DNF 47%
I tried for so long. There’s just nothing that makes you want to keep reading. So much of nothing. I understand Mickey’s inability to get over her termination and to get herself back into the job scene but there was nothing else going on. It was her fighting with her girlfriend and hiding the truth from everyone. However I did appreciate the discussions about her story being taken and the constant invalidation of the racism she faced because white people were giving other white people the benefit of the doubt instead of believing Mickey. I unfortunately couldn’t see the light in her insufferable behavior.

I wish I enjoyed this book more, but sadly it just didn’t really grab my attention. I found myself not able to focus and having to reread pages because I couldn’t get fully invested.

I do think that other people would enjoy this book, it’s an interesting premise and discusses really important topics (particularly racism in the workplace). It’s also nice to have a main character who is Black and Lesbian, something I haven’t seen a huge amount of in books.

For me, though, the book just didn’t pull me in enough and I wasn’t a fan.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for review.

Homebodies is a wonderful debut novel that treads familiar ground of a young woman struggling to find her place as her life of stability slowly crumples in front of her -- calling into question her work, love life, and place in this world as a Black, queer woman.

Tembe Denton-Hurst enfuses so much care into her protagonist of Mickey, who is laid off from her very fancy job in media for racist reasons, and returns to her hometown to see if she can decide what's next. This novel is slow and thoughtful, focused more on a character in crisis than on a plot that is driving it forward. There are so many wonderful characters, including Mickey's partners Lex, her childhood love Tee, her grandmother, and her friends from home. The way that Mickey approaches each of these relationships, many of which exceed her own expectations of what care and love can look like, are tender and affirm that people show up in a multitude of ways. Sometimes, you just need to slow down and evaluate what truly matters before picking up the pieces again -- and this storysits perfectly in that space.

I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for something quieter, and a new and exciting voice in the field. Thanks to NetGalley for an early review copy, all opinions are my own.

Urgent, propulsive, and strikingly insightful.

It is a thrilling debut novel about a young Black writer whose world is turned upside down when she loses her coveted job in media and her searing manifesto about racism in the industry goes viral.

So fun and exceptionally written. I could not put it down, I will be recommending it to everyone.

Homebodies was an amazing debut novel!!! Tembe created completely full and dimensional characters, specifically within the main character. Mickey's journey through trials, grief, patience, acceptance, and love were so beautifully expressed. The growth of Mickey throughout the story was inspiring. JUST LOVED HER.

Looking forward to what is next for Tembe.

I wanted to really like this book but i feel as though it lacked character development and fell flat at some points although I do like the characters i wish they progressed more! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the AR

I wanted to love it, I really did but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. A good debut, and I will definitely read more of Tembe Denton-Hurst’s. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy.

Loved this! Mickey was relatable, even if I didn’t always agree with her. This book is SO real and I actually want more. I want to know everything about Mickey and Scottie, family, and friends. I saw myself and life in some of these pages and that is amazing. Mickey could easily be a girl I went to college with and a girl I’m rooting for in her ambitions and dreams. Amazing!

**Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Managed to get an ARC of Tembe Denton-Hurst’s breathtaking debut novel. I loved the characters and the writing felt so modern and relatable.

Mickey as a character was so engaging for me and was wonderfully fleshed out and so multi-layered. Her personal experiences and struggles felt so realistic (as well as her responses to these).

The general premise was simple but engaging enough to drive the plot forward. The character work and dialogue was incredibly well written and captivating.

Feels like the author truly put their entire heart into this one, would highly recommend!

3.5 stars

In so many ways, this is a strong debut, and I am looking forward to reading more from Denton-Hurst, but I also had some challenges with this one.

Mickey, the m.c., is going through what can be diplomatically referred to as a VERY rough patch. When the novel begins, she's in what seems like a strong, long-term relationship with her live-in girlfriend, and she has a job that isn't perfect but is giving her enough clout to feel like she's moving in the right direction. When she learns that there's some nefarious activity occurring in her professional realm, she ends up in a tough place. In some obvious ways, this is done TO her. In other ways, she does little to help herself, and that is what SO MUCH of this novel centers on: Mickey's purgatory. I truly thought more than once while reading, "Hey, Mickey, you're so pressed, you're so pressed you don't want to get dressed...or do much besides be pressed." The content is relevant, but so is my age. I have some years on Mickey, so I spent a lot of time thinking GET UP AND DO SOMETHING about so many different things. I understand why she doesn't; I still found her hard to read at times.

What's most interesting about Mickey's professional rupture is the ripple effect that filters into all other areas of her life, causing her to reevaluate a variety of relationships, her career, and nearly all of her past. There's a switch in setting at one point, and while I struggled to stay engaged in what happened at the first location, I found it easier to connect with Mickey in the new location and with the updated considerations. I also really like the way this ends.

I am coming out of this knowing that while this character was tough for me to read, this author is the opposite. I'll be looking for more from Denton-Hurst.

When I tell you Mickey had us going through a rollercoaster she did. Had me thinking she was overreacting about her father but nope daddy was the one with the problem and then Tee 😩 I’m still mad about it because how dare you do my girl Mickey that way. But I’m happy it ended with Mickey finding her purpose go girl.

Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst was a nice comfort read, even though it had times when it felt slow.

Mickey is a writer at a cool online magazine living a great life with her loving girlfriend until she finds out that she's being replaced in her job. She is furious and writes a manifesto on her treatment as a Black woman in media and posts it to twitter with... pretty much zero response. From there her world sort of falls apart and she winds up back home with her grandparents in Maryland.

I liked this a lot! At points it definitely felt like it was trying to do too much and there were a few loose ends I would've liked to see tied up but that's life I guess. Mickey's grandmother and her best friend Jasmine were character highlights and always seemed ready to tell Mickey the truth even when she didn't want to hear it.

I feel like this has book of the summer potential!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mickey is trying to figure out life. Professionally, romantically, personally. There’s something missing in her current life, a desire to do great things and BE great. So when her work situation blows up, she’s left in a free fall. Her relationship with her partner isn’t great and her family life is not so much better.

This book had all the makings of being great but it did not deliver. Mickey felt like an empty character who refused to learn and grow. There were so many potential “Eureka!” moments and she didn’t take any of them. Lex was a trash partner and I did not like ANY of the characters. It felt as if there were too many ideas and none of them were fully fleshed out.

There were a couple of side-eye moments in regards to comments about the diaspora that felt a little bit out of touch.

The book had no real impact because the goings on could’ve been easily resolved.

• break up with Lex
• take the severance and figure out next move
• go to therapy
• start to heal family wounds
• learn what she enjoys in life
• fall in love with herself again


There was no lesson learned by the main character and the ending was abrupt. We get no real resolution. What happens with her relationship? What happens professionally? Is she ever going to grow as a person?


I appreciate that this is a debut so it’s a sticky one but yeah.



2.5 STARS (rounded to 3)

Placeholder. Will update when the Harper Collins union new contract is finalized. Thank you again to the publisher for the copy.

Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst hit all the right notes. The definition of an auto-buy author, Denton-Hurst immediately put me on Team Tembe! Capturing you from the first page, you find yourself instantly enthralled in a compelling read. If I could give this book infinite stars, I would.

Meet Mickey. She writes content for a magazine, or she did until they fired her. Wait until you see who they hire to replace her because it will make you as furious as it makes Mickey. As we all do, Mickey finds herself on the couch at home. There, she writes a letter that sets off a string of events you won’t be able to stop reading. Mickey takes readers on an emotional yet beautiful journey from New York back to her hometown; her strength and self-development through the pages are beyond admirable. This is a beautiful story about coming to terms with where you’ve been, where you are, and where you want to be.

I treasure this book. So much so, I slid into Denton-Hurst’s DMs to thank her for gracing the world with this novel. I loved it so much! As a BIPOC reader, this book was entirely relatable. I could hear my Grandma kissing her teeth at me when she disapproved. I was also able to relate to the experience of a person of colour in the media world. Experiencing that same trial repeatedly, I found myself in a similar predicament. I only wish I had the strength of the character Denton-Hurst pens so beautifully.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins UK, for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Excellent book with a great MC with amazing dialogue. This book was so well written, I can barely wait to see what's next from this author. Mickey is a character that'll definitely stay with me.

I loved the character of Mickey and enjoyed reading about her life, relationships and sexuality as she navigates a world where she finds it hard to fit in.

Mickey struggle with injustices in the workplace, feel betrayed because she do all the work and get replace easly. Her girlfriend try to support her but at then end Micky feel not appreciated. With no job and on the break she go home, stay with her grandparents. She meet again with her old flame, reconnect with her friend in school and try to figure it out next step in her career. She write about injustice and got viral. I feel the sadness in Mickey, she is really trying still get underestimate. When she open up about her job to her father, her father think she too soft, not support her. I think the story just begin.

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#Homebodies #TembeDentonHurst #HQ #NetGalley #ARC

A very current and relevant read featuring issues such as race, sexuality and the pitfalls of the modern media industry, this story is from a young writer with her finger on the pulse of modern life. Engaging and interesting