Reviews with content warning for Terminal illness - A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

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A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

35 reviews

jochantee's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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

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ivi_reads_books's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

3.25

I love how Tia Williams writes about female friendships. However, I don't usually enjoy magical realism and this book was no exception. I didn't understend the pull and attraction between female and male lead. I would have preferred this novel to be about female friendship without the romance.
Weaving Harlem history into the story was expertly done and very enjoyable

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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

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

4.5

This book read like a historical/contemporary fairy tale, down to the fairy (grand)mother. A gorgeous, ethereal read with likeable secondary characters and found family, while still touching on darker themes like how history impacts our present and future. Tia Williams has definitely become an autobuy author for me!

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nightlight_reader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

This did so much of what I was expecting but never in quite the way I expected it, and I enjoyed the hell out of this book.

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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

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shanaetheflyest's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

I just finished A Love Song for Ricki Wilde. When I read the last words on the page of acknowledgements, I closed the book and held it to my chest.

What an incredible journey? What a magnificent story?

My little reader heart is so full.

Immediately Tia Williams pulls you into the story and you want nothing but the best for the FMC, Ricki Wilde. Then she takes you on a different journey and you're hopeful for the MMC Ezra. Through the pages, Williams unfurls a magical tale of love and loss that you just cannot put down.

About 40% into the story, readers learn that Ricki and Ezra have so much in common and one quote really sums it up:

"I'm afraid that I don't belong anywhere. Do you ever feel like that?"
"Every day," he admitted. "I look like something I'm not. And I never feel at home."

Ricki struggling to define herself outside of her family's daunting legacy. Ezra struggling to create a legacy for himself, despite losing his entire family. Two beautiful people looking for home.

Williams doesn't just rest on the fact that A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is just a fantastical story. No no no. She just has to make you feel it with every bit of your being with the most beautiful writing I've ever seen in a romance novel. Ezra is the ideal MMC:

Contemplatively, Ezra slowly ran his fingers along his jaw. "You live as long as I do, you think you've felt all the feelings, seen everything there is to see. It's hard to be surprised. But, Ricki, I've never experienced anything like you. You knock me senseless."

"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."

I mean...what?!

But just when you think A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is all heavy feelings and flowery language, it gets really funny, too. Ezra's puns, Ricki's random facts, Ms. Della's sense of humor, and, even, Tuesday - they're all hoots.

The characters have so much depth, are so well written, and are incredibly diverse. For the entire 340 page ride, you find yourself rooting for everyone's success. And in the end, with the epilogue, which is just so perfect, you find that everything works out perfectly.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is beautiful, captivating, thought-provoking and emotionally charged. This might possibly be the best romance novel I've ever read and, somehow, it manages to top Seven Days In June, which I thought was spectacular. Tia Williams has become a must-read author for me. Her work is just getting better and better.

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agrandromance's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0

I’m still wiping the tears away after that beautiful ending. Wow. Other people will write beautiful tributes to this book. I’m just so happy with this read.

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bookishkellyn's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious

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

4.0

After Ricki moves to Harlem, she literally keeps running into a mysterious gentleman (Ezra) everywhere–almost like they’re pulled to one another. Is he a stalker or is it fate? The magical realism elements are sprinkled throughout the book, but the big reveal isn’t until the last ⅓ of the book. This had all the quirkiness of Seven Days in June without the slow start. I guessed quite a few of the plot points early on, but it was still an easy read with cinematic potential.

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belarna's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

A Love Song For Ricki Wilde is a heart wrenching romance spanning 100 years with a focus on found family, curses, soulmates, and a little history too.

I found the story to be quite slow to start. Also, I wasn’t surprised at all by anything in this story? I felt like everything was very easy to predict, but surprisingly that didn’t affect my enjoyment. I went into this story knowing nothing (outside of the title and the stunning cover), and I wasn’t disappointed. Overall, A Love Song For Ricki Wilde was a sweet, heartwarming tale that had me rooting for everyone in the story. If you’ve read from Williams before, or simply crave or want to try reading a magical realism romance, this is for you!

I am so grateful I got to read this early. This is available now - out today, Feb 6!!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

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inked_in_pages's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

“A bloom that looked like a flower but was really a weed: born to erupt into fluff, floating wherever the wind blew.”

On it’s face, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a beautiful love story about a young woman trying to find her way in the world and a young man forever trying to navigate the world. Both Ricki Wilde and Ezra Walker are tied to what has been created for them by the people in their lives despite knowing that what is expected for them is not their truth. This novel is about finding your place in a world full of expectations and creating your own beautiful love story among those expectations.

“Love well. Eat well. Fuck well. And leave the world better off than you found it. That’s success.”

There is not much I can say about this novel that will do it justice. Tia Williams is a mastermind of beautiful love stories for characters that have the cards stacked against them from the beginning. Ricki Wilde and Ezra Walker are two characters that are the definition of facing the odds and continuing to persevere…in love, life and in their faith for one another.

“The beauty you create in the world. Your optimism, your brain. Your fascination with being fascinated. The way your face fits perfectly under my chin when we’re sleeping. Your tenderness, whether your focus is on the care of a single flower, or... me.” His gaze was unwavering. “Ricki, you’ve turned me upside down. For so long, I’ve lived life like it was something to endure, to push through. But with you? I know how precious it can be. And I refuse to live in a world without you in it.”

The swoon. The steam. The absolute perfection that is this novel cannot be given it’s full justice by a simple reader review. This is a love story and a story about Black History in a way that is both full of joy and requires the reader to reflect. I will recommend this to everyone I come across. It’s stunning, just like Ezra believes Ricki to be.

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