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A review by tomiii363
Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola
2.0
This book could have been everything and more, but it had a lot of downfalls. I am so disappointed, like OMD. WHAT WAS THIS??!?? 2.5/5 stars
THE GOOD.
Kai and Kiki had a very, very nice relationship. The banter was ON POINT. The nicknames were kind of corny but still cute as hell. The dialogue of the whole novel also ate. There was no room for boredom AT ALL. I would like for this to become a show because it was so interesting and felt like something I would watch.
THE OKAY.
Now I know I like to read very detailed books, but I DID NOT NEED PARAGRAPHS ON EVERYBODY AND THEIR MOTHER. I MEAN F*CKING HELL. The beginning of the book was very cute but kind of boring. The end....let's save that for the next part of the review. The characters were kind of annoying as hell. I liked Kiki and Aminah, and I loved Malakai. I am also Nigerian and Yoruba and I know Nigerian men are DEFINITELY NOT LIKE THIS, but he is an exception because he is simply FICTIONAL. Kofi was the only character who was FLAWLESS TO ME. I know this is probably because he was not introduced with a 20-page essay like every other INSIGNIFICANT character. Overall, I was okay with the premise of the story and the fake dating was done right, somewhat.
WHEW
THE BAD.
OH MY DAYS. I ended up hating every character in this book. Malakai, Kiki, AMINAH(FOR PLAYING WITH KOFI FOR THE ENTIRE BOOK). At some point, she said she had a very strong feeling that Kofi was going to be her husband and yet you treated him like he was a joke because you play hard to get and "he liked it" I mean come on. I am all for making a man work for you because you do not want to seem "too easy" but SHE PLAYED THIS MAN LIKE A FIDDLE. If I were Kofi, I would have let her go A LONG TIME AGO. JESUS. At some point, she literally flirted with her ex in front of him, knowing it would make him jealous after making him think they were going to become something, but then got mad at him when he gave her the same energy by flirting with someone else (fair game to me tf?), I understand that she does not want to end up marrying someone like her father who treats her mother like she is a "generator", BUT A PERSON CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH. CHRIST. I liked her in the beginning, did not like her in the end.
KIKI. Okay, she is a special case. She went through something traumatic during her high school days which was TERRIBLE (F*CK NILE, YOU MANIPULATIVE PR*CK) but it does not give you the right to treat Malakai, a new student who you do not know, like trash on his first week at school. I mean seriously. Calling him the "Wasteman of Whitewell" was just OTT because this man was minding his damn business, having casual hookups--he clarified that to every woman he hooked up with--which she does too btw. SLUT SHAMING ANOTHER MAN when you do the same is just PLAIN HYPOCRITCAL. I do not care if you categorize it as "giving advice to the gyaldem" it is just plain hater behaviour. END. OF. DISCUSSION. She annoyed me. The only thing she ate up (sometimes) was her comebacks lmaoooo.
I did feel like she changed during the middle of the book but NOPE, she ended up right where she started.
MALAKAI. I do not have anything major to say about him, he was saying the right things, doing the right things, acting right most of the time. BUT it just became repetitive and bland. Like a mechanical character. I know what I mean. Where is the rest of the flavour? The honey and spice? (corny as hell but I HAD TO.)
ZIT/ZAP/ZACK OR WHATEVER HIS NAME IS.
This piece of trash was useless as hell. He was just there to make the story more complicated than it should have been. He literally referred to himself as a king and "perfectly blended" because he was half Black and white. Need I say more????? UGH. The story would have been better without him. Expelling him was not enough; this man should be IN SHACKLES. IN JAIL.
HOW IT SHOULD GO: Characters meet, they develop this plan to fake date because it benefits them both in some way. They have an expiration date. They start acting, lines blur. They realize they are in love but keep convincing themselves and everyone else that they are "just friends" *cue eye roll*
they end up togther. blah blah f*cking blah.
HOW IT WENT: Too much was going on, the third act breakup, the unnecessary "man fighting someone for her" trope, the political BS, the compiled conflict at the end was so GODDAMN unnecessary. It definitely gave something. A WHOLE BUNCH OF NOTHING!!!
I do not know what the author was trying to accomplish with all that conflict at the end but it just made me ANGRY asf. Overall I think the author did an okay job with the toxic Nigerian parent representation, Nigerian slangs and all that but the end was so ANNOYING. You call that an epilogue?? Huh?? could have been better. I started reading this thinking it was going to be GOOD ASF but nope, it served NOTHING.
HONOURABLE MENTION
"Kiki Banjo. You're a problem"
"Come solve me then"
HUHHHHHHHHHH??????????? LMAOOOOOOOOO WHAT????????? Corny asf.
THE GOOD.
Kai and Kiki had a very, very nice relationship. The banter was ON POINT. The nicknames were kind of corny but still cute as hell. The dialogue of the whole novel also ate. There was no room for boredom AT ALL. I would like for this to become a show because it was so interesting and felt like something I would watch.
THE OKAY.
Now I know I like to read very detailed books, but I DID NOT NEED PARAGRAPHS ON EVERYBODY AND THEIR MOTHER. I MEAN F*CKING HELL. The beginning of the book was very cute but kind of boring. The end....let's save that for the next part of the review. The characters were kind of annoying as hell. I liked Kiki and Aminah, and I loved Malakai. I am also Nigerian and Yoruba and I know Nigerian men are DEFINITELY NOT LIKE THIS, but he is an exception because he is simply FICTIONAL. Kofi was the only character who was FLAWLESS TO ME. I know this is probably because he was not introduced with a 20-page essay like every other INSIGNIFICANT character. Overall, I was okay with the premise of the story and the fake dating was done right, somewhat.
WHEW
THE BAD.
OH MY DAYS. I ended up hating every character in this book. Malakai, Kiki, AMINAH(FOR PLAYING WITH KOFI FOR THE ENTIRE BOOK). At some point, she said she had a very strong feeling that Kofi was going to be her husband and yet you treated him like he was a joke because you play hard to get and "he liked it" I mean come on. I am all for making a man work for you because you do not want to seem "too easy" but SHE PLAYED THIS MAN LIKE A FIDDLE. If I were Kofi, I would have let her go A LONG TIME AGO. JESUS. At some point, she literally flirted with her ex in front of him, knowing it would make him jealous after making him think they were going to become something, but then got mad at him when he gave her the same energy by flirting with someone else (fair game to me tf?), I understand that she does not want to end up marrying someone like her father who treats her mother like she is a "generator", BUT A PERSON CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH. CHRIST. I liked her in the beginning, did not like her in the end.
KIKI. Okay, she is a special case. She went through something traumatic during her high school days which was TERRIBLE (F*CK NILE, YOU MANIPULATIVE PR*CK) but it does not give you the right to treat Malakai, a new student who you do not know, like trash on his first week at school. I mean seriously. Calling him the "Wasteman of Whitewell" was just OTT because this man was minding his damn business, having casual hookups--he clarified that to every woman he hooked up with--which she does too btw. SLUT SHAMING ANOTHER MAN when you do the same is just PLAIN HYPOCRITCAL. I do not care if you categorize it as "giving advice to the gyaldem" it is just plain hater behaviour. END. OF. DISCUSSION. She annoyed me. The only thing she ate up (sometimes) was her comebacks lmaoooo.
I did feel like she changed during the middle of the book but NOPE, she ended up right where she started.
MALAKAI. I do not have anything major to say about him, he was saying the right things, doing the right things, acting right most of the time. BUT it just became repetitive and bland. Like a mechanical character. I know what I mean. Where is the rest of the flavour? The honey and spice? (corny as hell but I HAD TO.)
ZIT/ZAP/ZACK OR WHATEVER HIS NAME IS.
This piece of trash was useless as hell. He was just there to make the story more complicated than it should have been. He literally referred to himself as a king and "perfectly blended" because he was half Black and white. Need I say more????? UGH. The story would have been better without him. Expelling him was not enough; this man should be IN SHACKLES. IN JAIL.
HOW IT SHOULD GO: Characters meet, they develop this plan to fake date because it benefits them both in some way. They have an expiration date. They start acting, lines blur. They realize they are in love but keep convincing themselves and everyone else that they are "just friends" *cue eye roll*
they end up togther. blah blah f*cking blah.
HOW IT WENT: Too much was going on, the third act breakup, the unnecessary "man fighting someone for her" trope, the political BS, the compiled conflict at the end was so GODDAMN unnecessary. It definitely gave something. A WHOLE BUNCH OF NOTHING!!!
I do not know what the author was trying to accomplish with all that conflict at the end but it just made me ANGRY asf. Overall I think the author did an okay job with the toxic Nigerian parent representation, Nigerian slangs and all that but the end was so ANNOYING. You call that an epilogue?? Huh?? could have been better. I started reading this thinking it was going to be GOOD ASF but nope, it served NOTHING.
HONOURABLE MENTION
"Kiki Banjo. You're a problem"
"Come solve me then"
HUHHHHHHHHHH??????????? LMAOOOOOOOOO WHAT????????? Corny asf.