Honey and Spice: A Novel

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK - A TIKTOK BOOK CLUB PICK

"Sexy, messy and wry, Honey and Spice more than delivers." -- New York Times Book Review

"A vibrant debut novel . . . Babalola is incisively funny, capturing the kick and sweetness of her title with her words." -- Entertainment Weekly

Named a Best Book of the Year by Time - Esquire - Vanity Fair - Oprah Daily - Cosmopolitan - Elle - Harper's Bazaar - Southern Living - Buzzfeed - Women's Health Magazine - AudioFile - Popsugar - and more!

Introducing internationally bestselling author Bolu Babalola's dazzling debut novel, full of passion, humor, and heart, that centers on a young Black British woman who has no interest in love and unexpectedly finds herself caught up in a fake relationship with the man she warned her girls about

Sweet like plantain, hot like pepper. They taste the best when together...

Sharp-tongued (and secretly soft-hearted) Kiki Banjo has just made a huge mistake. As an expert in relationship-evasion and the host of the popular student radio show Brown Sugar, she's made it her mission to make sure the women of the African-Caribbean Society at Whitewell University do not fall into the mess of "situationships", players, and heartbreak. But when the Queen of the Unbothered kisses Malakai Korede, the guy she just publicly denounced as "The Wastemen of Whitewell," in front of every Blackwellian on campus, she finds her show on the brink.

They're soon embroiled in a fake relationship to try and salvage their reputations and save their futures. Kiki has never surrendered her heart before, and a player like Malakai won't be the one to change that, no matter how charming he is or how electric their connection feels. But surprisingly entertaining study sessions and intimate, late-night talks at old-fashioned diners force Kiki to look beyond her own presumptions. Is she ready to open herself up to something deeper?

A gloriously funny and sparkling debut novel, Honey and Spice is full of delicious tension and romantic intrigue that will make you weak at the knees.

"A smart, sexy summer read, which hits your brain and your romance buttons in one shot." -- Los Angeles Times

"The ultimate summer romance . . . It's got all the juiciest, most satisfying romance tropes, but in Babalola's capable hands, the story feels fresh and unique." -- The Cut, New York magazine

"Divine summer reading. Hilarious, hot, and heartfelt. " -- Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author

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368 pages

Average rating: 7.23

193 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

JMadge
Jan 24, 2025
6/10 stars
Predictable love story.
stackedlibrarian
Dec 11, 2024
8/10 stars
3.5
BrayLanAusMom
Oct 25, 2024
8/10 stars
Loved the banter. Definitely a slow burn but the sweetest love story! I could totally identify with Kiki and her difficulties being vulnerable. Beautifully written. I half listened/half read. SUPERB narration. This book had me smiling at the pages.
Carla_is_Reading
Oct 24, 2024
10/10 stars
I will be back with full thoughts! But WOW!
Angela2zen
Jun 05, 2024
10/10 stars
I absolutely LOVED this story. At first when I wanted to get back into reading, all I seen on Booktok was this book and after completing it I can understand why. This story left me wanting more of Kai and Scotch, how did they navigate their relationship now with their newly expressed feelings? I never smiled so much reading a book, I honestly never felt so close to a character before Kiki and I didn't understand the whole "Book Boyfriend", now I do because I Malakai was EVERYTHING. His patience with Kiki and comfort he presented to her. I found myself stopping at sentences, saying what I would do or expressing my joy or question and as soon as I continued to the next sentence Kiki was right where I was, questioning, acknowledging or just weak at the knees. I would recommend this book to EVERYONE. How could I forget about her girls, I ADORED her friendships and can definitely see myself reading this story all over again.

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