The narration is sweet like plaintain what an enjoyable audiobook!

Honey & Spice is a girl meets boy romance that celebrates love. Witty, funny and expressive.
The audiobook is narrated beautifully and full of energy and brings out the book. Having both the audiobook and purchasing the ebook i'd say the audio book is highly recommended. It felt authentic and I loved the cultural elements and language. I really enjoyed this story but did think that it mostly suited for more of a YA audience. Honey & Spice and while they are quite different this is a great book from Bolu and I am excited to read more of her work as I enjoy her writing style.

I would rate this book 4.5 stars. I think it encompassed a lot of relationships and it was definitely why an although it had some adult content. I would definitely market as a young adult as it does follow younger College based student and it does mix intellectual student with romance, aI would rate this book 4.5 stars. I think it encompassed a lot of relationships and it was definitely why a although it had some adult content. I would definitely market as a young adult as it does follow younger College based student and it does mix intellectual student with romance and scepticism, I think the romance was cute it was slow Burn. It was sort of dislike/misunderstanding to lovers and I did actually really enjoyed this book and I will be reading more books from this author when they are published in future.

Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola is a delightful and funny rom-com that promises to capture the hearts of readers everywhere. With an engaging plot full of delicious tension and romantic intrigue, this book is a true page-turner that will keep you hooked until the very end.

The story follows Kiki Banjo, an expert in relationship-evasion who has made it her mission to protect the women of Whitewell University from the dangers of players and heartbreak. Kiki's student radio show, Brown Sugar, is full of advice, tips, and essentials to help women steer clear of men who are not worth their time. But when Kiki meets the handsome and charming Malakai Korede, she finds herself struggling to resist his allure.

Despite her best efforts to keep him at a distance, Kiki finds herself drawn to Malakai, and the two of them are soon thrust into a fake relationship to save their academic futures. With her heart on the line and her defenses weakened, Kiki must learn to open herself up to the perils of love and face a past that forced her to close down in the first place.

Bolu Babalola's writing is described as hilarious, hot, and heartfelt, and this book is no exception. The characters are vibrant and authentic, and the romantic tension between Kiki and Malakai is palpable. The book has been recommended by numerous publications, including the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Elle, Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, and more. It's no wonder that Honey & Spice has been chosen as a Reese's Book Club and TikTok Book Club pick.

Overall, Honey & Spice is a fantastic debut novel that is sure to delight fans of the rom-com genre. With a strong female lead, a charming love interest, and a plot full of twists and turns, this book is a must-read for anyone looking for a fun and engaging read. I can't wait to dive into this modern chick flick and experience the hot and authentic romance for myself.

I thought this book would be a little difficult for me to connect with, as the main characters are uni students in their early 20s with different backgrounds than I. However, I fell in love with Kiki and Arminah almost as soon as I met them. This book is also beautifully written, and does truly encapsulate the life of uni students in the UK.

All the nostalgic feels of a good romance, and I am a sucker for the fake dating trope.

I loved Kiki and Malaki's the audiobook narration was enjoyable too. This was so well written and had such a unique style and voice. I can't wait to read more by Bolu

The romance was absolutely beautiful, and the writing was very thoughtful and exquisite. I loved it.

This is a general fiction/romance story, with the main character being Kiki, who is at university, and has a student radio show called Brown Sugar. On her radio show, she gives advice and tips to the women who go to the university, telling them to pay men no mind, including a man called Malakai . However, she soon ends up in a fake relationship with Malakai, but how will this end up? Will they be able to become friends, or even more than that? You will have to read the book to find out!

I enjoyed this book, although it was not the usual type of book that I normally read. The audiobook narrator was absolutely perfect for the job, and she portrayed Kiki wonderfully. I think this book would appeal to younger (young adult) readers who are also maybe at college or university. But it is suitable for older readers too. I liked how Kiki was independent and strong, but I also enjoyed seeing how she was able to open her heart, after having to protect it for so long.

Many thanks to the author, narrator, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Gorgeous audiobook!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my feedback.

I might be biased but Bolu Babalola is a true romcom queen! The banter, the dialogues, the snippers of 'Brown Sugar', the strong female friendships yes yes yes to all. Where are the Malakai Korede of the world?? This is the perfect summer read.

*** Miss Babalola, please can we make the reign of Ikefonia happen!**

My first audiobook experience and thoroughly enjoyed! Really liked the narrator as it felt like they were telling their own story. Really great book

What a truly fun novel! It reminded me a lot of Dear White People, but based in the UK, so the background of some of the characters is very different in that regard. I enjoyed the perspective and the two main characters were well-rounded with some interesting layers.

Babalola does a great job at crafting a fake-dating story that turns into something profound and intimate. She represents the late teens, early twenties angst and seriousness of coming into your own really well. The love story is cute without too much drama, as well as dealing with some more serious issues and family matters and expectations.

There's not much I didn't like about this novel - big recommend!

Honey & Spice should be THE summer romance that everyone is talking about!

Absolutely loved it! I adored reading the enemies to lovers/fake dating story set on a uni campus in the UK with Black characters who are all so richly complex, fully fleshed out and each person is completely unique yet so reminiscent of people I know in real life. The audiobook was amazingly narrated and really brought all the characters to life even more.

Kiki and Malakai were everything!! I will be reading this book again soon it was just that good.

Plus that fantasy story within the book! Yess, it made this SFF lover very happy! I need the whole book! If Bolu's next novel is a fantasy, I will be first in line to get it.

I started this book with no prior imagination of what I was going to get. The first thing that hit me was the narration. The lead protagonist is supposed to be a radio show host with a melodious voice that keeps the listeners hooked on the thing she says. The narrator brought her to life in ways that I could have never anticipated. It was a gorgeous listening experience (except for a few romantic scenes that I skipped because it seemed a little too intimate to hear out loud, but that was a tiny section).
I have not read a book with a focus on Nigerian immigrants (with a few other countries also included) and their lives and the lives of the first generation British children in the contemporary world.
Kiki Banjo has had a hard childhood and an even more complicated end to her school life. That is not the first thing we find out about her, though. It is that she prefers to be emotionally unattached. As she gently tries to break up with the person she has been 'seeing', she runs into a new face outside. This starts a chain of events she is powerless to control. It leads to a fake dating scheme that definitely does not stay in that box.
The story is more than the emotional connection between two people. It is about friendship and what that entails. The friends have each other's back. This is something that is iterated multiple times over the course of the story without it seeming out of place. The culture at the college and its impacts are discussed at length. For the most part, we are restricted to the non-white section of the college crowd, which does not seem out of place for the angles the narrative takes. It is about Kiki and the life she and others like her have to carve out from the status quo. College life, with all its pitfalls and joys, is quite extensively discussed throughout the story.
Money and the lack thereof make fleeting entries into the story but do not form the foundation for relationships or friendships. It is a very believable narrative, and I am very surprised that it is not rated higher on Goodreads. The major factor (I think) could be that as I listened to it, I 'heard' it the way the author intended. Since I was previously unaware of some of the more serious discussions amongst the characters, it may not have been as impactful if I had read it in my own voice.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own listening experience.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honey and Spice is a New-Adult-esque story about letting the barriers you put around yourself fall when you meet the right person.
In her second year of college, Kiki - witty, smart, part-time radio presenter and advice maven on "Brown Sugar" - has no time for love, and barely any time for anyone besides her bestie, until she meets Malakai - new man around college, and the 'stud' that all the girls want.
For a variety of reasons they agree to fake-date, but of course real-life intervenes and their plan doesn't quite go as they intended.
This book is incredibly reminiscent of a British version of the Netflix show "Dear White People" (which I loved) and is full of sharp wit, and cutting dialogue. The first third of the book focuses mostly on establising Kiki's character, and her solid reputation around the college, with the remainder dedicated to the fake relationship between herself and Malakai. Their banter is great, just the right amount of snarky, and as the story progresses we get to know each of them better.
I listened to the audio of this, and Weruche Opia (who also narrated Oyinkan Braithwaite's "My sister, the serial killer) does an excellent job - the sassiness of Kiki especially comes across brilliantly, As there is a lot of very modern dialogue in it ( which she does brilliantly) I suspect that part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was because I listened to it... I'm not sure if it would have had exactly the same impact for me by just reading it.
For those who may be looking for a romance read and don't mind books written with younger protagonists, this is a great option. If you're looking for the 'spice' as per the title, maybe not so much - it is appropriate for a new-adult audience is the best way to put it!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advance audio copy in return for this honest review.

I loved Honey & Spice! I've heard great things about Bolu Babalola's writing based on her short story collection 'Love in Color', so I was keen to check out her fiction debut. I'm also weak for a good romance and especially the Fake Dating and Friends to Lovers tropes, so I was excited to get my hands on a copy (thank you, Headline Audio!). Honey & Spice and Babalola's writing, in particular, more than lived up to the hype. She has a knack for a slick turn of phrase and the banter between the characters, especially the romantic leads, Kiki and Malakai, was quick and witty.

Speaking of the leads, I loved them both! Kiki's iconic; I loved that she's by turns confident and vulnerable - she's hyper-competent, stands up to bigots, speaks her mind and get stuff done, but also has little spirals of self-doubt and insecurity that were eminently relatable. She's also ambitious and, thanks to Brown Sugar, her music and relationship-advice radio show, she's influential within Blackwell, the Afro-Caribbean community at her overwhelmingly white English university. She has her sights set on a prestigious internship, meaning she must work to expand her listenership through collaboration with Malakai, a promising film student who's new on campus and working on a potentially career-making film of his own. He's also gorgeous and dates-around, making him an instant target for Kiki's wrath (her show particularly addresses the harm done by toxic men to women and their friendships). Of course, following that great start, they end up having to work together to fake a relationship which is in no way at all rooted in genuine feelings. As I said, I love a Fake Dating plot! More than that though, they become genuine friends (score for Enemies to Friends to Lovers fans), which is sweet and they honestly do seem good for each other, unlike some romance leads I could mention.

I loved the trajectory of their relationship as they open up about their respective hurts and we get to see how they became the people they are: Kiki being guarded standoffish and Malakai treating love and relationships like cryptids. As a fangirl and nerd, I also love that they are both, and kudos to Babalola for working cosplay and Afrofuturism (is that the right word?) into her novel. I just wish the African-inspired fantasy romance series they bond over was real! In any event, I would 100% date a guy who steps up and embraces the geekiness like Malakai. I don't usually get fictional crushes, but Malakai is the perfect guy. He's funny but tells corny jokes, understanding and sensitive to Kiki's needs and takes responsibility for his mistakes. He also loves making her happy and backs her up when she needs him to and she does the same for him. It was so satisfying to read, as a romance, and the Unresolved Sexual Tension was strong. I definitely shipped it! Plus, the inevitable third act conflict actually stemmed from their established insecurities and issues, so it didn't feel like forced or manufactured drama, which I always appreciate in a romance.

That said, I also loved that the romance wasn't the whole focus of the plot. Kiki has deep-seated trust and intimacy issues in all her relationships, and I loved that building friendships with other women in various campus cliques was just as important to the plot as her romance with Malakai. There's also a solid subplot about campus-politics and racism, and Babalola raises points about other serious issues, like racial profiling, police brutality, victim blaming and consent. Do take care, though, if you find it difficult to read about serious illness and borderline sexual assault. That said, I really appreciate the fact that, despite its heavy topics, this is a book about characters growing, having fun, building community and making each other happy. And food is a big part of that. Seriously, the food porn had me hooked. I really wish The Sweetest Ting were a real restaurant as the food there sounds divine. I need to check out Nigerian/Caribbean cuisine!

Finally, huge kudos to Weruche Opia, the audiobook's narrator. She does a fantastic job of differentiating the various characters' voices and accents, and of really performing their emotions, voice cracks and all. I also really enjoyed the audiobook's general sound production; for example, Kiki's interviews and extracts from Brown Sugar have a slightly different sound quality to the book's general narration (background noise, interference, etc.), which was a really nice, thoughtful touch. I'm very glad I experienced this book as an audiobook! It seems appropriate for a novel about a radio show's host..

My only criticism would be that I did find Honey & Spice a little slow, at first, so it took me a while to get really into it, but once I did it flew by. And I internally squealed more than once at the cuteness; Kiki and Malakai's interactions were just so damn adorable! Conversely, the wrap up was also a little too quick for me, but I still loved Honey & Spice overall and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, slightly spicy (pun intended) romance.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for the audio ARC of this book.

I love Bolu Babalola and have been anticipating her debut novel since dusting off Love and Colour last year (now a go-to birthday gift for me!). I knew going into this that I was in safe hands, since Babalola has the utmost respect for the conventions of the RomCom. She writes the romantic and sexual chemistry between Keke and Malakai beautifully, building it around the titular language of honey and spice. Malakai is the perfect romantic leading man, whilst Keke's self-doubt is built upon a soundly constructed and sympathetic backstory. This is a fake dating story, something I always enjoy, and it pulls off the trope well, except that the chemistry between the couple is so palpable that you never for a second doubt that they are absolutely smitten with each other - the will-they-won't-they-even-though-you-know-they-will tension that is so delicious about that particular trope never really feels like its there.

Where this really shines for me is in the portrayal of student campus politics. Though it is heightened to a caricature, I thought Babalola really captured the way that student societies can be at once excellent places to develop as a person and make friends for life, as well as hotbeds of petty squabbling. Very much saw myself in the library being Keke's safe place. Ultimately, I can look past the fact that no one ever seems to go to lectures.

Weruche Opia's narration is also fabulous - she really captures the different voices of the characters and brings the world to life, which is especially hard to do in the sexiest parts of the book when you're rapidly switching between genders.

For the first three chapters, I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy this novel but then I got settled in and I'm so pleased I didn't abandon it! Honey & Spice follows Kikiola Banjo, a talented radio show host and student at Whitehall University, Southeast England. She's the creator of FreakyFridayz, a club night for the Blackwell community.

Kiki is applying for a competitive summer school placement, and her advisor tells her she needs to expand her listener base. So new transfer student and barber shop worker, Malakai Korede arrives and soon his classmates are vying for his attention. After Kiki and Malakai publicly call each other out on their hypocrisies, they make choices that lead their agreement to fake date. As they get to know each other they find themselves in deeper and are soon wondering if their relationship really is an artificial one.

In this character-driven tale that's humorous, sweet and spicy, Kikiola Banjo a Nigerian politics, media and culture student is a definite heart-winner. She is measured, outspoken, clever and witty as she tries to navigate modern dating with her wits about her. Also, I appreciated the mentorship relationship between Kiki and her professor; it felt authentic and supportive. Besides Kiki, the placid, inquiring, Malakai, and even those supporting characters including the powerful, influential, unpleasant Simi were well formulated, and Aminah, Kiki's best friend and producer, deserves a mention. Bolu Babalola's showcasing of the diversity of personalities was phenomenal. They were diverse not only in terms of racial background and were all well-articulated, even the ones with smaller parts to play. Another terrifically good element of the book was Aminah and her relationship with DJ and music producer, Kofi who was besotted with Kiki's bestie.

Honey & Spice explores friendship, racism, betrayal, understanding, expectations and parental pressure, among other things. The audiobook was narrated by Weruche Opia and listening to it was a terrific decision. I thought it was narrated really well and she brought the perfect amount of verve to the proceedings, adding to the drama and intrigue. An all-around fantastic, bright and bubbly debut, very smart and extremely highly recommended.😊🤞🎧

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Headline Audio, Headline Review via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

i can see this appealing to fans of new adult novels or books written by authors such as Talia Hibbert & Helen Hoang. I found the premise and 'banter' here a bit too cringe and the lead has a girlboss type of energy that does little to endear her to me....but i am sure that this book will land with readers who are looking for a steamy romance.

I don't usually read this genre of book, but have been a massive fan of Bolu Babalola for years and therefore was so excited to recieve an e-arc. Absolutely brilliant and heartwarming. There is a distinct lack of novels about the UK university/early adulthood experience so this was particularly welcome! Cannot wait for a sequel!