Scars and Honey by Jo Morgan Sloan is a profoundly moving novel about healing and hope. It deals with trauma and mental health in an honest and pro-therapy way while also being a story about found family and letting someone else see you. The characters feel real and that, combined with plenty of surprises, made it hard to put down.
The four POV characters' stories all connect and intertwine seamlessly. Amund, Ky, Max, and Rigs each have their own unique personalities and struggles, so there was a chance to connect with those living through experiences similar to my own and different. Every single one had emotional depth that felt completely real. Though I did notice that, while Amund may seem like a supporting character on Ky's journey, I found that I connected most with him.
The story begins with Amund rescuing Ky from an assault, so from the very beginning their relationship is tied to trauma. This sets the stage for dealing with a lot of different emotions, including grief and self worth, but that isn't all the story is. There's a lot of fun, sweet, and surprising moments too that I really enjoyed. The characters aren't just dealing with their past, but making room for a better future and I enjoyed experiencing that with them.
Amund is fiercely protective of Ky and comes across as a pragmatic planner who has his stuff together, but there's a lot more going on that's deeper than trying to respect Ky's physical boundaries. He has secrets of his own and isn't this stoic hero Ky may sometimes perceive him as.
Ky is obviously dealing with a lot, from his assault to believing his twin brother is dead, so understandably his growth process is painful, but fortunately he has Amund. His journey of finding his twin and rewriting his views of his past were compelling and I especially liked the scene where Ky and Max meet.
Max has a different set of struggles to work through and a different way of dealing with them. While I connected most with Amund, I related most to how Max dealt with trauma.
Rigs is there for Max like how Amund is there for Ky, but her proactive attitude often moves events forward. She's a fun character who added humor to the story, so she was my second favorite character.
The way the four came together to become a found family (literally "found") felt metaphorical for how they were all broken apart and mended together, their shattered pieces not fitting back as they were separated before, but into something new and whole together.
Despite not experiencing the specific tramas mentioned in the story, I still felt like I could understand what they were going through. I attribute this to the strong narrative and unique character voices in their POVs. Showing how messy the healing process is was done so authentically that I feel like anyone will get it.
For those like me who don't want to start something that's such an emotional rollercoaster like this without knowing if the ending will be a letdown, tragic, or happy, rest assured that you'll get a happy ending that will turn those sad tears into happy tears! This novel will wreck you, but it'll also mend you, because that's really what it's about: healing. And, where there's healing, there's hope.
