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

challenging hopeful lighthearted 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

4.5

I'm not typically a romance reader, but I read this book for my LGBT+ book discussion group. This book is notable for its strong emotional arc, the way that characters are each operating in realistic (but different!) levels of emotional intelligence. This feels like the natural growth of "characters are in therapy and trying to do their best but they are still people". Likewise, this book uses place and space very well - it does a great job of moving between locations and possibilities for the main character.

Honestly, I think this book is very well crafted, and it's amazing that it's the service of a plot point focused on "what if you fall in love with your not-boyfriend's dad".