Honey and Spice: A Passionate and Hilarious College Romance

By Bolu Babalola

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 contemporary romance, 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 in this witty college romance. 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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Published Jul 4, 2023

368 pages

Average rating: 7.35

270 RATINGS

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What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Honey and Spice* is a charming, culturally rich college romance celebrated for its witty banter, heartfelt friendships, and vibrant Black...

__thebookspace
10/10 stars
I laughed, I cried, I smiled. This book had me in a chokehold. Lmao. My only regret is honestly, not reading this sooner.
Michalmarie123
Melissa
Inkline society
2/10 stars
This book feels like the kind of book I would have enjoyed when I was in middle school. It is generic to a fault, in a sense that it only fills in the surface level and conventional clichés that romance stories are "supposed" to fill. It was a painful reading experience; the characters were hackneyed and lacked depth, the plot had so many holes in it, and it is the perfect example that confused writing doesn’t equal depth or sophistication. I pray the author grows since this is their debut novel. I’ll rate it 2/10.
JMadge
6/10 stars
Predictable love story.
stackedlibrarian
8/10 stars
3.5