Palmwine & Persimmons

De: Ngozi Bolin

Narrado por: Jane O'Neill

When sparks fly across the debate stage, neither expects to become accidental roommates—or something even more combustible.

Maya Han-Levine is a fiercely intellectual, kimchi-making, cardigan-wearing cultural anthropology PhD candidate at Harvard. Chijioke “CJ” Okeagu is a Nigerian-born, custom-suit-wearing, whip-smart heir to a business empire—and a star at Harvard Law. When they clash at a university-wide debate on cultural appropriation, the academic fireworks are undeniable. So is the tension.

What Maya doesn’t expect is to find CJ moving into her grad housing suite days later, becoming her kitchen rival, legal consultant, and reluctant roommate. As simmering debates turn into late-night stir-fry sessions and shared confidences, their rivalry begins to blur—into banter, then friendship, then something neither of them is prepared for.

But family expectations run deep. Maya’s hyper-academic parents expect her to land a postdoc and stay focused. CJ’s powerful Nigerian family expects him to return home, marry well, and run the empire. Neither is ready to admit that love might be the one thing worth fighting tradition for.

Equal parts romantic comedy, cultural commentary, and slow-burn delight, Palmwine & Persimmons is a fresh, intelligent, and heart-stirring debut that proves love is the ultimate cross-cultural collaboration.

©2025 Ngozi Bolin (P)2025 Ngozi Bolin

A journey full of warmth and insight

This was one of those listens that’s reflective, gentle, and filled with moments that make you pause and think. The narration is smooth and grounded, easy to follow, and full of heart. It brings the quiet beauty of the writing to life without trying to oversell it. Palmwine & Persimmons explores identity, belonging, and the threads that connect us across time, place, and memory. If you enjoy stories that feel both personal and universal, this one is right up your alley. Thoughtful, warm, and quietly powerful.