The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Denton-Hurst, Tembe. Homebodies. HarperCollins, 2023.

Tembe Denton-Hurst's novel Homebodies is written from the third-person point of view and in the past tense. Set primarily in New York and in Maryland, the novel traces the protagonist Mickey's work to recover her footing in the world after losing her job.

Mickey had defined herself as a writer for as long as she could remember. Therefore, when she was hired for her media job with Wave, she felt she had finally achieved the life and career of her dreams. However, after the editor who hired her left the company and was replaced by a woman named Nina, everything at Wave began to change for Mickey. Nina did not see or understand Mickey, and Nina refused all of Mickey's pitches and started to build a case against her. Not long after a colleague informed Nina there were rumors that Mickey would lose her job, Nina fired Mickey.

Although Mickey knew the Wave workplace was toxic, she felt insecure and displaced without her job. Her close friends Scottie and Elaine encouraged her to use the time to write the sort of stories about the Black queer experience that she had always wanted to write. Mickey knew this was a good idea, but she was overcome by despair.

Even though Mickey's girlfriend Lex of five years encouraged and supported her as the weeks passed, Mickey could not extract herself from her depression. She and Lex started fighting more often. Mickey felt that Lex saw her as a parasite. She was ashamed of herself for relying on Lex.

In an effort to escape these troubles, Mickey decided to leave her apartment in New York and stay with her grandparents in Maryland for a while. She called her Grandma Anna asking to come for a visit. Unable to reveal the truth, Mickey told Grandma Anna that she was on vacation from work.

Although Mickey's father lived near Grandma Anna and her husband, Mickey refused to see him. She was not ready to reveal the truth of her failures and troubles to him.

When Mickey ran into Tee, her ex-girlfriend at the local grocery store, she was overcome by emotion. She had not seen Tee in years, but the memories of their time together flooded Mickey. Soon after that meeting, she and Tee encountered each other again at their mutual friend Jasmine's house. Although Mickey had reservations about spending time with Tee, who had broken her heart, she agreed to leave Jasmine's and go for a drive with her.

In spite of Jasmine's and Scottie's warnings about Tee, Mickey spent more and more time with her over the course of the following weeks. The more they were together, the more Mickey imagined their future together. Since she had told Lex in a recent phone call that she wanted to break up, she felt that something might be possible with Tee. Tee seemed more committed and open than she had ever been in the past.

Then one day, Mickey learned that the open letter she posted on Twitter about her Wave experiences had gone viral. Scottie and Elaine called her to see why she was not contributing to the conversation. Mickey had wanted the letter to accomplish something, but she now felt afraid. With Scottie's help, however, she secured an interview on The Early Show.

Shortly after discovering that Tee was in a relationship and had lied to her, Mickey went to her father and told him everything. When she did not receive his support, she returned to her grandmother's and found Lex waiting for her. They drove back to New York together. A day later, Mickey had her interview. Although she was nervous, when she reread her letter, she felt empowered and capable.