You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
- Downloads：1703
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-31 08:51:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Akwaeke Emezi
- ISBN：0571372678
- 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
katie m
，
MINI REVIEW！ i won this in a goodreads giveaway so figured i should make the effort to transfer my mini review from my notes app to here。~notes~rep: man x woman， both main characters are Black and bi， she has anxietytropes: age gap， kinda forbiddengenre: this is maybe a bit too single-arc to be a full romance but holy shit is there emotionCWs: described past death of spouses （car accident， drowning）， grief， blood （used in art）， instances of homophobia and almost-violent anger~comments~i just！ th MINI REVIEW！ i won this in a goodreads giveaway so figured i should make the effort to transfer my mini review from my notes app to here。~notes~rep: man x woman， both main characters are Black and bi， she has anxietytropes: age gap， kinda forbiddengenre: this is maybe a bit too single-arc to be a full romance but holy shit is there emotionCWs: described past death of spouses （car accident， drowning）， grief， blood （used in art）， instances of homophobia and almost-violent anger~comments~i just！ this book is just so achingly tender。 it’s heartbreaking and heartbuilding。 it’s lush， with prose with emotion with imagery with depth and breadth and skies and earth and laughter and pain and gentleness。it’s one of those special books that comes along and hits you （me） in the heart， and i can only wish everyone could experience it that way — or at least experience some book that way， if only once but hopefully a lot more than once。this one *really* worked for me， and i did not expect it。 i recommend for those seeking emotion in their reads。 。。。more
Karlie Schaefer
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I don't normally need romance but I really enjoyed the first half of this book， especially the audiobook version with Bahni Turpin。 The second half felt slightly unbelievable to me but still kept my attention。 I don't normally need romance but I really enjoyed the first half of this book， especially the audiobook version with Bahni Turpin。 The second half felt slightly unbelievable to me but still kept my attention。 。。。more
Jeanette
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Beautifully written book that does an amazing job at navigating the complexity and heaviness of love and grief。 The main romance does take its time to blossom， but overall a great read。
Royal
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great book but can we talk about how feyi is so irresponsible and incredibly selfish。 like。 wtf like girl YOUR'RE IN THE。 WRONG YOU HAVE NO MORAL HIGH GROUND。I。 beleive she shouldhavee felt。 more guilt and anguish， who cares if you。 sosad。 you。 lost。 a husband。 and now you。 want tobe selfish nasir has a righttobe angry and to condemn you in anyway in which he sees fit。YOU DESERVE IT。why is it that。 lorrain was the only one speaking sense and yet。 i couldn't understand her statments because they great book but can we talk about how feyi is so irresponsible and incredibly selfish。 like。 wtf like girl YOUR'RE IN THE。 WRONG YOU HAVE NO MORAL HIGH GROUND。I。 beleive she shouldhavee felt。 more guilt and anguish， who cares if you。 sosad。 you。 lost。 a husband。 and now you。 want tobe selfish nasir has a righttobe angry and to condemn you in anyway in which he sees fit。YOU DESERVE IT。why is it that。 lorrain was the only one speaking sense and yet。 i couldn't understand her statments because they were written so differently to eveyrone elses almost as if the narrator wanted us to disregard he。 thrufhtful talking points whikst every other main charcter。 spoke in a 'clear' way。 nasir wasn't as mad as he should have been i would have。 actually had。 to hurt someone physically。i guess。 thats what makes this book so good; that i read it in a day and i have such a vitriol reaction to the charcters and their stupidty and lack of acountability， lorraine should have slapped some people up and feyi should have had more shame。。。 i seriously cant with this book， i need a sequel where nasir comes to grips with their betrayl and finds another woman but is scorned and wary and unserious to the point where he almost loses her until he gets a reality check， becasue no way has nasir walked away as calmly as he has after he found out everything， he should have slapped up you know who a bit。 im giving it 4 stars becasue the charcters are increbily unsrious and without a backbone to save them ugh at least i got out some of my anger at these characters 。。。more
Deb
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The language in this book makes it a tough read for this 60+ lady， but the themes are universal， and the prose is glorious。
Lonneke
，
This book is messy。 Real messy。 But between all of the mess， there is a story that is hopeful， and that makes you feel alive and happy。I wouldn't be surprised if this were to be picked up as a series or movie， because it has all the potential。 The book moves quickly enough to never get bored with it， and the food descriptions had me hungry。 The characters were beautifully crafted; flawed， but relatable。 This isn't a book that I would recommend to everyone， but for me， it was lovely。 This book is messy。 Real messy。 But between all of the mess， there is a story that is hopeful， and that makes you feel alive and happy。I wouldn't be surprised if this were to be picked up as a series or movie， because it has all the potential。 The book moves quickly enough to never get bored with it， and the food descriptions had me hungry。 The characters were beautifully crafted; flawed， but relatable。 This isn't a book that I would recommend to everyone， but for me， it was lovely。 。。。more
Rich
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This is my first time reading a romance novel （which is more like a romantic drama） and i was thankful it didn’t include more sex scenes。 Honestly， the slow burn of so many of the characters was such that i just wanted to yell at them “just do it already” sometimes。 And when they finally did it i was like “oh man， i wasn’t ready for these descriptions。”Just remember， it’s a fluffy book about non fluffy subjects， like trauma and grief and art and messy relationships and food and privilege and pow This is my first time reading a romance novel （which is more like a romantic drama） and i was thankful it didn’t include more sex scenes。 Honestly， the slow burn of so many of the characters was such that i just wanted to yell at them “just do it already” sometimes。 And when they finally did it i was like “oh man， i wasn’t ready for these descriptions。”Just remember， it’s a fluffy book about non fluffy subjects， like trauma and grief and art and messy relationships and food and privilege and power dynamics and expectations and beauty。 All kinds of descriptions of beauty。 It’s a summer beach book and it was hard to put down。 。。。more
Emil Persson
，
did not expect it to be this crazy😭
Mary Gage
，
I’m not quite sure what to think of this story but the writing was exquisite。 A narrative on grief and love and friendship。
Manoek • manoeksbooknook
，
3，5
Holly
，
The first chapter is smokin hot。 I loved how evocative the language is throughout。 I could see/ taste/ smell everything！ I can be down with the edgy love triangle even。 But the protagonist is like， a narcissist？ Her angst and agonising was a snooze fest。 And so repetitive。 I wanted to hear more about her friend Joy。 We never found out what happened with her？ I hope Joy is living her best life。
Logan
，
This book is everything I was hoping it would be and more。 I love that we get to see the main character's journey to life， finally able to begin healing from trauma and to find joy again。 The LGBT+ rep is fantastic and it's just who these characters are， it's not used as a front for homophobia or as a last ditch effort at representation。 Please go check this book out， it's worth it！ This book is everything I was hoping it would be and more。 I love that we get to see the main character's journey to life， finally able to begin healing from trauma and to find joy again。 The LGBT+ rep is fantastic and it's just who these characters are， it's not used as a front for homophobia or as a last ditch effort at representation。 Please go check this book out， it's worth it！ 。。。more
Amanda Davidson
，
Both chaotic and messy while being reflective and thoughtful。 Was a quick and addicting read with interesting layers。 If you can’t handle the first sentence you probably won’t vibe with the rest
Ash。p。hall
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3。5 ⭐️ I didn’t think the book was going to end up where it did。 Feyi is looking for love again after a tragic loss。 I didn’t anticipate the route her story took， but it was an interesting and messy turn。
Yesenia Rodas
，
• love triangle• friends to lovers • 3rd POVThis was so wild。 Feyi goes through it emotionally。 She loses the love of her life and wonders how she will move on。 She tries different ways but they’re not it。 Finally， she meets someone but he’s off limits。 Can he risk it all for her？So good。 The culture。 The food。 The country。 The love。 Amazing。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kathrin | abitbooked
，
3。75 starsLIKES:📝 raw， intimate， vivid writing🏝 island setting🎨 art vibes！👨🏿🍳 foodie vibes！👩🏾🤝👩🏿 explores female friendship☝️ one night stand trope （steam 3/5）❤️🩹 + forbidden love🖤 themes of grief， loss & betrayal🌱 personal growth vibes🌪 DARK twist🎭 super dramatic🫣 disturbing💭 thought-provoking•DISCLAIMERS:⚠️ dm me for TW❌ NOT a romance like it’s marketed😐 characters felt underdeveloped💔 love stories fell flat for me🤢 gave lots of people the ick - “sweetness” （iykyk）•VERDICT: a vivid & distu 3。75 starsLIKES:📝 raw， intimate， vivid writing🏝 island setting🎨 art vibes！👨🏿🍳 foodie vibes！👩🏾🤝👩🏿 explores female friendship☝️ one night stand trope （steam 3/5）❤️🩹 + forbidden love🖤 themes of grief， loss & betrayal🌱 personal growth vibes🌪 DARK twist🎭 super dramatic🫣 disturbing💭 thought-provoking•DISCLAIMERS:⚠️ dm me for TW❌ NOT a romance like it’s marketed😐 characters felt underdeveloped💔 love stories fell flat for me🤢 gave lots of people the ick - “sweetness” （iykyk）•VERDICT: a vivid & disturbing contemporary fiction novel （NOT romance） exploring grief & personal growth through dramatic， thought-provoking love stories ranging from one-night-stands to forbidden love 。。。more
Dominique Wozniak
，
To preface: I’m extremely picky with romances and I don’t usually like them。 This was okay。 If you like being messy this is for you。
Ebony
，
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is delightful。 I’m a tough critic， but I loved this romance novel。 And I’ve read my share of romance novels—usually to pass some time， but this one， this one right here， is so well-written， I read it for the words。 Most romance novels are predictable， but this one plot twisted a couple times。 Most romance novels have me yelling out loud， “Just talk to each other” but this one had me like， “Aww， I want somebody to say those words to me （and mean them）。” M You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is delightful。 I’m a tough critic， but I loved this romance novel。 And I’ve read my share of romance novels—usually to pass some time， but this one， this one right here， is so well-written， I read it for the words。 Most romance novels are predictable， but this one plot twisted a couple times。 Most romance novels have me yelling out loud， “Just talk to each other” but this one had me like， “Aww， I want somebody to say those words to me （and mean them）。” Most romance novels focus on bodies exclusively， but Emezi includes faces。 I’ve never read a book with so much detail on eyes and facial expressions。 It is part of the beauty。 Also， there is beauty in her language。 Her turns of phrases were so memorable。 I got highlights up and down this book just because of the way she danced with words and sounds and art。 The novel has everything I love。 The novel starts in Brooklyn。 Shout out New York （where I was last week）。 It’s set on a fictional Caribbean island。 Shout out Caribbean （where I am now）。 They dance to world music vibes （I have new artists on my playlists。） The eat delicious food。 The main character makes art。 There’s real friendship， lots of sex， plot twists， and everybody’s black。 What else can you want？ You probably never said to herself， I want to read a romance novel about unapologetic grief and grieving and brokenness and missing pieces， but you’ll be glad you did when you finish this because death is beautiful too。 I’ve never read anything so wholly about grief that wasn’t depressing。 Her characters are grieving and they are living with warmth and color and dialog that sounds like I how I was talking to my girlfriends the other day。 I would read every other book is this prequel， sequel， series if there were any。 It’s not my first Emezi book; it won’t be my last。 Her writing is a gift to the world。 Like Morrison， she writes about the hard stuff， but unlike Morrison she knows how to uplift。 She writes where the light and dark coexist without one ever overpowering the other。 I respect it。 I admire it。 I aspire to it。 In my writing， and in my life。 。。。more
Kamaria
，
I thought I was gonna like this more :/ protagonist was too messy for me and I couldn’t get on board。 I like that the authors tried a different genre but their other stuff is definitely their strong suit
Davina
，
This book sent me on a range of emotions。 At the very beginning I’m thinking “Ok well I see we are coming out the gate swinging”。 I knew this was going to be good and I was ready for it。 Then came the thoughts and opinions on how to “properly” deal with grief。 I wasn’t mad a Feyi for sluttinflg it out a little bit。 Then BAM the morals got a little too shaky for me。 Some things you just don’t do… or do you？ I began to ask myself， are we sometimes loyal to a fault。 Loyal in situations that aren’t This book sent me on a range of emotions。 At the very beginning I’m thinking “Ok well I see we are coming out the gate swinging”。 I knew this was going to be good and I was ready for it。 Then came the thoughts and opinions on how to “properly” deal with grief。 I wasn’t mad a Feyi for sluttinflg it out a little bit。 Then BAM the morals got a little too shaky for me。 Some things you just don’t do… or do you？ I began to ask myself， are we sometimes loyal to a fault。 Loyal in situations that aren’t owed that level of loyalty。 Are we loyal at the risk of missing what’s meant for us。 By “we” I mean people that consider them selves fairly sound minded， morally conscious individuals。 I don’t think I care for the decisions that were made， especially at the cost。 Either way， it gave me a lot to think about。 Well written， great flow， funny dialogue between Feyi and Joy。 I could see there being a sequel to this book， perhaps。 。。。more
Katie Mac
，
Another book I finished but can't seem to rate。 Parts of this book are gorgeous， and Akwaeke Emezi's exploration of death and grief as messy， unrelenting wrecking balls that strike when one least expects is the most valuable part of their work。 I wanted to learn more about Jonah， but I guess the point is that the reader is kept at a distance from him because that's what Feyi wants for herself。The romance element feels more flimsy in that it's built on shared trauma and loss。 It doesn't feel sust Another book I finished but can't seem to rate。 Parts of this book are gorgeous， and Akwaeke Emezi's exploration of death and grief as messy， unrelenting wrecking balls that strike when one least expects is the most valuable part of their work。 I wanted to learn more about Jonah， but I guess the point is that the reader is kept at a distance from him because that's what Feyi wants for herself。The romance element feels more flimsy in that it's built on shared trauma and loss。 It doesn't feel sustainable but， since I haven't been through a death like that， one that's immediate and soul-wrenching， maybe I can't talk。I don't know。 I would try this， but be prepared to either love or hate it。 。。。more
Lauren
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This story was stunning！ I loved that Emezi took a popular and forbidden "romance trope" and made it into something that felt real。 I think what really drew me into this story was how much I liked each of the characters and how they all felt like people who could exist outside of this fictional story。 The friendship between Feyi and Joy was one of my favorite things about the book。I couldn't stop reading once I got to the portion of the story that just makes you constantly wonder "will they， won This story was stunning！ I loved that Emezi took a popular and forbidden "romance trope" and made it into something that felt real。 I think what really drew me into this story was how much I liked each of the characters and how they all felt like people who could exist outside of this fictional story。 The friendship between Feyi and Joy was one of my favorite things about the book。I couldn't stop reading once I got to the portion of the story that just makes you constantly wonder "will they， won't they？" and then I had to figure out how the resolution for everyone involved was going to come。The way Emezi writes Feyi's grief made my chest tighten as Feyi explained what it's like to live without the one you thought you'd be able to love forever。 With that being said。。。there is a big trigger warning for loss of a loved one， specifically a spouse/partner/significant other。I know that Emezi has stated how different this story is from their other works， but the beautiful writing and compelling characters they created have me dying to read the rest of their books！ 。。。more
Rachel Louise Atkin
，
I enjoyed this way more than I was expecting to！ The main character Feyi is a very flawed， messy women but I absolutely loved reading about her。 The absolute drama and shitshow that this book just descended into was incredible。Feyi is still reeling from a tragic incident in her past but then she gets the opportunity to showcase her art on a remote island and to connect with other artists。 When she’s here she falls for someone she really shouldn’t be falling for， and honestly shit just hits the f I enjoyed this way more than I was expecting to！ The main character Feyi is a very flawed， messy women but I absolutely loved reading about her。 The absolute drama and shitshow that this book just descended into was incredible。Feyi is still reeling from a tragic incident in her past but then she gets the opportunity to showcase her art on a remote island and to connect with other artists。 When she’s here she falls for someone she really shouldn’t be falling for， and honestly shit just hits the fan。I think it took a while for the story to get going for me， and for at least the first third I was waiting for something to kick off and make the story come alive。 When this happened， though， I started to enjoy it so much more。 Every thing in this book was just so dramatic and honestly ‘messy’ is the only way I can describe it。 But I love reading about messy women at the moment and so I’m glad I decided to read this。I keep seeing a lot of negative reviews for this book focusing on how bad Feyi is as a character and how she uses her trauma as an excuse to do bad things to other people。 Yea she does… that’s her character。 She’s not a good person， and the author doesn’t try and make Feyi out to be a good person。 I can’t help but wonder why everyone seems to love Moshfegh’s fucked up women but then go on here and slate characters like Feyi who are just as messed up， unapologetic and great to read about。 I honestly did really like this book and I’d recommend it keep going with it if at first it doesn’t grab you！ 。。。more
booksandzoe
，
i had a review of this book up at one point and then accidentally deleted the entire thing somehow？？？ no clue but thanks goodreads app for being inaccessible as always👍👍👍 anyways what i remember is wishing for more depth with jonah and a bit more characterization with the love interest。 beyond that i can’t remember what i wrote lol but maybe i’ll come back to this
Abbey O
，
Red hot modern romance！ Not for the faint of heart。 It included everything from grief， lust， recklessness， betrayal， love， and what it means to be alive。 Absolutely recommend if you enjoy romance novels。
Minah
，
It’s not THAT messy（3。5）
Dayla
，
Listen， this book caught me on the edge of a reading slump。 I almost DNF'ed it just because I wasn't in the mood， but then。。。an age gap romance appeared。 This is one of those times where I will admit that if I'd read the synopsis， I would have jumped into this feet first， instead of dipping a toe in first。 I feel like this book went through several layers of storytelling before it got to the literal heart of the story。 I think that might have been one of the things that almost turned me off from Listen， this book caught me on the edge of a reading slump。 I almost DNF'ed it just because I wasn't in the mood， but then。。。an age gap romance appeared。 This is one of those times where I will admit that if I'd read the synopsis， I would have jumped into this feet first， instead of dipping a toe in first。 I feel like this book went through several layers of storytelling before it got to the literal heart of the story。 I think that might have been one of the things that almost turned me off from the book because I just felt so unsettled as the MC met new people and formed new connections。 I was especially thrown off when she meets the true love interest because I just thought， "Seriously？ Now？ When we've already connected to this other character？" I will admit that this is where I caved and read the synopsis and a few reviews to see if I should keep going。 While I am normally a huge fan of the age gap trope， I found this one to be kind of weird and random？ Like， the love interest was so。。。invested after what， a week or two？ He was so calm and felt fatherly when he spoke to her which was just。。。weird and what I would like to not think about when I see an age gap romance LOL。 It just all felt so sped up and chaotic but also weirdly calm for such a short time？ Something just felt super off。 I did like how strong-willed the MC is and how at one point， she recognizes that because she showed a moment of weakness to another character， they had the misconception that they could treat her in a less-than-deserving way。 I really， really liked that。 I also loved how surprisingly spicy this book was。 It is my favourite when a fiction book secretly carries smutty smut within its pages。 Incognito spice is *chef's kiss*。 Anyway， this was alright but it could have been better。 It didn't leave me with that usual giddy feeling I get after an age gap romance。 But take that as you will because I know A LOT of people have loved this book！Happy reading！ 。。。more
nicole dao
，
I feel like this book is in between 3 and 4 stars。 I’m not going to lie， I finished it quick because it was super enticing and left me hooked。 However， as the book went on， I started to dislike the protagonist。 In the end， the romance seemed almost too sanguine to be realistic， and this made it feel slightly corny， especially how the characters felt so deeply for each other after not even that many encounters。 I will say this is one of the better YA books that doesn’t involve a basic trope。 It’s I feel like this book is in between 3 and 4 stars。 I’m not going to lie， I finished it quick because it was super enticing and left me hooked。 However， as the book went on， I started to dislike the protagonist。 In the end， the romance seemed almost too sanguine to be realistic， and this made it feel slightly corny， especially how the characters felt so deeply for each other after not even that many encounters。 I will say this is one of the better YA books that doesn’t involve a basic trope。 It’s actually unique， and it isn’t too cringey to read。 。。。more
Meghan
，
I feel like this started so strong — I was IMMERSED， then it ran right off a cliff 150 pages in。 The setting （the island！！） was so gorgeously described， but no thanks to how everything unfolded in the second half of the book ¯\_（ツ）_/¯ grief doesn't give you a free pass to do whatever u want or just allow u to explain ur pretty questionable actions away， and like WHAT in the insta love？？？ AUGH。 I'm mad。 Excellent cover though。 I feel like this started so strong — I was IMMERSED， then it ran right off a cliff 150 pages in。 The setting （the island！！） was so gorgeously described， but no thanks to how everything unfolded in the second half of the book ¯\_（ツ）_/¯ grief doesn't give you a free pass to do whatever u want or just allow u to explain ur pretty questionable actions away， and like WHAT in the insta love？？？ AUGH。 I'm mad。 Excellent cover though。 。。。more
Lindsey
，