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

10s across the board! I absolutely loved everything about this book. From Ricki and Ezra’s love story to the homage to the Harlem Renaissance era, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a beautifully written tale.

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bibliomich's review

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emotional hopeful 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

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde was my first ever Tia Williams read, and wow, what a fantastic introduction to this author! I often struggle with books that lean heavily into historical fiction or magical realism, and this story had a healthy dose of both, but I was still able to get completely swept up in the narrative. While it took me a little while to settle in to the story and get used to the switching perspectives (as well as the switching timelines), all of the exposition really paid off once everything started coming together and clicking into place.

What I loved:
- The "fated mates" element of the story: I've been really loving this trope lately, and Tia Williams writes it so, so well.
- The supporting characters: Tuesday and Della add so much to the story, and I love the way their relationships with Ricki evolve over the course of the book.
- The setting: I loved reading about Harlem, both in present day, as well as during the Harlem Renaissance. It was the perfect setting for this story, particularly since the location played such an integral role in both of the protagonists' stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for my advanced copy!

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cristinaaa's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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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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babeinlibrary's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

5.0

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30something_reads's review against another edition

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funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

Happy Pub Day!

"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."

This is the story of Ricki Wilde and Ezra Walker - two creative souls brought together by fate at the beginning of February in Harlem, NY.

Ricki Wilde is the free-spirited, youngest daughter of the Wilde Funeral Empire. Expected to dutifully carry on with the family business, Ricki makes the choice to leave her home in GA and follow her dreams of opening a flower shop in NY. It’s there that she meets the mysterious Ezra Walker. They are instantly drawn to one another, but Ezra tells her it would be best if they never see one another again. But fate has other plans in store for Ricki Wilde.

This book is such a refreshing blend of romance, history, music, & friendship with the perfect magical twist. I think that if you’re a fan of Ashley Poston’s romances, this is definitely a book you need to pick up.

Not only is this a beautiful love story between two remarkable people, but it is also a love letter to Black creatives and the Harlem Renaissance.

I absolutely adored all these characters and the way their stories were woven together. This is a story that made me feel everything- I laughed along with all the funny circumstances they found themselves in. I was so angry at Ricki’s family & how they treated her. My heart swelled for the family Ricki built for herself in NY. I swooned right along with Ricki and Ezra as they fell in love. And I WEPT happy tears during the epilogue. (Which is my favorite thing to do while reading romance.)

*Thank you so much to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Hachette for the early review copy*

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purplepenning's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

"An intriguing genre-bending story" is what I blandly started to write, which is true but bloodlessly inadequate. This story is stacked and packed with creativity and vitality, with sparkling historical fiction, steamy contemporary romance, time-addling magical realism, dark drama, and characters who are hilarious, powerful, misplaced, wise, awkward, desperate, passionate, generous, and nuanced. It celebrates Black history, Black resilience, Black art, Black joy, and timeless Black love in a tale spun of music, voodoo, lush flowers, fashion, Harlem, leap years, found family, wry commentary, and fated love. Like its protagonist, it may be a bit much for some, but dang — I'm going to be over here thinking and rethinking on it for days and weeks to come, wondering what voodoo allowed Tia Williams to get *gestures expansively* all that into one impressively coherent love story.

I just talked myself into 5 stars. I'm tired of being stingy with minute measures of approval when people are pouring this kind of love, energy, and complexity into their work.

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escapismforlife's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.5

I came in reading A Love Song for Rick Wilde knowing that Tia Williams is a major popular writer and beyond popular author and left understanding why. Now I'm doing this review a few days after I finished my first ever book I've read by her and I have yet to let go of the beauty , sacrifice and general magic of this story. Ricki Wilde's life is similar to how so many youngest black daughters get in traditional families, and I resonated with her in that regard. But she is brave and that makes everything in this love story with her found family and love story epic and of course whimsical when it comes together why these major changes happen. I think what I missed to give this five stars though was the general plot twist of the dark magic used against both main characters. That and the fact its never reconciled how the bad person was not the one who did the curse but those who made that a crutch until driven to become someone bad in other peoples stories.

Anyways this was definitely a strong ARC to start 2024 out with despite the minimal downside. I appreciate Grand Central Publishing for giving me the chance to read this amazing black love story. It had so much layers in here with the history and modern day culture that I couldn't stop being so content with it.

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