The Sweetest Remedy by Jane Igharo is a captivating read that will resonate with readers who crave a heartwarming and challenging exploration of identity, family, and love, set against the vibrant backdrop of Nigerian culture, making it a perfect fit for fans of contemporary romance and self-discovery stories.

I have really enjoyed both of Jane Igharo's books. I learn so much while also enjoying a well-told story.

This one wasn't as spicy as her firs novel but I loved the themes of self love, self esteem and self discovery. at times it made me think about myself and those related themes, too. I loved the mix of romance and comedy too!

I love this authors writing and was so excited to read another book by her! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought this was a quick and easy read. I like the family theme to this book. I would recommend checking it out!

Really enjoyed the first book in this romance compassion series but just couldn’t get into the sequel. Love the representation and definitely think this book is a great pub!

So it's definitely been almost 2 weeks since I finished this. I remember the basics and the vibes I got but that's about it. I loved the MC and really loved the celebration of Nigerian culture and the big family elements.

Jane Igharo’s “ Sweetest Remedy” is a delightful story about finding love that crosses continents, challenges notions of family, grapples with identity and explores what it means to belong. Highly recommend!

I enjoy anything by this author. Her books are easy reads, yet still emotional and well-written. I've read three of her books & none have disappointed.

Jane Igharo is back with a sophomore novel that has all the hallmarks I loved in her first one - Nigerian culture, romance and great storytelling.

In The Sweetest Remedy, Hannah discovers that she has half siblings and is the daughter of a wealthy magnate after he passes away. She travels to Nigeria to attend his funeral and while dealing with her own grief also has to deal with being treated as the dirty little secret by some of her siblings. She draws strength from the romantic connection with Lawrence, her mom and the kindness of Dami and Iya Agba.

It’s a beautifully written story of love; two love stories actually, forgiveness and acceptance. I love the way the author invites us to experience the beauty & resilience of Nigeria through this story. Despite dealing with some heavy topics, this is a hopeful and light=hearted read and a great follow up novel. Igharo is an auto buy author for me now.

Hannah Bailey is raised by her single, white mother, never knowing the Nigerian entrepreneur who was her father. Until he dies and she is invited to Nigeria for the funeral. Though she hates him, she's curious to see who he was and where he was from. She heads to Lagos, in Banana Island, a very affluent area where her father and his family lived. Surprised by the sudden discovery of Hannah, the Jolade family struggle to accept her. As she learns about her culture, she also starts to fall in love.

I loved reading and learning about Nigerian culture. I appreciated the wealthy family perspective because I find most books focus on the poverty and hardships of those who live in Africa, Asia, etc. I loved the Jolade family dynamic, with so many strong personalities. I LOVED Ties That Tether by the same author so this one didn't quite live up to that one, but I still enjoyed it.

I recommend this to anyone looking to learn about a different culture or to anyone who has ever felt like they didn't belong.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, & Penguin Group for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

This is my second Jane Igharo book and it will definitely not be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed her debut last year (Ties that Tether) and The Sweetest Remedy was a sophomore novel that thankfully delivered!

The premise of this story was so interesting - your father, that has never really been a part of your life, dies and you are invited to his funeral so that you can be a part of the family. Is it enough? Or is it too little, too late? Oh, and then there’s that pesky thing where your four half siblings, uh, well - they don’t know you exist.

I loved the explorations of family, identity, love, acceptance, culture, and fellowship. These themes are universally understood, but Jane Igharo writes them in a way that feels so intricately personal to this novel and these characters. Something else that worked SO well - the multiple POVs. You get the story told mostly from Hannah’s perspective, but also get a couple chapters from the perspectives of the love interest and each of her siblings. Personally I felt this rounded out the story really well.

The family dynamics were so fun to read about, and I thoroughly enjoyed that each of the siblings had their own character arcs (albeit on a smaller scale) - that character development across more than just the MC is always appreciated!

Also loved the relationship between Hannah and Lawrence!! There was one moment of “could be solved by talking to one another” but it actually felt more realistic that it would happen the way that it did - and other than that they were very open with one another.

Definitely recommend this book and if you haven’t yet read Ties That Tether I would throw that one on your library hold list as well!!

(Also, FYI they are more “women’s fiction” than romance imo - also I know “women’s fiction” isn’t what we want to say but other than just calling it “fiction” I’m not sure what to call it because when I say “women’s fiction” I mean a very specific type of novel and most people understand what I’m saying but “fiction” is too broad and “contemporary fiction” isn’t great either. Maybe “relationship fiction”?)

This book was breathtaking. This author has woven so much into one small book. We get romance, a family love and self love. Highly recommend.

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

This book and story were so beautiful. While there is romance plot this book is about all kinds of love - Familial, friend, and self love. The author writes beautifully and I loved the way there were multiple POVs that really captured the heart of this story. Set in San Francisco and Nigeria, this story tackles the in betweenness of being from two places and what defines your identity.

I tried to read this book in its entirety for months and I just couldn't make myself finish. The romance was insta-love but sweet, and I think I would have appreciated the book more if that was the focus in any way. Instead, this was about family drama but there were too many characters and subplots for me to feel invested. I really didn't like the prospective hopping and I wanted more from the book in general. I got to 75% before throwing in the towel.

Hannah Bailey has been having an identity crisis for most of her life. Born to a white, American mother and Nigerian entrepreneur, Hannah has never known her father. When her father dies suddenly, she is invited to his funeral in Nigeria. When she arrives in Lagos, she is met with more questions than answers as she tries to fit into her late father’s world.

In Lagos, Hannah is thrown into the opulent lifestyle of the Jolades, her late father’s family. I loved getting to know Hannah’s new siblings. The Sweetest Remedy is the perfect mix of family drama and romance. It is such a wholesome story and I loved every minute of it!

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to read this one because I changed my kindle email address and forgot to update it on Netgalley, so it never arrived to my device. *facepalm*

But I loved Jane Igharo's first book and I was so pumped to read this one.

This was a cute, quick, and heartwarming read. It's a story about family and culture, grief, and love in all it's variations - familial, self, romantic - but ultimately, self-love.

For Hannah, after her estranged father passes away, she makes the difficult decision to follow his wishes. She flies to Nigeria to begin the hard journey of not only mourning his death, but the man she didn't know. She'll have to navigate the dynamics of a new family and culture that's all but foreign to her but no less hers. As each member grapples and deals with the loss of her father as well as Hannah's arrival each in their very own unique way, she's determined to find a way to get to know them (if they'll allow it) and the father she wasn't able to know.

I devoured most of this story, especially in the beginning (I was a huge fan of Igharo's debut, Ties That Tether), but was ultimately left wanting a little more, especially in the romance department. That's definitely a subplot in this novel, but didn't take away from the other key and important themes this story covers.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:
- stories about grief and loss and healing
- short chapters x multiple POVs
- a chance encounter x quick attraction
- age gap x forbidden love
- big family vibes
- tradition and honoring culture/heritage
- Nigerian setting

Possible Content Warnings: death of a parent, estranged father, grief, cheating, prejudice/discrimination

First off, can we discuss how beautiful the colors on the cover are. They immediately drew me into this book. I really enjoyed this book. It follows multiple POV, but I was invested in every single character and storyline. What I loved most was the setting-Nigeria. I have only read one other book set in Nigeria, so it was interested to learn more about the culture. I recently learned that I actually had some Nigerian ancestry, so it was even cooler that I got to read about their rich and interesting culture. The couples in the book were so easy to root for. I really enjoyed this book and can not wait to read more from this author!

Stevie‘s review of The Sweetest Remedy by Jane Igharo
Contemporary Multicultural Romance published by Berkley 28 Sep 21

I really wanted to like this book, because I’m always keen to read around different cultures and to find new authors across the spectrum. The blurb drew me in; however, I’m not sure it really encapsulated the story itself, which opens with Hannah at a high-class but ultimately deathly dull party to which her friend has dragged her. Escaping excessively intrusive questions from a white guy, Hannah finds herself on the balcony with a handsome Black man, but as they are getting to know each other, he is called away by a text message. This being Romancelandia, we can be at least 99% certain the pair are destined to meet again, especially when Hannah also gets a mysterious text: this time from her mother.


At her mother’s house, Hannah receives the news that her long-absent father, whom she last saw when she was eight, has died and she has been called to Nigeria for his funeral. Although Hannah has always been curious about her father and his heritage, she is also resentful of how little interest he took in her – other than sending substantial amounts of money to pay for her education and hobbies – and has no interest in meeting his family now.. Meanwhile, her half-siblings are being recalled from various locations in the US and Europe to also attend the funeral.

When Hannah arrives in Lagos, she is surprised to encounter the man, Lawrence, she was talking to at the party. It turns out he was raised alongside Hannah’s half-siblings after his mother – one of the family’s maids – died, and is now heavily involved in the various businesses Hannah’s father started. He is equally surprised to see Hannah, but is keen to get to know her better, unlike some of Hannah’s half-siblings. The younger members of the group are also taken aback by how little they were told about the seriousness of their father’s illness.

In spite of the hostility, Hannah agrees to stay in the family’s mansion for the duration of her stay and looks forward to getting to know everyone better, especially Lawrence. What she doesn’t know is that the whole family is under instruction to be nice to her, or their potential inheritance will all go to charity. I’m not sure about how well that would stand up in any court, and it’s playing off a pretty tired romance trope, but whatever.

Hannah spends the next few days exploring the rich and poor districts of Lagos, accompanied by Lawrence, and slowly wins over more of her newfound family. She also uncovers deeply buried secrets, none of which are particularly earth-shattering. By the time the reading of the will rolled around, I had pretty much lost interest in the whole cast of characters, and there was more plot after that.

I was disappointed in this book, and irrationally irritated by the number of times the author introduced a contrast by beginning a sentence with the word ‘though.’ Also, I was a little squicked for no good reason about the hints that Hannah and Lawrence were being set up as business partners as well as romantic ones, when he was already so deeply emmeshed in her new family. Not an author I’ll be looking out for again.

Grade: D