Reviews

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

cherrwarr24's review against another edition

4.0

This book had a unique storyline that I enjoyed. Incorporating "magic" based on a leap year was pretty intriguing to me. There were moments where I laughed, where I felt the emotions of the characters, and the realness of some of the character choices.To me, the pace could have been better, which is why my review is not 5 stars but other than that, this was a well written feel good romance story.

nerdy_book_mom's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

ashaelise's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny 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

things_i_read_lately's review against another edition

tried the audio book twice, made it to 40% the magical realism didn't work for me, and the pace of the story was too slow 

natalie12345's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

1.0

I loved the idea of this book and the characters seemed promising but I only enjoyed the first 100ish pages. The modern slang seemed unnatural but made sense as a contrast to the flashbacks, however after the flashback scenes stopped it just became grating.

Ricki and Ezra fell kind of flat after they got together, as did the plot once the mystery was revealed. The immortal being bit was a little over the top paranormal, especially with the realistic contemporary setting. The ending was so predictable and there was too much time spent on side characters that just felt like caricatures.

erincomeaux's review against another edition

emotional hopeful slow-paced

3.5

kristakp's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

skoppelkam's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted 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

3.75

Seven Days in June was one of my favorite romances of 2023, so "A Love Song for Ricki Wilde" was highly anticipated for me. For the first third, I felt let down. The romance seemed almost Fifty Shades of Grey obsessive (because Williams hadn't let us in on the full mystery yet) and I knew there had to be some time travel element because of the flashback scenes, but I couldn't see all the pieces coming together. The whole buying the painting bit was dumb. Ricki's family felt a little too Cinderella/evil stepsisters to be real. 

But then around the midway point something shifted. The Harlem history started to really add to the book. I fell in love with the side characters, like Ms. Della and Tuesday. While the story was still a little predictable, it became unput-down-able. 

A big theme of this book was the comfort of a mature romantic relationship, where your partner looks out for your needs, cheers you on, and stands up for you. I appreciate that element in a romance that is otherwise full of steamy chemistry. 

Between 3 and 4 stars for me, but still solidifies Tia Williams as a fave romance author. 

k8so's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

4.25

Really sweet romance, loved the flowers and music and history!

toya23's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

3.5

I was interested in this book because I read the author’s novel, Seven days in June and I absolutely loved that so I wanted to read more of her books. I would give this about a 3.5/5. I loved Ricki and Ms. Della and Tuesday. I found the beginning to be a little confusing and slow. I wasn’t really a fan of the immortality thing. I loved the language and the history throughout the book, though.