Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Honey & Spice

This was a slow burner and I loved it!
Honestly it took me a while to get into it and I almost put it down completely, I wasn’t connecting with the characters or the setting, BUT I am so glad I stuck with it, it’s a beautiful slow burn that eventually had me so hooked, I couldn’t put it down.
The characters were delightful and I want to be their friend! I feel like the author let us in on them just enough to keep me guessing at what would happen next, the twists were unexpected, yet believable.
The issues in the book were handled with care & thoughtfulness.
A delight of a book that I throughly recommend.

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happyblkhippie's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I LOVED this book!! From the tone of voice to the topics and themes explored. The characters are beautifully flawed and loveable. I love the wit and moderate heat. The eloquent and lyrical writing, story and setting are amazing. The narrator was absolutely phenomenal and really made the story come alive! It's a 5.75/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for me. This is the best book I 've read in a while. Definitely adding to my collection.

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rachelfayreads's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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tiredenglishteacher's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

fun little enemies to fake romance to lovers story. bolu babalola is a fantastic writer - story is as much about kiki’s character development and friendships as it is about her romance. highlights the Black post secondary experience and focuses on Black friendships and excellence. broad variety of characters all told authentically.

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passionatereader78's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A beautiful romance. A wonderful journey of finding love. Kiki loves giving advice to her fellow students at university on her radio show. When she calls out Malakai as a womanizer she finds herself conspiring with him. They decide to have a fake relationship as a social experiment for their final project. I love the way they connect with one another. The way Malakai goes out of his way for Kiki is wonderful. I love that Kiki is a strong female character that finds a caring supportive partner. Beautifully written!

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shereadytoread's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

5.0

I really enjoyed this story (but I do think it was a tad too long for the plot). The emotional depth of the romance was great and the other messages around activism, standing up for others, charting your own path, etc were woven in without it feeling heavy handed.

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bookcheshirecat's review

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

“But allow me to ask a question, my sisters. If he is a player, are we games? Or are we consoles to be used to help a guy navigate his way to being a man? Our buttons being pressed, being turned this way and that for his progression?” Aminah hummed louder and raised her hands in praise.”

➽ Honey & Spice is about Kiki Banjo and her student radio show Brown Sugar. I really like the premise of that! Kiki keeps herself far away from the cliques of the African-Caribbean Society and hosts her show to help out her fellow girls. Every week she gives advice on how to avoid players and other types of guys that would take advantage of them. Kiki loves her show and is a firm believer in standing up for herself and not letting shitty guys get away with hurting women. Her character voice is really strong and Kiki herself is determined, no-nonsense and sometimes a bit brusque. She’s not good at opening up to others and has so far isolated herself, reporting on the events from the comfort of her radio show booth.

➽ Kiki and Malakai’s dynamic also had great chemistry! Malakai Korede first appears as just another player and Kiki roasts him on her show, to warn the girls away from him. But it turns out that he’s got a good heart and is willing to learn from his mistakes. His good humor and authenticity set him apart from the other guys and circumstances push them to fake date. Their banter and the tension between them was great, you could see that they had good chemistry as a couple. Both of them keep growing closer together and discover new facets of the other. There’s more to Malakai than meets the eye and Kiki herself is hiding a painful past that makes her push most people away.

➽ Despite the positive aspects, I wasn’t really vibing with the book. This is more down to personal tastes, as there were some things that I wasn’t a big fan of. One of them was the slow pacing. The audiobook was 12 hours long and depending on the edition, this book is on the longer side. The fake dating plot didn’t even start until 30% into the book and I felt like some interesting plot points like Kiki’s scholarship and personal project were often pushed to the side. After a while things to a bit repetitive and the ending felt rushed in comparison, with some things neatly wrapped up in the epilogue. Despite liking the character, I never felt as invested in the story as I wanted to. I also struggled with the writing style because it was dense and overly descriptive at times. The audiobook narrator was fantastic, but the beginning was rough because of all the references and run-on sentences.

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