Listen…. I went into this book completely blind and it threw me for a loop more than once because I did not see so many things coming but I loved it. I thought we were getting a typical meet cute at a party from the first page and it was not that, and I am so glad it was not that. This book was beautiful. The writing was gorgeous, the journey through grief was incredibly done and just the fact that this author let Feyi experience life and didn’t shy away from the ugly side of things. This story was so well done. It was messy and fun and kind of crazy but I loved every second of it. And Alim? I am in utterly in love with that man. I am so happy I picked up this book, I absolutely devoured every single page.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me an early read of this story!

DNF @25%

Sorry, I just couldn't get into this novel. I've read from this author before, I didn't like that novel either. I think it's Emezi's writing style. Her prose is very long-winded and awkward. As for the story, I couldn't relate to the main character. She made idiotic choices and the ending was underwhelming.

So sorry for my late review!! Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this book! It was a great romance to read. I would read any novel this author writes. It was so well written and deeply touching. The book cover was just so beautiful I believe this author has so much fame that they hardly need this praise.

Thanks again

I tried to read this book several times and just couldn't really ever get into it sadly. I know a lot of people love it and I enjoyed The Death of Vivek Oji, but this book just wasn't doing it for me or holding my attention. Nothing objectively negative about it, just wasn't something that kept my interest personally. Thank you to the author and publishers for this advanced e-copy! I really do appreciate it!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Another favorite author of mine. This was so beautifully written, I am a sucker for everything they write

This wasn't a knock your socks of read, but I think it shows the continued maturing of Emezi as a storyteller. I look forward to more from her

I started this one, got about 10% in and it just wasn't for me - the style and characters were hard for me to connect with.

One of the best books I’ve read this year. Even though the writing style sometimes did not resonate with me, I loved this story so much it eventually became irrelevant.

Great insight on how grief affects our life.

I love the way Emezi writes. This book definitely felt a little more messier than previous ones but as usual the writing is incredible. One particular thing I loved is how the characters were written and described by the space they take up in the situation, whether its an expansion or diminishing of their presence. It really added depth to the story. This love story was so pure because it was based on the foundation of finding love while also healing from the loss of a spouse. Feyi and Alim both found that in each other. I'll admit that the connection didn't feel strong to me, maybe it's because of all the messiness that it took to get them to that point and how quickly everything happened. Also, Joy was the comedic relief that I needed. She was always on point and I loved that about her, even though it seemed like she was struggling with some stuff in her own life.

For anyone who wants to follow along a messy, grieving character who is figuring herself out this book is for you. I think I went in with wrong expectations, because I figured this would be a romance novel - spoiler alert, it isn’t.

This is a story about how a young woman finds herself after losing the love of her life. It isn’t clean. It isn’t simple. And it definitely isn’t conventional. While I enjoyed the realistic nature of how Feyi went through life, I didn’t have enough time with the love interests to really care. I felt for Feyi (and I love Joy), but this is for literary fiction readers more than romance readers.

If you like Sally Rooney (but lighter hearted), I think you would like this. Complex female character, tropical vacation with friends, deeper messages of loneliness, etc.

I don’t usually read romance books. I picked this up because I’ve read all of Emezi’s other books and have loved all of them! This one is no exception. Emezi is such a good writer and storyteller! This was fun and steamy and well-written!

WOW! I really had no idea what I was stepping into with this book but the writing was incredible! The visualization of the landscape and area our main characters reside in is breathtaking. Very steamy but completely appropriate for the storyline. I love a good artist story too! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The perfect summer read, get ready for messy and summer vibes. After not dating for eight years, the main character decides to start dating- you wont believe what happens next.

I will say that I think the characters/the romance involved lacked any and all substance, and it was not an enjoyable read for that reason.

DNF. Unfortunately, this was a book I started multiple times but could just not get into. I appreciate having the opportunity to read this book, it was just not a good fit for me as a reader. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted review copy.

THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!! I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT. It was the perfect story and right amount of smut.

I really wanted to like this, and I did like the characters, especially Joy. I think that romance might not be my genre, but I also just wasn’t rooting for any of the couples in the story. I liked the second half better than the first, but in the end I was left just feeling meh.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Lush, and messy, and sumptuous, and queer - I adored this book. It was beautiful and tender, and bold and ferocious and unapologetic, and i honestly haven’t read anything like it before. Truly incredible.

This book is unapologetic in every aspect of its main character Feyi's choices. The story at times feels reckless and is meant to be on purpose. At least that's how I read it. This is a grieving 29-year-old story. She is in a sad transition because she doesn't feel good about commitment. Not after such a loving and consistent presence with her dead husband five years before.

Everything comes down to either pushing away in the name of friendship or folding to desire. I think it's beautiful how the loss of something makes it easier to step back. To not feel pressured to commit to a romantic relationship. And this is the aspect of this story that I related to throughout the majority of the story in certain ways.


Fair warning I finished this book back and February this year and this is my review from Storygraph but with the last line slightly changed. I still feel the same about this book. It's so good.