She went to study Creative Writing (MA Prose fiction) at the University of East Anglia, where she was awarded an International Bursary.

[10][11][12] Michiko Kakutani in her review of Stay With Me for The New York Times described Adébáyọ̀ as "an exceptional storyteller", adding: "She writes not just with extraordinary grace but with genuine wisdom about love and loss and the possibility of redemption.

It was selected as notable book of the year by several publications, including The New York Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian.

[27] Adébáyọ̀ has been a writer in residence at Ledig House Omi, Hedgebrook, Sinthian Cultural Institute, Ox-Bow School of Art, MacDowell Colony and Ebedi Hills.

[25][31][32][33] In 2021, Adébáyọ̀'s second novel, A Spell of Good Things – described as being "about family secrets and bonds, thwarted hope, and the brutal realities of life in a society rife with inequality" – was announced for publication by Canongate (UK) and Knopf (US).

[34] Released in 2023, A Spell of Good Things received favourable review coverage, including in The Observer (where it was described as "immensely readable")[35] and in The New York Times, with Aamina Ahmad noting that "[w]here a raw, dynamic storytelling energized Adébáyò’s prose in 'Stay With Me,' here the graceful, stately quality of the sentences evokes restraint, avoiding sentimentality".

[39] A Spell of Good Things was shortlisted for the 2024 Encore Award, given by the Royal Society of Literature to celebrate the "difficult second novel" that follows an author's literary debut.