⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 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.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this novel.

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty was a difficult book for me to get into because i really didn't like the protag. At all. I kept reading because so many of the reviews tempted me. There was a lot i loved about the book. -'the setting, the food, the art. But i'm still not wild about that protag.

The setting of this book was exquisite. I really wasn't expecting the budding relationship that came up, and I'm not sure how I felt about it. However, I'd give a million dollars to go to this island! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I’ll be honest, for the first 30% of this book I wasn’t sure if I was going to finish it. The Death of Vivek Oji was my favorite book of 2020, but I really wasn’t vibing with the first 30%. I didn’t find the character likable, her decisions were dangerous and stupid, but after that when it started to turn into a queer romance with great food descriptions, I was there for it. It was quite the turn around, going from a potential DNF to a 4 Star book.

My feelings for Feyi was initially quite rocky. I wasn’t sure how far I was willing to go with her as a character. While I was sad for her loss, I didn’t really like some of the choices that she was making and honestly, her life is a bit messy. It continues to be a bit messy all the way to the end, but Emezi brings up a good point: things that are initially messy and maybe embarrassing become good stories later when you’re emotionally removed. So, this was entertaining. Sort of like a literary version of Maury.

So, while I didn’t love Feyi, I enjoyed everything about Alim. He had his life pretty well put together and was a celebrity chef. I would love to eat at his restaurant. Once this man started cooking, I was constantly hungry for the rest of the book. Guava-stuffed chicken? Yes, please. Lemongrass-and-pineapple-glazed pork belly. Where? Please. I want this food. I want to eat it all! Did I mention he’s also generous, kind, and sensitive? No? Well, he is.

Overall, I still have some complicated feelings towards this book, but it redeemed itself pretty well. Emezi has managed to surprise me again, and while this is drastically different from The Death of Vivek Oji, this book is still fantastic in its own way. I’ll keep my eyes open for more from them in a future, but I still have a few of their backlist books left to go.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an eARC of this novel. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

ARC provided by NetGalley, thank you.

A story of a woman figuring out how to be alive in a world on fire while also navigating new love amid the grief from an old. There's nothing easy for the characters here, except perhaps Feyi’s friendship with Joy, but there is a remarkable current of life and beauty running through the whole book.

Feyi is in her 20s and a widow. This story follows her as she learns to open herself up to the idea of being with someone else after her husband’s death. First, through a low-expectations hook-up. Then, through a no-hookups friendship. Then, through an intimate relationship whose primary impetus is connection, not sex.

On the surface, this novel could be a perfect setup for a light romcom. Exotic travel. An island. Celebrity chef. High profile art. But in this paradisaical setting, Feyi struggles to learn to live beyond her grief and hurt. Or, as is repeated a couple of times in the book, she’s figuring out how to be alive in a world on fire.

One of my favorite parts of this book are the interactions between Feyi and her friend Joy. Together, they flip a lot of norms, push boundaries you don’t often see challenged, and they are hilarious and entertaining in the process. Joy’s banter had me laughing out loud often. I mean, right out of the gate, they’re at a party having a running commentary about hot men than goes into pegging territory pretty quickly. The publisher’s note asks for no quotes from the ARC, so you’ll have to read it for yourself to see.

And as always, I appreciate the bisexual rep at the forefront of the story. 💛

Overall lovely read. Heavy, but alive and beautiful.

Within this story, the author creates a main protagonist that walks through life's complexities unsure but demonstrating a willingness to follow their heart's instincts.

Along with Feyi, there is a strong supporting cast bringing the right amount of drama, laughs, and moments of wonder and contemplation. Feyi's world presents itself as worthy of a reader's time and energy. I also enjoyed seeing two bisexual characters, Feyi and Alim, find a way of love and discovery through grief, without focusing on their sexuality. Emezi never disappoints when they weave tales filled with nuance and the human condition.