A review by looseleafellie
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Over a decade after a whirlwind teenage romance, Eva Mercy and Shane Hall are both bestselling authors. Despite their attempts to forget each other, they’ve been writing each other into their books for years. So when fate reunites them at a book conference, Shane and Eva must discover whether their love can still work, or whether they’ll have to leave each other forever.

This book was a charming, funny, and poignant delight! Eva and Shane are wonderfully witty protagonists who click amazingly well. I also loved Eva’s precocious daughter, Audre, and her clever observations.

The point of view mostly sticks to Eva and Shane, but there are a few scenes with other characters’ perspectives sprinkled in. I tend to find this a bit jarring, but here I didn’t mind so much because the side characters are so interesting.

Aside from being a cute romance, Seven Days in June weaves topics like chronic illness, mental health, family trauma, racism in publishing, and addiction into the story in a way that feels natural and nuanced. Despite the challenges they’ve faced, Eva and Shane find solace in each other and their loved ones, and it’s a wonderful exploration of how community and being true to yourself helps you flourish.

The epilogue felt a bit drawn-out to me, but I don’t know how else it could have been arranged without cutting out some necessary character development for Eva. In any case, by the time the story wrapped up, I was left feeling ridiculously happy for the characters!

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a brilliant joyful romance that doesn’t shy away from heavy topics.

Spice level: Graphic

CWs: Drug abuse/overdose, alcoholism, child abuse/neglect, suicide attempt, chronic illness, self harm, implied pedophilia, racism, depression, violence, gun death of a child, sexual assault mention, grief.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings