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iamabriannaxo's review against another edition
2.0
This book was absolutely horrendous and super messy.
Feyi hooked up with EVERY single character in the book. I do not care for her as a character.
If I’m being perfectly honest, the only thing I enjoyed about this book was that the main characters WERE black.
I can’t believe I even finished. Definitely almost DNF-ed the book
Feyi hooked up with EVERY single character in the book. I do not care for her as a character.
If I’m being perfectly honest, the only thing I enjoyed about this book was that the main characters WERE black.
I can’t believe I even finished. Definitely almost DNF-ed the book
ascalun's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.25
sadhbhprice's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Car accident, and Sexual content
Moderate: Biphobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
iarinas's review
2.0
I did NOT expect the main character to go on an island with her almost-boyfriend just to end up FUCKING HIS FATHER.
My main issue is that the book isn’t written like we are supposed to dislike Feyi and Alim for what they are doing, and in fact Alim’s children are portrayed as bad people for having an issue with their dad dating someone he just met and who is literally young enough to be his daughter, which is insane.
Only saving grace of this book was the writing style.
andiwafer's review against another edition
2.0
I was so ready to get messy with this book. There was a promising start but then it just got boring. Wow, my friend’s dad is hot and rich and can cook and he is also sad, I guess we are in love now. I didn’t see any love develop, I saw lust, but love? Nah. I wish this book was about Joy.
classysassreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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
readingwithgoose's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Absolutely floored by this book, by its unflinching perspective on love and grief and how we can keep living through any kind of mess.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Car accident, Sexual content, and Blood
Minor: Violence, Biphobia, and Homophobia
mandeyreads's review against another edition
5.0
It's like watching your friend make horrible relationship decisions and really then becoming very interested in if the train will stay on the tracks or completely derail.
This is the second book I've read by Emezi and it's nearly as messy and wonderful as the first (The Death of Vivek Oji). I am a huge fan of books with complicated characters who challenge my assumptions of what is "good" or "bad", books where I feel conflicted about if the main character is lovable or just truly messed up. This book did not disappoint.
This story starts five years after the death of Feyi's husband. She's spent the past five years attempting to process and heal through her art but has failed to move on with someone in a serious way. After a couple of no strings attached hook-ups, she finds someone she shouldn't want but can't keep away from. This book follows her attempts to resist this forbidden love and grow her art career all while trying to find herself on the other side of grief and trauma.
I read this book in a day because I could. not. wait to see what happened next. It felt like watching a class set dangerously close to the edge of a countertop - would it stay balanced just on the edge or crash to the floor? Feyi's best friend Joy is a joy (ha.ha.) to read and I actually would love a book and/or movie with her in it. She is hilarious and caring, often providing a bit of levity to what seemed like such intense feelings from Feyi.
I really appreciated how queerness was weaved in through the characters, not really as something that carried their characters but as just another aspect of who they were. I wish more stories were like this.
I went back and forth on whether I actually felt for Feyi or just though she too often used her trauma to justify her arguably morally precarious decisions. So many of her actions seemed selfish but I couldn't help but use her trauma to justify her actions just as she does in the book. Ultimately, it comes down to how far Feyi is willing to hide from her emotions (regarding both her husband's death and her new potential love) and what she may be willing to risk to ultimately find healing and happiness.
This book had a decent amount of spice and a lot of page-turning drama.
This is the second book I've read by Emezi and it's nearly as messy and wonderful as the first (The Death of Vivek Oji). I am a huge fan of books with complicated characters who challenge my assumptions of what is "good" or "bad", books where I feel conflicted about if the main character is lovable or just truly messed up. This book did not disappoint.
This story starts five years after the death of Feyi's husband. She's spent the past five years attempting to process and heal through her art but has failed to move on with someone in a serious way. After a couple of no strings attached hook-ups, she finds someone she shouldn't want but can't keep away from. This book follows her attempts to resist this forbidden love and grow her art career all while trying to find herself on the other side of grief and trauma.
I read this book in a day because I could. not. wait to see what happened next. It felt like watching a class set dangerously close to the edge of a countertop - would it stay balanced just on the edge or crash to the floor? Feyi's best friend Joy is a joy (ha.ha.) to read and I actually would love a book and/or movie with her in it. She is hilarious and caring, often providing a bit of levity to what seemed like such intense feelings from Feyi.
I really appreciated how queerness was weaved in through the characters, not really as something that carried their characters but as just another aspect of who they were. I wish more stories were like this.
I went back and forth on whether I actually felt for Feyi or just though she too often used her trauma to justify her arguably morally precarious decisions. So many of her actions seemed selfish but I couldn't help but use her trauma to justify her actions just as she does in the book. Ultimately, it comes down to how far Feyi is willing to hide from her emotions (regarding both her husband's death and her new potential love) and what she may be willing to risk to ultimately find healing and happiness.
This book had a decent amount of spice and a lot of page-turning drama.
ninersteffler's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked the vibe of the book, very summer romance, spicy. Romance between Feyi and Alim felt rushed and not so believable. Liked the themes of grieve and making space around it in a new relationship.