Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Seven Days in June

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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sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

3.0

I am not normally a contemporary romance person, but I was looking for something light and this book has been recommended over and over by everyone I know! Tia Williams creates such a fun story, it’s a little corny and a little silly but it makes up for that in heart.

I was reading a book club edition of the book, which included a small interview from Williams that explained how much she loves putting pop culture references in her writing. Personally, for me, it takes me a bit out of it. While I thought it was done well in the 2004 chapters, the dialogue between Eva and Audre sometimes made me cringe only because I’ve totally missed both generations at the time this was written. Nevertheless, I still really enjoyed this book and felt so strongly for the characters.

I’d recommend this book to any fans of contemporary romance. It was a lot darker than I expected, so I think there might be a little bit of something for dark romance fans (but nothing too extreme).

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vlund's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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emilyswiggle's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

3.5

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maireadryan's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

3.75

I had complicated feelings about this book. I thought Tia Williams did an incredible job portraying pain and what it’s like to live with a disability, addiction, recovery, depression, self harm, and the toll of poverty on a person. I enjoyed seeing Eva and Shane’s growth throughout the story and their deep connection felt palpable. However, the side characters were all so extreme in their personalities that they seemed more like caricatures of people rather than supporting characters with substance. Additionally, the languages and pop culture references really date the story and things like the use of social media (twitter, instagram, etc) seem exaggerated. Every time it was mentioned it took me out of the story. I wish we got more of a conclusive ending and saw more of Shane and Eva as an adult couple. The ending left me dissatisfied and wanting more.

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