Reviews tagging 'Racism'

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

83 reviews

bookwitch's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

3.5

The book standing on it's own is just fine; fun magical realism twist plus partial historical fiction to lend support to the romance. It was well written and I loved that it was from a black perspective. The story itself is pretty predictable and a bit long winded if you ask me. The only shock that got me was
Ms. Della's connection
. Not bad! But not my favorite.
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paidays's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

3.75

Sweet love story with a lot of poignant moments. I appreciated the richness and texture the author provided in her descriptions of Harlem past and present. I found the plot predictable and there were a few lines of dialogue that made me fully cringe, but overall an enjoyable read. 
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literary_lyette's review against another edition

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funny hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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chrisb913's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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

5.0

I had heard this book was amazing but had not heard much else. I was shocked when I read the fantasy elements of this story. This love story was wonderful to read. The romance was impeccable and the characters were phenomenal. I cannot wait to read more by this author.
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kmshobbs's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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readingwithtemperance's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

Saying that this book was 5 stars doesn't do it justice. Because it is so much more than that.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde put things into perspective for me. Renewing my passion and ultimately lighting a fire under me. Begging the questions of what kind of life I want to live, what mark do I want to leave on the world, and ultimately what would bring me joy.

This was one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. Tia Williams balanced magical realism so perfectly. This story is so devastating and incredibly romantic. 

I loved Ezra and Ricki together. I'm usually very anti insta love, but this was different! The connection between them was so real. I can't fathom
waiting all that time for the love of your life.


I loved how Ricki stood up to her family and paved her own way. So often we allow the approval of others especially family to keep us from our dreams. And it was wonderful watching her achieve and soar without their help. 

Ms. Della has to be one of the loveliest characters I've ever met. I adored her relationship with Ricki so much. She reminded me of my own grandmother. Her bucket list was ridiculous,  fun, and oh so heartwarming. I hope we're all in our 90s with pink hair and a sense of adventure. 

Tia Williams' writing was utterly gorgeous. I feel like I need to reread this in print just to annotate. There were so many wonderful quotes, but my all time favorite was  

To me, love is like listening to an album. Some people skip to their favorite songs and ignore the rest. Other people listen to the entire album over and over until it's familiar and cherished and they know every note by heart. That's how Dr. Bennett and I loved each other. He was music I could listen to forever. 


My favorite part of this book had to be when Ms. Della
buried her grudge. There was somethingso incrediblyhealing about that moment for me as someone who also fosters so much anger towards my own mother. It made me happy she got that peace before she passed.


I don't think I've ever cried so much during an epilogue.
Habibg Ms. Della tell us all about Ricki and Ezra and their wonderful life together was incredible. I loved that she cheered and cried from the afterlife for them both. The scene on Ricki's wedding was especially lovely.


Thus is a story I won't soon forget. And I'll be bullying all of my friends to read it. 
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shannonlar's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

4.5

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nataliebootlah's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious
  • 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

3.5

 “What they heard as frenzied abandonment was the sound of his rage. Their joyous release was his escape, his chance to outrun the memories that stalked him. Jazz was freedom, but grief was his fuel. It was that simple, and that terrible.” 
 
Ricki is the outcast of her wealthy, perfect family. Ezra is the mysterious  hottie on the block, with an aura Ricki can’t quite stay away from. What plays out is a love song one hundred years in the making, one leap day at a time. 
 
I went into this mostly blind, it was available immediately from Libby and I was most definitely intrigued by the beautiful cover. I stayed for the Harlem-era journey, genre-bending between romance and magical realism, musical landscape, and sassy characters. I especially loved the minor characters and their stories. What didn’t quite stick for me was the romance, it felt rushed and a bit shallow. That said, I enjoyed it as a quick summer read! 
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mchelle_muses's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious fast-paced

5.0

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kreglow's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad medium-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

4.0

Overall, a good read. It does become an erotic novel about 2/3 in, then snaps back to the main fantastical plot in the last 1/4. If that's what you're into, cool. It got to be a bit much at times, though.
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