Unfortunately, not the book for me. I don't really care for the actions that the protagonist took (and was praised for). I love the title though and I do think that this book will be for a lot of people, just not me.

4.5 stars

You 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.

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is a book about an emotional exploration of grief and taking a second chance on love. I'd say this is a romance that reads like literary fiction.

"Feyi wondered how they looked standing next to each other, deep blood and a long cloud. both adorned, both dark as two different nights"

There is a reason I don't read forbidden love stories. It just makes me uncomfortable. I am quick to empathize with the characters and feel for their agony over hurting their loved ones.

The synopsis is pretty vague so I am going to leave it spoiler free but Feyi and her "love"s predicament is really a tough one. Especially for him because he has a lot the lose. I think the reason they fell that hard and fast is because both experienced a great loss and they understood one another. They chose each other at the end because the other person makes them feel alive. I liked how Feyi put it: "I was alone next to your alone, like our alones could walk together....You feel like the first time in a long time I can even wonder about a possibility of not feeling alone"

Theirs was more than that carnal attraction. Yes, there was that but their actual relationship was less physical and more spiritual! That was a surprise because for a book that pretty much starts with sex scene, the rest of the book was, dare I say, tame!

I have to say the profanity bothered me a little bit. The Island setting and that gorgeous house were dreamy. I'd have liked to be a guest in that house and eat a Michelin star chef's food:)

The writing was very strong. No surprise there, because this is Akwaeke Emezi afterall.

And this cover! Isn't it just gorgeous?

Akwaeke Emezi does it again. Their writing is always so perfectly executed. They don't waste a single word. I'm always amazed at how short the work is but how fully realized each page is. This tale is about a woman who has felt absolute grief and is now ready to try and find herself again. She thinks she can never find what she lost, so must settle for something that is comfortable. Then, through the events of the story, she suddenly realizes she can never regain what she lost, but she can find something so wonderful in its own right. It isn't the easiest journey, it's messy in ways that others wouldn't understand, but it's fully human. I appreciate the most about Emezi, no matter what they right, you may not always like a character's actions, but you understand that it's the character and they will act how they need to for themselves. It is sometimes selfish, sometime selfless, and sometimes flabbergasting. But that is life.

I also couldn't believe how Emezi wrote about grief. It was so true. It showed the true feelings of someone who has done all the right work on themselves and will continue to need to do work. I adored how they spoke on it and how they incorporated mental health into this story. I also enjoyed how they dealt with age. So often people aren't seen for their actual age and how they will need to grow, and here they never shy away from that. Another amazing Emezi book, and can't recommend it enough.

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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

I 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 wholy 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!

Fascinating premise and really interesting characters. I was hooked from the beginning, but had SUCH a hard time rooting for (spoiler) her ~new~ relationship and that's all I will say!

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.

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!

Oh goodness where to start with this one...we did a buddy read and it was such a fun time thank you to Patty for hosting and for burning Alim Fishbourne into my brain forever! None of us could put it down, and we flew through it. I would highly recommend going into this mostly blind because the twists had my jaw permanently on the ground.

Emezi has dabbled into the romance genre creating a sweet spot of literary-romance that was really special. This book was fun and spicy with the romance, the tropical setting, and the descriptive food but there was also so much depth and important/mature conversations throughout.

There's an element of ubiquitous queerness that elevated the story and character depth. Feyi was a strong protagonist and I loved that she always spoke her mine and spoke straight - there was NO miscommunication and it was very refreshing to see. The conversations Feyi and the other characters has throughout were both harrowing and comforting; they were (mostly) healthy and mature; they were beautiful and made this book really meaningful.

Feyi was an artist and her representations and interpretations of grief throughout the book was uplifting and really special to read about. Emezi's lyrical prose was a treat!

It did take me a bit to get past the main plot turn (IYKYK), & Patty's Fishbourne imprint (lol). There was only one part of the story that felt very much like it was out-of-character for a certain someone and strictly used as a plot-device which I felt like was an /easy/ path to get to where we needed to go but TBH that's just me being picky.

Overall, a gorgeous story that we all enjoyed. The perfect summer romance read with moments of pure depth.

Pub Date 24 May 2022 | Atria Books | Romance, Women's Fiction, Literary Fiction
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the arc.

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.

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is a story about grief and the consequences of love. Based on a few other reviews I read, I expected it to be messy and I expected to dislike Feyi. Instead, I enjoyed Feyi, didn't think her actions/choices were *that* appalling, and I loved Joy, Feyi's best friend. The book is vulgar at times and imperfect, but wildly entertaining and I genuinely wanted Feyi to find her happiness. Emezi's writing is top-notch and I loved the literary take on the romance genre.

Thank 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 decision and motivations.

I don't know why, but I love a good romance with a side of tragedy...what does this say about me?? Excellent read and I cannot WAIT until there are more people I can scream praise of this book with. The release date needs to come sooner!!!

This is a stunning romance 'debut' from Emezi, though it's entirely unsurprising that their work is so good, even in a genre they hadn't published in before. Basically, I had sky-high hopes and expectations, and this book didn't let me down. It's not the happiest romance throughout (the premise gives you a strong tip-off there, to begin with), but it's still got soaring moments, really hot/steamy scenes, and plenty of joy.

3.5/5

I'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!

-The cover is stunning. It caught my eyes almost immediately which made me curious on what the story would be about.
-Very beautifully written, almost poetic in the descriptions of the settings.
-You get to follow Feyi on her journey of self-discovery and grieving after the tragic loss of her husband five years prior. Its raw and emotional and full of conflict-which makes it feel realistic.
-Sex and sexuality is represented well in the story in my opinion (both the MC's are bisexual)
-TW's: death (car accident), grief, family and friendship conflict

Overall I rated this a 4/5 and 1/5 on the spice scale.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

This is a book perfect for those who are lost after the ending of HBO's Insecure. This is a not a typical romance - which is a great thing - we need more diversity in romance!! The characters were well-written and felt very real. This diversity is much needed in romance!!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty

2.5 ⭐️

I didn’t love this one, and just couldn’t get into it. The characters all seemed pretty selfish and I find it hard to enjoy a book where I don’t like any of the characters. The book was pretty short and didn’t have a ton of plot.

📚 You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi 📚

"This desire that pooled like traitorous flame, that wasn’t in response to someone else, that was coming from her and just her. She belonged to it, and it belonged to her, and that’s as far as it needed to go."

Thank you netgalley and Atria Books for the eARC!

This was my second book by Akwaeke Emezi - Death of Vivek Oji is the only other book I've read by them so far. I will definitely read all the rest of their books!

I was curious about them writing a romance, and it was excellent. But beyond just a love story, this book is about grief and loss, and different types of love. And it's also just lushly written and made me want to eat delicious food in the Caribbean and dress up in awesome clothes!

Feyi, the main character, is nowhere near perfect, but she's beautiful and strong and finds herself after drowning in grief. I've read some reviews where readers hated Feyi's actions and I can see why it's a divisive book - but I thought it was so well written and the reasons for her choices were made clear to me by the author. I don't think I have to see myself in a character or think a character is making a choice I would make in order to respect a character. And she followed her heart, she went for what she wanted and needed, her true self instead of who she was trying to pretend to be for years. The ending is open ended and who knows if the love story continues or not? But the story and the ride it took me on was worth it.

Normalizing therapy, recognizing the value of love between friends as well as the passion of romantic love, sex positivity, and the importance of art were all things I enjoyed seeing featured in this book as well.