This #ownvoices debut romance is a classic story of a workplace romance except it's queer and it also tackles issues of sexual harassment, racism, and the me too movement. It's dual POV and one of them is a Chinese American woman which was so fabulous to see. Plus a whole part of her character is that Jo is unafraid to speak out, even when it will cost her. I also want to mention that Emma is bisexual and Jewish and I loved the way her family, specifically her relationship with her sister, was woven into Something to Talk About.

Tackling issues of sexism and racism in Hollywood, Something to Talk About delivers more than romance. These moments gave Something to Talk About a sense of realism especially as women have been encouraged to tell their stories. Both Jo and Emma are particularly fierce and I loved the build up to their feelings - not to mention how they consider the implications of their relationship. Something to Talk Aboutis fast paced and the romance is entirely precious.

This may be the cutest romance book that I have ever read. I was completely invested in the story from page one as I immediately fell in love with both Emma and Jo. As they navigate the complicated relationship of boss and assistant and then rumours start popping up that they are dating their relationship grows and evolves. And then they both secretly realize, maybe there is something more there.

But they are boss and assistant, they are over a decade apart in age, and they are in a very visible field of work where there are always people watching. Then other problems start to arise and maybe they shouldn't be having these feelings at all and should just stick to their work relationship and nothing else.

I laughed, I was tense, I was sad, and I was overjoyed. This book was so sweet, so real, and was an absolute joy to read.

3.5 stars
A slow-moving Hollywood-set f/f "romance" that was very sweet and modern. I enjoyed the characters (although the diversity felt a bit forced and definitely unexplored), the #MeToo storyline, the sweet encounters between the two characters, and the eventual hook-up. However, since 95% of the book they have a boss/employee relationship, it made it hard to not feel a little ooky about them moving into an equal romance in the last 5%. It didn't feel believable, either, just sort of awkward and weird. I think the romance should have started earlier to overcome that, so the reader could have spent more time with them as a couple. A lot to like here, in any case.

Jo Jones is a former child star turned wildly successful Hollywood writer and showrunner. Emma Kaplan is her younger and extremely competent assistant. When Jo invites Emma to come with her to the SAG awards in order to deflect conversation about a huge new career opportunity, they are photographed laughing together on the red carpet. This event sparks widely reported rumors of a romance between the pair. From there, we get to witness the slowest of slow-burn romances. I may have yelled, “Kiss already!!!” at some point, but it was an ultimately satisfying romance between the two main characters that kept me up late to finish the book.

In addition to the main romance, I loved how well-developed the supporting characters, especially Emma’s sister Avery, were. They had personalities and needs and lives outside of driving the plot along. I also liked that the author spent some time on issues such as power dynamics and sexual harassment in a way that made total sense to the story that was already unfolding.

My only real complaint is that after sticking with the story through the whole slow-burn, I felt like the book ended fairly abruptly. I just wanted to keep reading about Jo and Emma, their relationship, their careers, their friends and family, and their futures.

2.5-3? Full RTC

But that slow burn was PAINFUL and reminds me why I actually hate them. This story was well written and thoughtful but so much miscommunication made me stabby at times.

There's slow build and then there's slooooooow buiiiiiiiiild. There's simmer and then there's slog, and sadly, this turned into a slog for me, despite overall being a quick read.

I understand that being LGBTQ in the entertainment industry can be quite the challenge--even when out and proud in the 21st century. Wanting more privacy and guarding one's actions--definitely because of tabloids looking for a story, any story, to slap across a front page--is totally understandable. But a 41-year old TV-soon-Movie showrunner and her late 20-something assistant sounding completely like girls in high school was frustrating. There's never-ending angst over an accidental kiss and then a near kiss, the second not even occurring till maybe 70% in. Most of the book felt like certain actions should've happened 25% earlier. Because of this, the bigger moments are rushed and cut corners because they don't happen till the last 95% of the book. By that point, it was like I just didn't care because I wasn't feeling it, had never felt it. I wasn't looking for anything salacious, just something that was on par with the plot and pacing of some of the hetero-normative romance novels out there. This book pulled too many punches.

Something to Talk About has been on my radar for months now, and I was giddy with excitement when I received an advanced copy. This book met all my expectations and then some, with its adorable characters, great banter, and the way it dealt with some harder topics. But, though the tension and writing style kept me reading and interested, I definitely got a little frustrated at the amount of time it took for anything real to happen between the main couple.

The book follows Jo, a star writer in Hollywood, and Emma her twenty something assistant as they deal with the gossiping media calling them a couple. Unlike many of the romances I've picked up recently, the main characters in this drama filled novel didn't give me a spark right away. Their dynamic felt a little off to me, mostly because... well, I didn't really like Jo's character in the beginning. Luckily this didn't last, and after a few chapters I was completely invested in Jo and Emma's relationship. I think what put me off at first was the first two chapters being in Emma's point of view instead of switching back and forth between the two characters constantly. Once I got a feel for Jo's personality, it was easier to accept her sort of standoffish character style.

As this was the slowest of slow burns, I was surprised by how quickly I flew through this book. It only took me a day (and staying up till 3 in the morning) to get to the last page. It was something of an effortless page turner, with drama and interesting character dynamics keeping me going. There are many books that I feel have unnecessary or boring parts, but this certainly wasn't that type of book. Every scene seemed important to the story and or character development, and instead of a day to day slog the book skips ahead often, letting the reader understand the passage of time without having to actually read about it. And I for one, appreciated that.

Probably the thing I liked most about this book was how it covered some hot topics. Age gaps in relationships, inter-office relationships, homophobia in families, sexual harassment, all while including a diverse cast. Even so, I never felt like this book was particularly heavy. I think the only part of this book that left me cringing a little, was the boss / employee relationship between Jo and Emma. The lack of communication between them at times was odd. And while, yes, it lead to some good dramatic instances, Emma ignoring her BOSS at times, didn't seem entirely realistic.

Apart from some weird communication issues and the slowest burn of any book I have ever read, Something To Talk About was definitely swoon worthy. I look forward to any future Meryl Wilsner books and plan to push this cute F/F romance on anyone who will listen.

I loved this slow burn f/f romance, and I hope we start to see more mainstream f/f romance in the world.

Jo is a child star turned writer / producer of an award winning TV show. Emma is her younger, eager assistant. Jo takes Emma to an awards event, and an intimate moment captured on the Red Carpet starts a rumor that the two are dating. But they aren't. Yet.

It takes the majority of the book for both of them to realize that they are into each other, and the vast majority for them to act on it. Personally I love slow burn romance, and I think the tension is built perfectly. When something finally happens, it's amazing. Readers will enjoy the glamorous glimpse into Hollywood life, and the hint of The Devil Wears Prada vibes.

I was really excited to get an ARC of this book because I'm all about supporting diversity in romance and this book is both a F/F romance and features Jewish and Chinese American main characters.
I have to say this book started out really slow for me. It took a while for it to really catch my attention but by the end I found that I really enjoyed the book. This is definitely a slow burn of a book, there was a lot of back and forth and quite a long time before the characters would even admit to themselves that there was an attraction. The slow pace of the relationship did get kind of frustrating but I understand why the author chose it and in the end it made the story more believable. I loved that the author didn't just do a magical "all the problems disappear and boom happy ending." The author actually had the character's face their problems and find real solutions that made me feel like Jo and Emma's relationship could really work.
I really liked that so much time was spent on Jo and Emma's work relationship because it allowed us to see how their feelings for each other came to be and I found myself really invested in their relationship. I also really enjoyed the interactions of the main characters with their friends and family. The author tackled some very tough issues and I was very impressed with the way she handled things that could be potentially problematic such as power imbalances in romantic relationships.
Overall I really enjoyed the book. My only criticisms would be that it could have moved a bit quicker and I would have like to see more actual expressions of romance in a romance novel. I learned that this is the first LGBTQ book published by this company and I hope it's the first of many.

It's hard to believe Something to Talk About is a debut novel. It was smart, witty, well-crafted, and extremely enjoyable. As a queer reader, I was incredibly happy to receive this ARC. There are more and more sapphic orientated books being released, but the trend seems to be that the books that receive the most attention are largely YA books, so it was nice to find a sapphic book written for adults that seemed different from the cookie-cutter romance plot. The characters are likable. The supporting cast is (mostly) actually supportive. It had clever banter and enjoyable dialogue. I think this will be a quick read for many people. I hope it becomes as popular as it deserves!

Probably more of a 3.5 but definitely not what I’d call a favorite.

CW: talk of racism and sexism in Hollywood, sexual harassment at workplace, verbally abusive and homophobic parent

It’s either my bad luck or maybe I’m just not in the right mood that I’ve not really enjoyed the last three books I’ve read. And I’m quite sad this book is also getting relegated to that list. I was very excited to read a mainstream f/f romance and the Hollywood setting fascinated me, but unfortunately I was a bit bored.

My problem with this book is that I don’t have a lot of complaints. The writing is easy to read, the Hollywood setting feels both realistic as well as like a fantasy that we would love to explore, and the characters are sweet and likable. There is also a small #metoo plot line as well as talk about racism in the industry, which is a good addition to the story to make it feel more deep, but ultimately it wasn’t that significant in the larger picture. I also really enjoyed the depiction of friendship and sibling relationships in the story. And I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of the MCs is Chinese-American while the other is Jewish, because none of these aspects were highlighted anywhere in the book promotions.

But ultimately where the book faltered for me was the execution of the romance. It’s always tricky when it’s a boss/employee romance and I thought the author did an excellent job addressing the power imbalance. But due to this aspect, we get a slow burn romance which is way too slow for my taste. While the romantic feelings Jo and Emma had for each other was quite evident to us, there is not a lot of interaction between them and it felt to me like half the story was told just through internal monologues. I can handle angst and also a bit of miscommunication as the conflict, but both the characters just assumed things about the other and took a long time to have actual conversations. I think I just like it when characters get together a bit earlier than the end of the book.

To conclude, I probably had wrong expectations from the book (again.. duh 🙄) and that’s why I feel a bit let down. But I will still say that this was a sweet and enjoyable book with some lovely characters. And if you are a fan of very slow burn romances, then this would be the perfect choice for you. There is a lot more pining and less of talking here and if that sounds appealing, do check it out. Maybe you’ll find your next favorite romance.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. It had all the makings of great slow burn lesbian romance. Forbidden romance between boss and employee? My literal cup of tea. For some reason this one rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know if it is the age difference, which never fully sits right with me, or that the characters weren't fleshed out enough. I personally didn't feel attached to them in any way and the romance felt forced to me. I wanted more spark. It felt very rushed in some parts and incredibly slow in others. Overall it's a good book, there's nothing that i hated about it but I don't think i'll be going back for more.

This was one of the romances I was most looking forward to this year. Did I enjoy it? Yes, definitely. It was an entertaining read with a lot of heart, and very loveable main characters. But. I also kept waiting for more. More of a spark, more banter and flirtation, just more. I think the main issue was that the writing style didn't quite work for me. But I also just kept waiting for the book to really start.

Spoiler warning! I personally really like a slow burn. But, I also need my romance to actually have scenes where the characters are together. I need dating, and domestic stuff. So when a book ends when the characters are just getting together, that leaves me pretty unsatisfied.

Rep: lesbian Chinese-American MC, bisexual Jewish MC

CWs: sexual harassment, asthma attack, homophobia, racism

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Rating: 3 stars
Rep: F/F romance. Jewish & bisexual MC, Chinese-American & lesbian MC.
Trigger warnings: racism, sexism, sexual harassment

"Something to Talk About" was by far my most anticipated contemporary romance of 2020. Everything about it seemed perfect for me, and while I did enjoy it, it wasn't entirely my cup of tea. First off, this is not a bad book at all and I would still recommend it! This is just a "me not you" situation.


Pros:
-I finished this in a couple of sittings, it held my interest throughout and it was pretty fast-paced!
-I loved how the author handled sexual harassment in the workplace, it was amazingly done.
-I also really liked how the power dynamics between Jo and Emma was handled, as Emma is Jo's assistant and Jo is richer and older, I thought the author handled the situation very well.
-I adored that this book was dual POV, I love my romance books to have perspectives from both the main characters!


Cons:
-This is the slowest burn I've ever read, and while I like a slow burn romance as much as the next person, this one was just too slow for me. I didn't feel any spark or chemistry between Jo and Emma (the main characters), I wanted that intensity and pining. As it is, the first kiss is at around the 87% mark and after that point, the romance between them was just way too fast-paced.
-I think I was expecting something very different, I was expecting a lot of this novel to focus around the tabloids, maybe even a little fake dating, but a lot of the plot felt sort of aimless and a little boring in places.
-The miscommunication/misunderstanding trope is one of my bookish pet peeves and this book was rampant with it. I have no idea how Jo and Emma could ever form a steady relationship when they literally never communicated at all (except for maybe the last 15% or so).


Overall, I would still definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a romance book full of diverse characters and I will 100% be reading more by this author in the future!

I was so excited when I saw this book on Netgalley! I'm certainly always on board for some queer romance, and slow-burn is generally one of my fave kinds, but sadly this burn was too slow for me. I also didn't super love the writing style, it felt like there were missing details about the settings and characters. Overall, the romance was sweet but I wasn't drawn in and invested.

♡♡I was given a free advanced readers copy on NetGallery by Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. ♡♡


**THROWS BOOK AT ANYONE I SEE**
READ THIS BOOK! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS QUEER AND GOOD, READ THIS BOOK!

Oh my god guys. I finally found something that brought me as much joy as Casey's outstanding 'Red White & Royal Blue'. This will be my second romance read of all time and my god I guess I'm a romance reader now. Although I like to think of those 2 books as genre defying. The wit and effortless chemistry of Emma and Jo will make anyone reading forget that hours have gone by. I sat down to read this after trying to decide between several others because, get this-- I have too many queer ARCS right now!--I know. Not a problem younger me could ever imagine having.

It took me a day to read this (I mean I stayed up till 2am to finish it..) and that's because I wanted this to last. Reading it on a kobo, I was constantly staring at the % read going up and up and I hated seeing that. I reread pages because it was so funny and theres so much there to it that you just want to reread it immediately to soak every possible morsel up. This book is everything I didn't know I wanted till I had it. The interesting insight into Hollywood's film vs television industry, the powerful yet not all consuming look into #metoo movement, all woven perfectly with a love story you cant help cheering for. I loved these characters. So real and relatable, with just enough authenticity to balance out hypocrisy of hollywood elitism.

@merylwilsner I need more. I hate that my bookstore is closed so I can't push this into every customer's hands, but I will shout on every social media I can. Because this book deserves to be read. It deserves to be loved. It deserves to be made into a major motion picture.

#SomethingToTalkAbout #penguinrandomhouse #advancedreadercopy

I picked SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT up on a whim. It was on my TBR, of course, but I hadn’t planned to read it the day I picked it up. I was actually going to just read a chapter or two to get a feel for Meryl Wilsner’s writing style as a debut author and come back when I had time to really sink into the book. Well, the book was so easy to read and such an effortless page-turner at the beginning, I quickly read more than 40% of the ebook and became incredibly invested. Unfortunately, the book failed to keep my interest, and I slowed way down.

The cover and premise of this story are engaging! A F/F fluffy romance set with a Hollywood backdrop and an age gap romance? Count me in. Although boss/employee relationships aren’t my favorite, I was willing to set aside some reservations and just enjoy. Emma is a young assistant for her boss Jo, a longtime Hollywood star turned writer/director.

I liked some of the banter and the secondary characters, so I kept waiting for things to heat up between our heroines… and waiting… and waiting. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a slow burn romance as much as the next person, but there was NO tension between our main characters. None. Zero. Zilch. I didn’t feel so much as a zap between them. I don’t really think they did either based on their actions in the book. Often, Emma’s admiration for Jo felt more like hero worship rather than true love. On Jo’s side, she was so reserved I just didn’t get much from her at all, even during the chapters we were in her head.

In addition to the couple’s storyline slogging along slowly, I thought many of the plot points (and there were many plot points because the relationship between the main characters was often on the periphery) were incredibly amateurish and predictable.

As I mentioned, Wilsner is an excellent writer, and the story flows well. I think that almost made the uninventive plot and fizzled out romance even more of a glaring problem. I am glad to see F/F romance getting recognition in mainstream publishing, and I hope Wilsner has a long and successful career, this book just didn’t work for me.

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

This is a lovely slow-burn f/f Hollywood-set romance. I enjoyed the twist on the fake romance trope, and the characters' relationship development. Some of the beats and miscommunication felt a little repetitive, but overall this was very satisfying and emotionally-driven romance.

This book was amazing and I need more sapphic books like this in my life.

In this book, we follow Emma, a young assistant that loves her job and is doing everything that she can to help the life of her boss, Jo, a forty-one years old woman who has never commented on her love life in her entire career. She's a successful writer and she is challenging herself by branching out.

One day, Jo invites her assistant to go with her to an event. She tells her that she needs her as a buffer but we know deep down, it's because she likes her company - more than she probably should as her employer. However, when Emma tries to rescue her boss when photographers are asking her uncomfortable questions about her new job, the way they look at each other on the photos taken create a rumor that both women are trying to shut down by not commenting on it, hoping it will die down. Emma doesn't want to be seen as someone who would sleep with someone else just to get a job and Jo doesn't want Emma to be hurt.

I started reading this book not knowing anything other than it was a F/F romance and that's all I needed. I fell in love with the main characters but also their families and friends who were so adorable and funny. This book also addressed sexual harassment (especially in Hollywood) really well.

This book comes out on May 26th and you all should be prepared to read it. I'm not kidding, this book is one of my favorites now and is definitely one of the best books I've read this year. It was so enjoyable and the whole time, I kept swooning over these two women who I wanted to just KISS already! Because yes, this is a slow burn romance with an age-gap so be aware of that. The only negative thing (which isn't negative if you think about it) I have to say is that I wish we would have had a little bit more time with the characters as a couple towards the end. It was satisfying to finally see them together but I would have loved to have just a little more.

I would gladly re-read Something to Talk About and that's something I never do with contemporary romances. I'm so sad the author doesn't have any other books out at the moment because I would have read them asap. That's how much I loved this one. I hope Meryl Wilsner will write more because I might have found a new favorite author to follow! <3

Also, I could picture everything so easily that I could imagine this becoming a movie I would love to watch. I truly hope you will love this book as much as I did.

(Thank you so much for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

This sweet, slow-burn romance was lovely. It featured diverse characters and nice, long, believable timeline. It successfully tackled the issue of workplace harassment, without being too triggering or cringey. It was also very refreshing to see a mature female protagonist portrayed as vital, exciting, engaging, and sexy. I will definitely recommend this to romance readers who want something fun and different.