Y’all know I’m a big fan of Seven Days in June so I had to check out A Love Song for Ricki Wilde.

Briefly…a free-spirited florist and an enigmatic musician are irreversibly linked through the history, art, and magic of Harlem.

So this story is not at all what I was expecting (in a good way). I think it’s best to just jump in blindly and enjoy the ride. Tia’s lyrical writing is enchanting. You can feel the all consuming love flow from the pages. She also has this uncanny ability to write a deeply character driven story with so much plot. I will say the first half caught me off guard the second half had me enthralled. I know that’s vague but I don’t want to ruin this beautiful love story for you. You’ll have to check it out for yourself!

Thank you @HachetteAudio for the ALC. the narration is superb!

For fans of sweeping romances with a strong nod to historical fiction and a captivating setting that is a character in and of itself, look no further than this one. This story contains diverse and captivating characters, as well as a dual timeline that shows Harlem in its current New York reality juxtaposed with its cultural peak during the Harlem Renaissance. Ricki is born into the famously wealthy and established Black dynasty known as the Wilde family, however she has always felt like the odd daughter out, choosing flowers and dreams over business and perfectly ironed suits. When Ricki meets the fabulous Ms. Della, Ricki is offered a ticket to her future dream, renting and running a flower shop on the ground floor of Ms. Della’s Harlem brownstone. This brownstone serves as an anchor for Ricki, as both the embodiment of her dreams and also a living memory of the music, drama, and stories that used to make this neighborhood’s streets come alive. But when Ricki runs into a mysterious stranger, and then continues to run into him all throughout her new neighborhood, the pair realize they may somehow be intrinsically linked to one another. A story of love, creativity, and a culture both new and old, this is a fabulously diverse and magical romance perfect for those wanting a little historical fiction and magical realism with a swoony New York setting.

Just in time for Valentine's Day is this love story for the ages.
Tia Williams has done it again, a beautiful love story with an interesting twist! Having read and adored Seven Days in June, I am familiar with Ms. Williams writing and A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is enchanting!
Ricki breaks away from her judgemental southern family and moves to New York to build a life for herself and pursue her dreams. She meets Ezra who has a complicated past, and they embark on a romance filled with passion that is not without obstacles. Will true love prevail? Read this lovely novel to find out.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook. The narration was perfect! The narrator really had the right diction and tone for this story.

He was music I could listen to forever.

3.5 stars rounded up

A Love Song For Ricki Wilde is a contemporary romance filled with flowers, music, magic and history. A feel good love story just in time for Valentines day.

PLOT Ricki Wilde had always been the outcast of her high society family. She decides to go out on her own and moves to New York where she starts a Flower shop in an old brownstone seeped in old Harlem Magic. One night she runs into Ezra, and she can't seem to stop running into him. Ricki and Ezra's lives are connected in ways Ricki cannot even begin to imagine.

While the plot was a little predictable, I don't really mind that in a Romance. Where this story shines is how it highlights New York and African American history. If you are picking this up for a shocking twist, you'll likley be disappointed.

PROSE This was beautifully written, however the young FMC and the use of modern slang made this story feel like a YA romance

PEOPLE Breeze and Ms. Della were PERFECT. The chapters from Breeze's POV were my favorite (I actually wish there had been more). He was flawed and sweet and funny. Williams did such a wonderful job building real, well-rounded characters.

Ms. Della is Ricki's landlady. She is in her 90s, newly widowed, and looking to make the most of the time she has left. Her connection with Ricki is truly lovely -- and Mela Lee's narration as Miss Della was *chefs kiss*

Now for the *unpopular opinion*: I did not love Ricki as the FMC. She was fine, but when compared with the other characters she just fell flat. She did not have the same rich backstory; her family was one dimensional, honestly without them the story would not have changed. Her success felt like it happened over night with little effort on her part. Her character felt inconsistent, sometimes shy sometimes bold, sometimes careful sometimes brash. Ezra can say she is the most interesting person he's ever met a million times, I am not buying it. Also I am all for the love of music but A PIANO Ricki? Come on girl.

PLACE This story is Dual timeline, split between present day Harlem and the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. I loved the snippets of Old Harlem history and the way Breeze's story was intertwined with real events, it made the story all the more real.

FINAL THOUGHTS I have personally never been to New York, but you can tell this book is truly a Love Song for New York and the Harlem Renaissance. The culture woven into this story, the pieces of history, that was the real love story in this book.

I listened to the audio version but I rather think I would have preferred to read it. The book was narrated by two wildly talented narrators (Mela Lee & Preston Butler) but I just didn't love Ricki Wilde, something about the way she was narrated, or maybe the way she was written, made me struggle to connect with the character.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde has similarities to The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue or Tuck Everlasting, though to compare it to either does it a disservice, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is really its own story.

I recommend this book if you like:
Angsty Romances
Fated Mates
Modern Slang
Hoodoo & Voodoo
Jazz
The Harlem Renaissance


TW: suicide, death, miscarriage

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the audio arc (with an anticipated release date less than a week away i got in just under the wire)

I was really excited to get approved for this one, but in all honesty, I found it to be lacking. I just didn’t connect to the characters.

I loved this book so very much. What a wonderful story and journey through time. I was hooked as soon as I met Ricki. I loved her passion for life and taking the path that she wanted take despite pressure from her family. Watching her make her way in NY was inspiring, and I wanted to join her on every adventure. The relationship that develops between Ms. Della and Ricki is so heartwarming. I could feel the love between them, and they were absolutely what the other needed in their life.

I loved piecing together Ezra's story as the book progressed and the bond that Ezra instantly formed with Ricki made my heart flutter. I was getting goosebumps and could feel the chemistry while listening to this audiobook.

The narrator was wonderful on this audiobook. Her voice captured the story with her subtle changes in accents and you could feel the passion she gave to each character. A++

Seven Day of June has been on my TBR. After reading A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, it will be read next week on vacation. I will also be purchasing A Love Song for Ricki Wilde because that will be a book that I will recommend to friends and I will read again and again and again. And that cover art!! Tia Williams is an incredible author that I will follow. Her books will be a guarantee read for me!

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars! This was such a beautiful love story!! Ricki was not different from her siblings in the way that she didn’t follow the career path that her parents had dreamed for her…to become a doctor. So she saved up her own money to follow her dream, and moved to NY into Della’s brownstone and opened her flower shop.

One day she meets Ezra and she is immediately drawn to him, but doesn’t she doesn’t know why, but he does and he wants her to stay far away from him. But for some reason, they keep seeing each other, as if they are supposed to be together. Ezra continues to try to avoid Ricky, but it’s as if they’re spiritually connected.

This is a beautiful love story that travels through time and Ricki and Ezra’s journey was challenging but amazing! I definitely recommend this book!!

I am beyond speechless. Tia Williams has done it again. This book was so incredibly beautiful, poetic and plain ROMANTIC. I have never read anything like it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audio book.
This was my first Tia Williams and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure where the two different timelines were headed, at first, but when they finally came together, it was worth it. I enjoyed the fantastical nature of the storyline and felt really satisfied by the ending.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the audio ARC to read and review.

Narrators: Mela Lee and Preston Butler- both narrators did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and adding to the storytelling.

This is a romance book with a dash of paranormal. It is a dual timeline, 2024 and 1920s Harlem Renaissance era. Ricki Wilde is the daughter of high society Atlanta family that is in the funeral home business. She has ADHD and has always been seen as the outcast in the family. They feel she is impulsive and directionless. Ricki has a passion for flowers and wants to open her own flower shop. When her family denies her she is given an opportunity through this funny and sweet 90+ year old women, Ms. Della.

Ms. Della offers up her Harlem brownstone, basement floor for the flower shop to be opened up. Ricki jumps at the opportunity and she opens up her flower shop. One day she runs into this man in the community gardens and she is drawn to him. The two of them cannot help but keep running into each other.

Then we also get the 1920s timeline of a musician as he comes up from the south to Harlem with the goal of growing his musical career. He faces racism, discrimination and the history of the time period as a Black man in society. We get to see the obstacles but also his successes and love as he dates.

I loved this book and related so much to Ricki and her desire for friends but also being an introvert and wanting to keep your energy to yourself. She was funny, dynamic and I loved seeing her grow and the character development.

We also get a peak at the characters from Seven Days in June and that was fun. I highly recommend you add this to those library holds or pre-orders!

CW: suicide, racism, hate crime, cancer, death, terminal illness, ableism, mentions of addiction, miscarriage and body shaming.

"A Love Song for Ricki Wilde" is a magical love story set in present day Harlem through Ricki's perspective and the vibrant Harlem of the 1920s, as narrated by Breeze. I really enjoyed listening to this on audiobook as the dual narrators enhanced the experience, making it easy to navigate the dual timelines. The audio made me feel like I was watching a movie. Ricki's character development is a highlight, as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and passion. Ezra was also a refreshing male lead and not like any of the men in Ricki's past. Overall the dynamics and relationships in the found family brought a special warmth to the narrative. The meticulously executed ending brings a perfect conclusion to this enchanting tale!

I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley and Hachette Audio, all opinions are my own.

I love Tia William's books and this one is no different. The Audio version was narrated so well and with such feeling that I felt the story in a way that I don't think I would have if i read it myself. Ezra and Ricki's story of love was so unique and I really enjoyed the different timelines. This book was such a feel good book and I would recommend it to anyone. Tia Williams has nailed it again!

I'm not crying, you're crying.

The emotion that this book made me feel. Loved it. I appreciate books that make me feel things, and this was so wonderful. I appreciate all of the things this book was doing, and had a really great time reading it.

I did notice a few pacing issues, where the story lulled a little bit, but the vibes were so immaculate, it didn't matter. The main characters were really great and I think we all want a Della in our lives. The romance was sweet and I really enjoyed reading them as a couple. I also really loved how the paranormal/time travelling elements were explained so easily.

I got early access to the audiobook and I it was a really great way to experience this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for an early copy.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐀 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐓𝐢𝐚 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐬
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐫
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and Hachette Audio for my #gifted copies of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde!

Oh my heart! A Love Song for Ricki Wilde was pure perfection! Tia William has such a way with words, and the imagery was just unbelievable. I adored the characters in this book and just felt like everything was so well developed. This is one I will be highly recommending for a VERY long time! It’s beautiful, heartbreaking, hilarious, and breathtaking all at the same time! A MUST READ!

Ricki Wilde has never felt like she has fit in with the rest of her family. With a love for flowers, and hopes to leave her family business in Atlanta, Ricki takes a once in a lifetime offer to rent the bottom floor of a Harlem brownstone, owned by a woman named Ms. Della. With plans to open a flower shop she packs up for a new start, despite the lack of support from her family. One evening in February, she smells the scent of jasmine in the night air (which is unusual for the time of year), and encounters a handsome man, she eventually comes to find out is Ezra. From there, we go on a journey with Ricki and Ezra, watching their love blossom. Filled with magical realism, mystery, and found family elements, will their love continue to grow, despite the many obstacles in their way?

🎧I alternated between the physical book and the audiobook, narrated by Mela Lee and Preston Butler. WOW! These two together as narrators were a DREAM. They truly elevated my experience and I could listen to them tell a story all day long. No matter what format you choose for this one, you cannot go wrong!

💐Dual Timelines and POV
💐Historical Fiction
💐Magical Realism
💐Romance
💐Found Family

Posted on Goodreads on January 31, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around February 6, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on February 6, 2024
**-will post on designated date

II don't do Romance novels. Oops. This is a lovely and well plotted tale of Richard Wilde, Jr. fourth daughter (Ricki) of the Wilde funeral home chain Wildes -- and the misfit. Ricki's older sisters grew up to run franchises and please their Dad. Their mother just drinks booze these days. Ricki just wants to be a florist and make her way in the world. On one of her last days as a greeter at the main funeral home, she meets 96 year old Della, come to bury her husband, and both of their lives change forever. As they open up to one another, Della shows Ricki a photo of the boarded up street level exterior of Della's Harlem brownstone she.. Suitable for a flower shop. Della lives upstairs.

So, this is a coming of age story, as Ricki navigates her way through moving to Harlem from Atlanta, a very different urban experience, starting a business with very little money, and making some friends in interesting ways that don't always work out. Meanwhile, when she needs some green space one February night, she learns about a community garden where she is puzzled by the smell of night blooming Jasmine. That's not a winter bloom. And she is startled by and drawn to a strange man, who, seeing her, becomes distressed and leaves.

The story takes place in two time periods, Winter 2024 and during the Harlem Renaissance in Winter 1924 to 1928. Ricki gets interested in the history of Harlem and 1924 is the era where we meet Breeze Walker, a shy guy from the south who can play the piano like a star….. maybe. There is nothing more to say without spoilers. I listened to the audio version of this and while I figured out there was a love story going on, it was only when it got (appropriately) steamy that I realized, "Oh. I'm reading a Romance novel." Well, listening to one. Two good narrators. A very well written, not super shallow (is my bias showing) and totally engrossing story. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio & Tia Williams for an audio ARC of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest, this one wasn't on my radar until I saw the audio pop on on NetGalley and thought I would give it a shot. I am so glad I did because this was such a lovely, heartwarming story. I was not expecting the magical element of it, so that was a nice surprise.

Ricki Wilde doesn't quite fit the mold of the rest of her family, so she moves to Harlem and opens her own flower shop to escape being the disappointment she feels that she is to her family, which is ridiculous, because Ricki is the most beautiful one of the entire bunch! She gets this opportunity through Ms. Della (90+ years old) who allows Ricki to rent out space in her Harlem brownstone.

One evening, Ricki is in a local park, when she feels a strange pull and locks eyes with a gorgeous stranger, Ezra. Even though he looks terrified of her, they just keep getting pulled back together and their chemistry is undeniable. But, he has a secret as to why he can't fall in love with her, even though they're meant to be. He's been cursed and for him to fall in love with her means that she will die on February 29th.

This story is told in somewhat alternating timelines of the present with Ricki & Ezra and then back in the earlier 1900s with the story of a musician called Breeze. It seemed odd at first, but the two timelines definitely intersect.

This story had everything I could have hoped for - romance, historical tie-ins, rich culture and a touch of magic.

It was a quick & easy read that I will absolutely recommend on social media!

I'm not even going to try to be nice. This book was horrible.
It was so bad I laughed. The puns, the erotic scenes and feminist mantra that ran though this book absolutely sucked any enjoyment I could have possibly had.

In case you don't believe me there is a scene where the two main characters go to a "Bottomless Restaurant" where pants were not allowed.

Yes. Seriously.

On top of the obnoxiously "sexy scenes" the book was so predictable. I have been thrown by more Hallmarks plots than this book. From the second time we meet Ezra it is pretty clear what the "mystery" is, and then once you learn about how his "curse" is reversed I wish the announcment, "Flight attendants prepare for landing, please store items in the overhead compartments and returns seats to the upright and locked position" came on so we could have landed the plane 150 pages earlier.
Tia Williams tried to write in a seductive sexy voice, but it did not connect with me. What she was trying to describe as a sensual moment or even seductive, felt more like a forced conglomerate of words. (The word conglomerate is just not sexy at all....) But yeah, no I had no warm ad fuzzies.

Again this book also pushed a certain narrative and belief I wish there was not so much "agendas" in books. I read this book for Friends and Fiction Book Club (Previous month was Rebecca Not Becky--insert face plant here) and so far the average star rating is 1. (Note I rated this book 1 star....for my math peeps to find the average (1+1)/2 = 1 Star.

This book was a crash landing for me....hoping to take off to somewhere much better for my next read!
Bon Voyage!

Netgalley thank you for *allowing* me to review this advanced copy read. I was not paid or influenced in exchange for my honest thoughts.

First off gorgeous cover for the book I was so drawn to it.
This book was amazing, it was every thing I needed. It had love loss emotions so strong. It truly is a book where love prevails.

To start, I refuse to give any details about this book in this review. Trust me, it is so much better if you go in knowing nothing. But know, you’re in for a true masterpiece. Tia Williams weaves a beautiful tapestry of history, mystery and magic with this story. It was like the best comfort food - warm, welcoming and filling. I adored these characters and the parts they played. Even the setting felt like a character with its rich history and personality. Just read it. You won’t be disappointed.

This fated love story with a smidge of mystery and a dollop of chosen family is the perfect leap year read.