Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Seven Days in June

On the fence of giving this five stars so that may change. I LOVED this so much. It was such a rollercoaster in the best way possible. Perfect comedic timing. Such strong characters. And oh my god I loved the flashbacks/ multiple timeline that was going on. And the epilogue ✨

The only thing that was a bit confusing at times was the pov. It’s third person omniscient but like- switching between characters in the middle of a chapter. (I’m used to reading books where each chapter is dedicated to a characters thoughts). It was a fun style choice tho and I liked it once I got used to it.

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ainaruizdegauna's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

When I started this book fir my book club, I didn't expect to get so attached to the characters and to cry so hard at some points of the book. But here we are. Brilliant book. You should read it.

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boba_nbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Spice Rating: 🌶️.5 / 5

Seven Days in June is such a beautiful novel showing how two lives can intertwine even after years apart.

Eva Mercy is a spicy fantasy author who is feeling stuck writing the last book of her series. Out of the blue, Shane Hall, an award-winning literary author, shows up at the same event Eva is attending. No one but Shane and Eva know that 15 years ago, the two of them had a week-long love affair that has stuck with them all these years later. After reconnecting, Shane and Eva can't deny the chemistry that still exists between the two of them. But are they meant to be? Or are they just meant to be two ships in the night who never quite find each other?

This novel not only focuses on the love story between Shane and Eva but also on Black voices and how they are perceived in the world of literature and beyond. Seven Days in June takes Shane and Eva's story and makes it about so much more than just love. It's about connection and healing and honesty and finding your place. This is such a beautiful novel, and I'm all the better for having read it.

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ellalucys's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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alenanguyen's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

WHITNEY WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!! THIS FUCKED ME UP!!!!!! I kid you not I got WAR flashbacks to the first time I watched La La Land!!!!!!!! I was SOBBING at the end oh my GODDDD!!!!!!!!!

This book was the POC combination of all my favorite tropes: multigenerational ethnic family drama featuring the right person at the right time. oh my god I will be haunted by this book forever.

Like, where do I begin?! Every character is just so COMPLICATED in their own ways, and the prose was just beautiful and so deep and I am just emotionally ripped apart by this book. Luckily, I was stitched together by the end, but it was SUCH a hard journey. I’m so glad that somebody convinced Tia Williams to write an epilogue because if she left it the way she did, I would riot- I could not be left in that emotional state that I was in when I finished the book. Eva and her whole lineage of women is just so beautiful and complex that I feel like this was one of those love stories that’s more than the advertised love story and it was just perfect. I feel like it was not even about the romance; it was about everything else, which was so perfect. Audre is so astute for her age. I thought she was 16 this entire time but she’s 12?! No way. And Shane is more than brooding, Male writer; the chapter with Ty was actually devastating and I will think about the way the chapter ended forever. I knew I had to finish the book in one sitting after that paragraph because I was like I cannot leave this book in the state like I need to know to tie in the reveal is just so heartbreaking.

I love that one of Tia Williams’s comps is one day because that’s so perfect. I need to be ripped apart emotionally again in the way this book hurt me.

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brebooks_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

An unforgettable journey and story for these characters.

This is for the Misfit.

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pantslint's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I want to love this novel so badly. I liked it, but I can't get over how Shane and Eva's relationship read more as trauma-bonded than romantic. I admire the adults they've become, but I'm not super sold on the genuineness of their love for each other.

I mean, they met as teens and then went on a crazy bender because fuck everyone else, right?

I do love Audre and Cece. I love Shane, and I love Eva. They're all great as individual characters, and their interactions are so fun to read.

One particular qualm I have with Seven Days in June is its teeny-tiny hypocrisy. The characters, as authors, lament about how reductive it is that black characters have to suffer and overcome extreme hardship to exist in mainstream publishing. Yes, black joy exists in this book. However, while Shane and Eva are examples of black resilience, Williams still gives them extremely traumatic experiences and tragic backstories. Does it add depth to their characters? Sure. Was it necessary? I'm not sure.

Also... a child dies in this novel.

For what? For Shane's character development? For a glimpse into black hood hardship? Romance novels can absolutely address heavy topics, but I don't think that it worked out in this novel because it was trying to do too much at once.

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