I'm so sad that this didn't work for me - I'm DNFing the book at 39%. I was really excited for this one after loving SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE, but I feel like nothing had happened still by the time I reached almost 40%. I didn't feel any sort of connection to Ezra, the male love interest, and I was so confused that this is marketed as a romance book when there was barely any romance in it. I really didn't understand Ricki as a character or any of the side characters. It was just so messy, hard to follow, and didn't make any sense. Thanks anyway for the ARC - I wish I liked it but it definitely was not for me. Missing the magic of SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE!!

For so long, I’ve lived life like it was something to endure, to push through. But with you? I know how precious it can be. And I refuse to live in a world without you in it.”

When I first started reading this book, I had no idea what I was getting into because our heroine was a delusional, babbling mess who also knew endless facts lol Ricki Wilde was the black sheep of her very prominent Atlanta based family who owned a chain of funeral homes. However, Ricki had absolutely no interest in the family business and wanted to open her own flower shop to create extravagant designs. Her wish came true when she meets widower Ms. Della who also became like a grandmother over time. Ms Della encouraged Ricki to move to Harlem and start her business and this is where our story truly began. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this lol it’s a very unique story that uses elements of magic, voodoo, and time travel to paint a vivid picture of fated mates.

I absolutely enjoyed this book! Ricki and Ezra were drawn to each other and couldn’t avoid one another even as hard as they tried. You absolutely need to meet Ezra and Ricki. Who knew the handsome stranger in the community garden would turn her world upside down?! I was also very proud of Ricki for branching out her own and not letting her family hold her back. She took a chance on herself and the result was meeting the great love of her life, starting a successful business, and meeting the two women who became her family. Tia Williams always writes such eclectic characters/stories. I can definitely see this book becoming a movie like her other work. Remember, leap years are indeed strange and nothing is ever what it seems. Add it to your list if you haven’t, happy reading!✨

Thanks to Netgalley and grand central pub for this arc!

This was such a unique love story! Ezra and Ricki are destined to find each other, through a past that doesn't seem to come together until halfway through the book. While I did enjoy it, I did find it kind of slow at times. There was world building that I didn't anticipate, but it did lead to the understanding of the story. I didn't mind the magical realism of the story, and enjoyed the writing, I just wish that perhaps it was a bit more concise in the end. No matter, at the end of the day, this ends up as a sweet love story that shares a unique perspective. While it might not be my favorite, I did still enjoy. My favorite part might be that it is set in a leap year, which is perfect for the leap year that we are currently in. Perfect release date! Also, I feel like everybody needs a Ms. Della in their lives, she was a perfect side character and her parts really improved the book.

Thanks to the NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

In this novel, main character Ricki is the baby of her rich Atlanta family and has always been considered a disappointment by them. Defying their wishes that she join them in the family business, she moves to Harlem to start her dream florist business. As she settles into her new life, making new friends and figuring herself out, she also finds herself drawn to a mysterious man she keeps running into.

I loved Tia Williams’ Seven Days in June, and loved this one too though it’s quite different - it’s definitely less heavy, but also it adds a little fantastical element to its romance that I wasn’t expecting but I loved! I don’t want to give any spoilers, but if you love a side of magic/magic realism to your love stories like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Hundred Lives of Juliet, or Rebecca Serle’s books, then I think you will love this one too. And I loved the little cameo from the characters of Seven Days in June too.

This book was so magical, heartwarming, whimsical, and mysterious. It was a fun read to experience. It had romance, some mystery, some historical fiction and a tied up happy ending. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the early advanced copy!

A Love Song For Ricki Wilde was so many elements I love in a story- a fun main character, a little bit of magic, and a New York setting. This book was really cute and different than a lot of romances out there.

The book did start really slow and I found myself struggling to want to read it. I think it wasn’t until almost 50% that I was completely hooked. The second half of the book was so good though and worth the slow start. The epilogue was absolutely perfect.

I loved all the characters- Ricki was so fun to get to know and I really enjoyed Tuesday and Della as well. Overall I’d definitely recommend this one!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

This was a letdown for me. I enjoyed the setting, the dual timelines, and the history. The past timeline was interesting but felt a bit rushed and lacked depth at times.

My big issue was with the relationship. It felt very insta-love and unbelievable so it made it hard s to connect with. I wanted to see more banter, more growth, more of the relationship build up. This book felt like a mix up of different genres and plot ideas that didn’t totally come together.

3.5 I liked this book more than “Seven Days In June.” Definitely going to sit with my thoughts a little longer!

5/5

Okay ya’ll: this book was m a g I c a l!!

From the get go – I was instantly hooked into Ricki’s life and I absolutely loved her! I love that she beat to her very own drum and lived her life the way she saw fit…much to her family’s chagrin. I love the female empowerment element that Tia ALWAYS includes In her stories. Ricki is eclectic and I loved her sense of style (a girl after my own heart!)

There were so many beautiful elements incorporated throughout this novel: I loved the Harlem Renaissance aspect along with the hint of mystery that was interwoven! Also – the plant puns!! I was cackling each time I came across one! It was such a whimsy little detail!!

Tia’s writing is STUNNING…the imagery was perfection. Everything about this novel felt so lyrical and poetic.

Without giving *too* much away, this novel had all the Addie LaRue & The Seven Year Slip vibes! So: magical realism girlies: THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!!

My most favorite facet of the entire novel was the friendship and found family aspect between Ricki and Mrs. Della! I adored her tidbits of wisdom that she gave to Ricki. Hearing about her love story that spanned decades – was heart melting!!

There are SO many beautiful moments in this novel that you all NEED to experience firsthand.

I loved it oh so much…the ended WRECKED me(and had me bawling my eyes out) and will forever be a book that lives In my head rent free!!

SIMONE SAYS READ THIS IF YOU LIKE

Fated mates
Dual timeline
Plant puns
The Harlem Renaissance
Strong female friendships
Found family
Magical realism
*complicated* love stories

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing, Hatchette Books & Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is the rare book that is perfect for both Black History Month and Leap Year! It moves seamlessly between dramas, part romance novel, part magical realism, and also with very interesting historical stories, mostly from the Harlem Renaissance. I generally don't like when books have too many coincidences, but in this case, they are explained well. I also really enjoyed the side characters, particularly Tuesday and the Witches of Eastwick sisters, the picture I have of them showing up in Harlem is priceless.

This is officially my favorite book of the year (I know it’s early) and it’s going to be hard to top it. The romance between Ricki and Ezra is great but this book is so much more. It’s a love story to Harlem, the Harlem Renaissance and black culture with a touch of magical realism. There is so much of the history of Harlem interwoven in the insta-love relationship between the two MC’s and it’s so well written that I could see and feel each setting and hear the music being described through Ezra. The ending was predictable but it was still an emotional roller coaster I was not prepared for. I also loved seeing some familiar faces pop up through the story.
Thank you to GCP and NetGalley for the Arc.

4.75🌟 this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and it absolutely did not disappoint.

this follows ricki, who is the black sheep of her family, and she wants to stray from the family funeral home business to pursue her dreams of owning a flower shop. when an amazing opportunity presents itself, she uproots her life to move to Harlem, where she meets a mysterious man who just might change everything.

this story first and foremost is a love letter to Black culture, art, and music, during and surrounding the Harlem Renaissance. it functions across genres, with elements of contemporary romance, magical realism, historical fiction, and mystery, which creates a reading experience that constantly keeps you on your toes.

the love story brings these two characters on an emotional rollercoaster and they are a rock for each through every moment. the way they come to understand each other on such a fundamental level is so beautiful. tia knows how to write soulmates like no other!

this also features some wonderful supporting characters; i’m not exaggerating when i say that tuesday is the funniest character i’ve read in so long and mrs. della is bold, generous, and all around lovely. my eyes still hurt from crying over this one🫶🏼

*thank you grand central publishing for the ARC!

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a beautiful, lush romance full of magic, music, destiny, laughter, and hope. I enjoyed walking alongside Ricki as she moved from Atlanta to Harlem to follow her dreams of opening her flower shop. In Harlem, Ricki meets friends who become family and a mystery man named Ezra. Also, this book is funny; the characters are lovable and witty, and I could smell the night jasmine in the air while reading this story. The only drawback to this story is the slow build to the romance, which may be a little too slow, but the writing is clever and kept me interested in how the two storylines of Ricki and Ezra would connect. This book is perfect for romance lovers, especially those who enjoy a fated mates story, which I do. I regret being so late to the incredible storytelling of Tia Williams.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for a free copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book it was so poetic and enchanting I read it in two days!!! I loved the direction the author took it made the book hit a little different but in a good way. Weaving through decades the dual timelines worked well especially once I realized the similarities between certain characters. It kind of made me think of the movie Seventeen Again with a 1920s spin.

The novel follows Ricki Wilde, the artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty who decides to head to Harlem in search of a fresh start. Then we have Ezra Walker a lost musician drawn to Harlem every leap year in February to find his soulmate and end their epic love story before it begins. “I’m not scared of you he said. I’m scared of us.”

The past timeline being set during the Harlem Renaissance era gave it such a pleasant historical feel and enhanced the tone of the book. The current focused more on the character building and tying the timelines together. With the connection between Ezra and Ricki being so instant. Their coincidental run-ins proved you can’t fight fate when it’s meant to be.

Overall, I highly recommend A Love Song for Ricki Wilde to anyone who loves romance, magical elements, or historical fiction. All of the characters were well-drawn and relatable loved Mrs.Della she made the ending worthwhile. Ezra was so chivalrous his character was literally everything too. Special thanks to the author & @grandcentralpub for my advanced copy!!!

I didn’t think I could love one of Tia Williams’ books more than Seven Days in June, but A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is really testing that theory for me!

Ricki Wilde isn’t like her parents or her sisters - she’s not complacent to maintain the status quo and continue the family legacy of upscale funeral homes. Her passion is flowers, so she leaves the south for NYC and opens up a flower shop in Harlem. It’s there she has an oddly charged encounter with a stranger, who she soon begins to run into everywhere. His name is Ezra, and he’s harboring some serious secrets, which immediately becomes clear when he warns her to stay away from him,

This story is told in a dual storyline - the present and the 1920’s - and is full of lush imagery, longing, and heart. It’s got a perfect touch of magic and otherworldliness, endlessly lovable and quirky side characters, and the profoundness of a found family.

I can’t wait to see what Tia Williams writes next!

In A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams, Ricki Wilde, a misfit artist, discovers herself, love, magic, and where she belongs in modern Harlem when she leaves home to prove herself to her father and socialite sisters during a leap year.

Williams’ gorgeous writing, imaginative storytelling, vividly detailed descriptions using the senses to create visual imagery, and spectacular world-building drew me into this original, multilayered, absorbing story. I felt like I was present with the characters. She develops and evolves her fascinating, complex, relatable, and likable characters and their relationships through emotional, humorous, snarky, passionate, intimate, sexy, and colorful dialogue and interactions. Williams reveals the world she’s created through the character’s senses and emotions. Once I started this book, I became so caught up in her characters’ lives and world that I could not put it down until I reached the end. I haven’t been surprised by or drawn into a love story like this before, and I love that feeling.

Flighty, zany, idiosyncratic, impulsive, talented, and artistic, Ricki is the youngest daughter of Atlanta’s powerful Wilde dynasty. However, she’s terrible at being a Wilde and doesn’t fit in with them at all. Unlike her famous socialite sisters, who perfectly fit their assigned roles, Ricki, a hopeless romantic and dreamer, thinks of the exciting life she knows is waiting for her apart from her family.

Ms. Della, a customer at her family’s funeral home, invites her to rent the bottom floor of her Harlem brownstone, giving Ricki the chance of a lifetime to start fresh and have the life she wants. Ricki leaves home, letting go of her family and their wealth, and her past chaotic romantic failures to make her dream of opening a flower shop a reality. As she settles into her new home/shop, she discovers all the effervescent drama, music, history, and stories of the Harlem Renaissance that still live within her new neighborhood underneath the surface.

While exploring her neighborhood on a February night, the terminally curious Ricki is drawn to the off-season scent of night-blooming jasmine and encounters a mysterious, handsome stranger—Breeze, a gifted, talented, and haunted jazz pianist—who changes her life forever.

I love Ricki and Breeze’s intense connection and attraction that Williams develops and evolves through humorous and snarky banter and sexy, emotional, steamy, and intimate conversations and love scenes, which reveal and evolve their characters and relationship. Their scenes together are electric and exciting.

The narrative of A Love Song for Ricki unfolds unexpectedly, taking the reader on a journey that entertains and informs without affecting the novel’s pacing. Williams perfectly balances the novel’s romance, humor, angst, and dramatic moments. Funny, sexy, intensely emotional, steamy, and suspenseful, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a creative, beautifully written, romantic love story.

Williams explores life when you’re Black in America and Harlem’s connection to Black Americans—past and present—through the eyes and hearts of her characters with nuance and care and takes us on a cinematic-worthy journey through Modern Harlem, Harlem’s Renaissance, and the Jazz Age. I love how she exposes me to so much history I didn’t know entertainingly and offers thoughtful perspectives.

Funny, sexy, intensely emotional, steamy, and suspenseful, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is an imaginative, beautifully written, and romantic love story about soulmates, artistic creation, music, self-discovery, soulmates, following your dreams, friendship, found family, magic, and love.

Grand Central Publishing provided an advanced review copy via Netgalley for review.

Y’all, this is a work of art. I recommend going into this one without reading the synopsis. It’s best enjoyed by letting it unfold before you.

Here’s a brief non-spoilery overview:
- They’re fated.
- There’s chosen family.
- Music is a central theme.
- Harlem is the primary setting.

Once I picked this up, I did not want to put it down.

I received an advance copy of the ebook from Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Ricki Wilde takes a leap of faith that turns out to be absolutely life changing.

I loved that this book took place in Harlem,New York present day and it also gives us a glimpse into the Harlem of 1920( speakeasy’s, jazz clubs, all the things that marked the Harlem Renaissance era).

I loved that this book had a mental health representation and I think Tia Williams does a great job of incorporating it into her books.

I loved everything about Ms. Della and Tuesday

I loved the immortality twist that I didn’t know I needed and the twist that Ms. Della and Ezra shared a connection.

Okayyy and last but not least I loved that we get to see Eva Mercy again ( Seven Days in June Reference)!

Overall, this story will stick with me and I will continue to peel back the layers. The Love Songs of Ricki Wilde were in summary about love, loss, and found family, layered with a healthy dose of magic.

Tia Williams what have you done to me.😭 I am sitting in my bed literally bawling my eyes out nonstop for the past 2 chapters. I loved seven days in june something fierce, but this book? I love this book in a completely different way. Tia my queen, you have done it again 😩🫶🏼
I give this book all the stars!! Thanks so much for this ARC!

Wow! This book took me by surprise. It's totally different from Tia's previous books. I enjoyed the magical realism and dual timeline set against a Harlem backdrop that draws upon an important time in Black history. You get to experience the rich and soulful culture of Harlem both in the 1920s and the present day through Tia Williams's stunning prose. It's chock-full of beautiful quotes that you'll want to highlight. The audiobook was done really well. I loved that we got two narrators, one for Ricki and one for Ezra. Tragedy, angst, joy, this book has it all! A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is an absolutely beautiful love story that burns slow and transcends time.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫/5
Spice Level: No spice

Thank you @netgalley @grandcentralpub @tiawilliamswrites for the eARC.