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pandamamareads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
What a fast read !!! I read Tias book seven days in June last year and fell in love with it and now the same can be said for this amazing book. The characters are amazing, relatable and lovable. This book plays out like a steamy rom com but with so much more going on. There are underlying issues that get brought to the forefront, racial issues, women's issues, as well has regular everyday issues. This book felt like something I feel we all go through np matter who you are. I have a deep appreciation for the way Tia writes and I cannot get enough of it.
delaine21's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
vicktorea's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think this was Tia Williams’ first book (or at least one of her very earlier works) and it shows - all the ideas were here m, but I didn’t particularly care for the execution or the result.
I’m reading Williams’ backlist after falling absolutely in love with Seven Days in June (like it’s my fav book now) & just eating up The Perfect Find.
(If you’ve read her other works) You can see in this book that Williams has always excelled in writing witty, relatabley Black dialogue, creating passionate and heartfelt characters and drawing attention to the struggle Black people, particularly Black women, face to find (a safe) space for themselves in predominantly white spaces. You can also see how Williams has always been passionate about drawing attention to those who suffer with chronic pain.
I love these elements about this author’s writing and you can see the tremendous growth from this book to The Perfect Find to Seven Days in June.
What didn’t work for me with this book was the instalove; these characters fell in love SO quick. I get that the purpose was to showcase how losing yourself in love can be toxic but I wish the ending had reflected that more. Everything wrapped up and worked out too easily so it didn’t feel like the lesson had sunk in for these characters. I would’ve chosen a more difficult, heartbreaking (and maybe more healthy?) direction for the MMC & FMC.
This is also the first MMC by Williams that I didn’t care for; he was so juvenile and just made stupid choices. But, had I been younger when I read this I probably would’ve ate him up. I can see my younger self loving the MMC, but as a (maybe?) more mature, pushing 30, woman I’ve grown out of this type of hero and now enjoy the type of MMC Williams wrote for Seven Days in June and even The Perfect Find.
Am I comparing this to Seven Days in June too much (and am I tainted) because of my love for it? Most likely. But reading this made me appreciate the fact that Williams has always, genuinely been the author who wrote Seven Days in June (she didn’t just switch directions because of what was popular or hyped); with this book, she was just still growing & on her journey into flourishing into that author - the one she is now.
I’m reading Williams’ backlist after falling absolutely in love with Seven Days in June (like it’s my fav book now) & just eating up The Perfect Find.
(If you’ve read her other works) You can see in this book that Williams has always excelled in writing witty, relatabley Black dialogue, creating passionate and heartfelt characters and drawing attention to the struggle Black people, particularly Black women, face to find (a safe) space for themselves in predominantly white spaces. You can also see how Williams has always been passionate about drawing attention to those who suffer with chronic pain.
I love these elements about this author’s writing and you can see the tremendous growth from this book to The Perfect Find to Seven Days in June.
What didn’t work for me with this book was the instalove; these characters fell in love SO quick. I get that the purpose was to showcase how losing yourself in love can be toxic but I wish the ending had reflected that more. Everything wrapped up and worked out too easily so it didn’t feel like the lesson had sunk in for these characters. I would’ve chosen a more difficult, heartbreaking (and maybe more healthy?) direction for the MMC & FMC.
This is also the first MMC by Williams that I didn’t care for; he was so juvenile and just made stupid choices. But, had I been younger when I read this I probably would’ve ate him up. I can see my younger self loving the MMC, but as a (maybe?) more mature, pushing 30, woman I’ve grown out of this type of hero and now enjoy the type of MMC Williams wrote for Seven Days in June and even The Perfect Find.
Am I comparing this to Seven Days in June too much (and am I tainted) because of my love for it? Most likely. But reading this made me appreciate the fact that Williams has always, genuinely been the author who wrote Seven Days in June (she didn’t just switch directions because of what was popular or hyped); with this book, she was just still growing & on her journey into flourishing into that author - the one she is now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Homophobia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, and Gun violence
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, Child death, Child abuse, and Cultural appropriation
treberry's review against another edition
5.0
Here we go again...I haven't read this book in a while, but I've read it 3 or 4 times because it is DELICIOUS!!!!
The chemistry, the kisses, the sex, the fashion, the romance. ALLADAT is why I love this book so much.
I love how Tia Williams' books make me feel so warm, giddy and fuzzy inside. She describes the perfect kissing scenes that make me feel like I've never been kissed before.
This book is light, fun and so steamy. Read it, you will LOVE IT too!
The chemistry, the kisses, the sex, the fashion, the romance. ALLADAT is why I love this book so much.
I love how Tia Williams' books make me feel so warm, giddy and fuzzy inside. She describes the perfect kissing scenes that make me feel like I've never been kissed before.
This book is light, fun and so steamy. Read it, you will LOVE IT too!
arisbookcorner's review
4.0
Incredible Quote: "What he didn't tell Billie was how naive she sounded, telling him what hustling was about. In the fifth grade, he had more game in his size-five Adidas kicks than anyone at that party could ever hope to have. He hustled to survive . It was either get out there and sell the shit out of some crack, or eat grape jelly for dinner and hope the rat that bit you in your sleep wasn't carrying anything lethal. When Billie talked about hustling and playing the game, what she really meant was that she was ambitious. She was a go-getter. She set high goals for herself and met them, exceeded them. But the bottom line was that she had been born into a supportive, loving, comfortably middle-class family that took care of her and nurtured her and provided as security blanket. Jay came from nothing. Worse than nothing" (186).
I love this distinction Ms. Williams makes in her novel. I never realized that people describing themselves as "hustlers" bothered me until I read this passage and found myself nodding in agreement. Especially when celebrities use the term, I just find it ridiculous (excluding those who actually came up from nothing as opposed to those born to famous parents, etc etc) and Ms. Williams perfectly illustrates why. If you're thinking this quote is a bit heavy and shying away from this novel, never fear. This quote is expertly woven into a romp of a read that straddles the line between light and social commentary. It was exactly what I needed to end 2015, a lot of fun to read while making witty observations about being "the only" and exploring class issues that it managed to not only hold my attention but also cause me to pause and think after reading a passage.
The only negative I can see is that it confirmed my fears about the beauty industry in terms of its shallowness. But it's a unique (for me) setting for a book so it kept me turning the pages. This book was published in 2004, 12 years later it's sad that we're still having the same conversations. Through Billie the author tackles cultural appropriation (which Bille calls "ethnic borrowing" in the beauty and fashion industry and maybe it's just because of the rise of the Internet and public intellectuals and blogging but it had honestly never occurred to me that people were having these conversations pre Twitter. That demonstrates my ignorance and I was happy to be enlightened while also being sad that white gaze still has so much power over beauty standards. Although it is getting better because it is harder for beauty companies, fashion companies and magazines to ignore being called out when they "discover" some trend people of color have been naturally gifted with/been doing/wearing for years.
Aside from the pleasing depth of the novel, it's a quick paced read. I actually felt caught up in Billie's sweeping romance and just as intoxicated as she did, I didn't want to resurface from her studio apartment. Honestly I'd like a prequel so that we can live vicariously through Billie, Renee and Vida's college years. And I'm so happy her friends served more of a role than just providing advice at Sunday brunch. Also Billie's family dynamics were absolutely hilarious and unexpected.
I dealt with similar issues to Billie and Jay although not on as large a scale, granted I'm not a professional (yet) but I can relate to the class issues that come up in a relationship with two different economic backgrounds, especially when it's the woman who comes from the comfortable lifestyle and the preconceived notions that we have/that other have about us.
I love this distinction Ms. Williams makes in her novel. I never realized that people describing themselves as "hustlers" bothered me until I read this passage and found myself nodding in agreement. Especially when celebrities use the term, I just find it ridiculous (excluding those who actually came up from nothing as opposed to those born to famous parents, etc etc) and Ms. Williams perfectly illustrates why. If you're thinking this quote is a bit heavy and shying away from this novel, never fear. This quote is expertly woven into a romp of a read that straddles the line between light and social commentary. It was exactly what I needed to end 2015, a lot of fun to read while making witty observations about being "the only" and exploring class issues that it managed to not only hold my attention but also cause me to pause and think after reading a passage.
The only negative I can see is that it confirmed my fears about the beauty industry in terms of its shallowness. But it's a unique (for me) setting for a book so it kept me turning the pages. This book was published in 2004, 12 years later it's sad that we're still having the same conversations. Through Billie the author tackles cultural appropriation (which Bille calls "ethnic borrowing" in the beauty and fashion industry and maybe it's just because of the rise of the Internet and public intellectuals and blogging but it had honestly never occurred to me that people were having these conversations pre Twitter. That demonstrates my ignorance and I was happy to be enlightened while also being sad that white gaze still has so much power over beauty standards. Although it is getting better because it is harder for beauty companies, fashion companies and magazines to ignore being called out when they "discover" some trend people of color have been naturally gifted with/been doing/wearing for years.
Aside from the pleasing depth of the novel, it's a quick paced read. I actually felt caught up in Billie's sweeping romance and just as intoxicated as she did, I didn't want to resurface from her studio apartment. Honestly I'd like a prequel so that we can live vicariously through Billie, Renee and Vida's college years. And I'm so happy her friends served more of a role than just providing advice at Sunday brunch. Also Billie's family dynamics were absolutely hilarious and unexpected.
I dealt with similar issues to Billie and Jay although not on as large a scale, granted I'm not a professional (yet) but I can relate to the class issues that come up in a relationship with two different economic backgrounds, especially when it's the woman who comes from the comfortable lifestyle and the preconceived notions that we have/that other have about us.
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