Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 26, 2021
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible
Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can't imagine working anywhere else. But lately it's been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who's fresh off a journalism master's program and convinced he knows everything about public radio.
When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it's this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it's not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts.
As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers.
The Ex Talk is a sprightly romance with entertaining banter, a wonderfully diverse cast, and a story that flies by. Rachel Lynn Solomon’s adult romance debut has a lot of charm and the concept of fake exes rather than fake dating was fresh and fun.
Outside of her job, Shay is kind of a hot mess and I liked that she didn’t have it all together, nor did she pretend to. The death of her father marked her as a teenager and their shared love of public radio has shaped her career. At twenty-nine she has devoted her entire career so far to Pacific Public Radio. But she has to deal with a sexist boss who takes her work for granted and throws praise on the new hotshot guy in the office. Shay takes an instant dislike to Dominic, partly because of jealousy and partly because of what she sees as his arrogance. However, Dominic is too cute for words. The twenty-four-year-old journalist with a master’s from Northwestern has confidence to spare but he’s not the arrogant jerk Shay first sees him as. Dominic is passionate about journalism and he still has his idealism that makes him feel fresh which I enjoyed. What I loved more is that Dominic isn’t always smooth and there are some things I will leave readers to learn about him which were adorable. I defy readers not to love Dominic and once Shay gets to know him it’s clear she can’t hold out either.
When Shay proposes the idea of two exes hosting a radio show her boss is enthusiastic. Only due to budget cuts he comes up with a twist of his own: Shay and Dominic pretend to be exes and host the show. The lie sticks in both their craws but with their jobs on the line they’re backed into a corner. Their bickering and banter does make for perfect radio and I honestly loved the show transcript clips Solomon wrote so much that I wish there were a lot more. The more time they spend together, the better Dominic and Shay get to know one another. And when that happens, love and lust start to simmer. I enjoyed watching them fall for each other and though the age gap is brought up a lot, it honestly isn’t big and – when it comes to relationships – Shay is a bit immature so if the five year gap wasn’t mentioned as much as it was I wouldn’t have noticed. Dominic and Shay are cute together and though their scenes together lost some energy when there wasn’t banter, I liked them and was rooting for them to make it.
The highlight of The Ex Talk was, for me, the characters’ love of public radio and podcasts. Solomon does a fantastic job of weaving in what goes on behind the scenes and I found it incredibly compelling. You can tell when an author loves something – it just shows in their writing and makes you start to fall for it too. So if you don’t come out of this read at least a little bit in love with public radio then I’d be surprised.
A rich and diverse supporting cast rounds out The Ex Talk and makes Shay and Dominic’s world feel more real. I really enjoyed Shay and Dominic’s friends and family and the way Solomon nods to multiple cultures and traditions. There’s also a really good emotional heft to the scenes with Shay and her mother. Grief and the loss of a loved one is a theme in this story and informs a lot of Shay’s choices, but it doesn’t take over the book and Solomon treats the heavier topics with the respect they deserve. All in all, I really enjoyed The Ex Talk. It has flawed but well-meaning characters, solid banter, and an enjoyable romance.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
0 comments:
Post a Comment