I really, really loved Seven Days in June, but something about the magical realism aspect in this one just didn’t do it for me? I’m not a huge fan of magical realism romances in general—I feel like I’m the only person in the world who didn’t like the Seven Year Slip. So still 4 stars because Tia Williams is a queen, but not my favorite of hers.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

This was such an unexpected read for me. It’s very different from Seven Days in June and The Perfect Find so please don’t go in with those expectations. I loved both of those books and I loved this one equally. Tia Williams is such a unique writer because it’s impossible to place her in a box, you really never know what you’re gonna get.

The story starts off as a slow burn which I love. You recognize pretty quickly that something mystical is happening. I love the way the story weaves between time periods. The Harlem Renaissance is one of my favorite time periods to read about and theres a lot of history within these pages. The romance is subtle and intense simultaneously. There are definitely some swoon-worthy moments. I found myself really getting lost in this world. It made me want to take a trip to Harlem and experience some of this community in person.

In my opinion, it’s best to let this story unfold naturally.

Read this if you love:
💙 Magical Realism
💙 Romance
💙 Found Family
💙 Harlem Renaissance




Other spoiler-ish musings:

💐The bouquets that Ricki placed around historic landmarks. This was such a beautiful work touch and I love the idea of giving these history makers their literal flowers.

💐 Ezra 😍 Tia knows how to write a man. I feel like his story could have been a book on its own.

💐Tuesday and Ms. Della - This is how you write a found family.

💐Ms. Della’s bucket list - Random but I love when stories include a bucket list side plot. It’s a great way to create character depth but it’s also so fun to read the different types of activities that can be included.

I highly recommend. This was a story I could definitely get lost in again 💙

#bookreviews #bookrecs #BlackBookstagram #ShareBlackStories
#tiawilliams #alovesongforrickiwilde #harlem #fatedlove #blackromance
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#readheaux

"A Love Song for Ricki Wilde" by Tia Williams is an absolute gem of a novel that shines with its vibrant characters, evocative atmosphere, and captivating storytelling. Set against the backdrop of the vibrant New York City music scene of the 1980s, Williams immerses readers in a world of glamour, passion, and heartache. The characters in the novel, particularly the titular Ricki Wilde, are deeply nuanced and compelling, each grappling with their own dreams, demons, and desires. Williams's writing style is lyrical and immersive, effortlessly capturing the essence of the era and the pulse of the city.

The plot of "A Love Song for Ricki Wilde" unfolds with a perfect blend of intrigue and emotion, keeping readers eagerly turning the pages until the very end. From the highs of Ricki's rise to stardom to the lows of her personal struggles and heartbreaks, the novel is a rollercoaster ride of drama and romance that never fails to captivate. The logic behind the characters' relationships feels authentic and well-developed, adding depth and resonance to the narrative. Overall, "A Love Song for Ricki Wilde" is a sheer delight to read, offering a perfect balance of nostalgia, heart, and sheer entertainment.

Readers will find themselves fully swept away by the magic of "A Love Song for Ricki Wilde," losing themselves in its irresistible blend of music, romance, and nostalgia. Williams's masterful storytelling and richly drawn characters make for an immensely enjoyable reading experience that lingers long after the final chords have faded. Whether you're a fan of music, romance, or simply a well-crafted story, "A Love Song for Ricki Wilde" is sure to hit all the right notes and leave you craving an encore.

A beautiful, unique love story full of wonder and magic. Tia Wiiliams takes you on a historic tour of Harlem in this love adventure I was so invested in Ricki’s and Ezra’s relationship,
and rooting fir their success. Intriguing from begiining to end.

Thank you so much for this ARC! I loved this story so much (seven days in June was one of my favorites and I was eagerly anticipating this one. I ended up also buying a hardcover copy for my shelves because it was just too gorgeous not to own!”

Copy from review on IG:

a love song for ricki wilde by tia williams || i ate this one up in just two days. this is one of those books that is just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside - a timeless love story a century in the making, infused with a pinch of magic and a trip back in time to the harlem renaissance. enjoyed this just as much as seven days in june (one of my favorite reads in 2022). tia williams knows what the people want and she gives it to us every time.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

This book has a lot going on, and some of it worked better for me than others. Some of the premise and plot points were a little too far fetched for me - not so much the magical realism, but the set up of her family and new grandmother figure.

I did appreciate the humor and wit the author infused into the book, but it almost didn’t gel with the other elements of the story. I kept reading to see what would happen between the two main characters, I think that there’s more plot here happening than in a typical romance. Which is good, because I didn’t really feel much chemistry between the two main characters. Another great aspect was the history of Harlem that is infused throughout the book.

Overall this was a bit too all over the place for me.

I wasn't loving this in the first half - it wasn't bad, but I thought it was fine. the second half picked up SO much, everything got so much more interesting, witty, and just overall good. I loved the concept of perennials. Della was my favorite character, I wish I connected to Ricki and Ezra more. I definitely didn't love this as much as Seven Days in June but it was very good and made me emotional. Recommend!

As soon as I saw that Tia Williams was releasing another book I jumped at the chance to receive an ARC for it; and I am glad I read this one!

So 𝘈 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦 is a dual timeline, romance/ historical fiction/ magical realism book.
Main character Ricki has always struggled to prove herself to her family. As the baby, she has always done things her way & does not want to enter the family funeral business. Instead, Ricki dreams of opening her own flower shop & tells her family such.
On her last day of working in the flagship family funeral home, Ricki meets Ms Della. They begin to talk & Ricki feels at ease with Ms Della. Ms Della tells Ricki that she can rent out her basement apartment in Harlem & open her flower shop there. Ricki jumps on the opportunity & moves to NYC.
Ricki feels overwhelmed & like a failure when one night she decides she needs some air. She walks to a garden & is drawn to the Jasmine, which should not be growing in the cold winter air. Here she stumbles upon a stranger who gives an ominous warning for her to leave Harlem immediately. Ricki wants to find out who & why; and once she finds out both she’s shocked.

I absolutely loved the love story, the magical realism of the book and the historical fiction aspect.
I appreciate a book that I can easily picture the characters and settings and Tia Williams did an amazing job at all of this - from the Harlem YMCA to the bookstore towards the ending of the book (which is an actual bookstore so PLEASE VISIT if you're ever visiting NYC). I cannot wait to pick up a finished copy because I loved this book so much.

Always a delight to read Tia Williams! While I've only read Seven Days In June (the massively popular Reese pick) I really enjoy the author's writing. Though I found this book to be a little less digestible with the magical realism element I thought it was inventive and swoony. Perhaps not as far reaching as her previous when it will come to audience, but a gem and something I can tell the Author is passionate about!

Gorgeous love story deeply steeped in magical realism, the Harlem Renaissance, and the beauty of found family. I would happily have read a hundred more pages. I would recommend not seeking out spoilers prior to reading as part of the magic of the book is the little hints leading up to the discovery of what exactly is going on.

I switched back and forth between the ebook and the audio. The narration by Mela Lee and Preston Butler is really good.

**I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

A reimagined fairy tale romance??? Sign me up! I loved these characters. The story was wonderful. I would go to Ricki’s flower shop.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Tia Williams' latest novel dips its toes into the magical realism genre. I recently watched her give a bookshelf tour where she spotlights some of the texts she consulted for research purposes. And in seeing how broad her research was (Harlem Renaissance, botany, music history), I was definitely intrigued to see what came of it!

All of that to say... I really enjoyed how much ground was covered here. I do think her research served her well in telling a very complex, layered story. This was the same sort of reaction I had when reading Seven Days in June. I like her characters. The dialogue is fresh and quippy. Her side characters (both Tuesday and Ms. Della) are fantastic. She just kind of loses me with some of the romance. This is very much a "I just laid eyes on my soul mate" type of vibe (which, in the context of the story, makes a lot of sense). It's just too instant and gushy for my liking. Some people may enjoy that.

I was happy, in this case, to suspend my disbelief regarding the magical realism element. But I do think this dragged in parts. That said, she has a knack for crafting social commentary even in small moments of the text. I also enjoyed the brief cameo from Eva and Shane; I appreciate when authors add little crossover moments. I would love to see her write historical fiction without the magical realism element (but again, that's just my personal preference). I think the amount of research and dedication she put into this one would make that a really natural next step. She is undoubtedly a talented writer who puts a lot of thought and heart into what she produces. Regardless of where her pen goes, I'll likely be following!

"A Love Song for Ricki Wilde" was my first experience with Tia Williams' work and I AM HOOKED. Consider me her newest fan. Botany, love, magic, and a bit of historical fiction make up this beautiful story. I loved every single character -- Ricki, Ezra, Tuesday (I am 100% Tuesday in my friend group!), and Ms. Della.

Go into this one blind. Don't read too many reviews, skip the synopsis if you can; this book is best read without any preconceived notions.

"A Love Song for Ricki Wilde" is the perfect read for those who enjoy romantic tales of fate and destiny, set in a magical and vibrant depiction of Harlem, where following one's dreams can lead to life-changing encounters.

Seven Days of June has been recommended to me several times but I haven’t had a chance to read it.

I’ve seen different reviews for A Love for Ricki Wilde but I didn’t read into them so had no expectations whatsoever. I really enjoyed the story, and liked Ricki’s character too.

Even though the romance is the focus of the book, I found it a bit fluff and much enjoyed reading about Ricki starting her own business, her efforts and struggles, her new found family and friendship in a new city. Overall, I much prefer reading about the supporting characters than the main love interest lol

The magical realism part came as a surprise to me but I really like it.

4 ⭐️

Read if you like; soulmates, Harlem/jazz, magical realism, New York, historical fiction, romance

This was SO different from what I typically expect from a romance. I was not expecting the amount of depth from the plot in this novel. Ezra and Ricki had soulmate energy as their chemistry between the pages were palpable and felt the longing between the two!!! I love a novel where I can learn - and this one transported me back into a time of music and history - full of Black history and culture. The multi-POV ensured you never got bored and felt the overall pacing to be great.

So good. Tia is a master at her craft. Her stories are laced with angst and growth and this tale was no different. Loved seeing these 2 come together, despite there being some slow pacing at parts. It’s nice to see a new spin on trope and I think that was well achieved. Loved the music speak as well.

4.5 stars

Richard „Ricki“ Wilde Jr. is the youngest of four girls and feels like the black sheep of her family, forever trying to get the approval of her successful, self-made father and her poised older sisters. But it isn‘t until a chance encounter leads Ricki to Harlem that she starts to come into her own and goes after her own dreams by opening a flower shop. Enthralled by the rich history of the Harlem Renaissance, making new friends and forging her own path, Ricki is finally building the life she‘s always wanted to live - and then she crosses paths with Ezra. Feeling an inexplicable pull towards him, this leap year-February in New York will change Ricki in ways she could never have foreseen.

I‘m honestly torn on how to rate this book. I went into it blind, and while I‘d heard great things about the author‘s debut novel, I hadn‘t read it myself.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. The story was well-executed and well-written, and really shone through the flashbacks to the Harlem Renaissance. Meanwhile, the setting of the contemporary storyline, taking place in this (leap) year‘s February 2024, felt original and fresh, adding an additional layer of magic. I also thoroughly enjoyed the characters, both Ricki and Ezra, but also - especially - the side characters, particularly Mrs. Della and Tuesday.

Things that didn’t work for me: I feel like the pacing was really off at times; a lot of scenes in the first half of the book in particular would have deserved more attention, in my opinion, because I really enjoyed Ricki and wanted to get to know her better. Meanwhile, the actual (love) story doesn‘t start until the middle of the book, and then feels quite rushed.

Finally, the story arc itself was very obvious (I’m not sure if it was supposed to be a surprise/big revelation, but it definitely wasn‘t). Nevertheless, the actual ending - while inevitable - was beautiful and made me tear up, which added another 0.5 stars to my rating.

And just a PSA: not realizing this would be a full-on romance novel, I was taken aback by the rather spicy developments in the book’s second half (not me sitting on a bus reading that first graphic scene and trying to discreetly angle my screen away from the person next to me…). So consider yourself warned if you‘re reading in public.;-)

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

Overall I enjoyed the characters individually. Ricki was super relatable and I loved how passionate she was about her creativity and passion for her career. The importance of her friendship with Tuesday and the closeness she developed with Ms. Della. However, the love story just didn’t do it for me. I am however, not the biggest fan of magical realism and so overall I just don’t think I was its target audience.

This wasn’t really what I expected but at the same time I’m not really sure what I was expecting?

I read and loved Seven Days In June by Tia Williams and this was one of my most anticipated releases for 2024. That book had me expecting another really powerful, gut-wrenching love story, one that would stay with me for a long time to come. And it’s not that I didn’t like this, because that’s not the case. But I definitely don’t feel like that for me, the romance was one of those strong, all encompassing ones. It didn’t give me ‘the feels’, to be honest.

Ricki Wilde is the youngest in a very well-to-do family in Atlanta. Her father owns a chain of funeral companies, her three older sisters (who look the same, talk the same, dress the same etc) went to the expected Ivy Leagues and graduated and have proved themselves and been allowed to open their own franchises. Ricki is the odd one out. The Wilde one, so to speak. A disappointment. She’s not very interested in funeral homes, instead she’s passionate about plants and flowers. She’s put herself through some qualifications and now she wants to open a florist. Instead of receiving the trust fund to do it, Ricki is left to do it on her own and she secures the lease on the bottom floor of a Harlem brownstone. She’s slowly build up her instagram following over the past few years and now she needs to translate that into a bricks and mortar shop. It’s going to be hard but Ricki wants to prove herself the old-fashioned way. She’s not in New York very long when she spots a man in a community garden – they’re immediately drawn to each other. In a powerful, inexplicable way. But the man tells Ricki she needs to leave him be – that they can’t pursue this. But it seems that fate has other ideas.

This was…fine. I liked Ricki as a character and I enjoyed the set up, her ‘escaping’ her quite stifling family and moving to a completely new place, somewhat that inspired and captivated her. Her first meeting with the man in he garden was interesting too – I think it was what happened after that in a way, that made me wonder if this was a book I could fall in love with. The idea of fate and destiny and your inability to escape what lies in store for you was also interesting…..even when Ricki and the man, Ezra, attempt to avoid each other, in a city like New York, they continually run into each other. Even if they change their routines and whatever, they keep crossing paths. It’s a compulsion, one that Ezra understands but Ricki does not. And when he eventually tells her, it’s something that she needs time to wrap her head around.

I did realise that this had a sort of magical realism element to it from a review that I read. I’m not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing – I think probably good, if I hadn’t been expecting it I think I would’ve found Ezra’s story very jarring. Because of the fate/destiny aspect, I didn’t feel like there was a burn between Ricki and Ezra. It felt very instalove. Like they do not even know each other, not really. In some ways that’s very difficult but their interactions are so surface level but yet underneath there’s supposed to be this roiling chemistry and I just…..I never really felt it. I felt desperation from Ezra. And I understood why. But apart from that, I wasn’t really enveloped into this love story and it was a bit of a shame. I read this in a way that felt like I was always quite detached from the story. Ultimately I feel like when Ricki and Ezra interacted, most other things fell by the wayside – Ricki’s business, her relationships with Tuesday and Della, her exploration of New York/Harlem and who she was away from the suffocation of her family. There was so much that could’ve been done here and it became surface skimmed over in favour of Ricki and Ezra but even the time spent on that didn’t really make me feel the impact.

Also – there’s this thing *thing* hanging over Ricki and Ezra making a life together and…look, I can’t spoil it but it should be something that makes you feel anxious and wonder how they might overcome this. Instead I knew what was obviously going to be the solution way before it happened. So that meant that I never felt that fear, that potential inevitable disaster. I was like well, this is going to be what is required to do this thing and….that is exactly what happened. It felt way too easy to pick unfortunately.

Tia Williams writes beautifully – Seven Days In June was stunning and there were many examples here. I just wanted more emotion from this, because it was so instantaneous, we never got that development. And I felt like Ricki’s family relationships were also left mostly unresolved. One conversation with her sisters in which Ezra does most of the talking and one example of her Dad reading a newspaper article isn’t really offsetting the years and years of her being somewhat mistreated and patronised. The idea of Ezra just Forrest Gump-ing his way through life was kind of hilarious though.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a romance novel that is perfect for readers who might not necessarily want to read a romance novel. Yes, Tia Williams has written a beautiful love story, but this book is so much more than that. It's funny and sweet and quick-witted in a way that really surprised me. I loved Ricki - the dialogue was written so beautifully for her and performed just as well in the audiobook. I loved the dual timeline and the mysterious and somewhat magical circumstances that serve as the backdrop for this story. Recommend!