On today’s episode of Bookstagram made me read it, we have a recent debut novel by Tia Williams titled Seven Days in June. In this post, I’ll be gushing about it.
Synopsis
*I think the synopsis gives a little too much information. So feel free to skip it if you want to avoid any form of spoilers.*
” 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.”
My thoughts.
The synopsis says it all. So, I won’t try to narrate the story. I’ll just dive right into sharing my thoughts. Seven days in June is engaging right from the beginning. In the first few pages, we meet Eva, an erotica writer and single mom to her 12-year-old daughter, Audre, who is both hilarious and intelligent. The first things that caught my attention were how contemporary the writing style was and the pop references. (I enjoy a well-written third-person narrated story!) As I continued reading, I was struck by how unique the story felt. To say I was invested from the start would be an understatement.
In Seven Days in June, we witness how our childhood experiences impact how we love and live in general. Shane and Eva were both misfits who had had rough childhoods. He drank to seek oblivion, while she got high to escape the intense pain of her migraine. They were teenagers who met when they needed someone, which deepened their bond.
It’s remarkable how there are a lot of difficult and serious themes in this book, yet it never seemed suffocating. Her writing is light and witty. Tia’s writing is humorous, engaging, and timely. I enjoyed the pop references and the way she wrote about Eva coping with migraines. I subsequently found out that the author suffers from migraines, so it all made sense. As someone who suffers from a chronic disease, it’s often difficult for me to express or put into words how I’m feeling. I was impressed by how eloquently she explained and articulated her emotions. Eva demonstrates what it’s like to live with a chronic disease and how terrible it can be. Shane demonstrated how addiction can damage a person’s life.
Seven Days in June examines black love in such a manner that you forget the characters are made up. I’m still thinking about Shane and Eva and their love story months after reading this.
This book should have a gazillion trigger warnings.
* Self harm/ substance abuse/rape/child abuse/toxic relationship.*
Themes
Love, Family, friendship, loss, living with a chronic illness, generational trauma.
Rating
You’d love this book if you like:
- Second chance romance.
- Black love.
- Books with the main character dealing with a chronic illness.
To read more of my reviews, click here.
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