‘You made a fool of death with your beauty’ could be viewed as a story within a story. We follow our main character Feyi as she is offered the career-bump of a lifetime by the guy she is casually seeing.

As she travels to his family home, she finds there that her feelings are more complex than they appeared.

Her decisions have the potential to disrupt her whole life, aswell as the lives of everyone around her.

But, not only does Emezi take us through the journey of Feyi re-discovering her identity, we are confronted with beautiful interpretations of grief through Feyi’s work as an artist. We are also challenged with the idea of wanting to disappear from yourself by becoming invisible in a big city.

As readers, we also see a friendship between Feyi and Joy that most of us have experienced, and that is receiving advice from the friend who would never take that same piece of advice. Their friendship is relatable, and really gave a sense of solidness to Feyi’s character specifically.

Emezi’s writing is both casual, but also deep and complex, and beautifully conveys the mixed up emotions of a woman emerging. Emerging into her life, her truth, her future that she has been ignoring at all costs.

This book will stay with me for a long time, and i would recommend that you read this book.

anyone who knows me knows that i’m not the biggest fan of romances like they cute or whatever but it’s not a genre i would gravitate towards, y’know? but this book? it was a lush story of grief and the bold effects of love all set on a gorgeous island. first of all, can i just say that this was messy but in the best way possible, “like watching a sappy tv drama” messy and i was lowkey here for it. the writing as usual was excellent, so vivid. the cast of characters were fun to watch especially enjoyed feyi’s relationship with joy. honestly joy felt like she’d be such a great friend irl. enjoyable at best. 3.5 stars.

many thanks to netgalley & faber and faber for an advanced reading copy.

ps. i haven’t been able to stop singing florence’s lyrics ever since starting this book lol

I wanted to read this book as I had heard a lot about the author and had fallen in love with the cover and title. 'You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty' is a really beautifully written book that on the surface, seems like a romance, but is really an exploration of the intricacies of grief, love and what it means to be alive. I really liked that all of the characters were so complex and flawed, particularly the protagonist, Feyi, and a potential love interest of hers, Nasir. I did sometimes feel that certain parts of the plot - such as the reason for Feyi's grief - were added on, and I felt that there was occasionally a clash between the dialogue and the prose, although this added to the complexity of Feyi's character.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for enabling me to read an advance copy!

Absolutely sped through this book - finished it in about 12 hours and several of those were spent sleeping. This is very much contemporary romance, but it has a lovely maturity about it rooted in grief and open communication (yay!). I also loved the bi rep in this book - it's not a whole thing but it's there and it's lovely to see a m/f romance with a lot of queer rep. I would have liked more from the ending maybe - specifically a reunion between Feyi and Joy, but overall incredibly satisfying and a great read. The descriptions of food in particular in this book are incredible, and now I just want to be on a sunny island somewhere drinking cucumber water and eating an eight course tasting menu.

I didn’t know much going into this book, other than the fact it was written by Akwaeke Emezi, one of contemporary lit’s biggest young stars. In a way I’m kind of glad I went in blind because it was a lovely surprise when I was swept of my feet by this emotional romance.

The plot follows Feyi, a young artist who lost her husband in a car accident and is trying to piece her life back together. This involves a few messy relationships and a bit of family drama all set against a decadent backdrop of gorgeous landscapes, high art and jaw-dropping wealth.

Like all good romances, You Made a Fool is actually about trying to find emotional connection while dealing with your own lingering trauma. This book is definitely more literary than most romances (which is my preference), and Emezi delves deep into the grief Feyi carries and how it impacts her search for love.

Because it’s quite literary in nature the writing is just beautiful. The food descriptions in particular are so well done, with a kind of indulgence that is a delight to read.

Honestly this book should be the book of the summer, a perfect read for if you’re lying by the pool with a cocktail in the sun.

After deeply enjoying Freshwater, I was really interested to find out how the author would approach the romance genre. The novel did not pull me in from the start, as I could not really engage with the scenes of casual sex. Pushing through it definitely became a book worth reading! I really enjoyed the exploration of love and grief and the plot was intricate and original enough to keep you wondering what would happen next up to the very end. I always enjoy Emezi's lyrical writing style and I am really curious to see what they'll come up with next, this book just only did half of the trick for me.

I don't read romance novels. Never had. But when Akwaeke Emezi announced that she was writing a romance novel, I got seriously interested. Freshwater was one of the best debut novels I have ever read. Since then, Emezi has written several books, each in a different genre. Last time I checked, she has written two books that have yet to be published.

Emezi's wonderful take on the romance novel, You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, ticks all the box one suspects of the genre. It's sexy, it's lush, it's emotional, it's obviously about love and its struggles. But there's more. There's a lot of grief, a lot about identity and what it is to be a black woman. Emezi's powerful and inspiring writing makes this a novel you can't put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd (@FaberBooks) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t really know what to expect doing into this, but I was pleasantly surprised throughout.

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is a story of overcoming grief and opening yourself up to new opportunities and new people. It touches on subjects like forbidden romance, queerness and acceptance.

I was drawn into the characters lives and constantly was eager to find out what would happen next. It was shocking and emotional at times! I loved the dynamic between Feyi and her best friend Joy, their banter and conversations were hilarious to read. I also felt genuinely worried at times for Feyi!

Of course, Feyi is not a perfect protagonist. She makes a lot of questionable decisions and hurts other characters. She has flaws and fails to see them at times. She uses her grief as a reason for everything, no matter who it hurts in the process. But for me, you don’t have to agree with everything a character does to truly enjoy a story.

Whilst this is a romance book, and Emezi’s first dive into the romance genre, it feels like a very literary take on the traditional romance genre. That’s not to say there isn’t a certain amount of smut… it is gloriously smutty at times, if you’re into that. But the writing itself is seriously beautiful throughout, which I gather is a theme along Emezi’s work.

Overall, I really enjoyed this, was truly engrossed and it’s definitely in my top 5 romances I’ve read.

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley! I really enjoyed this beautiful love story, it took me on one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. I so wish that every book had a title as stunning as this one. Overall just a beautifully crafted book. 4 stars.

This was my first foray into Akwaeke Emezi's more adult fiction works (after adoring their YA epic PET) and I was not disappointed.
The story centres around artist Feyi, who years earlier experienced the most horrific soul destroying trauma, and is struggling to process being able to open up about it. Out of the blue, she is offered the chance of a lifetime to exhibit her work in a tropical paradise and so begins a story full of drama, love and acceptance of always wanting the best for yourself.
I felt the writing was quite heavy to start and did struggle to keep me engaged but once I hit around the 40-50% mark, a switch flipped and I was mesmerised!

2.5/5 Stars

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty was one of my most anticipated releases for the first half of 2022 so I was very happy to receive an arc to review. I was less happy when I actually read it. I'm gonna be honest and say that if I had known some things beforehand I probably would not have requested this book in the first place and that's totally something related to my personal reading preferences.

The plot hints at the fact that Feyi, the main character, starts to feel attraction for someone she cannot have, but it leaves one important detail out and that is who this person actually is. I'm gonna say it so if you don't wanna know this, stop reading now please.
It's the father of the guy she has been kind of seeing but not really. I was not a fan and honestly, how the whole situation was handled was just a big no for me. If I had to describe to you what Feyi and Alim feel I would probably say that it was insta-attraction that immediately turned into insta-love and I honestly did not get the amplified feelings of their newfound relationship, it was portrayed as the be-all and end-all. Since this is a big part of the novel it definitely affected my reading experience.

I did appreciate the depiction of trauma and loss and how it is shown that they are something that never truly leave us, but that we learn to exist with. Facing them isn't a linear process and can be different for anyone, there's no real correct way to do it. Seeing Feyi channel her past into her artworks was something I appreciated reading about, since it truly seemed to be somewhat cathartic for her.

I just briefly wanna mention the writing style, which I did enjoy quite a lot. The beautiful descriptions truly added something to the narrative and made me much more involved in the story itself. That is definitely why, even though I did not completely enjoy this story, I would be curious to read something more by Akwaeke Emezi.

So powerful and poignant... a beautifully written. The writing was INCREDIBLE! I’ve never highlighted so many sections of a book before, but there were just so many beautifully written passages that I knew I needed to save to come back to.

A mature, thoughtful and intimate exploration of grief and romance portrayed through characters that are equal parts bold and raw. Gorgeous descriptions of art, food and nature bring the story to life. Discussions around consent, relationship expectations and toxic masculinity and aggression are unlike any I have ever read before in the way they hold characters accountable and refuse to compromise.

I have not stopped thinking about this book since I first read it. Akwaeke Emezi is a phenomenal writer and their exploration of grief, love and sexuality makes this book one of my 2022 favourites. Our protagonist Feyi was a hot mess and super chaotic but I loved her! This book was raw and it was brutally honest in a way that makes this romance book a completely different experience than your usual romances. The characters were complicated, they made questionable decisions but they always faced up to them. There is a level of self-awareness that I really appreciated here. Although I couldn't quite get on board with the main romantic interest, the writing did it justice and underlined one of the core messages of this novel: love is messy and complicated and sometimes it doesn't make sense to anyone other than those in the relationship - and that's okay!
An absolutely wonderful book!

I just finished reading this 5 mins ago and I cannot get over how giddy I feel (I'm laughing as I type this because giddiness is completely at odds with the sentiment of a good chunk of the book but here we are).

This was my first Akwaeke Emezi read, shocking I know. But I saw the beautiful pink cover and title of the book (Alexa, play Hunger by Florence & the Machine) and wanted to read it immediately. The minute I saw the approval for the arc, I ran to read it and did not put it down once. So yes, while this might be my first Akwaeke Emezi, it most definitely will not be my last.

From what I understand, this is Emezi's first foray into writing romance and I'm praying they will be writing more because this was a breath of fresh air. There's just something about Emezi's writing that I have come to adore in the past 4 or so hours that I've spent reading 'You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty'. The way the writing flows is so seamless and lyrical but yet, still somehow refreshingly modern.

This is not your 'traditional' romance read and no, that's not to call the romance books I usually consume a monolith, but there was something very different about reading 'You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty'. Sure, it still has the usual beats and tropes I adore - heavy on the forbidden romance in this one, but there was just something so unique about it. I honestly would not be able to explain it properly if I tried.
I loved the portrayal of the romance here (the synopsis does not say who Feyi falls for so I’m trying my hardest to be vague)- it was messy, complicated and often sad, but still passionate and sensual. Ok, now imagine this set against a (presumably) Caribbean island backdrop, perfection.

We all know I love a romance book, so let me talk about the other aspects because this read was so much more than that. More than anything, this is a story of how grief manifests for different people, as well as finding/understanding that there is beauty and life to be found after grief and loss. That’s not necessarily to say that you need to find this beauty and life within another person, but you can find this within yourself.

For the most part, I really enjoyed the pacing (it did stumble at times) and as mentioned previously, the prose. There was something so jarring about reading the first couple of chapters, but then it turned into this soft, lush body of work that honestly has me in awe. Also this book was very black and very queer, and I loved it.

I don’t want to talk about the characters too much, because I think this is a story where you should go in blind and meet the characters as they are introduced. But I do want to briefly touch on Feyi and Joy.
Feyi is a twenty something, fellow naija babe (I know that’s right) and the main character of this story who is dealing with so much. She makes choices, choices were certainly made and I did not agree with all of them, but I couldn’t fault her for them either. As mentioned in the description, this is a story about the constant bravery of choosing love against all odds. Not just a story about being brave enough to love another (especially after the grief Feyi experiences) but about being brave enough to love oneself too. I truly loved watching Feyi’s journey of self-discovery.
There is something to be said about cultivating black friendships and true sisterhood, which is why I loved every interaction between Feyi and her best friend, Joy. I need more Joy (begging, hoping and praying for a spin-off).

'You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty' is an exploration of love, loss, grief and friendship and I cannot wait to revisit it.

4.5 “I’ll burn with you” stars ☆

Thanks for the chance to read You Made a Fool of Death with your beauty via NetGalley. The book is less than 300 pages so it was a quick read for me. It started with a really graphic opening chapter and the messy plot continued as Feyi deals with grief, finding love again and unlikely relationships. Wouldn't think this book was for everyone,

A story of two halves, our heroine is getting back into the dating scene after five long years grieving for a lost love in New York, and consequently a life changing trip to the Caribbean. The language belongs to a cultural and youthful American Caribbean, although her heritage is Nigerian, and although it often left me behind, it is an easy read, and quite compelling. The heat comes off the page from the setting and the situation. There is a kind of beauty in the descriptions of a burgeoning love which echos the surrounding.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2022! So much so, that I’ve already pre-ordered, AND then I also requested the @netgalley as soon as it was available. 💕
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It’s soooo very different from Vivek, and Freshwater and Pet - and I love that! I love that Emezi has so much talent they can write across topics and genres.
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This is essentially a love story. A messy, very complicated love story between some messy very complicated characters. Feyi has a tragic history and has decided to try to date again, and this leads her to some interesting options and to the possibility of new beginnings and pathways.
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I loved that these characters weren’t two dimensional - and I loved the exploration of grief and ultimately what would people be willing to risk or give up for a chance to love again.
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My favourite parts of the whole book were between Feyi and her best friend Joy. I laughed out loud so many times - their banter is brilliant and it’s a true love story right there!
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The language and the references to artists, authors, and singers added a cultural richness that had me googling away, and reminded me a little of Open Water. I love learning and being exposed to new things while I’m reading.
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So overall, it wasn’t anything I was expecting - but I loved it! Thank you so much @faberbooks and @netgalley - I squealed when I saw the approval. Can’t wait til my hard copy arrives!

I have to give the author their flowers because there is some really beautiful and moving writing amongst the chaos! The plot is messy and I was not prepared for it but I was entertained and engrossed in watching things unfold. If this was real life, I'm not convinced things would have played out how they did in the end but it was really interesting trying to understand each character's mindset and their motives.

I will remember these grief stricken characters and their questionable choices for a long time!

Not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps, stop/starts which really ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me.