Kiki is fiercely feminist radio show host at her university who although she's personally sworn off love, gives relationship advice to her fellow students. She is known for railing against players aka 'wastemen'- so when she meets the sexy new transfer student - Malakai- who seems to be messing with various women's hearts, she is instantly opposed to him and his presence. But when they are thrown together in order to complete an academic project, their defenses come down and they get to know eachother beyond their preconceived notions.

There was lots of chemistry in this slow-burn, fake dating narrative. And of course, we get the happily ever after which was so sweet.

I just loved this book! Deeply romantic but also so much more. This novel was about friendship, growing up, healing from past traumas, and learning to love yourself and others.

Babalola has a great talent for writing brilliant characters that feel so vibrant and real, and for dialogue that really pops. I enjoyed the way she wrote about the campus social and political activist scene, icluding the pro Black Lives Matter movement plotlines. I also loved how Afro-Caribbean cultures were such a central part of the characters and the storyline as a whole.

I felt enveloped in this world. What are you waiting for- go pick up this book already!

This was soooo good. I am such a fan of Bolu and loved Love In Color and couldn’t wait for this to come out. The characters are so well developed, the story flowed so easily, and the BANTER!! was so good I was giggling at my kindle feeling the metaphorical butterflies with Kiki. I love a fake dating trope and the way this was done was so cute, their feelings and the way she incorporated her radio show and pop culture to it was just perfection. I love that this story was a love story, not just with her and Malakai but with her friends and learning to love and open herself up to being loved.
I can’t recommend this book enough, and can’t wait to see what she writes next!

What a delightful book. College radio host Kikiola Banjo typically stays out of the drama at Whitewell University, opting instead to coach her listeners on romance and self-love from the safety of her recording booth. But after warning her fans not to engage with a rakish new transfer student and deeming him “the Wasteman of Whitewell,” Kiki finds herself in a fake relationship with him to protect both of their reputations.

I was hooked on this book. It was so refreshing to read a romantic story with fully-illustrated personalities of both major and minor characters encompassing various aspects of Whitewell's Afro-Caribbean Society. In many ways, Kiki seems wise beyond her years from the start: she’s easily able to parse the campus’s social structure and detail it for readers with cutting honesty and humor. As the story develops, Kiki grows into someone who can also be vulnerable with those she loves, even in situations that she can’t immediately categorize and define. A good example is her lack of experience with physical intimacy: there was plenty of well-developed sexual tension in this book (and a steamy scene alleviating said tension!), but it also beautifully illustrated Kiki’s growth at being able to put herself in a situation that required trusting another person in a situation she hadn’t navigated before. It's so rare to see books in this vein that manage to feel fresh, young, and specific to a character's experience. Bolu Babalola's world-building and glorious rendering of romantic chemistry made this book stand out.

At this point I will devour anything Bolu Babalola will give me. She wrote all of the main characters sooooo well and this story was about love and friendship and it was prefect.

The key things you need to know about this book: smart. witty. engaging. Amazingly enough our MC, Kiki, is all of those things as well. I think I enjoyed that this wasn't one of your insta-love stories. The ending didn't leave you guessing and you enjoyed the ride.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Honey and Spice is a bold and flirtatious rom-com with a fake dating trope that packs some serious heat! Honey and Spice takes place on a university campus and gives you a glimpse into student life. The best part of the story is the main character, Kiki Banjo, who absolutely shines with her vivacious personality!

I feel that this novel is definitely geared more towards a younger audience.

Well done @boluberry !

Thank you to @harpercollinsca for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

#booksofhcc #honeyandspice #bookstagram #canadianbookstagram #bookadoration #bolubabalola

If she wasn’t a writer, Ms. Bolu Babalola could have been a great sociologist. Her debut fake dating romance is funny, smart, and sophisticated—contemporary romance at its finest, shedding light on modern mores while telling an original love story. With scathing social observation and taxonomies of the campus social scene, Bolu Babalola is the Tressie McMillan Cottom of swoon. Full review to come.

Loved this. Very cute romance with some self discovery themes running throughout. Kiki is perfect main character and Malakai was such great love interest. Their chemistry jumped off the pages.
I also liked that the story was set in London. Nice exposure to what Uni looks like for Black Kids in the UK.
Book felt current without feeling corny.
Real life issues and topics were weaved into the story seamlessly.

Kiki Banjo has just made a huge mistake. 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 Afro-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 and her reputation on the brink. They’re soon embroiled in a fake relationship to try and salvage their reputations and save their futures

This is a hilarious book. I love the funny situations in this book and laugh out many times. It's also nice to read about the friendships in this book and not just the romance..... The friendship adds so much to the book! The romance is sweet. I love seeing how the main characters overcome their initial misconceptions and fall in love.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

So, so, sooooooo good! I was immediately drawn in by the sharp dialogue and fresh perspective of our smart, beautiful, and highly opinionated heroine and narrator, the equally smart and charming male main character, and her bestie. The black student community at a PWI university in England was a wonderful setting for the story; I’m not from the UK, but as a black woman in the US I could definitely relate. I hope this is turned into a limited edition series on HBO max. It is just that good!

every part of this book was amazing I loved the writing and how the author coaxed you into loving these characters so quickly. Would absolutely recommend

Love this fake dating story set at a University in the South of England. The storytelling is lush and sensual, and I would LOVE for this to have a movie adaptation (the cinematography would be STUNNING) A must-read if you enjoyed Dear White People.

This was okay. The strongest aspect of this book is its focus on a Black woman falling in love. There are not many romantic comedies centered around Black women and depict the Black British experience at University so it was nice to feel ‘seen.’ I had some issues with the writing, over excessive use of pop culture references and some of the decisions that Kiki makes throughout the novel. Overall, I am excited to read what this author writes next.

Bolu Babalola is God's gift to romance.
I just finished Honey & Spice and when Babalola called it the “Romcom of the decade” she did not lie.

I could barely read the last couple of pages as I was sobbing. The book was hilarious, the whole ensemble was stupidly charming. They felt very real, no dialogue forced. Pop culture references woven seamlessly (what else would you expect from Bolu). The right amount of drama, no stupid bs for drama sake. Very true, honest and real thoughts about relationships, romance, friendships. One of the best fake-dating books I have ever read. Definitely in my top 3 of romance books of all time currently.

I love Kiki and Aminah’s friendship especially (reminds me of myself and my best friend). I love Kai, a man after my own heart. I love everyone. Except Zack- he can d*e, disrespectfully.

Thank you to Netgalley and WilliamMorrow books for allowing me to read this early in exchange for an honest review.

Babalola writes this story from the main character Kiki's point of view as she navigates college and also hosting a radio show. Kiki as a main character is very relatable, she has never been in a "true" relationship before so a lot of her personal development includes her being about to be comfortable with a partner and allowing herself to fall in love. Insert Malakai (the loml)! He's the new guy at school and Kiki originally assumes he is the play type. But all of this is going on within the first couple of chapters so the reader already knows what to expect in terms of their meet cute mixed with fake dating! The book remains a moderate pace but the reader can definitely get anxious at times wondering if other will find out about their relationship.

I love that the relationship feels natural and full of chemistry. While circumstances lead them to fake dating before I would even say they're friends, the development of their friendship is beautiful and based on things that are not primarily physical.

I was reeled in by the fake dating trope, but was unsure how much I would enjoy reading this book at the beginning. The more I read, the more I was reminded of the show 'Dear White People.' There were so many similarities! Honestly, I almost DNF'ed it, but I'm glad I kept going. The characters began to become more of their "own" opposed to bad 'Dear White People' clones, and the book started to become a cute, new-adult story. The pace of the book was great, and I think the author did a great job of tying things up in the end. The characters were relatable, and the author had them deal with real issues that typically arise in a college environment, especially as Black students. I really enjoyed the sense of community the author built with the characters she created. Focusing on Afro-Caribbean culture throughout the entire book was awesome. Overall, it was a cute story and kept me intrigued for the most part. By the time I finished the book I wanted a part two!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love Babalola's writing, but this was just a little too new adult-y for me - I felt like there were too many storylines going on, and if the stuff about Kiki's family and former BFF had been cut out it wouldn't have affected the story and in fact would've made the book flow more smoothly by not removing the reader from the interesting plotlines going on with her radio show and with the student groups.