On the surface, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams is a love story that connects two artists across generations. But in reality, it’s a story about a young woman who takes a chance on herself and her dream. Ricki Wilde is a 20-something from Atlanta who comes from a wealthy and meritocratic family. Since childhood she always felt that she didn’t fit in, and maybe there’s good reason for that. Her inability to fit in, in addition to meeting her fairy godmother, leads her to Harlem.

As she immerses herself in her new community, which is filled with the history of the Harlem Renaissance, she meets a man. She feels an extraordinary but unexplainable draw to him, with multiple run-ins that don’t seem coincidental. Williams draws readers in with a modern day love story, sprinkled with colloquial humor and Louisiana voodooism. She balances Harlem’s intersection with music throughout history, and what the Harlem Renaissance offered Black Americans in the 1920s. Across generations, Williams uses Ricki’s business as a flower shop owner to pay homage to historical figures and places from that time. All of this, together with intense sex scenes, makes this a perfect book for the hopeless romantic and history buff.

-Monique Wilson, editorial assistant

Out now