Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst was alright. The synopsis made this book sound very interesting and the premise is but it’s slowww! It wasn’t until almost halfway in the book that the plot picks up. The writing is very detailed with some parts explaining step by step making dinner and everything bought during a grocery trip. I enjoyed the joyful queer love moments and Mickey’s conflicted feelings about her home and her relationships. I felt the synopsis and title didn’t properly reflect this book. It was too long and slow paced for me. The audiobook narrator Marcella Cox did an excellent job though so I would listen to another audiobook narrated by her.

(duplicate review due to approval for audio and eARC)
The description didn't really match the book, but that's ok here! No spoiler, but interesting ending given the "returns home to heal" theme.

“Why do I settle for people and places that haven’t chosen me?” - Mickey. ✨ felt ✨felt ✨ felt✨

Homebodies spoke to me, through me, at me. It’s like coming out of the void with nothing but this book glued to my hands; daring the world to intervene as I release a scream, in harmonious tandem with Mickey’s frustration and confusion with the world around her. Done with the settling.

Losing her job sends her on this downward spiral of grieving the things she thought she once wanted. Moved by the waves then testing the waters, learning and hurting herself in the process because like the rest of us…we don’t always learn the first time to take the redirection when it’s presented to us. I was hoping for more on Mickey’s manifesto throughout the story - idk I have a thing for Black Women going “rogue” and freeing themselves of their burdens 🫦 - but this was much more than that and I’m so glad I read it.

Homebodies is not just about media work culture or the sapphic representation or the perils of Blackness - it’s a sound reflection of taking care of the home within a Black Woman’s body and it GAVE.

Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst tells the story of Mickey Hayward, a Black writer who loses her job with a media company and, after simmering in her disbelief, writes a lengthy reflection on the racism and sexism she experienced in the job she lost. At first, the manifesto gets minimal attention, but when it finally catches the spotlight, Mickey faces a new slew of unexpected difficulties. Amidst her existential crises surrounding her identity as a Black, queer, female, hopeful writer and passionate human, Mickey's arc also involves the resurgence of a past romance, challenging relationships with her family and her sense of home, and her examination of the weight she places on her writing and career.

I enjoyed Denton-Hurst's debut! It was a very approachable text that touched on issues of race, gender, and sexuality within the workspace and online spaces. However, I was surprised that Mickey's experiences in her career were not given as much attention in the novel as a whole, as more space was given to the aftermath of the publication of her letter online. It was more a tale of self-doubt and identity than it was about racism or sexism, so there were moments when certain plot points or tensions/conflicts felt rushed or underdeveloped because there was so much that was being explored in a text that was (at least from my perspective) meant to be enjoyable by the average pop fic reader.

Nevertheless, I found this a good read (and listen!). Thanks to Harper Audio for the early access.

Thank you to the publisher for the ALC. Truly stunning and haunting. Like I felt for Mickey being in her head through just the horrors she goes through.

This book was an interesting debut novel. It focuses on a mere snapshot of a character’s life rather than giving you their…entire life story? This type of writing can sometimes make it hard to care about what happens to a character but I did not find that happening for me here. The narration can drag a little, but the dialogue is wonderful.

Homebodies is a book about an up and coming BIPOC opinion writer. It follows protagonist Mickey as she deals with her sexuality, her relationship, and a career in an industry determined to be racist.

If all of that sounds like too much in the description, then know that it's so much worse in practice. While the book gives a well needed perspective on living with microaggression racism and homophobia, if tries to tackle too many topics at once. Here is a list of subjects the book tries to address in pretty much equal measure: parental pressure, racism, beauty standards, cheating, mental health, toxic relationships, queer identity, black girl culture, imposter syndrome, and family relations. It's just too much! There were too many things to focus on.

After hearing about one problem after another, the main character begins to come off not as resilient but as whiny, especially since she takes zero ownership of any of the issues. Ut made for abfrustrating read and an unlikeable protagonist.

The audio quality wasn't the best too as the narratornwpuldnoften switch between characters without much voice change. Thisbcoukdnhave been because there were so many characters that doing a different voice for each is beyond difficult, but even main characters suffered with very similar, almost identical voices.

Rating 1 out of 5. Do not recommend.

This book was a surprise to me, I was looking for something else to listen to and I really enjoyed it. Tempe Denton-Hurst is a fresh voice in fiction. Because of the exploration of otherness in the setting of print media it had notes of THE OTHER BLACK GIRL but was a quieter story. I enjoyed Mickey and found her conflicts (external and internal) very relatable and compelling. Well written book. EXCELLENT narrator.

I really wanted to like this book but it just wasn't for me. I didn't really care for the style of this book. I'm sure this book will be great for others but just not for me.

Homebodies was hard for me to like.
The story was kind of boring and the characters were flat for me.
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for audio arc in exchange for my review.

Homebodies was a wonderful read, from the beautiful cover to the comforting finale. The warmth of the characters seeps through into the writing, and that's truly what the story is about. The character development IS the story, and I love a well-written, character-driven narrative. I am not queer or black and can't speak to the accuracy of this depiction, but I truly cared for Micky. Her struggles and self-reflections were so personal but so relatable and human.
All in all, I won't give Homebodies 5 stars because it was a little hard to get into. I can't describe exactly why it felt that way, I warmed up to Micky right away, but it took me a long time to feel at home in her head. I think the tone could have used a bit more nuance, and that is the reason the whole story fell a little flat for me. I would have enjoyed a paper copy over an audio for this particular story, but that just means I get to read it again!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Right book, right time, right? I think this was just not the right time for me. The narrator was great and I'm sure the story is too, but I just couldn't get into it. This was a did not finish for me, but I'll try it again at a different time.

I wanted to love this book but I found a lot of the plot to be lacking and dragged in areas. The narration was not bad but wasn’t great either.

Homebodies is a coming-of-age story about a young Black lesbian writer who hears gossip that they're interviewing to replace her at her media job -- while she still has it.

The focus throughout the book seemed to be more on Mickey and her internal life rather than her career (think character study over plot, at least for me). I'd recommend not reading the synopsis prior to picking this one up, as it describes plot points that don't occur for the first half of the book.

Homebodies seems like it may be a good fit for fans of Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams and/or Maame by Jessica George. I particularly liked how strong of voice Tembe Denton-Hurst wrote with, and will be interested in her subsequent work.

The narration by Marcella Cox was good, but I'd have liked to have had a copy of the text for reference. There's some slang which made sense in context and slowed down, but that I'd miss while listening at my usual speed (e.g., "plandids").

ARC Review!!
This book was so so brilliant. A black girl stuck in the fast paced world of writing for a publishing company in New York gets everything nearly stripped away from her. How do you claw your way out of that depression when its affecting you, your significant other and your mental health?
I think this book is so important in exploring how one mourns something that was so bad to them, so unfair and yet it's all they know- who are they without that job title?
This book delves into the above themes while exploring the intersections of queerness and blackness. How upbringing and your past might influence your present day self and how to move forward.

I melted into this book and loved every minute of it- if you're looking for a contemporary story of a queer black girl finding herself, you'll love this.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!! :)

I had mixed feelings about this tender, queer, Black coming of age story that tackles relationship pains and racism in the publishing/media industry. I went into this expecting something more along the lines of The other Black girl which was a mistake.

This is very much not an edge of your seat story, but more one of quiet growth as the main character reconciles her complicated family relationships and her former first lover when she returns home after being let go from her job. Beautifully written, if a bit too rambling for my tastes. I liked this one okay but unfortunately didn't love it. Recommended for fans of Queenie and good on audio.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Librofm for ALC copies in exchange for my honest review!

I loved reading this book. Tembe Denton-Hurst provided a strong narrative voice through her main character, Mickey, making it a standout debut novel. The plot is realistic and relatable. I’m sure many reader’s have been in Mickey’s situation feeling like your whole world is crumbling apart around you. It is the way Denton-Hurst chronicles Mickey’s journey to find her voice after feeling silenced that I found most compelling. I highly recommend!

I really enjoyed how real this book felt. It was like reading an actual person's journal with the honest way it was written. Rather than a traditional happily ever after, it felt like a realistic ending, which I appreciate!

I wanted to love this book so badly. The praise for this book is everywhere! But I only just liked it.

Mickey Hayward, an up-and-coming young Black writer, finds out she's being replaced at work. After enduring racism in the media industry and tons of microaggressions at work she writes an incredible letter detailing what she's gone through and expects it to go viral. However, there are CRICKETS. The group chat abandons her and her girlfriend isn't very supportive. Tail tucked between her legs, she moves back home to try to figure out what direction her life needs to go in.

The description on the back of the book immediately sucked me in as did the graphically beautiful font-heavy cover. However, I felt like the meat of this novel that's hyped in the synopsis is only in the last 10% of the book. I was expecting that to make up the majority of the plot, instead of having to sit with Mikey in her troubles as she sort of stagnates at home in unemployment grief.

I rooted for Mickey so hard! When the book starts making moves at the end, it felt like a veeeery satisfying payoff after the slowish middle of the book.

My most favorite part of the entire book is when her letter is read at the very end. It's POWERFUL and I'm still like, how did this not go viral? But then I remember, Ann Marie, this is fiction. Don't try to go back and look for the tweets. Facepalm.

I'll definitely pick up Denton-Hurst's next book. She has an amazing voice.

The workplace politics and sense of loss of self that afflicts young writers in social media are rendered with terrible clarity. Complex romantic and family relationships feel fully rendered, in all their confusing beauty. The voice of the audio narrator was easy to listen to, with well-defined differences between characters. I felt a bit disappointed at the way the book ended, glad to know Mickey felt able/empowered to tell her story, but sorry that the moment wasn't included in the text.