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terranstorm 's review for:
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
by Tia Williams
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was very sweet. The ending managed to be a tear-jerker, even though it's the ending you expect for most of the book. Some of the description felt more saccharine than my usual preference but it did fit the story. The only substantial complaint I have is I didn't like how the point of view would slip between Ricki and Ezra within the same scene; makes it feel more amateurish than the story deserved. But even when those parts bothered me, I enjoyed this and was torn about the rating between the 3.5 and 4.
There was a really pleasant surprise in the final stretch: no third act breakup. I had been expecting one, even though it didn't feel at all necessary what with all the rest of what's going on in the story, because that's just how the genre goes, you know? Refreshing to be allowed to focus on all the stakes the story had already established instead of twisting them up in an 11th-hour heartbreak-then-redemption, too. And there's plenty already! Ricki and her found-family-grandma have a brief estrangement and redemption. The sisters show up ready to stir shit, but they come through it as a team. They already had the curse to content with. The balance felt just right to me.
There was a really pleasant surprise in the final stretch: no third act breakup. I had been expecting one, even though it didn't feel at all necessary what with all the rest of what's going on in the story, because that's just how the genre goes, you know? Refreshing to be allowed to focus on all the stakes the story had already established instead of twisting them up in an 11th-hour heartbreak-then-redemption, too. And there's plenty already! Ricki and her found-family-grandma have a brief estrangement and redemption. The sisters show up ready to stir shit, but they come through it as a team. They already had the curse to content with. The balance felt just right to me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Terminal illness
Minor: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury
re Hate Crime in MMC's backstory: his entire family was murdered in a church-burning by the Klan. Description of those events are brief and non-graphic.