A review by jg34
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

I don’t think I should rate this as I have conflicting feelings. I went in with totally wrong expectations. First I went in blind sort of expecting a literary fiction. THEN once I realized it is marketed as a romance novel, I was expecting the screaming and kicking your feet in the air kind of love story. It was not that. 

The book is well written and explores grief in a beautiful way. I loved the way the characters spoke openly and were vulnerable right away. The romantic pairing felt a bit icky at first but I can appreciate that love is messy and unconventional at times. I didn’t mind the way it was handled either and I understood both theirs and the kids perspective (except when
Nasir went nuts and then later acted like he was entitled to sex bc he was nice and patient 🙄
)

However the romance was a bit of an instalove situation. It felt too dreamy and rushed and I didn’t get the attraction. IT was nice that they could bond over a shared experience and Feyi was with someone caring and emotionally equipped to help her through her grief… but what else was there that made this whole messy situation so worth it?? The love wasn’t very convincing to me. 

This is unlike most romances out there so if you are looking for something new and fresh and messy this may be a good pick for you! 
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