Review by bookishyani - Seven Days in June

bookishyani 's review for:

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

4.0

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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

This was a really lovely and emotional read. The first few chapters lure you into believing this is going to be a raunchy romance novel but it actually turned into a exploration of trauma and love. The longing was so clear between the two characters (especially on Shane’s end) and they both felt distinctly developed and raw. I did feel like their relationship as kids was super toxic and while I’m glad the book recognized it- it’s a little hard to believe that two makes a stable foundation for a long lasting relationship (esp when one of those weeks was a drug bender as teens). I also didn’t love the third act conflict - if felt pretty melodramatic to create conflict only for them to get together again a couple of weeks later. I would have preferred Shane going to work on his issues and then reuniting a couple of years down the road. But overall this def had a lot of depth than most romance novels and it was refreshing to read one that so clearly centered Black main characters and their lived experiences. And it also had some great representation around chronic illness.

Content Warnings