You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
Feyi Adekola wants to learn how to be alive again.
It’s been five years since the accident that killed the love of her life and she’s almost a new person now—an artist with her own studio and sharing a brownstone apartment with her ride-or-die best friend, Joy, who insists it’s time for Feyi to ease back into the dating scene. Feyi isn’t ready for anything serious, but a steamy encounter at a rooftop party cascades into a whirlwind summer she could have never imagined: a luxury trip to a tropical island, decadent meals in the glamorous home of a celebrity chef, and a major curator who wants to launch her art career.
She’s even started dating the perfect guy, but their new relationship might be sabotaged before it has a chance by the overwhelming desire Feyi feels every time she locks eyes with the one person in the house who is most definitely off-limits—his father.
This new life she asked for just got a lot more complicated, and Feyi must begin her search for real answers. Who is she ready to become? Can she release her past and honor her grief while still embracing her future? And, of course, there’s the biggest question of all—how far is she willing to go for a second chance at love? Akwaeke Emezi’s vivid and passionate writing takes us deep into a world of possibility and healing, and the constant bravery of choosing love against all odds.
This book was another rec from my amazing sister in law, Melinda.
I have said it before and I will say it again that she NEVER steers me wrong with books.
We have similar tastes in reads…meaning we read ALL KINDS of genres and enjoy ALL KINDS of literary vibes.
If that girl tells me a book is good, I know I’m in for a good time when I jump into Chapter 1.
And again…she was not wrong with this one.
First of all, Bahni Turpin was the narrator for the audiobook and I FRIGGIN’ LOVE her storytelling style!
She has read countless audiobooks I have listened to over the years and I am always SO SO SO entertained and enamored by her voice.
The energy she brings into every word, the perfect cadence and accents she uniquely voices for every single character, the emotions she perfectly embodies from anger to joy to sorrow….
GAAAHHHHHH she just does with such ARTFUL AWESOMENESS.
Her being the narrator of this book automatically set this read in the “highly enjoyable” category from the moment she spoke the first word of the first page.
The story starts with a kinda messy bathroom sex scene too…so my attention was instantly grabbed😆 (what a way to get things going with a new read!)
But that isn’t the main focus of this book….there are PLENTY of “sexy time” scenes to be had don’t get me wrong…but there isn’t an abundant overload of them that overtakes the main storylines.
(Yall know I like “just enough” of the down and dirty stuff LOL)
What this book is mostly about is romance, grief, loss and learning to rebuild yourself and start over…and how to love again in the midst of it all.
I thought it gave such an honest look into the journey of grieving a partner….how there isn’t a linear path to follow, how it stays with you over the years and how you learn to cope with, heal from and adjust to your life without them physically in it…..how to rebuild yourself and how to carry all the emotions and memories that come with your trauma.
While there is romance in this story, it isn’t one that is easy and breezy and filled with just love, lust and light all the time.
There’s kind of a fucked up situation that occurs (which I admit I was very reluctant to accept at first!) and there is A LOT of mess and baggage and issues that have to be addressed and dealt with.
But all of that I thought made it more REAL and gritty and honest.
Like every good read, there are PLENTY of emotions going on in these pages…..there is sadness, joy, anger, frustration, humor…some of which happen all at once.
I love how this author writes dialogue too…it feels truly conversational, not “literary perfect” in any way, shape or form….which is the BEST.
(and of course Ms Turpin reading it with all her tremendous voice talents just adds to the wonderful)
I also enjoyed all the talk about the art Feyi creates as well…it is written about with such depth and description that it springs to life in your brain and feels SO REAL.
Highly recommend this read to yall, bookworm friends…and ESPECIALLY in audio form.