The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
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Reader Friends! Buckle Up! This is a glorious, captivating wild ride through the lives of the rich and elite.
When Mars’ sister dies under mysterious and bizarre circumstances after unexpectedly returning home from her elite summer camp, Mars becomes consumed with the need to find answers to their twin’s death. On the night of Caroline’s death, she brutally attacked Mars, seemingly intent on ending their life. But in a moment of clarity, she apologizes to them before tragically dying. After her death, a brain tumor seems to be the cause of her erratic behavior but Mars is convinced there is more to the story.
After convincing their parents to let them take Caroline’s place at Aspen, the exclusive summer camp for the children of the wealthy and connected, Mars returns to the place that is a great source of trauma and pain. Mars’ gender fluidity and nonbinary identity goes against the very core of Aspen and it’s incredibly gendered values. Once at Aspen, Mars does their best to get in with the girls from Cabin H, better known as the Honeys. Caroline was a part of the Honey’s and they are convinced they have all the answers. But the Honey’s exist outside of the rules of Aspen and Mars is constantly shadowed by Wyatt, a leader in training and nephew to the camp’s director. As Mars gets closer to the answers they seek, they discover a world where people disappear, memories are altered, and the power of the Honeys seems to know no bounds.
This is a dark, twisting, captivating story of love, power and betrayal. I was so enthralled by the darkness in the story that I flew through this book in one sitting. The Honeys is a perfect blend of the horror, mystery, and paranormal genres told through the eyes of a grieving twin. It’s so much more than a story of a mysterious death. It’s an examination of greed, wealth, family expectations, toxic masculinity, and the way societal expectations about gender and generational wealth impacts teens. Nearly every activity at Aspen is based on gendered roles and expectations and how someone like Mars, a nonbinary teen who refuses to change for others, is forced into unsafe situations and ridicule when they reject the pressure to conform.
It’s also a lesson in underestimating the next generation-they are terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
This book is fantastic-definitely give it a shot. If you’d like to add this book to your shelf, you can click on the book cover or here for ordering information.
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