Honey & Spice

Genre

Romance & Contemporary Relationships

Publisher

Headline Review (Hachette UK); William Morrow (US)

Publication year

2022

ISBN

9781472286383

Kiki Banjo, host of a popular Black-student radio show at a British university, publicly warns her listeners against 'The Wasteman of Whitewell', then is caught kissing him. To save face, she and Malakai strike a fake-relationship deal. Bolu Babalola's debut novel was a Reese's Book Club pick...

Kiki Banjo has built a following as the sharp-tongued host of a Black-student radio show at her British university, dispensing romantic wisdom and warning her listeners off unsuitable men - so it is a problem when she is caught kissing the very 'wasteman' she just denounced on air. Bolu Babalola's debut turns that mortifying setup into a smart, joyous campus rom-com, as Kiki and the disarming Malakai fake a relationship to protect both their reputations and, inevitably, catch real feelings. Babalola, celebrated for her love-story collection Love in Colour, writes with wit, cultural specificity and a deep affection for her characters, grounding the froth in questions of ambition, community and self-protection. It is a warm, funny, unmistakably British-Nigerian romance that made a splash well beyond genre circles. For readers who want a fresh, culturally rich rom-com with banter, heart and a heroine worth rooting for, this Reese's-picked, best-of-the-year debut is a delight.