It took a second for me to get warmed up to the story. I think I felt a similar sentiment for Seven Days in June, but in this instance, I think I was more than halfway into the story. It was when Ezra relieved his secret that things started to pick up for me. I normally am not a fan of Instalove. Ezra and Ricki's relationship was Instaloveish so that could be why I wasn't completely invested in their romance. But I loved all the characters in the story and how their stories all wove together. One of my favorite things about Tia Williams writing is how she incorporates black art and culture spanning the century with the appropriate humor. The dialogue between characters is always engaging and real, it's another thing I enjoy about her writing. Overall I had a good time with this Magial Romance.

what a lovely take to magical realism! i honestly did not expect this book to go the way that it did, but it was a nice surprise that i found entertaining, incredibly descriptive, and funny. it starts off a bit slow, but picks up around the 40% mark. each character really gets their moment to shine in this book which we don't get to see often in novels that i really appreciated. the way williams describes love between ricki and ezra is so vivid and overwhelmingly beautiful. they are soulmates, through and through and williams makes sure we know that.

a long song for ricki wilde is a ode to Black art, music, and history and takes you on a ride as ricki struggles with opening her first business, finding her found family, and meeting the greatest love of her life.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is the type of story that you won’t be able to stop reading once you pick it up. Ricki Wilde has always marched to the beat of her own drum and never quite fit in with her family’s expectations. When she decides to start a flower shop independently, there’s no limit to the amount of problems she’ll encounter. But what she doesn’t expect is to meet a mysterious man in a garden who will change her world completely.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a scorching romance, a time-travel story, and filled with lovable characters. I sometimes struggle with time travel stories, but Tia Williams absolutely nailed it. The dialogue is funny and poignant. Along with Ricki’s story, Williams weaves in the story of Ezra and the one-of-a-kind Ms. Della. Ezra’s story is sweepingly romantic and tinged with musical elegance.

Ricki is the type of character who you wish you could meet for coffee and hang out with. I also loved Tuesday and Ms. Della! I loved how Ms. Della had her adventurous list of things she wanted to do before she died. The side characters of Tuesday, Ricki’s family, and more all felt so distinct and real. I can’t wait to see what Tia Williams writes next! Readers who are looking for romance, time-travel stories, and a deep sense of connection to lovable characters will love this book.

Thank you to Tia Williams, Grand Central Publishing, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
Release Date: 2/6/24
Format: ebook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested this book from NetGalley because I absolutely adored Seven Days In June and when I received an arc in return for my honest opinion, I decided to go in blind. I am SO glad I did and highly recommend doing the same if able.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is hands down one of the best stories of love I’ve ever read. It is vivid and you feel like you are walking the streets of Harlem with Ricki and Ezra. The emotions feel palpable and the chemistry between the two of them is so uniquely written, it blew me away!

There is a big part of this story that I wasn’t aware of going in, so I don’t want to say too much about that aspect in case you get to be pleasantly surprised by it as well, but I will say this is a love story with a twist! The way Williams weaves the different elements together was so beautiful and so well thought out.

Not only do we get this incredible romance, but we get two fully developed main characters that show so much growth and compassion throughout the novel. And on top of that? Two supporting characters that will make you wish they were YOUR best friends. Della will have my heart forever.

I dare you to read this one and not have all the feels and all the tears. It is beautiful, it is hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure, and I cannot recommend it enough. A true masterpiece.

Enjoyed this book a lot. Wasn’t as good as seven days in June but I thought that book was perfect. The author is great with writing heartbreaking romance. Can’t wait to see more by this author

Have you ever read a book that was about a Leap Year? Or did you know you needed to? A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is the Leap Year book I didn't know I needed!

If you haven't figured it out, this book takes place during a Leap Year, throughout the month of February. A book for a mysterious day that arrives every four years. I read Tia William's 7 Days in June and loved it so was really looking forward to reading this one, and was expecting something similar. Ricki's story is very engaging, I wasn't sure what was happening at first, but knew I had to keep reading. What I wasn't expecting was a magical realism book. Once I got over the unexpectedness of that, I was back invested in the story again.

It's set in the 1920's and present day Harlem with the infusion of music and art. It's a beautiful love story swept in the magic of a leap year, about two people who are fated to be together with found family and characters you can't help but cheer for.

I think this book is perfect for those that loved The Unmaking of June Farrow as well as perfect read for this year's Leap Year month.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this book completely blind, and really enjoyed how it turned out. I wasn’t expecting the magical realism but was pleasantly surprised by it.

The characters and setting were very rich and well developed. I felt like Harlem itself was a character in this story. And then the characters themselves were all well fleshed out. Except for Ricki’s sisters, but I feel like that’s the point of them. That they weren’t more than two dimensional characters. There were some parts that were a bit questionable to me, but overall I really loved it.

If you’re looking for a story surrounding the magic of leap year with a very interesting story, great characters, and some spice, this is one I highly recommend!

4.5 stars

gimme a lil’ magic sprinkled in…

Tia takes us between present day and 1920s Harlem as we learn about Ricki and Ezra. The flashbacks to Harlem and vignettes of the vibrant creative community that existed were incorporated in a way that revealed the layers to Ricki and Ezra’s characters, motivations and the progression of their relationship (the 1920s Harlem scenes reminded me of the script scenes from the Dessi Blue movie in my fave of faves, Reel by Kennedy Ryan- expansive and vividly written, like you were actually there).

Beyond the FMC/MMC love story, there is a love story of found family; of finding peace in that found family and having those people enable you to be your truest self. This was woven through the story in a way that had me in the feeeeellllllssss *especially* with the perspective we got in the epilogue. There was a supernatural element that I hadn’t been anticipating, but I appreciate the charm it added (think of it in the same way there was a dash of spellbound magic in the movie Kate & Leopold).

Tia did the thing again and I am sending her all the flowers 💐

I am *very* happy I pre-ordered this (aside from the beauty it will bring to my shelf with this stunning cover) because after reading the story, I was literally this emoji- 😌

As usual, William’s writing is sparkling aid exquisite. The main characters Ezra and Ricki were incredibly lovable, and especially so were the side characters Della and Tuesday. I spent the first half in awe and was so sure this would be a 5 star read! We get two timelines and I really enjoyed the way parts of the story came together. I found both main characters and timelines equally enjoyable and compelling. The second half of the book took a direction that I didn’t love and the stakes were incredibly high. I had all this anticipation building up to a big reveal in the middle and the book became a bit predictable after that. I also struggle with the soul mates tropes since it very often feels a bit too ‘instalove’ for me. Overall though, this was a sweet, fun read and I just know fans of magical realism romances like Ashley Poston’s books will love this.

I do think Seven Days in June was a much stronger read overall but they’re completely different so that just may be personal preference. Shout out to the awesome Eva Mercy cameo!

Highly recommend to fans of books about fate, soul mates, characters forging their own path, magical realism, and dual POV.

Oh wow, this book. I knew I’d enjoy it after loving Seven Days in June, but it blew me away. This was such an incredible story of love, history, culture and a little bit of magic. I absolutely loved Ricki and Ezra. Both were such well developed characters and I’m so glad we got both of their POVs. Also, Tuesday and Della were such fantastic supporting characters who always made me smile. I also loved the flashbacks of the Harlem Renaissance and reading about all the amazing music. The romance was absolutely beautiful as well. I cried several times, especially towards the end. Honestly, top to bottom, a perfect book in my eyes. I’m so happy I read it.
CW: mentions of miscarriages, racism, hate crimes, suicide, cancer, death

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

This book is the perfect balance of romance, historical fiction, and magical realism. Ricki is the daughter of a wealthy family in Atlanta, but feels like a bit of a black sheep given that her three sisters immediately went into the family business, but Ricki has different dreams for herself. She meets Ms. Della who gives her an incredible opportunity, so she uproots her life and move to Harlem to open her own flower shop. It’s there she meets her best friend Tuesday, who is a famous child actress.

It’s in Harlem where she also meets Ezra, a mysterious man with an interesting past who she can’t seem to stay away from. There is a huge element of magical realism and mystery to this book (which is why I’m being vague here), and we get an incredible window into what the Harlem Renaissance was like. Learning about Ezra’s story was one of my favorite parts of the book. Tia William’s writing is incredible, and so funny!

The only reason I didn’t give it four stars, was that the pacing felt a tad off— a few places were drawn out, and in few places, it moved too quickly. The twist at the end was quite predictable too.

Thanks to Netgalley + Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!

Seven Days In June was one of my top books of 2022 and so when I saw this book was announced, I was so excited to read it. This book did not disappoint. The background of the Harlem renaissance & adding in a love cure?!? immaculate. I loved Ricki as a character and I was rooting for her since the beginning. Tia Williams is for sure an auto buy author for me and I need to read the rest of her backlist.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing

This was such a wonderful, moving story. It's so easy to root for the characters, and it's a book I'll definitely be recommending to others.

I’ve been a fan of Williams’ writing since her debut, and this was once again such a beautiful, moving novel. I loved every word of it and can’t recommend her writing any higher. I think this is going to be a big deal. Just gorgeous.

Beautiful love story that spans decades and is written in a way that makes the reader feel like they can smell Wilde Things. The relationship between Ricki and Della just as prominent as the love story.

This was a beautiful, magical, paranormal romance… until it wasn’t? About 65% of the way through this book it changed, and it felt like a whole different brand of story. I still really enjoyed it, despite getting lost and confused. The vibrancy of 1920s Harlem was infectious, and I really loved both of the characters in their dual timelines. I wish the longing and magic was able to span the entire story!

An Atlanta socialite flees to New York to chase her dreams, opening a flower shop. She is drawn to the rich history of Harlem and its storied past. One night, she meets a strange man in a public garden, but he eludes her in this enchanting novel.

I really, really hate to give this rating because this was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases. I also think a lot of people are going to absolutely love this book. My issue here is that this was NOT what I was expecting. I went into this ready for just a beautiful modern romance and I was very surprised to find that it’s a magical realism/fated mates romance. Which is fine! I think if I had gone into it expecting that, I would have liked this way more. But I went in fairly blind and I was so distracted by the plot the entire time I was reading it that I just could not enjoy it.

It was hard not feel like the plot was so out there and elements of it were so over the time and cringey. I also had a tough time with Ricki as a character; she’s born wealthy and pretty much has everything handed to her throughout the entire book.

And because it’s a fated mates book, it’s very much an insta lust story with what feels like no depth of common ground between the two main characters and their relationship.

Parts of this were fun and I have a feeling I’m going to be in the minority here, but I struggled with this a lot.

A LOVE SONG FOR RICKI WILDE is so different than anything Tia Williams has written. the magical realism aspect of this book truly sets it apart from the rest of the book while still giving readers the same sweeping love story that knocks you off your feet, while being a love letter to Harlem and the Harlem Renaissance. i loved the multiple POV and dual timeline here and seeing Harlem then and Harlem now.

this book has my absolute favorite characters (MS. DELLA! she is everything) and Ricki and Ezra’s story, their meeting, and how their relationship unfolds had me feeling ALLLLLL the things. the twist and the ending?!?!? cue tears 🥹😭🥹

the best part of this book was the history. the Harlem Renaissance was such a rich and vibrant time in Black history FULL of music, art and culture. i loved how it worked with the dual timeline of this story.

I absolutely loved reading A Love Song for Ricki Wilde. It was such a great romantic story with just the right touch of magical realism. I loved learning about black history and learning more about the Harlem Renaissance.

Williams does a great job creating strong memorable characters, I loved every minute of this book and didn't want it to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this great novel.