It’s very late, but I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for the early digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think Akwaeke Emezi is becoming auto-read author for me. They really know how to write a binge-worthy, character-driven novel. I don’t find that often, and if you’re looking for an author like that, then look no further.

I read The Death of Vivek Oji last year and sobbed for ten minutes. Such a heartbreaking novel with an ending I’ll never forget. If you’re going into this book with the same expectations, STOP. It’s quite literally the opposite. This one is funny, steamy, and so easy to read. Emezi also comes through with the LGBTQIA+ representation, which i will always appreciate. I think if you read Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas, and enjoyed the taboo vibes, then you’ll probably get some enjoyment out of this one.

The only reason I dropped the rating down to four stars is because it didn’t quite hit me as hard as Vivek Oji, but I loved it nonetheless. If I gave half-star ratings, this would most definitely be a 4.5.

I chuckled so many times while reading this because the characters are hilarious. There’s so much personality that flies off the page. I don’t often laugh while reading a book. Humor isn’t often executed well in novels.

I loved Feyi from start to finish. Such a strong woman going through some hardships. She lost her true love in an accident, and she’s trying to begin her life again. Summer is the best time to do so, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy journey. She meets a father/son duo that take her to a tropical island where she is asked to finally get her art career off the ground.

There’s a lot that happens on this island, but it wouldn’t be as interesting if Joy, Feyi’s best friend, didn’t exist. Joy is probably the funniest character in the book. Joy is always giving Feyi advice, and always accepts her decisions even if she doesn’t agree with her. I just enjoyed the friendship they have because it’s so raw and real.

I think if you’re looking for an easy read that will make you laugh, this might be it. I highly recommend it if you can handle some steam. Can’t wait for Emezi’s next book!

You Made A Fool of Death with Your Beauty is not only an amazing Florence and the Machine quote. It is a fantastic new book from Akwaeke Emezi. Fans of The Vanishing Half, Seven Days in June, and Black Cake will love this story about grief and finding love in an unlikely place.

Feyi lost her husband five years before the book begins. We watch her get back in the dating game, but she is hesitant to get into something serious with a new man, Nasir. They pursue a friendship, and Nasir takes her home to his tropical island to meet his family. There, Feyi accidentally falls for the one person she shouldn’t.

This is a beautifully written book about art, grief, and what it means to be alive. There is also a great female friendship and bisexual representation. Highly recommend.

CW: grief, death of a spouse

This was a fast paced and thoughtful novel exploring grief, desire, friendship, and love. This book is different than typical romance books I've read. Wonderfully messy and chaotic, the reader follows Feyi navigating new and unconventional relationships for the first time since the devastating death of her husband in a car crash five years earlier. Feyi's actions stressed me out, and I would have liked to see a bit more development of the characters and their relationships to one another, but I was still eager to see how things would play out. The writing was beautiful.

Thank you to Atria Books and #NetGalley for a copy of the book.

It’s been two days since I finished You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty and I am still reeling. There is no universe where this book doesn’t get ALL THE STARS from me.

In a nutshell, this book is about a widow, Feyi, who is starting to consider putting herself back out there in the dating world 5 years after her husband passed. Feyi was navigating this all with her best friend, Joy by her side and every conversation with Joy had me cracking up. Of course, Joy has her own demons she’s battling too and I loved watching how intentionally Feyi reacted to that.

This book starts off in a sex scene and I was like “umm whoa what did I just pick up?” and I was a little worried the whole thing would be a steam fest. It definitely was not. It was absolutely a beautiful, raw exploration of grief and trauma and opening ourselves back up again…but it never felt heavy. It felt intense for sure.

The crazy part is I didn’t even love every part of this book. In fact, there were some part that I strongly disliked and were super weird and I disagreed with but I still couldn’t put it down, I still could understand, I still couldn’t stop highlighting, I still cried my eyes out. I think overall I loved it MORE because it was still able to pull me in despite parts of the plot making me want to pull away. It was probably some sort of literary sorcery.

I love this book so much. It’s so good. If it’s not on your radar, I hope it is now because it is well worth the read.

After loving The Death of Vivek Oji, this book was such a letdown. The first third was so boring that it could never fully recover once it started to pick up.

Atria Books has the best books on the planet; I am convinced of that. You Made A Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi is a delicious read, as delicious as the mangos and the exquisite foods that Alim Blake, the 2 starred Michelin chef in the story, creates. How Feyi and Alim find each other is the book and WOW, what a book! All these beautiful people! Another WOW! My heart hurt, laughed and sighed reading this novel. It’s the perfect Summer read, ah heck, it’s the perfect read for anytime of year. It’s tropical, heady, exquisite and eloquently written. I cannot wait to read more of Ms. Emezi’s stories. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ePub.

This novel was such a welcome surprise. I didn’t know a lot about it, but wow, I’m so glad I read it. The story follows Feyi, a young woman attempting to rebuild herself after the death of the love of her life. There are some seriously steamy scenes (wow) but the writing is stunning. Emezi has a way with words that is both direct and lyrical, and it’s just brilliant. We begin in NYC and travel to a tropical paradise as Feyi begins to entertain the potential for love again, and the journey is sexy, heartfelt, and beautifully written. Pick this book up—-you won’t regret it.

This was just a fantastically crafted story. A profoundly impactful, exquisitely written book about grief, love, and finding oneself. Emezi's talent for creating complex characters that feel tangible and real is just one aspect of their literary talents. Their gift for storytelling is evident from the very first page and their range is phenomenal.

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty centers around Feyi Adekola, an artist still carrying the weight of young widowhood but decides to dip her toes into the dating pool. Feyi soon finds herself thrust into an opportunity of a lifetime, a luxurious trip to the islands to not only meet a major curator but also getting to stay at the house of a celebrity chef. But it soon becomes clear that the forbidden feelings for the very off-limits host are not going away...

I keep seeing reviews that this book is *MeSsY* and I'm sure this says more about me than it does about the book, but ... I didn't think it was *that* messy?! Yes, obviously there is mess as the main conflict in this romance, but I didn't find it exorbitant. I won't get into details to avoid spoilers, but I thought the storyline was reasonable! Overall, I was engaged in this story and rooting for the main character.

This book was amazing. I coudn't put it down. It was magical. Higly recommended! The characters, the plots, the writting: wonderful and perfect.

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the #gifted ARC of YMAFODWYB!

“Contemporary romance with grit” as said last night in book club!

This book is messy, gripping, and so well written! I read this in one sitting because I was so swept away by the setting, the characters, and the drama that unfolded that I needed to see what would happen next.

These characters are complex and interesting, and kept me so invested. Despite the messiness of this love, I was completely enraptured by the prose leaving me with such a memorable story that was a perfect #pridemonth read!

A story of imperfect love, forbidden romance, loss, sexuality, handling grief, friendship, complex family dynamics, forgiveness, desire, and self-discovery!

I expected this to have more of a mystery feel (based on some previous reviews and the synopsis) but it did not have much of that! Definitely a romance with a little twist. Good read, finished quickly.

I wanted to love this book so badly, but I just couldn't. The general love story gave me the major ick, and it was really hard for me to look past it & continue on with the book. Overall, I am glad that I finished the story - I thought the writing was breathtaking and emotional. I was hoping for a little bit more in the storyline in regards to Feyi's grief and ability to move forward in life after loss. I couldn't relate to her approach - but everyone grieves differently.

I wish the romance had built up a bit more over time - because it lost me when the MC had 3 love interests in the span of 150 pages.

DNF I really liked the premise of this story. a woman loses her husband and after five years goes on a sexual awakening. the first sexual encounter is hot and raw but then then the tried relationship fizzled and so did my interest.the writing was trashy romance and then there would be a poignant sentence that was thoughtful and sometimes lyrical. Then back to trashy romance. I think this writer has a lot of potential and I would try her again, although this book was not for me.

copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

This was an interesting story following a woman who is grieving years after losing her husband and how she attempts to find happiness in subsequent relationships with men. Perhaps this clouded my view of the book, but I found the main character to be unlikeable. She made shady decisions and then seemed naive and surprised at how negatively people responded. I just found it hard to root for her and the love story didn’t seem genuine. Their getting together seems rushed. The moral of the story appears to be find happiness when you can, which I certainly agree with, but I can’t help giving Feyi and her love interest at the end some major side eye. This is a decent book that was a quick read, but not one that I loved. 3 stars ⭐️. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.

Delighted to include this title in ‘Summer Reading,’ my latest round-up for Zoomer magazine’s Books section highlighting guaranteed great beach pleasers (see mini-review at link)

A perfect beach read!
Many thanks to Atria and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

So romance is not my favorite genre but I do enjoy it when I need to take a break from the heavy stuff.
This was a true romance, not just a cute rom-com but rather a beautifully written love story.
Thank you so much #netgalley and the publisher

You Made A Fool of Death With Your Beauty was a nice, quick, romance read. I enjoyed the characters and how it showed the authenticity of how messy is can be finding the right person for you. I also think this novel took on the topics of queerness and grief very well. Overall I enjoyed it!

This book is a romance - not really a mystery, which some have called it.

There is quite an emphasis on beauty here and it is not as wide of a depth as is preferable to some readers. That said, Emezi has quite a gift for the English language and for that alone this book is worth reading.