Tia Williams has just made me like a fated lovers romance. Not like. Love. Lovers who are destined for each other is one of my least favorite tropes, but WIlliams makes this work for me. She throws in the right mix of magic and logic, and gives us achingly human characters. Now is the perfect time to read this. A lot of the action takes place in February 2024. Williams grounds her magic in the leap year, almost making me believe in the magic of February.
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a luxurious read. It is beautiful at every level. Williams gives us wonderful characters and then shows us the world they live in. She explores love in so many variations – friendship, romance, the love for community and culture, and love that defies time.
Ricki, the family screw-up, is stifled by the way her family defines success, so she jumps at the chance to strike out on her own. Before Ricki meets Ezra in the present, she forms bonds with her delightful landlady, Della, and her new best friend, Tuesday.
I know my true crime podcasts—what if it’s an elaborate ruse for some sick fuck to lure me out there to my death? Honestly, none of this matters anyway. We’re all just specks stuck to a floating rock hurtling through space.”
“Mysterious Benefactor might, in fact, kill you. But we all die of something.”
Incredulous, Ricki stared at her friend. “See, what I really need right now is a sane person to discourage me from these antics.”
“Your vibe attracts your tribe, babe.” Tuesday shrugged. “I didn’t invent science.”
I even enjoyed Ali, Ricki’s “King of Clowns” ex who provided moments of great entertainment.
Williams sets the story in Harlem, both during the Harlem Renaissance and in contemporary Harlem. Gentrification and many forms of racialized violence are woven into the story. A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is gorgeous, lyrical, layered with meaning, and will make you grateful to bleed for it.
Content warnings: racial violence, racism, violent death of family off page, family estrangement.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Forever Grand Publishing and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.