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marena02's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Classism, Cursing, Self harm, Blood, Abandonment, Racism, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, and Violence
mamaofperfectpayton's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Suicide
Moderate: Drug use and Murder
meredith_williams_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
This book is so whimsical! It is somehow equal parts historical fiction, romance, and magical realism. The characters are so endearing and funny. There felt like some minor plot points that were rushed or resolved too quickly, but overall it was a nearly perfect book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Sexual content, and Cursing
Minor: Miscarriage
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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'm gonna say I feel like if you liked The Seven Year Slip you might also enjoy this book and vice versa!
It was super fun to be reading this right into actual leap day in 2024, it added just that little bit of extra magic! I liked that this was a romance, but there was more complexity to the storyline than just romance. It gave the characters depth, and also became a love story to Harlem! I'm a sucker for a musician love interest. Even though I caught on pretty early to what was happening there were still surprising parts. If you've read Seven Days in June, there's also a little tidbit tie in to that story (although I want to note overall this book was less dark imo). I really enjoy Tia's writing and I will continue to read her books.
It was super fun to be reading this right into actual leap day in 2024, it added just that little bit of extra magic! I liked that this was a romance, but there was more complexity to the storyline than just romance. It gave the characters depth, and also became a love story to Harlem! I'm a sucker for a musician love interest. Even though I caught on pretty early to what was happening there were still surprising parts. If you've read Seven Days in June, there's also a little tidbit tie in to that story (although I want to note overall this book was less dark imo). I really enjoy Tia's writing and I will continue to read her books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, and Suicide
Moderate: Death, Cancer, and Grief
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, and Drug use
A secondary (but important) character's suicide is depicted and discussed.massivepizzacrust's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-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
4.5
I wanted to pick this up as soon as it was out and I wasn't disappointed! I read this over the course of one day because the intrigue was so high and the relationship was sizzling.
I did find the characters a little less fleshed out than they were in Seven Days in June. Both books deal with extremely harrowing racism, but I felt like we got more insight into the inner lives of Eva and Shane. Maybe just because we didn't actually spend that much time with young Ezra - I would have loved to spend more time there and I did not see the twist coming.
I did find the characters a little less fleshed out than they were in Seven Days in June. Both books deal with extremely harrowing racism, but I felt like we got more insight into the inner lives of Eva and Shane. Maybe just because we didn't actually spend that much time with young Ezra - I would have loved to spend more time there and I did not see the twist coming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Emotional abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Drug abuse
bf9288's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
This story is unforgettable. It was a story filled with history, magic, love, and even pain. The story of Ezra and Ricki was beautiful, and I found myself captivated by the rich history of Harlem and its music, just like Ricki. I love that Ricki learned so much about herself, and found family friends, and love along the way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Death, and Cancer
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I love how this coincidentally coincides with this year’s leap year. I feel as if this was 100% intentional. I throughly enjoyed this book. I dare say I enjoyed this more than Seven Days in June. This has humor, heartache, romance, honesty, grief and so much more. Ricki and Ezra will stay with me for a while and while neither of them are perfect, this demonstrates that no one truly is but when you are with the person that was meant for it - you can be almost close enough. P.S If anyone wants to buy me a night blooming jasmine so I can experience the scent and sights, please and thank you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death and Suicide
sdupont's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Suicide and Hate crime
Moderate: Grief, Cancer, and Death
Minor: Miscarriage and Drug abuse
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Suicide, Racism, Murder, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Violence, and Hate crime
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcohol
Sexual harassment appears in threats to a side character's storyline.lindsayerin's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, Death, Racism, and Hate crime