I loved this book. I’m not cavalier with A grades, but this one really got me. Shay is an amazing protagonist; she’s really relatable. She is at a time in her life when things are really changing but she feels incapable of moving forward. Shay deals with the things we all deal with - grief, work angst, indecision, and the fear that she’s completely failing as an adult. I also love some good Jewish representation, it’s great to see Jewish women being portrayed as smart, kind, and desirable. Shay has a lot of depth to her, and she’s not clueless, either. I usually find it really frustrating when a heroine keeps missing signs that someone is into her, but Shay is very observant - it’s just that everyone around her is bad at communicating!

Dominic is also amazing, he’s multi-faceted and a breath of fresh air as a leading man. He’s younger than Shay, which is a nice change, and while he’s accomplished, she’s more established. Shay feels threatened by Dominic, and feels as though he’s intentionally getting in her way at PPR. The two of them unraveling their feelings takes time, but is well worth the wait. Watching Dominic slowly open up and getting to know him as the story unfolds is a true pleasure. He’s also very hot, and they have amazing chemistry, which is always a plus. Their dialogue in particular is very strong, and really makes the story work.

Some other things I loved about the book were the workplace conflicts, which will feel very real for anyone who has coworkers they don’t get along with! It really makes you feel for Shay. Her boss also isn’t a total cartoon villain, just kind of a standard crappy guy. The conflict Shay feels in her personal life, with her mother and best friend, really adds to the narrative and helps the reader understand and sympathize with her. The Ex Talk is a really great, nuanced book that doesn't feel cluttered or overstuffed - it’s exactly right. If you’re a fan of radio or podcasts, it will be an extra fun read to pick out all of the inside jokes.

This Book. I am in love. I'm not sure what I expected when I picked up The Ex Talk since contemporary novels aren't typically what I read. But once I read the synopsis I was sold. Rachel's adult debut novel did not disappoint one bit. I was flying through the pages of Shay and Dominic's story wanting to know more and waiting for *that* moment.

I LOVE Shay's character so much. I loved seeing her internal and external troubles with radio, how she is self conscious of her voice and how her ethics are compromised with the idea of The Ex Talk when she agrees to the idea. I also liked how Rachel took time to include the small details, the good and the bad about her father who passed away ten years earlier. Shay felt so incredibly real! I wish she wasn't a fictional character because I wish we could be best friends.

I couldn't help but love Dominic. At first he comes off as a jackass, but slowly we get to learn the real him and I was quite literally swooning for him. Rachel did a good job about explaining his background too, his insecurities and making him feel just as real as Shay is.

THE TENSION. The sexual tension in this book is something else. It is so obvious that they are into each other to everyone else but them and I loved that aspect so much. They don't have the traditional "boy meets girl and they fall in love" story but thats what I love the most. I also enjoyed that Shay is actually a few years older than Dominic, I feel like that is something that needs to be more normalized in romance novels is that the girl can be older in the relationship.

Overall I loved The Ex Talk and I can't wait until it is out in the world so other people can love it as well! Rachel did not disappoint and I can't wait to read more from her soon!

Absolutely loved it. I wasn't sure if it would be a hit with me when I started reading, but the subtle feminist themes combined with hardcore romantic-comedy feels got me. Total page turner.

Here are some of the things I experienced while reading The Ex Talk :

• Cheeks hurting for smiling/laughing so much
• Heart melting cause Shay and Dominic are such cuties, THEIR CHEMISTRY IS
• Mind exploding because I couldn’t physically scream while cheering for SHAYMINIC
• Just being too obsessed with the duo in general, did I mention I love them? 😭

I’m going to quote Dominic Yun here, because he described what The Ex-Talk is about perfectly. “It’s your typical co-workers turned enemies turned fake exes turned cohosts turned real romantic partners kind of love story.’’ :’)

Rachel Lynn Solomon’s Today Tonight Tomorrow is one of my favorite YA novels of the 2020 (if you haven’t read it yet, you should ASAP!) The Ex-Talk is her debut Adult Romance novel, and whoaahhh. Rachel definitely knows how to write the best kind of love stories. A story with a National Public Radio setting, two co-workers pretending to be fake exes for hosting a relationship- advice based podcast while falling in love with each other in real life – LIKE DOES ANYTHING GET BETTER THAN ALL THESE STUFF? 😍😍😍

The Ex Talk won my heart with its witty dialogue and charming, genuine characters who you can’t help but fall in love with. One of the main features of the book was the diversity (Highlights : the female lead is Jewish + the male lead is Korean) and I loved how the author made sure that each of the characters, including the supporting ones, had their own voices. I also appreciated how the book addressed the issue of workplace misogyny. *BONUS POINTS* Shay was such a bad-ass heroine, I loved seeing her grow and explore opportunities outside of her comfort zone. I really wanted some chapters from Dominic’s side though. 😢

The Ex Talk comes out on the 26th of January, 2021! GO PRE-ORDER THE BOOK ASAP! 💕🥰

I enjoyed this book. I liked the premise of public radio as a job setting and liked the dynamic between Shay and Dominic. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

When Rachel announced she was coming out with an adult romance, I was ecstatic as I am a big fan of her young adult books. This book was super enjoyable and I could not put it down. Shay and Dominic go from workplace enemies to friends to lovers and their relationship is so fun to follow. They both underwent amazing character development and were honestly perfect for each other. Not only did this book have a great romance, but it showed Shay truly struggling with being an adult and (as much as a hate this word) "adulting". I loved this book and will definitely be recommending it nonstop come the new year!

I’m obsessed. The relationship between Shay and Dominic was wonderful - the enemies to friends to lovers to enemies to lovers again plot was so well done. I really identified with Shay’s career angst and it felt genuine to a millennial of about the same age. I will be highly recommending this and reading the authors other books!

As expected from Solomon, this was a joyful and layered read. While the relationship between Shay and Dominic drives the story, Solomon also weaves in plenty of relatable workplace dynamics and social changes for her heroine to struggle with. A sexist boss. Friend circles shifting. Family structures changing. Jealousies. Grief. Loneliness. Failed expectations. Home ownership. Pet ownership. Figuring out what this crazy thing called being an adult is all about. The banter between the leads is sweet and funny, and while their initial "enmity" is negligible, the arc of their relationship toward open affection for one another is a joy to follow. Solomon has a gift for layering in unique details that make her voice and her characters memorable. A frying pan. A hair elastic. A glass of water. Readers will no doubt relate to Shay's grapple with #adulting as she forges her career, reframes her sense of "home," and falls in love. It's delightful.

The Ex Talk is a contemporary romance about a woman on the brink of thirty, trying to figure out how to fulfil her career aspirations without killing one of her unfairly hot coworkers or being way too dishonest. It’s an amazing rivals-to-lovers romance, with some serious depth and intense emotional range. I initially picked it up because I love fake-dating tropes and podcasts, and I was not disappointed.

Shay Goldstein lives and breathes public radio - she loves connecting with people and telling their stories. It’s also a big part of the bond she had with her father, who died when she was in her late teens. An internship at her local public radio station, PPR, helped pull Shay out of her grief, and find a purpose – and ten years later, Shay is producing her own show, content with her work… until Dominic Yun gets hired. He’s fresh out of graduate school, flush with success and full of the kind of hot air only a first-class education can provide. Dominic is the new station darling, particularly favored by their boss, Kent, and it makes Shay absolutely nuts. After ten years of hard work and earning her way, she’s frustrated as she feels Dominic undermining her at every turn. Of course, it’s twice as irritating that he’s incredibly tall and unfairly handsome. It only makes matters worse when Dominic gets to talk on air almost immediately, something Shay has been dreaming about since playacting with her father. This irritation is spurred by the antagonism between them, which has an undercurrent of frustrated attraction.

Shay manages to avoid Dominic for the most part, until a station-wide brainstorming meeting produces the premise of a new show: the Ex Talk, two exes talking about their relationship, why it went wrong, and how they stayed friends. Kent taps Shay and Dominic to host the show together, given their mutual animosity, and a rapport he’s noticed. There are only three problems: 1) Shay and Dominic never dated, 2) they detest each other, and 3) journalistic integrity frowns upon lying. Shay’s heart leaps at the idea of hosting her own show, but Dominic puts his foot down about deceiving the public. But then Kent drops a bombshell - PPR is in a tailspin, and there are layoffs coming. If they don’t do the Ex Talk, they’ll both be cleaning out their desks.

Shay and Dominic set aside their rivalry to come up with a decent relationship timeline and to plan how to lie to everyone they know. Only four people are in on the truth: Kent, Dominic, Shay and Shay’s best friend Ammena, to whom she cannot lie. All Dominic and Shay have to do to keep their jobs, and hopefully become a hit, is lie to the world about having dated - and try to keep their hands off of each other. Unfortunately, the more time they spend together, the more they realize they might actually be a pretty good match. Coupled with this, Shay is struggling with her mother moving on romantically, and Ameena possibly relocating for her dream job. Despite having a house and a job, Shay feels like a kid play-acting at adulthood, and as though the only important people in her life are moving on while she remains stationary.

I loved this book.  I’m not cavalier with A grades, but this one really got me. Shay is an amazing protagonist; she’s really relatable. She is at a time in her life when things are really changing but she feels incapable of moving forward. Shay deals with the things we all deal with - grief, work angst, indecision, and the fear that she’s completely failing as an adult. I also love some good Jewish representation; it’s great to see Jewish women being portrayed as smart, kind, and desirable. Shay has a lot of depth to her, and she’s not clueless, either. I usually find it really frustrating when a heroine keeps missing signs that someone is into her, but Shay is very observant - it’s just that everyone around her is bad at communicating!

Dominic is also amazing; he’s multi-faceted and a breath of fresh air as a leading man. He’s younger than Shay, which is a nice change, and while he’s accomplished, she’s more established. Shay feels threatened by Dominic, and feels as though he’s intentionally getting in her way at PPR. The two of them unraveling their feelings takes time, but is well worth the wait. Watching Dominic slowly open up and getting to know him as the story unfolds is a true pleasure. He’s also seriously hot, and they have amazing chemistry, which is always a plus. Their dialogue in particular is very strong, and really makes the story work.

Some other things I loved about the book were the workplace conflicts, which will feel very real for anyone who has co-workers they don’t get along with! It really makes you feel for Shay. Her boss also isn’t a total cartoon villain, just kind of a standard crappy guy. The conflict Shay feels in her personal life, with her mother and best friend, really adds to the narrative and helps the reader understand and sympathize with her. The Ex Talk is a really great, nuanced book that doesn't feel cluttered or overstuffed - it’s exactly right. If you’re a fan of radio or podcasts, it will be an extra fun read to pick out all of the inside jokes.

Buy it at: Amazon, Audible, or your local independent bookstore
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4.5 Stars

Two rival co-workers Shay and Dominic are forced together by their boss to co-host a public radio show where two exes discuss relationship problems and where partners ultimately go wrong in their relationships. The only problem? Shay and Dominic are definitely not exes.

I absolutely LOVED this spin on fake dating. Shay and Dominic have to pretend to be broken up, which somehow causes even more tension as they have to hide their growing feelings for each other in order for their radio show to succeed. The banter was top-notch and the setting was spectacular. What I loved most of all was that even though this is mostly a rom-com, we also got to dig deeper into Shay's life and the very real struggles she faces in her job and how the loss of her father made her who she is at the start of the novel.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this read and I'll definitely be checking out more of Rachel Lynn Solomon's work in the future. I'm especially looking forward to more of her Adult Romance books!

MINOR SPOILER

My only complaint is that I wanted more resolution with their boss. What I really mean is that I wanted to see him get fired after all the shit he pulled, but then again, are the MWM (mediocre white men) ever held accountable for their actions? Still, I very much wanted that HEA full-circle moment.

As someone who has loved all of Rachel Lynn Solomon’s previous young adult releases, I was not disappointed with The Ex Talk in the slightest. Solomon has crafted an addictive story with two dynamic, fleshed out, and relatable characters at its center who you root for throughout the entirety of the novel. It was impossible to put down, and I loved every minute of it.

The Ex Talk is a well-written, enemies-to-lovers, unique (to me) story. I have never read a romance centered around a podcast, and I loved the concept of the story. I really enjoyed watching Shay and Dominic's relationship unfold- Dominic turned out to be quite swoony, which was a nice little bonus. There was a lot of self-discovery for the characters, but also a lot of laughs and fun. I highly recommend this book.

Rachel Lynn Solomon's The Ex Talk is a delightful rom-com that has a lot of humor and some depth. I look forward to her next novel.

Shay has been living out her dream of working in public radio for the last 10 years. She definitely wants to make the jump into hosting but doesn’t think she has what it takes. Dominic is the overeager newcomer who wants to make an impression as a reporter. However things change when they are pinned to work together and pretend to be exes to launch their first show...what could go wrong or shall I say right?? This book has all the feels of a romance novel and leaves you wanting more of their story.

On paper there is a lot to like about this book. I love enemies to lovers, I love public radio, I love slow burn. But jeez this was so boring. This was an exercise in opposites. It moved both too fast and too slow, and it was both over- and under-written. The main characters weren't actually enemies, which also annoyed me. She does hate him, but he is apathetic at best. The dialogue was criminally dull. I didn't care about literally any of the characters, at any point in the story. There was so much unnecessary detail about some things (I can't quite put my finger on what exactly, but it's something in the neighborhood of like braggy background diversity?) while I didn't feel like I got enough worthwhile detail about the two main characters. It felt so long, and reading it became a slog. The pacing was also strange. Some aspects of their working and relationship went SO fast but other things were going at a snail's pace. It felt like their chemistry was fast-tracked, when I didn't really read any evidence for that.

One thing that really annoyed me is that they're making the exact type of podcast I find super annoying. Not from a topical standpoint, but in that it felt really calculated. While it was Shay's idea, it never seemed like a passion project. They both started to really enjoy it eventually, but why would I ever want to listen to a radio show or podcast where the hosts aren't that into it?? There are SO MANY PODCASTS and the unifying trait among the ones I love is that the hosts love what they're talking about. It might be their job now, but it started as just a thing they did for fun because they wanted to. The Ex Talk (the show and this damn book) isn't fun.

Thank you to Berkley Pub and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was an adorable enemies to lovers romance centered around public radio. I thought it was different and refreshing.

What I liked:
- Diverse cast - I loved all the interracial and LGBTQ+ relationships in this novel!
- Shay is a more mature and experienced lover than Dominic. Often, it's the other way around and I always find it refreshing when a novel flips it.
- WWAMWMD - I loved that the novel highlights the inequity between men and women, especially between women of color and white man. So ask yourself What Would A Mediocre White Man Do?

Looking forward to more by this author!

4.5/ 5 stars

What a charming and fun romantic comedy!

The Ex Talk is Rachel Lynn Solomon's first adult romance. Earlier this year I read the YA book Today Tonight Tomorrow. I didn't even realize that this was the same author.

I have been in the mood for lighter funnier books lately. And this book was exactly what I was looking for. This book mostly takes place in Seattle. The narrator is 29 year old Shay Goldstein (1st person POV). She is radio show producer.

I enjoyed Shay. She was such a hard worker. I also really liked the radio aspect of the story.

Shay's mother is a violinist for the Seattle Symphony. I really liked Shay's mom and her boyfriend Phil (and his family). And I really enjoyed Shay's best friend. And the dog!

The main male in the book is Dominic (24). He is a hot-shot journalist who shows up at the radio station. I liked him a lot. Although I was hoping that he would be way more arrogant.

I thought that the premise was good and quite funny. I loved the bickering. Although I actually wish that there was more time spent on them hating each other.

This book definitely ticked off all of the romantic comedy boxes. And there were even some parts towards the end where the story became a bit unpredictable (which I really appreciated).

This book was light and delightful. But also very funny.

Such a fun, flirty, super cute rom com. It will make you smile. Such a cute read!

THis book was such a lovely surprise! I love a good love to hate romance.... and one about public radio? That's not a setting I'd ever read and it was super interesting to read about. I liked Shay and Dominic and how their relationship grew over the course of the book. I also really liked the age difference, that he was actually younger than her. Cute read that I would highly recommend!

How could this podcaster resist a novel about podcasting, set in the world of public radio? In this enemies-to-lovers romance, Solomon takes the familiar fake dating trope and gives it a fun twist: in order to advance their respective careers, Shay and Dominic say “yes” to their boss’s not-quite-legit plan to co-host a tell-all podcast, where they’ll pretend to be exes and deconstruct what went wrong in their relationship. But to convince their listeners it’s real, they need to get to know each other—and that’s when it gets complicated. I loved the Seattle studio setting and sense of humor in this breezy read. Heads up for an open door scene or two.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

I have been extremely hit or miss with romance books the last few months, so I was so happy when The Ex Talk was a hit. This book features two of the more well-rounded lead characters I have read in a romcom lately. It also has so many of my favorite tropes put together in a new way.

The Ex Talk is about Shay Goldstein, a producer at a public radio station, who dreams of being on air and worries about being passed by by new colleagues. This is why her and Dominic Yun, a new employee who just graduated from a journalism master’s program, immediately begin to clash. When the two are forced together to host a new show, The Ex Talk, where they have to pretend to be exes (long story), they begin to realize they may not hate each other after all.

I. Loved. It. The banter. The characters. The public declarations of love. It was perfection and I must read Rachel Lynn Solomon’s backlist immediately. Fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne NEED this book.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to be posted closer to release date.