whitneydaniell

by: Lola Akinmade Åkerström
published: November 4, 2025
genre: Historical Fiction
448 Pages, E-Book ARC Courtesy of NetGalley
Goodreads | Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis

Spanning four decades and three continents, Bitter Honey is a story about a mother and daughter divided by long buried secrets, struggling to understand each other as they forge their own paths.

1978: A scholarship draws Nancy from Gambia’s warmth into Stockholm’s frigid winter. When her friendship with charismatic scholar Lars blossoms into something more, she thinks she may have finally found her place. But there’s more to Lars than his charming persona, and Nancy is about to discover the danger of being drawn into his world… 

2006: Tina has had her taste of fame as Sweden’s sweetheart pop princess, representing her country at Eurovision. But beneath her glittery façade, she’s uncertain who she really is. Her mother, Nancy, seems desperate to keep the past under wraps, but will the unexpected appearance of Tina’s father—a man she has long thought dead—help open the door to self-discovery?

Nancy just wants to protect her daughter from making the same mistakes she did, but Tina longs for the freedom to mess up, knowing her mother will always be there to support her. The two women love each other unconditionally, but can they learn to trust each other as well?

Character Summary

It’s 1978, and Nancy has left her home in Gambia for Sweden after earning a scholarship to attend university. She’s welcomed by her Aunt Yaya and her Swedish husband, Mr. Benke, whom she stays with upon arrival. While pursuing a degree in International Relations with a minor in Political Science, she begins a promising relationship with another Gambian student. Things are sweet until the attempted Gambian coup d’état in 1981. After the government is nearly overthrown, Malik—the son of the Gambian Ambassador in Sweden—is deported, leaving Nancy with more questions than closure.

Grief-stricken, Nancy finds comfort in Lars Wikström, a former professor whose interest in her had always lingered in the background. Having spent time in Gambia and studying the culture and language, Lars is able to connect with Nancy on a deeper level. Handsome, talented, and newly famous for a series of paintings, Lars suddenly finds himself searching for something more meaningful before it’s too late.

Tina and Tobias Wikström are originally introduced in Åkerström’s In Every Mirror She’s Black and its follow-up Everything Is Not Enough. But here, the story focuses on Tina and Nancy. Before we see Tina dining with Kemi and Tobias, she’s fresh off a televised singing competition win that throws her into the spotlight. Fame quickly proves too much. Scandal after scandal plagues her in Sweden, and she eventually heads to Los Angeles for a career reset—only to realize she’s facing a whole new set of challenges. As she searches for stability and love, Tina must decide whether she’ll sink or swim.

My Thoughts

The story is told in two interwoven timelines: Nancy’s, spanning from 1978 to 1999, and Tina’s, from 2006 to 2016. Their narratives begin to intertwine in Part Five, set in 2010. The time jumps never feel confusing and actually help maintain the flow of the story. There’s a long history of pain and unspoken trauma between Nancy and Tina, and the split timeline is a brilliant way to unpack their complicated mother-daughter relationship.

As always, Åkerström’s writing is beautiful and poignant. She writes with care and reverence for Black women—not just in Sweden, but around the world. If you are a Black woman, no matter where you are from, you’ll see parts of yourself in either Nancy or Tina. This story thoughtfully explores generational trauma, loss, and the often complex relationships between mothers and daughters in Black communities. (Side note: also see Grown Women by Sarai Johnson.)

Nancy carries trauma she doesn’t know what to do with. Her own mother shut-down—likely from her own unprocessed grief—and in Nancy’s transition into womanhood and motherhood, before she had fully figured out who she was, she projected her own confusion and pain onto those around her. First Yaya, the aunt who cared for her. Then Tina, the daughter who entered the world crying and resembling a man who once promised to never hurt Nancy, but ultimately did. In response, Nancy shut down, just as her mother had done.

Tina, meanwhile, never knew the depths of her mother’s pain or the silent grief buried so deeply that even her children couldn’t reach it. She was stuck on the outside of Nancy’s trauma, desperate for a love that was never freely given. Tina was always told her father had died, and without either a loving mother or present father, she found refuge in her Uncle Leif—until death took him. When all Tina had left was Tina, she didn’t know who the young woman in the mirror was. She drifted—untethered, unstable—through storm after storm, until she finally made her way back to calmer waters… back home.

Final Verdict

I really enjoyed this read. It’s rich with Swedish history and layered with emotional complexity. The writing and dialogue are top-tier. There’s a deep emotional connection between reader and character, and by the end, I understood both Nancy and Tina. I offered them both grace—and, in some unexpected way, offered grace to my own mother as well.

I can’t say enough good things about Lola Akinmade Åkerström. She’s a forever favorite for me, and I’ll continue to read anything she writes. You should too.

Acknowledgement

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. Lola Akinmade Åkerström is a must-read author, and Bitter Honey only deepens my admiration for her work.