I didn't get very far with this book before giving up, about 8% then DNF'd. The FMC annoyed me so much I couldn't continue. Sure, she has a terrible family but she's rich AND pretty. Everything goes her way - she needs a shopfront? Bam! A random rich stranger offers her one in Harlem. She needs a friend? Pow! A famous starlet stumbles into her shop and they're immediately besties!
This book has been reviewed positively by many people who have loved it, unfortunately it was just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for this advanced reading copy.

I loved this romance by Tia Williams. Sexy and romantic, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde was filled with heart. I loved the incorporation of magical realism and how beautifully the notion of found family was explored. At some points, the pacing of the novel was a little bit slow for my taste but it didn’t take away from the overall reading experience. This is definitely one I will recommend to customers for their next weekend or beach read!

In this leap year - here is one leap year book you simply must read! I don’t know what I was expecting … but it wasn’t this. It’s a story and I don’t want to give too much away to avoid spoilers. However, if you love exceptional romances and magical realism this is the book for you. A little slow to get going but then it gallops away with all the feels.

‘Ricki had never felt like a loser. She simply felt misplaced. Like a duck raised by squirrels. She’d always suspected that, given the chance to do what she did best, she’d succeed.’

Briefly I will tell you that the characters are rich and inviting - Ricky and Ezra will go down as one of literary great couples. Della and Tuesday (two stories that most likely deserve their own novel) complete a great cast. This is a tale infused with many things, magical realism being at the top of the list. I love the way Tia writes on topics such as family, friends, fears and futures - all seamlessly interwoven. The nod to black history is rich and wonderfully incorporated - everything from Harlem in the 1920s to key musical events from that decade to the present day.

‘To Ricki, a lifelong lover of bygone eras, the entire building felt like a gift delivered through time. Magical.’

For all of these incredible themes, it is at its heart a wonderful romance between two memorable characters. Slowly but surely this book snuck up on me and captured my heart. If magical realism/romance is a combination that gets your heart a flutter then take this journey with Rick and Ezra - it’s unique, it’s special and it's truly romantic.

“I’m not scared of you,” he said. “I’m scared of us.” Ricki’s confusion was growing by the second. “But there is no us.”
And then she divulged her truest, scariest thought. “I’m afraid that I don’t belong anywhere. Do you ever feel like that?”





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is the type of book that leaves you thinking for a very long time afterwards.

The love story within this story was enrapturing, but the true hero of this book for me was the culture. I learnt a lot, and I found myself wanting to read more about the side characters and their stories as well.

I definitely enjoyed this one, but I will just note that the lyrical prose within this story was perhaps not quite for me.

Thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for this one!

A Love Song For Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams is a quirky but fun romance with a dash of magical realism thrown in. It’s the story of Ricki Wilde, the youngest heir to a funeral home empire who dreams of opening her own florist (and not going into the family business). When a little luck sees her opening her dream business in Harlem, she suddenly begins to a mysterious man, Ezra, all over town, who insists that they shouldn’t spend time together.

Blending a love story with the history of Harlem and a love of flowers and music, A Love Song For Ricki Wilde was not at all what I was expecting, but a thoroughly delightful read. The narrative voice is distinct - and perhaps not going to be to everyone’s taste - as a third party tells Ricki and Ezra’s story at times. To say any more about their love story would be to spoil the entire premise, but I can say it beautifully weaves the past and the present. Plus, it was interesting to learn a bit more about Harlem.

As a 29 February baby this was an absolute must read—although anything Tia Williams is a must read after the beauty of Seven Days in June. I had high expectations going into this, and Williams absolutely did not disappoint.

A Love Song to Ricki Wilde brought a uniqueness to the romance genre that was utterly refreshing, with a mix of timelines from 1920s – 2024 Harlem and ultimately displaying Harlem’s rich cultural history. Whilst somewhat confusing at the start, I ended up falling in love with Williams’s magical story telling bringing an ode to the Harlem Renaissance.

Once again, Williams depicted soulmates like no one else can do through Ricki and Ezra, their love was mesmerising and poetic! I adored how a great part of the novel was devoted to building up the characters, setting a stage for their incredible development, ultimately enchanting readers and providing an emotional connection.

This was a wonderful novel, with fairy-tale like love and full of rich culture. I will absolutely be recommending this to anyone and everyone—particularly those customers who are after a ‘well written romance’ (I would previously run straight to Emily Henry’s novels). I’m so keen for everyone to experience this tear jerking story!

Ricki Wilde is the Black sheep of the Wilde family, a burst of colour and vivacity amongst the monochromatic family business. A chance encounter with a client spurs Ricki to leave Atlanta and open a florist in Harlem, against her family's wishes.

Meanwhile Ezra Walker feels compelled to return to Harlem every February, searching for.. something. When he meets Ricki he feels he has found who he has been searching for all these years, but he carries a secret past that could devastate them both.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a gorgeous book, filled with lyrical prose, lovable, goofy characters, an epic love to stop time, and all the bits in between. Aside from one incidental character, the entire cast of the story are Black, and this story tells both the historic and contemporary Black experience woven into a modern, magical romance.

Ricki is a relatable character, with her self-sabotaging, spiralling thoughts, open, eager curiosity about the world (and random odd facts that are apropos of nothing), an enthusiastic every-woman, with style. Ezra is a proper gentleman, a man who refuses to let his turbulent past tarnish who he is deep down. The supporting characters of Della and Tuesday are vibrant, witty, and provide the characters the right boosts to get where they need to be.

While this is set specifically in February 2024 and has specific pop culture and brand references to this "now", this is a truly timeless romance. There are a couple of sex scenes in the book, but they are relatively low on the spice meter; this book is more about intimacy and connection.

The ending had me feeling all the feels, even though you could see it coming - the sumptuous writing had me hooked to the very last page.

This was the first book I've read from Tia Williams, but after this incredible story, it won't be my last!

I had the privilege of listening to the accompanying audio version of this book while reading, and the narrators, Mela Lee and Preston Butler brought out additional warmth and depth to the story, that was just perfect. Their voices were just right for all the different characters they played.

~ Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book and audio book in exchange for an honest review~

Ricki Wilde is heir to her families funeral home empire, but struggles to fit into high society like her sisters. She follows her passion to open a florist shop, after a fortuitous offer of a retail space by her new friend, 96 year old, recently widowed Della. In her new Harlem neighbourhood, Ricki meets a mysterious man, and they both find they are inexplicably drawn to each other.

Told in the present, and flashbacks to the 1920’s, this vibrant and beautifully written story is very different to Seven Days in June, but is equally complex and detailed. I loved the gentle mystery running through the story, which always felt just out of my reach to unravel. I loved the characterisation of Ricki which felt very tongue in cheek and authentic. I also really loved the way the author was able to create emotionally charged situations, including intense tragedy, quiet sensuousness and haunting anticpation.

Like Seven Days in June, I think this is a great one to go in blind, to really experience the twists and turns of the story.

Thank you Hachette Australia and New Zealand, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book.

Chaotic in the best way. The plot was so intriguing and every little revelation had me jumping to so many conclusions about what this book was going to be about. Once I found out it had magical realism, I was excited to keep reading.

However, I don’t think the way the plot was executed and written was it for me. There were equal parts I loved and didn’t love about this, but overall it was an enjoyable read and it was interesting learning about Black history and art throughout the years!

Tia Williams is an auto-author for me, but even so - WOW, this blew me away! I devoured it in 24 hours and kept thinking about it afterwards. I don’t want to spoil the story, so I’ll keep my review generic. I love the way Ms Williams blends loveable characters with rich storylines. There was not a single character I hated (although I sure disliked Ricki’s family) and I felt love for all the main characters. I loved the settings of past and present Harlem, and how Ms Williams brought it to life with neighbourhood institutions (made me crave some Red Rooster!). This was a mix of genres - romance, historical fiction, magical realism - and it worked beautifully. A Love Song for Ricki Wilde will for sure be in my top books for 2024. Thanks Hachette Australia for this ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I seem to be in the minority, but unfortunately, I did not love this book. I liked the idea of the plot, and I loved the Harlem history and the flashbacks to the jazz era, as well as the references to my fave Stevie Wonder. I liked the characters, particularly Tuesday, but I didn't feel a strong connection with the two main characters and their relationship. I feel that there wasn't enough dialogue or time given to develop the relationship between them. They only had brief interactions until the end of the book, which worked logically in terms of the plot, but for me resulted in a lack of chemistry and authenticity. The plot was an interesting concept, but was a bit too predictable and lacking in tension.

Overall, still an easy, enjoyable read, but not a favourite. As I said at the beginning, I seem to be in the minority and this is just my personal opinion, so please give it a read if you are interested!

Firstly, thankyou so so much to Hachette Australia and Netgalley for the review copy!

This is my first ever Tia Williams book and I was completely blown away from the exquisite writing, the characters and the overall magic feeling this gave me while reading.

A Love Song For Ricki Wilde follows Ricki who breaks away from her rich family and their business empire in order to follow her dreams and open a florist shop in Harlem after meeting her new elderly landlord, Ms Della. Ricki ends up meeting a man who has a little magical something about him and they end up being drawn to eachother throughout the book until a romance develops.

The romance was incredibly beautiful and is now possibly one of my favourites EVER. Ricki and Ezra absolutely shone both as individuals and as a couple, and the side characters were so great to read about and I loved learning about each of them.

Tia Williams writes so beautifully and made Harlem and the Harlem Renaissance simultaneously feel so real and magical.

I can not wait to pick this up in person and read it all over again. Absolutely one of my favourites of 2023 and I only wish I didn't film my 2023 favourite books so soon before reading this!

first of all, thank you NetGalley and Hachette Australia & NZ for the arc! (Australian release date: February 13th, 2024)

Oh my god.

i love Tia Williams. immediate 5 stars.

If you know me and you have asked me for a rec, chances are I've told you to read Seven Days in June (I can see y'alls TBR). Add this too, because I can't speak highly enough about it. So here we go (spoiler free)

In 'A Love Song for Ricki Wilde', we follow our fmc, Ricki Wilde, the youngest sibling of 4 sisters who dreams of opening her own florist in a family where you don't tend to break away from the norm and instead, follow in the life that has been provided for you. After meeting the elderly Ms. Della, who offers Ricki a space for her to follow her dreams, Ricki packs up and relocates to the Harlem neighbourhood in New York City, which will be the primary setting for our story, in both the present and past.

We see Ricki open her (somewhat) successful business, and come across this mysterious guy, and they keep running into each other. She feels drawn to him, and vice versa. Let me just say, this storyline doesn't disappoint. I was GAGGED by the 'big reveal'. Like I had to get up, walk away, and come back. The romance that develops between them is beautifully written, with elements of mystery, high stakes, but also a sense of tenderness and heartbreak, similar to Seven Days in June. However, this book is nothing like Seven Days in June, but it is just as damn good.

Ricki is such a loveable, relatable character. The supporting female characters of Ms. Della and Tuesday (her book when?) are perfect additions to this story and added the right amount of necessary depth. This story also contains flashbacks to 100 years prior, and as the story unfolds it all intertwines in the most unexpected of ways, but it is done so seamlessly and that's an attribute to Tia Williams wonderful writing. And all the references to February? It makes it even better that this is being released in a February leap year!

ALSO, the references to Seven Days in June? I LOVE WHEN AUTHORS DO THIS! It was so wholesome to see.

5 / 5 stars. can't wait to get my physical copy on release day!

Once again, thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & NZ for the arc. all opinions are my own.