A review by jkreads
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

challenging emotional hopeful slow-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

5⭐️

TW: alcoholism, drug use, self harm, child neglect, paedophilia

Just…wow. This book was beautiful. A searing tale of Black love, pain and success told in beautiful prose brimming with emotion. 

Seven Days in June is easily the best second-chance romance I’ve ever read. All of the angst and pain experienced by Eva and Shane had a purpose, none of it was gratuitous or over the top. The journey they went on throughout the book was SO satisfying, and it really felt like I was right there with them, I was so invested.

I’m always nervous going into a book with disability/illness rep because it’s never guaranteed to be done well. That was not the case here. I really loved how descriptive Tia Williams was in talking about Eva’s chronic pain and the impact that this had on every aspect of her life. I also loved that there wasn’t an underlying message of ‘just push through’. Sure, there were times where Eva tried to push through the pain but she knew this would come at a price. So many books that I see being hailed as having great disability rep very much promote the toxic message that ‘if you just push through and accommodate yourself, you can do anything’ when that just isn’t the reality for many disabled people. Eva spoke about parenting from bed or the couch, which I can very much relate to as this is something I’ve had to resort to on days where I’m struggling.

I listened to this on audio and the narration was wonderful, it really helped me connect with the story on a deeper level. I will probably be purchasing a physical copy of this as well though, because it’s definitely going to be one that I reread in the future.
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