Seven Days in June: The Summer Fling You’ll Never Forget

Book Title: Seven Days In June

Author: Tia Williams

Publication Year: 2021

Genre: Romance

Social Media: Instagram @tiawilliamswrites

Seven Days In June is told in the third party perspective following the romance of Eva Mercy and Shane Hall. Everyone knows that the two characters are both successful writers but nobody knows that they have history dating back 15 years prior that is the inspiration for all of their works of fiction.

The story begins with Eva Mercy, an erotica writer who’s series has cultivated a loyal cult-like following. I enjoyed that within the novel you see Eva’s career struggle to want to be seen as a more “serious” novelist and her reluctance to switch her content. Eva must make the choice between writing novels that’ll fuel her creativity and facing vitriol reactions or forcing herself to write for a series she no longer feels connected to. She is also suffering from an invisible disability that you’ll immediately empathize with. I noticed that Eva can be a bit anxious and unsure of herself which tends to hold her back in many situations which I believe also stems from the disability.

On the contrary, Shane’s career is the antithesis of Eva’s. Shane seems to not have to put in much effort in writing a novel to have an auspicious turnout. He also isn’t big on the limelight so his success isn’t reliant on pleasing a fanbase. Shane is also a teacher and mentor to children in need. While there are moments Shane may feel inexplicable and detached we are quickly reminded of how compassionate he is as we see his relationship with his mentee. To me, Shane is captivating and something about his dialogue almost makes you warm inside.

There is also a layer of envy from Eva in regards to Shane’s award winning fame for his novel “Eight”. At first it is assumed that she is jealous because of how much praise he gets but it is revealed to the readers that there is a deeper reason for her irritability in Shane’s presence.

As the story unfolds, the author divulges what really happened between Shane and Eva when they were teenagers. Very quickly this novel switched from light hearted and witty to passionate, dark and sensual as ever. Both Shane and Eva have dealt with traumatic experiences that allowed them to connect but there is something truly mystifying about the two lovers. The novel had me asking; if the two felt so deeply about one another enough to keep writing about it years later what happened to have caused such a falling out? Warning: as you dive more into both Shane and Eva’s past, the topics of substance abuse, death, domestic abuse, self harm, suicide attempts, and family neglect come into play. Something I would have never expected and honestly took me back at first.

In the present day, Eva is also a single mother to her preteen daughter, Audre, and we are also introduced to best friends Cece and Belinda. I loved the relationship Eva and Audre have. Especially given Eva’s circumstances growing up, her ability to raise her daughter in a loving home full of communication and healthy boundaries displays that you can break generational curses. Audre was a delight to read and her presence throughout the book always brought a positive shift from those heavier scenes. Shane and his mentee Ty also add a positive shift to the book as they mimicked a father/son relationship. I think that any reader will grow an attachment for the two younger characters as they are pleasant and relatable on different ends of a spectrum.

I loved reading this novel and it is frankly “not your average love story”.

Favorite quote: “You burst into my solitude demanding to be seen. You were overwhelming. Just wild and weird and brilliant, and I never had a choice. I liked everything about you. Even the scary parts.”