Okay so main character is Richard Wilde aka Ricki Wilde the 2nd named after her dad who wanted a son and they had everything in order so they just didn’t change the name at all. She has three sisters Rae and Rashida and Regina. She is the youngest and her family owns (her dad) a funeral home business. However she is a horticulturist and loves plants. Moves to Harlem with Ms Della and lives below or above or in her brownstone. 

So basically this is leap year of 2024. February. We meet Ezra Walker the 3rd or fourth in 1923. Leap year!!!!! February!!!!! Him and his cousin Sonny. So basically he’s a musician and is really good.

Starts at The Nest. However Sonny turns into an addict and leaves him his dog GROUCHO BARX in 1927 or so!!! He still has the collar on 2024. Weird right??? So he’s not a ghost because he can be touched but is he forever stuck at one age? Stuck in time? Stuck in February leap years for the rest of his life. His ex had a tragic death! Was that Ricki???? Is that why he feels so drawn to her and it’s like they know each other??? PAST LIVES PERHAPS????????? 

Not a coincidence that he called Ricki a tornado and called his old girlfriend Felice a hurricane and tornado like!!!! NOT A COINCIDENCE AT ALL!!!! What the fuck?

Okay so Ricki lives now where He once lived. I think! Also I think the piano she has was his own personal one. That’s why he was so gutted seeing it. WAIT ACRUALLY THE SEX SCENE WHEN HE NEEDED HER TO COMPLETE THE SONG???? Can I just say hot but also so fucking devastating in the best way possible?

Like I was crying and then the next moment I was like oh fuck yeah they’re hot! The NEED. The need for each other in that moment. I’m fucking scratching my eyes out idk. 

Felice is so obviously manic but is she actually hurting people or just doing voodoo and they’re getting hurt from that.

Nah she seems wild enough to actually be doing the stuff. LMAOOOOO. 

OH MY GOF NO I DIDNT WANT TO BE RIGHT WHAT THE HELL NO WAY 

Okay so beautiful so stunning. The Harlem Renaissance backdrop and history interwoven in this, Black history to be more precise was so well done. I felt like I was in Harlem in the 1920’s. Tia teleported me there and I love her for that because it was so atmospheric.

You can feel the pain and grief that Breeze was going through and living with in the 20’s after he moved from South Carolina. Everything was said in a raw and explicit way and I love that. I would definitely check trigger warnings. 

The writing was beautiful and I am now forever a Stan of Tia Williams. Devastating is the only way I know how to describe this book, but also devastatingly tender. ACHING. Ezra in present time was. SO PAINFUL. Even before we knew what was going on, you can FEEL the longing through the pages and AHHHHHH that just makes me wanna cry even harder. 

The way that everything was linked.

THE LEAP YEAR. DELLA. THE BUILDINGS AND PLACES!!!!! JASMINE FLOWERS!!!!!!

Rah, I love Tias mind. I would like to live inside of it. 

Not only would she have to make up a current story and timeline in the year 2024, but also do so much research for the environment, people, clothing, trends, music and everything else for the 1920’s and the location and how everything was. The language and dialect and just everything seeped in rich history was just so well done. It hurts my heart that history like this is trying to get taken out of schools today like !!!!!! 

Books like this deserve to be made into movies. Documentaries or something cause what the hell?!?! I saw it playing in my head but no I need to see this on the big screen like fr. It won’t do it justice at all but oh my god I’d love to see them try.  

I am definitely going to be trying out the audiobook of this because I know it will be so good with the Black voices and everything else!!!!! I so want to hear that and be transported back into the magic of this story. 

God bless Ricki for finally

sticking up to her dumbass sisters dumb dumber and dumbest!!!!!! They are Awful people with a capital A. Her mom is literally in need of help. Her dad, iffy but also I like that he was proud of her, at least a little bit. 

I’m so sad I was right about the sacrifice being Della. So sad. I wanted to be wrong but unfortunately

I felt it in the air. 

I just simply must come back to this book every once in a while because it was stunning. I have no adequate words. 10/10 love!!!!!

I don’t even know how to put into words how much I loved this book. Ricki was such a relatable, funny, and vibrant main character—I was completely drawn into her world. The writing was just so witty, descriptive, and fun, even with all the heartbreak and tension woven into the plot. I wish I could reread it again for the first time because it was that beautiful and tragic. The minor characters all had such rich, compelling backstories. Ezra, Ms. Della, and Tuesday especially stood out, and the past/present descriptions of Harlem added so much depth. This book was magic. I only removed a half star because the ending was predictable, but still satisfying. 

Title: A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
Author: Tia Williams
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: February 6, 2024

I received a complimentary ALC from Hachette Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Electric • Mystical • Intoxicating

📖 S Y N O P S I S

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.

💭 T H O U G H T S

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases after I enjoyed Seven Days in June so much. For some undefined reason, it took me over a year to finally get to and I can only be left wondering why I waited so long? The only part of the synopsis I read was the first line 'And for some, even a single February can be life-changing' and should have been my first sign everything about this novel would work for me.

Told from various perspectives and spanning different timelines, this story is filled with so many individual elements I loved. Starting with the modern Harlem setting, which creates a vibrant and exciting backdrop for Rickie's story. Her black sheep personality and social anxiety instantly had me rooting for her as she sets out to forge her own path by opening up a flower shop. Erza's character has an air of mystery and guardedness from a traumatic past. Their love story is so unique as fates collide. And of course, the side characters of Ms. Della and Tuesday were welcome additions.

Tia's writing is so passionate and energetic bringing everything to life in a way only she can. She's able to combine historical, magical, romantic, and artistic elements into a well plotted and beautiful story. The Renaissance glamour, the insight into black culture, specifically aspects of voodoo, the unlikely friendship with Ms. Della, the musical inspiration of the times, and the found family trope all blend together to make this an unforgettable reading experience.

The audiobook, narrated by Mela Lee and Preston Butler, was absolutely FANTASTIC! It added an extra layer to the whole whimsical and enchanting atmosphere. Their voices were exactly what I imagined the characters to sound like and brought everything to another level. I could definitely hear the passion and emotion the story contains in their voices.

I went into A Love Song for Ricki Wilde expecting one thing and it delivered something entirely different - something so much better. All of the smaller elements came together in a way
that worked perfectly for me. This story and its characters will definitely stay with me. Tia's writing style is chef's kiss and I look forward to more from her. If you go in looking for solely romance, you may be disappointed, because this one is so much more.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• Harlem Renaissance
• romance-lite
• flower shops and horticulture

⚠️ CW: sexual content, death, death of parent, death of partner, suicide, toxic relationship, alcohol, alcoholism, infidelity, mental illness, miscarriage, addiction, overdose, depression, cancer, terminal illness, cursing, racism, hate crime, fire/fire injury, abandonment, injury/injury detail

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"He was music I could listen to forever."

"'It isn't normal,' he conceded. 'But it is my life.'"

"Besides lie sits shoulder to shoulder with death. It's around us all the time." 

Tia Williams you deserve all the Literary Awards for this piece 💐💐💐💐

This story tugged at all emotions and wove together the fabric of being human, being Black, being Black while not fully viewed as human in America means 😮‍💨

This story is art truly. The details, imagery, soulful proses and feelings of magic each line breathes to life 😭 I hold firm to no spoilers so will say trust me you indeed need to read this one for yourself.

Also if you are second guessing audio books I encourage to try audiobook version of this story. The narrators Mela Lee and Preston Butler truly usher you into the story and with every character introduction, plot twist and emotion they hold your hand groundingy you in what is sure to be a story that will be shared for generations to come!

First, I want to start off by saying that the prose and historical aspects of this book are lovely. Tia Williams is and will be an incredible writer, no matter the genre. 

However, this book was not for me. I love magical realism, I do, but this one kept trying to toe the line of both being and not being magical realism throughout the entire book. I was far more interested in the Harlem Renaissance chapters than I was anything with Ricki (sorry). Or even Della! I would have loved this to be a look through Della's life. I just really struggled with Ricki and Ricki's schticky family. 

Also, this book doesn't get into the real meat of the magical realism until around 60% of the way through. It leaves you wondering what is going on as if there is going to be a big payoff - and there really never is. The exposition of what's going on feels a bit underdeveloped and underwhelming. And why were they so drawn to each other? Maybe I just too much of a skeptic to really 'get' the Fated Mates trope, but I could not suspend my disbelief that they were a perfect match. What did they even have in common? 

This book left me pretty frustrated throughout the majority of it and that's disappointing, to say the least. 

My summary: 

Ever the disappointment in her family, Ricki Wilde has dreams of opening her own flower shop. But her family owns the nationwide chain of Wilde Funeral Homes and all of her sisters have successfully followed in their father’s footsteps, with the expectation of Ricki doing the same. When she finally finds the nerve to reveal her grand idea to her family, they completely dismiss her and then her father effectively fires her. All hope seems lost for her dream to gain traction, until Ms. Della, a kind older woman, comes into the funeral home on one of Ricki’s last days there. Worried it’s too good to be true but out of options, Ricki takes up Ms. Della’s offer and moves to Harlem into the bottom floor apartment of Ms. Della’s building. As Ricki pours her heart into Wilde Things, her flower shop begins to grow and she is drawn to the magnetic Ezra Walker in an inexplicable way.

My thoughts:

This book is the perfect blend of romance and intrigue and magical realism. A vibrant blending of modern day with the Harlem Renaissance makes you feel like you’ve stepped right into the pages. 

This book is fantastic and I felt so drawn into it. I really didn’t know anything at all about the Harlem Renaissance during the Roaring 20s before picking this up and Tia Williams made this glimpse of it sound so incredible that I want to learn more about it. 

I love Ricki’s social awkwardness and wit. Ezra is maddeningly intriguing and I just couldn’t get enough of him. The mystery of his story is both tantalizing and infuriating. I love Ms. Della with her found family and guardian angel role in the story—and she gives us all someone to aspire to be like when we’re 96! Tuesday is also such a fun yet somewhat tragic character as a former famous child actress. 

I saw Tia Williams at a panel at the LA Times Festival of Books and I had never read any of her books before. And after hearing her talk—especially about the, ahem, piano scene—I knew I wanted to dive into this as soon as possible. 

Going into this book after hearing Tia talk about some of her inspiration for this book made it SO much better than just going in blind. Listening to her talk about not knowing flowers or pianos before this book, her previous work at magazines, and that she loved the idea of how exotic night-blooming jasmine sounded all made reading this such an incredibly richer experience for me. 

Go to author events. Or listen to podcasts featuring authors. Dive into the author’s story a bit before reading and all of it will really take your reading to a new level of enjoyment.