"She was fucking alive, and Feyi knew in that moment, she would burn anything, everything, a whole world just to hold on to that feeling"

LISTEN. LISTEN. LISTEN. This book was one of those books that was impossible to put down. This was dizzying and indulgent. I need more romance books like this! The setting in Brooklyn and then the islands was enough to suck me right into this narrative. And TWO bi characters? a lesbian best friend? Caribbean food and cooking? Creole dialogue? Is there anything Emezi can write that I won't absolutely love?

The characters in this book are messy and they are grieving. What is grief if not messy? A seemingly simple story about a Black woman trying to love again after loss, but facing serious obstacles (see: messy) on the way there. I think it's best to go into this book knowing as little about the plot as possible. Emezi takes the reader on such a journey, and maybe it's hard for you to root for any of the characters. Or maybe you see the human-ness woven into their stories. Maybe you understand that grief brings about its own monsters. Overall, I loved the way Emezi tackled grief and love and art and messiness.

Thank you to AtriaBooks for providing me an ARC through NetGalley. All views are 100% my own

I was gifted a copy of this book from Net Galley and Atira Books in exchange for an honest review. This book is available on May 24, 2022. ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐
I've read 2 previous books by this author, one which I gave 5 stars, the other was a DNF, so I wasn't sure what to expect going into You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty. It was a pleasant surprise. This is a story of grief, survival, and love. I can see how some people might not like Feyi, but I think she's a very misunderstood character and I couldn't help but feel happy for her by the end. I would definitely continue to read books by this author.

I cannot quite wrap my head around my feelings for this book. The writing was solid and makes me REALLY want to read their previous works. It’s definitely engaging. You’re IN the story the whole time you’re reading this book. Emezi keeps the reader on the edge with the swoops and twists in this book.

I despised the main character Feyi, while still ultimately wanting the best for her. But she was so destructive in so many ways that she gave me anxiety!

Feyi’s best friend Joy was the absolute best part of this book. She was amazing. And Milan was great too.

At its core, this book is about dealing with grief and finding love again after losing the love of your life to tragedy. And who is supposed to say what is right and wrong for any individual person. I just couldn’t handle Feyi’s path of devastation.

This book was riveting, I will say that.

In You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by @azemezi we follow the journey of Feyi, our protagonist, as she stumbles through a nonlinear healing journey after the loss of her husband. While Feyi is captivating, most of my attention was spent on appreciating supporting characters like her best friend, Joy. The characters who reflect back to Feyi her own inherent worth, beauty, and power despite the ways she often forgets.

“You look expensive,” Joy had said, with a wicked grin, picking out delicate gold chains for her to layer over her collarbone. “Like a goddess dripping in offerings.”
Feyi winked.
“As it should be.”

Joy was the catalyst for so much change and accountability. A home girl in every sense of the term. The only one able to call Feyi out on her bullshit in a way she could process it. I loved that for Feyi. We all need a friend like that.

As a reader, I was gratified with how Feyi found a way back to love even when she felt so undeserving. She allows herself to be tended to like a wilted flower that she first learns to water herself. Not your typical romance novel and at the same time the best kind of love story. 📚

Many times throughout the story Feyi worries if she is using others to prop herself up like an addict seeking a fix for the moment. She doesn’t get stuck in those thoughts though. She makes art. She makes love. She makes amends and this is so hard to do when you’re grieving. Making peace is also possibly the only way to move through grief and not get lost there.

This book was incredible!

Typically I avoid reading books where romance is a heavy theme, but what Emezi does with this story is not romance, it's life. Grief shatters people in different ways and this book shows what happens when you embrace that grief and decide to move on and let yourself love again.

Truly beautiful story with complex characters and a gorgeous setting. It will make you feel emotions you might not even realize you have.

Another 5 star read by this incredibly talented author!

A fierce young widow gets a second chance at love with the last person she should be thinking of. I loved this book to absolute distraction. Lyrical and feminist and fun, this debut romance by the inimical Akwaeke Emezi will absolutely be on my best of the year list.
Review and interview to come in BookPage this summer.

This was such a beautiful book. I can read anything they write because no one strings a sentence together like Emezi, but this was such a refreshing take on romance. I really believed they were meant for each other, saw each other, and belonged together. And the sex scenes were hot. Check, check, check -- all the things I want from romance.

I will not accept any Feyi slander anywhere!!!

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty was a vision. It’s about being messy. Being in love. Being loved. Loving yourself. What it means to grieve and the fact that we never truly get over those we lost.

And it’s so. Damn. Messy. Feyi girl, baby what is you doing???? But also, you do you and I love you. But also, these choices ma’am 🥴🥴🥴. But also, I just want you to be happy.

And my girl JOY!!! The person you always want by your side. My favorite part about Joy is that she was truly loyal. There for Feyi - anytime she needed her, supporting her, challenging here, being the shoulder to lean on. I kind of wanted Feyi and Joy to end up together but also marveled at how beautiful their friendship is.

And that one character can go rot because I’m over his trashy ass. You’ll know when you read.

Can you tell this book made me feel. It’s a damn roller coaster than Emezi brings us on and I gleefully went along for the ride. Please read this book. And if you’ve read it, sound off in the comments about Feyi, Joy, Nasir, and Zaddy 🤣

Thank you to Atria for my copy of this book. It truly is going to be one of the meatiest, emotional, stickiest books I’ve read this year.

This is a lovely book and I will certainly read more of Emezi's work! When Feyi is invited to a beautiful island paradise by a young man she is dating, she has no idea his father is a world-renowned chef who is charming and as lonely as she is after losing her husband in a tragic accident. That's all you need for plot; dive in for an awesome story filled with odd but lovable characters, scenery that will leave you breathless, and romance that will keep you longing for more! I had no idea what to expect from this novel, but was wonderfully surprised at how much I liked it as it carried me through a range of emotions I hadn't expected! This book will resonate with me for a long time!

When it comes to Akwaeke Emezi's book I eat them right up. It took me so long to pick this one up because I knew that I would read it really fast and that I did. The first sentence drew me right into the story and I couldn't put the book down. I enjoyed following Feyi's journey in trying to find a new partner after tragedy struck with her last one. But I was not expecting the plot twist that came with this story. I am starting to realize that I don't like the age gap in modern stories and it threw me off. I won't say too much because of spoilers. I am excited though to see how others will enjoy this book. 4.5 stars

I loved this book!!! Emezi movies through genres effortlessly and mastered romance, among their other accomplishments. They managed to portray such a beautiful, real depiction of grief while maintaining the romance genre. I will read anything and everything Emezi puts out!

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this DigitalARC in exchange for my honest review.

You Made A Fool of Death with Your Beauty is Akwaeke Emezi's debut romance novel. It follows the story of Feyi Adekola, a Nigerian-American artist who is five years out from the devastating personal loss of her husband in a terrible car crash. She has been profoundly immersed in her grief, using her art and her friend Joy as her only outlets. During the course of this book she moves out of her shell of grief and back into a more social lifestyle as she continues to process the loss and its continued effect on her.

Feyi (and her best friend Joy) are both strong characters. The writing is sharp and evocative, thought provoking and emotionally wrenching. There are so many themes running through the book: identity, loss, trust, relationships, family dynamics. sexuality, sense of self, the catharsis of art, and so many more.

The book does not shy away from difficult issues. There are situations that occur that truly challenge the characters. There are casual relationships and attempts to step back into more significant intimacies. There is settling for what seems reasonable and good and reaching and daring for something more, even if it appears to cross lines that may be devastating to cross.

The main characters in this book have suffered profound losses. They have dealt with the aftermath in their own way but there is a core of understanding they have for each other that is breath-taking, an intimacy that develops that shakes both of them.

The writing is lush. The descriptions of the island, the food, the art--are all evocative and detailed.

The steamy scenes are just that, both the open door and closed door ones.

This book is a romance but it is also a study in loss, in hope, in intimacy, in connection, in taking a risk for something that matters.

Resilience, grief, societal conventions, personal sacrifice, and personal growth. The characters are messy. The situation is messy. And that's ok. It's given us a layered, complex and at times challenging book that I think will leave readers somewhat conflicted about the situations and events described. And about the characters themselves as well. It's unconventional and unexpected and well written.

You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty is @azemezi’s debut romance novel which will be published on May 24, 2022. I want to say a big thank you to the author & @atriabooks for my ARC as this will be one of my favorite books of 2022!! I typically don’t read much from this genre; however, the storytelling in this novel is incredibly vivid and modern. I loved the protagonist Feyi, her best friend, Joy, and the fascinating character, Alim. I was utterly transported to a tropical island and found the story of human beings navigating their way through unexpected loss, suffering, searching for deep connection, and the courage to try for something again riveting. This story had everything I was looking for as we head into the summer season: vibrant meals, an atmospheric setting, art, and the spirit of celebrating the beauty of human connection in all its complexity and delicacy. The author’s prose is exquisite, effortless, and electrifying—-raw talent in writing at its finest. I’m so excited this novel is set to be adapted as a film!

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by The Washington Post, Oprah Daily, Vulture, Harper’s Bazaar, Thrillist, Essence, Good Housekeeping, Glamour, Marie Claire, Parade, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Refinery29, & many more!

I had a feeling, as soon as I heard this book was being published, that I was going to fall in love with it. I am so happy to report that I did! I was honored to receive a physical ARC of You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty as well after requesting it here, and my physical copy is full of tabs. Feyi was a character that I strongly related to, and even though I hadn't experienced things to the same degree, her grief and fear easily became my grief and fear. I couldn't help but get so attached to her and her story, and I loved watching her journey of growth and finding love again. There were so many beautiful moments throughout this book, and I cannot wait to see it hit shelves in May!

Content warning for loss of loved one, grief, sexual content, violence, mentions of blood.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC of You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi.

This was supposed to be a great book and I anticipated reading it. The title intrigued me however, when I began this book, I was turned off immediately by the opening line which I found vulgar with its use of gratuitous profanity. Perhaps later, I will try again, but with so many other books that just grab me immediately, I didn't want to waste my time reading a story that begins with a sour taste in my mouth. Sorry. Not a prude, but really, can not a story be told without this? Maybe, I'll choose to try this book again, as I hear the author's writing style is great.

Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow, this book was something else in the best way possible. I don't think I've read anything like it. I read that this was a romance but I think it's so much more than that (not that there is absolutely anything wrong or less with romances).

The characters felt so real. The story was intricate but it was done so well that it didn't get confusing or too convoluted. I will definitely be picking this up once it is released and re-reading it because it’s a beautiful story.

I cannot wait for everyone else to read it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

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

This fresh and genre-bending story is about Feyi Adekola, who after suffering a great loss five years ago, is starting to think about what life could become after tragedy. While using art to explore and honour her grief, she is becoming more open to the possibility of dating again. This novel explores second chance love, healing and Feyi’s journey of self-discovery.

While marketed as a romance, this novel reaches outside the typical fare of the genre. The characters are messy, realistic people who are dealing with complicated situations not easily resolved with a HEA bow. Feyi is a wonderfully bold character who reaches out for love when she sees the chance for it. She unapologetically finds what makes her feel alive again and explores who she has become. Emotions are written in a raw and tangible way; grief, angst, elation - I could feel it all. The will-they-won’t-they amidst a very sticky situation did get a bit tedious for me.

There is a decent amount of profanity and open door scenes, fyi for those that prefer to know. Overall, this book has stuck with me even though I was challenged and uncomfortable at times given the situations Feyi is in. I recommend this for readers looking for a literary and complex romance read, with complicated relationships and a strong focus on the main character’s personal development. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an e-copy of this upcoming novel - out May 24! All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So I don't typically read romance, but WOW! This was so good! I enjoyed everything about this story and can't wait to read it again when it's released.

A romance novel with a title from a Florence and the Machine song? Yes, sign me up. Feyi Adekola, an artist living in New York, is still grieving the loss of her husband five years after he died in a horrible car crash. She begins opening to the possibilities of a new relationship and slowly starts letting in someone who just happens to be able to whisk her away to a tropical island to work on her art. Things get complicated fast when she meets someone else on that island that by all conventions should be off-limits.

My favorite thing about Emezi’s writing so far (I’ve only read two of their books) is the way they write about possibilities and scenarios that most people would write off as unattainable, in this case a love so big that it cannot be ignored and can endure any “logical” objections. The romance in this book could easily have been written in a messy, soapy way, but it’s not. It’s real and deep and you believe in these characters and their love. Tropes of the romance genre are largely disregarded so don’t try and figure it out as you go along. Aside from the romance aspect, Feyi’s relationship with her best friend Joy is complex and adds so much to the story. Bonus points go to the incredible descriptions of the island and the details about the food. 4.5/5 stars

Akwaeke Emezi’s debut romance novel follows Feyi Adekola, a Nigerian-American artist, who is reemerging in life after a devastating loss. Feyi is searching for a way to grieve, love and heal herself. If you’ve read any of Emezi’s previous books, you have come to expect complex emotions, questions about identity and sexuality, and beautiful writing that is crisp, evocative, and full of life. In this novel, you will find all of the above, and a few steamy encounters for those looking for spice — one even served up in the opening scene. But at the novel’s heart is a cluster of imperfect people, looking for second chances but not trusting themselves.

How much you will like this story will probably depend on whether you enjoy complicated relationships and attractive characters who can be impulsive, evasive, and moody. I don’t read a lot of romance, but I was curious to see what Emezi would do in yet another genre. I wasn’t always convinced by the plot, but I enjoyed this spin on the romance novel, especially the dreamy poetic prose and the focus on how art, desire, and mourning can intersect in healing ways. The tropical island setting is luxurious and luscious, and you can tell Emezi is having fun with the descriptions of mouthwatering food, stylish clothes, swanky tropical villas, and visionary art installations.

A seductive novel about resilience, sorrow and bliss that goes beyond escapism. Worth reading for a chance to swim in Akwaeke Emezi’s sultry writing once again.


Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an opportunity to read and review an advance digital copy.