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30something_reads's review against another edition
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*
"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*
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Grief, Racism, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Child death, Self harm, Slavery, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, War, Hate crime, and Suicide
purplepenning's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, and Suicide
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Alcohol, Cancer, Grief, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Abandonment, Chronic illness, and Drug use
Minor: Bullying, Drug abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Body shaming
amichelle515's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug use
brewdy_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 • 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 • 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮
𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 • 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 • 𝘋𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦
This is a story of love, reinvention and soulmates. Ricki surrenders her wealthy, pampered upbringing to pursue her dream of being a plant-fluencer & opening a flower shop in NYC. There Ricki meets a mysterious stranger with a secret past. Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, the two are drawn together by a mystical power and magnetic attraction. 🌶️🌶️
I loved the:
• Vivid descriptions of the Harlem Renaissance period, the rich music and vibrant art scene, as well as vignettes providing insight into the Great Migration, Red Summer, Sharecropping, Black pigeon-holing and Brilliance, and more
• Puns that were constant throughout the book had me laughing at the word play wittiness
• FMC’s awkwardness was endearing and relatable
Here's what didn't work well:
• The magical realism elements felt underdeveloped, slow to be revealed and simplistically and predictably tied up. Had this been purely a contemporary romance I would have liked it more; as written it felt like it was trying to do too much.
• The individual character development was well done but development of the connection between the two MCs left me wanting more than the Insta-love we were given.
Overall the book was engaging and definitely worth a read! This was my first Tia Williams novel and I will definitely try another.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊.
𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 • 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 • 𝘋𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦
This is a story of love, reinvention and soulmates. Ricki surrenders her wealthy, pampered upbringing to pursue her dream of being a plant-fluencer & opening a flower shop in NYC. There Ricki meets a mysterious stranger with a secret past. Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, the two are drawn together by a mystical power and magnetic attraction. 🌶️🌶️
I loved the:
• Vivid descriptions of the Harlem Renaissance period, the rich music and vibrant art scene, as well as vignettes providing insight into the Great Migration, Red Summer, Sharecropping, Black pigeon-holing and Brilliance, and more
• Puns that were constant throughout the book had me laughing at the word play wittiness
• FMC’s awkwardness was endearing and relatable
Here's what didn't work well:
• The magical realism elements felt underdeveloped, slow to be revealed and simplistically and predictably tied up. Had this been purely a contemporary romance I would have liked it more; as written it felt like it was trying to do too much.
• The individual character development was well done but development of the connection between the two MCs left me wanting more than the Insta-love we were given.
Overall the book was engaging and definitely worth a read! This was my first Tia Williams novel and I will definitely try another.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Death of parent, Hate crime, Abandonment, Suicide, Racism, Drug abuse, Death, and Addiction
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