In Honor by Jessi Kirby

This book has been on my list for a while- always paired with Saving June. I cannot remember where I found out about it but for some reason I have not been able to get a hold of it until now. Anyway, it was definitely worth the wait.

Honor is due to start her freshman year at UT Austin. However, instead of getting excited about orientation and the like, she is grieving the loss of her big brother, Finn, an US Marine killed in action.

After finally opening Finn’s last letter, which contains a pair of tickets for a Kyra Kelly concert in California and jokey instructions to tell Kyra about him, she sets off on a road trip to fulfil her brother’s unknowingly last wish for her. However, Finn’s BFF Rusty throws a spanner in the works by inviting himself along for the ride and the adventure.

I always enjoy a good road trip book- probably because I have never taken one myself and what are novels for if not to live vicariously through someone else? I love anything to do with Texas, cowboys and football, and just say the word military and I’ll probably get a lump in my throat, so already this novel had me from the start. Honor was a likeable character, heartbreakingly earnest and her grief was quietly present on every page but it was not exploited;  I appreciated that Jessi Kirby did not turn this into a sob-fest. Rusty was very Tim Riggins like in personality but that did not matter too much, his character did the job.

The writing style was very simple, the plot was also uncomplicated but the emotion was there and I found myself reading well into the night to finish it off. The final few chapters, where both Honor and Rusty eventually unravel, were incredibly touching. I appreciated the use of nature and learnt a few bits and pieces along the way (such as the Sedona vortex), and like all the other road trip novels, I found myself wanting to do the activities Honor experienced.

In Honor is one of those books that you probably will not remember forever but it quietly touches the heart in a painfully earnest way. Unfortunately, I am sure Honor’s story is not too uncommon nowadays. I am not sure if the author experienced something like Honor as it felt very real, emotionally speaking, but either way I am glad I finally got a copy of this book. Oh and I definitely want my cowboy boots now! 4/5.

★ ★ ★ ★

A little reading music for In Honor: Carry On My Wayward Son- Kansas