The Ex Talk

This was a really fun and adorable read, and had some hilarious lines, like...

"Excuse me while I walk right into downtown rush-hour traffic. 'Cool' is the Kevin Jonas of compliments. It's like saying your favourite color is beige."

I died laughing when I read that! Whoo boy!

Plus, I am a complete sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers trope, which can be difficult to pull off in a modern context, but I could really feel the tension between Shay and Dominic at the beginning and loved how their relationship developed with aid of forced proximity. I also liked that while there was a bit of miscommunication sprinkled in, in general, the characters actually said what they were feeling so the miscommunications did not last long. Refreshing!

As a show more side note, I now have a new mantra to live by, WWAMWMD (What would a mediocre white male do)! Too good! show less

Shay is in her late 20s, an aspiring radio host who's stuck in a rut as a behind-the-scenes producer; Dominic is her annoying (and annoyingly hot) younger co-worker. In a ratings bid, their boss makes Shay and Dominic the hosts of a show about dating, the central hook of which is that they're exes—but the problem is that they've never actually dated in the first place.

If you've ever read a romance or watched a romcom in your life, you can predict where everything's going to go, but Rachel Lynn Solomon deploys her tropes (there was only bed! enemies to lovers!) with skill, and the central relationship is cute. There are some flaws, true: I wanted to see more of Shay and Dominic's show; the motivations of the character responsible for show more the Obligatory Final Relationship Hitch don't make much sense; Solomon is not always as deft as she could be at providing exposition/character backstory. All that said, I still raced through The Ex Talk in a few hours while curled up under a blanket with a mug of tea and it was some delightful escapism. A fun read. show less

This was a fun read about two people who are induced to do a podcast together and end up going from enemies to lovers. Shay Goldstein has worked for Seattle Public Radio as a producer for a decade when into her life comes cocky (handsome) Dominick Yun who is fresh off a journalism course and full of certainty about how to do things. Reality hits and then they team up, pretending to be a former couple to create a show all about romance. Only they start feeling attracted and it all becomes a huge complicated mess.

I don’t mind a good enemies to lovers story, and The Ex Talk has this in spades, as well as a fresh premise. It’s fun with some serious subplots on loss, finding new friends as an adult and sexism in the workplace. There’s great chemistry between the two main characters and snappy dialogue. It’s fun without being overly cute.

Shay lives for public radio, hanging on to her childhood with her now dead father. She’s been at Seattle’s public radio station for ten years behind the scenes and would love to present, but she definitely doesn’t have a radio voice (in her opinion). Dominic is the new golden boy, with a Masters in journalism. He’s all about cracking the big stories, but that clashes with Shay’s idea of what public show more radio should be. Needless to say, Dominic irritates her incessantly. But when the station needs to revamp its programming to stay afloat, Shay has the idea of two exes hosting a relationship advice show. It’s a little spicy for public radio, but it could work well. The problem is that her boss wants Shay and Dominic to host it, despite never being lovers, let alone exes. Shay and Dominic are forced together and find that they can actually get along and even possibly fall in love. But their initial lie may fall when the show becomes a hit and their fans start digging…can they deal with the fallout?

The story is told by Shay in the first person, so the reader gets to follow Shay’s deep hatred of Dominic change slowly to something very different. From the very start, there are signs that her dislike could waiver given more opportunities of forearms, decent food and less talk of Masters programmes. There are also insights into Shay’s own vulnerabilities, living somewhat in the past, exposed when her mum proposes to her new partner and her best friend expresses a desire to move across the country. Shay is not good with change, and perhaps that’s what clouds her feelings for Dominic. Dominic isn’t made out to be the perfect hero by any means – he has an inflated opinion of his Masters (although, don’t we all) and he’s hiding shyness and loneliness after his own breakup. As his own imperfections are revealed, it makes him much more likable.

Another great thing about The Ex Talk that there isn’t a quick resolution after Shay and Dominic’s show falls apart. There’s exploration of their relationship, the sexism that’s occurred at the station and the fall out of a public deception. It was messy and painful for the characters (especially in relation to some of their decisions) but it also showed personal growth. Plus, it wasn’t all resolved in a chapter, which was great.

Great characters with a relatable spark and a unique setting make The Ex Talk stand out in the romance genre.

Thank you to Penguin for the copy of this book. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less

I loved it! It was a refreshing take, not quite enemies to lovers, not quite fake dating, but with my favorite elements of both, including an "only one bed" getaway.

Shay and Dominic are so incredibly fun together. Who doesn’t love the banter between love interests (or potential love interests) and the tension that you can feel as though you’re in the book with them? I hate that the big kerfuffle always has to happen, but it was not quite what I was expecting, so for that I am grateful.

I loved the diversity in this book and that it wasn’t written in “to be diverse.” It was all just a natural part of the story like every day life. And it still managed to be a shout-out to what many women encounter in the work force daily, show more without feeling like a completely feminist propaganda. Basically, I just thought everything was very natural and loved to watch it play out on the page.

Speaking of the pages… I love the transcripts, Twitter messages, etc. that gave a little bit of a non-traditional structure to the page. I only wish there had been a little more!

And finally, for some content warnings... this book does discuss the grief of losing a parent and/or spouse. It's a pretty significant part of what makes some of the characters who they are and how they react to certain events. With that said, as someone who has gone through a very similar experience of losing a parent, I thought the author handled the entire topic exceptionally well. It's not often that I can read a trigger like this and cry while at the same time completely feel as though the character could be my best friend, because we had so many of the same thoughts and feelings. I know everyone processes grief differently, and some may disagree with this review. But for me, it was incredibly true to life and handled in such a way that I wish I had read it sooner.

Overall, if you haven't read The Ex Talk yet, I would highly encourage you to jump on that soon! show less

I love a good Seattle book. Rambling commenced—
Dominic was very believable, Shay was not. Dominic uncomfortably reminded me wayyy too much of someone, and I couldn’t “un-see” it for the duration of the book. That’s a me problem, but oh well. Too many steamy scenes for my taste as well. Also, is Ameena not an awful best friend character? So many conflicting thoughts about this book, but despite the aspects I didn’t like, I still enjoyed it.

This was my first book by Rachel Lynn Solomon and trust me, it WILL NOT be my last! I wasn't sure what to expect and as someone who doesn't really listen to NPR (or podcasts for that matter), I was genuinely concerned if that factor was going to impact my interest in the story. While those elements are essential for the story, they DO NOT take away from it at all. Rachel gives you just enough background to understand the nuisances of working in public radio. For that reason, The Ex Talk is simply delightful in every sense of the word. I still can't believe how quickly I read this book and how fast I fell in love with Shay and Dominic.

Shay Goldstein has dreamed of being in radio ever since she was a little girl. Her fondest memory: the show more “Dan and Shay New Show” she did with her dad at Goldstein’s Gadgets. Fast forwarding 10 years, Shay has made that dream a reality as the youngest senior producer for Pacific Public Radio. While she longs to be on the air versus behind the scenes, Shay has accepted that she doesn’t quite have the “voice” for radio. What she can’t accept - newbie and golden boy Dominic. Quickly becoming her office nemesis, she is sick of him throwing his weight around and acting like his four months trumps her ten years of experience simply because he has a Master’s in Journalism from Northwestern (that he mentions with every other breath he takes). As he is a reporter and she is a producer for Puget Sounds, outside of him disrespecting the booking schedule, she takes solace in the fact that she doesn’t have to deal with him. This tranquility is rudely interrupted when Kent, the station manager, decides to take a proposed talk show idea and make it a reality - with Shay and Dominic at the helm. Not only do two people who can’t stand each other now have to work closely together, they have to pretend they dated, broke up, and were able to remain friends! There is absolutely no way this can possibly go wrong.

I digested this entire book in a day, I just couldn’t put it down. There is so much humor I can’t remember not laughing! The banter, the slow build, the quirkiness of the characters, all of it just made the story perfect. As mentioned before, I am not an NPR or podcast type person but this book is strongly making me reconsider my stance!

Rachel did a wonderful job presenting and developing her characters. They weren't just names on a page, you felt like you knew them to the core.

Going deeper, I really enjoyed how Rachel tackled various topics while not taking away from the story. Fact or lie, Shay and Dominic did represent an interracial couple. Ruthie brings to light how that is perceived, especially towards Asians who date outside of their own race. Rachel also touches on the racism Asians face in America as well when Dominic enlightens Shay on some of the comments/feedback he had received from listeners. Lastly, Rachel also demonstrates misogynistic micro-aggression when the station manager only asks the women to take notes “because they are good at it” or only goes with an idea of it is backed by a male counterpart. These revelations bring an unexpected depth to the story and a reminder of every day issues we may take for granted.

As for the spice, I will admit Rachel snuck that one up on me. With the delivery of the slow burn romance and tiptoeing around the idea of intimacy, I didn’t know what to expect. To be honest, the humor and beautiful storyline were captivating enough but suddenly you hit a scene and you are just like “Wow, ok then!” She does an amazing job keeping the intimacy and passion within the scenes but what I love most of all is how the characters live in the moment, they talk, they share, they connect verbally and physically - heightening the entire experience.

A personal note: I always experience a wave of empathy when a character is experiencing grief for the lost of a parent. Shay makes a comment on page 301 about how losing someone doesn’t just happen once. I read and reread that paragraph because Rachel nailed it! The emotional lost that Shay was still experiencing 10 years after her father had passed was palatable. It never goes away and she said it earlier in the story, even if you wave off the “sorry for your loss” comment and tell the person giving it how much time has passed, to you, to the person who suffered the lost - it still feels like it happened yesterday.

Last but not least - the resolve! I absolutely loved everything about the last two chapters of this book. I was already falling in love with Rachel’s writing but that ending just solidified it. From beginning to end, The Ex Talk captured my mind, heart, and delivered a spectrum of emotions across my face. I can't wait to see what else Rachel has written and connect to the incredible characters she creates. show less