Doce Calor

Omg these people. Not only did they not communicate they also told each other the exact opposite of what they should say to communicate their feelings. At the end of the book I was so done with them I didnt even care if they ended up together or not. 

⭐️3-3.25Sadly, this isn’t better than 'Honey & Spice'. That said, it’s definitely not a bad book either, it’s just not nearly as amazing. I will admit, though, that I liked it more than I expected, especially since it’s a second-chance romance. That trope is usually a miss for me because, in my opinion, it’s rarely executed well.The biggest strength of this book is easily Malakai and Kiki. Their chemistry absolutely carries the story. From their very first interaction to their last, the spark between them is undeniable, they’re electric on the page. Their banter, when it shows up, is playful, natural, and genuinely fun to read. Sure, it can be a little cringey at times, but I was still completely drawn to their interactions.Their scenes gave me almost the same giddiness I felt while reading 'Honey & Spice'. Even with the tension of them no longer being together, I found myself rooting for them, and that’s rare for me with second-chance romances. Where the book struggled a bit for me is the execution of the second-chance romance itself. This trope needs a lot of groundwork: a convincing reason for the breakup, proof that the couple worked well together in the past, and enough growth in the present to believe they can actually make it work the second time around. That’s a lot to establish, and many romance books don’t quite have the space to do it well.To Bolu Babalola’s credit, she does try to tackle those things, and out of the many second-chance romances I’ve read, this is honestly one of the better attempts. My biggest issue, though, is that the full explanation for why Malakai and Kiki broke up doesn’t come until around the 65–70% mark. That felt way too late. Most books with this trope establish the breakup within the first few chapters, so I can easily see readers getting impatient before reaching that point.Ironically, once the full story is revealed, the reason for their breakup actually makes perfect sense. In fact, it made me feel like they didn’t necessarily have to end up together. It was clear both of them still had a lot of personal work to do, and I wasn’t completely convinced those issues had been fully resolved.Because of that, I didn’t get the big wave of relief or joy at the end that I expected. The book doesn’t fully reassure you that the same problems won’t pop up again. I almost wish the ending had shown them taking things slower, rebuilding their relationship step by step.I also think some of the focus could have been shifted. As the story went on, I found myself caring less about Aminah and Kofi’s wedding and wishing we had gotten more scenes of Malakai and Kiki actually working through their issues.Overall, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, mostly because of how much I love Malakai and Kiki as characters and how much I loved 'Honey & Spice'. They’re really the heart of the story. If I put my bias aside, I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it quite as much, but Bolu Babalola still delivers a solid attempt at a second-chance romance.I’ll definitely keep reading her work in the future, though next time I wouldn’t mind a little less wordiness and fewer pop culture references. I love Beyoncé as much as anyone, but I definitely noticed every single reference in this one.

I’m a fan of Bolu Babalola, but for the second time, I can’t seem to get in tune with her writing. Her descriptions are unnecessarily loquacious and her dialogue always feels a little too unrealistic. The main premise of the story was enough to keep me intrigued throughout, but overall, the dialogue and story made me cringe and felt too unreal.