in retrospect, I don’t think the dynamic between Honor and Rusty could have been any different than it was. There was a bit of tension between them (the good kind and definitely the bad kind too) and quite a lot of history. You could tell these people had known each other for a long time.

Honor is about to go into college; she wears dresses and cowboy boots (yes!) and is more naïve than she thinks she is. Honor’s flaws really highlighted how well Kirby is at writing people. Honor is sort of… self-centered, let’s say… but it was always so subtle as not to be a deal-breaker but it’s also obviously a character flaw. The same goes for Rusty. He was by no means the perfect gentleman or even person, but he had some great qualities and I loved him for it.

Road trip novels are always a lot of fun. I can’t say I’ve read a whole ton, but I really loved this one because it had a lot of nature mixed into it. It wasn’t all getting to places and other people. There was a lot of character introspection and learning to just be. So wonderful.

So what do you think? Are you going to give In Honor a try? I highly recommend it if you like contemporary, road trips, et cetera et cetera. This is basically a blanket recommendation.

In Honor

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