Not gonna lie, I was a little hesitant to start this knowing Kiki and Kai would be broken up at the start, especially considering how much I'd loved them together in Honey and Spice, but wow. Bolu Babalola crafted an emotionally rich story about growth, finding yourself, grief, and triumphant love. This book had me crying in the middle of a cycle workout lmao. 10/10 audiobook - just like the first. The narrator's performance was stellar and the production value was top tier. I really think the narrator made this book that much more impactful and would highly recommend experiencing this book through that medium.

Kiki will always be THAT girl. I loved being back in her head because her mind is absolutely fascinating (aka the author is a mastermind). The way she talked about music is unparalleled - her passion, knowledge, and enthusiasm for music seeped out of every word and was a work of art in itself. I could listen to her talk about it for days. I can't begin to list all of the times that her experiences resonated so poignantly with me. Her progress from beginning to end was raw and so real. As tough and composed as she may seem, her struggles really humanized her in a way that I deeply related to. There was a convo with her mom towards the latter half of the book surrounding eldest daughter traits and hiding your hurt for others that knocked me off my feet and had to sit with for a bit before moving on. Her character development was on of my favorite parts about this.

I may not have always agreed with how Malakai dealt with things (or refused to) but as the story progressed, I gained a lot of empathy and compassion for him and realized that man needed a hug more than anything. His grief and his deep-seated avoidance to deal with his emotions was rough, but I did really appreciate his growth by the end of this. There were a lot of obstacles in the way, including himself, but it was very clear that he still held a torch for Kiki and worshipped the ground she walked on. He tried to play it cool but I saw right through him!!

Kiki and Kai's connection is transcendent. I really loved how, despite years apart, they still were able to just get each other with just one look. Their love was meant to be and it made me happy to no end that they found their way back to each other. Legit had me in tears by the end. So, so beautiful.

Anyway, this was such a treat. Please do yourself a favor and listen to Honey and Spice and then this one!!