A mix of magical realism, pop culture, and the fantastic sounds of 1920’s Harlem. Ricki is the daughter of a funeral home scion, with three daughters following in his footsteps. Ricki strikes out on her own, moving to NYC and trying to make a go of it with her artistic flower shop in Harlem. When she keeps running into Ezra, a handsome and talented but mysterious stranger, the chemistry is off the charts. As they try to avoid each other, a force keeps pulling the, closer. The characters are appealing, including the outrageous Tuesday, and the loving, Della, and the atmosphere of both 1920’s and current day Harlem totally enhances the narrative. Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was absolutely spectacular and very fun to read during a leap year. 5/5 stars.

I have always been a fan of Tia Williams and was not sure I could love a book as much as Seven Days in June but this one blew me away.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a love letter to Harlem, Black excellence, and the Black historical influence on music and culture. It is a love letter to found family. It is a love letter to neurodivergent girls who don't always fit in or live up to family expectations but find ways to live freely and wholly as themselves.

Ezra was dreamy and the chemistry between him and Ricki jumped right off the page.

I wasn't a fan of magical realism until more recently and I will say it is an aspect of the book that you have to lean into. The storyline becomes fairly predictable, but that doesn't take away from the touching relationships between the characters.

I wept at the end. This story will stick with me for a while. Side note - can we please get a full book about Tuesday???

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Seven Days in June was my favorite romance read of 2021. I eagerly jumped at the chance to read her newest, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, publishing on 2/6/24. Thank you Grand Central Publishing for my early copy.

Lets get the negative out of the way: the first half of the book is a struggle to get through. There are two timelines, lots of characters, and honestly, it’s kind of frustrating trying to work out how the puzzles all piece together. I preferred the Harlem Renaissance story but couldn’t work out how that would fit into Ricki’s present day story. However, there is a big reveal that changes everything and make all of those seemingly random pieces click.

It took me quite some time to read through the first half of the book but I FLEW through the second half. No spoilers but the ending had me in absolute tears as it was truly perfect. In true Tia Williams fashion, her characters are all complex, the storytelling is rich, the steam is top shelf, and hilarity abounds. For fans of Seven Days in June- Eva and Shane make an appearance which made me emotional. Williams knows how to write characters that get under your skin and stay there.

And now I am grateful that Ezra and Ricki were introduced to me, and I’m sure they will stay with me for a long time. A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is magic, I highly recommend readers pick up a copy on February 6th!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I loved Tia Williams’ prior book, Seven Days in June, and while I have yet to explore her backlist, I was excited for a new book from her. And like her prior release, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde blew me away. It gave me similar vibes to Addie LaRue with its exploration of an immortal romantic interest living through time, with a bit more depth and cultural nuance, and dug deeper into the Harlem Renaissance, a period I’ve longed to learn more about since I read Kennedy Ryan’s Reel in 2022. And I loved the way it was specifically written with February 29 and 2024 being a leap year in mind, to make it all extra relevant and magical.
Ricki is a relatable heroine, and I love how she’s just trying her best to measure up with her overly ambitious father and sisters. The fact that she’s literally named after her father, due to them all being given “R” names, and being the youngest, they ran out of feminine “R” names when they got to her just exacerbates her issues fitting in. But despite the numerous false starts and failures, she never gives up, and ultimately moves to New York City to work toward her dreams of opening her own flower shop.
The way Ezra and his past were incorporated were interesting, as he’s kind of a shadowy figure at first, and we actually get some “past” scenes with him from the 20s early on before he officially “meets” Ricki. I wasn’t sure exactly what direction the story was taking, beyond the reference to time, so I found this a clever way of foreshadowing the nature of who he is.
Once Ricki and Ezra do start spending time together, I ended up really loving them. They really click, and have great chemistry. With the revelation of what happened to Ezra to bring him to this point and how it affects Ricki, it creates compelling, high stakes that had me rooting for them to work it out.
There’s also the key secondary character, Miss Della, who is Ricki’s nonagenarian landlady, and I love how she figured into Ezra’s past, even though they had never met. When the secret connection between them was revealed, my jaw dropped, and I loved how it came full-circle in the end in such a bittersweet way.
I absolutely loved this book, and I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy heartfelt contemporary romance with a magical twist and an infusion of Black history.

Does Tia Williams even know how to write a book that isn't five stars? I thought SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE was amazing and this one has topped it!!

I loved literally everything about this book. It felt like a more polished version of The Hundred Loves of Juliet - it was lush and romantic and magical and whimsical even in it's dark moments. This book was populated by incredible characters and included so many tropes I love - including found family which is my absolute FAVORITE!

This book was a love letter to the Harlem Renaissance, black excellence, music, and Black cultural influence. It was so deeply romantic that I cried multiple times out of the sheer fullness of my heart. I loved the chemistry between Ricki and Ezra, between Ricki and Tuesday, and between Ricki and Della. The relationships in this book were so beautiful.

Tia Williams' writing style is just perfect. I love how she drops in such gorgeous lyrical nuggets when you least expect it! This was such an easy and fast-paced read that I finished it in one sitting!

TEN STARS!!!

I absolutely loved this book, but I don't know how to describe it. It's almost a historical contemporary romance? And not quite magical realism but with just a little bit of magic mixed in? Either way it was great. Tia Williams's prose is electric and unlike anything I've ever read - my kindle is FULL of highlighted quotes. This book is screaming to be annotated.

Ricki and Ezra are undeniable, though Della was definitely my favorite character. While Ricki and Ezra do have their own romance bloom, this book is truly a love song for Harlem. The rich history combined with Ricki's guerilla social media blasts shone a light on the gentrification and the efforts to remember its past. This is literary masterpiece and you can't change my mind.

*Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde conjures up a certain idea in your mind yet the book ends up surprising you. The story begins with Ricki Wilde who is reeling due to her family not supporting her and on a whim, she decides to say screw it and follow her dream which results in her meeting Ms. Della.

From there, it becomes an adventure for Ricki who is trying to keep her business afloat and figure out the man who keeps popping up in her life. Meanwhile, we’re also getting flashbacks following Ezra, a talented piano player. Of course, the two timelines intersect in the best way and it truly ends up every bit as epic as Seven Days in June.

While I don’t want to get too much into the plot, I will say that Tia Williams continues to astound me with her writing. She really puts her all into writing these characters and makes you feel the love between them. I don’t know about you, but this book felt utterly sensual without being steamy which is a skill.

In addition, we’re seeing Ricki pay homage to Harlem and the people who came before her. The idea she has with her flowers is just brilliant. No doubt someone will be using that in the future but I just adored it. While the ending was bittersweet, I couldn’t help but fall head-over-heels for this book and the love story between our two leads.

If you’ve never picked up Tia Williams, then you’re surely missing out as she writes love stories you have to read to believe. She manages to make you fall in love with these characters, become invested in their lives, and truly make you believe in them and their dreams. It’s truly a unique experience, getting to read one of her books.

Ricki WIlde wants to mold her own life, not one that is expected of her. She clashes with her family's lifestyle. When a "fairy godmother" shows up invites her to move to Harlem for a fresh start, Ricki runs and doesn't look back. I loved all the history of early Harlem wrapped into this story. Ricki starts to blossom in NY building a career and finding her own two feet when her world is rocked when she meets a mysterious man and an attraction they can't resist. but he insists she should leave town. The story goes back and forth in time. I loved all the characters and storyline. Thank you #NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. #TiaWilliams #grandcentralpublishing

I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this book. The more I got into the story the deeper it got. This book was so beautifully written and is a well developed true love story. It will give you all the feels as if you are actually in the book. Harlem has a spot in my heart and Ricki Wilde and Ezra Walker will forever be engraved in my memory. I did predict what was going to happen next a few times but it didn’t take away from the excitement of the story. There are also quite a bit of historical and musical references. I did some research while reading to get a deeper understanding of some parts. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in romance with a little magical aspect. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of the book.

This is the BEST BOOK of 2024. I don't know how any other book is going to live up to it all year.
Tia Williams warns the book will have you believing in magic again, and it lives up to it.
Ricki meets Ezra, a man stuck in time. They fall madly in love. The catch, Ricki is fated to die on February 28th due to the curse placed on Ezra over a hundred years ago. Beautifully written, Tia Williams outdoes herself. This book is a modern-day fairy tale, complete with a prince charming, wicked step-sisters, and a fairy god (grand) mother.
I also love that Tia Williams includes her characters from Seven Days in June in Ricki Wilde. If these characters are in the same universe, then Seven Days in June is a magical book, too. I could not love this book more and am so excited for everyone to read this!

A contemporary fairy tale, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is magical realism at its best. Ricki and Ezra’s magnetic pull had me besotted.

From the moment I opened this book, there was magic, and there was magic on every page. I loved this Leap Year, contemporary fairy tale, and I can't wait until it hits shelves on February 6. I hope that everyone loves Ricki and Ezra and the lovable cast of supporting characters as much as I did. A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is purely romantic in every sense of the word.

Thank you so much to Grand Central Pub and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review! I honestly loved it.

Is there a more delicious, hilarious, tender, perfectly romantic voice in romance right now than Tia Williams?

I don't know how she does it, but Ricki Wilde is more proof that Tia Williams can do anything in an unique, inimitable way. I had no idea what Ricky Wilder was going to be, and then suddenly I was gasping amid the laugh, because it was so surprising and so perfectly the Black Magical Realist romance I've been craving for years.

I honestly think some white people will not get or like this, and it only make this book all the more brilliant for it. It's fiercely a tale of Black people just seeing joy and love in an America that does not want them to have that, and a lot of people will simply 'not relate.' But it's one of the best romance novels ever written.

The unexpected touch of magic surprised me, but the beautiful love story captivated my heart.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

4.5 rounded up 💫 and WOW!! 😮‍💨

You know how sometimes you love the STORY but not the WRITING? Williams masters BOTH! 👏 And this is so unlike her other books yet it’s still SO well done!

I can’t say too much about it because this really goes in an entirely unexpected direction🤐 but I loved it!! While it took a little bit to get into I am NOT mad about the journey.

It’s a love letter to Harlem + the Harlem Renaissance, a couple who has PALPABLE UNDENIABLE CHEMISTRY, not just found family but a found GRANDMA!! It’s got beautiful writing and wisdom to be shared, and so much character growth!! 🥹🫶

Not one I will soon forget!

I have been a fan of Tia Williams since reading the perfect find.
I was so eager to read this book, that I literally went in having no clue what it was really about other than it was a love story set in Harlem and somehow, had something to do with the Harlem Renaissance.

By the end, I was almost mad. Because this is one of those books you wish you could read again for the first time because you want that "OMG HOW WILL THIS END" feeling again and again.

When I tell you I was sucked in? I loved Ricki Wilde. Her brain, her character, her need to prove herself. And when "One evening in February as the heady, curiously off-season scent of night-blooming jasmine fills the air, Ricki encounters a handsome, deeply mysterious stranger who knocks her world off balance in the most unexpected way. "????

And the chemistry between Ricki and Ezra ? So So Good. And so heartbreaking and so joyful all at the same time.

I an't really say more because I don't want to give away the plot, because I feel like you need to let it unfold not by being told, but by reading it. But lets just say, I was so intrigued, not only by the love story and the backstory but the question on how on earth would it all end!

But most of all, I loved. it. And i have to give it my first 5 stars of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Cental Pub for providing me the ARC in exchange for an honest review All opinions are my own.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams is one of the best romances I've read! I loved this book! It was so beautiful and dreamy and I just can’t recommend it enough.
It’s so magical and the writing is lush and honestly, it’s close to a perfect love story.
I don’t want to say much- I think it’s best to go into this one without knowing too much. It just makes it that much better.
I can’t recommend this gorgeous book enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.

This was a 5 star prediction for me, but halfway through the story I was still unable to connect all the threads and figure out where the story was leading, so it was time for me to DNF.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024. Seven Days in June is one of my favorite books, and I was thrilled to get an ARC from NetGalley to review.
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a beautiful story, but it didn’t quite land for me as a novel. The central element to the plot (being intentionally vague to avoid spoiling) does not get revealed until about 50-60% into the story. While Ricki and Ezra are both compelling characters, the lack of clear direction and central conflict makes the first half of the novel frustrating to read. While there is muddy foreshadowing, the payoff is so delayed that it feels unsatisfying. In contrast, the ending feels heavy handed in its foreshadowing and the neat bow that it ties to wrap things up.

I will say that I loved these characters. Even minor characters were rich and funny and real throughout. I just wish the story had been there to support them coming to life more. I will still absolutely be excited for whatever Williams writes next, this just wasn’t my favorite!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an advanced reader copy of this amazing book.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde was a fantastical journey of love and fate. Once again Tia Williams manages to draw readers in with rich characters who you want to root for and see realize their dreams. Ricki Wilde, the main character, is the dreamer, youngest child of an elite black Atlanta family. She is heiress to a funeral home dynasty, but longs to strike out on her own and pursue her own dreams.

When she gets an opportunity to make her dreams come true, thanks to Ms. Della, she has no idea the magical journey she is about to embark on. With Harlem as the backdrop, Tia Williams transports you to modern day Harlem and back in time to the fabulous Harlem Renaissance. Williams paints vivid pictures in her writing that makes you feel like you are right there with Ricki as she pursues her dreams. You can almost hear the music and see the beautiful clothes and the fabulous clubs of the Harlem Renaissance.

I really couldn't put this book down because I had to know what was going to happen with these characters. It was a haunting, soul-stirring story of taking a leap of faith to realize your dreams. I loved every minute of this book and would definitely recommend you read it!

Tia Williams has won me over yet again. This book is beautifully written, funny, and sexy. The relationships formed throughout this story warmed my heart and filled me with so much pride as a native New Yorker.