Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty

I did not enjoy this book as much as many of my friends even though I flew through it.

I'm finding reviewing it tricky. I think the book is probably genre-defying, but not in a way I found engaging, and very much at odds to how it is pitched. There is too much grief for it to be a fun, sexy romance, but too much sexy romance and not enough depth for it to be a tale about clinging to life.

The second half feels a lot like a classical tragedy, but it has a happy ending (definitely by romance standards).

Content Warnings

zefancifulreader's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book has a lot of mixed reviews which I suspect is because this story breaks a lot of Romance rules.
It is a story of grief, which isn’t very sexy but I think it does a disservice to our human-ness to ignore a very powerful emotion that is so closely linked with Love.
It’s also one of the horniest books I’ve read in a while. Feyi is so delightfully thirsty and it was so fun to watch her mess unfold.
The book also had some of my favourite obscure troupes such as: “NO 3rd Act Breakup” and “Main Character goes to Therapy”!
The real standout for me was the incredible maturity of Alim and Feyi. Ya, it’s a large age-gap but these two characters have a boat load of trauma and have done the WORK of piecing themselves together even before the book starts. These are two adults who know how to COMMUNICATE and it’s honestly the sexiest thing.
Add the beautiful, lyrical writing style that Akwaeke Emezi is known for and you’ve got yourself a gorgeous, unapologetic, hot mess and I 100% recommend it.

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sadhbhprice's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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lay_kone's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

3.75

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ebartsch85's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I can feel the weight of this book sitting in my chest. It feels like an open wound that has begun to heal from the beauty and rawness of this book. I honestly didn't know what to think when the book began but this book feels like life. As our main character says its "messy and alive." This is truly beautiful.

“You were like light. I couldn’t help but to turn my face to you if I wanted to keep living.”

"We're doing this?"
"What...setting our lives on fire? Sounds fantastic."
"I'll burn with you."

Content Warnings

tamaramo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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wanderlust_romance's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was an intricate and messy romance. I'm going to focus on two aspects that made the story particularly challenging. First is the tourist aspect. The majority of this book takes place on an unnamed (or perhaps I missed it's singular mention) tropical island in the Caribbean. There is neither an established sense of place nor insights or observations from Feyi's perspective during her stay on the island. In that sense, the story felt unmoored and vague. (Though perhaps that's the point, as Feyi struggles to "feel alive" again.) Feyi has arrived in a landscape vastly different from her well known NYC surroundings, and she is immersed in a world of wealth, privilege, and access. This leads into the second aspect - the power dynamics. Feyi arrives in this island location as a guest of Nasir, albeit in his famous Michelin star chef father Alim's home. She is afforded access and introductions into the local gallery/museum scene through her connections to both Nasir and Alim. While she determines early on that her relationship with Nasir will not extend beyond friendship, a starting point they have both agreed to, Feyi never communicates this to establish boundaries or clarify expectations. Miscommunication has entered the chat - and it's a doozy. Nasir feels entitled to more from his relationship with Feyi, that she should be grateful for the access, lodgings, meals, and transport she's been provided, and perhaps that she is indebted to him as such. Which... doesn't really feel like friendship, though that's Nasir's claim - "let's go slow; I'll be patient; just friends for now." While Alim also holds a certain level of power over Feyi, through his fame, wealth, age, and connections, he is more mindful about that dynamic. There is less demand on his side. His acts of service toward Feyi are performed from a deeper sense of care and attraction, but also rooted in their shared connection over their loss of a spouse.

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caitlinemccann's review

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emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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