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

Reviews tagging 'Death'

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

65 reviews

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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kimb2's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious fast-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

“Depending upon your level of skepticism, you’ll think their story is either a) evidence that wondrous, unknowable magic exists in the world, or b) a tall tale.”

The opening remarks from the author are very clever. I’ll admit it, I’m a skeptic. So therefore, I’m not quite sure where I land on this book.

The story is very engaging and Ricki, has a lot of spunk and strength of character. It’s the fantastical element that has me pondering things. I also understand its employ. But, as I said, I’m a skeptic.

There is romance for sure, but there is a lot of depth and a heck of a lot to think about. Life is a journey for Ricki and the pace of the story reflects this. Ricki has been bullied for years by her parents and sisters to be in the family funeral business. That is the last thing she wants to do. A chance meeting changes the course of her life and she realizes more than ever how important it is to live the life she wants because one never knows when the end will come.

The story is told in a dual timeline featuring 1920’s Harlem and present day Harlem. The descriptions of the neighbourhood, particularly in the 1920’s sections, are atmospheric and evocative.

So, overall, this is a story rich on culture, love and self discovery. Did I enjoy it? Try much. Is it 5 stars, I’m not sure. But it’s definitely at least 4.

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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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thisreadingcorner's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

Ricki has always been the black sheep of the family, starting with not being the son her parents expected when they preemptively named their baby Richard Jr. and refused to change it. She loves hard, she takes big swings, and she’s made her peace with being on the sidelines so long as she’s living by her rules.

Ezra escaped the tragedy of his hometown to make a name for himself as a musician in Harlem, and it just about worked, until it didn’t. Between survivor’s guilt and waiting for the other show to drop on his destiny, he’s strung tight and closed entirely off.

This love story begins on a rooftop. It’s sparked by a late night breeze carrying the scent of jasmine. It’s honed in frantic days packing lifetimes of longing into storytelling and bouquet making. It is earnest, it is heartwarming, it is a little surprising (but in an obvious way), and it is everything.

Recommended for: certified lover girls (gender inclusive), the wounded inner child with abandonment issues, the perpetual black sheep, the restless thinker always moving their fingers to a silent soundtrack, fans of the new André 3000 album and everything Solange, fans of found family, anyone looking to break free of the box they spent their whole life being defined by.

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ktdakotareads's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious 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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jkreads'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? Yes

4.5

{ARC review - huge thanks to Quercus Books for this early copy}

This book was a lush, beautiful experience that has convinced me that I would read Tia Williams’ grocery list if she published it. This book had elements that I was not expecting at all (which I won’t go into here because I don’t want to spoil it, I think it’s best to go into this one blind!), but I ADORED the journey I went on throughout it.

Tia Williams sets a scene SO beautifully and her writing is descriptive without being unnecessarily flowery (pardon the pun). I felt like I was walking through the streets of Harlem alongside Ricki. This book also features quite possibly my favourite side character ever in Ms Della. I fell in love with her instantly and ate up every single scene she was in. And for the Seven Days in June fans, there’s an Eva Mercy/Shane Hall cameo!

I literally didn’t know anything about the history of New York and the Harlem Renaissance going into this, but this story inspired me to read up about it and it is such a rich, interesting piece of history.

And can we talk about this COVER for a hot sec?! I was firmly anti-real people on covers until recently, and thank god I’ve changed my mind so I can fully appreciate this absolute BEAUTY of a cover. The vibes match the story so perfectly, I cannot.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is out on February 6 and I highly recommend picking it up if you’re after an immersive, gorgeous romance.

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daniellereadslikealot_'s review against another edition

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emotional 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

5.0

Oh wow, this book. I knew I’d enjoy it after loving Seven Days in June, but it blew me away. This was such an incredible story of love, history, culture and a little bit of magic. I absolutely loved Ricki and Ezra. Both were such well developed characters and I’m so glad we got both of their POVs. Also, Tuesday and Della were such fantastic supporting characters who always made me smile. I also loved the flashbacks of the Harlem Renaissance and reading about all the amazing music. The romance was absolutely beautiful as well. I cried several times, especially towards the end. Honestly, top to bottom, a perfect book in my eyes. I’m so happy I read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.25

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the free copy of this book.

- Tia Williams does it again with A LOVE SONG FOR RICKI WILDE. Drama, snark, two people drawn toward each other in a way they’ve never felt before.
- Even if the plot is easy enough to predict, I loved being with Ricki and Ezra as they unraveled their story and fell hard for each other.
- Somehow, amid the over the top ridiculous family members and the paranormal elements, Williams gives us a fated mates story for the ages, filled with intensity and longing and love.

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