In Honor by Jessi Kirby

In Honor by Jessi Kirby
240 Pages (Hardcover)
Simon & Schuster
May 8, 2012
Source: ARC Tour
Format: ARC


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?

    I'll apologize in advance, because while I read this book and really enjoyed it, I read it back in January and should have written this review while it was still on my mind. But I will try my best to remember everything I liked!

    Road Trip books are becoming increasingly popular, and with that popularity arises the difficulty for a novel to stand out from the crowd. In Honor by Jessi Kirby definitely does. Honor's journey is not sparked from teenage rebellion, or lack of adventure, but rather from horrible loss. When her brother, Finn, dies in the military, Honor's world is destroyed. In the mist of her grief she receives a letter from her brother sent just before he passed. Honor makes it her mission to complete his final request, no matter how ridiculous and impossible it may seem. When Rusty, Finn's obnoxious best friend intercepts Honor's leave, they end up on the journey together.

    Since I read Moonglass last year, I have fallen in love with Jessi Kirby's writing style. It is very simplistic yet it covers deeply emotional topics and creates great reader-charachter bonds. By simplistic I mean the atmosphere she creates is very fresh and natural feeling, something that is hard to describe. In addition, I felt for all of her characters, I really cared about what was going to happen next and how the story would end up.

    I have this image in my mind of a beautiful beach, a beach that I've never visited - a beach that Moonglass left me with. With In Honor I am left with another image. A girl on a rock in the mountains: peace, serenity. I am sharing this because I feel that these images are able to translate how beautiful and intriguing Kirby's stories are better than my words have been. I'll admit, I don't remember everything that happened, but those two images have stayed with me since the moment I read them. That is showing something very powerful in her writing. I'd definitely recommend her works to contemporary lovers, or someone who is looking for an great, meaningful read.