Scan barcode
pages_with_panda's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.0
So let me start off by saying the writing and prose in the story was beautiful and poetic in a way that made the plot of the book secondary. Second, don’t read this and expect a traditional romance book. That’s NOT what this is.
“She didn’t have to end up with anyone, no matter how pretty the picture looked to strangers.”
The story was slow to move along, but I enjoyed seeing life through Feyi’s eyes as she grappled with survivor’s guilt, her grief, and how she tried to find a meaning of her life.
Feyi’s an artist who deals primarily in blood - a result of having survived a car crash that killed her husband. She’s reckless with her one-night stands.
The descriptions of her art pieces and the 3D exhibition that she sets up are so beautiful and tragic I had to pause for a second. I couldn’t imagine seeing something so beautiful in real life and really liked the descriptions of those.
“If she could do tonight, she could do anything—the rest of a life, for example.”
The second half of the story has been described as “messy” and I don’t want to mention too much without spoiling the book, but I like that Feyi followed her heart, as cliche as it sounds.
Was she a messy character or did she not give a damn what other people expected of her?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Car accident, and Grief
Moderate: Blood and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Homophobia
jazhandz's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
One of Emezi’s consistent strengths is in their character work, and Feyi might be one of my favorite characters they’ve written so far. Even when the pacing was a little funky, Feyi was such a strong and fantastic character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Alcohol, Death, and Infidelity
Minor: Violence, Death of parent, and Child death
grets_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Blood, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Biphobia, Infidelity, Child death, Cancer, and Panic attacks/disorders
readers_sea's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
3.0
As a romance, this one was just okay for me.
I felt bored for most of the book and by the end, I just didn't get the relationship. I KNOW why the love interests connected, but I personally didn't FEEL it so it was hard for me to root for them in the end. I wanted more time with the couple, but by the time they got together a whole bunch of drama came with it (understandably).
While I liked our main character, Feyi, I just wanted a bit more romance. I felt as an overall contemporary this works. Seeing Feyi talk about her past and try to heal was a journey that I enjoyed reading about! Just couldn't get behind the romance personally.
I felt bored for most of the book and by the end, I just didn't get the relationship. I KNOW why the love interests connected, but I personally didn't FEEL it so it was hard for me to root for them in the end. I wanted more time with the couple, but by the time they got together a whole bunch of drama came with it (understandably).
While I liked our main character, Feyi, I just wanted a bit more romance. I felt as an overall contemporary this works. Seeing Feyi talk about her past and try to heal was a journey that I enjoyed reading about! Just couldn't get behind the romance personally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use
Minor: Homophobia and Child death
gdavis254's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Car accident
Moderate: Blood, Homophobia, Child death, Cancer, and Sexual content
awebofstories's review against another edition
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
3.0
Grade: B
I am sure of one thing about this book: Akwaeke Emezi is a literary powerhouse with an exciting and vibrant future.
Also, this book was very hard for me to process. There are things about this book that blew my mind, but there is also one element that I found irritating and another that bothered me so much that it greatly impacted my enjoyment of this novel. I had to use the CAWPILE system to create a rating for this book because I was so torn.
Let me start with what I loved. The writing was evocative and enthralling. I had previously read The Death of Vivek Oji, so I was not surprised by this. What I think this book has over that one is that Emezi seems to be more skilled here in creating distinct voices for the characters. The dialogue here is quite amazing--it's completely believable, and Emezi captures so much of each character's essence in their own words. There is also a fair amount of food writing here. My mouth watered through all of these descriptions, even though the foods described were foods that probably would not appeal to me if it was served to me on a plate.
This book is messy, and that is its shining moment. Emezi captures grief and emotions, unlike any other writer I've read. I don't mind messy if it is done well, and Emezi could lead a masterclass on it. I found Feyi annoying at times, but annoying in a way I could sympathize with.
Ironically, while I found the dialogue to be so strong, it was also sometimes a source of irritation for me. A few times, Emezi takes it just a bit too far. A conversation may happen, but then one character develops a strong sense of self-awareness (which, really, none of these characters would have), and the conversation begins to fall into the "The More You Know" category. Not only did this not fit in with the characters, but it started to come off as preachy.
However, my biggest issue was with the character of Alim. He is portrayed as being not just perfect, but almost other-worldly. He is introduced as "a fixed point" in the sun. Everything about him is described as superlative. Now, I realize that we are getting all of this through Feyi's point of view. This character treatment would be effective if this story had gone in a different direction. Here, though, it actively works against the book. Alim never comes across as exactly human. Even when Emezi seems to try to bring him down to Earth, it doesn't work. Unfortunately, Alim is a major player in this novel, and this treatment seems to pull the rug out from under the whole thing.
As much as admired so many elements of this book, that one thing made it fall short for me. There is much to recommend in this book, and it may be that my issue with one character is mine alone. In any case, I do recommend Akwaeke Emezi as an author, even if this book did not entirely work for me.
I am sure of one thing about this book: Akwaeke Emezi is a literary powerhouse with an exciting and vibrant future.
Also, this book was very hard for me to process. There are things about this book that blew my mind, but there is also one element that I found irritating and another that bothered me so much that it greatly impacted my enjoyment of this novel. I had to use the CAWPILE system to create a rating for this book because I was so torn.
Let me start with what I loved. The writing was evocative and enthralling. I had previously read The Death of Vivek Oji, so I was not surprised by this. What I think this book has over that one is that Emezi seems to be more skilled here in creating distinct voices for the characters. The dialogue here is quite amazing--it's completely believable, and Emezi captures so much of each character's essence in their own words. There is also a fair amount of food writing here. My mouth watered through all of these descriptions, even though the foods described were foods that probably would not appeal to me if it was served to me on a plate.
This book is messy, and that is its shining moment. Emezi captures grief and emotions, unlike any other writer I've read. I don't mind messy if it is done well, and Emezi could lead a masterclass on it. I found Feyi annoying at times, but annoying in a way I could sympathize with.
Ironically, while I found the dialogue to be so strong, it was also sometimes a source of irritation for me. A few times, Emezi takes it just a bit too far. A conversation may happen, but then one character develops a strong sense of self-awareness (which, really, none of these characters would have), and the conversation begins to fall into the "The More You Know" category. Not only did this not fit in with the characters, but it started to come off as preachy.
However, my biggest issue was with the character of Alim. He is portrayed as being not just perfect, but almost other-worldly. He is introduced as "a fixed point" in the sun. Everything about him is described as superlative. Now, I realize that we are getting all of this through Feyi's point of view. This character treatment would be effective if this story had gone in a different direction. Here, though, it actively works against the book. Alim never comes across as exactly human. Even when Emezi seems to try to bring him down to Earth, it doesn't work. Unfortunately, Alim is a major player in this novel, and this treatment seems to pull the rug out from under the whole thing.
As much as admired so many elements of this book, that one thing made it fall short for me. There is much to recommend in this book, and it may be that my issue with one character is mine alone. In any case, I do recommend Akwaeke Emezi as an author, even if this book did not entirely work for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Child death
wilybooklover's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
2.5
It’s hard to know how to rate this one because there were some things I loved and some things I didn’t.
Feyi and Alim felt like real, complex people. It’s hard to sell me on an age-gap romance (especially where one is old enough to be the other’s parent) but I think the author just about made it work. Loved the depiction of friendship between Feyi and Joy, and the vibrant island setting too. The writing was very pretty but I didn’t quite vibe with it; it felt like it was so overwrought that it got in the way of the narrative at times.
My main issues: not only did the romance feel a little rushed, but it also felt as though there was something missing. I’m not sure whether it was because the MCs don’t meet until the book is quite far in (27%), or because Alim’s character and emotional arc felt secondary to Feyi’s, or maybe a combination of both. They had like three conversations and suddenly they were madly in love? I just needed to see more interaction to buy it. It also felt like overcoming grief was the primary plot and the romance was the secondary plot. I wish there had been a little more focus on the romance and that Alim had more page-time. Maybe if the first third was condensed and the last third expanded, it would have worked for me better.
If you like complex, nuanced characters, messy emotions, questionable decisions, and romance-adjacent women’s fiction that leans literary then I think you’ll like this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Sexual content, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Biphobia, and Violence
Minor: Child death and Cancer
sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
slow-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
4.0
This was a really messy and raw romance. Despite that it turned out to be cute with some laugh out loud moments. The middle of the story was slow and a bit boring so I took points off because of that. Overall I enjoyed this even though the pacing was a little slow in the middle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Child death, and Death of parent
bacchusvines's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Minor: Child death and Violence
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I read this as part of 12 recs from 12 friends but sadly it just wasn’t for me 🙈
All the characters are awful and unlikeable:
-Nasir thinks he’s “owed” a relationship with Feyi and is friends with her expecting she’ll change her mind about him at some point as if men and women can’t be friends.
-Joy is a lesbian and seems to fall into the predatory lesbian stereotype, constantly dating straight women (or straight passing?) and gets pissed off when they don’t want to leave their husbands/bfs?!
-Feyi liking a potential romantic partner’s dad; he’s old enough to be your dad girl 😳 She’s selfish and reckless as she does everything she wants without thinking about other peoples feelings and then seems to play the victim. I really didn’t like her.
-Alim also isn’t blameless-he knew how Nasir felt about Feyi and SLEPT WITH HER ANYWAYS!? Shit dad of the year award
I did appreciate the exploration of grief and loss. I can also appreciate the writing style! I’ll also give credit because it did at least show me I don’t like huge age gap romances, now I know 😅
I also shouldn’t have listened to this one on audio because of all the sexual content; I don’t like romance on audio because it sounds much more cringy when narrated and just makes me uncomfortable 🙈 I wanted to be done with it so badly, I sped up the narration to 2x speed (I’m usually a max 1.5x listener). This is the second book I’ve read from Emezi and enjoyed it much more, so I’ll still give their other works a try!
I also shouldn’t have listened to this one on audio because of all the sexual content; I don’t like romance on audio because it sounds much more cringy when narrated and just makes me uncomfortable 🙈 I wanted to be done with it so badly, I sped up the narration to 2x speed (I’m usually a max 1.5x listener). This is the second book I’ve read from Emezi and enjoyed it much more, so I’ll still give their other works a try!
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️ (1.5-2/3)
Tropes: second chance, dilf/parent of friend, age gage (May-December romance)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Car accident, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Infidelity and Cursing
Minor: Cancer and Child death