Jo is a Shonda Rhimes-style show runner about to make the leap into writing for a major movie franchise and to avoid talking about it, she decides to take her assistant with her to the SAG Awards as a buffer. Emma intuitively knows Jo’s needs and genuinely wants to protect and support her, so she agrees but is overwhelmed by the red carpet experience. As a result, an awkward moment is caught by the Paparazzi and the tabloids link them as a couple. Jo’s never commented about her love life and neither woman is out to the other, but a slow (slow) burn romance starts to simmer as they deal with the fallout. This is a fun, smart story with an inside Hollywood twist—complete with an on point #metoo discussion. I also appreciated the inclusion of both women’s heritage—Emma’s through her families Jewish traditions and the nod to Jo’s Chinese roots.

Sweet and funny, romantic and fun, an interesting inside-Hollywood story. Very enjoyable, I am recommending it to my friends as well as to the library for purchase

(I don't do negative reviews, but NetGalley pushed me for 100 words. Great cover, great scenario ... the characters' motivations and actions just seem more inauthentic than are needed to make the plot/relationship unfold in a satisfying way.)

This was such a fun debut. I loved the Hollywood insights, which isn't anything I typically care about, but the author did a great job balancing the glamour with all the bits going on behind the scenes. I especially appreciated how racism and sexism in the industry were presented realistically without changing the tone of the story overall. And of course, Jo and Emma's relationship was fantastic. There were times I wanted them to move faster because they were so great together and the UST was ridiculous, but it was all worth it in the end.

This book was beautifully written and I adored seeing the internal struggle of going with the flow with their feelings or staying professional and not risking that relationship. I also loved watching the effects of questioning rumors opposed to if they are true feelings. I loved this book!

Jo Jones is a no nonsense Hollywood writer. Emma is her life saving assistant. When rumors start swirling that this is more of a romance than a business partnership things start getting interesting. Sweet, funny, thought provoking...definitely read this book!

This book is a delicious bite of sweetness and spicy romance and I loved it. Jo and Emma are unaware of their attraction until Hollywood award show paparazzi spot it and make it Something to Talk About. Jo is Emma’s boss on a TV series and she takes ever so long to figure out she has a crush. Jo is sure there is no way to have a relationship within the boss/employee dynamic. Emma, also struggling, knows her mind much sooner but keeps getting mixed signals from her boss. The main and even supporting characters are well drawn, real and just a hoot! The plot builds slowly for an explosive end but has twists, turns and reveals enough to add more interest.
I really appreciated the sensitive way sexual harassment in the workplace, especially in Hollywood, is dealt with. Jo should struggle with the implications of the power dynamic as she is the boss. I thought it fitting that they not come together until both have finished the common job and moved on to the next.

What a fun, infuriating, endearing slow burn! This book will have you rooting for love from page one and will keep you hooked while you wait and wait AND WAIT. Rewrite the lyrics because according to Wilsner, the waiting is the best part.

When Jo Jones is seen laughing with her assistant at the SAG Awards, rumors that they are dating spread, but Jo hasn't publicly commented on her love life in 30 years and she's not about to start now. Curiously, as they deal with the fallout, Emma and Jo begin to realize their feelings aren't quite so platonic.

Something to Talk About is a very sweet and slow burning romance. While a star/assistant relationship could easily be manipulative, great care is taken to make certain that this is not the case. In fact, this is a stumbling block for the couple -- they worry greatly (so, so much) about optics and consent.

Emma's Jewish family--particularly her sister--is lovely to see represented on the page. By the end there are family bets on when Emma and Jo will get together. Jo taking down racism and sexism in Hollywood, too, is cathartic in a time where it feels like there are so few consequences.

At times the romance felt a little too slow burn, but the story was always fun, and always queer, and thus enjoyable.

While sweet, and a definitely appreciated addition to the genre, this was just too dull and simple for me. The writing had its moments but was mostly stiff and formulaic. One of those cases where I'm happy it exists - but I couldn't make myself care enough to get to the end.

A very sweet, slow-burn queer romance that explores quite a few really interesting dynamics. Not only do we have an employer/employee relationship that is hyperaware of power imbalances and how this affects consent, but there is also a discussion of the #MeToo movement, racism, sexuality, and fame. The relationship between Emma and Jo was cute, endearing, and of course sometimes frustrating (as comes with the territory of a slow-burn romance), but the social commentary at large is what really made this one shine for me. 5 out of 5 shining stars. Meryl Wilsner is definitely going to be someone I keep on the lookout for in the future.

OH.MY.GOD. OBESSED WITH THE BOOK
1. Loved the chemistry between Jo and Emma
2. Loved the way Wilsner handled the power imbalance
3. The Cassandra project was topical AF
4. I just loved it!

Only thing was I was practically ready to throw my kindle towards the end waiting for these women finally get down to business. I am just too impatient for slow burns but I so enjoyed their journey and watching them fall in love.

A truly excellent slow-burn romance with Hollywood flair, Something to Talk About is every bit as sultry and fun as the Bonnie Rait song it's named after. Put this one on your TBR as soon as possible!

3.75 rounding up. Let's get the caveats out of the way: I don't really like boss/employee romances, or age gap romances, and this had both. That being said it was handled really well and it was a sweet book. The slow burn was sooooo slowwwww! In the wonderful way. I loved that Emma was Jewish on page for more than just a mention of Hanukkah and I loved her relationship with her sister. There was a lot of miscommunication which will drive some people nuts but that was one reason I loved getting POVs from both Emma and Jo. The writing style was a little formal? But sometimes the banter was good?? I can't decide. But it was a great romance and I loved the inciting event especially. I will gladly read more from this author in the future!

This is a refreshing romance novel that the genre desperately needs more of. This romance touches on issues of the LGBTQ community, race, age, and more. Using alternating chapter narration, Meryl Wilsner builds characters that the reader cares about and gets to know deeply. All characters, even side ones, are fleshed out in a way that helps to build the world this story inhabits. This novel deals well with a number of serious issues while still giving the reader the warm and fuzzy feeling we look for in a romance.

In switching perspectives, Meryl Wilsner writes a really fun narrative about what happens when life starts imitating the tabloids.
Jo is a child star turned high-powered tv show runner. She is serious, never talking about her personal life (not that she really has much of one to talk about). Emma is her assistant, tasked with accompanying Jo to an awards show to be a buffer between her and the nosy press. However, once the media gets a shot of the two laughing together on the red carpet, the rumors of their romance start flying. Both women are shocked to be such gossip fodder, making for an awkwardness to their work together. But, did the cameras capture something they never saw before?

I liked the Hollywood story lines and the characters. I thought Wilsner did well writing a slow burn of a queer romance, and fans of the rom-com and romance genres should enjoy it!

Oh the sweet agony of this slow, slow burn - the perfect pay-off was worth the struggle. Meryl Wilsner's debut is fun, feminist, full of Hollywood sparkle, and the slowest of slow burns.

I received this novel as an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

FIRST OF ALL: I loved it.
SECOND OF ALL: I truly loved it.

Personal Assistant Emma is devoted professionally to screenwriter and former child actress, Jo. Jo is about to be announced as the new writer for a James Bond-esque film series and all anyone can talk about is how a woman can't write an established action star. In order to not be forced to answer questions all night at the SAG Awards, Jo takes Emma with her and photos show up and a relationship is all anyone can talk about. This is not only threatening to out a closeted Jo, but there's the small fact of a boss/employee relationship being inappropriate. How will Emma and Jo wade through these rumors and remain professional when feelings are on the line?

What I loved: Emma. She is a strong woman with a good head on her shoulders. I loved how she handled being propositioned by her hero and directorial idol, in that she doesn't back down or say it was her fault for inviting the inappropriate comment. She does a little at first, but with some reassurance never goes back to that line of thinking.
What I didn't like: The constant going back and forth between being professional and friendly to awkward and silent. I get it happening once or twice, but it was every couple of chapters, Emma would say something or Jo would say something and things would be awkward. For as much as the two of them talk other things out, I would have liked a little bit more of that when it came to their personal relationship.

Otherwise? I highly recommend Something to Talk About.

Even though we were in Jo's head a comparable amount of time, I didn't see -- and really would've liked to have seen -- indications until near the end of the book that Jo had any other than professional/platonic feelings about Emma. She cared about and admired her but didn't seem attracted to or romantically interested in her. That would've frustrated me enough, had the book been entirely from Emma's perspective. Being in Jo's head something like half the time and not seeing the romance on her side made it significantly harder for me to buy into that relationship. Plus, so much of the time, I just wanted the ladies to find a way to clear, open communication. All that said, I enjoyed the book, and I appreciated the concept and the inclusion of a variety of strong female main and supporting characters.

This book was recommended to me "because [I] enjoyed Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (and, DANG, did I enjoy that book a whole bunch!). Something to Talk About was already up against some pretty tough competition and, unfortunately, this didn't hold up for me.

The representation of LGBTQ+ people in this novel is wonderful and it's an own voices book, which we need so much more of! My only issues were with the way the two main characters treated not only each other, but the people around them. Emma, on multiple occasions, feels the need to mention how fat her sister, Avery, is, even comparing their two sizes at one point, stating that Avery is "built like a weight-lifter." Ugh. No thanks. I'm aware this is a Me issue and that's totally fair but it's still an issue.

The romance was cute, the banter was fine, the representation was THERE, but this book STILL fell a bit flat.