I loved some elements of this book, but it fell a little bit flat for me in the actual romance department. I loved the Jewish and Asian rep, and the fact that Shay was older than Dominic. I feel like that's a lot more common than media often shows, unless they're trying to do a dramatic "cougar" storyline. I liked the premise of the book, and the forced proximity of their relationship. I liked that there was discussion of Jewish traditions, not just in passing. I really loved that Shay hadn't figured out her entire career path by the end of the story. That's realistic! Not everyone knows what they want to do with their life in their 20s, and that's okay. I also, of course, loved the Buffy references! I think the chemistry/banter between the characters felt a little off to me—they felt more like friends than romantic partners, so I had a trouble getting super invested in their relationship and wasn't fully convinced that they were meant to be together.

Such a fun book that I know so people have loved! The format was great and even though it was more closed door for my typical romance taste, I still enjoyed it!

Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can’t imagine working anywhere else. But lately it’s been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who’s fresh off a journalism master’s program and convinced he knows everything about public radio.

When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it’s this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it’s not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts.

As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers.

This book without a doubt lived up to the hype for me. I loved the fresh take on a workplace romance: start with a mutual dislike of each other, become fake exes, add in a bit of forced proximity AND a one bed situation, and BOOM. Love.

I identify with Shay waaaaay more than I care to admit. She recently bought a house, got a dog, has a secure job doing something she’s been doing forever but isn’t sure she actually likes anymore?! Seriously, has Solomon been stalking me?! Add in her growing frustration over being attracted to the younger hotshot reporter at the station who annoys her to no end, and Shay was just such a fun but super relatable character. (I feel you on the forearm fetish, girlfriend.) In the end, I felt like she really grew as a character while still being true to all of the things I loved about her from the beginning.

My only wish is that I was able to see inside Dominic’s head, too, because I guarantee it would’ve been hilarious and sweet and heartbreakingly vulnerable all at once.

I really enjoyed this first adult romance outing by Rachel Lynn Solomon, and easily fell in love with the characters. I'm looking forward to what she comes out with next.

I loooved this book! A fantastic and fresh take on the classic enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, and office-romance tropes! I also love how passionate the main characters were about their careers. This was so fun to read and I can't wait for Solomon's next book!

I have heard so many things about this book! I can’t believe it took me this long to finally be in the know with everyone else. While I liked it, it wasn’t exactly the 5 star read I was expecting it to be.

All Shay Goldstein knows is public radio. Unfortunately the station she’s made a living at is struggling and looking for something new. Shay thinks of a show idea that is less than conventional… Two exes will talk about their relationship and offering advice to their listeners. She’s super proud of her idea until her boss decides Shay and her work enemy, Dominic are going to play the exes…. But… They’ve never been exes. In fact, they can hardly stand each other. They don’t like lying, but they gotta do what they gotta do. And suddenly their show is climbing the charts and they actually start to fall for each other…

As someone who’s not a real fan on Enemies to Lovers (I’m more partial to Friends to Lovers) but this one actually stuck with me. I think it was the characters. Shay was quirky and Dominic was real and down to Earth. It was pretty fun to see the two of them falling for each other. When the arguing turned into kisses I was melted. However, I did wish there was more of them together. Because once they got together, it got hot. But not at all over-bearing.

The plot itself was what made me not enjoy this as much as everyone else. I didn’t feel like there was much to it. To be honest, I got a little bored after a while. It wasn’t until I got to the weekend together that I found myself liking it a bit more. I think its obvious I was more into the romance than anything in this book. It was a slow burn which is why I wasn’t as invested in the beginning I think. But it could also be the enemies to lovers thing.

This wasn’t my favorite read, but I thought it was cute all the same. The characters were nice, the romance was kinda spicy, and the dog was cute, but I wanted more from the plot. It was definitely a stunner for Solomon’s first foray into adult. I cant wait to see what else she has in store!

This is a romance about two rival radio workers (a producer and a star reporter) who find themselves faking a former relationship, and a podcast, to get ahead at work. An interesting premise, but unfortunately their connection felt shallow and not particularly well developed. It was difficult to get a sense of what the characters actually liked about each other. The banter was enjoyable, however.

3.5 stars!

this had a very interesting premise but dragged at times. to be honest i feel like i don’t have many feelings about this book, which isn’t a great thing. i read romance because i want to feel a whole whirlwind of emotions and this was just a little lackluster for me.

i also struggled with how Shay handled the third act conflict. i would still be interested in things that Rachel Lynn Solomon writes though!

If it were practical to change those 5 stars to an infinite number of stars, I would do it in a heartbeat. Because 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘹 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘬 deserves 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬.⁣
⁣
After reading a few “impractical” romances here lately, that of 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐲 and 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜 just makes so much sense. It’s a true breath of fresh air.⁣
⁣
The premise is fantastic, the characters are likable, and I’m kind of really partial to the whole podcast-but, as I host a podcast with my husband! (🎙 @anovelconsole) And when things got steamy, boy did that heat get turned up to the highest levels and had me needing a fan in the best way. 🔥🥵

“I love you. I love you so much. I love your radio voice and your cast-iron skillets and the way you wrapped my dog in a T-shirt when he was scared, and I even love your Beanie Baby collection.”


From this day on, I will read everything that Rachel Lynn Solomon writes.

I loved this book. Shay and Dominic are so cute and amazing, their banter, their chemistry, the way their relationship is portrayed in the book. I am in love.

I started this book thinking that maybe I wasn’t going to enjoy so much (don’t ask me why, I don’t know either), but at the end, I was in love with it.

Shay is strong, she’s brave and resilient. Dom is smart and know what he wants. They are both strong characters and I couldn’t love them more!

I love a good enemies to lovers/rivals to lovers, and The Ex Talk is perfect for those who also enjoy this trope.

This was one of the cutest romances I’ve read this year! I loved the concept, and it made for a really unique plot and exciting romance. The chemistry was great and I really believed the sexual tension. I will be recommending this one!

I absolutely loved the chemistry between Shay and Dominic. This is the perfect enemies to lovers story and I love the Public Radio setting. The Ex-Talk was a delightful read and both of the main characters were very like able. I loved the complexity of this book and liked how realistic and relatable their story was.

The Ex-Talk was a delightful read and both of the main characters were very like able and you couldn’t help but root for them. I loved that this story had a little more depth and complexity to it than some rom-com’s. I especially liked how the conflict was realistic and I could see myself getting angry over the same thing. A lot of times when I read rom-coms I find myself rolling my eyes at the conflict and feeling like it could be solved in a page rather than multiple chapters. That was not the case with this story. I felt the conflict was completely justifiable and Shay had every right to be upset with Dom.

I absolutely loved the chemistry of Shay Dominic. This is the perfect enemies to lovers book and my favorite part of this book was the Public Radio setting. Thank you for the advanced reader copy.

what an average book! mediocre! okay....ish! other words that mean the same thing! i wish i could join the masses of readers who adored The Ex Talk, but it just wasn't enough that set it apart from the other stories i've read.

the premise was not as interesting as i'd originally hoped. maybe bc i don't listen to public radio (the number of times i open spotify in a day is truly absurd), maybe bc most of the on air banter that we saw between dominic and shay were tiny, scripted excerpts of their shows; i felt like there was so much MORE that could have been done with radio set up.

dominic + shay's relationship had a similar issue because while i never actively rooted against them, i was also never fully invested. romance is not a genre that necessarily aims to surprise, but the trajectory of their relationship was very predictable with each beat neatly hit. there was a lack of passion, fire, ZEST between them (with the exception of their sex which was SOLID STUFF and i cannot believe we had to wait so long for it). as soon as the "enemies" to lovers energy fizzled out so did my interest in their happy ending.

i definitely want to give the book props for the interesting conversation it incorporated about grief + love. the show that shay put together with her mom and phil was one of the best scenes and the comparison between shay and her mom's varying forms of grief was a really interesting element.

in the end, this was fine. a "reasonable 2.5" fine. "read it, had a time, but won't really ever think about it again" fine.

This is a great introduction to romance for readers unfamiliar with the genre since it's a blend of women's fiction and romance. Witty banter and lovable characters will delight public radio nerds and contemporary fiction fans alike.

Loved this book! It was a super cute love story, had some steamy parts but also had some nice emotional side stories (i.e. feeling lonely and like it's difficult to make friends once you meet a certain age, dealing with grief) that really added a rich layer to the book. There were also several moments I laughed out loud! I will definitely recommend this book to any contemporary romance readers. I also hope Dominic and Shay's love story can maybe continue in a sequel or be featured in some way in a future book from this author. I'll definitely be checking out her past books and look forward to what's coming next!

I loved the first half of this book. The banter was great and Shay was fun. Then once the whole radio show started up and their romance began playing out I found myself getting bored with the book and struggled to finish it.

This is a book I'm glad I read for the patrons, but isn't one I would have read for myself. I like the contrast between the two main characters, and even though it falls into some tropes, who doesn't want a trope in a romance novel?

Oh la la - this was such a fun, STEAMY, fast paced and fantastic rom com!

This is one of those books where you fall into the story from the first chapter and the pages just fly by because the writing is so immersive!

I really enjoyed the characters and the enemies to lovers trope. There was a bit of an age gap as well - I usually don't like that trope but it worked for this story!

The ending is what dropped it to a 4 star for me since it has been done many times before and felt too stale and predictable.

Overall, this is a great read but be warned about the explicit scenes!