This review was originally posted on <a href="http://booksofmyheart.net/2021/01/12/the-ex-talk-by-rachel-lynn-solomon/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I don't enjoy the enemies to lovers trope but <strong>The Ex Talk</strong> is so much more. Shay and Dominic are not really enemies; they are co-workers who have some differing ideas and experiences and don't know each other well.   When the station is making cuts, Shay comes up with a great idea but it means moving out of her comfort zone.

Shay and Dominic have no live radio experience. Shay has been a producer for 10 years. Dominic is recently graduated from school and wants to do serious investigative reporting.  But it is an opportunity for them to get exposure and experience to further their careers, and stay employed.

Their work on their show is a feast for the mind with ideas and concepts. Radio is like black and white photos where it cuts straight to the form. They struggle with the new type of work and their long held ideas about their careers and each other.  As time passes, they learn and grow into the new show. Shay and Dominic also become friends, supporting each other and then more.

Life is full of surprises and changes, but I loved their journey. Shay and Dominic both hit some painful bumps along the way and they don't end up where they expect, but happiness isn't always what you think; it may be what you feel.

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4.5/5

Two of my personal favorite romance tropes are enemies to lovers and fake dating and somehow this amazing book combined the two in the most delicious way. Also I guess I really loved reading about the behind the scenes work that goes into public radio, who knew?! This was so sharp and witty, a truly smart romance.

I don’t always have to be obsessed with the characters in the book I’m reading, but if I am, it makes it even better for me. You guys, I was head over heels for both Shay and Dominic. I was totally invested in both of them from the start, I mean Shay is a doll and Dom has the whole brooding hero thing down pat. The diversity here was amazing, Shay is Jewish, Dom is Korean and many of the secondary characters are from various backgrounds, etc. Sometimes books with such a variety of characters can feel forced, like they made someone Jewish to be “woke” but there was absolutely none of that here, these people were who they were with purpose, not just an added afterthought which was so refreshing. Add in some seriously steamy and sexy scenes and the type of banter that makes me cackle and this is a must!

The Ex Talk might be my favorite romantic comedy read of the year! Yes, I realize it is only January; that’s how much I loved this book. I loved the public radio setting, and the premise seemed believable. Because let’s face it, so often in romance, the premises are a little far fetched. My absolute favorite thing in the book is the banter. The chemistry that Shay and Dominic have is amazing! I loved all of their interactions, and even now, having finished it, I still want more of them. Shay is tough and funny, and the type of main character I love. And Dominic is super swoon-worthy! He’s smart and cocky, but also sensitive.
The plot was original and extremely entertaining. It is a new take on the fake dating trope. Obviously, the whole idea of lying about a relationship on NPR isn’t ideal. But you can tell that both Shay and Dominic feel weird about it too. I can also understand why they did it. I think the unethical part of the storyline made me like it more. It made the story believable and gave a real conflict.
I will be recommending The Ex Talk to anyone who will listen. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

Thank you sending me an advance copy this was such a wonderful read.
I love that it involves interracial relationship - we need more of that and I’ve been seen this more and more. I loved both characters. I truly did. Dominic was so cute ! I love the little pup thrown in for comic relief also. And of course the beanie babies :). I met my husband as a co worker and we are four years apart (my being older) so this was especially fun for me to relate to - I love the radio station setting also. I enjoyed watching them get to know each other and so happy for that steam! I also enjoyed that the side stories didn’t drag on. The ending was very cute also having them start something together. Overall it didn’t dig super deep into my emotions but was perfect romantic comedy

I received a free Arc of this book in exchange for my review. But I am a huge fan of Rachel Lynn Solomon - she is an auto-buy author for me.

The Ex Talk is everything I love about contemporary romance. It’s my favorite trope, enemies to lovers. As always with Rachel’s books, the banter is absolutely delightful and at times, laugh out loud funny. I loved every single minute of this book. It has well done representation and as with all her books, I really appreciated getting to know her characters intimately. And the emotions in this book are so real and relatable - especially the handling of grief. I also love how sex positive this book is - it’s the kind of book I wish I had had in my college days.

This was nearly impossible for me to put down and I read it in two sittings. I would highly recommend to romance fans that don’t mind some open door scenes (probably a 5-6/10 on the steam scale). And I cannot wait to read more by this author!

Oh my gosh what an adorable and refreshing romance that we have on our hands by Rachel Solomon!!

I had so much fun with this one. This was right up there with one of my top reads for 2021 and I have to say that it definitely did not disappoint! I loved the radio/podcast plot and the sexy and sassy banter that Shay and Dominic have. It's not something that I have seen before in a romance and just loved the two of them together.

This also had some serious issues tied into the fun and sassiness which I loved. I think it's important to tie in real life issues with the characters since it adds more depth to not only the story but having the characters connect on that deeper level. This was just what I needed and found myself smiling throughout the entire book!

I was shocked that this was a debut and I am so excited to see what Rachel comes out with next!!!

4/5 stars

Thank you so much to Berkley and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Ex Talk is a fun and charming take on the enemy to lovers in the workplace.

After pretending to be exes for their new show,
Dominic and Shay are both fun characters that you can't help but root for.
I enjoyed the overall plot and watching the relationship evolve. The beautiful side story of Shay's mom finding new love was a wonderful little addition.
I did feel that some of the conflicts was too forced. Between her best friend issues and what her boss does, there was a lot jammed into a short period of the story. But I still loved it all.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

The much used trope of two people pretending to be in love in order to gain something at work (or elsewhere in life) is turned on its head, and instead these two must pretend that they were once a couple but have now broken off that fake relationship. No, it's not confusing at all. And there's a cute little dog that serves as a source of humorous anecdotes. The book also gives a somewhat realistic view of issues involved in taking a new podcast and how to promote it for a wider audience. An entertaining read. (3.51 stars, rounded up.)

As soon as I read the synopsis for The Ex Talk, I knew I had to read it as soon as possible. I was thrilled when it showed up at my door. You would have thought I won the lottery! I actually stopped reading the book I was currently reading and jumped into this one right away. It met my expectations and I absolutely loved it!

I love an enemies to lovers book. It’s probably my favorite romance trope and Shay and Dominic deliver. The public radio aspect was really unique. I can’t remember ever reading a book involving public radio so it was fresh and new.

Without giving too much away, there were some flipped gender roles in this and I really enjoyed that. There was so much chemistry between Shay and Dominic and their relationship grew organically. It felt real and believable.

I love, love, love an epilogue in a romance novel. Add this to your list because it’s sweet and funny and smart. It’s definitely one of the best romances I’ve read. THANK YOU, Berkley, for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

I haven’t read a romcom this cute and steamy in awhile. I was completely engaged from the first page and I couldn’t wait to see where this story went.

Shay has been working as a producer at a Seattle public radio station for 10 years and really loves what she does. That is until a newbie named Dominic comes into the station with a fresh new Masters Degree and eager to make it to the top of public radio. When the show begins struggling with ratings, Shay proposes a new show that her boss excitedly agrees to. This new show, titled The Ex Talk will have two exes sharing relationship advice live and on air. The catch? Their boss wants Shay and Dominic to be the cohosts “exes” for the new show because of their already tense feelings towards each other. The idea of lying to their thousands of listeners bothers them, but it’s this new show or unemployment. The show takes off with a bang, but how long can this show go on before Shay and Dominic begin to question their true feelings for one another?

I absolutely love a good enemies to lovers trope - but this one took on a new spin from fake exes to lovers. I loved the banter between Shay and Dominic. Shay eye rolls so hard over Dominic’s arrogance but she also can’t seem to deny how attractive he is. The sexual tension was SO REAL with these two. I absolutely loved how their work relationship grew and where this show took them. I was practically begging for the steam to come and when it did 🥵


Overall, I absolutely loved this book. The characters, the banter, the chemistry, and the adorable podcast dialogues. I highly recommend this one and I can’t wait to read more from Rachel Lynn Solomon.

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review. This one releases January 26, 2021.

This story is incredible - hilarious, heart-warming and such a fun plot that incorporates public radio and podcasts. It’s a great women’s fiction and romantic comedy.

The depth and diversity in the characters was spot on.

I loved how the story ultimately came down to how the main character finds & follows her own dreams on her own terms. I also enjoyed the message of always betting on yourself even if you risk getting hurt - the main character experiences this in her friendships, love life, job & family relationships.

There are so many quotes I will be taking away from this book. It is on my goodreads shelf as one of my favorite books of 2021!

4.5/5 stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

I loved this. I've read a few books by this author and have enjoyed all of them. This was the first adult book that she's written and it did not disappoint. I read the entire book in one sitting. I loved being able to see the romance between these two characters grow, and see their relationship develop. I laughed out loud at a couple of lines that just had me dying. I do wish that there was a little more groveling and justice when it came to the entire situation at the station, but that has more to do with me being a petty betty. Overall a great romance read. It was cute, funny, and easy to read. I definitely recommend it.

I couldn't help but read this book so quickly! Once I started it I just couldn't stop. I loved the characters, plot, romance, and banter.

This book has taught me more about public radio than anything else and has me more interested in public radio than ever before. I've never given much thought to radio as a medium to connect with people in the same way that fiction, journalism, and photography can. I really loved feeling like I was learning about this world while also getting sucked into a great story. I think my unfamiliarness with public radio helped me feel closer to Shay and the arc with her father. I love how the author wrote Shay's relationship with her dad, and her mom for that matter.

Shay's relationship with Dominic is one of my favorite types to read about. Yeah, it has the enemies-to-lovers trope but it's done really well! The banter between these two is great and they have excellent chemistry. As much as I loved the many steamy scenes, I also loved the quieter scenes between the two. Going antiquing, opening up about their pasts and fears, and just becoming friends. Their relationship very much felt like a natural progression and it helped keep me interested in the book.

The friendships in this book were also wonderful. I couldn't stop relating to the struggle of making friends as an adult, so I loved when Shay and Ruthie grew closer. Shay's relationship with Ameena was also really relatable. It's OK for your best friend to evolve into a friend or an acquaintance, and this book does a great job of illustrating that.

The pieces on sexism, workplace inequality, and even the influence of social media and celebrity status was all timely and interesting. I was cheering Shay on as her opinion of her boss shifted and how she started to stand up for herself. I was really interested in the rising fame of The Ex Talk and its stars, as well as how quickly their fans turned against them when the time came.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot is well-rounded and every aspect was either relatable, funny, or emotional enough to keep me invested in the story and characters. I would definitely read more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley for this arc of The Ex Talk! This book was everything I could have wanted! Witty, steamy, tension filled, sweet and tender, heartbreaking, and wonderful. The way the author writes about grief and learning to continue on is so beautiful and perfect. Shay and Dominic have such amazing chemistry, and watching them grow, both together and as individuals, was an incredible journey! I highly suggest everyone read this book!

I want to give so much thanks to both Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced readers' copy of this book.

The Ex Talk was everything I expected it to be and more. From its enemies to loves/fake relationships to force proximity between the main characters, add in a cute dog and I was a goner the moment I started reading it.

Shay is someone who I could closely relate too, she seemed lost in the dating world after multiple failed relationships, she had her dream job but felt her voice wasn't being heard.

Dominic was the definition of a recent grad who used his degree to show how important he was to the world. But while that is what he portrayed to the world, Dominic was really shy on the inside.

I can't even begin to say how good this book was, it was a great read, and I definitely recommend this book.

3.5 stars.



I really enjoyed this! I’m a huge fan of the fake dating trope, and this book added a nice twist to it: instead of fake dating, they are faking being exes. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book, and the relationship between Dominic and Shay was SO cute. The author does just a good job of development their relationship in such an organic way, and I love how they go from dislike to enjoying each other’s company and becoming friends to acting falling in love with one another. The romance was for sure my favorite part of the story.

I also enjoyed the public radio plot. Both Shay and Dominic host a show together in public radio, and it was always Shay’s dream to work in the field. It was interesting to learn about about it, and I think it was the first time I read about characters that work in this field, so it was very unique and refreshing for me.

Shay, to me, felt a little immature at times. I also felt like there was so much conflict. Normally, romance novels follow a template: they meet, fall in love, there is a conflict that more often than not causes them to break up, then there is a grand gesture and they get back together. On one hand, I enjoyed that this book didn’t fully follow this template, but on the other, the amount of drama just made me a little annoyed at times because it didn’t feel necessary, and it dragged the story a bit in my opinion.

I also felt like it took me a bit to get into it because Shay felt a bit immature to me in the beginning and I wasn’t enjoying her character much, so it took her relationship with Dominic developing further for me to genuinely start loving the book.

Lastly, I just did not like Shay’s best friend and the way she blamed Shay for everything. Her fight with Shay really annoyed me.


Even with the negative things, I still really enjoyed this one! I wouldn’t say it’s going to become a favorite but it was enjoyable and I would still recommend it. Dominic and Shay were truly so cute and had so much chemistry, and I liked the story a lot.

When I was a kid, my parents would always have NPR on their car radios. I didn't realize how sentimental I was about it until I read this book. Rachel Lynn Solomon knocked it out of the park, though I'm not surprised. She has this innate ability to portray her characters with such realism that they come alive on the page without seeming cliche or contrived. This book has it all - witty banter, compelling characters, and an amazing plot, not to mention some steamy scenes on the side.

And FCC be damned, this book fucking rocked. (Enjoy the fines, Kent)

I'm excited to share a book that helped me get through this terrible week! The Ex Talk comes out in a couple of weeks (1/26) and was written by Rachel Lynn Solomon. My favorite trope is enemies to lovers so I was immediately drawn into this fiesty workplace romcom.

Shay has been a producer at a public radio show for 10 years, all the while dreaming about being a host. Dominic, the young, attractive newbie, comes in and is immediately given opportunities she never had. There is a lot of annoyance and irritation felt towards one another. After the station reveals it is struggling and they need a premise for a new show, Shay and Dominic's evident sexual tension and witty banter gives their boss the idea to create The Ex Talk. A show where they lie to everyone and pretend they dated, broke up, and are now civil radio show hosts. So this one is not just enemies to lovers, but.... enemies to fake exes to friends to lovers! 🤣 Not sure that's been done before!

In true romcom fashion, this one is pretty predictable. I have seen a lot of 5 star reviews for it and while mine is a 4, there were unique aspects that made me so happy. First of all, the diversity is amazing. The main characters are a Jewish woman and a Korean male. Also represented: bisexual and biracial relationships, quarter life crises, immigrants, marriage after loss, an older woman dating a younger man, and grief. Also, this book was SO funny and touched on a lot of deep topics. And oh yeah... there was lots of steam! 🔥

I highly recommend this one!

I absolutely loved this book. Charming, witty, and incredibly swoony. A fantastic enemies to lovers arc with phenomenal characters. Full review to come.

Shay Goldstein has spent a decade working her way up to being a producer her Seattle public radio station. Her job is how she defines herself. And while she use to dream of hosting a show on the radio, she has accepted her role as a producer. That doesn't mean it feels good to see her newest colleague and the station's youngest employee, Dominic Yun, skyrocket to the top of the station with all the accolades of the station manager. The two develop a slightly animus relationship at work, but when their radio station comes under financially difficult times the two must decide whether they can work together on a new show or look for new careers. For Shay it's a no-brainer, even if it means lying a little to listeners and working closely with Dominic, the chance to co-host a show is irresistible. However, things get as their show takes off and the lies become a little bigger and Shay's feelings towards Dominic change.

VERDICT is that this is a must read for fans of enemies to lovers themes in romance.  I loved that we had a 29-year-old woman still figuring life out. While the primary focus is of course the romantic relationship with Dominic, I really enjoyed the fact that readers also get a look at some of Shay's complex feelings when it comes to friendships and familial relationships.  Through Shay's extended relationships we get to see romances at varying stages, long term, newly engaged, and her own non existent (at the start!). I also love the backdrop of public radio and think it really helps facilitate a unique element of storytelling.