You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty
- Downloads：5209
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-04 07:51:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Akwaeke Emezi
- ISBN：057137266X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
It's the opportunity of a lifetime:
Feyi is about to be given the chance to escape the City's blistering heat for a dream island holiday: poolside cocktails， beach sunsets， and elaborate meals。 And as the sun goes down on her old life our heroine also might just be ready to open her heart to someone new。
The only problem is， she's falling for the one man she absolutely can't have。
Feyi is about to be given the chance to escape the City's blistering heat for a dream island holiday: poolside cocktails， beach sunsets， and elaborate meals。 And as the sun goes down on her old life our heroine also might just be ready to open her heart to someone new。
The only problem is， she's falling for the one man she absolutely can't have。
Reviews
Georgia Crocker
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Copy received from netgalley for review。I absolutely loved this book。 It showed Feyi trying to find a romantic connection whilst still experience guilt from her husbands death five years ago。 Whenever I thought I knew what was happening， I was wrong。 I loved her own journey and refinding herself since Jonah， her husband， had died I thought her friendship with Joy was very realistic and a great example of female friendships。The ending was a little uncertain I thought but I think some people will Copy received from netgalley for review。I absolutely loved this book。 It showed Feyi trying to find a romantic connection whilst still experience guilt from her husbands death five years ago。 Whenever I thought I knew what was happening， I was wrong。 I loved her own journey and refinding herself since Jonah， her husband， had died I thought her friendship with Joy was very realistic and a great example of female friendships。The ending was a little uncertain I thought but I think some people will like that 。。。more
Vicki
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*4。5 Stars*Thank you to Akwaeke Emezi， Faber Books & NetGalley for allowing me to review this book。 This is my first Emezi novel， and I have to say it has left me devastated and in awe。 I will be picking their other books in the near future。 The story follows Feyi as she navigates her love life after losing her husband in a tragic accident five years ago。 She navigates new love， loss and grief， and she is forced to ask: who does she want to be？ I will preface my review with this; this book was m *4。5 Stars*Thank you to Akwaeke Emezi， Faber Books & NetGalley for allowing me to review this book。 This is my first Emezi novel， and I have to say it has left me devastated and in awe。 I will be picking their other books in the near future。 The story follows Feyi as she navigates her love life after losing her husband in a tragic accident five years ago。 She navigates new love， loss and grief， and she is forced to ask: who does she want to be？ I will preface my review with this; this book was messy but in a beautiful way， which I feel is the perfect way to depict trauma and grief。 Life is very rarely straightforward and without bumps in the road， and I think Emezi did a beautiful job of illustrating this through Feyi's character。 I adore the representation throughout this book and how the characters each have their mess and struggles that all weave together in this cacophony that is living。 Feyi's healing and journey towards falling in love again were not linear， and there was a constant struggle within her revolving around guilt and grief。 The use of art throughout this book was also so refreshing。 Overall， I found that this novel showed how messy life is and didn't give us a traditional love story with a more cliche happy ending。 I highly recommend this book， and I can't wait to have a physical copy in my hot little hands！！ 。。。more
Janelle Janson
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Just read all of their books。
z。 ੈ✩‧₊˚
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tysm to akwaeke emezi and her team for a free physical arc in exchange for an honest review❝He laughed as they kept walking， and a passing streetlight caught on his smile， glinting off his teeth。 Feyi loved seeing him laugh。❞This book is so tender and wonderful。 I'm sitting on the floor in my room， literally fresh from being curled like a child around the paperback of this novel。 This love story is so wonderfully messy and raw and human。 The source of connection that this author has with the rea tysm to akwaeke emezi and her team for a free physical arc in exchange for an honest review❝He laughed as they kept walking， and a passing streetlight caught on his smile， glinting off his teeth。 Feyi loved seeing him laugh。❞This book is so tender and wonderful。 I'm sitting on the floor in my room， literally fresh from being curled like a child around the paperback of this novel。 This love story is so wonderfully messy and raw and human。 The source of connection that this author has with the reader is magnificent。 I felt flayed open， bereft of anything but awe and admiration for the level of writing， characterization， and perfection concealed in over 200 pages。 Feyi and Alim may be forbidden， but they are aligned。 They are meant for each other and love each other deeply。 Emezi focuses on how we entrap the little things we notice about others in the deepness of our bodies， how we run them over the slick of our teeth and swallow them and how that in itself is love。 This book made me frustrated， mad， hysterical with longing。 And yet I come back to curling around it in a fetal position， the lowlight of my bedroom floor highlighting my fear that it will disappear if I go to sleep。 I never wanted a replica of someone's love so badly。❝Light draped across his cheekbone， and Feyi felt a rush of affection tighten her chest。❞ 。。。more
cam
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messssssssy but so rich！ need irene to read expeditiously！ then i need to read again :）
Fernanda
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I'm so sad。 After loving previous works by the author， this one was one of my most anticipated reads this year。 But I didn't like it。Our main character， Feyi， is defined by three things and three things only: her trauma （which is indeed tragic）， sex， and her beauty （which is mentioned every single time）。 My problem is that her characterization doesn't go any further than that。 I can empathize with her pain but I can't connect to her as a character only through that especially when I don't get to I'm so sad。 After loving previous works by the author， this one was one of my most anticipated reads this year。 But I didn't like it。Our main character， Feyi， is defined by three things and three things only: her trauma （which is indeed tragic）， sex， and her beauty （which is mentioned every single time）。 My problem is that her characterization doesn't go any further than that。 I can empathize with her pain but I can't connect to her as a character only through that especially when I don't get to know Jonah， who's only a prop to serve as her tragic background。 She makes all of these decisions and she hurts a lot of people， thinking she's allowed because of her trauma。 Since the other side of her is sex， and we follow the story mainly from her point of view， everyone is introduced as a potential （or not） sex partner; we never get to see their personality， we only read about their bodies until we get to the main love interest - we also hear about his trauma。 Because that's another point， Feyi seems to think that she can only relate to people that have had the same experiences as her。 So the main love interest is "allowed" to be considered because he also lost someone they loved （romantically loved）。 。 And the romance is so instalove-y。 I couldn't believe how much a particular character was willing to sacrifice for someone they met 2 weeks ago。 And we don't even see their relationship growing， we get maybe 2，3 scenes with them together before the relationship starts。 I just couldn't buy the extreme love they had for each other after a couple of interactions。 I think to force some of the intimacy that they are supposed to have， the author tried to show they had similar points of view。 Feyi thinks about her feelings about certain things and the main love interest says the same thing a couple of pages later （with the exact same words）。 It felt like we were suppposed to think they belonged to each other because they shared some points of view。 But that wasn't enough for me to buy their love - they needed more time and more meaningful scenes together。 Also， the dynamics of that particular relationship just felt icky to me。 Thank you Netgalley， author， and publisher for the ARC。 。。。more
Sarina
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Did they mean for the title to be a Florence and the Machine lyric？？？
Tonja
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Awaeke’s writing is totally captivating。 I could picture every scene vividly。 On the surface， this is a book about a young lady that makes bad relationship decisions。 For me， it was a touching story about Feyi， losing the love of her life。 After years of grieving and pouring herself into her art， she decides to try to live again。 Her first attempts at connecting again are totally sexual， so prepare for some heated sex scenes。 She meets Nasir and makes one smart decision， to take things slow。 The Awaeke’s writing is totally captivating。 I could picture every scene vividly。 On the surface， this is a book about a young lady that makes bad relationship decisions。 For me， it was a touching story about Feyi， losing the love of her life。 After years of grieving and pouring herself into her art， she decides to try to live again。 Her first attempts at connecting again are totally sexual， so prepare for some heated sex scenes。 She meets Nasir and makes one smart decision， to take things slow。 There is a bit of a “pretty women” aspect to the story as he turns out to be from a wealthy family and whisks her off to his home island to meet his family。 Things get complicated when it is clear her friend Nasir is not the only handsome， sexy guy in the house。I was afraid to turn the pages because I wanted so badly for Feyi to make “good decisions”。 Although when I closed the book I admitted I’ve never suffered this type of loss and the “right” decision may not be as crystal clear as it appears。 I received a free ARC。 All opinions are my own。 4。5 stars 。。。more
Rachel
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Wow。 Not sure what I was expecting， but it wasn't this！ My first Akwaeke Emezi book。 It's quite steamy。 I'm not the target audience， but I'm sure the target audience will enjoy very much。 Wow。 Not sure what I was expecting， but it wasn't this！ My first Akwaeke Emezi book。 It's quite steamy。 I'm not the target audience， but I'm sure the target audience will enjoy very much。 。。。more
（Energy）
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I hadn’t read Emezi， so I wasn’t sure what to expect going into reading this when Atria reached out to me to read this。 What I thought would be a laid-back women’s fiction about grief and moving on threw me for a loop。 Instead， Feyi drew me in with how comfortable she was with herself until she wasn’t because she has insecurities like the rest of the world。 Nasir is incredible， and he seems utterly perfect。 But you can’t make yourself fall for someone no matter how amazing they are， and that’s t I hadn’t read Emezi， so I wasn’t sure what to expect going into reading this when Atria reached out to me to read this。 What I thought would be a laid-back women’s fiction about grief and moving on threw me for a loop。 Instead， Feyi drew me in with how comfortable she was with herself until she wasn’t because she has insecurities like the rest of the world。 Nasir is incredible， and he seems utterly perfect。 But you can’t make yourself fall for someone no matter how amazing they are， and that’s the truth of what we’re reading here。 Feyi goes about things in a less than stellar manner， recklessly even， and the author shows us her guilt and insecurities， realizing that things have gotten out of her control。 Joy was an absolute gem， and I would like to see her story。 I’m not sure if that’s in the works， but it should be。 Readers should go into this expecting real characters who are open about their sexuality and won’t hold back their dialog because it makes others uncomfortable。 Feyi’s art is a beauty， and I liked how that weaved throughout the entire book。 Overall， this is a ride that will make you equal parts hot and hungry。 。。。more
Allie O
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5I was lured into this novel based solely on the fact that the title contains lyrics from Florence + the Machine’s song ‘Hunger’。 Of course， when I read the synopsis， I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to pick it up。 Our story follows Feyi， a Nigerian artist living in New York。 Five years ago， she lost her husband in a fatal car crash and has struggled to take the next steps in living her life。 She meets a man， Nasir， who is willing to be patient with her and take things as slow as she ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5I was lured into this novel based solely on the fact that the title contains lyrics from Florence + the Machine’s song ‘Hunger’。 Of course， when I read the synopsis， I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to pick it up。 Our story follows Feyi， a Nigerian artist living in New York。 Five years ago， she lost her husband in a fatal car crash and has struggled to take the next steps in living her life。 She meets a man， Nasir， who is willing to be patient with her and take things as slow as she needs before diving into a relationship。 They choose to be friends first， which Feyi is very grateful for。 Being an art collector himself， Nasir offers Feyi an opportunity to showcase her work in an exhibit in his home country with a curator that Feyi reveres。 Hesitant at first as to what Nasir’s ulterior motives might be， Feyi eventually jumps at the opportunity。 Upon arrival at the airport， Nasir and Feyi are met by his father。 When Feyi gazes upon him， she feels sparks。 Sparks like she has never felt before， not since she was with her late husband。 In the pit of her stomach， Feyi realizes she is in trouble…and oh boy does it get messy。This story delves into the hole left behind when you lose a loved one and deals with making decisions wholly for oneself， which can inevitably lead to destruction。I’ve never read a book by Akwaeke Emezi， but I was struck by their writing style and the way each sentence flowed so perfectly。 Every scene was written with intention， which I realize not all authors do。 There were no filler chapters or filler scenes that added nothing to the story。 Overall， it was a breath of fresh air。 I loved the descriptions of the island and the mountain home Feyi stayed in throughout the novel and felt as if I was there with her。 This book was a slow burn romance and the tension described was palpable。 Overall， I was pleasantly surprised by this novel。TW: loss of loved one， domestic disturbance。This book will be released on 5/24/22。Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for approving me for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Angela
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One of the most amazing books I’ve ever read in my life。 The most heartwarming and heartbreaking story about grief and learning to love after loss — made me smile， laugh， and cry in the span of a single page。 Honestly could not recommend this book more
Brittany （whatbritreads）
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*Thank you to Faber for sending me a gorgeous ARC of this to review！*This is my first dip into this author when they’re not writing magical realism YA， so this was an interesting read for me on many fronts。 I will pretty much read anything they write though， they have such a great perspective and interesting outlook on things that I could just read about forever。As usual， Emezi’s writing here was fantastic。 I could drink up every word they ever type for the rest of eternity and never get bored。 *Thank you to Faber for sending me a gorgeous ARC of this to review！*This is my first dip into this author when they’re not writing magical realism YA， so this was an interesting read for me on many fronts。 I will pretty much read anything they write though， they have such a great perspective and interesting outlook on things that I could just read about forever。As usual， Emezi’s writing here was fantastic。 I could drink up every word they ever type for the rest of eternity and never get bored。 Their commentary on social issues and their analysis of emotion and the way their characters are so humanly sculpted， I’m obsessed。 The characters were so forward and spoke so openly about their wants and worries and thoughts - it was so refreshing to see nice， healthy， open communication。 Though there was some turbulence towards the end between some characters， for the most part I loved the conversations in here and how vulnerable the characters got with each other to fully understand one another。 It was brilliant。This book had many layers to it but I liked the way it tackled grief and the relationship dynamics especially。 The characters weren’t forced to be one thing or another， they were just allowed to be and act human and be wholly unpredictable and at some points - unlikeable。 It felt very real throughout。 Though I didn't always agree with how characters were acting， I feel like I always understood it。 Every discussion they had was so free and complex and really made me sit and think about different things， I enjoyed it。 It’s a book to make you both think and feel for the entirety。While I loved it， I wish the female friendship was focused on a little bit more as I adored their dynamic and how supportive they were of each other。 It just felt like halfway through the book their communication kind of grew stagnant and I would’ve loved more scenes with them together as they were so much fun。 I wish there were more scenes of other platonic relationships and her life outside of the bubble of her love life a little bit， as Feyi was an absolute powerhouse of a character and I wish I knew her more as herself rather than who she is in relationship to other people， especially the emen in her life。For the messy， emotional， trying-their-best adults out there， this one's for you。 。。。more
Sacha
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5 stars The completion of this novel marked my sixth Emezi read。 So far， the only thing I think they *can't* do is write a basic （per colloquial usage） book。 I can't wrap my mind around how many genres Emezi has explored thus far。 All of the writing is exceptional and somehow manages to reach beyond the ever-expanding list of new genres into Emezi's particular spin on each。 I'm here for all of it。 Feyi， the m。c。， pulls off some opening activities that will help readers find a significant dash of 5 stars The completion of this novel marked my sixth Emezi read。 So far， the only thing I think they *can't* do is write a basic （per colloquial usage） book。 I can't wrap my mind around how many genres Emezi has explored thus far。 All of the writing is exceptional and somehow manages to reach beyond the ever-expanding list of new genres into Emezi's particular spin on each。 I'm here for all of it。 Feyi， the m。c。， pulls off some opening activities that will help readers find a significant dash of recklessness and hopefulness lurking right under her surface and also find some possible biases oozing out of themselves。 Prospective readers should be on the lookout for how much those exact assumptions shape their views of Feyi's choices; it's easy， I expect， for some folks to get caught up on judging all kinds of her circumstances。 This added layer reinforces the kind of judgement she faces in her own fictional space as well as within her own mind， so hate away if you must， but also enjoy a glance in that mirror Emezi seems to be forcing in our faces。 If these characters can meet their demons， it seems like we can take a moment to do the same。 In the same way that this writer has made every genre they explore particular to them （i。e。， Contemporary by Emezi， YA by Emezi， and so on）， this is no ordinary romance。 It *does* include some spicy scenes， and readers looking for something chaste （or worse， traditional romance readers who are looking for some sort of misogynistic sickness） should search elsewhere。 This isn't for you。 Also， this one isn't relying on basic tropes。 The feelings are complex， and they sometimes crop up in places that make characters （and likely many readers） uncomfortable。。。but that also happens IRL。 I love the central and tangential emotional rollercoasters。 These folks are - in the cases that matter - MESSES， and that is well-deserved。 The way they are written is exceptional。 This is not an action-packed event; it's a deep character exploration with some incredibly moving processing， outcomes， and imagery。 The novel is a complete sensory experience packed with incredible food， vivid and tactile physical expressions， and the sights and sounds of the worst and the best settings。 Emezi keeps blowing my mind， and this was no exception。 I look forward to their continued surprises。 *Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 The opinions expressed here are my own。 。。。more
Allison
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I won an ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway。This was so good。 The writing is magnificent。 The chemistry is off the charts。 From the amazingly written sex scene in the first chapter， I was hooked。 I felt so many things while reading this: frustration， sadness， joy （JOY。 I love her！）， the need to put the book down and exhale way too many times。 The looks into grief and finding love amidst it are so good。The one thing I'll say: I don't love sweetness as a pet name。 I won an ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway。This was so good。 The writing is magnificent。 The chemistry is off the charts。 From the amazingly written sex scene in the first chapter， I was hooked。 I felt so many things while reading this: frustration， sadness， joy （JOY。 I love her！）， the need to put the book down and exhale way too many times。 The looks into grief and finding love amidst it are so good。The one thing I'll say: I don't love sweetness as a pet name。 。。。more
Carla （happiestwhenreading）
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I'm one book shy of being an Emezi completist， but every time I finish a book by them， I am absolutely blown away！ Their way with words leaves me breathless and I have to continually go back to reread paragraphs。 They cut straight to my heart and I absolutely love this author's work！ I feel in love with these characters and the mess they created。 I felt their deep emotions - particularly those that dealt with grief - and I felt so many of my confusing feelings surrounding grief vindicated。 I don I'm one book shy of being an Emezi completist， but every time I finish a book by them， I am absolutely blown away！ Their way with words leaves me breathless and I have to continually go back to reread paragraphs。 They cut straight to my heart and I absolutely love this author's work！ I feel in love with these characters and the mess they created。 I felt their deep emotions - particularly those that dealt with grief - and I felt so many of my confusing feelings surrounding grief vindicated。 I don't know how Emezi can switch between genres so seamlessly， but they do and I am totally here for it！ 。。。more
Vanessa
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4。5 starsYou Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is the first book I’ve read by this author and it is stunning。 Their words were poetic and beautiful and I loved most of the book。 I loved how much of a sex positive book this is！ It is queer forward and most of the main characters are queer。 I loved， loved the relationship between Feyi and Joy。 Their friendship was beautiful in all the ways。 I wished we had more Joy in the novel。 I liked Nasir and Feyi。 I thought the chemistry was there。 I like 4。5 starsYou Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is the first book I’ve read by this author and it is stunning。 Their words were poetic and beautiful and I loved most of the book。 I loved how much of a sex positive book this is！ It is queer forward and most of the main characters are queer。 I loved， loved the relationship between Feyi and Joy。 Their friendship was beautiful in all the ways。 I wished we had more Joy in the novel。 I liked Nasir and Feyi。 I thought the chemistry was there。 I liked how Nasir though about Feyi and recommended her art to a massive and meaningful art show。 That art show was a pivotal point in the book。I loved how they presented Feyi’s grief over losing her husband and how it’s a present and identifiable thing: through her art， especially。 The art installation was so descriptive and moving， that I wished I could see it in person rather than imagine it。 I think that’s the main relationship in the whole book: Feyi and her grief。 Emezi pushes that grief in your face and brandishes it like a weapon but also uses it to spin and move the story。 It’s well done and now I plan to read more of their books。 This is a literary romance and character driven book that is worth reading。 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
sorel
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maybe someone has legitimately been turned on by cold cucumber soup but it’s not effective in a literary context。 most of the dialogue feels engineered and is annoying。 in fact every character was annoying， and though there’s mention of emotions existing in a bubble in the book， there’s no acknowledgement of the entire world of the book existing in a bubble of magically successful artists， people owning and driving sports cars in new york city， and overall insular wealth。 disappointing because i maybe someone has legitimately been turned on by cold cucumber soup but it’s not effective in a literary context。 most of the dialogue feels engineered and is annoying。 in fact every character was annoying， and though there’s mention of emotions existing in a bubble in the book， there’s no acknowledgement of the entire world of the book existing in a bubble of magically successful artists， people owning and driving sports cars in new york city， and overall insular wealth。 disappointing because i enjoyed freshwater and thought if i ever could enjoy a romance it would be one by this author。 。。。more
Tina
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Messy and I loved it。
Patty Aryee
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OPEN 。 JAGGED 。 BEAUTIFUL 。 HILARIOUS 。 THOUGHT-PROVOKING 。 TEAR-JERKING 。 PROFOUND 。 SHEER CHAOS 。 EFFERVESCENT 。 INDULGENT 。 UNPREDICTABLE "。。。𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩。 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜"。Whew！！！！！ It has taken me a few days to be able to get my thoughts in order here。 This book CONSUMED me！ （excuse how disjointed this review is bound to be as a result）。The relationships in this book， the description of food， Feyi's artwork， Feyi's best friend Joy （who gav OPEN 。 JAGGED 。 BEAUTIFUL 。 HILARIOUS 。 THOUGHT-PROVOKING 。 TEAR-JERKING 。 PROFOUND 。 SHEER CHAOS 。 EFFERVESCENT 。 INDULGENT 。 UNPREDICTABLE "。。。𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩。 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜"。Whew！！！！！ It has taken me a few days to be able to get my thoughts in order here。 This book CONSUMED me！ （excuse how disjointed this review is bound to be as a result）。The relationships in this book， the description of food， Feyi's artwork， Feyi's best friend Joy （who gave me Kyazike from 'Queenie' vibes （although I took massive issue at the revelation of something because I was comparing them to MY personal experience of friendship until I was reminded here that there really isn't just one way of doing things）， the personification of grief - in all it's different forms - in these characters。。。 just whew！The writing style seems to reflect the journey these characters go on。。。unruly and nonconforming。 Once you read this， you'll understand why I am struggling to talk about it without spoilers but what I can tell you is that it starts with a bang and continues to sizzle right the way through。This story was so unbelievably colourful， electric and honestly so different to anything of the genre that I've read before。Reading this book simultaneously filled me with a hunger for more while filling me up every time I picked it back up！ I mean， we did this as a buddy read and the Discord was literally POPPING OFF。 Two of the people in the group just read the entire thing in one sitting- it's THAT addictive， it's THAT healing， it's THAT exploratory。The exploration of grief through art was mind blowing at times， all-encompassing and made every feeling come to life。 "𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 。。。 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨， 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣"。 There were definitely moments that could be interpreted as macabre but I found them cathartic and healing "𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚， 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚， 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧"。I love that the book isn't centered on a love story in the traditional sense - instead the entire process of mourning， grief and acceptance is Feyi's true love story。 This book dropped a twist on me EVERY TIME I picked it up to read it and kept me on my toes; not only with the spice levels but the way the characters dealt with confrontation and their bruised egos。 If you ever watched （and enjoyed） the show 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 then this is the book for you。。。。like run， don't walk and buy it immediately！ （Then DM me to discuss that magic and the madness of it）This book will definitely have you discussing scenarios regarding your own morals that you just didn't see coming。 You'll start to think about what exactly it is that you class as right and wrong and the fact that at times， what we deem wrong is actually just uncomfortable or something we take personal issue with。I got to the last page and literally hugged it to my bosom！All I can say is that I wanted MORE。 But there could never be enough of this book and I would always wish for 150 more pages， no matter it's length！WHAT 。 A 。 RIDE！！！！ 。。。more
Amy
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I love Emezi's work。 This is the third book of theirs I've read， and I'm going to be buying whatever else I can get my hands on in the next few days。 They are quickly becoming one of my favourite authors。 I love Emezi's work。 This is the third book of theirs I've read， and I'm going to be buying whatever else I can get my hands on in the next few days。 They are quickly becoming one of my favourite authors。 。。。more
Nicole Simpson
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Thank you to Book Club Favorites at Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review！！This was a very entertaining， sexy novel。 Emezi wrote their characters and their interactions as real and down to earth。 I was enthralled by the scenery， and hooked on the passion。 My heart swelled and hurt right along with the characters。 Excellent writing！！
Cindy H。
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Roundup 3。5 starsThank You to NetGalley and Atria Book for gifting me a copy of Akwaeke Emezi’s newest novel， You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty。 In exchange I offer my unbiased review。 First can we just admire the gorgeous cover design and fabulous book title！ STUNNING！ This book is sultry and steamy and definitely the perfect summer sizzle。The writing is breezy， gorgeous and smooth with traces of smut （just an FYI for those who might not appreciate some of the uncomfortable language。）Fe Roundup 3。5 starsThank You to NetGalley and Atria Book for gifting me a copy of Akwaeke Emezi’s newest novel， You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty。 In exchange I offer my unbiased review。 First can we just admire the gorgeous cover design and fabulous book title！ STUNNING！ This book is sultry and steamy and definitely the perfect summer sizzle。The writing is breezy， gorgeous and smooth with traces of smut （just an FYI for those who might not appreciate some of the uncomfortable language。）Feyi， a sexy soulful artist is grieving the loss of her husband and Joy，her best friend thinks it’s time Feyi re-enters the dating pool。 Afraid of having her heartbroken， Feyi resists committing to anything more than meaningless flings。 But all that changes when she meets someone who she shouldn’t be falling for。 I admit parts of this story felt too convenient and too unrealistic， which ultimately lowered my star rating。I do think there’s some great opportunities for bookclub discussion as this book will probably be very divisive。 I’m still mulling over characters decisions and motivations。 。。。more
Jessiy
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I received a copy of this book through Goodreads giveaways。 As a person who has never been interested or felt the need to read a romance novel outside of Jane Austen， this book delivered。 This book is a marathon that keeps you racing towards the finish line。 The story line has depth， although at times bordering cliche， the cliche lends itself well to the characters they attach themselves too。 Recommended read。
Kristine
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An Emotional Powerhouse。 Akwaeke Emezi certainly knows how to write a beautiful novel。 This is one to read。The story starts with grief and it’s ability to stop one from living。 Feyi Adekola was married 5 years ago to her high school sweetheart。 Life was all supposed to stay happily together， but it suddenly implodes。 Feyi and her husband， Jonah are in a terrible car accident。 Jonah dies， but Feyi lives。 This deals with all the complicated emotions life can bring up， and I think they does touch o An Emotional Powerhouse。 Akwaeke Emezi certainly knows how to write a beautiful novel。 This is one to read。The story starts with grief and it’s ability to stop one from living。 Feyi Adekola was married 5 years ago to her high school sweetheart。 Life was all supposed to stay happily together， but it suddenly implodes。 Feyi and her husband， Jonah are in a terrible car accident。 Jonah dies， but Feyi lives。 This deals with all the complicated emotions life can bring up， and I think they does touch on most。 Sometimes， life comes down to making a decision and trying to live again。 A real life that means being Alive， feeling passion， love， and hurt will have to happen。 That takes courage， too。 Made me feel so many different emotions and had different reactions， but loved this book。Thank you NetGalley， Akwaeke Emezi， and Atria Publications for an ARC of this book。 。。。more
piper | monarchsandmyths
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thank you to edelweiss and atria books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Every time I pick up a book by Akwaeke Emezi， I am shocked by how good it is， not because previous ones were bad， but because each one is even better than the last。 And YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY is no exception。 While this book is different from Emezi’s others （especially for me since I’ve only read their YA novels）， it still has their distinct signature， with beautiful writing and thank you to edelweiss and atria books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Every time I pick up a book by Akwaeke Emezi， I am shocked by how good it is， not because previous ones were bad， but because each one is even better than the last。 And YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY is no exception。 While this book is different from Emezi’s others （especially for me since I’ve only read their YA novels）， it still has their distinct signature， with beautiful writing and characters that feel oh so real while still whisking you away from the real world。 And while I sometimes questioned whether I felt this was 100% truly romance， I was absolutely giddy to see Feyi’s happily ever after。 There is something so delightfully rich about this book， it is rich in characters， in art， in new beginnings， in exploration of grief， in prose。 And it is beautiful。 Don’t get me wrong， there are painful parts of this book， it does not shy away from the harshness of death and grief， but it is all written so beautifully。 I would say it’s indulgent but all of Feyi’s story feels necessary。 But as rich and beautiful as this book is， it is also so fun to read。 There were multiple times where I had visible reactions while reading， giggling or doing little shimmies。 In all honesty， this might be some of the best chemistry that I’ve read between a main couple in a romance book in the past year。 I know that the age gap might be a bit of a question for some readers， but I think that Emezi truly handles this well， with two characters who， while many years apart in age， seem to be at a similar place in their life， many years recovering from their grief。 I rooted for Feyi by herself and I rooted for her with Alim。 I think I could’ve read at least a hundred more pages of their love story， though I was still satisfied with where they ended up。 Last but not least， I want to talk about queerness in this book。 There are a wealth of queer characters in this story， both main， secondary， and featured， and all have unique stories。 You can tell that Emezi is queer and has a love for the queer community in how they write them， as queer normatively and lovingly as a contemporary romance can be。 Both Feyi and Alim are bisexual and though their relationship might be hetero-seeming from the outside， their story is still undeniably queer， reminiscing of past loves both male and female。YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY is not only a love story， but a beautifully penned love letter。 One to queer people， one about grief， about new love， about a Black woman getting happiness and a happy ending， even after tragedy。 Even for those who aren’t traditional romance readers， I would still recommend this book for its beautiful writing and beautiful story， as well as a romance for the ages。 4。5 stars rounded up 。。。more
Mel
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3。5/5I'll preface this review by saying I'm not a big romance reader and still thoroughly enjoyed this book。 This book follows Feyi， a young widow who is hopping back into the dating scene 5 years after her husband's death。 And while there is a delightful slow-burn， extremely messy romance in this book， the best part is watching Feyi become alive again。 Seeing her process her own grief and choose to be soft and vulnerable is beautiful。 At the same time， this book will give you so much to think a 3。5/5I'll preface this review by saying I'm not a big romance reader and still thoroughly enjoyed this book。 This book follows Feyi， a young widow who is hopping back into the dating scene 5 years after her husband's death。 And while there is a delightful slow-burn， extremely messy romance in this book， the best part is watching Feyi become alive again。 Seeing her process her own grief and choose to be soft and vulnerable is beautiful。 At the same time， this book will give you so much to think about！ Will everyone agree with Feyi's decisions。 No！ I'm not sure I do。 But doesn't agonizing over the decisions made by a fictional character make a book so much more real and great？ In terms of rep， this book centers both Black and queer love stories in a beautiful way。 Many of the charcter are bi- and all of the MCs and most side characters are Black。 Feyi is Nigerian-American while many of the other characters are from the Islands， where much of the book takes place。 My one quip with this book is that the ending felt extremely rushed。 There were so many questions left unanswered， my biggest one being what happened with Joy and her lover？！ It was teased but never resolved！ I did appreciate that the book wrapped up without their being a ton of closure and reconciliation， which felt appropriate， but I still really wanted an epilogue。It's my first Emezi book and I will definitely be picking up more of their books！ 。。。more
Celine
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lol apparently we have another case of Lauren Hough herehow embarrassing
光彩
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wish you all （“y’all”） could’ve read luce’s review before she was bullied into deleting itthe protag cheats on her boyfriend with the boyfriend’s FATHER。 very literaryauthor targets negative reviewers on twitter a la lauren hough; obviously the product of a sane and well-adjusted intellectual mind （“greatest living writer”） that can take the heat when some rando without an equally “glittering” career goes “i didn’t like this and here’s why” — alexishallwhythefuckwouldyouendorsethis… unlessyou’re wish you all （“y’all”） could’ve read luce’s review before she was bullied into deleting itthe protag cheats on her boyfriend with the boyfriend’s FATHER。 very literaryauthor targets negative reviewers on twitter a la lauren hough; obviously the product of a sane and well-adjusted intellectual mind （“greatest living writer”） that can take the heat when some rando without an equally “glittering” career goes “i didn’t like this and here’s why” — alexishallwhythefuckwouldyouendorsethis… unlessyou’resecretlyjustasbad（likelierbytheminute）andi’veadmiredyoufornothing— not everything js a personal attack but DO keep stalking GR reviews， emezi， as clearly you’re aware your curated friends will only feed you the bullshit you want to hear lest you cancel them 。。。more
busyjustine
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