Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Du bist so schön, sogar der Tod erblasst: Roman

I was excited to read this book because it was billed as “messy characters being messy” and I saw two reviews that said that every character in the book was awful. I do think they were messy, as promised, but I don’t think they were as awful as I was expecting. I don’t agree with Feyi and Alim’s choices, but I think I understand why they were made. Out of a different type of grief, I did some shady things when I was younger. Two people I know from university were in separate relationships (one of them was engaged) before they met each other, then they left their current partners for each other. It caused huge scandal, but they had apparently found what they were missing in their other relationships, and they’re still together, ten years and four kids later. I think this kind of thing can and does happen.

My biggest beef with this book is that the set-up felt like it took forever (although I just checked the book and it’s not that many pages) and then Feyi and Alim fall for each other super fast. I am always a fan of a slow(er) burn, so maybe that’s my issue here, but I would have thought that Alim, at least, as Nasir’s father, would have really hit the brakes on anything for longer than he did. So much of the end was also not what I was expecting? A lot of it felt very pat and trite (

Milan calling randomly? For the first time, like…ever?

) and I really didn’t care for the way

Nasir and Feyi build this rapprochement by the end

, but it had only been, like…a couple weeks or something.

There was a lot of beautiful writing in this book though, as well as thoughtful prose on grief and mourning. Just didn’t quite stick the landing for me.

Content Warnings

monaroe899's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny reflective sad 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

4.0

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sleepylemon96's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Yet another masterpiece by Emezi, this beautiful, ~spicy~ 👀, incredibly impactful story is about love and its many forms. It is an exploration of grief, of friendship, and of art and its power to heal; it is an ode to all those who know or need to hear that it is okay to honor yourself, your needs and your wants.

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mbzoller's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This was beautifully written, painfully poignant, messy and devastating. I don't read straight, contemporary, lit fic-esque romances and initially while reading I was not feeling captivated. But when the nuance and mess were introduced, I was captured by the way the MC thought, processed, and communicated. I think I fell in love with Feyi too.

4.5

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alli_andrews's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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sakisreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was honestly so hard to work with, because there were so many peaks and troughs. During some readings I wouldn’t move, then during other readings I would put it down constantly 🥲

I’d heard Akwaeke Emezi’s writing was brilliant, and it definitely is, but I need to read more of their work to see if that helps me to gather my thoughts better. I just didn’t feel like I knew their work properly enough to make a true judgment 😫

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3 out of 5 stars for me. It’s hectic, it’s gritty, it’s uncomfortable. Thank you ✨

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