If you're looking for a sultry read that will have you wondering whether it's safe or not to be reading in public, then look no further! This review will include a summary for those of you who have not read but would like to know what this book is about. ***Fair warning, the end of this read contains spoilers for the girlies who'd like to discuss the tea in the comments.
By Jasmine Smith March 12, 2023
You Made A Fool of Death with Your Beauty is an exhilarating romance novel written by Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi. Published in January 2022, this book quickly began to circulate around #BookTok, where several readers shared their opinions about this controversial novel. First of all, we have to give praise to the work of Emezi, who pulled out all the stops for their first romance novel. The titillating balance between anticipation and pleasure will definitely leave future readers wanting more. Hell, I may be a repeat reader myself! Since the end of this article will contain lots of spoilers I will go ahead and tell y'all that we [my book club & I] rated this book 8.9/10. However, I personally voted 9/10!
I've been seeing some speculation about how this book is a slow start, and I would just like to clear up the blatant lies. The first sentence of the novel starts with, "Milan was the first person Feyi had f*cked since the accident," and if that is not a hook, line, & sinker then I don't know what more the people want! I mean, the book starts with a sex scene for crying out loud and when I read that first sentence I was definitely like:
Emezi did a wonderful job at dancing on the fine line between proper grammar, and slang which will keep you invested throughout all 278 pages of its glory. There is a whirlwind of emotions as you venture through the depths of love, grief, desire, sexuality, and most importantly: the value of putting yourself first.
So, let's just get right into it, shall we?
The Appetizer
Feyi Adekola decided she needed to get her life back on track. Five years after the untimely death of her high-school-sweetheart turned husband, Feyi knew that it was time for her to date again. She'd already accomplished acquiring a fabulous brownstone in New York, which she lived in with her best friend, Joy. Her budding art career was ready to take off, and the last bandaid that desperately needed ripping was the pause on Feyi's romantic life.
Feyi knew that she did not want a serious relationship, she was simply attempting to navigate the waters of being a young widow. However, Nasir Blake had other plans in store for his future with Ms. Adekola. What started out as a seemingly innocent summer romance evolved into an intense love triangle that may never be forgiven. I mean, how would you feel if you flew a baddie out to the Caribbean islands only for her to start making googly eyes at your daddy? Betrayed would be an understatement.
Speaking of the Caribbean islands, Emezi pays great attention to detail in this book. Every word used to describe the most simple things like grass, water, and trees was articulated so beautifully that I actually felt like I was right there on the mountain with Feyi. Or sitting on the couch with her and Joy in their brownstone. I even felt like a fly on the wall during the steamy "airport arrival" that takes place once they land on the island.
The Entree
Let's get into the meat and potatoes of the book here. What would a great novel be without characters for you to fall in love with? I promise I won't reveal too much about the characters and their story, but it is important for you to understand who these people are before we just jump into the spoilers.
Feyi gives the main character vibes, not just because she is literally the main character, but because she carries herself with independence and grace that many women lack. Even though she may not always be sure of the situation or if it's 100% right to pursue, she somehow always commands the room anyway. I think it speaks a lot about the subconscious confidence that we all have, and sometimes we just have to dig deep to find it.
Joy is truly a ride-or-die best friend just like Emezi planned. She is hilarious but blunt, meaning she knows how to put you in your place while also demonstrating that her lecture is coming from her big heart. In Joy and Feyi's friendship, there is a balance between honesty, love, and boundaries.
Milan could be described as the icebreaker that Feyi needed in order to plummet back into the dating scene. This wasn't something she could just ease into by dipping a toe into the pool, she need to start in the deep end. Who better to start with than some fine-ass man who does whatever you say at a rooftop party?
Nasir is a sweet and charismatic gentleman who locked eyes with Feyi at another party (sis was really getting her groove back that summer). He is polite about his attraction to Feyi and assured her that his intentions were to get to know her as a friend and help her connect with a major international curator.
Alim is a remarkably humble yet extraordinary chef. If you can't tell, I may possibly be in love with him. He is a celebrity chef that lives on a beautiful mountain with a village of people that adore him. His estate has gardens, and courtyards & bountiful fruit trees that paint the landscape. Alim is fit, fine, and also the father of Nasir.
The Dessert
Okay, friend. If you have NOT read this book and you WANT to read this book... IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO LEAVE!!! You can scroll to the bottom to check out some of my related posts on the home page.
I repeat...
BYE!!! (with love, of course).
If you're still here, at least I gave you a fair warning. Now, this is not SparkNotes because I want to leave some of the sparkling details up to you to read in the book. But if you're wanting to know what happens when Feyi gets to that island, keep on scrolling.
Okay, so boom. This book is so controversial for the simple fact that Feyi ends up getting into a relationship with Nasir's father, Alim. According to the book, Alim was already Feyi's celebrity crush, but when she saw him in person for the first time the spark of attraction was immediate. This freaked Feyi out because although she and Nasir discussed only being friends, she still shouldn't be blossoming feelings for his dad. Because of this, many reviews tend to either vote that the book is really wonderful, or that it is very horrible.
Feyi and Alim share a lot in common, but one of the most prevalent similarities is the fact that they are both widows. Nasir lost his mom at a very young age, which has caused their whole family to carry powerful grief for nearly two decades. Although Feyi had already been attracted to Alim, they bonded over their shared grief one evening under the moonlight in Alim's courtyard. Feyi had a nightmare about the car crash with Jonah and was unable to get back to sleep which is how she stumbled upon Alim just sitting in the glow of the moon looking like a sculpted lover (at least that's what I saw in my head).
I think after this point they both realized they were obviously attracted to each other, which was a big no-no. So they tried to keep their distance and focus on their work while Nasir was virtually clueless about the stolen glances and blushing that had been going on between Feyi and Alim. To make matters worse, Nasir and his sister Lorraine turned down hiking to the peak of the mountain with their dad. It was something Alim loved to do, but you had to wake up at like 5 am just to get to the mountaintop in time for the sunrise.
Feyi happily agreed to join, before she knew that Nasir and Lorraine wouldn't be attending. After they bowed out she realized she would be hiking for hours alone with Alim. It was on this hike that they learned more about each other and shared some juicy secrets that bonded them even closer. Feyi ended up making a pass at Alim, which he immediately rejected, and then tried to set boundaries with her. He explained how it was his fault for even giving her the wrong idea. How embarrassing. Even though he was obviously LYING!
At one point Nasir left the island to go on a work trip, where he was supposed to be gone for a week on business. Meaning Feyi and Alim would be left up to their own destruction. By this point, they had barely been managing to not ravage each other on sight. This work trip Nasir had to go on came up right after Feyi "stumbled" upon Alim again, this time in his private kitchen.
Girrrrl, this may have been the steamiest scene in the whole book. Alim was described as some sexy herculean chef that was gliding around the kitchen while making a mango foam. He scooped the foam from the bowl and held his fingers out for Feyi to swipe a taste. Tell me why this girl put his fingers in her mouth!! Then to make matters worse, he stared her dead in her eyes and licked his fingers back!! It was so taboo, wrong, and terrible, and just purely disgusting...
I LOVED IT!!! I am sorry, but I don't care, and I read it five times to make sure I read it correctly. And where was poor Nasir? Sleeping like a baby.
So, once Nasir left for his work trip, I assumed that Feyi and Alim would at least have some decorum and wait a day or two before they jumped all over each other. I was wrong. As soon as Nasir closed the front door it seemed like Alim was suddenly behind Feyi "showing her how to julienne carrots" like girl... you don't know how to chop a carrot? Just say you want the man! Next thing you know, they are kissing as he carries her up the stairs to his bedroom. This was when Feyi started to freak out, questioning what kind of monster she was to be doing something like this with her potential man's daddy.
Alim and Feyi ultimately decided that the relationship was worth pursuing, even if that meant shattering Alim's relationship with his children. They both never imagined they could feel love so deeply after they had experienced an unthinkable pain that would never go away, even though they had found each other. But do you think Nasir gave a damn about any of that once he came home from his work trip early? No sis, he went Hulk smash! Rightfully so, after he'd been nothing but nice to Feyi. He was patient, and he truly cared about her, and this is how she repaid him? He nearly threw her out of the house (and would've if Alim didn't stop him). You can imagine how that went, not only did Alim steal his girl, but he wouldn't let Nasir kick her out?!
The book ending was a bit predictable in the way you just know that Feyi and Alim will end up together. Why potentially shatter the only family you have left if not to actually follow through with the love you think you deserve?
The Night Cap
If you read this book, comment down below and let me know your thoughts! Many readers felt that this book forced Feyi and Alim together through the grief that they shared by both having lost a spouse. I've seen some reviews online on websites like GoodReads where readers mention they feel that the pair trauma bonded and that is why they are together in a destructive relationship.
Personally, I feel that while Feyi and Alim exhibited selfish actions that led them to be together, they shared trauma in common rather than trauma bonding. The definition of trauma bonding is the attachment that the abused feels for their abuser, and all Alim ever did was love Feyi. Yes, it meant that their love hurt the people closest to them, but sometimes if you don't choose yourself the only person that ends up hurting is you. Although I wish they'd fallen in love under different circumstances, I would be lying if I said I didn't love the hell out of this book.
I hope you enjoyed this read, stay tuned for more book reviews from our book club! We are currently reading Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid, and next month's pick is My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Have book recommendations or reviews you'd like to see next? Tag me on Instagram or Facebook @themusebyjas and we can chat about it!
Until next time, lovers. 💋