Emezi’s literary range is legendary, having succeeded in memoir, poetry and literary fiction for both adult and young adult readers, but it’s still a wonder that they’ve pulled off one of the most sensational and taboo tropes in the romance genre: falling in love with the parent of your romantic partner-in this case, the hot dad or “DILF.” For me, as for many readers, family boundaries are sacred-or, from another perspective, radioactive. In You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty, National Book Award finalist and Stonewall Award winner Akwaeke Emezi has written a lush, high-stakes romance novel that diehard romance loyalists and genre newcomers alike will appreciate.

Like Feyi, Alim is an artist who lost a spouse too soon, and while their connection is enriched by this common ground, their attraction is elemental. It’s his elegant, gorgeous father, celebrity chef Alim Blake. It’s just the break Feyi needs, but five minutes after their plane touches down, she knows that the man she’s drawn to isn’t Nasir. He invites Feyi to visit his Caribbean island home, where he’ll introduce her to his art collector father and the curator of a group exhibition of artists of the Black diaspora. Nasir is a patient, kind and determined (slightly) younger man with the resources of a minor prince. Read more: Your 2022 BookPage summer reading guide

You made death a fool with your beauty