Carleen Brice

“Orange Mint and Honey” held my attention from the opening paragraph to the very end. This book was refreshing, real, uplifting and enjoyable read with short chapters that get straight to the point. The characters, with all their flaws, were very likeable. The author has an easy way with words, conveying much insight and wit when you least expect it. As well, for me, it brought compassion for Shay and Nona.

There are many layers to this story that make it a satisfying reading experience; show more alcoholism, Trichotillomania (impulse control disorder), domestic abuse, gardening, virginity, infidelity and many other issues. Also, well-developed secondary or supporting characters; such as Ivy, a recovering alcoholic, drug abuser and prostitute, and I Loved Oliver, Shay's first "real boyfriend." I liked the way Shay’s character grew and how Carleen Brice uses the spirit of Shay’s favorite singer, the late Nina Simone, to move the character along.

It was a wonderful read. Women of all races will be able to identify with the characters. I was happy with the way the novel ended and I’ll be anxiously awaiting the Lifetime movie and her second novel “Children of the Waters.” show less

I was at first very skeptical of Shay and carried a bit of animosity towards her. Mental illness, deep rooted pain, or selfishness? The book begins with her burnt out from grad school and unable to complete her master's thesis in epidemiology. Nina Simone appears to her and tells her that she must return home to see her mother. What results is a whirlwind of emotion, resentment, self-discovery, forgiveness, and understanding around her mother's past alcohol addiction, her younger half show more sister's [better] life, old friends, new loves and of course growing up. Brice creates characters that are unapologetic and at the same time remorseful for their situations. Rounded out by the cyclical connections of mother/daughter relationships and gardening the novel puts the past and the present into full view. We see that relationships can be righted and women can be whole again, women can be powerful in their support for each other. Brice shows this through the roles of mothers and what it means to mother. Women can mother their children, their friends, even their own mothers. Throughout the book I was afraid that the message would be that what women need to be whole and to heal is the love of a man. We see that this is not the case. Shay was able to realize that society's ideas of family and womanhood and the logical next steps for a young woman may not be right for her. And she was okay with that realization. show less

I kind of liked this book. Actually, I liked more about it than I disliked. The story is about Shay Dixon, a burnt out grad student who goes to stay with her recovering alcoholic mother for a break. She goes because Nina Simone (a dead jazz singer) tells her to. I didn't really connect with the Nina Simone thing. However, I really liked the mother-daughter story that's at the core of the novel. Their relationship and Shay's healing and evolution kept me reading. I didn't like the end. It show more felt loose and unfinished but not in a "literary" on purpose kind of way. The ending also felt untrue to me. I didn't understand Shay's decisions in the end. I'm not saying they were the wrong decisions. They just didn't fit for me. This sounds like a bad review but it's not. I did enjoy most of the story and I would recommend this books to friends. Lifetime is coming out with a movie based on the book. Hopefully they don't butcher it too badly. show less

Shay Dixon is a burnt out grad student at the University of Iowa. Her advisor has convinced her to take a semester off to get some rest and get her head together. Shay has worked and gone to school to the exclusion of the rest of her life for so long that she doesn't know where to go or what to do. Nina Simone appears to Shay and tells her to go home to her mother. Shay doesn't like or respect her mother. But with nowhere else to go, she heads back to Denver.

Nona was a serious alcoholic for show more all of Shay's life. Shay raised herself while Nona partied, leaving her school-aged daughter home alone for a week at a time. The last time Shay saw Nona was four years ago when Nona began AA and was following the steps, apologizing to the people she had hurt. Nona had been pregnant at the time.

Shay moves in with her mother and 3-year-old sister Sunny. Despite evidence that Nona has changed - healthy food, positive quotes, a garden, prayer - Shay is determined to hold on to her anger.

Shay is a very immature 25-year-old, especially for someone who raised herself. But the way she holds on to her anger and blames Nona for her situation is believable. She made a lot of bad decisions and pissed me off, but her character was realistic. I didn't feel a whole lot towards Nona.

I thought the book was going to end up implying that the love of a good man could save a woman, and I was ready to roll my eyes. But Brice didn't go there. Nona and Shay's relationship developed in a realistic way and Shay did start to make her own decisions.

The recipes at the back of the book were a nice touch, and I loved the idea of the God box, planting your prayers in your garden. show less