Honey and Spice: A Novel

by Bolu Babalola

Hardcover, 2022

Status

Available

Call number

823.92

Genres

Romance

All Topics

Fiction

Publication

William Morrow (2022), 368 pages

Description

Sharp-tongued (and secretly soft-hearted) Kiki Banjo has just made a huge mistake. As an expert in relationship-evasion and the host of the popular student radio show Brown Sugar, she's made it her mission to make sure the women of the African-Caribbean Society at Whitewell University do not fall into the mess of "situationships", players, and heartbreak. But when the Queen of the Unbothered kisses Malakai Korede, the guy she just publicly denounced as "The Wastemen of Whitewell," in front of every Blackwellian on campus, she finds her show on the brink. They're soon embroiled in a fake relationship to try and salvage their reputations and save their futures. Kiki has never surrendered her heart before, and a player like Malakai won't be the one to change that, no matter how charming he is or how electric their connection feels. But surprisingly entertaining study sessions and intimate, late-night talks at old-fashioned diners force Kiki to look beyond her own presumptions. Is she ready to open herself up to something deeper?… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member DilowRosas

The heroine attends Whitewell University and has a popular student radio show. She is focused on making sure that the African-Caribbean Society women experienced no mess in certain relationship situations and problems. However, her credentials become questionable after kissing a known player in

front of a huge audience. To fix that, the heroine enters a fake relationship with the hero, and the two ends up finding themselves falling in love with each other.

This is the first Bolu Babalola book that I've read. I enjoyed the friendships that supported the couple. I also liked the university setting and the radio show that the heroine hosted. The author has a clear writing style that is shown in the story. I did find certain parts didn't grab my attention as much as others, but they aren't a deterrent of the book. Overall, an enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more Bolu Babalola books in the future.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**

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LibraryThing member curioussquared

Kiki Banjo is the ice queen of Whitewell College. She notoriously doesn't date, but she does play excellent music and dispense even more excellent dating advice on her Brown Sugar college radio show that she runs with her best (and only) friend, Aminah. Kiki's one vice is her hookups with Zack, who

she's sworn off anyway. But then, a new guy enters the scene: Malakai Korede, transfer student, and he seems... different. When Kiki's mentor professor encourages her to partner with a new student in order to increase her radio listenership and gain admission to a study abroad opportunity in New York, Kiki is skeptical. She's even more skeptical when that new student turns out of course to be Malakai. But as they start talking, Kiki realizes she may have misjudged him. Soon, the two have entered into a fake relationship that will hopefully benefit them both by helping Kiki boost listeners and Malakai use the material for a new short film he's making on relationships. But as their friendship grows, Kiki starts to wonder just what's so fake about their relationship -- and she just might be forced to drop the ice queen front.

This book had a lot going on. The writing is stylistically really pretty and interesting; almost poetic in some spots. I really enjoyed the prose overall! I did have problems when the stylized prose bled into the dialogue; I have a lot of trouble believing that ANYBODY talks like these characters, let alone 20 year old college students. Overall, I enjoyed the story a lot, but was taken out a few times by the dialogue and a few plot points that felt very first novel-y. I would still read another book by Babalola, though. And I want the fake fantasy book series that Kiki likes to be real! 3.5 stars.

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