July 5, 2022

The Complexities of Romance

Bolu Babalola on celebrating love that centers on women

The Complexities of Romance

Bolu Babalola on celebrating love that centers on women

As a writer, I’m all about celebrating love that centers on women: our desires, and being desired, and being empowered by love… and Honey & Spice, my debut novel, is no different in that respect!

Honey and Spice is a campus rom com set in England that centers on Kiki Banjo, a girl with a sharp tongue and a soft heart (even though she tries to hide it). On her radio show, she gives relationship advice to the women of Whitewell University. There is one particular guy she has warned her girls about: Malakai Korede. And of course—because this is a rom com—through a series of events, she ends up in a fake relationship with him to salvage her reputation with her listeners, the demographic she loves and treasures so much. Malakai’s also hoping to save his reputation through the arrangement. But obviously things aren’t as simple as they seem…

My book explores the complexities of romance—how appearances can be deceiving, learning to let people in, learning to trust someone, and building a community (not just for the main couple, but for the whole girl gang at Whitewell). It’s a sexy romance that also celebrates the importance of friendship.

I really loved getting to know Kiki and Malakai and their whole crew, and I learned so much from them—I didn’t want to leave! Kiki and Malakai were a delight to create. It was like I was just a vessel for them as I wrote.

I can’t wait for you to meet the gang at Whitewell University! I can’t wait for you to get to know Kiki! I can’t wait for you to have a crush on Malakai! I really hope you love Honey and Spice.

So many quotes in @ReeseWitherspoon and @HarlanCoben's Gone Before Goodbye have us thinking of Maggie and the moral dilemmas she finds herself in throughout the novel. 💙

Psst... Looking for this exclusive white edition of Gone Before Goodbye? It also features a letter from Reese & Harlan themselves, and discussion questions. Check our link in bio for this very special edition!
This Native American Heritage Month, To the Moon and Back author Eliana Ramage reminds us that storytelling is more than remembering — it’s reclaiming. 💛

Her words are a reminder that Native history isn’t just in the past, it’s alive in the present, and written every day in the voices and dreams reaching for the stars. 🌙

Listen in as Eliana shares her story in her own words — honoring the past while shaping the future. 🎧
Green flags in fiction, walking red flags in real life. 💚 ➡️ 🚩(Tell us which one you'd fall for anyway.)
"Get ready to read before bed," AKA "get ready stay up way past your bedtime because you have to know how it ends." 😴📖
#ad Tonight's menu: quick bakes and long reads ✨

We teamed up with JusRol to help you make baking simple & delicious so you can spend more time reading with their ready-to-use refrigerated puff pastry dough, perfect for book lovers who bake! Enter now for a chance to win the last 5 Reese’s Book Club picks, 8 packs of Puff Pastry & a cooler bag from JusRol, perfect to share with your own book club!

TO ENTER:
1. Like this post 
2. Follow @reesesbookclub and @jus_rol_northamerica
3. Tag a friend!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. U.S. only. 18+. Giveaway ends 11/30/25 at 11:59 PT. 1 entry per person. 1 winner will be notified by DM from@reesesbookclub. See official rules @ https://hello-sunshine.com/giveaway-rules/. Prize includes five Reese's Book Club book picks, 8 pack of JusRol Puff Pastry and a cooler from JusRol.
Compact, chic, and paperback reader-approved, the Books & Things mini tote is crafted to carry your favorite stories in style. Finally… a tote that gets it.  #CuyanaPartner
#ad We’ve been building this book-loving community since 2017—brick by brick. Now we’re teaming up with the LEGO Group to stack even more joy into your holiday season. Stay tuned for books, builds, and beyond.
Letting go is empowering ✨ We’re feeling inspired by the conversation on the latest episode of Bookmarked, the Reese's Book Club podcast. 

Tune in to hear @daniellerobay chat with the co-authors of @PartyPeople @BrieLarson & @Courtney_McBroom about their brand new cookbook and how writing something of their own takes bravery.

Start listening on the @iHeartPodcast app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you love to listen.
If you had 30 seconds to grab 3 books off our shelves, what would you choose? @BrieLarson & @Courtney_McBroom took the challenge and their picks make the perfect pairing with their new cookbook Party People. 

Psst… they're also guests on this week's episode of Bookmarked, the Reese's Book Club podcast. Tune in to hear more about this cookbook, planning the perfect party, and everything in between. 

Start listening at @iHeartPodcast, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you love to listen! And don't forget to pick up a copy of Party People at our link in bio.