A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
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4.6 • 233 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher 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 the magic of Harlem.
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2024
A BookPage Best Romance Book of 2024
The daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, Ricki Wilde is the opposite of her famous socialite sisters. In her bones, Ricki knows that somewhere, a different, more exciting life awaits her. When she moves into a Harlem brownstone, she leaves behind her family, wealth, and chaotic romantic decisions to realize her dream of opening a flower shop. One evening 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.
Includes a Reading Group Guide.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Get ready to luxuriate in an utterly magical romance. Headstrong Ricki Wilde doesn’t want to follow her Atlanta family into the funeral business. So she follows her dreams, moving to Harlem to run a quirky flower shop and surrounding herself with chosen family instead of the disappointed clan she left back in Georgia. Things heat up when she meets Ezra, a jazz musician who gets Ricki feeling all sorts of tingly. But there’s something strange about Ezra. And that just may have something to do with how this romantic fantasy keeps sliding back and forth between the present and the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, which Tia Williams renders with so much style and color you’ll want to stay in those fashionable glory days. Williams makes strong but subtle points about race and family, and she peppers both timelines with snappy exchanges tailor-made for a movie. This heady mashup of love, magic, and history is a delight.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Elegantly blending past and present, romance and fantasy, Williams (Seven Days in June) delivers a gorgeous, transportive love letter to the Harlem Renaissance. The novel begins in the present day, introducing 28-year-old vintage fashionista Ricki Wilde, the youngest in a high-achieving, high-society Atlanta family. While her sisters happily contribute to her father's funeral home empire, Ricki, who's considered by her family to be "too flighty, too messy, too much," wants nothing to do with the family business. She dreams instead of opening a flower shop—and through hard work, an extremely popular floral Instagram account, and a touch of fate, she's able to move to Harlem and follow her dream. Bouts of crushing loneliness and social anxiety are eased by Tuesday, a former child star who bursts into the shop and becomes Ricki's new best friend, and Ms. Della, her spunky 96-year-old landlady. And then there's Ezra, a jazz savant who, Ricki thinks, would be "beautiful in any era, anytime, anywhere"—and indeed he seems somewhat out of place in this one. What begins as a simple romance is elevated by rich history as the story flashes back through Harlem's past, revealing both its glamor and its danger. This vast time span creates an epic feel that never overpowers the tender heat of the romance. It's a showstopper.
Customer Reviews
LOVED IT!
This book is an amazing collection of Black experiences through history with the overarching theme of love and soulmates. I loved it!
Beautiful, magical work of art
Captivating from beginning to end. The writing, magical mix of Harlem history and folklore was unexpected but woven in excitably well into the storyline. Tia, you’ve truly done it again pulling at my heartstrings. Rick and Ezra’s story leaves an indelible mark!
Outstanding
Such a well written book. I read it in 3 days. The story line was amazing. Def a tribute to past, present and future!