Summer is here, the girlies are out, the flings are flinging. And whilst summer is the perfect time to show off that bikini body, it is also a great time for catching up on reading. Whether you are lounging by the beach or dancing away at a rave. Yes, I said rave, it is now cool to bring your Kindle to the club. From second-chance romances to ghost stories, here are ten Nigerian books to spice up your summer.
Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola
Your favourite couple is back in the scene again. Sweet Heat is the follow up to Babalola’s debut novel, Honey and Spice. Sweet Heat finds Kiki and Malakai three years after their break up. Kiki has moved on or so she thought. Between a romance-by-calendar-invite boyfriend, a new job and planning her best friend Aminah’s wedding, her life feels under control.
However, when her career tanks, her parents’ restaurant faces closure, and Malakai, her ex, returns as best man to her maid of honour, everything unravels. Now, with sparks flying and old feelings resurfacing, Kiki must survive wedding chaos, save the family business, and resist the one man who could ruin it all… again. Sweet Heat hits Roving Heights bookshelves on July 2nd.
Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh
This coming-of-age story is the best thing you will read this summer. Obiefuna has always been out of place, more dancer than athlete, more dreamer than dutiful son. When his father catches him with another boy, he’s banished to boarding school, forced to hide who he is in a brutal, unfamiliar world.
At home, his mother Uzoamaka grapples with his sudden absence and the truths her husband won’t share. As Nigeria prepares to outlaw same-sex love, Obiefuna must choose between safety and living freely. Told through Obiefuna and Uzoamaka’s voices, Blessings is a tender, defiant story of family, identity, and the quiet rebellion of becoming yourself. If you love Moonlight, you will most definitely enjoy this. It is available in all bookstores and online.
Ghoostroots by Pemi Aguda
Horror fans, arise! Pemi Aguda’s twelve-story collection opens with a chilling question: can evil be inherited? A woman who eerily resembles her late grandmother begins to suspect so especially after she shows a talent for violence.
Set in a haunting Lagos where the supernatural seeps into the everyday, these stories infuse ordinary moments; childbirth, market trips, family chats—with eerie unease. In “Breastmilk,” a mother’s struggle to lactate takes a dark turn. In “24, Alhaji Williams Street,” a strange illness spreads with unsettling intent. In “The Hollow,” an architect meets a house with a mind of its own.
Strange, lyrical, and deeply human, this is a collection where the uncanny meets the emotional, with all the fear, wonder, and yearning that make us who we are. You can find Ghostroots in Roving Heights or online.
No Perfect Love by Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi
Anybody who knows Adesuwa knows she is for the real lovers and yearners. In No Perfect Love Nwokedi takes us to 90s Festac, where Gina falls hard for Mudi but his father’s disapproval tears them apart. She moves on with Tobenna, a steady but less passionate suitor, and builds a life that never quite matches her dreams.
Years later, stuck in a loveless marriage, Gina can’t shake the memory of Mudi’s love letters or the fire they once shared. When fate brings Mudi back, she must choose: risk everything for a second chance at love, or stay bound to the safe, crumbling life she knows. It is a story of longing, regret, and the love that refuses to fade. You can get a copy on Masobe’s website or any bookstore close to you.
No Pink in a Rainbow by Angel Patricks Amegbe
Pop culture is filled with the easy and simple sides of love, but in this searing novel, Amegbe forces readers to cope with the uneasy parts. The story follows Jan and Noami, whose relationship started over a single text. One day in the Netherlands, Jan, a reserved engineer living alone in Geet, came across a striking photo of a woman on Facebook. He hesitated, unsure whether to reach out. But after some thought, he sent a message.
That woman was Naomi, an only child raised by her grandmother in Abuja. From that small act of courage, a deep connection began. Through long-distance calls, visa challenges, and cultural gaps, their bond only grew. Now married, with a baby on the way, they’ve built a quiet, joyful life by a lake—a love hard-earned and deeply cherished. But love, no matter how strong, isn’t without its shadows. Jan and Naomi found something rare. Now, they must fight to keep it. Get a piece of this indomitable romance on Masobe.
Parlour Wife by Foluso Agbaje
This powerful historical debut follows a young Nigerian woman’s fight for freedom in 1939 Lagos.
When the Second World War is announced and a family decision upends her life, Kehinde is forced to abandon her dream of becoming a writer and marry Mr. Ogunjobi as his third wife. She finds quiet purpose selling snacks at the market until she’s drawn into the rising resistance led by the Lagos Women’s Market Association, fighting to protect the rights the British are trying to take away.
For the first time, Kehinde feels seen, useful, and bold enough to imagine a different life.
But her defiance comes at a cost. If her husband finds out, he could cast her aside. Set against the backdrop of a war her country didn’t choose, this is a stirring story of resistance, sisterhood, and one woman’s struggle to claim her voice. Available at Masobe.
Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde
All of literary world is itching to get their hands on Osunde’s debut novel. In Necessary Fiction, Osunde asks the question; What makes a family? How is it defined and by whom? Is freedom for everyone? Set in Lagos, one of Africa’s largest and most dynamic cities—Osunde’s novel follows a vibrant cast of characters in pursuit of love, both for themselves and their chosen partners. In doing so, they risk straining bonds with family, friends, and lovers.
As the story unfolds, we meet a chorus of bold, imperfect individuals wrestling with desire, fear, time, death, and God. Through fleeting encounters and lasting wounds, they reveal how deeply they’ve known, loved, and hurt one another. Amid Lagos’s buzzing worlds of art, music, and creative hustle, they each struggle to hold onto the necessary fictions that help them survive. Coming July 22nd from Masobe.
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This list would have been incomplete without the literary giant’s latest work. A story of four women and the loves, longings, and choices that shape them. Chiamaka, a Nigerian travel writer in America, spends the pandemic reflecting on past lovers and the paths not taken. Her best friend Zikora faces betrayal that forces her to rely on someone she least expected.
Back in Nigeria, bold and successful Omelogor begins to question her sense of self, while Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, fights to hold on to the life she’s built for her daughter.
In Dream Count, Adichie delivers a luminous, emotionally resonant novel about desire, regret, and the fragile pursuit of happiness. Available at bookstores and through Narrative Landscape.
A Kind of Madness by Uche Okonkwo
What if the people who know you best are also the ones most likely to drive you mad? In A Kind of Madness, Uche Okonkwo delivers ten powerful stories that explore the emotional undercurrents of everyday life in contemporary Nigeria where the pressures of family, society, and survival collide.
From a marriage proposal that unravels into community shame, to a teenage girl caught between loyalty and truth, these stories dive deep into longing, shame, hunger, and love, feelings so consuming they can feel like a kind of madness. Told with sharp insight and tender honesty, this debut collection marks the arrival of a new literary voice. Published by Narrative Landscape, A Kind of Madness is available now at bookstores across Nigeria.
The Rewrite by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
Blackburn’s sophomore novel is a second-chance romance that promises to sweep you off your feet. Temi and Wale meet in London. The chemistry is instant until Wale abruptly ends things to chase fame on Love Villa.Temi leans into her writing dreams, hoping to land a book deal that could change everything. But as rejections roll in and the bills pile up, she takes on a ghostwriting job to stay afloat. The twist? The celebrity client is Wale.
Time has passed, but maybe not enough to close the door on something new. This witty, charming romance can be found at local bookstores and stocked by Narrative Landscape.
rom sweeping love stories to sharp, unforgettable fiction, this list has something for every kind of reader. Whether you’re chasing shade or soaking up the sun, let these books carry you through the season. Happy summer reading Nigerian books!
