ed and raced through this.. and now am tapping my fingers and waiting for news of what this author has coming next!

Here's what this non-romance reader truly appreciated about The Ex Talk:
- Shay & Dominic's story was believable and not-contrived
- Their chemistry is palpable (and there are several scenes that prove it)
- The enemies-to fake exes - to lovers storyline doesn't overpower the rest
- Shay stands on her own two feet; Dominic is not there to rescue some damsel in distress
- That I felt like I was really in the studio, on Orca Island, and all over Seattle with these two!

The writing itself is a masterclass in world-building, relationship dynamics, and keeping readers flipping to the next page. If you're already a romance fan, you won't be disappointed. And if you're like me, and don't usually fall for the genre, I highly encourage you to jump in with this one!

Is it possible for one of my favorite romcom reads of 2020 to be a 2021 release?

No, seriously--I'm obsessed with this book. Shay and Dominic are coworkers at a public radio station, and Shay is put off by Dominic's hotshot, newcomer attitude ("I have a MASTERS in Journalism!") and the possibility that she's not the new kid on the block anymore. With the station struggling, their boss forces them to pretend to be exes for the station's new show--The Ex Talk. While the animosity may be real, the former relationship isn't. But what happens when they start to catch the feels? Well, you'll have to read and find out...!

Right off the bat, I want to stress how AWESOME this concept is. It's truly original and nothing quite like I've seen. It's a little bit enemies-to-lovers, a little bit fake dating--except it's not, because they're fake exes who maybe in the end need to cover up the fact that maybe they are dating? How CREATIVE! I love it. The detail put into the conversations around radio and Podcasts had to have required intense research or a background in the field, which added so many interesting tidbits to the story. And Shay and Dominic--I mean, could we GET any better leads? Their chemistry and banter and heat--wow! Dominic is pure #BookBoyfriend goals and drunk Dominic is not ideal but certainly entertaining. I binged this book so hard and fell in love with it within the first few chapters--and the ending didn't disappoint.

One thing I'd like to note is throughout much of the book Shay is extremely self-conscious about the way her voice sounds on the air (too high-pitched and feminine). I could relate so much to this. I still remember my college mock trial coach telling me I needed to lower my voice, and when giving it a try and asking if that was better him just telling me, "It's a long-term challenge." As a woman, it is all too often our voices are described as "shrill" or "grating," when there's absolutely nothing we can do about it. Shay has the best mantra of all to deal with this: WWAMWMD? What Would a Mediocre White Man Do? Sometimes we need to remember that...

As someone between the ages of Dominic and Shay, I also found them extremely relatable. Shay's struggled to "adult" and feeling alone in the house she strived so hard to be are extremely real. My point in all of this is to say that this is a wonderful cutesy fun sexy romcom, but there's also a lot of great, interesting, real-world details that I loved and could relate to. I have nothing bad to say about this book.

5 stars - 10/10

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for my free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The Ex Talk” is about a woman in her late twenties, coasting through life alone. She creates an idea to save her job and is forced to work with her rival on a radio show, where they lie about dating and dole out relationship advice, while of course falling in love. The book seems shallow at first glance, with hidden depth underneath, coping with the many raw emotions that life throws at you. Overall, “The Ex Talk” was a great read!

This book is so sexy and fun. With the authors classic setting of Seattle we get great insight into the city with plenty of pop culture references and local spots around town . That atmosphere really helps shape the book. I’m always down for a hate-to-love type of romance and this book doesn’t disappoint. It has a great plot and story line too.

Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her public radio station for years and although she’s always wanted to be a host of her own show, she’s good at her job.

Dominic Yun is a recent graduate and colleague at the station and Shay really really doesn’t like him. Not only is he younger than her, but he’s constantly telling everyone how he went to grad school (yawn) and is going to be a great reporter. He’s already guest starred on her own show (!) and the boss seems to really like him.

When a turn of events has Dominic and Shay hosting their own show – The Ex Talk – about exes and them playing the exes (even though they’ve never actually dated) they start to spend more time with other. Both of them soon realize that maybe they didn’t hate each other as much as they thought they did.

I really enjoyed the concept behind The Ex Talk. I loved how bits of the show were incorporated into the book and a lot of those scenes had me laughing out loud. The slow burn between Dominic and Shay had me feeling all the butterflies. Dominic is such a sweet and likable cinnamon roll hero. I loved how Shay and Dominic seemed to understand one another’s idiosyncrasies. Both of them were going through some big changes in life and I really felt their vulnerabilities.

I learned a lot about public radio while reading The Ex Talk, which was actually quite fascinating! I don’t think I ever thought to think there’s producers running a talk show or that there are a lot of behind the scene individuals making a radio show run so smoothly.

Another aspect of this book I really liked was the diversity in this romance! I honestly haven’t read too many romances with Jewish representation and I loved how Rachel Lynn Solomon incorporated so many cultures (Korean, Nigerian, Indian) as well as LGBTQ representation in The Ex Talk. I love to see that happening more and more in romances.

If you’re looking for an enemies-to-lovers, fake (ex) relationship, office romance then grab The Ex Talk when it releases January 26, 2021!

This book was the perfect enemies to lovers / fake dating story of my dreams!! Shay and Dominic are two opposite ends of a coin that just worked so well together. The tension between them from the first page is just absolute gold. Fake dating is always so fun to read and watch as they realize actual feelings behind the fake ones. The podcast aspect of this is also amazing. It’s so nice to read about radio shows or podcasts, they’re so popular now and I love listening to them. I definitely would’ve subscribed to The Ex Talk! Overall, I loved this one. It’s a super sweet (and sexy) book and I will definitely be recommending this to everyone once it’s released!

OK, I really liked this one! Super sexy and very sex positive, romantic and delightfully squee inducing, very sweet love interest, lots of great discussion about media and creative careers, complex family dynamics, and funny, too! I read and write about a lot of rom-coms and it's probably my favorite genre, but there are times when the tropes and characters can feel same-ish. This was a breath of fresh air!

i loved this one so much, so much 🥺l
i wish i could read it again for the first time.

shay and dominic were so freakin, stinkin cute and funny and quick witted. i loved the dialogue and back and forth on their radio show, The Ex Talk.

i loved them as characters, their back and forth their push and pull. the little things that built the tension, small things that were straightforward but still have you a belly flip.

the side characters were amazing, ameena and tj and ruthie. and the redemption was sweet! the payback was delicious!!

i CANNOT wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this beauty.

To save her struggling public radio station, Shay agrees to create a podcast called The Ex Talk, in which she and a fellow employee, Dominic, pose as ex lovers. It's a ruse, but they are able to get away with it, and they become wildly successful media stars -- until their secret is revealed in humiliating fashion. This is a great romance -- Shay and Dominic actually do fall in love, which causes some problems for them because everyone believes they are "exes" even though they never actually dated. So, lots to explain! The dialog and banter are really funny, and the characters are relatable and realistic. I look forward to recommending this book to readers who enjoy contemporary love stories with a little bit of humor.

This book was cute- I went back and forth trying to decide if I bought the relationship especially since the guy was just SO young. They did have great chemistry, and I enjoy enemies to lovers. Also learned a ton about public radio.

I devoured this book. It was excellent on so many levels. Current, young, funny and sweet. I appreciated that it was a new premise involving podcasters. I'm already tired of the books about 'influencers', so this was a nice change!

Thank you Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review. The ex talk is a really fun romcom about two people who work for a radio station create a new show pretending to be exes giving advice to couples who are having issues in their relationships. I like the idea of a fake dating / exes theme. I thought that it flowed really well. I liked that it deals with a loss of a parent, new family dynamics, going through changes, and falling in love with the last person you thought you could. I also like that the characters are diverse, it brings other cultural aspects to the romance genre!

Who knew public radio could be so entertaining??

Shay knows exactly what she wants in life and is well on the way to getting it when she hits a speedbump - and now the only thing standing between her and unemployment is the conceited coworker she just can't get out of her head. Can a woman who's only ever been unlucky in love co-host a dating talk show centered around a fake relationship with a man she can't stand?

It seems these days that the news is all doom and gloom, but Rachel Lynn Solomon's The Ex Talk presents the lighter side of public radio, with on-air personalities that charm their audience (and us) with a whole lotta heart. The format and concept is unique, the characters relatable and messy, and the pace is spot-on. Laugh-out-loud funny and oh so very sweetly satisfying, my only possible complaint with the Ex Talk is I had a million things to do, but I couldn't seem to put this book down long enough to do any of them!

A solid 4 star book. I really connected with Shay and all her insecurities and quirks and the romance was adorable. Dominic was a sweet guy, although his decision making at the end was a bit of a let down, but he did the right thing eventually. One star knocked off for characters not communicating and just assuming things leading to unnecessary drama. This is definitely a romance book to recommend.

I am so disappointed that I am DNFing this book. I really loved the author's YA romance and I had high hopes for this romance but this was public radio heavy, the heroine read younger than she was, and I felt uncomfortable with the hero being Asian but written by a white author.

I may try to listen to the audiobook when it publishes to see if it's just not the right time for me.

Y'all I just read THE EX TALK by @rlynn_solomon and am so obsessed!

If you were a fan of @liztigelaar's LIFE UNEXPECTED, you need to read this book. Love on the radio, fake dating, witty banter, a Jewish protagonist!

In this crazy week, this book has given me hope!

3.5 stars.
This was fresh and cute! The banter was on point and the romance was sizzling. While I enjoyed the premise, I did find myself wanting a little more character development.

I loved this adult romance about a public radio producer and a reporter who are convinced by their boss to host a show about dating and relationships and pose as exes. As they build their fake relationship and get to know each other, it becomes harder for them to ignore their real feelings and attraction. The tension between the two is palpable, and the banter present in the transcript snippets of their radio show (and their conversations) is fantastic.

The cover for this is cute as heck and the premise seemed right up my alley. Almost from the beginning I could tell it wasn’t going to be for me. It didn’t hook me right away. I kept trying though. I think what finally cemented it is when Shay, the FMC, confirmed that the MMC, Dominic is 24. And sometimes I can age characters up. But Shay mentioned it too many times for me to not pay attention to it.

Also, it made me a little uncomfortable that Dominic is Asian American and the author does share this identity. The book is told only from Shay’s perspective (at least in the 20ish percent that I read) and I just have complicated feelings about white authors writing characters of color. Maybe in the later parts of the book this addressed really well and I just didn’t get far enough to see.

Such a delight! I'm a devoted public radio and podcast listener so a romcom set amongst the behind the scenes antics of those fields sounded right up my alley and Solomon did not disappoint. The characters are well drawn, warm, and believable, their obstacles are relatable and realistic - so much so that I wasn't even bothered by the very outlandish gesture that sets up the HEA ending. Would recommend to just about any contemporary romance reader.