I won’t fool you, the title of this book is what made me read it in the first place. It’s quirky and makes one wonder what the story is all about. Akwaeke Emezi is no doubt a talented writer and the fact that this book was actually a fifth genre that they dappled with is really quite impressive. This romance novel comes with some serious flaws, starting with the protagonist herself. Alarm bells were going off in my head when I was reading about all the things that Feyi was doing. To me, she was a walking red flag and this was why the book didn’t work for me.

Feyi has loved and lost so now she’s afraid to give romance another chance. Five years after her husband’s death, she decides to give casual dating a chance. This book is big on second chances and finding love again but when Feyi finds herself being strongly attracted to her boyfriend’s father, the story lost all its credibility for me. Alim too, misses his wife who died decades ago and has dedicated his life to his children but upon a chance meeting with Feyi, he feels something worth fighting for. The problem for me was not the romance itself but Feyi’s destructive streak and a sense of entitlement that she possessed.

Firstly, the story would have done wonders for me if it wasn’t for certain moral conflicts. Her ability to rely on men to have everything served on a platter yet complain about all of it was very infuriating to read. She was manipulative in portraying good people as bad for the mistakes she did. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for too-good-to-be-true love stories but falling in love with a boyfriend’s father is stretching it too far. And to top it all, the romance didn’t even sound genuine to me.

Emezi’s novel is either a hit or a miss. If you’re able to look past Feyi’s many shortcomings, it may work for you. In spite of all this, the story was a breezy one. I read it in a single day but was left with the feeling of pulling my hair out in frustration. What I did like about the book was Emezi’s fluid writing style and this certainly won’t be the last book of hers that I will read.

I’d love to know your thoughts on the book.