Sweet Heat
The heart-melting new romcom from the bestselling author of Honey & Spice
Published on 3. July 2025
Book
Hardback
496 pages
978-1-4722-8643-7 (ISBN)
Description
'Hilarious, hot and heartfelt' MEG CABOT
'Romantic, sexy, fun, delicious and important' MARIAN KEYES
'A triumph' BETH O'LEARY
??????
The most hotly-anticipated romcom of 2025, from the author of Reese's Book Club Pick and TikTok Book Awards winner Honey & Spice...
Not every relationship makes it out of university.
But Kiki and Malakai were supposed to be forever.
Everything was perfect, until it all went up in flames.
Three years after their epic break-up, Kiki's worked hard to forget her first love. But just as she thinks she's got her life under control - jumping into the distractions of her romance-by-calendar-invite boyfriend, and plans for her best friend, Aminah's, wedding - Kiki's career implodes, the family business teeters on collapse, and Malakai returns . . .
As Malakai takes up his role as Best Man opposite her Maid of Honour, suddenly Kiki can think of nothing else: their simmering chemistry, what went wrong, and why it is now impossible to act normal around each other.
Juggling a new job, the prospect of her parents' restaurant being sold, and keeping her best friend from going full bridezilla, dealing with The Ex is the last thing she needs. But somehow the spark between them is only getting hotter - and threatening to ruin everything.
They just have to get through the wedding, so why does it feel like playing with fire?
Heart-melting, hilarious and completely addictive, Kiki and Malakai return in this standalone second novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Bolu Babalola.
?? LOVE FOR BOLU BABALOLA'S WRITING ??
'Rarely is love expressed this richly, this vividly, or this artfully' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS
'Bolu understands desire better than anyone else' ANNIE LORD
'Incisively funny' ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
'Absolutely intoxicating' CASEY MCQUISTON
'Everything you could ever want from a romance and more - the vibes are simply immaculate' ZOELLA
'Babalola's writing shines' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
'Breathes new life into the genre with its vibrant characters and sexy, authentic voice' RED
'Romance will never be dead, as long as Bolu is writing it' JESSIE BURTON
'Romantic, sexy, fun, delicious and important' MARIAN KEYES
'A triumph' BETH O'LEARY
??????
The most hotly-anticipated romcom of 2025, from the author of Reese's Book Club Pick and TikTok Book Awards winner Honey & Spice...
Not every relationship makes it out of university.
But Kiki and Malakai were supposed to be forever.
Everything was perfect, until it all went up in flames.
Three years after their epic break-up, Kiki's worked hard to forget her first love. But just as she thinks she's got her life under control - jumping into the distractions of her romance-by-calendar-invite boyfriend, and plans for her best friend, Aminah's, wedding - Kiki's career implodes, the family business teeters on collapse, and Malakai returns . . .
As Malakai takes up his role as Best Man opposite her Maid of Honour, suddenly Kiki can think of nothing else: their simmering chemistry, what went wrong, and why it is now impossible to act normal around each other.
Juggling a new job, the prospect of her parents' restaurant being sold, and keeping her best friend from going full bridezilla, dealing with The Ex is the last thing she needs. But somehow the spark between them is only getting hotter - and threatening to ruin everything.
They just have to get through the wedding, so why does it feel like playing with fire?
Heart-melting, hilarious and completely addictive, Kiki and Malakai return in this standalone second novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Bolu Babalola.
?? LOVE FOR BOLU BABALOLA'S WRITING ??
'Rarely is love expressed this richly, this vividly, or this artfully' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS
'Bolu understands desire better than anyone else' ANNIE LORD
'Incisively funny' ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
'Absolutely intoxicating' CASEY MCQUISTON
'Everything you could ever want from a romance and more - the vibes are simply immaculate' ZOELLA
'Babalola's writing shines' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
'Breathes new life into the genre with its vibrant characters and sexy, authentic voice' RED
'Romance will never be dead, as long as Bolu is writing it' JESSIE BURTON
Reviews / Votes
I savoured every word of this searingly sexy second-chance romance. Bolu Babalola is in a league of her own - she has an Austen-like ability to capture the essence of a person, a feeling, in just a line. I didn't think she could top Honey & Spice, but she absolutely has. Epic! A classic in the making. Bolu delivered-and with extra spice! Fans of Honey & Spice will Eat. This. Up. Sweet Heat is a reminder that Bolu Babalola understands the minutiae of not only romantic relationships, but also the complexities of human behaviour in every beautiful, strange and sometimes painful circumstance. With both a lightness of touch and a depth of feeling, Sweet Heat is about the love that keeps looking for you no matter the cost, and with Babalola's signature humour, a story you'll want to read over and over again. Whip-smart, super sexy and brimming with Babalola's characteristic wit, Sweet Heat is an intoxicating read that will make you consider sending a risky text to your favourite ex Bolu Babalola has become one of the foremost romcom writers . . . Babalola expertly captures the frustration and tension that emerges when we encounter old flames, and asks us to consider how love can be equally transformative and disruptive. It's exactly the kind of book you need this summer * Guardian * I savoured every word of this searingly sexy second-chance romance. Bolu Babalola is in a league of her own - she has an Austen-like ability to capture the essence of a person, a feeling, in just a line. I didn't think she could top Honey & Spice, but she absolutely has. -- Beth O'Leary Epic! A classic in the making. Bolu delivered-and with extra spice! Fans of Honey & Spice will Eat. This. Up. -- Lizzie Damilola Blackburn Sweet Heat is a reminder that Bolu Babalola understands the minutiae of not only romantic relationships, but also the complexities of human behaviour in every beautiful, strange and sometimes painful circumstance. With both a lightness of touch and a depth of feeling, Sweet Heat is about the love that keeps looking for you no matter the cost, and with Babalola's signature humour, a story you'll want to read over and over again. -- Ore Agbaje-Williams Whip-smart, super sexy and brimming with Babalola's characteristic wit, Sweet Heat is an intoxicating read that will make you consider sending a risky text to your favourite ex -- Yomi Adegoke Babalola expertly captures the frustration and tension that emerges when we encounter old flames, and asks us to consider how love can be equally transformative and disruptive. It's exactly the kind of book you need this summer. * Guardian *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 43 mm
Weight
732 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4722-8643-7 (9781472286437)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Bolu Babalola is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling and Waterstones Book of the year shortlisted collection, Love in Colour and the Reese's Book Club Pick and TikTok Book of the Year novel Honey & Spice. She is a London based writer of books, scripts, culture pieces and retorts, specialising in stories of dynamic women with distinct voices who love and are loved audaciously.