Last year I read and fell in love with Rachel Lynn Solomon’s YA contemporary novel Today Tonight Tomorrow. I was captivated by both her characters and her storytelling and couldn’t wait to get my hands on anything and everything else she’s written. So when I heard she had a new adult contemporary novel called The Ex Talk coming out, I was quick to rush over to Netgalley and request a review copy. And I’m thrilled to report that, as soon as I started reading, I fell in love with Solomon’s writing and storytelling all over again.

As with Today Tonight Tomorrow, it’s the incredibly realistic and well drawn characters Solomon creates that really pulled me in. The Ex Talk follows Shay Goldstein, a radio producer who has been working at a public radio station in Seattle for almost ten years. Shay loves her job and can’t imagine ever doing anything else. Her job also makes her feel connected to her Dad, who passed away a while ago, as they both shared a love of public radio. Shay has also held kind of a Rockstar status at the radio station because she’s young and talented. That all changes, however, when Dominic Yun starts working at the station. Fresh out of grad school and anxious to prove himself, Dominic quickly threatens to steal the spotlight from Shay. Needless to say, Shay is not impressed (although she has to admit he’s pretty cute, even though he is absolutely infuriating).

Shay is so likeable from the opening pages that I was immediately rooting for her to put Dominic in his place. That is, until the banter and the sparks started flying! When the radio station falls on hard times and needs fresh new programming in a hurry, Shay suggests a talk show about relationships that features two exes as cohosts. The boss loves the idea and says that since there’s no time to look for actual exes, Shay and Dominic will pretend to be exes and host the show together. Can you say awkward? I’m a sucker for a good enemies to lovers story anyway so throw in some fake dating on top of it and you’ve got yourself a practically perfect romcom. As soon as Dominic and Shay started with the verbal sparring, both on and off air, I was completely hooked. And of course, as soon as we start to learn more about Dominic, I fell in love with his character too and just wanted the two of them to get together already, haha!

There’s so much more I could say, but I don’t want to spoil the evolution of their relationship. I’ll just leave it at this – I loved pretty much everything about The Ex Talk. I loved the characters, the dialogue, the focus on public radio, the actual scripts from their show, etc. The Ex Talk is one of those books that was so much fun to read I didn’t want it to end and I’m predicting now that it will make my Best of 2021 list.

WOW.

One of my favorite traditionally published books!
I’m still shook that this was my first book by Rachel.

This book had it all
- enemies to lovers
- romantic comedy
- fake (ex) relationship
- workplace romance

I didn’t want to put this book down and I didn’t even stop to write notes down.

I LOVED the representation of having Korean & Jewish characters!

& WE HAD STEAM 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

This relationship felt real, raw, and natural.
I loved watching these two fake exes fall in love!

You’ve been seeing this bookstagram darling all over, and for good reason. This adorable romance focuses on Shay and Dominic, two colleagues at a public radio station who can’t stand each other. The station is struggling, and Shay pitches a new show to keep it afloat: The Ex Talk, a show where two exes navigate all thing relationships. The show gets picked up, but with one catch: Shay’s boss wants her and Dominic to co-host it, despite them never having dated. Let’s just say, this enemies-to-fake-exes romance is quite the unique and steamy spin on a few classic tropes.

I haven’t read a romance in a while where I really loved both characters, but Shay and Dominic are fabulously fleshed-out characters in their own right. It also helps that their banter is delightful and I loved reading their scenes together. This is a must-read for February! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Ex Talk will be available on Tuesday, January 26th! Thank you to @berkleyromance and @netgalley for sharing an e-ARC with me in exchange for my honest review. You can purchase your own copy of The Ex Talk on Bookshop.org through the link in my bio!

⚠️ CW: death of a parent, grief, sexism in the workplace

The hype made me try this one, but I'm sorry to say The Ex Talk was just not my cup of tea.

I'll give some credit where it's due: Solomon writes steamy sex scenes. None of that fade-to-black nonsense. This part of the book was done well, but it was a shame that I never warmed to the main couple - Shay and Dominic - like I was supposed to. I imagine if I'd been madly shipping them that it would have been all the more exciting.

Problem is, this supposedly funny romance was not that funny to me. There was something about the dialogue and jokes here that reminded me of tumblr memes. I know the parts where they're bickering on live radio were probably meant to seem a bit scripted, but their off-the-air chatter felt equally wooden. Jokes ripped from memes, constant pop culture references (Team Angel? Come ooonnn), none of it did much to convince me this was a relationship to become invested in.

Shay herself felt like an internet personality with her "oh shucks, I'm so millennial" quips, gasping at the racism around her that she had "no idea" about, and always apologizing for her whiteness. Once... maybe a decent ally. More than once... someone wants a woke sticker.

Outside of this, a couple of things turned me off this relationship. One was the way they started bonding during an "I'm so lonely" pity-party. These are two educated middle-class professionals who are surrounded by caring friends and family. Forgive me if I don't whip out my kleenex just yet.

The other actually baffles me. I don't usually care about age differences, as long as the characters are consenting adults and not, like, boss and employer, so the five year age difference between Shay and Dominic should not have been an issue at all. And it wasn't at first. Then Shay kept going on and on about it until it did start to feel a bit weird.

Suddenly he looks very, very twenty-four.

“Were they even still popular when you were a kid?”

“I can’t believe I was out of college when you were still in high school. Way to make me feel ancient.”
He sits down next to me. “Did you have dial-up? And CDs? What was your CD collection like?”


Way to really drive home the cradle-snatching vibe.

The best bit of this book, without a doubt, is Steve the dog:

On our drive home, Steve vomits in the car carrier. When we get inside, he vomits again on a rug I never really liked, pees on my coffee table, and poops on the living room carpet. If my house felt empty before, now it’s teeming with chaotic energy. I set up his bed in my room, and he humps it for a solid forty-five minutes before finally turning around in a circle four and a half times and curling himself into a tight ball. When I try to get near him, he growls, baring his underbite.
Steve, it turns out, is kind of a hot mess.


Methinks Solomon just might not be for me, unless, that is, Steve gets his own book 😂

{Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my gifted copy}

I enjoy a rom-com from time to time but they can all start to run together for me after a while. After hearing some of my trusted reading sources raving about The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon, I decided to give it a try, and I am so glad I did!

Shay and Dominic are two work rivals who are talked into fabricating a past relationship, in the interest of a new podcast show. Shay had worked for almost a decade at Seattle public radio station when Dominic enters the scene.

After putting in her time, she is ready to finally see all of her hard work pay off but isn't prepared for her arrogant new co-worker whose presence is now helping make this new series a great success. The witty and intelligent banter was spot on and the chemistry between Shay and Dominic is palpable...making this a completely compulsive read.

The Ex Talk has plenty of twists and amazing and realistic characters. I love when real-life issues are a part of more light-hearted plotlines and Solomon nailed this aspect. You can also tell that Solomon knows the into and outs of public radio, and as an NPR junkie, this behind-the-scenes look at all the work that goes into making a show successful was super compelling.

This book was just as much about finding your way in adulthood as it was a romance, and it left me with all the feels. The storyline was perfectly paced, resulting in a very satisfying (and believable!) conclusion...something I always wish for but rarely find in this genre. I know this book will be one of my favorite contemporary romances of 2021 and I highly recommend picking up a copy!

Rachel Lynn Solomon has done it again! The Ex Talk is a wonderful romance that features Korean and Jewish characters (aka they're the main couple), and I loved every minute of it.

We all know that I love RLS's Jewish rep. I can't speak directly about Dominic Yun, since I'm not Korean, but let me say, Shay Goldstein is a great Jewish character. The casual Jewish rep is just great.

The Ex Talk is a haters-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, co-workers-to-lovers, ex-back-to-lovers (is that a thing?) all rolled into one. It might sound like too much is going on, but IT WORKS, it's so good!

So, let's talk about the plot. First, I know NOTHING about public radio...I rarely even listen to the radio, but RLS brings it to life. Shay's passion for radio just bleeds off the page. Then Dominic comes on the scene and the banter and tension between the two of them is just *chef's kiss.*

Both characters are just so lovable, Furthermore, RLS doesn't make you wait for the romance to take off. That means as a reader, we really get to watch their romance grow and get to see how the characters grow together.

The Ex Talk also touches upon sexism in a really great way.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for my eARC!

I loved this book from the first page. It's a really enthusiastic 5 stars for me!

Shay Goldstein has working in public radio her whole career. She's usually behind the scenes, but when she gets the chance to host a new show, she's ready to jump on the opportunity. Only cons: she'd be cohosting with her work nemesis Dominic… and they would be lying about being exes. The closer they get, the more Shay realizes Dominic isn't half as bad as she thought, even though he does still talk about his masters program too much. And maybe, they both want to be more than fake exes.

I immediately loved Shay and Dominic. They are really great characters that you get attached to without even realizing it. Shay, at least for me, felt like an extremely real character. She's uncomfortable being in her house alone, she's struggling with making adult friends, and she's still finding the place she's meant to be in her career. It was really nice to see a character that didn't have it all together in a way that I personally related to. I think that's one of the main reasons I loved this book so much.

Dominic was amazing too. He was dorky, and not perfect, and that made his developing relationship with Shay even more sweet. I do think that his personal history was overshadowed by Shay's. There could have been a lot more discussing his past, but the focus was meant to be on Shay (it's really her story), so I'm okay with not knowing much about Dominic's past relationship.

Usually, I'm not a fan of pop culture references in books. I often think they are overdone in an attempt to appeal to the reader, but the references in The Ex Talk occasionally had me laughing out loud. Shay talks like and makes the references of a real millennial, without any of the randomness and setups from an author trying to appeal to the reader without doing their research. Plus, I now have a TON of podcast recommendations, so I'm really excited about that.

I think this is a book everyone will love, and I expect it to be on all the year-end romance wrap ups. It's definitely going to be one of my favorites of the year. I can't wait for more people to read and review it! I'm looking forward to continuing to discuss this one on all my pages.

And as a last side note... I am SO glad Kent got what was coming to him. I only wish it was worse!

Romance readers don’t sleep on this one!
I absolutely adored The Ex Talk. The characters were real and heartwarming, and I loved learning about public radio.
I honestly was hooked from the start with the fake dating trope between two people who can’t stand each other. I mean, what’s not to love? I’ll be recommending this to all my romance readers!

This was quite a lovely read and I 100% expected that given how much I have enjoyed Rachel Lynn Solomon's YA books in the past. She has a fresh, funny, and engaging voice that translated very well into the adult contemporary romance setting. The Ex Talk is a 2021 romance novel not to be missed!

Shay has a life-long career working as a producer at her public radio station. Though she loves public radio, she feels like her job has been stagnant in many ways. On the other hand, there is Dominic, a freshly graduated colleague of Shay. Dominic is a bit of a know-it-all and frequently brings up his master's degree from Northwestern, causing him to often clash with Shay. Circumstances lead to these two having to pretend to be exes for a new show that's bound to bring a larger audience to the station. Though the two are initially hesitant to maintain a lie in the public eye, they go along with it because neither wants to lose their job. This new show, The Ex Talk, offers the perfect opportunity to get to know each other and build on the undeniable chemistry in their rivalry-tinged relationship.

The main reason this book worked so well for me is because of the dynamic between Shay and Dominic. The tension and chemistry between them felt very natural and there was plenty of snappy dialogues between the two which make for some grin-worthy moments. In my original mini-review for The Ex-Talk, I called it a banter-ific (made-up word, yes) book and that's still one of the most memorable aspects of the book for me. It's delightful to watch Shay and Dominic go back and forth, and then eventually, fall in love. Rachel Lynn Solomon can write a mean kiss and I was very much swooning at all the steamy scenes in this book, especially when it involved Dominic Yun and his neck kisses. I also found it refreshing that Shay was the more sexually experienced one of the two. Their relationship definitely had some looming tension in the form of the blatant lie their show/podcast is based on, but it was handled well for me and when the third-act breakup showed up, I understood the characters' motivations. Plus, I love a third-act breakup that leads to an excellent grovel scene.

Dominic and Shay were also just good, relatable people. I don't know if this is the right way of describing it, but they felt like normal, average individuals to me. They have career goals, have fears and insecurities that didn't seem to be dramatized. I think many readers will see bits and pieces of themselves in Shay and Dominic's characters. I especially liked how Rachel Lynn Solomon wrote their respective loneliness because I saw much of own loneliness in them. Friendship and family is also handled beautifully in The Ex Talk - Shay's friendship with Ameena and their conflict in the book was a storyline that felt so authentic and painted the intricacies of adult friendships. The podcast aspect of this book was equally fantastic. I loved all the little insertions of the scripts we got to see throughout the book - it was wonderful and I would totally listen to it if it were real!

I know it's only January, but The Ex Talk is already a contender for my top 2021 reads. If you're looking for a fresh take on the fake-relationship trope, this is a must-read!

What do you get when you combine enemies to lovers, fake dating, witty banter, beanie babies, and superb Buffy the Vampire Slayer references? You get this hilariously sweet love story about two radio professionals who, despite their best efforts to hate each other, fall delightfully, and honestly in love.

Despite a bit of a slow start (slow because I saw WAY too much of myself in Shay's insecurities, oops), once this book picked up, I couldn't put it down. It had everything I could have possibly asked for (complicated friend dynamics, AND a one bed plot line?!) and the banter was legitimately hilarious and had me smiling throughout this entire book. I absolutely fell in love with Shay and Dominic. I loved their awkwardness, their insecurities, and their humour. I loved that Shay and Ameena talked about something other than men. I loved Shay's frank relationship with her mother. I just loved it all.

So to summarize, and to quote Dominic Yun, this really is your "typical coworkers turned enemies turned fake exes turned cohosts turned real romantic partners kind of love story." And I think those are the best kinds of stories, don't you?

Shay Goldstein has followed in her father's footsteps, finding a career in public radio. She is a damn good producer, but dreams of being on air. Enter the new self assured hire, Dominic, who is only interested in serious radio... none of that "puff piece" type content that Shay is so good at. They instantly butt heads, but with the station struggling to stay afloat - Shay pitches a concept of a new show, co-hosted by exes. Their boss appoints them as the two for the job, even though they never dated.

It's fake dating (in the past), is it enemies to lovers? I am HERE FOR THIS.

I can say it's been a hot minute (and add some extra emphasis on hot because this story gets STEAMY) since I have found a romance that checked off all the boxes. It's freaking hilarious, I laughed out loud MULTIPLE times. I teared up at a scene. I got flustered by all the heat. Yes, yes, and yes. Add this one to your TBR, you won't be sorry.

Out on 1/26/21. Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for my eARC, in exchange of an honest review.

Shay and Dominick work in public radio. Shay is behind the scenes as a producer and Dominick prefers the reporting end - eager for the big scoops that undercovers a scandal for the underdog.
When their station is in need of a hit podcast to boost ratings, they come up with The Ex Talk: A show about a couple that broke up and now hosts therapy, insights and talks about what went wrong in their relationship....except Dominick and Shay never dated and can barely stand one another.
No one can know the truth or the show will be doomed. But the more time they spend together, the better the show is. They are magic together.
Can they risk their feelings for the show? Or the show for their feelings?

4.5 stars! An enemies to lovers, opposites attract love story – what’s not to love about Rachel Lynn Soloman’s first adult contemporary romance book?

Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade. She loves her job but lately it’s one big headache due to her newest colleague, Dominic Yum who can’t help but throw his Master’s degree in journalism in her face any chance he can get.

Even though he’s all about chasing the latest news story and she’s all about telling stories, the two get paired to co-host a new radio show, The Ex Talk.

The concept is that two exes will share relationship advice every week only…they’ve never dated and clearly aren’t exes.

First off, I loved the setting and set up of this story. I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance about public radio and I loved this angle.

The set up for their radio show was the perfect opportunity to bring these two opposites together and stoke the fire of a simmering attraction that was brewing despite their opposite takes on the best use of public radio air waves.

The brief look into their episodes was fun and a great addition though the best was their back and forth banter on air.

Of course, it’s no surprise that they develop real feelings for one another but their individual backstories really added a different dimension to how each approached a potential new love interest.

Great Diversity
Another key aspect of this book that I absolutely loved was the diversity.

There was quite a bit of diversity in ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation represented which was fantastic.

Even better was that this diversity wasn’t overstated or made to seem exploitive. It just flowed with the story and existed, but was something that really impressed me about this book as a leader in how more representative romance books can be!

Key Topics to Ponder
I also loved that interspersed throughout the engaging love story were several important themes that were addressed.

Misogyny in the workplace, grief after loss, finding love after loss and finding your life purpose were important topics touched on that added even more to this story.

Characters
I enjoyed both lead characters in this one.

I loved Shay’s passion for radio and felt for her in her struggle to find love that was reciprocated.

I also appreciated both her and Dominic’s loneliness but loved how he continually inserted himself in her path.

As far as book boyfriends go, Dominic is a good one. This isn’t a book with an alpha male but he was the perfect match for Shay.

I have a feeling this book is going to have wide appeal and rightly so. I highly recommend it.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Shay has been working as a producer at a public radio station in Seattle for ten years. Dominic is the new hire reporter, straight out of a master degree program. When the station is in trouble, Shay comes up with the idea of exes hosting a radio show about relationships. Her boss, loves it. But, he also loves the idea of Shay and Dominic posing as exes and hosting it. They already are kind of work enemies, so he thinks their dynamic will be perfect. Will they be able to pull off the show? What happens when feelings start to develop?

This was a cute rom-com and I liked both main characters a lot. I also love podcasts so the integration of their radio show/podcast into the story was fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Lynn Solomon's <i>Today Tonight Tomorrow</i> was one of my tippy top favorites of 2020. <i>The Ex Talk</i> was one of my most anticipated books, and I wonder if I set my expectations slightly high. The writing is excellent, as is the concept and the banter. The plot choices will undoubtedly work really well for other readers, but I wanted more talking and less drama. <spoiler>Shay ends their casual relationship because she wants more and doesn't think he does. Then they finally talk, and they start a real relationship. At a live taping of their show, the truth comes out about them being fake exes, and Dominic freezes, because of his stage fright. Shay dumps him for that, even though she thinks to herself that she's not being fair. Then she doesn't answer his texts and is sad when he eventually gives up. He does a grand gesture, apologizing during the pledge drive, and they're in love and both leave radio. Why didn't she apologize? I didn't feel like she earned that gesture, and, overall, I feel like she's not dealt with her grief over her father enough to be in a place to have a healthy relationship. Everything from the third act breakup(s) on didn't hit right for me emotionally. I needed more of a character arc for Shay than just the career shift. She didn't really process her emotions about her dad or deal with the fight she and her best friend had; she just quit her job and pretended that fixed everything.</spoiler>

I did like this book! But it's one of those situations where I'm frustrated because I loved the start and wished it had gone somewhere else. That said, this book will be loved by many readers who don't have my personal loathing of <spoiler>third act breakups</spoiler>, and I am so excited for Solomon's next books.

I fell head over heels for The Ex-Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon, and I think you will, too.

I loved everything about this book. The voice and narration were so great, and sucked me in immediately. I adored Shay, and loved seeing her and Dominic clash … and eventually grow to become friends and more. Their dynamic is so enchanting, and it’s ultimately what made me feel so invested in this book and in their story.

I also adored the Pacific Northwest setting, the radio station hijinks (which in some ways, reminded of my days working in local TV news), and the supporting characters who fleshed out Shay and Dominic’s lives, giving substance to their interactions.

The Ex-Talk is just pure swoony, steamy, romantic fun.

I really enjoyed this sexy, fun romantic novel with great dialogue and characters. Shay has been a producer in public radio for ten years, always wanting to be on air instead of behind the scenes. Dominic, recent graduate, starts to work at the station and is given air time. To boost ratings, the manager decides to put Shay and Dominic together as exes, playing on their sparring, even though they never dated. Of course, the relationship heats up, as the words on the page do too! I recommend this contemporary romance, and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

Fun romance with a public radio setting. As an avid podcast/public radio fan, I couldn’t help but enjoy this one. Also just enough will they/won’t they tension to be enjoyable without dragging it out. Loved Dominic and Shah as characters. I just had fun reading this one!

I am simply obsessed with this book. The whole dang thing.
I’m going to keep this review short and sweet and give you a few of the things that made this book really stand apart for me:
• DIVERSITY (like a lot of it and really well done)
• dismantling sexism in the workplace
• age gap (and she’s older)
• genuine, not forced conflict with excellent resolution
• the humour and chemistry between the characters
I can’t get enough of it. I read it in one day and I’m going back in for a reread because it’s just that excellent.

What a lovely book. I absolutely loved it from start to finish. It was effortlessly real and refreshingly unique in a genre that seems to be formulaic these days. It’s pretty lighthearted which is not a bad thing at all, and Rachel managed to capture the modernness of Gen Z and millennials in this book. A lot of books these days are forcing the diversity within their books — creating token characters for the sake of claiming representation. But The Ex Talk’s wide array of diverse characters feels so normal. It’s not about their identity at all. Their entire personas don’t revolve around being Jewish or Korean or Chinese and bisexual — they just are and there’s nothing more to it. I do wish there had been more exploration of Shay’s personal growth into who she is but obviously since this is a romance novel, the focus was on romance, which makes sense. Solid 4.5/5 for me.