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A review by spcandybars
Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love this book so so much. It made me feel single in the most visceral way and I honestly crave a romantic relationship with the ease and comfort of these characters that I just loved so much. The male lead is lovable immediately and he never loses his personality or charm. He’s shown to be capable of the disappointing traits of men and still be a good guy. You get so much of his thoughts, presented in this organic way that fits so well in the conversation, that he just feels like a complete person and he’s absolutely swoon worthy for it. And the female lead is witty and intimidating but she has actual interests and cute qualities that, again, made her a complete person that I loved and related to so much.
I also adore that this doesn’t fall too heavily into tropes you would assume will pop up. New friends are new friends, old friends are old friends, viewing someone as your enemy doesn’t make them your enemy - there were so many moments that were refreshing. Moments that made me worry about what would come in the narrative and the drama I would dread to trudge through just for them to play out in a different way.
Unfortunately, I knock it a few points because there is a big drama to trudge through because this does seat heavily on misunderstanding between the romantic leads. It’s frustrating that these people who know each other so well and have communicated so much and so fully can still manage to hurt each other over things they’ve already had a conversation about. It isn’t actually that overdone but it made the last fifth of the book a bit of a struggle as angst ramped to 10 on what had been such an incredible lighthearted and fun ride that seamlessly handled negative realities. I loved that what Kiki knows about people was constantly being challenged but couldn’t stand that truths shed internalized in a previous chapter would get thrown out to give more heat to a later dialogue. Compounding even more when someone outside of her has to say her feelings to her.
Another think that I think hurts the story a bit towards the end is the shift in tone and pace. This book is light but grounded in reality none the less. Now this is definitely an idealist story that maintains from the beginning that bad feelings won’t be dwelled on without satisfying exposition. This is the main reason that it feels so misplaced that the end of this book is essentially the opposite. The bad feelings seem to last a lifetime and the exposition doesn’t have the time to be satisfying if the story wants to wrap up. I felt rushed through but also dragged through by the end and even with the big delectations, I just felt like the end pieces didn’t hold themselves together strongly.
This was so close to being my perfect romance. The characterization of literally everyone, the rock solid dialogue, the absolutely stellar chemistry between the main love interests - this is a romance for the greats, flaws and all.
Unfortunately, I knock it a few points because there is a big drama to trudge through because this does seat heavily on misunderstanding between the romantic leads. It’s frustrating that these people who know each other so well and have communicated so much and so fully can still manage to hurt each other over things they’ve already had a conversation about. It isn’t actually that overdone but it made the last fifth of the book a bit of a struggle as angst ramped to 10 on what had been such an incredible lighthearted and fun ride that seamlessly handled negative realities. I loved that what Kiki knows about people was constantly being challenged but couldn’t stand that truths shed internalized in a previous chapter would get thrown out to give more heat to a later dialogue. Compounding even more when someone outside of her has to say her feelings to her.
Another think that I think hurts the story a bit towards the end is the shift in tone and pace. This book is light but grounded in reality none the less. Now this is definitely an idealist story that maintains from the beginning that bad feelings won’t be dwelled on without satisfying exposition. This is the main reason that it feels so misplaced that the end of this book is essentially the opposite. The bad feelings seem to last a lifetime and the exposition doesn’t have the time to be satisfying if the story wants to wrap up. I felt rushed through but also dragged through by the end and even with the big delectations, I just felt like the end pieces didn’t hold themselves together strongly.
This was so close to being my perfect romance. The characterization of literally everyone, the rock solid dialogue, the absolutely stellar chemistry between the main love interests - this is a romance for the greats, flaws and all.