A review by inked_in_pages
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“A bloom that looked like a flower but was really a weed: born to erupt into fluff, floating wherever the wind blew.”

On it’s face, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a beautiful love story about a young woman trying to find her way in the world and a young man forever trying to navigate the world. Both Ricki Wilde and Ezra Walker are tied to what has been created for them by the people in their lives despite knowing that what is expected for them is not their truth.  This novel is about finding your place in a world full of expectations and creating your own beautiful love story among those expectations. 

“Love well. Eat well. Fuck well. And leave the world better off than you found it. That’s success.”

There is not much I can say about this novel that will do it justice.  Tia Williams is a mastermind of beautiful love stories for characters that have the cards stacked against them from the beginning. Ricki Wilde and Ezra Walker are two characters that are the definition of facing the odds and continuing to persevere…in love, life and in their faith for one another. 

“The beauty you create in the world. Your optimism, your brain. Your fascination with being fascinated. The way your face fits perfectly under my chin when we’re sleeping. Your tenderness, whether your focus is on the care of a single flower, or... me.” His gaze was unwavering. “Ricki, you’ve turned me upside down. For so long, I’ve lived life like it was something to endure, to push through. But with you? I know how precious it can be. And I refuse to live in a world without you in it.”

The swoon.  The steam.  The absolute perfection that is this novel cannot be given it’s full justice by a simple reader review.  This is a love story and a story about Black History in a way that is both full of joy and requires the reader to reflect.  I will recommend this to everyone I come across.  It’s stunning, just like Ezra believes Ricki to be. 

 
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