4 ‘Love on air’ Stars!
ARC provided by the the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Lynn Solomon’s romantic comedy debut is a delightful treat to read! Rachel was a new author to me but that adorable cover caught my attention fast and I was all over the idea of this novel as soon as I finished reading the blurb. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed The Ex Talk because of its diversity, the powerful messages that our society needs to seriously think about, the uncommon aspect of a romance set in a public radio station, the amount of romance troupes (workplace, hate to love, fake exes, slight age-gap) and the banter and beautiful connection between the couple. This book was such a joy!

So, The Ex Talk is Rachel’s debut in the adult comedy romance world and it’s a standalone enemies to lovers that sucks you in with its storyline and characters. Shay Goldstein has been working in Seattle’s radio for ten years and she is not having it with Dominic Yun, the new “colleague” who keeps flashing his studies all over the place. Well, the radio station is not going well and they need something to save it. Shay has the idea to start a new section called The Ex Talk, where two exes talk about relationships. What she is not expecting is for Dominic to become her partner in crime and her fake ex-boyfriend. These two start really knowing each other and forbidden sparks light up.

This is only how it begins, I try to convince myself. We’re telling a story. That’s what radio is. The show will grow beyond our story—it has to. It’s the only way I can stomach our lie.

I am happily surprised by The Ex Talk and the characters Rachel Lynn Solomon has given us with her debut in the romcom world. I have to say, the story was really entertaining, the characters and their stories incredibly appealing and the couple adorable and deliciously sexy. I love a smart romance, with gripping characters and a couple with a beautiful connection and The Ex Talk definitely has all that. I loved how Shay and Dominic are so different from the typical romance couple but still having those romantic aspects that the romance lover in me was satisfied by.

“If I kissed you again,” he says, stepping closer, an intensity in his gaze I’ve never seen before, “it wouldn’t be for the show, or for research, or for any reason other than that I wanted to.”

This story made me think, laugh, cry and swoon and that is pretty much all I ask to enjoy a good read. I am so happy these two were not as different as they thought they were and that they have found happiness together. I do wish their actual relationship was a bit more developed, because the ending felt a bit rushed, but overall, I really loved this sweet romcom!

This is real. I have to keep reminding myself because otherwise I’m not sure I’d believe it.

Therefore, I am rating The Ex Talk with 4 STARS because I am thoroughly enjoy a well-done romantic comedy and Rachel Lynn Solomon did not disappoint with this one. I loved Shay and Dominic, their wonderful banter, the start of their relationship and how it developed to more. I loved their sweet, sexy and emotional love story and I hope Rachel writes more books like this one because I will sure be on the lookout for them. Guys, do not miss this one, I really do recommend it!

This book was just absolutely wonderful! I fell in love with all the characters, main and supporting.
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I really cannot get over the diversity and representation of this book *swoon*. Between interracial and various LGBTQIA+ relationships, my heart is just overflowing.
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So I’m not really sure why you’re still sitting here reading this when you should be running to your local bookstore to pick up your copy!

Unputodwnable. Witty. Hot. Fresh.

Shay and Dominick work in talk radio and they drive each other nuts. She thinks Dominic is smug and he thinks he’s better than everyone because of his masters degree. When the radio station starts failing Shay pitches an idea for a new show where exes cohost and talk about what happened in their relationship and how they remained friends, along with other relationship topics.

Shay has no idea that her boss will pair her and Dominic together to cohost the new show. They have to pretend they are exes and discuss a relationship they never had. Will they be able to get along long enough to sit in a booth to record together? And what happens when their feelings for each other start to thaw and they actually realize they enjoy each other’s company?

**

Romance is my happy place. I love a variety of genres but I’m always drawn back to romance. When I’m in a book slump or just unmotivated to read, I can always pick up a romance book and I know it’ll reboot my reading mind.

Before starting THE EX TALK I had just finished THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA. Which was amazing and I was in a book slump for days after, not motivated to read anything because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I decided to just pick up THE EX TALK and y’all, I could not put it down.

This is such a fun, flirty, fresh new take on pretend dating and enemies to lovers. Which are two of my favorite tropes by the way. It is full of witty banter, hot sexual tension and just great chemistry that leaps off the page. I could not get enough of this book and I can’t wait to see what else this author has in store for us!

5/5 STARS
*as always, thank you to Berkley Romance for the review copy. While this book was free in exchange for an honest review, my thoughts will ALWAYS be my own.

I will start off honestly and say that I had mixed feelings about reviewing this book. I loved Rachel Lynn Solomon's Today Tonight Tomorrow and I was super excited to see what she would come up with next. But the truth is that I'm not a huge reader of romance. I feel like that should be a general disclaimer for this review because I think that my general impression of the book is probably completely different from someone who regularly reads adult romance!

To start with, the premise of the book is great. Shay Goldstein works as a producer at a Seattle radio station and gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she's offered to co-host her own show. The catch? She has to pretend to be the ex of her workplace rival Dominic Yun in order for the show, The Ex Talk, to work out.

The whole rivals to lovers trope is there (in theory) but for some reason, I didn't find it so interesting. As the plot (and Shay and Dominic's relationship) developed, I found myself more invested in the progress of the radio show than I did their actual relationship.

To me it felt that the "rivalry" was very one-sided on Shay's part and I wasn't really drawn in by Shay and Dominic's relationship. I didn't connect to Shay throughout the book at all and she kind of bored me. I don't know if it's because it was a first person narrative that I feel that I didn't really get to know Shay's character or if it's because her character just doesn't have much depth in general.

Criticisms aside the overall concept of this book was very cute! Like I mentioned before, it's not my preferred genre so I'm sure that people who do tend to read romance will enjoy it a lot more than I did. I do want to be clear though that I didn't dislike the book, I just didn't find it to be anything special. This isn't a book that will stick out in my memory and I will probably forget about it in a week or two.

I'm realizing that my review sounds really harsh but I gave the book 3.5 stars! At the end of the day, it was just okay and was mediocre in the way that I can't remember anything positively outstanding to say about it.

Full review is on our blog (check it out at www.acourtofbooksandbrews.com).

I loved everything about this book. The enemies-to-lovers troupe, the radio banter, the characters growth, and the slow building romance was done beautifully.

My favorite aspect was the diversity and representation in this book! You have LGBTQIA+ and interracial relationships and that truly makes my heart so happy. I said I would keep this short and simple (I lied, #sorrynotsorry), but this book and its characters are flawed and relatable. You can't help but love all the main and supporting cast (minus the boss).

I have to admit this is my first book from this author, so I wasn't sure what to expect. In the beginning I didn't felt connected to the story but while I was reading more and more I enjoyed it a lot.

It was sexy,smart and adorable, if you enjoy enemies-to-lovers and fake relationship tropes this is for you.Shay is a likable main character and Dominic is swoon worthy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for access to this arc.

Thank goodness both were initially leery of lying about their “relationship” in order to float the premise of the show but the threat of being out of work worked wonders on convincing them to go along with that. Of course there was always commercial radio or music radio but see the NPR love fest discussion above.

I liked the villain less and less with his tendency to treat Shay more like a secretary and how he cut her off in front of Dominic during one meeting. So okay he’s the poster boy for misogyny. This aspect of the book was also well done in that it was misogyny of a million cuts and little things that added up rather than one big awful thing which made it seem more realistic to me. Still no one goes to his higher ups and complains about his arm twisting and threats of unemployment regarding agreeing to do the show.

The diversity inclusion was great and I loved that it didn’t just seem like boxes checked off. Shay celebrated Passover yet the only reason she didn’t eat a shellfish at a dinner scene was because she “doesn’t like them”? Hmmm. Okay maybe she doesn’t keep kosher but that detail stood out for me. I loved that Shay went to the shelter to adopt her dog and that she didn’t give up on Steve despite his lack of socialization and that she worked with a dog trainer to help him be all that he can be.

However there were things I had trouble with such as the fact that both Shay and Dominic lied through their teeth to their audience, their coworkers, and most of their friends and family. So … pretty much anyone who means anything to them. The public outing was brutal and at the end of the story, it seemed that the two of them had split from public radio plus had apologized out the wazoo but I can’t help but feel that earning back the trust of their listeners much less their families, was going to be a long slog. Especially for “I have a Masters degree in journalism” Dominic.

The romance was good but not great. At times Dominic, his sexy forearms notwithstanding, was a bit bland and when she needed him most, Dominic failed her, then failed her with his initial apology, and also with his subsequent actions. His public apology was heartfelt and inventive but when it counted – he fucking failed.

For a while, I was humming along with this book and feeling the charm. Then bit by bit, it settled into more ‘eh, not bad’ territory. I could have done with less of the paean to public radio but Shay did loosen up a bit about it by the end and perhaps she’ll take her best friend’s advice and continue to expand her horizons a little. B-/C+

Unfortunately I had to DNF this one. I found the characters to be unlikable and inconsistent. The heroine has a petty, jealous attitude that doesn't change for a while but what rubbed me the wrong way is the whole gaslighting and deception. We all complain about it when media and politicians do it yet we are supposed to say hey it's OK because the author says so. So bottom line - In order to not get completely ragey I'm waving the white flag.

This was my first Rachel Lynn Solomon book, but absolutely not my last!

The Ex Talk is a premise you see quite a bit - Hate to Love, but presented (I felt) in a new and unique way! Shay and Dominic work in Seattle Public Radio and Shay has been at the station for almost a decade. Dominic is the new guy who rubs her the wrong way, and he can't stop pointing out his masters in journalism to anyone who will listen.

The station is struggling though, and the show that Shay has worked on for years is being canceled but Shay has a new idea - a talk show that features two exes that provide relationship advice and share how their own relationship went bad.. The catch? Shay suggests he and Dominic as the hosts... who have never dated.

I have to say that my favorite part of this story was the evolution of Shay and Dominic's relationship. Seeing them start to build a friendship and eventually even more was so lovely. The catch here is that now that they are falling for each other the original lies become even more complicated.

Of course both have baggage and things in their past that they bring to this situation that influence how they behave and how they treat each other, but I also really loved the aspect of love after loss and dealing with the grief that comes along with losing someone. Learning about Shay's mom along the way and seeing the hope that was in that love story was just a lovely addition.

Characters really just do it for me in these types of stories and Solomon nailed these characters - I'm very excited to read her other books that are on my TBR Pile!

Thank you for the early copy!

I feel grateful to have been gifted an early copy of The Ex Talk as a result of a giveaway from the author Rachel Lynn Solomon! This book has been floating around the ‘gram and couldn’t wait to dive into this fabulous romance read. 💕    
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I don’t usually gravitate towards romance reads, I’m more of a thriller girl, but there are times that I’m in the mood for a cute love story. It has to captivate me and I have to be invested in the characters to really enjoy a romance novel. The Ex Talk did just that - I was sucked in and finished it in almost one sitting. The story was so different, a budding romance between two radio station rivals. I appreciated the different setting and circumstances- you don’t see a lot around radio anymore, and as a past journalist I smiled at all of the journalistic references. As you know, endings to a book are SUPER important to me and can make or break a book. Rachel did an amazing job making the story itself come full circle and I finished feeling fulfilled (but I also wanted more because I adored Shay and Dominic so dang much!).   
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This book has to be one of my favorite romance reads this year. It’s so well-written, there are many diverse characters, it’s hilarious, steamy 😳, sad, surprising and intelligent. If you are looking for a solid romance novel, THIS IS IT.

I LOooooooved this book!! This enemies to lovers story had it all. I loved the complexities of Shay and Dominic and their banter was perfection. I’ve always been interested in radio and the personas behind the voices, so to have a behind the scenes look was so fun and engaging. The author herself was in radio before turning to writing.

Steam factor is a 🔥🔥🔥 (I’m no expert) but I think y’all can definitely skip over if that’s not something you enjoy reading.

All the feels from this fun and smart story that left a huge smile on my face.

So. Much. Swoon. Loved this book! If you're looking for a fast-paced, fun, enemies to lovers romance novel - this is the one for you! Solomon absolutely nails the banter and tension perfectly.

As a big fan of Rachel's YA novels I was going into this book expecting to love it. I did not expect to fall in love with it. And Shay. And Dominic. And, somehow, public radio? That I don't understand. I've never been a radio person, or a podcast person, or anything like that. But this book made me wish Shay and Dominic's podcast was real. I would listen to it, I think. And that's coming from a person who can't listen to anything except CDs. So. Yeah. This book was that good.
I'm going to babble on about my favorite part of the book for a moment, which was not the plot or the fantastic writing or the relationship dynamics (even though I loved all of these things so, so much). No, my favorite part of this book was Shay.
One reason to read a book is to see yourself on the page. I've always been lucky enough to see many characters who looked like me, or felt like me, in books. It's been a while since I related so strongly to a character the way I related to Shay though. Her fears and feelings about adulting? The way she threw herself into her past romantic relationships, only to find them ultimately unfulfilling because she wasn't in them because she really wanted to be but because she didn't want to be alone? Her overall personality and anxieties and love of her dog? All of it. Every single part of it. I loved it. I loved her. And even when her thoughts mirrored my own a little too closely for comfort, all it did was make me need to keep reading. I needed to see how her story unfolded.
That's always the sign of a good book, isn't it? Needing to know how it ends, even if you hate it? Well, I didn't hate it. Far from it actually. I loved it so much. I thought this would be a five star read based solely on the author and I was right in that it was so worth the highest rating I could give it. I know Rachel's books are going to be even better the more she writes, and I can't wait for more romance novels from her (girl can write a sex scene y'all, just saying), but this one is here, and it's waiting for you, and you need to read it right now.
My loving how relatable Shay is might not have convinced you, I understand. However, there is so much more to love than one character and some great sex scenes. Dominic is one thing. He's a little too much for his own good, and still growing into himself as an adult, and it's so sweet to see all of that unfold. Another thing is the varying types of relationships and their importance in the development of the plot and the characters. Romance as a genre is about happily ever afters. But to see the reality of what it takes to get to those happily ever afters is always a thing to behold. It's always something that keeps you reading, and I think the different friendships, familial ties, and co-worker relationships all meshing together in this book are part of what makes it so strong. These people are real. They're you, or your best friend, or that girl from work who maybe annoys you a little bit but has good intentions.
I'm a romance fan, but I think even if you aren't you should get yourself a copy of this book. I've already said it's a five star read and I'm sticking by it. Read this book, okay? You simply must.

if you data-mined my id & wrote a novel based off of what you found there, you’d produce something very close to THE EX TALK, a fake-dating/hate to love/public radio romance (that’s right, nerds, you heard me) which was brought to my attention by my public radio fave (name withheld to protect the esteemed professional) and which @berkleypub was kind enough to grant me dARC access to.

Shay Goldstein’s entire life is public radio—it was a passion she shared with her father & she’s given 10 years to her station. Enter Dominic Yun: young upstart reporter straight out of J-school, beloved by their boss, way too tall, & encroaching on her turf. when funding cuts lead to station reorg & Shay’s job is at risk, she and Dominic are thrown together in a bizarre bid for listeners that will leave her questioning her professional path...and her heart (dun dun DUN).

i’m dead curious to hear what my friends in pub radio think of this, but i was such a fan. full of NPR deep-cuts, existential professional 30-something angst, facing down sexism in progressive spaces(!!), a rescue dog(!!!), and very nuanced, sensitive treatment of grief and shifting family dynamics, this sits in the upper echelons of the genre for me, and is one i’m already looking forward to picking up again in These Our Days of the Perpetual Re-Reading.

Not only am I a sucker for enemies turned lovers stories, this book also has something that always manages to grab my attention and make me laugh out loud: coworkers. And not only that! It is about radio cohosts!! Like, when was the last time you read a book about radio cohosts? Is radio still a thing anyway? to anyone else but me and my grandparents?

Honestly, despite that a big chunk of this book concentrates on making a public radio show, it still feels so current to me. And not only because I am a solid 28-year old millennial. But it’s not only because of my age that I could relate to our main characters Shay and Dominic, so much about them spoke to me on a spiritual level. All the melancholy about figuring out one’s adult life, the loneliness that comes with growing up, the feeling of being stuck in work limbo. I just felt understood. And that’s what made most of the book for me.

But it wasn’t just that. This was a romance after all, and a good one at that. There was great chemistry between Shay and Dom. I found myself constantly chuckling at their banter, I would totally listen to their podcast.

And don’t even get me started on that final time they were inside the recording booth together *swoon*. Over and out.

Normally when choosing my first read of the year, I’ve never given it too much thought. This year though, I wanted to be intentional with my choice. Begin as you mean to go on, and all that. I can honestly say that beginning my reading year with this delightfully charming novel sets the bar pretty high going forward.

The Ex Talk is an unique workplace romance. For one, it takes place against the backdrop of a local public radio station. Second, is the premise. While this could definitely fall into the category of fake relationship, the two main characters, Shay and Dominic aren’t pretending to be in a relationship. No, for the sake of dwindling radio ratings and in an effort to bring in more listeners, Shay and Dominic, cohosts of the new dating show, The Ex Talk, are pretending to be exes, breaking it down episode by episode exactly what went wrong in their “relationship”.

I adored pretty much everything about this book, from the two incredibly well-formed, engaging main characters to the side characters, painted equally vividly, to the nuanced commentary on grief, loss, adapting to change, and workplace misogyny. I realize this makes it sound like the book is dark and it’s very definitely not. It somehow manages to balance some of the more sobering themes with lots of fun and lightheartedness, witty banter, sexual tension, and even an only one bed (!) trope thrown in for good measure.

One of the other things this book does so well is with the diversity of the characters, from the two main characters to the side characters as well. Dominic is Korean American, Shay is Jewish, her best friend is Indian and her mother’s fiancé is Nigerian. There are also LGBTQ characters in the book. And the most interesting thing about how these characters are presented is that it’s not ever a big deal. It’s just casual and matter-of-fact like this is what the real world looks like so of course, the book would be a reflection of that world.

This book hit some of my tropey sweet spots from a somewhat awkward hero (Dominic’s habit of stating he has a Master’s degree from Northwestern could get old except that it’s immediately turned into a joke) to a seriously competent heroine (Shay is great at her job, knows she’s great at it, and by the end of the book, the reader will know it as well) to a grovel scene that more than makes up for the dark moment in the book.

I will add there is off page death of a parent that happens years before the book starts so if that’s a deal-breaker right now, please proceed with caution.

All in all, it was just the loveliest book to start the year with, sweet and sexy with two adorable main characters who made me fully invested in their HEA.

I really really loved this book, and I don’t have any real criticism for it, it had everything you’d want from a contemporary romance.

Shay and Dominic are in radio both ambitious looking for their big break, when an opportunity presents itself and has the two enemies co-hosting a radio show/podcast where they pretend they are exes, what could possibly go wrong or right for that matter?

This book had so many highlights:

- A new, original setting, I don’t think I’ve read a book that takes place primarily in radio with a podcast tie in, it felt fresh and well researched.
- There was great representation from the strong Jewish female to the vulnerable, intelligent Korean male.
- The enemies to friends to lovers was done well, these characters felt real and relatable. I loved how vulnerable they both got with one another and the build of their relationship was so perfectly timed.
- There is some serious steam, the chemistry is undeniable and the intimacy these two characters create is really tender, honest and just plain sexy while still feeling totally real.
- There are other great themes: sexism in the workplace, grief, heartbreak, loneliness, friendship.
- The story had a clear path and it was a steady enjoyable read, I laughed, I cried, I had butterflies.

A must have for the modern romance lover.

I really liked the premise of The Ex Talk. Fake Relationship is my favorite romance trope and I liked the twist to make it into a Fake Ex-Relationship. Add in my love of any book that includes journalists or writers and this book seemed like it was made for me. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but it still did have several enjoyable moments.

I liked Shay and Dominic together. There was some terrific banter between them that put a big smile on my face while I was reading. I really liked seeing them become friends and then become more. I thought they complemented each other well and I enjoyed every scene where they were cute together.

While Shay had likable moments, I found her frustrating most of the time. She was the definition of someone who keeps getting in her own way. She was very self involved and spent a lot of time blaming other people for her problems or her feelings. I especially didn’t like how she handled the big dramatic moment with Dominic.

While normally I love stories about journalists, it was just ok for me here. The book starts with Shay extolling the virtues of public radio and it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. She came off as so superior and condescending. And then her great big idea to revolutionize public radio is a dating show? Really? There was a lot of the characters having these ideas that they thought were so terrific that seemed kind of lame to me.

Overall, The Ex Talk ended up being just ok for me. While I really enjoyed Shay and Dominic’s banter and their growing relationship, the rest of the story was kind of hard to make myself get through. Shay’s total self-involvement, the too frequent sex scenes, and the overall superior attitude of the characters really brought the story down for me.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3 Stars

This was a breath of fresh air during a time when the news was really getting me down. I enjoyed the "newness" of this book and what I mean by that is the setting was in the PNW, the characters held jobs in public radio (can't think of a book I've read where that has been the career) and lord have mercy! The diverse representation included made my heart sing. The romance trope was enemies to lovers (my favorite one) and most importantly, it helped break my reading slump. Definitely a recommend for a good escape read!

Thanks to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing and Rachel Lynn Solomon for the advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review Date: 01/25/2021
Publication Date: 01/26/2021

This radio talk show book was really a fun take on enemies to lovers. There is a bit of an age gap as well, and I am here for it!!
Both of our characters are imperfect, and I love the journey that they go on to progress and become better adults and better people throughout the course of the novel.
There is some growing a backbone and some female empowerment for Shay, and a look at priorities in life for Dominic.
Grand gesture time was fantastic, and I can't wait to read more by this author soon!