It took my too long to read this book - not because of the content (which I LOVED), but because it's just a really weird time in the world right now, so I got into a bit of a funk.

This book had so many things that I loved - but I especially loved that it was a queer, Hollywood love story, that followed two really strong women. I'm a big fan. I'll read anything else this author puts out.

I would recommend to all of the romance readers out there, and especially those bored by mediocre male leads!

This is an interesting book of will they won't they.
It felt a little too drawn out and strangely angsty for the age of one of the love interests, but it was a pretty entertaining read. I love reading about characters opening up unknowingly because character growth.

This was a pretty cute story! I think it was too fast and a little too much insta-love for me, but very happy to see a wlw romance and hopefully we'll see more in the future!

This book didn't totally work for me. I did really enjoy the slow burn because that's catnip for me but it was more the power dynamics that threw me off and I couldn't really get around that at all no matter how much I tried and I also thought that the assistant never really got over putting her boss on this pedestal the entire book.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. A cute story of an assistant and her boss who both develop feelings for each other but don't want to be unprofessional, with a side story of sexual harassment that was maybe a little much but worked pretty well with the rest of the story. Unexpected steamy sex scene at the end!

Kept hearing buzz about this and glad I listened! A slow burn that was hilarious and sensitive and managed to sidestep the obvious tropes.

I don't think this was the right title for me. I've been trying to read more romance but I had a hard time keeping myself interested in the dynamic of the two leads.

I am truly overjoyed that this book exists and completely pained to be giving it three stars. Unfortunately, character development and being privy to what a character is thinking is a huge thing for me in a book and that want just wasn’t met here.

Emma is a show-runner for a well-known Hollywood screenwriter. While attending an awards ceremony they get photographed together and it sparks rumors that the two are an item. Try as they might to squash the rumors they end up fueling them and the effects spill out into all areas of their lives.

It took me a little while to get into the story at the beginning, but by the end this book had me feeling all the feels. I didn’t always love the main character, Emma, because of the way she failed to stand up for herself and really go for what she wanted without being pushed, but I did love her inner monologue and the way she cared for her boss (who, she also has a big ‘ol crush on).

And while Jo (Emma’s boss) did some things that made me want to shake her, and I felt like she took advantage of Emma sometimes, she ultimately had her best interests at heart and really went to bat for her when it came down to it.

Somehow, despite wanting to yell at the characters multiple times, they both ended up being so loveable, and I just adored how much they cared for each other in so many little ways.

Plus I loved Emma’s sister. She needs her own book, pronto!

Emma works as the assistant to Jo Jones, a well-known Hollywood actress, writer, and producer. Although the two have a strictly professional relationship, when the women are caught laughing together on an awards show red carpet, the tabloids go crazy and decide they are a couple. It is already a tense time for Jo, as she is the new writer for a big movie and is getting a lot of scrutiny. But Jo also has a policy to never comment on her love life, so the women decide to wait it out and hope the rumors die off.

Unfortunately, the gossip mill doesn’t seem to be abating as fast as Jo and Emma hoped, especially when it becomes clear there is some sort of leak within their production team who is fueling the fire. While the women have always had a comfortable relationship, now they are second guessing every move, worried about giving other people the wrong impression. As Jo’s TV show goes on summer hiatus and she focuses on her movie script, Jo and Emma end up spending a lot more time together without a lot of the other staff around. They start to grow closer and a friendship begins to bloom. Jo comes to rely on Emma more than ever before and the two forge a new connection.

When production starts up again, however, the tension comes back, particularly when Emma is the victim of workplace sexual harassment. Jo is willing to go all in to support Emma however she needs, but the situation has made both women more conscious about their relationship, even as they each start to recognize an attraction to each other. Now as Emma is set to begin a new position, she and Jo just might be ready to figure out if there is something real between them and if they truly are meant to be together.

Something to Talk About is the debut book by author Meryl Wilsner and a really engaging story. As soon as I heard the details and saw this cover, I was eager to grab this book. Wilsner has a great style that I really enjoyed. There is also a nice “inside Hollywood” side to the story, as the women work in TV/film, and I liked that behind-the-scenes element a lot. Jo and Emma are great characters and there is a nice side cast too, particularly Emma’s sister and Jo’s best friend. They are the best kind of confidantes — willing to listen to you wallow, but also good for a kick in the pants when needed.

The book has two main conflicts, which intermingle over the story. The first is the fact that everyone thinks Emma and Jo are a couple, and they are under constant scrutiny. It takes what was a professional, cordial working relationship and makes it both more tense, as well as more personal, as the two are sort of bonded together dealing with the situation. Wilsner does a nice job showing Jo’s tension, in particular, as she finds herself second guessing even the smallest gestures, wondering if someone is going to misinterpret. As the story develops, Emma is faced with a case of sexual harassment at work, which makes things even more tense. It happens as Jo and Emma are starting to have feelings for one another, but Jo would never consider a move on an employee and is very sensitive to doing anything that would make Emma uncomfortable. The plot gives a nod to the #MeToo movement in the way that speaking out against a well-known and loved man in the industry is so difficult and how those in positions of power often prey on those more vulnerable.

From a relationship end, this story is the slowest of burns. I mean SLOW. BURN. Aside from an accidental “miscalculated my aim” kiss early on, the women don’t even kiss until virtually the end of the book. But even aside from the physical, this story very (very) slowly develops the progression from purely professional, to friendly co-workers, to real friends, to lovers over the course of the book. I think Wilsner does a great job here with this aspect, as I felt like we could see the relationship development quite clearly, but I will admit, I was eager for some more action in terms of seeing that romantic connection happen earlier on. And I totally understand why the women can’t get together while Emma works for Jo, as so much of this story is focused on the inappropriateness of a workplace relationship. So plot wise, it all makes sense, but most of the story is build up and I wished it wasn’t over just as the connection is established.

In addition to being a rare female/female romance from a big publisher, the story also features both Jo’s Chinese-American background, as well as Emma’s Judaism, both of which are nice additions. The book doesn’t delve too deeply into either culture, but there are some nice moments for each character, so I appreciated that added diversity.

My biggest frustration here is that the women are a lot in their own heads, especially Emma, and are often misinterpreting things or making decisions that they think is what the other woman wants without talking to each other. Emma seems to always take something and leap to the worst type of “she must not really like me” response. This isn’t a Big Miscommunication type story, but there are so many little moments where things could have been resolved by just having a conversation instead of an assumption. I think because this book is such a slow burn, I found it all the more frustrating to have so many artificial roadblocks to the women moving forward, even as friends.

Overall, however, I really enjoyed this story. Wilsner has a great style and the story had a really nice tone. I particularly enjoyed the Hollywood setting and found the book really engaging. I look forward to more of Wilsner’s work.

This was a cute slow burn romance. Typically, I don’t like books that have a celebrity or fame element to it but I didn’t mind it here. The celebrity Jo was actually my favorite character out of the two. I liked Jo and Emily together but overall I felt there was a lack of chemistry. I think this is mainly due to the plot being more about these two characters drifting closer together. It was exciting at first after a photo of them at an awards show creates dating rumors but they stayed in this odd formal work relationship for too long. It made sense in the context of the story because there is a big sexual harassment situation that happens. Jo is really trying to be careful not to take advantage of Emily since she is in a position of authority.

However, I felt there could have been ways around this if they were honest with each other. Personality-wise I could see how they would be great together. I wish they got together at around the 70% mark and then had some kind of conflict they need to overcome. They were both stuck in the does-she-doesn’t-she phase for a really long time. Instead, we got all the excitement in the beginning and the rest of the book was both characters circling around each other until they finally get together. There needed to be more between them to make me really root for them. More conflict, more flirting, more something. I needed more witty banter between the two characters. A lot of the fun moments were from side characters, not between the main characters.

Overall, I think of you like a slow burn romance and character driven stories this might be a great romance for you.

THE BEST QUEER BOOK OF 2020! Thank you to everyone involved in this book, especially the talented Meryl Wilsner. In one sitting I consumed this book and it was worth the 5 hours of not moving. Both of the main characters were fun, entertaining, and had great chemistry that brought them together. Was it cheesy sometimes? Absolutely. Did I still love it. 100% WITH A CHERRY ON TOP!

This book follows Jo, a high profile TV show Director, and her assistant Emma. After they are seen whispering and laughing together on the red carpet the paparazzi runs wild with a rumor that they are dating. Will Emma and Jo play into the rumors or deny and ignore?

I was hoping this would be a faster paced romance in forcing the two women to address their feelings as soon as the rumors start. Unfortunately it meanders and takes so long for Jo and Emma to realize their feelings and then even LONGER for either of them to act on them. This was such a slow book. Even with the drama that was thrown in regarding the other Director and then Jo's dad, it still wasn't enough to keep this story interesting. I would look elsewhere for a fun FF romance, this one missed the mark.

This was everything cute and fluffy that I wanted it to be. Plus it has the added bonus of some #metoo justice.

I wanted this to get spicy faster. So much build up for a very late in the game payoff! Jo and Emma were very cute characters though, and I enjoyed their dynamic overall.

When I first heard of this, I was so excited! The first F/F title from Berkley is finally coming out! But when I got my hands on it I was excited all over again! And then I read it. I have to say, I’m a bit disappointed.

Jo and her assistant Emma are filmed coming down the red carpet, smiling and laughing together. And because of that, the rumors start flying. Jo doesn’t care what people are saying, the most she’s been saying is, “No comment.” But even while Emma is freaking out about the rumors, they start spending more time together despite what they’re saying. Suddenly they start to realize that the rumors are a bit too close to home. Just as they realize that the rumors may not be so untrue after all.

Ok, so let’s discuss. I hate saying that I was disappointed in this, but I was. This was supposed to be a romance? There was none. I literally looked at my computer when something happened between them and it was at 88%. I had heard it was a slow burn, but really nothing happened. And it really depressed me. And because the romance finally came up at the end, it felt SO. RUSHED. With this being the first romance from Berkley, I actually wanted to see some romance. *shrug emoji*

The characters were just ok for me. I liked them individually, but I didn’t feel like they had chemistry. Even them fighting the like they had for each other didn’t excite me. But Jo was cool. I loved her professional side. And I loved the passion she had for what she did. Emma was super nice and I loved her family and their experiences. But them together, it was really hard for me to see the two together.

As for the plot, I didn’t feel like anything really happened, BUT I was still entertained. I LOVED the writing style and it’s readability. It was definitely an easy listen with really great narrators that made me keep wanting to know what was happening. But overall, I have to say, it was pretty boring. Like I said, there were some entertaining moments, but they made me feel more mad emotions than warm, fuzzy ones that I expect from a romance.

I hate wrote this review because I wanted to be writing a glowing 5 star review instead. It’s unfortunate that it came to this, but I know although it didn’t work for me, it worked for someone somewhere. I hope whoever needs this book, finds it!

I absolutely loved this book! I am always a fan of LGBTQ+ books, and Something to Talk About was no exception! There are not enough stories that deal with gay couples, so any time I hear about a new one, it becomes a must read on my list. I love they way that Jo and Emma find their way to each other, even though it was nowhere near what they set out to do. Reading this book felt like something that could truly happen in real life, and that made the story that much better!

This slow burn of a book is the perfect one to read when you need to settle in and turn off the outside world. Jo and Emma are so good to each other, and the complexity of their relationships (with each other and with other close ones) is the biggest strength of this book. It isn't formulaic, but draws attention to important themes like trust, vulnerability, family, identity, integrity, and more. I really enjoyed this one.

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner is a cute and sexy LGBTQIA+ romance novel featuring one narrator who is a young, bi+ Jewish woman and an older, closeted Chinese-American woman. Some of my friends were talking about it and referred to it as a contemporary romance novel with a bit of a The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibe since, it too, is set in Hollywood, and maybe also because there is a secondary character named Evelyn in Wilsner's novel. (Don't expect anything like the framework in the magazine story in Evelyn Hugo though.)

Like many contemporary romance novels that have been published over the last few years, it has the characteristic, illustrated cover style. Moreover, since the first paparazzi image taken of the showrunner, Jo, and her personal assistant, Emma, on the red carpet is such a pivotal point and image in the novel, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the illustrator created a rendition of that very same moment. That said, there are some liberties at play—a close reading of the novel wouldn't suggest that Emma was leaning over to whisper in Jo's ear—but at the same time, there are key elements, such as Jo's yellow dress, which will recall that moment to the reader's mind. I will say, however, that unlike the covers of the first two books in the Bromance Book Club series, which I reviewed last week, this illustration appears rather flat since the represented characters don't have any believable shadows. I also don't, particularly, like the title treatment, but the story and description are much better than the cover, so I'm glad that I didn't judge it without giving this LGBTQIA+ romance a chance.

In the Hollywood world where the #MeToo movement is alive and well, but, so too, is the reason the very same movement is necessary, Something to Talk About was a breath of fresh air. Yes, this is a workplace romance that is rife with drama, especially of the tabloid kind, but it's not—in any way—the creepy kind. This isn't about the creepy, older boss hitting on her assistant...whether or not the assistant was interested.

Rather, it's a very slow burn romance that starts off merely as a great showrunner-assistant relationship on the set of the tv show where they met, The Innocents. However, when Jo invites Emma to the SAG Awards as a buffer from the uncomfortable questions she expected to have to face from journalists and the paparazzi over her upcoming job on a movie script, they capture an image that—out of context—looked romantic. Afterward, everyone in Emma's family teases her that Jo is her girlfriend, and the tabloids have stories filled with anonymous sources from a leak from their set that kept the rumour of Emma and Jo's relationship alive. Jo refuses to comment on the rumours publicly because she's never commented on her love life in the 30+ years, but despite what she thinks the rumours don't quickly disappear.

While the picture of Jo and Emma sets the tabloids, the employees on The Innocents' set, Emma's family, and Jo's BFF, Evelyn, talking and imagining a relationship between the young assistant and the boss of The Innocents' set, it isn't an impetus for either Jo or Emma to start having inappropriate feelings for one another. Nothing much changes with them initially, though they both find themselves second guessing their normal ways of interacting with one another in front of other people, which is understandable. Jo, in particular, doesn't want the casual way she touches Emma to be misconstrued, and Emma worries about calling Jo, aka Ms. Jones, the nickname "boss" when anyone is around. Over the course of the novel, there is a lot of drama both at their workplace and in their personal lives, and readers will be here for the way it slowly gets both of them thinking about each other in less than professional ways. Readers will slowly fall in love with these characters just as we see them falling in love with each another.

One of the things I loved about this novel, beyond the romance, is that it really dives into the consequences of the rumours, especially for Emma, the young assistant who was falsely assumed to be sleeping her way to the top. For someone like, Jo, who is in her early 40s and at the top of her game, there is very little that can negatively affect her career at this point. (It's possible that she will hit the glass ceiling, but that wouldn't necessarily have anything to do with rumours—whether they were true or false.)

However, things are different for Emma. She's just starting out and rumours like these could taint the way future employers would view any recommendations Jo sent her way. Even more pressing, though, is the fact that a well-established director uses the rumours as a legitimate excuse to proposition Emma in a casually creepy and totally disturbing way. That said, it also offers the opportunity for the book to make a clear delineation between this creep and the way Jo treats workplace sexual harassment and her slowly developing feelings for Emma.

Final Thoughts: Something to Talk About will give you a lot of things to squee over and talk about when your friends have also read this slow burning, but nevertheless, sexy f/f workplace romance.

When I heard about Something to Talk About, I knew I had to read it. Not only is it Berkley’s first queer woman romance, it’s written by a queer author. Something to Talk About follows a famous director, Jo, and her assistant, Emma. On a red carpet, Jo whispers something to Emma and the sweet moment is captured by the press. As Emma and Jo continue to deny that they’re a couple, they inevitably grow closer. This book is very slow burn but I think the great writing and characters make up for it. Something to Talk About also tackles sexism in Hollywood and the #MeToo movement, making it an important read in more than one way. I seriously recommend this one and I encourage everyone to buy a copy. Let’s tell mainstream publishing we want these stories.