Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After hearing such great things about Tia Williams’s novel “Seven Days in June,” I picked up this book without even reading the description. I was expecting a love story, but I got so much more than that. This book was full of romance, history, and magic. It is the kind of story that will make you laugh, make you cry, and keep you wanting more. “A Love Song for Ricki Wilde” will steal your heart with its lovable, charming, unforgettable characters. A beautifully written story that I highly recommend!

Ricki Wilde comes from the Wilde Funeral home family empire. She has felt that she never has fit in with her family. Certain things are expected and Ricki is her own unique person. She loves flowers and has quite the following on Instagram. She decides to open a flower shop in Harlem. She finds a place to rent from a cute old lady named Ms. Della. She finds a community and a best friend. One day while looking for a community garden. She finds a handsome gentleman.

This book was so wonderful. Once I started it I could not put it down. I loved learning about the history of Harlem. The magical realism was just fantastic. This book made me laugh out loud and cry so many tears. A must read.

Deeply romantic, whimsical, and a celebration of Black history, Black love, and Black art. I loved the magical realism aspects - it felt like reading a modern fairy tale! Also, I squealed when we got a "Seven Days on June" character cameo!!!

I read almost entirely via audio and loved that format! Thanks to Hachette Audio for the ALC and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!

"For a long time, I thought I knew what my calling was. My Grand Purpose. But when I met Ricki, I knew I was wrong. I was a fool, thinking I was born to do anything grander than loving her."

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde was an absolute delight! I would say this is also a love song to NY and the history of the Harlem Renaissance. The genre-bendiness with the touch of paranormal elements is honestly one of my favorite things in a contemporary romance. I loved the mystery and build up to the final reveal. I think this is a book that's best gone into with little knowledge of the premise.

Ricki and Ezra were such wonderful characters- I adored them and their respective backstories.
Ms Della and Tuesday were honestly the best side characters that I've seen in a long time. They were so funny and sincere in their love & support for Ricki. They had me laughing and crying multiple times.

Seven Days in June is one of my favorite books, so I was really excited to read a Love song for Ricki Wilde which will be released in February 2024. This book had such a different vibe than her other books, but it was just as beautiful and heartfelt. First of all, the cover is absolutely stunning!!! The character development is fantastic for both the main and side characters. They were all so flawed and lovable. The story is set in Harlem and alternates between two timelines. It was really interesting reading about Ricki and Ezra’s and their connection to one another. Whew can Tia write a love scene. I was surprised at the direction the plot went but Tia is such an amazing storyteller that I became immersed in the story and kept reading. There were some surprises with an element of magic throughout the book. Anything she writes I will read it!

This was almost a dnf book. I did however, enjoy the history of the Harlem Renaissance. I did also enjoy the love story of Ezra and Ricki when the author finally got to it. I just wish it wouldn’t have taken so long. I also loved how the author fostered the relationship between Della and Tuesday because Ricki was certainly an outcast from her family.

This book was absolutely beautiful and magical in so many ways. I don’t think I’ve ever read a story like this and I think it will stick with me for a long time. Woven throughout this story was Harlem Renaissance history, music, and botanical facts. Tia Williams is talented at creating powerful and once-in-a-lifetime romances that make you truly feel the characters’ strong connection. This book was so much more than romance though; it explored history, friendship, found family, and joy. The ending wrecked me but it was perfect for this story. What more can I say except that I loved it?

What a great story! This checks all of my boxes for a good read: emotion, romance, an interesting family, empowerment, history, and a touch of supernatural. Tia Williams is a talented and magical writer. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Thanks, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing, for the digital review copy. Available 6 Feb 24.

Ricki feels like a dandelion in a family of hothouse orchids: too messy, too random, too chaotic. She jumps at the chance to leave home and move to Harlem. Creating an Instagram-popular flower shop, creating fabulous thrifted outfits, and making friends, she’s living her best life - until she meets Ezra. Mysterious, fascinating, lovely Ezra derails her plans and pulls all her attention. It’s like they were fated to be together.

While I loved Williams’ last romance (SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE), I wasn’t swept away by this one. I was okay with the magical realism but wasn’t captivated by the story. I’m glad I buddy-read this with a friend. Talking about certain aspects increased my enjoyment of this magical realism romance.

P/S - It’s fun that Leap Years plays a prominent role in this story, which is publishing in a February Leap Year.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for a Netgalley ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Romance/magical realism. Ricki Wilde has always been the black sheep of her family. Where her seemingly perfect older sisters have fallen in line and opened their own funeral homes that are part of the family business, dreamer and free-thinker Ricki has never felt like she belonged. After a chance encounter with an older woman who invites Ricki to rent part of her home, Ricki packs up her life and moves to Harlem to pursue her dream: opening her own flower shop. As Ricki becomes more successful and enamored with her Harlem neighborhood, she keeps finding herself drawn to the mysterious hottie Ezra. Their constant run ins feel meant to be, but secrets of Ezra’s past are destined to keep them apart.

As separate characters, I loved Ricki and Ezra and they had a good ying-and-yang going. Independently they were very fleshed out. Their romance didn’t quite do it for me because I have a hard time buying into the instant love at first sight when they don’t know anything about each other. I just prefer to see things build more and right out the gate they can’t resist one another. I also really loved reading about the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920’s - this was something I previously knew nothing about and now I want to read another book in this setting! This reminded me a tad bit of Addie LaRue with the magical realism element and thought the execution of that was really well done (and with a happy ending!). Overall enjoyed this one and was pretty quick to get though.

Listen I love Tia Williams. And this book feels so magical! The magic of a leap year! And I love Ricki! And Ms. Della! And I think that Ricki and Ezra are going to be epic! And with the dual timeline with the Harlem Renaissance is SO beautifully written.

But she just used an entire piano to get off…and I KNOW she was thinking of Ezra I GET IT. and then said ‘did I just fck a piano’ pls i know it’s so freaking petty but I am moving on bc this was not it for me and also I just am not fully invested despite wanting so badly to be.

This is truly not a reflection on the author, or really the story. I just am not invested.

DNF @ 41%

I like the way Tia Williams writes and tells stories. I like that there is some mystery to what she is doing. She is clever without doing too much. I liked the leads (especially Ezra) but I did want more sex and for the book to be shorter. It went on too long and took a while to get going. Overall good and fun with a little history mixed in.

The youngest daughter of a wealthy family, Ricki has always been expected to go into her family’s business of funeral homes. However, she wants to be a florist and takes a chance by moving to New York and opening up her own store. Soon, she meets Ezra, who she can’t help but be drawn to. However, it seems like their love might be fated to end tragically.

This one started a little slow, but it picked up a lot after about ¼ way through. After that, I really liked it and the characters. I do wish that we had had more time with Ricki and Ezra building up their relationship more. I understand it was a lot about their pull toward each other but it felt a little too none to full-on love quickly.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am beyond speechless. Tia Williams has done it again. This book was so incredibly beautiful, poetic and plain ROMANTIC. I have never read anything like it.

I love this author and her latest is not exception. This book is unique, exciting, romantic and fun. I loved the past and present storytelling and the setting. I have no doubt that you will also fall in love with Ricki Definitely add to your TBR!!

A Love Song For Ricki Wilde comes out next week on February 6, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!

The ancient radiator clanged out near-tropical heat as the two attempted to sleuth. It was the only other sound in the room besides Stevie Wonder's deeply obscure instrumental 1979 album Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants. She played it every evening for her flowers. In her soul, she was convinced that the songs made them brighter, happier, and livelier. Like audio Miracle-Gro.

I really enjoy Tia Williams so I picked up this book without reading the description or knowing anything about it. This book is a bit like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue but full of Harlem’s rich cultural history. The story is told in multiple perspectives but it is mostly from the perspective of Ricki and the mysterious man she meets in a garden one night Ezra. Ricki has never fit in with her family and has given up on trying since nothing she does seems to work. In a surprising move she decides to leave the family business and strike out to follow her dream of owning a flower shop. A chance meeting connects her to someone with an apartment with what could be a storefront in Harlem and Rickie leaves Atlanta, her family, and all expectations behind. I will admit this book didn’t hold any major twists for me - I saw all the big turns coming, but I enjoyed them all the same. This is a book I could basically visualize happening (which is rare for me) and I hope it gets t be a movie someday. 4.5 stars rounded up since they still won’t let me half star ratings.

4⭐

If you ever wondered what the Twilight Zone would be if it was a romance novel, it would be this book. Ricki and Ezra were everything but I'm just not the biggest *hint of magic* romance girlies so Seven Days in June will remain my favorite Tia Williams of all time. I love how this book connected with Tia's other books and really hope Tuesday's story is on the way!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I loved this book. I adored Ricki. I hated her family. I fell in love with Ezra and Della. Tia Williams can write characters as well as or better than almost anyone right now. I also loved the magical realism in this one. I am not always a fan, but it was just perfectly done in this book. I also thoroughly enjoyed all of the Harlem Renaissance and other Black history threads that were woven into this story. I will be recommending this one a ton once it is published next week.

Whoa. SO MUCH happens in this book. If you want to read a book with a time travel vibe between the Harlem Renaissance and present day Harlem, with long descriptions of Jazz music and floral art, and a whole world-building scenario around Perennials, who are immortal people, then this is the book for you. It is A LOT.

Ricki Wilde has always been seen has the troubled child, the one that the family makes fun of and does not think is reliable or successful as the rest of them are (they have a funeral home fortune). She moves from her family in Atlanta to open up a floral shop in Harlem after she meets an elderly woman who offers her a bottom floor of the building she lives in. There's a lot of suspension of disbelief you have to do to follow along this story. It's in Harlem that she meets a guy named Breeze. He's handsome and mysterious, and keeps telling her to stay away from him,

Of course, they can't stay away from each other, and they fall in love. This is the part that Tia Williams is the best at--the love and steamy bits. It's easy to fall headlong in love as the characters do. The plot is convoluted, and honestly, not the most interesting part of the book. I won't spoil the whole mystery, but you know it's a Romance, so just hang on for the HEA.

If you like quirky characters, New York City, and the Harlem Renaissance, I think this book might charm you. At the very least, the characters will.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC.

I was so excited to see Tia Williams was coming out with a new book. Seven Days in June was so very good.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a beautiful love story. It is unique and stunning. It highlights the beauty of Harlem and unwavering love.

Ricki and Ezra were just such beautiful characters. But the side characters, Della and Tuesday also captured my heart.

Tia Williams is an automatic add to TBR for me.