I’m crying so baaddd! I love Tia so much. She don’t miss!! I felt so immersed and empathized so much with her writing. How she illustrates with words and beyond phenomenal. No cringes or anything. The bi in me was falling in love with both main characters.

This book is so romantic and swoon worthy. The way it hopes back in forth between the Black Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and current day Harlem was just so beautiful. I also loved the magical realism and how they worked that into the story in a totally unique and oddly believable way. And on another note, this is what a romance cover should look like! No more cartoons, just some gorgeous people being super gorgeous!

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 wish i could give this book more stars honestly,  was everything. it was funny, sexy, romantic, emotional, and the historical references made it such a beautifully interesting read. i went into this without even reading the blurb and i’m so glad because each page was such a delightful surprise i know i wont stop gushing about it for weeks. 

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." 

It’s Another 5 Star Read!!!

@tiawilliamswrites 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 grounding you in what is sure to be a story that will be shared for generations to come!