"But maybe that's what we all are—halfway-broken people searching for things that will smooth our jagged edges."

This is another book that's been on my "Currently Reading" shelf for far too long. It wasn't that I didn't like or enjoy the book, but I sat it down and just sort of... forgot about it. I picked it up recently and fell back into the story like I'd never left. The public radio aspect of The Ex Talk was the best part of this book. I loved learning more about the innerworkings of public radio and seeing characters that had a passion for journalism and reporting. I enjoy listening to NPR and really liked the references that were peppered in throughout the story.

I've said it once and I'll say it again: the miscommunication trope kills a book for me. When we as readers know the characters like each other, but we see them fight those feelings because of course they don't feel the same way, it's annoying. Shay and Dominic clearly fell hard for each other, and deciding on "something casual" felt like an insult to both of their characters. They repeatedly assumed they knew what the other person wanted from the relationship, or they made it about work, and I found myself rolling my eyes at their excuses.

I also think The Ex Talk would have benefitted from duel POVs. Seeing Dominic's perspective through all of this would have added a much needed layer to the story. We just see Shay making decisions on behalf of them both, and we never really get his input on how situations play out. It would have helped to know what he was feeling and thinking in certain situations and added depth to both of their characters.

We all know there has to be conflict in order for there to be resolution. Something bad has to happen before the characters inevitably admit their true feelings for each other and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, the villain in this story was someone that should never have had a role in their relationship in the first place. They were slimy from the start, and I hate that it was them that outed Shay and Dominic, seeing as they weren't completely innocent themselves. Their decision impacted the lives of several people yet they were left mostly unscathed. I wanted Shay and Dominic to come clean on their own terms, and not have it decided for them. Now it just feels like they were honest only because they were forced to be, and not because they were good people wanting to do the right thing.

The intimacy was also super weird. It felt awkward to read about and I almost wish we'd had a closed door romance with this one. I think their lack of experience and shy personalities should have meant their private moments were just for the two of them, and not for us as readers. I don't know if it was how the author described those moments, but I felt like I should have skipped them for the character's benefit.

The Ex Talk was a super fun concept with awkward and adorable characters that I could totally get behind as a couple. I just wish they'd been more open with each other. I also think Dominic should have been more assertive and supportive of Shay in the workplace. Yes, Shay was absolutely capable of handling herself, except she didn't. I would have preferred if Dominic had stepped in and stopped the mistreatment she received in her work environment, and been more bold with his intentions and how he felt about her. He was too passive for my tastes.

The antique shopping, Steve (Shay's dog), Ruthie (an awesome friend), and how the story dealt with family loss were amazing. I thought the author addressed a really tough issue with the care and attention it deserved, and her comments about the loss feeling new even after 10 years really hit hard. So definitely give this one a go, if any of these elements appeal to you, and if a lack of communication doesn't make you crazy.

I have absolutely no idea why I waited so long to read The Ex Talk but this was DELIGHTFUL! I’m a huge NPR nerd so I absolutely loved the idea of a romance set in public radio. I read and listened to the audiobook and the narration was excellent. This was such a wonderful work place romance, I’m excited to dive into the rest of Solomon’s backlist!

I always love book settings in Seattle! I really enjoyed this one. I liked the banter between Shay and Dominic and really felt like there is such accurate portrayal of how hard it is to make friends as an adult and how lonely you can be. I liked seeing how they went from enemies to friends to lovers and thought the public radio aspect was fun.

This was my first book by Rachel Lynn Solomon and I definitely will be reading more from her!

Thank you Berkley for sending me an eARC (via Netgalley) of this book to be an Own Voice reviewer

I loved this book!

This is actually my first Rachel Solomon book, but I have heard amazing things about her writing. After reading this, I will definitely be checking out her backlist!

This was a such a fun concept! Podcasts are all the rage right now, so it was really cool to read about the creation of one and see some of the behind the scenes. I think this would be really cool as an audiobook because there are some parts where you read the podcast, so I'm sure hearing it would be epic!

Plot

I loved the concept of this book! Two co-workers who hate each other, having to do a podcast where they have to pretend to, not only be exes, but exes who remained friends. I have to say, this would definitely be a good idea for a podcast! I understand how people were freaking out about it and wanting them to get back together.

I also loved all of the side plots that were going on. I think it was really powerful to see her mother moving on and being happy again. It was doubly awesome because we got to see this in a mixed race and faith way. Seeing them share their traditions was super cool!

Rep
The main character, Shay, and her mom are Jewish and it was really fun to see some Jewish traditions in this book! They shared Passover with their new family and I loved watching the kids discovering how fun it is to find the afikoman; it really brought me back to my childhood! I could also relate to Shay having to read the four questions always, because I was always the youngest as well. There were other fun little things through out the novel that made it clear that they're Jewish, and that I also do or say, so it was awesome to see it in the novel. A Jewish character that actually felt Jewish.

There were other minorities represented as well. The main love interest, Dominic, is South Korean, and Shay's mother's beau is Nigerian. I can't speak to whether these characters were written correctly, but I did love seeing that diversity!

Characters

Shay is our leading lady and the entire story is told from her point of view. I really related to Shay and how she feels about getting older and where she should be in her life. I think she is a character that most mid twenty to mid thirty year-olds will be able to see themselves in.

Dominic is our love interest in the story, and a very swoon worthy one at that. A 6'3'' man who leans, smirks, and has dimples. Yes ladies, he is what we all want! He has some faults (like never being able to shut up about grad school), but they somehow become charming the more we get to know him. I really liked him throughout the entire book. He never did anything that pissed me off. Even when I was disappointed, I still understood and liked him. And I loved him at the end.

Romance

This is a romance novel, and it did not disappoint. We got a very cute couple in this story that I was rooting for the entire time! I loved Shay and Dominic, and there was never a time I wasn't rooting for them.

There are a few sexy scenes, nothing insanely graphic, but definitely sexy!

And the ending! Very swoon!

Overall

This was a really fun read and I highly recommend it to everyone!

amazing book and sop cute and god I love all the charathers because they were so real and relatable and they were just so amazing and I need them in my life I wish I was like this

Love, love, love - Rachel Lynn Solomon fan for life! Very fun, cute romance - highly highly recommend.

This was a cute book and a nice little story. I couldn’t fully get into the romance side of things. I felt that part way through the story kind of stalled and took me some time to push through to the end.

This is a cute romantic comedy that comes with a valuable life lesson as well as a happily ever after. Shay and Dominic take their enemies relationship, turn it into a false break up, and eventually become lovers. Unfortunately there is a huge lie along the way that damages both their jobs and their new feelings for each other. Written with heart and humor, the storyline, as well as the characters, won me over and charmed me completely. I listened to the audiobook expertly narrated by Emily Ellet and enjoyed my time spent with this book.

I liked this workplace romance and will be reading weather girl this year as they have both been on my shelf for a long while. The angst and banter were great but it did remind me of a book I have already read before, very similar plot so I was definitely comparing the books in my head as I was reading

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book at the time prior to release. Unfortunately as a mood reader, I was unable to read the book around the time of the book release. I had attempted to read this book and get hooked at the time when I attempted to read Rachel’s story. If I read and review the book in the future, I will add my review here. Thanks again for the opportunity.

i'm really not sure how i feel about this book. parts of it were good, parts of it were really annoying, and for a while, i thought it was going to be completely forgettable. it still might be, honestly. but i did resonate with the main character a little bit and i found myself invested in the relationship. i'm going to sit on this for a bit and see how i feel about it in a day or two because i'm just not sure how i really feel.

Oh, this book had me kicking my legs, and giggling like crazy because of how cute this romance is.

Shay Goldstein has been a producer at the Seattle public radio station for a decade and is beyond perturbed that a fresh-out-of-college hotshot named Dominic Yun has come in and decided he knows everything there is to know about public radio. In a desperate attempt to create a new show for the station, Shay and Dominic portray themselves as exes in a show they call The Ex Talk, which quickly becomes a hit. It works because they already despise each other, but as they continue their show together, some very real feelings start to emerge, threatening to ruin the careers they've both worked for.

Honestly, I just loved this story so much. It felt like a total breath of fresh air. Both protagonists felt so real to me, and all of their interactions had me REELING. The dialogue was extremely sharp. I loved them both together and individually and thought that Rachel Lynn Solomon deeply understood them both and their motivations for everything in their lives. They just felt so genuine in everything they did. And I would be remiss to mention that the spicy scenes were indeed spicy and Solomon wrote them very, very well.

I loved this book so much and consider it to be a new favorite of all-time. HIGHLY recommend it.

I devoured this book in one reading. First, the idea to have a couple pretend to be exes is such a fun contrast to the typical fake dating trope. It made book all the more interesting to read! Second, I loved Dominic. He was so pompous at first but easily fell into a really playful personality. It was a really good enemies-to-lovers without making me despise one of the characters first. I also really enjoyed the character growth both Dom and Shay underwent and how they grew together. Finally, the writing and banter kept me giggling the entire way through. Great and fun read!

Overall, I recommend this book to any romcom and trope lovers.

An enjoyable romance with plenty of humor and sparks and a compelling plot at its center. Solomon is a great writer and I look forward to her future books.

I loved the immersion into the world of public radio and the hero was a very romantic lead. However, the main character felt a little flat, making it difficult to fully attach to the relationship at the core of the book;.

A really cute and funny romcom for folks who like Talk radio and enemies to lovers. There’s one scene at the end that really took me out of believing in their love story as a whole but all in all, a great book.

This book was so fun and such an interesting enemies-to-lovers romance! Solomon does such a great job with setting (this book is set in Seattle) and relationship.

I was lucky to be gifted an ARC of this book to review, and I sucked at reading it in a reasonable amount of time. But, I have loved other books by this author and I couldn’t wait to drive back into her writing. This is a great romance for fans of the fake-dating and enemies to lovers tropes. This follows our two main characters pretending to be ex’s and host a relationship podcast.

I am obsessed with Rachel Lynn Soloman’s story crafting and writing. I loved seeing the primary relationship in this story and seeing how realistic and messy it was. I like that the author focused on the main character and how she is whole on her own. But also seeing how amazing and realistic the couple is together.

I also wanted to mention that this story really focuses on the topic of grief and sexism in the workplace. I really appreciated the exploration of what it means to be grieving, and how that never truly goes away. We see our main character deal with it daily. I also appreciated the look at how subtle sexism can be, and how those who don’t deal with it can react to it. Both of these are important topics to include in stories, and I loved seeing these in a romance or a more light hearted story. This is something the author does really well in her work.

Overall I fell head over heels in love with this story and the writing.I was hooked by this story, and devoured this book in a matter of days. I can’t wait to see what other books the author had in store for the future. I have read a couple of her books at this point and she has a fan in me!

Oh my goodness! I absolutely LOVED this book! Such a perfect enemies to lovers with so much wonderful tension, swoon, & steam! I can’t wait to read everything Rachel Lynn Solomon writes!

Laugh out loud, shed a tear, and fall in love with Shay and Dominic. There’s just something about fake dating that turns into a HEA that gives life to my soul.