Book Review #102: Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

Next up on the reading list was 'Seven Days in June'. It's been a busy few weeks, so it took me a little while to get through this, but I'm really glad I've read it.

Eva Mercy is a bestselling erotica writer, Shane Hall is an award-winning novelist. When they meet, their chemistry is obvious to everyone in the literary community. But no one knows that 15 years ago, Eva and Shane spent seven days madly engaged in a love that changed them forever, and they have been writing to each other in their books for years. But as they reconnect, can seven days erase the last 15 years of pain and heartbreak?

I really enjoyed this book.

For a start, I loved the prologue. Normally I tend to skim prologues, but this one was great. We got to know Eva's character, and it was a nice introduction to the story.

Eva is such an interesting character. I loved being in her head, and I loved her voice. But what I really found interesting was the way that her chronic health issues are spoken about. It's a struggle that I don't often read about, and I loved the way that her invisible disability informed so much about the character without becoming entirely who she was.

I also liked the character of Shane. We don't spend as much time with him as we do with Eva, but we get to know him really well. It's nice to see the changes between the character at different periods of his life, and the way that his past experiences informed the person that he is in the present day.

Both of these characters are so vivid. You can see them, feel them, and you feel like you know them.

I also loved reading about a black couple where none of their struggles were overtly because of their race (though race may have subtly informed some things) - it's refreshing.

This book is a masterclass on writing chemistry. Eva and Shane have chemistry from their first meeting in the book. It jumps off the page and you're suddenly dying for them to be together. Their chemistry reignited my love of reading romance.

The writing is both beautiful and really smart. The dialogue can feel unrealistic at some points, but that didn't change anything about the story or characters.

A lot of the description and other points of view feel somewhat unnecessary - the story could have been told a lot more simply than it was. This particularly goes for the epilogue, which I felt was a bit long.

Overall, if you're looking for a romance book with dark themes and really interesting characters, read this book! It was powerful, funny and smart, and I definitely recommend it.

4/5 stars