Bitter Honey

"Radiant." - People Magazine on Bitter Honey

"Deliciously addictive-a family drama with compelling social commentary." - Kirkus Reviews on Bitter Honey

"If you've ever wondered what on earth is going through your mum's head, Bitter Honey is an urgent call for empathy, grace, and understanding." - Glamour (UK) on Bitter Honey

"A powerful exploration of belonging and fractured family ties.... Bitter Honey not only illuminates the intricate paths to self-discovery but also amplifies the rarely heard voices of Africans in continental Europe. This astute novel is a compelling addition to Åkerström's growing literary canon." - Booklist on Bitter Honey

"L lá Ákínmádé Åkerström crafts sharply written and deeply moving characters, raising brutal questions and steering clear of easy answers." - Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Atmosphere

"[Bitter Honey] is sweet and sour, layered and complex, showing us that secrets buried never stay buried." - Montecito Journal

"Brilliant...Lola Akinmade Akerstrom has a sharp voice in the world of nuanced contemporary women's fiction." - Jennette McCurdy, New York Times bestselling author of I'm Glad My Mom Died

"Everything is Not Enough presents a fascinating and complex kaleidoscope of women's lives in Sweden, asking crucial questions around career, love, family, and the definition of success. There are no easy answers in this book-the characters are real, subtle and surprising and you root for them the whole way through." - Kathy Wang, author of Impostor Syndrome

"Compulsively readable, Everything is Not Enough is a worthy successor to Akerstrom's debut. It was profoundly comforting to see Akerstrom's women wade into their power, claiming their space in a world that gives them very little room to be. Akerstrom is a master at shading the gaps between power and love. This book filled me up like food. Everything about it is absolutely enough." - Chika Unigwe, award-winning author of The Middle Daughter

"Everything is Not Enough is a searing account of three women struggling through heartbreak, deception, and the scars of their pasts to find their rightful place in a society that isn't eager to make space for them. Lola Akinmade Akerstrom writes with clarity and fearlessness, baring ugly truths amidst the strength and resilience of women who come into their own, while also coming into the beauty of hope." - Charlene Carr, author of Hold My Girl

"Lola Akinmade Akerstrom weaves a complex tapestry of three women through her deft storytelling and absorbing prose. These rich characters' lives are complicated, messy and heartbreakingly real as they struggle with love, family, and identity in a world that consistently thwarts women's ambitions. Their passions, desires, and vulnerability will stay with readers long after they finish this fascinating page-turner." - Christine Pride and Jo Piazza, bestselling authors of You Were Always Mine

"Incendiary, emotionally devastating, absolutely wonderful." - Onyi Nwabineli, author of Someday, Maybe

"Åkerström carefully examines the loneliness of frequently feeling like an outsider and how this can draw the most disparate of people together. Balancing the trauma and turmoil of being judged and appraised based on the prejudices of individual people and societies, this fitting follow-up dwells on the comforts of finding a community on which to depend." - Booklist

"Everything is Not Enough is a heart-racer of a sequel. The passions, regrets, and vulnerabilities of Black women ignite each smartly crafted page. A very satisfying read!" - Deesha Philyaw, award-winning author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

"Akerstrom doesn't pull any punches when calling out the racism that keeps knocking them back, and draws strong characters to carry her plot." - Sunday Times (London)

"International best-selling author Lola Akinmade Åkerström's second novel, Everything Is Not Enough, turns expectations and stereotypes of Black women on their heads. Åkerström creates space for characters to become fully realized, allowing them to make mistakes and embrace anger or selfishness in ways they're not always allowed." - Shondaland

Told compellingly from the three perspectives of Yasmiin, Kemi, and Brittany-Rae, Akerstrom hijacks your attention with her beautiful writing and well-drawn characters, and forces you to confront issues and realities other than your own. Brilliant." - Heat Magazine (UK)