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A review by strawb3rrysugar
Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola
emotional
funny
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
I decided to borrow the audiobook for Honey and Spice from a library app after seeing a booktuber praise this book for being a cute, fun romance with a healthy dose of spice. Man, I really like this book. Some of this is because I think the narrator of this book does an absolutely fantastic job - probably one of my favorite audiobook narrators I've ever heard. She really captures the humor and emotion of this story so well.
I really, really liked this book. I'd read another romance book on a whim earlier this year and thought that would be the most I'd enjoy a romance novel for the rest of the year (I like the genre, but I'm very picky about what kind of romance I want to read). The characters are well-developed, the banter is witty and smart, the spicy scenes are genuinely spicy without coming across as cringeworthy, and Malakai is a very sweet, funny love interest who takes genuine interest in Kiki and her goals/interests.
If that alone doesn't convince you to read this book, I will also add that Babalola portrays Kiki's relationship anxiety and struggles with avoiding difficult memories and emotions extremely well. It feels very real and accurate to what it's like to experience that kind of anxiety in real life. And this story can get intensely emotional at some points - I had this audiobook on while doing some at-home work, and I found myself getting teary-eyed all of a sudden over a tense scene in the second act.
In short, if you want a fun and well-written romance, I highly, highly recommend Honey and Spice.
I really, really liked this book. I'd read another romance book on a whim earlier this year and thought that would be the most I'd enjoy a romance novel for the rest of the year (I like the genre, but I'm very picky about what kind of romance I want to read). The characters are well-developed, the banter is witty and smart, the spicy scenes are genuinely spicy without coming across as cringeworthy, and Malakai is a very sweet, funny love interest who takes genuine interest in Kiki and her goals/interests.
If that alone doesn't convince you to read this book, I will also add that Babalola portrays Kiki's relationship anxiety and struggles with avoiding difficult memories and emotions extremely well. It feels very real and accurate to what it's like to experience that kind of anxiety in real life. And this story can get intensely emotional at some points - I had this audiobook on while doing some at-home work, and I found myself getting teary-eyed all of a sudden over a tense scene in the second act.
In short, if you want a fun and well-written romance, I highly, highly recommend Honey and Spice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Hate crime and Misogyny
Sexual content for this book is moderate - descriptive, but not graphic. Plenty of conversations about sex and many innuendos, most of them pretty lighthearted.
There are many conversations about classism, racism, and sexism concerning Whitewell University. Some mentions of non-black people using the N-word (or trying to substitute it).
Malakai recalls a past police confrontation that gets intense, but an older man intervenes to help him.
In a flashback, Kiki is almost taken advantage of by her ex-friend's boyfriend while she's drunk. It isn't greatly detailed, but could still be upsetting.
Kiki mentions that her mother was sick while she was in high school and how it affected her life. Her mom is still alive in the story, though not a major character.