Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Honey & Spice

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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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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ashleycmms's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense 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

5.0

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tlaynejones's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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naturally's review

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emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

the best romance i've read this year - no competition!!!

bolu babalola writes about love in a way that makes my mouth curl into a smile AND my eyes well with tears. her words are so luscious and poetic. her characters are a laugh-out-loud kind of funny, even the villians bc they are drawn from recognisable characteristics/references in black british culture. honey and spice is a book that is for us & by us <3

kiki and malakai are rom-com excellence in all and every sense of the words. i'm so serious when i that i am willing to be kiki's sister wife...kai is 100% a book boyfriend. i don't think i've ever felt this way about a male love interest in a book lmao. and i adore how kiki is bold and beautiful and outspoken and messy. she is a woman of so many multitudes, and i can't wait to see how she evolves and grows in the sequel, sun under skin.

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toffishay's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

A really awesome, fun, funny, and emotional new adult romance. The characters are so funny and honest and real. I love the romance and the fake dating trope has a special place in my heart. There is also a really powerful message of community and female friendship that I enjoyed. It always makes a romance book more dynamic and multifaceted when there is a lot of depth to the other relationships.

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