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Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
26 reviews
katiemack's review
dark
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Another book I finished but can't seem to rate.
Parts of this book are gorgeous, and Akwaeke Emezi's exploration of death and grief as messy, unrelenting wrecking balls that strike when one least expects is the most valuable part of their work. I wanted to learn more about Jonah, but I guess the point is that the reader is kept at a distance from him because that's what Feyi wants for herself.
The romance element feels more flimsy in that it's built on shared trauma and loss. It doesn't feel sustainable but, since I haven't been through a death like that, one that's immediate and soul-wrenching, maybe I can't talk.
I don't know. I would try this, but be prepared to either love or hate it.
Parts of this book are gorgeous, and Akwaeke Emezi's exploration of death and grief as messy, unrelenting wrecking balls that strike when one least expects is the most valuable part of their work. I wanted to learn more about Jonah, but I guess the point is that the reader is kept at a distance from him because that's what Feyi wants for herself.
The romance element feels more flimsy in that it's built on shared trauma and loss. It doesn't feel sustainable but, since I haven't been through a death like that, one that's immediate and soul-wrenching, maybe I can't talk.
I don't know. I would try this, but be prepared to either love or hate it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Stalking, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders
queenofthefae's review
challenging
emotional
tense
- 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
4.0
I did really enjoy this book, and probably would’ve absolutely loved it if not for the initial discomfort I felt with the premise of the main conflict — that Feyi falls in love with and decides ultimately to pursue a relationship with the father of the man she’s already involved with. I don’t really have a problem with age-gap romances, but that particular vein of relationship dynamic really squicked me out for some reason, to the point where I almost put the book down. I could see by about halfway where the plot was headed, but I think it must have been more the anticipation of Feyi crossing into *something* with Alim than anything else, because for the last third or so of the book once they’d crossed that line, so to speak, I was much more okay with it. I still didn’t love that dynamic situation, but not so badly I wanted to stop reading. Overall, I really did enjoy the book, and aside from that one aspect, really don’t have anything negative to say.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness
thevicariousheroine's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I’ve never read a romance that made me think this much. It’s hours after I finished and I keep going back to read sections because these characters are that interesting.
I truly feel that my thoughts on this story say more about me than it does the story which has lead to so much dissecting.
Emezi’s writing is gorgeous as usual. This story however, is a very character driven story. I advise going into the story completely blind (I even regret reading the blurb). Follow the characters, observe their very flawed choices and analyze. If I had gone in with less expectations I feel I would have enjoyed the story more.
When I immediately finished I was slightly disappointed because I didn’t feel it was a romance and I didn’t feel a deep connection with any of the characters. After reading Emezi’s interview where they mentioned blending genres I realized this is more than a romance. To me it feels like a more complex story about grief and community told through the effects of one romantic relationship.
It wasn’t until hours of still thinking about these characters that I realized I did connect with them. Romances are often black and white. Love interests and main chapters don’t make bad decisions and if they do it’s followed by severe groveling. In this novel every character you meet will make a bad decision and do things you may not agree with. In fact, if the story was not told in this perspective Feyi may have been a villain. Somehow Akwaeke created sympathy for each character but also the space to see where they were wrong. I didn’t make excuses for Feyi but I understood why she did what she did and can’t help but advocate for her autonomy.
I don’t think this is a story I will completely understand on the first read. It didn’t give me the “warm fuzzies” I get with my favorite romances but it has occupied my every thought.
I truly feel that my thoughts on this story say more about me than it does the story which has lead to so much dissecting.
Emezi’s writing is gorgeous as usual. This story however, is a very character driven story. I advise going into the story completely blind (I even regret reading the blurb). Follow the characters, observe their very flawed choices and analyze. If I had gone in with less expectations I feel I would have enjoyed the story more.
When I immediately finished I was slightly disappointed because I didn’t feel it was a romance and I didn’t feel a deep connection with any of the characters. After reading Emezi’s interview where they mentioned blending genres I realized this is more than a romance. To me it feels like a more complex story about grief and community told through the effects of one romantic relationship.
It wasn’t until hours of still thinking about these characters that I realized I did connect with them. Romances are often black and white. Love interests and main chapters don’t make bad decisions and if they do it’s followed by severe groveling. In this novel every character you meet will make a bad decision and do things you may not agree with. In fact, if the story was not told in this perspective Feyi may have been a villain. Somehow Akwaeke created sympathy for each character but also the space to see where they were wrong. I didn’t make excuses for Feyi but I understood why she did what she did and can’t help but advocate for her autonomy.
I don’t think this is a story I will completely understand on the first read. It didn’t give me the “warm fuzzies” I get with my favorite romances but it has occupied my every thought.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Death
Minor: Infidelity and Panic attacks/disorders
lozziereads's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Thank you to Atria Books for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
This is my first Akwaeke Emezi novel - though I have read parts of some of their other books and heard lots of great thing about the others, this was the first of their books that really called me to read it. And I am so glad I did! This is also the first book I've finished of what I like to call the "messy Black girl" contemporary genre, which I am so glad exists. This book has some tropes that I would normally stay away from in my reads, and that just testifies to me how much this book struck me. My highlighter did not get a rest while I read. This novel is beautifully written, and heartwarmingly filled with Black and Brown characters reveling in their cultures, their languages, and most importantly their connections to one another. You would not know this is this author's first romance - every line is deeply romantic and visual in a way that will stay with me long after finishing this book. Even though this book gets messy (very messy), everyone engages with life in a very mature and full way - every problem is waded through at the appropriate pace. I felt everything the main character felt - I understood why she made each choice that she made, and understanding a character is a far more powerful feeling to give a reader than agreeing with their choices. I more than wanted her to win, I wanted her to have what she wanted. This book came at a great time in my life where I am trying to teach myself what it means to be human. Not in an supernatural sense (for lack of a better word) - but in a way that engages morality in a more literal and everyday way. What does it mean to want something? What does it mean to be wrong sometimes? Does being wrong make you a bad person? Do wants deserve honoring? This book engages/reacts to reality in an intoxicating way, and allows the fullness of grief, joy, confusion, guilt, creativity and dread to meet the reader where they are. My only critique of this book is that I feel the main character's best friend suffers the same fate as a lot of romance main character's best friends - where every single conversation is about the main character and their problems other than feeling like a real conversation between friends. This was especially sad to me because this was a novel full of deliciously fleshed out characters, and Joy seemed so interesting and complex, but we only got to hear from her when she was advising our main character. There was some conversation about her love life, but it was repetitive and surface level. This is attributed partially to Joy's dislike at talking about her emotions, but I still would have liked to believe in their deep friendship a little more. Either way this book was an enjoyable read with a surprising amount of spice <3, and I feel I am better off as a person and a reader for having experienced it.
SPOILERS BELOW!!!
There was also one part I did not quite understand, where our main character, Feyi, is getting advice from her friend Milan, who explains away his friends reluctance to accept a messy choice our MC has made. Milan says that his friend can't understand this choice because he's lived a good life, and "he doesn't know about the shit that cuts you up deep inside...". This is one point where the characters wading through the messiness seems a little unbelievable. The other character has also lost someone (his mother, though it was when he was much younger) but I feel like this doesn't disqualify him from the grief club that everyone else is apart of. Maybe I will understand this point better on a second read.
This is my first Akwaeke Emezi novel - though I have read parts of some of their other books and heard lots of great thing about the others, this was the first of their books that really called me to read it. And I am so glad I did! This is also the first book I've finished of what I like to call the "messy Black girl" contemporary genre, which I am so glad exists. This book has some tropes that I would normally stay away from in my reads, and that just testifies to me how much this book struck me. My highlighter did not get a rest while I read. This novel is beautifully written, and heartwarmingly filled with Black and Brown characters reveling in their cultures, their languages, and most importantly their connections to one another. You would not know this is this author's first romance - every line is deeply romantic and visual in a way that will stay with me long after finishing this book. Even though this book gets messy (very messy), everyone engages with life in a very mature and full way - every problem is waded through at the appropriate pace. I felt everything the main character felt - I understood why she made each choice that she made, and understanding a character is a far more powerful feeling to give a reader than agreeing with their choices. I more than wanted her to win, I wanted her to have what she wanted. This book came at a great time in my life where I am trying to teach myself what it means to be human. Not in an supernatural sense (for lack of a better word) - but in a way that engages morality in a more literal and everyday way. What does it mean to want something? What does it mean to be wrong sometimes? Does being wrong make you a bad person? Do wants deserve honoring? This book engages/reacts to reality in an intoxicating way, and allows the fullness of grief, joy, confusion, guilt, creativity and dread to meet the reader where they are. My only critique of this book is that I feel the main character's best friend suffers the same fate as a lot of romance main character's best friends - where every single conversation is about the main character and their problems other than feeling like a real conversation between friends. This was especially sad to me because this was a novel full of deliciously fleshed out characters, and Joy seemed so interesting and complex, but we only got to hear from her when she was advising our main character. There was some conversation about her love life, but it was repetitive and surface level. This is attributed partially to Joy's dislike at talking about her emotions, but I still would have liked to believe in their deep friendship a little more. Either way this book was an enjoyable read with a surprising amount of spice <3, and I feel I am better off as a person and a reader for having experienced it.
SPOILERS BELOW!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Biphobia
purplepenning's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Whew. Complicated, raw, sensual, powerful, romantic, redemptive, messy as hell ... kind of amazing?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Car accident, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Biphobia, Child death, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia
annreadsabook's review
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book has a little bit of everything: romance, grief, and a bit of glamor. It's interesting because, as much as this book may serve as an escape for the reader, the behaviors in which Feyi, the main character, engages function as her own personal escape from the grief she still lives in. I thought this novel was a really intriguing look into how we might choose to cope with massive amounts of loss and grief; I'm of the camp that can't bring themselves to agree with Feyi's choices, but I'm not convinced that Emezi wants readers to "side" with Feyi. While it's true that Feyi herself must live with the choices she makes, they also impact others in profound ways that I'm not sure she truly appreciates.
I flew through this book, but I will say that towards the beginning there was a trope that did not quite work for me and nagged me for a large chunk of the book. And, I think there are a lot of ways in which Emezi crafts these characters with the hope or expectation that the reader will side with Feyi...
Nevertheless, I'm sure I'll be seeing this book on beaches during the summer--it's heartfelt, challenging, but also balances this out with a fair deal of lightheartedness throughout.
I flew through this book, but I will say that towards the beginning there was a trope that did not quite work for me and nagged me for a large chunk of the book. And, I think there are a lot of ways in which Emezi crafts these characters with the hope or expectation that the reader will side with Feyi...
Nevertheless, I'm sure I'll be seeing this book on beaches during the summer--it's heartfelt, challenging, but also balances this out with a fair deal of lightheartedness throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
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