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.  

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. 

I gave Tia Williams’ other romance novel, Seven Days in Junes, five stars for how quickly I read it and how magical her writing made a non-magical story feel. In A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, her enchanting writing is paired with a magical love story where soulmates are real and mysterious strangers have impossible stories that turn out to be true. I liked this book, and while I didn’t like it as much as Seven Days in June, the setting and side characters definitely kept me engaged in the story.

Ricki Wilde is a very likeable main character. She’s cut from a different cloth from her wealthy, socialite family and this has always made her feel like an outcast. She leans into that feeling by standing out with both her outfit and lifestyle choices, as well as her decision to move to Harlem and start her own small business. It’s sort of her main character trait, and I did feel sometimes like we were told “Ricki is so out there!” rather than seeing it play out for ourselves. I liked a lot of other things about her character that were shown to us in the story, like her drive and humor, so regardless of some of her character elements coming across as forced, she was fun to read about.

The only other thing that felt forced to me, unfortunately, was the romance. I really did like the banter between Ricki and Ezra, and I love a story with a lot of longing and yearning, but it just moved so quickly that the intensity of their love story almost felt unnatural. However, as the mysteries of the story are revealed, it does explain that there are indeed unnatural elements at play, so I don’t think this was necessarily a bad choice for the book. I think I just wish we got maybe more scenes of their earlier interaction rather than what felt like a movie montage of all the times they ran into each other.

We did get a lot of focus on some side characters and even a chapter or two from their perspectives as well, and while my first reaction was to be annoyed that they pulled me away from the main story, ultimately they were some of my favorite chapters. Ms. Della in particular was such a treat, and I loved her and Ricki’s found family dynamic. I also loved Ricki’s quick friendship with former child-star Tuesday. And when the three women would get together to talk? Loved it.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book and had deeper emotions and conversations than a lot of other romance books I’ve read. Williams does a great job showing you the magic of the Harlem Renaissance and the ways it both lingers in modern Harlem and the ways it’s faded. I haven’t been there myself but it was a fascinating backdrop for a love story and added another layer to the novel. While the romance itself felt a bit rushed to me, I would still recommend Ricki Wilde.