A lovely novel celebrating lost relationships and chances. I thought it was great and would definitely recommend!

I loved how the novel moved between the present day and 15 years ago. It's a beautiful love story.

Shane and Eva met 15 years ago, and fell in love. Can they rekindle that love in 7 days and can unanswered questions from long ago be answered. ? An enjoyable and funny read.

This was a great, sexy read. The characters are really well written, are three dimensional and it's just a great premise!

Headlines:
Swept away by second chances
Dialogue dream
Epic summer read

This wasn't my first Tia Williams book, but it had a completely different vibe. It was deeper, more desperate with the kind of longing that makes you feel. This was a second chance story that was full of emotion but also delightfully light in the moment.

Eva (Genevieve) was a mother, a writer and a women who had shelved her own life to some extent. She had a hidden disability and got through the days. She had some friends that were the family she'd never really had.

When Shane entered the story, everything froze. The connection, my word, the connection was magnetised. There was a huge story to tell with these two that was mostly in the contemporary but it did have some past chapters that were woven cleverly and not over-used.

"I idealize you in fiction because I idealized you in real life."

What I loved about this story and the writing was the dialogue. I have so many highlights on my kindle that just tickled me or made me feel. I lived for this story in the 24 hours that I read it and I truly didn't want it to end. The cover is glorious and really just captures these two.

I would challenge anyone not to need this couple together. I loved the humility of Shane, the hope of Eva despite her life and the ebb and flow of life getting in the damn way.

Shane was her lighthouse. If he went dark, she'd be lost, treading black water forever.

This was the kind of sweeping romance that just made my summer and I recommend this to all my romance-reading friends.

Thank you to Quercus for the early review copy.

Absolutely besotted with this modern love story.

Eva is an established black erotic writer and while at a literary panel in walks Shane who shatters her world all over again. Their love story is passionate and all encompassing with, thankfully, no smush at all, rendering their story so realistic and true I felt every word.

I was gripped from the very beginning, thanks to @netgalley for allowing me to read and review and yes I went into Waterstones to check out the hard copy because I just couldn’t not take a picture of this divine cover art - I’m obsessed.

Thoroughly recommend.

Eva and Shane met each other first as teenagers, they shared an intense 7 days together then they were torn apart.

Fifteen years later, both are best selling authors and when they meet at an event, pretend they don’t know each other. But their chemistry is palpable. Over the next seven days they will reconnect and share what has happened in the time they have been apart.

I can’t even put into words how much I loved this book. Grittier than a rom com, but very easy to read.

I'm not sure what I was expecting this book to be like, but it was so much more than I imagined. Best read during, ironically, a seven (hot) days in June (WHICH I DID I JUST REALISED THAT OH MY GOD), the book follows Eva and Shane, whose troubled past resurfaces when they meet again at a literary event. Through seven days in June, they rediscover the powerful connection that brought them together, but have to reckon with the new issues that threaten to pull them apart for a second time.

At its core, you could call this book your classic romance. But it's so much deeper than that. It weaves in literary fiction, nuances on race and writing and chronic pain and the recklessness of youth, as well as telling an occasionally very steamy love story. As often happens, I loved the side characters just a little more than the leads - Audre and Cece are just incredible and I personally hope that every writer finds their Cece out there in the world. We all need one.

I'm knocking off a star for the epilogue which disappointed me just a teensy bit. While the rest of the book was well paced and well written, the epilogue packed in a whole heap of stuff across a lot more time that I felt like I would have been fine not knowing. It's difficult to specify without giving away spoilers (and I may be in an unpopular camp) but I liked the unsatisfying ending that the final chapter (pre-epilogue) gave us. Or maybe I'm just a sadist for fictional pain, I don't know.

Nevertheless, I hope this book gets all of the hype, because it deserves it. It's the kind of romance you want to devour in the sunshine - but that'll still make you think as you do.

A zippy, fast-paced romance exploring Black identity--I wasn't quite expecting this to be such a conventional romance novel and would have liked it to be more literary.

Seven Days in June is a deeply poignant, affecting love story and journey of self discovery entwined with an engaging writing style and quick witted humour which adds some light touches to the story. From reading the synopsis, I figured I would probably enjoy this book but I loved it even more than I first thought.

I really liked how Tia Williams builds up the relationship between Eva and Shane, through their chance meeting in the present as adults, dealing with their past and to the pivotal seven days they spent together as teenagers. Their bond was utterly believable and captivating, and the chemistry between them was palpable. I really liked how them finding their way back to each other was written and wasn't rushed but it was clear that they're meant to be together. I'm a total sucker for second chance romance and I adored the fact that despite their separation, Eva and Shane were writing to each other in their respective books, like love letters almost and the romance is everything.

I also appreciated the depth that Williams has woven into the novel, with exploration of addiction, self harm, depression and neglectful parenting and while I can't speak personally to the portrayal of all of these issues, I think they were represented in a sensitive manner. I also thought that the exploration of generational trauma was so interesting and so well done and Williams imbues the story with so much gravity and grace.

I also liked the mentions of their jobs as writers and the literary landscape, with Eva having a whole host of friends who are fellow successful Black artists, writers and poets. Book Twitter was referenced a couple of times alongside a whole host of other cultural references which makes the story feel current and definitely gave me some laughs.

If you're looking for a contemporary romance which will sweep you away, then definitely check out Seven Days in June. It definitely won't disappoint.




.

This book is everywhere! I'd heard nothing but good things about this -- vivacious and vibrant, a compulsive plot, a twist on the romance novel, with a sharp view into the publishing industry. This is all of those things and a whole lot more. Our main characters here, authors Eva and Shane, are as flawed as they are brilliant. I loved the idea of two long-lost lovers communicating to each other through bestselling novels, and I found their reunion realistic and compelling. As their lives come into full view, this reunion (and all that leads to it) is revealed as anything but straightforward. Some excellent side-characters add spark here, including Eva's colleagues, and her oh-so-smart daughter, Audre. A juicy, fast-paced read, which balances humour and sadness well. (It's also well-sexy.) Thoroughly enjoyed.

Synopsis:

“Brooklynite Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer, who is feeling pressed from all sides. Shane Hall is a reclusive, enigmatic, award-winning literary author who, to everyone's surprise, shows up in New York.

When Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event, sparks fly, raising not only their past buried traumas, but the eyebrows of New York's Black literati. What no one knows is that twenty years earlier, teenage Eva and Shane spent one crazy, torrid week madly in love. They may be pretending that everything is fine now, but they can't deny their chemistry—or the fact that they've been secretly writing to each other in their books ever since.

Over the next seven days in the middle of a steamy Brooklyn summer, Eva and Shane reconnect, but Eva's not sure how she can trust the man who broke her heart, and she needs to get him out of New York so that her life can return to normal. But before Shane disappears again, there are a few questions she needs answered...”

My thoughts:

I was drawn in from the very first page, I really liked the writing style, it often had a tongue in cheek undertone which had me laughing out loud quite a lot! This is a funny, raw and emotional story of love and loss, persevering and surviving.

I was routing for Eva and Shane the whole way through. The narrative went back to their childhood and we got to see how they spent those 7 days together. Both characters had turbulent childhoods that they are still trying to overcome as adults. This is one of the reasons being together may not work out for them . It is a will they or won’t they contemporary romance that Is in no way sugar coated or fluffy: I found it addictive with unforgettable characters. I highly recommend getting a copy and diving straight in!!

Unfortunately, I DNF'D this book. It wasn't for me. The writing felt a bit cliche, and at times made me cringe a little bit. However, I do think this book will work for a lot of people. From what I read, the characters were interesting and I loved that the main character had a chronic illness- and it seemed like this would have been explored throughout the book.

Wow wow wow wow wow.

I love this book SO much.

I don’t know Williams was able to do this but I am in awe. Eva and Shane are going to be characters I think about forever and I am so in love with the story that Williams created for them. The story was written in a way that that perfectly captured the essence of these black characters and the story of pain, loss, mental illness and LOVE. Honestly, I’m so amazed by this book and it explains how I was able to finish it in less than 24 hours.

It was a whirlwind read that narrated the healing of two characters that just wanted (and deserved) to be loved.

Thank you Tia Williams for writing a book like this. I’ll be sure to talk and love it dramatically, violently and forever (iykyk).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC!

I don’t tend to pick up contemporary or romance in general, at least not so’s I notice. This was NetGalley eARC and I genuinely laughed out loud a few times at the dialogue - it’s pitched so well. The characters are largely black/creole, not isolated (mostly!), successful. It’s obvious the author understands the publishing world but Williams doesn’t over dwell, on anything in fact. The scenes are the right length and you can have fun reading although some of the reality left in: debilitating migraines (and worse), bad teenage years (not shown in a sexy light) and present day teenagers in a mess. But this is Eva’s story rather than Shane’s and theres an awareness in the lens and focus. Books can be both entertainment and showing you something of the way things are - look up Shane’s analysis of Eva’s erotica!

As sheer escapism, this was wonderful. I loved the characters and the background, in fact everything about it. The very beginning had me worried that I was reading some fantasy novel (which is not my style) but that was just Eva, as an erotic fantasy author, meeting her fans. Set in the world of fiction writing in the USA this was honestly a delight. Plenty of laughs, but also poignancy, erotic scenes, troubled teens, grief and heartbreak - it played on the heartstrings from start to finish. Eva's daughter, Audre, was a great character, I loved her interactions. The relationships, Eva and Shane, Eva and Audre, Eve/Audre with Cece, friendships among authors were all portrayed as multi dimensional relationships. Backgrounds were vivid - from Genevieve's childhood rooms, the room she spent time in with teenage Shane to the heat and humidity of the south - an absolute delight. #netgalley #sevendaysinjune

‘Don’t fight. Write.’

This is a fantastic book! It’s Black. It’s hilarious. Romantic. Painful. Dark at times. A famous erotica author. An addicted literary writer. And a second chance love.

This is a rom-com and a contemporary in one. Time and again I doubt if I still like rom-coms. And I know now that a lot of books I liked before are not my favorites anymore. But I love love stories like this. I laughed out loud, my chest tightened, the corners of my mouth curved up again and again, and I thought repeatedly: no, no, no! I read and I read and didn’t want to stop. A real page turner!

Seven Days in June is a witty story, mostly told in dual narrative (third person), covering hard hitting topics like chronic illness, addiction, abuse and self-harm. Eva and Shane fell in love fifteen years ago and meet again. The story jumps from now to then with flashbacks. I loved to read those flashbacks but sometimes it hurt tremendously to read about these two lonely and damaged and drugged teens, finding refuge and love with each other.

Like I said above, I laughed out loud at times, about Eve’s twelve-year-old daughter Audre who thought she was a mental health specialist, about al those names Tia Williams used (Dadifornia, The Church of Just Think Good Thoughts, The Social Queen of Literari). Tia Williams’s writing style is refreshing. Not cheesy, not cringe worthy, just humorous. And even though some parts were really hard to read, there was still hope in the writing.

I almost skipped this book on NetGalley but when I saw some reviews coming by, I decided to request it after all and I am so glad I did!!

I stayed up all night reading Seven Days in June! I just couldn’t put it down! The writing was engaging and had us move seamlessly between narrators and timelines. The characters were (for the most part) lovable and I was rooting for Eva and Shane the whole time.

Eva and Shane had a rough past which crossed paths when they were teenagers for seven days in June. Fast forward 15 years and they are both writers who made names for themselves in the Black Literati. Somehow, they never crossed paths until now. They still have feelings for each other but there is some animosity from Eva because she believes he abandoned her all those years ago when she thought they were going to be together forever. Shane finally sought her out and is trying to prove he never wanted to leave her. This quote from their first reunion had me dying!!

“One thing,” she whispered, her lips by his jaw. She didn’t want anyone to overhear. “Before I forget.”

“What’s that?”

“Stop writing about me.”

[…] In a voice both raspy and low, and so, so familiar, Shane said, “You first.”

Now they are spending another seven days together in June healing their relationship. During this time, Shane is helping at-risk kids and Eva is trying to get a movie deal that ideally doesn’t white-wash her characters. We also see the contrasting relationships Eva has with her mother and daughter. I absolutely loved watching Eva do everything in her power to break the cycle of neglect from generations before her.

As much as I loved most of the novel, I did have some issues. While I understand some of the liberties taken in Audre, the daughter, I felt she didn’t come across as a believable tween. However, I am not a mother and I can never know what it is like to be a tween in this day and age. Most aspects make sense given the way society is today, but it felt a bit much. I also absolutely hate the miscommunication trope and it is very present in this novel. By the time those instances came up, I was already invested and let it slide. This could have been 4.5-5 stars if it wasn’t present, but it was and it lessened my enjoyment. If you don’t mind that trope, then you can see this as a 4.5 star rating! My rating was 3.5 but on goodreads, I rounded up to 4 stars.

If you love hard hitting romances that celebrate black people, definitely pick this up! Just be warned, there are lots of triggers, so please refer to the list of them I provided above.

Thank you to Quercus Books for the arc! This title was released June 2, 2021.

I haven't read a romance in a long time and boy this was such a great introduction to the genre.

The book follows a woman named Eva who is a famous erotica writer with chronic pain and a tween daughter. Shane Hall in a newly sober literary writer who unexpectedly comes back into Eva's life causing the both of them to confront their painful past and try and overcome it together.

There was a lot I wasn't expecting from the book going in, how dark their pasts are as one. There was a rawness about her way of writing that truly made the characters seem real and really gave me the ability to empathise.

I felt represented, the characters were so diverse and having someone suffer with chronic pain is something that I haven't seen before but I am so glad I did here.

The story itself was interesting from start to finish, there were moments that made me laugh and moments that made me cry, I just felt this book on a real level

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was the ending. It felt rushed, the tone was off from the rest of the book and it just felt a bit long. I enjoyed the book so much that maybe the ending disappointed me more than it should have. Overall I would recommend this but please read trigger warnings beforehand.

Wow! At the start of this book, I thought it wasn't for me but it very quickly got its hooks into me! This is a spectacular book. Ostensibly a romance between Genevieve and Shane - 7 days to fall in love, 15 years to get over each other, 7 days to remember why they fell in love.
This book isn't a romcom, even though it's funny in places and the overall tale is one of love. So many issues are explored - addiction, chronic pain, hidden disability, racial prejudice and loss.
I felt that this book taught me so much about issues of which I only had a slight knowledge previously.
Modern, powerful and addictive. I wanted to start reading it again as soon as I'd finished. Don't miss out on it!

Actual rating 3.5 ⭐️

Seven Days in June is no hearts and flowers romance. If you’re looking for the typical cute boy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after format then you’ve come to the wrong place! Tia Williams offers a much darker alternative to that romantic scenario but one that is equally beautiful and moving in places; a complicated, raw, intense, messy, chaotic, passionate and painful love story involving two very damaged individuals, Shane Hall and Eva Mercy who first meet as teenagers and then again fifteen years later.

Both are bestselling authors. Following their intense and impassioned week of romance with whispered promises that are destined to be broken, Genevieve Mercier reinvents herself age 19 as Eva Mercy, author of erotic fiction series Cursed featuring witches and vampires. A single mum to the “tween tornado” that is daughter Audre, Eva juggles her writing career alongside motherhood and a debilitating illness. With the deadline for book number fifteen fast approaching Eva’s heart no longer seems invested in her lead characters futures; the book she feels most compelled to write concerns her heritage. Acting as a last minute stand in on a book panel at a literary event she unexpectedly comes face to face with her first love and fellow author Shane Hall and all her hard work to obliterate her painful past rapidly dissolves. The reappearance of this reclusive figure automatically piques the curiosity of fans and those within the literary world, realisation dawning that this pair have been secretly conversing with each other through their fictional characters for years. A case of art imitating life? Having written his own novels whilst under the influence of alcohol Shane is now two years sober and looking to build bridges and make amends for his past behaviour but can Eva forgive and forget and if so how can they keep news of their long ago seven day affair under wraps?

Theirs is a history heavily influenced by drug and alcohol addiction, an invisible disease (debilitating migraines), child neglect and a tragic accident. As if these aren’t enough hurdles to hinder the healthy development of a long term loving relationship, Eva’s female role models are women for whom love has never run smoothly, their spirits crushed by their Creole menfolk; Lizette, Clotilde and Delphine unable to break the cycle that doesn’t acknowledge their eccentricities/mental illness declaring them possessed by the devil instead. Reuniting after years of silence the chemistry between Shane and Eva is undeniable; it is scorching and sizzling hot but with so much accumulated baggage, hurt, disappointment and broken promises weighing them down is it even wise to revisit the past and risk getting burned second time around? Can Eva and Shane together break the curse that besets generations of these women and find their own happy ever after?

First loves can be impossible to forget but most of us consign those memories to the past and move forward. Despite their best efforts these two have been unable to let go, the embers of their love still burning, issues left unresolved, their story not quite finished. So it’s with the reappearance of Shane that this novel really comes alive and I felt more able to engage with these characters and the details of this couple’s lives past and present. With scenes ranging from those choked with lust and desire, to those of a bleak, heartbreaking and harrowing nature to those that are more hopeful, this isn’t the most uplifting of reads! An undercurrent of guilt runs through the narrative, contributing to the overall sombre mood but this is tempered in places by humour thanks to the presence of twelve year old Audre who is smart, sassy and a chip off the old block. Without a doubt my favourite character, she definitely diffuses some of the tension as does the fierce, at times conniving but loyal friend/editor Cece. A true “glamazon”! Although I liked Audre immensely I thought her voice didn’t sound like that of a girl her age. Are twelve year olds this grown up nowadays or is she simply precocious?

Aside from the romance element this is a novel about the events and the people who define and shape us into the individuals we are today. Fraught with complications then and now this is a love story firmly rooted in gritty, seedy reality, with no glossing over the harshness of childhoods that are far from idyllic. Understandably there’s a focus on the mother/daughter dynamic with Eva desperate to give Audre the childhood she herself didn’t get to enjoy, embracing her version of motherhood that differs vastly from Lizette’s.

If I’m honest I didn’t find this an easy read, especially early on in the narrative, with so many cultural references that meant nothing to me floating right over the top of my head. Unable then to fully appreciate every word of this risen from the ashes love story my overall enjoyment was somewhat marred. There were a few occasions when I almost gave up. However I’m glad I persevered because underneath all the darkness lies a love story that is deeply affecting. Reading slight outside my comfort zone I don’t feel best placed to discuss certain aspects of this novel, namely that of race and ethnicity and the story Eva wishes to tell regarding her ancestors but nonetheless I would recommend giving this one a try. In terms of a love story alone it’s worth your time and effort, if you’re up for the challenge!

My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.