I adore Kiki and Kai, and meeting them as adults made me love them even more. I fear Bolu wrote this one a little too good because my chest was tight the whole time. I remember my mid-20’s and how stressful that time was. It’s when you really start to figure yourself out. Both Kiki and Kai are in limbo career wise and of course they have broken up. After not seeing each other since their breakup they are suddenly thrust back together squared because their best friends are getting married and they will be working together on a super secret project. They clearly need to figure out to not only be around each other but work together in this new dynamic.

The angst and grief and tension and heartbreak and longing I felt while reading this was overwhelming but I loved it. Bolu managed to keep the core of who they were at the forefront while also showing how they’ve grown and changed. Talk about character development!!! Dare I say I love them more now than I did in Honey & Spice. I ate this one up and I can’t wait to hold the physical copy in my hands. Thanks for the ARC!

quite literally the perfect second chance romance. amazing even as a standalone, but having read honey & spice and then its sequel a few weeks apart, you see bolu babalola’s talent at full throttle. she weaves a narrative and a romance like no other. a beautiful exploration of love— platonic, familial, romantic. love in memory, love in places, love in ourselves. one of the most outstanding romances i’ve read so far this year

Kiki Banjo is smart, gorgeous, hilarious—and currently in a bit of a professional and romantic funk. So when her best friend gets engaged and asks her to be maid of honor, Kiki’s excited… until she realizes she’ll have to spend quality time with Malachi, the ex who completely broke her heart.

Sweet Heat is funny, messy, heartfelt, and just plain delightful. It’s second chance romance done so right, with all the tension and sweetness you could want. Kiki and Malachi’s chemistry? Off the charts.

This is technically a sequel to Honey and Spice, but don’t worry—you can absolutely jump in here without having read it.

A warm, swoony, and totally satisfying read. I loved every minute.

#SweetHeat
#NetGalley

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is full of spice and heat. Friendships and summer weddings. I liked it and felt the characters are very real and dealing with real emotions about the future and where they are headed.

Sweet Heat is a masterpiece of second chance romance, and I really enjoyed it. It’s on another level. I think it’s safe to say we have a new reigning queen of romantic contemporary fiction.

This is technically a sequel to Honey & Spice, but I do think it is great on its own and not neccesary to read the first one. You can start here. I do recommend reading the first book though! It is just as good. Kiki and Malakai are such great characters, and you'll need to go back to see how it all began, which sort of starts in the first book. Their chemistry is plapable, and evident from book into book two.

Second chance romance is not exactly one of my favorite tropes because it is truly hard to do it justice. It has to be believable, especially in the wake of a previous break up and finding their way back to each other, but I think Babalola handles it with the grace, heat, and humor of a seasoned pro.

Kiki and Malakai are a couple I really rooted for. There is so much tension, so many longing glances, and so many moments where you think they will but they don't. Their breakup doesn’t feel contrived; it feels real. When they come back together, it's from growth and healing and that made it so satisfying. The dual timeline works so well in this book because we see what they were like in the past and the present, and we get to see their history and their full journey, which I loved.

But this book is more than a romance. It’s about growing into yourself. About family, friendship, identity, ambition, and navigating love when you’re still figuring out who you are. Kiki is sharp, funny, and full of vulnerability. Her fears, her fire, her insecurities are all so achingly human. And Malakai? He’s the perfect match: steady, sincere, hot as hell.

Also, the spice was so well done. It is so much more than just your typical scenes; it is growth and love and healing and actually adds so much to the story. These are scenes I think the author excelled at and it really enhanced the story.

Babalola’s prose is perfection; it is funny, poetic, grounded in culture and emotion. The themes of Black identity, sisterhood, and finding your path are woven in with elegance and heart. There are moments of joy and heartbreak, laughter and longing, and through it all, a romance that will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bolu Babalola, and William Morrow for the eARC of this book.

I… I don’t even know if I have the words to explain how well this book was written. We met Malachi & Kiki in their college years during Honey & Spice. It was so fun, light & refreshing as a New Adult romance. It had me so giddy to see what was coming in Sweet Heat. I was not ready.

Kiki & Malachi are all grown up now. Things are different. They’re not together. They haven’t seen each other in years. They’re not even in the same country anymore. Until they are. They are tasked with being the maid of honor & best man for their friends’ wedding. Chile, and they’re partnered together for a major opportunity with a songstress making her way back onto the scene. Both are in a weird place in their career so they need this opportunity to work out for them. And so the battle begins between our main characters.

All that angst, tension, heartache, fear, grief, love. I just… I don’t have the words to explain how great this book was. Bolu should complete a masterclass on how to grow your characters. The battle we all face when we realize the person we love isn’t the person we used to know and how to navigate learning the new person they are.

I walked away from Sweet Heat loving Scotch & Chi more than I did at the end of Honey & Spice. I can’t wait to hold this book in my hands & listen to the audio!

Bolu Babalola has done it again! I fell in love with Kiki and Malakai in Honey & Spice and couldn't believe my good luck that she was writing about them again in the follow up novel, Sweet Heat. It's years later and the group of friends are still going strong as they navigate life, love and careers after college. We follow Kiki as she experiences a few professional hiccups while other parts of her life are as uncertain. We watch her go from young adult to woman as she grapples with decisions about her family's restaurant, her friendship with Amina and relationship with Kai.

I couldn't put the book down, but I often did just so I wouldn't have to say goodbye. The characters are so real and the banter is so funny! The author is adept at tackling topics with depth while making the reader laugh and nod in cultural agreement. The writing is exquisite. I often re-read passages because they were so lyrical and beautifully crafted. I fully expected to love this book because of my experience with Honey & Spice and it did not disappoint. I am so grateful to have been given this ARC, but I will surely be purchasing a copy to read again when the book is published this fall.

Loved having the opportunity to read a book by this author. This was sexy, spicy, strong characters with incredible chemistry. A perfect beach read!

the way i have been waiting for this sequel for years!! i really tried to tamp down my expectations because it does no good to hype yourself up for a sequel of any kind just in case.

and this one is a lot angstier. i feel like you don't get nearly as much of the levity and fun as the first one, and i get that, they didn't have the same kind of baggage in college. but whew, this one was kind of a downer, and then aminah is also stressed as hell and it doesn't feel like there's any rest for kiki ):

i also found the pacing to be really weird. it's slowwwww, and you don't figure out what happened in the past until you're 3/4 of the way through the book. kiki and kai dance (but dance almost feels too fun of a word; more like wearily eye each other inside of a wrestling match?) around each other for almost a whole book, and while all the good parts of their relationship (the physical chemistry, the way they work together, the way they will always hype each other up) show up consistently, i really wanted them to hash out their issues earlier in the book and give them time to mellow out and re-build trust. there's also weird time jumps (some chapters will jump whole months) but it doesn't feel like it makes the time go faster.

i also had a hard time understanding the lingo this time. i feel like it was easier to roll with in the first book, but my brain had a hard time this time around.

it also feels like less of a romance than the first book - there's so much that's happeningp, so i think re-setting your expectations and udnerstanding that you're not gonna get a ton of kiki and kai is key.

all that to say, this one did not hit the same way at the first book for me. yeah, that's not realistic to carry a college romance through the rest of your life, and they're more grown now, but let me live in my cozy bubble okay?? i've got to go re-read HONEY AND SPICE again now.

‘The bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club pick Honey and Spice returns with a sexy, hilarious, and heartfelt standalone novel starring Kiki Banjo…’

My first read by Babalola and I was absolutely not disappointed.! A second chance, swoony romance full of witty banter & steamy goodness. I mean…. what’s better than that combo!?!?
I can’t wait to get my paws on Honey & Spice!

Thank you WM & NG for this arc in exchange for review.

Pub: 9.2.2025

I haven't felt this way about a romance in a long time. Although this book is 500 pages, I was not ready to say goodbye to these characters and it never felt too long. I was in tears by the end, so I was obviously emotionally attached.

These characters are so frustrating and imperfect and that is what made them so real. Like just talk to one another already! But also I totally understand you.

I forgot just how beautiful this author's writing is and found myself highlight whole sections and monologues. It makes sense that she has a passion for music.

There is so much I could say but I am pretty confident that if you are reading this after loving Honey and Spice, you will be satisfied. Now I'm off to preorder a copy for my shelves so I can highlignt in it for real!

Beautiful second chance romance. There is so much to love about this book. Firstly, the writing is absolutely incredible; lyrical, beautiful and poignant. Babalola has a way with words that brings the story to life and gives you a deeply sympatric view in to Kiki's mind and story. I also loved the romance. Kiki and Kai's relationship is so just deeply romantic. Their chemistry jumps off the page, especially in the scenes when they are trying to stay apart. You truly root for this couple and I felt like they were meant to be together the entire time. Additionally, the reunion between Kiki and Kai is perfectly executed. I am not sure I have read a better written groveling scene. Truly excellent work. Finally, the cast of characters is also well framed out and it was fun getting to revisit the characters from Honey and Spice.

My issues with this book primarily stem from the pacing. For me, this is just too long for a contemporary romance at almost 500 pages. In the first 100 pages we don't even meet Kai but instead get a whole lot of back story about Kiki's current life and partner (soon to be ex), which I found rather boring and pointless. I would have honestly DNF'd at that point if I hadn't been reading this as an ARC. Things get significantly more interesting once we meet Kai but throughout the story I often found myself on long side stories and tangents that did not seem to have much bearing or impact to the core plot. These made the reading experience a bit frustrating. I also hated the bridezilla side plot but this is more of a personal preference.

All and all, I think this would have been almost perfect for me if it had been significantly edited down.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow books for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In *Sweet Heat*, Kiki Banjo, a podcast host dishing out advice on love, finds herself struggling to navigate her own chaotic love life. When her charming ex, Malakai, reappears as the Best Man at her best friend’s wedding, the unresolved tension between them ignites. Filled with humor, heart, and sizzling chemistry, this is a delightful tale about second chances, self-discovery, and the messiness of love.

Yes, I am God’s favorite 😇

Spoiler free review (I think lol):

This book gave me alllllllll the feels that made me fall in love with Kiki and Malakai the first time around 🥹🤧🤭 Sweet Heat is set seven years after Honey & Spice, and three years post break up between the two. It was emotional, steamy as hell, character driven, and one of the best second chance romance story with dual timelines and forced proximity stories I’ve ever read. I still have goosebumps!!!

What I enjoyed most about this story is that I could quite literally feel the history, tension and longing between the characters seepinggggg through the pages. They had such a deep, overwhelming love, and the author does a great job at making you feel giddy one second, then tense and embarrassed the next lol. The story was also pretty funny. I cackled a few times lol.

I will say that it did take me a second to fully grasp the story building that was happening in the beginning because the author’s writing is lowkey like a flow of consciousness (which I kinda like lol), but it was really wordy. However, the writing overall was really poetic and beautiful. I found myself highlighting a lot of the dialogue towards the end 🥹 pre order her rn!

Also, this is NOT a sign to text your ex either! I’m watching you 😭👀

Sweet Heat was everything I hoped for and more—a sizzling, smart, and deeply heartfelt love story that wrapped humor, heartbreak, and growth into a beautifully layered package. The author once again proved her gift for writing characters that feel real, vulnerable, and utterly magnetic.
Kiki Banjo was a standout heroine—clever, chaotic, and so emotionally raw beneath her sharp podcast-host persona. Her journey of self-reckoning hit hard, especially as she juggled career pressure, emotional burnout, and the weight of pretending she’s okay. Her voice felt so vivid and relatable that I couldn’t help but root for her from the first page.
Enter Malakai: charming, complicated, and dangerously swoon-worthy. Their reunion as exes forced to play nice at a wedding was deliciously tense, and the chemistry? Off. The. Charts. The author masterfully balanced flirtatious banter with genuine emotional depth, making the slow unraveling of their shared past feel incredibly earned.
What made this book a standout wasn’t just the romance (though it delivered in spades), but the way it explored vulnerability, ambition, forgiveness, and Black British identity with such tenderness and nuance. The friendships, the cultural detail, the humor—it all felt alive and intentional.
Sweet Heat was a brilliant blend of spice, soul, and second chances. It made me laugh, ache, and believe in love that grows not just through passion, but through truth. An easy five stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Honey and Spice" is one of my all-time favorite reads and Bolu Babalola's follow-up did not disappoint! Kiki is older and wiser, but she still serves the brilliance, sparkling wit, humor, and lush voice that made "Honey and Spice" so stellar. I enjoyed seeing Kiki and Malakai both in new phases of their lives and trying to see if a HEA is possible in this second-chance romance,

I’ve been waiting for this book to come out since Bolu announced it a couple of years ago and she didn’t disappoint! The thing is, when Kiki and Kai were good, I couldn’t stop giggling at how cute they were. Their relationship and vibe for most of the book felt like Don’t Forget About Us by Mariah Carey. But when they were bad or arguing, the miscommunication trope felt like it was working over time. I still loved both of them and being able to read about their friends from the first book all grown up. And Kai was so funny!

But the people need to know, who is M? Can’t wait for the book to come out for other people’s guesses!

Sweet Heat is nothing short of a masterpiece. As the sequel to Honey & Spice—one of my favorite books of 2023 and a favorite, period—I had high hopes. But what Bolu Babalola delivered surpassed anything I could have imagined. Kiki and Malakai already had a permanent place in my heart, but this book deepened that love and carved out even more space for them.

This wasn’t a book I could breeze through. It demanded to be felt. I cried crocodile tears, laughed out loud, and found myself needing to pause—sometimes for days—just to sit with the emotions it stirred in me. The rawness, the nostalgia, the aching heartbreak, the joy, the sisterhood, the love. Every page was laced with a kind of intimacy that felt both personal and universal.

Where Honey & Spice gave us the exhilarating spark of a new adult romance—with electric chemistry, playful banter, and two people finding themselves and each other—Sweet Heat is its grown-up, emotionally richer counterpart. It’s a second chance romance full of depth, maturity, and painful truths. When we find out early on that Kiki and Malakai are no longer together, it’s like a punch to the gut. Their absence from each other is a wound that hasn’t healed, and watching them come back into each other’s orbit—at a wedding, no less—is tension-filled and devastatingly real.

The chemistry between Kiki and Kai is dripping with unspoken words, unresolved pain, and untamed longing. It felt like being cracked open. That unbearable moment of seeing the person who once knew you better than anyone else—who still holds all your soft spots—and realizing you’re not as “over it” as you thought. I felt that. I lived that. And Babalola captures it with such precision, it nearly broke me.

The push and pull between them, their banter, their hesitation to reopen old wounds, the unspoken love still sitting just beneath the surface—it’s a slow, emotionally messy, soul-searching journey back to each other. We see them not just trying to rekindle a romance, but to reimagine their futures—personally and professionally. It’s so rare to see characters in their late 20s to early 30s navigating the uncertainty of adulthood, and Sweet Heat does it with grace and grit.

The backdrop of Aminah and Kofi’s wedding, the vibrant friendship between Kiki, Aminah, Chioma, and Shanti, and the poetic use of music throughout the book add richness and rhythm to the story. Music isn’t just referenced—it breathes through the pages, becoming a vessel for emotion and memory.

And yes—Kiki and Kai? Freaky, fiery, and absolutely unforgettable. The steamy scenes are as emotionally charged as they are sexy, and their intimacy is layered with years of history, heartbreak, and healing.

Bolu Babalola’s writing is poetic, gut-wrenching, and alive. Sweet Heat is my new favorite read of the year. I didn’t think anything could top Honey & Spice, but I was so, so wrong. This was the sequel I didn’t know I needed, and now I’ll never stop thinking about it.

Bolu is so talented and this book is a shining example of her way with words. I fell in love with Kiki and Kai in Honey and Spice and the way they grow and find their way back to each other in this story is well done, reflective, and utterly beautiful. There are a lot of words on every page of this story but each are selected with care and really help you relate to what each character is navigating (everyone is battling something in this story). The spice was perfect and the side characters brought great laughs and honesty to our primary couple. I will rush to read any of Bolu's writing - run to read this as soon as you can!

This book was so amazing. Its so rare that I can feel the love between two characters jumping out of the book. This book made Kiki and Malakais love so palpable and thick that every interaction between them was drowning in it. This is everything I wanted from a second chance romance.

I fell in love with these characters in the first book and I loved seeing them come back and seeing what they’re up to. The friendship between these characters was almost as good as the romance. its so refreshing seeing healthy non-toxic black female friendships portrayed on page.

Overall, this book exemplified real black love in such a real way and I loved every second of reading it.