A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams: Review

Welcome to my review of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde! I had the pleasure of seeing Tia WIlliams speak at Love Y’all Book Fest in February. Since she’s coming to Black Romance Book Fest in 2025, I thought it’d be the perfect time to get more acquainted with the authors that’ll be at the festival. This is my first book of hers, but as you’ll see by my review, it won’t be my last.

Title: A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
Author: Tia Williams
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub Date: 02/06/2024
Genre: Romance
Edition: Signed Hardcover

Description

In this sexy modern-day fairytale from the New York Times bestselling author of Seven Days in June, a free-spirited florist and an enigmatic musician share a soul mate connection told through the history, art, and magic of Harlem.

Leap years are a strange, enchanted time. And for some, even a single February can be life-changing.

Ricki Wilde has many talents, but being a Wilde isn’t one of them. As the impulsive, artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, she’s the opposite of her famous socialite sisters. Where they’re long-stemmed roses, she’s a dandelion: an adorable bloom that’s actually a weed, born to float wherever the wind blows. In her bones, Ricki knows that somewhere, a different, more exciting life awaits her.

When regal nonagenarian, Ms. Della, invites her to rent the bottom floor of her Harlem brownstone, Ricki jumps at the chance for a fresh beginning. She leaves behind her family, wealth, and chaotic romantic decisions to realize her dream of opening a flower shop. And just beneath the surface of her new neighborhood, the music, stories and dazzling drama of the Harlem Renaissance still simmers.

One evening in February as the heady, curiously off-season scent of night-blooming jasmine fills the air, Ricki encounters a handsome, deeply mysterious stranger who knocks her world off balance in the most unexpected way.  

Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a swoon-worthy love story of two passionate artists drawn to the magic, romance, and opportunity of New York, and whose lives are uniquely and irreversibly linked. 

Review

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde was everything to me. From the dual timeline and multiple perspectives to the tinge of magic and the Blackness of it all, this story felt so intentionally crafted. The genre blending was very smooth, and I found myself just as taken with the Harlem Renaissance setting as the contemporary one. 

This story was made to get lost into, and after the first three chapters, I knew this was going to be a book that I loved. Ricki herself was so easy to understand and root for. I loved her eccentricity, desire to make her own name, and insecurities. Her connection with Ms. Della was beautiful to witness as I thoroughly appreciate intergenerational friendships. Although, their relationship went a lot deeper than just friends. Ezra’s backstory was quite tragic, but I loved that he created a lane for himself with his talent. And he and Ricki were a match made in heaven.

The way everything connected and came together by the end felt so rewarding. And even though I knew how the story would end, I cried anyway. I was as emotionally invested as one can get in a fictional world with fictional characters. And while I rarely reread books, I could genuinely see myself revisiting this one to experience all the feels again. At the very least, I need to read Seven Days of June too.

Author

Tia Williams had a fifteen-year career as a beauty editor for magazines including Elle, Glamour, Teen People, and Essence. In 2004, she pioneered the beauty blog industry with her site Shake Your Beauty. She’s the author of The Accidental Diva, the It Chicks series, and The Perfect Find—now a Netflix film starring Gabrielle Union. Her novel, Seven Days in June, was an instant New York Times bestseller and the June 2021 Reese’s Book Club pick. A TV series adaptation is in development with Will Packer Productions. Her latest bestselling novel, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, was named one of the year’s best romances by New York Times and Amazon.
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Where to Buy

Bookshop | B&N | Amazon