Genre: Contemporary, Lesfic
LGBTQ+ Category: Lesbian
Reviewer: Maryann
Get It On Amazon
About The Book
Funeral crashing has been the best way for Noemi Moretti to release her pent-up emotions after the death of her parents. But on the anniversary of their passing, she meets Amara Forsythe, a beautiful UCLA student mourning her grandmother. Fate brings them together again at another funeral, but Noemi hides her true intentions from Amara. As their relationship blossoms, so do the lies that threaten to tear them apart. Can Noemi find a way to make things right before it’s too late?
THE PARADOX OF LOVE AND DEATH follows Noemi as she navigates through her grief and falls for Amara. But with secrets and guilt weighing heavily on her conscience, Noemi must confront the consequences of her actions before it’s too late. Fans of emotional and thought-provoking sapphic romances will love this poignant tale of love, loss, and what it means to truly live. As their connection deepens, so do the lies, and Noemi doesn’t know how to make it right. She soon becomes caught in a tangled mess that threatens to tear her, and her burgeoning relationship, apart.
For readers who enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, you won’t want to miss out on this powerful and heartfelt novel. THE PARADOX OF LOVE AND DEATH is a profound and heart-tugging sapphic adult romance about death, love, and what it really means to be alive.
The Review
At twenty-five, Noemi Amato has a good life. She lives with her mother’s sister Ava, her husband Elijah and two very young cousins. She doesn’t mind it, and enjoys spending time with her niece and nephew. She’s the babysitter/nanny and a wonderful companion for the children, and rides her bike almost everywhere she goes.
She has her freedom, attends Alameda Community College and hopes to transfer to Cal State. Her best friend since eighth grade is Gael Mendoza, who attends the same college. Gael is very active at the college, and hopes to transfer to UC Berkeley. Gael is the first non-binary Vice-President of the Associated Students, and focuses on events supporting the LGBTQ+ community. They are working on a poetry assignment together, and need to meet and compare notes.
When she was eleven, Noemi lost her mother, and tragedy struck again a year later with her father’s death. Noemi’s Aunt and Uncle have supported her, and are paying her way through college. They even pay her a stipend.
Noemi is smart and pretty normal, but she has a secret – she’s a “funeral crasher.” She doesn’t cause any problems. She just goes and listens to the eulogies, and cries. Then she checks the “ObitLocator” and selects the next funeral to attend to celebrate the “deathiversary” of her parents. She’s been searching for a way to grieve her parents, and she’s found her own way to deal with it. But she seems to be alone in her feelings. No one sees her, and no one acknowledges the death of her parents. It all makes her very sad.
Noemi still has her Mothers old Mac from the time she started high school, and she visits her mother’s Facebook page often and learns of all the things her Mother cared about.
On one particular day, she selects the funeral for Edith Dixon. The service shows how wonderful Edith was. She was married, had daughters and granddaughters. Noemi wishes she still had a mother figure like Edith to bond with, even if over a disagreement.
Amara, one of Edith’s granddaughters, stands up and speaks about her grandmother. Amara is a first year student at UCLA and Noemi takes an interest in her right away.
After the service, Noemi selects another funeral to attend – for Charles Robert Reed Jr. She’s off again on her bike with her box of tissues.
When she attends Charles’s funeral, she finds herself in trouble when Amara spots her there. She finds herself in a difficult situation too when she meets Francis, Charles’ girlfriend, who is pregnant. Noemi really likes Amara but she finds herself lying about a few too many things. She really doesn’t mean to, and ashamed and awkward about it.
The more she lies, the harder it will be to come clean. As she and Amara start spending time together, Noemi knows she has to tell her the truth. But she’s afraid if she does that she will lose Amara, and will be all alone again.
Glass has penned a lovely sapphic story about growing up and facing all things most of us question – life, death, birth, loss of friendship, new love, breakups, reuniting and surviving in today’s world. The author pulls at your heart strings with many heartfelt moments. And the more Noemi shares her true feelings, the more of the people she’s connected to understand her.
The author uses poets such as Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass, Angelina Welde Grimke and Amy Lowell, as well as movies and music that deal in the subject of death to fill out Noemi’s world.
I highly recommend The Paradox of Love and Death – a wonderfully written, easy to read story that anyone who has lost someone dear can relate to. Although it deals in sensitive issues, the story will leave you with a message of hope.
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
