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

jaz_gets_literary's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc of this book These are my 100% honest opinions.

I honestly went into this book with no thoughts at all. I had read another book from this author and I didn’t really enjoy it. When I saw the cover of this, something just pulled me to it. (If you’ve read the book, that’s some crazy symbolism) I’m really glad that I chose to read it because I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the magical realism in the romance story between Ricki and Ezra. The beginning of the book switches between the 1920s and modern day 2023. Sometimes large time gaps are hard to keep up with in books but not this one. I was in love with the majority of the characters. Sometimes side characters get lost or seem unnecessary but not Tuesday and Ms. Della. I could read a spin off on the back story of both of them.

While I did guess part of what happened at the end, it didn’t damper my enjoyment of the story. I enjoyed this book a lot and it had put this author’s work back on the radar for me.

Content Warnings

just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? No

4.0

Y'all, I read my first book by Tia Willams, Seven Days in June, about two years ago now. And it made my favorites of the year list. So, when I saw the opportunity to request this newest book on NetGalley, let me tell you, I *jumped* on it. I was excited to read more from Williams, plus this one promised a little magic in it, and I am never one to turn that down.

So, I'm super behind on reviews. In trying to catch up, I will be going the lazy synopsis route and giving you the good ol' (truncated) "copied and pasted from Goodreads" version. Thanks for your understanding, haha. Here's that: Ricki Wilde is the impulsive, artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, and quite the opposite of the rest of her family. She knows that somewhere, a different, more exciting life awaits her. So, when a regal nonagenarian, Ms. Della, invites her to rent the bottom floor of her Harlem brownstone, Ricki jumpsont it. She leaves behind her family, wealth, and chaotic romantic decisions to realize her dream of opening a flower shop. And just beneath the surface of her new neighborhood, the music, stories and dazzling drama of the Harlem Renaissance still simmers. One evening in February, Ricki encounters a handsome, deeply mysterious stranger (Ezra) who knocks her world off balance in the most unexpected way and together, once Ricki learns his big secret, they must overcome a curse that has stuck to him for a century. Set against the backdrops of both modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a swoon-worthy love story of two passionate artists drawn to the magic, romance, and opportunity of New York, and whose lives are uniquely and irreversibly linked.

Well, I didn;t love it as much as Seven Days, but tbh, that's a hella high bar and I wasn't really expecting to. So with that in mind, I loved this one for what it was! First, and foremost, these characters were phenomenal - fresh and interesting. A spunky former child actor, a Harlem Renaissance era pianist, a quirky YOLO-vibes grandmother figure, and, of course, our MC, a creative florist and burgeoning IG influencer. Bonus: a solid cameo from Eva Mercy from Seven Days and I was just feeling these characters. A lot of it was in the little details, like Ms. Della going out to community gatherings drinking from her own literal china teacup and the specificity of description in Ricki's bouquets and the room of historic music technology in Ezra's home and, for me, the little mention of study abroad in Seville (I did that!). They were just so alive and I loved them all.

The world-building was also spectacular. Which sounds a bit ridiculous because this is a "real life" place and time (or places and times). But Williams really brought it to life: the setting was just as alive as the characters, holding its own against their strong presences. I don’t read much from the Harlem Renaissance time period, in any setting/population, so this was a nice way to add it in and mix it up without being overwhelmed by a time period that I’m just not normally drawn to. It’s always important to get a history refresher, especially from a perspective that isn’t ever taught in a fully fleshed-out way (we often nominally honor the Black jazz musicians and artists/poets of the time, but don’t ever reckon with the need or inspiration behind their work and community). And this was really accentuated by the parts from Ezra's perspectives...his world weariness (*minor spoiler*) due to the immortality meant he had seen and survived so much, especially as a Black man from the Jim Crow South and with a story starting in Harlem Renaissance/Jazz Age Harlem was written so well. A solid, telling, and fairly original, perspective, in that way. Finally, the way that Ricki begins leaving her extra bouquets around Harlem at historical spots, starting a major social media following with that, is so creative. And was a wonderful way to really tie the two time periods, but same location, together even more.

The plot itself was entertaining and fun, but also romantic (and let me add here that I loved the chemistry between Ezra and Ricki). And while I saw the ending coming from pretty far away, I also appreciated the cyclical nature of it and the way it all came together smoothly, and magically! Plus, while I was a bit sleep deprived when I read the ending and maybe that played a part in my reaction, I was surprised at how emotional it still made me...even knowing what was going to happen. That's really solid writing, overall. A note on the writing here though. Potentially because this was an ARC, but there was something about the writing that felt a little less polished than I would have liked. There's a chance some of that was cleaned up before final publication, but it could have been smoother.

Anyways, I'm usually a sucker for the fight for an epic love that actually looks like the everyday little moments; I love seeing my own love story reflected in those moments and always feel that it's such a gorgeous story to tell. And here, it was; it really was gorgeous.

Content Warnings

browningwithabook's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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

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brewdy_reader's review against another edition

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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.

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danahh's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful mysterious slow-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

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