Reviews with content warning for Suicide - A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

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A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

139 reviews

kesh757's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

𝒜 𝐿𝒪𝒱𝐸 𝒮𝒪𝒩𝒢 𝐹𝒪𝑅 𝑅𝐼𝒞𝒦𝐼 𝒲𝐼𝐿𝒟𝐸 - by Tia Williams

This was my first read from Ms. Tia and I was pleased! I have been reading more of the more popular books to see if they live up to the hype, and this one I absolutely LOVED!!!! 🥰 𝘛𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘦-𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺!!!

Tia Williams’ writing style is so easy to get engrossed into. The characters were adoring. I loved Ricki and was rooting for her to tell her sisters where they could go (“𝘛𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵” 🎤 ). They treated her horribly, but when they had the audacity to come to Harlem and thought they would jab at her in her own home…No ma’am! I was there for it (“Thank you Ezra”).

And Ezra…wow! I loved the entire storyline around his musical career and how it all tied into the two soulmates and the song that just couldn’t be finished until he met Lil’ Richard (𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 📕). Pure genius writing!!!

Ms. Della and Tuesday, were amazing characters as well. I felt the love they had for Ricki and with a family like hers, she needed the devotion and support they poured into her. For Christmas I am asking 🧑🏾‍🎄 for a Ms. Della and Tuesday - 𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯!

I ❤️ when every aspect of a book ties back to something so neatly. From Ezra’s background, to Ricki’s relationship with her family, to the rent party incident and Ms. Della, the piano, to even the little funny flora references, Ms. Tia leaves no stone unturned. No missing pieces with this one. No questions unanswered. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

This book will never make me look at leap years the same! Maybe “March is really when things will make sense “ 🤔

I 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐃 this book!!! 📢

𝓟.𝓢..: I loved the reference to Biggie and the lyric change in “Unbelievable!” That was hilarious! 🤣

𝐌𝐘 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: 5/5 🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹 Hands down!!!

Content Warnings

thekrujue's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

sdupont's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I quickly found myself immersed in this book so curious of how the story would unfold. I liked Ricki (side note she deserved so much better than her family). The push and pull between her and Ezra was palpable. I found the interwoven perspectives and timelines to enhance the story. I really enjoyed this one and would recommend!

Content Warnings

yourbookishbff's review

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is my first by Tia Williams, and I look forward to going back now to read Seven Days In June. Williams set vivid scenes, both in present day Harlem and the Harlem of the 1920s, and her banter was funny and fast-paced. Tonally, this felt like reading a fairy tale, with the mysterious opening from a seemingly omniscient narrator, and the fluidly shifting perspectives through scenes. Even the premise felt like a gender-bent fairy tale with a dash of dark magic and curse-breaking. For those who enjoy magical realism, Williams captures the right balance between whimsical and unsettling, bridging eras in a way that thankfully never felt cheesy.

That said, I struggled a bit with the pacing in the first half, as well as the decision to include several scenes with Ricki's family. We assume her family will be a central conflict, given the opening scene, and they even reappear at the height of the third act, but ultimately I don't understand the purpose of their involvement, as these scenes don't really advance the plot in a meaningful way, and don't add much to Ricki's character development (not much that we hadn't already gathered from her own inner monologue). It felt distracting. And while I don't mind the romance beats feeling expected, I was disappointed that the reveals in the magical plot were fairly obvious. I was hoping for a twistier story, given the set-up.

The epilogue though. The epilogue was absolutely perfect. It was tender and sweeping in a beautifully panoramic way, bringing the story to such a satisfying conclusion.

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stephhamp's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I adored this book. It was the perfect book to end Black History Month and the month of love! I felt so connected to Ricki and adored her unique love of flowers and vintage fashion. The mysterious flowers of Ezra’s immortality was brilliantly placed amongst the Harlem Renaissance. I really felt like this book was a love letter to black love, history, culture, and art. I will say I did find the conclusion slightly predictable, but the world and immersion of black joy and love let this book be about love and joy. Also about found family. We deserve light stories with happy endings.

Content Warnings

lindsayerin's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

adearajean's review

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Written well but slow and boring. A slower, more boring version of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

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antidietleah's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

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funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Review:

She’s a scatterbrained outcast of a rich family looking to prove herself by opening a floral arrangement shop in Harlem. He’s a traumatized soul whose entire family burned alive in a church fire set by Ku Klux Klansmen. A match fated in the stars? /s

Okay, before I launch into my very mixed review of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams, please know that you should take my opinion with a grain of salt. Listening to my opinion would be like asking someone who doesn’t like pickles to review someone’s world-famous fried pickles. I’m not someone who enjoys romance, although I continue to pick up romance books for the sake of challenging my literary tastebuds every now and again. If you like romance, then listen to someone else’s review of this book. This review is for myself and others like me.

This book had a strong start for me; I actually laughed out loud at Ricki’s deliciously horrible family, and I was disappointed that they didn’t make many more appearances. I also enjoyed several of the side characters, including Della, an elderly woman who unofficially adopts Ricki as her grandchild. More than these specific characters, this book has an enthusiastic earnestness that’s hard to hate even if I really didn’t like the romance between the main characters. Williams’s passion for her story and subject matter shines through on every page.

Unfortunately, I didn’t like the main characters, the romance, or the supernatural element. Ricki’s entire character is established through the author’s exposition dumps (telling instead of showing), and she comes across somewhat like a Manic Pixie Dreamgirl instead of someone with real insecurities and anxieties. I found Ezra’s story to be more compelling, but as a character, he’s your typical love interest in a romance: that is, basically perfect with a few *minimal* flaws sprinkled in for some semblance of believability. Of course he’s the right mix of old-school chivalrous while also respecting women and gay people. He’s a musical genius who can cook delicious food and make the main female character see stars during their extremely charged, non-awkward sexual encounters. And you can’t forget the fact that he’s physically flawless (which of course means extremely muscular with a big dick). I might have grown to appreciate these characters and their romance more if it weren’t so insta-lovey. Instead, it felt like being a third wheel on a date where you’re forced to watch the other two people be sickeningly cutesy with each other.

And then, of course, there’s the supernatural element to the plot, which honestly made me laugh with how bonkers it is.

This book is basically Twilight without the bloodlust. (It’s also slightly less creepy, so there’s that, although the MMC does watch our main character in her sleep!) There’s still the “fated lovers” element (ew) and the fact that he’s 124 years old and she’s a 28-year-old, very sheltered woman with the mindset of someone much younger. It’s not so much creepy as it is hard to believe. I feel like the gap in age and life experiences would be too much for any couple to overcome, no matter how “destined” they are to be together. Additionally, the whole connection with Della and her sacrifice didn’t sit well with me, but I’m not quite sure why.

So, this book didn’t quite work for me. So what? Don’t listen to my romance-hating ass.

The Run-Down:

You will probably like A Love Song for Ricki Wilde if . . .

· You like romance books and are looking for one with an interesting twist

· You love wholesome friendships

· You loved (or still love) the Twilight series

· You love the idea of going back in time to experience the Harlem Renaissance

You might not like A Love Song for Ricki Wilde if . . .

· You don’t like insta-love plotlines

· You’re looking for a non-cheesy, believable romance

Content Warnings