Adult, book review

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (Review)

Title: Seven Days in June
Author: Tia Williams
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
(Hachette Book Group)
Date published: June 1, 2021

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Brooklynite Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer, who is feeling pressed from all sides. Shane Hall is a reclusive, enigmatic, award-winning literary author who, to everyone’s surprise, shows up in New York.

When Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event, sparks fly, raising not only their past buried traumas, but the eyebrows of New York’s Black literati. What no one knows is that twenty years earlier, teenage Eva and Shane spent one crazy, torrid week madly in love. They may be pretending that everything is fine now, but they can’t deny their chemistry-or the fact that they’ve been secretly writing to each other in their books ever since.

Over the next seven days in the middle of a steamy Brooklyn summer, Eva and Shane reconnect, but Eva’s not sure how she can trust the man who broke her heart, and she needs to get him out of New York so that her life can return to normal. But before Shane disappears again, there are a few questions she needs answered. . .

With its keen observations of Black life and the condition of modern motherhood, as well as the consequences of motherless-ness, Seven Days in June is by turns humorous, warm and deeply sensual.

⤖ My Review ⬻

Where do I begin with Seven Days in June? I suppose I could start off by saying that this was one of my favourite reads of the summer–if not the year. I felt very invested in what was happening to Eva and her journey from the very first page!

The same was the case with the male lead, Shane, although not quite to that extent. While there are two main characters in this book, I still think that it was written with Eva being the main main character in mind. I really liked how both Eva and Shane, as well as the side characters, were written and just the way the story itself flowed. I wouldn’t say that I read a lot of contemporary romance…but I read enough to be able to say that this book felt quite different from anything else I’ve read in the genre.

Tia Williams has a voice that is all her own and I have already requested and received her next book, The Perfect Find, which came out on September 14 because I so thoroughly enjoyed Seven Days in June. While the synopsis of her next book didn’t quite capture my attention the way the one for Seven Days in June did, I was impressed enough by Seven Days in June to give it a shot even though it might end up touching on subjects that are somewhat outside of my comfort zone.

A photograph of Seven Days in June by Tia Williams propped up against beige and mustard yellow throw blankets

As a white reader reading a book written by a Black author, there were of course a number of things that I learned, as well as a number of things that I didn’t understand or grasp just because my reality is different from that of the characters. Regarding these aspects of the book, I would please defer to the responses, reactions, and opinions of #OwnVoices reviewers.

If I had to pick one thing that I liked the most about Seven Days in June I honestly don’t know what I would choose because I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the story, and I enjoyed the overall atmosphere. If I absolutely didn’t have a choice and had to just pick something, I think it would perhaps be the atmosphere because that’s what has stuck with me most–I can still bring it forward in my mind even though it’s been months now since I read Seven Days in June.

I know that I am likely repeating myself quite a bit, but I wanted to say one more time that I really enjoyed Seven Days in June and I look forward to reading Tia Williams’ next book, The Perfect Find. And the last thing to add to my rave review is that Seven Days in June might become one of the few books that I end up rereading! I can definitely see myself picking it up again next June. I highly recommend!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Tia Williams began her career as a beauty editor for magazines including Elle, Glamour, Lucky, Teen People, and Essence. In 2004, she pioneered the beauty blog industry with her award-winning site, Shake Your Beauty – and published her debut novel, The 
Tia Williams, author of Seven Days in June and The Perfect Find
Accidental Diva. She went on to pen two young adult novels: It Chicks, and Sixteen Candles. Her 2016 bestseller, The Perfect Find, is being adapted for a Netflix film starring Gabrielle Union – and her latest novel, Seven Days in June, debuts in June 2021. Tia is currently an Editorial Director at Estee Lauder Companies, and lives with her daughter and husband in Brooklyn.

⤖ Places to Purchase the Book ⬻

⤖ Let's Chat ⬻

Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!

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