Sweet Heat

BOLU BABALOLA IS… “A queen of romantic comedy.” – Oprah Daily • “Incisively funny.” – Entertainment Weekly • “A really great romance writer.” – Quinta Brunson, Harper's Bazaar • “Keeping the hope for true love alive and enjoyable.” –Shondaland • “A rom-com expert.” – New York Times A Rolling Stone Most Anticipated Book of Fall Two exes. One summer wedding. Zero chance of escaping the heat. Prepare to laugh, swoon, and fall head over heels with this irresistible standalone romance from Bolu Babalola, the bestselling author of Honey and Spice, a Reese’s Book Club pick. Twenty-eight-year-old Kiki Banjo hosts the popular podcast The HeartBeat, solving romantic conundrums and dishing out life advice. But behind the mic, career setbacks and a devastating breakup have left her hanging on by a thread. As she’s preparing to be the Maid of Honor in her best friend’s wedding, everything starts to unravel, and Kiki is left wondering if she ever had the answers. Then Kiki finds herself face-to-face with the Best Man, her ex-boyfriend, Malakai—the smooth-talking, absurdly handsome, annoyingly perceptive man who stole her heart and then shattered it. While Kiki’s approaching rock bottom, Malakai’s been on the rise as a filmmaker, and now they have no choice but to play nice until the wedding is over. Both are hell-bent on ignoring the smoldering chemistry between them, but as they navigate the chaos of wedding plans, career ambitions, and Kiki’s growing fears about the future, they can’t ignore the spark that’s only getting hotter. They just have to get through the summer. So why does it feel like playing with fire? “Babalola’s sharp sense of humor, slick pop culture references, and keen sense of the zeitgeist . . . offer a refreshing portrait of what modern love really looks and feels like." — Time “Babalola expertly blends sex with societal discourse in ways that echo Jane Austen and Nora Ephron.” — Vanity Fair "Babalola soars in her rich depictions of intimacy and relationships, in all their grandeur." — The New York Times Book Review
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'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