Reviews with content warning for Hate crime - A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

Eesh, Tia Williams can write romance! And with so many more elements that I loved: dramatic and classist family members that could’ve come out of an Austen novel, magical realism, pop culture references that aren’t cringey, and admirable women all over the place. I loved Ricki with all her passion and colourfulness (“Because she (a) found fashion calming and (b) was dramatic, Ricki had dressed carefully for this occasion”.); and Ezra being funny and attractive (“Ricki barely heard him, as she was mid-epiphany. Was Warm Weather Ezra the sexiest Ezra?”) and their entire art-drenched love story, in which their love itself is so wonderfully uncomplicated, despite the circumstances they’re facing together. Loved this!

Content Warnings

takarakei's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

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

4.5

This book read like a historical/contemporary fairy tale, down to the fairy (grand)mother. A gorgeous, ethereal read with likeable secondary characters and found family, while still touching on darker themes like how history impacts our present and future. Tia Williams has definitely become an autobuy author for me!

Content Warnings

massivepizzacrust's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

sdupont's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

lindsayerin's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Review:

She’s a scatterbrained outcast of a rich family looking to prove herself by opening a floral arrangement shop in Harlem. He’s a traumatized soul whose entire family burned alive in a church fire set by Ku Klux Klansmen. A match fated in the stars? /s

Okay, before I launch into my very mixed review of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams, please know that you should take my opinion with a grain of salt. Listening to my opinion would be like asking someone who doesn’t like pickles to review someone’s world-famous fried pickles. I’m not someone who enjoys romance, although I continue to pick up romance books for the sake of challenging my literary tastebuds every now and again. If you like romance, then listen to someone else’s review of this book. This review is for myself and others like me.

This book had a strong start for me; I actually laughed out loud at Ricki’s deliciously horrible family, and I was disappointed that they didn’t make many more appearances. I also enjoyed several of the side characters, including Della, an elderly woman who unofficially adopts Ricki as her grandchild. More than these specific characters, this book has an enthusiastic earnestness that’s hard to hate even if I really didn’t like the romance between the main characters. Williams’s passion for her story and subject matter shines through on every page.

Unfortunately, I didn’t like the main characters, the romance, or the supernatural element. Ricki’s entire character is established through the author’s exposition dumps (telling instead of showing), and she comes across somewhat like a Manic Pixie Dreamgirl instead of someone with real insecurities and anxieties. I found Ezra’s story to be more compelling, but as a character, he’s your typical love interest in a romance: that is, basically perfect with a few *minimal* flaws sprinkled in for some semblance of believability. Of course he’s the right mix of old-school chivalrous while also respecting women and gay people. He’s a musical genius who can cook delicious food and make the main female character see stars during their extremely charged, non-awkward sexual encounters. And you can’t forget the fact that he’s physically flawless (which of course means extremely muscular with a big dick). I might have grown to appreciate these characters and their romance more if it weren’t so insta-lovey. Instead, it felt like being a third wheel on a date where you’re forced to watch the other two people be sickeningly cutesy with each other.

And then, of course, there’s the supernatural element to the plot, which honestly made me laugh with how bonkers it is.

This book is basically Twilight without the bloodlust. (It’s also slightly less creepy, so there’s that, although the MMC does watch our main character in her sleep!) There’s still the “fated lovers” element (ew) and the fact that he’s 124 years old and she’s a 28-year-old, very sheltered woman with the mindset of someone much younger. It’s not so much creepy as it is hard to believe. I feel like the gap in age and life experiences would be too much for any couple to overcome, no matter how “destined” they are to be together. Additionally, the whole connection with Della and her sacrifice didn’t sit well with me, but I’m not quite sure why.

So, this book didn’t quite work for me. So what? Don’t listen to my romance-hating ass.

The Run-Down:

You will probably like A Love Song for Ricki Wilde if . . .

· You like romance books and are looking for one with an interesting twist

· You love wholesome friendships

· You loved (or still love) the Twilight series

· You love the idea of going back in time to experience the Harlem Renaissance

You might not like A Love Song for Ricki Wilde if . . .

· You don’t like insta-love plotlines

· You’re looking for a non-cheesy, believable romance

Content Warnings

More...