A truly excellent slow-burn romance with Hollywood flair, Something to Talk About is every bit as sultry and fun as the Bonnie Rait song it's named after. Put this one on your TBR as soon as possible!

3.75 rounding up. Let's get the caveats out of the way: I don't really like boss/employee romances, or age gap romances, and this had both. That being said it was handled really well and it was a sweet book. The slow burn was sooooo slowwwww! In the wonderful way. I loved that Emma was Jewish on page for more than just a mention of Hanukkah and I loved her relationship with her sister. There was a lot of miscommunication which will drive some people nuts but that was one reason I loved getting POVs from both Emma and Jo. The writing style was a little formal? But sometimes the banter was good?? I can't decide. But it was a great romance and I loved the inciting event especially. I will gladly read more from this author in the future!

This is a refreshing romance novel that the genre desperately needs more of. This romance touches on issues of the LGBTQ community, race, age, and more. Using alternating chapter narration, Meryl Wilsner builds characters that the reader cares about and gets to know deeply. All characters, even side ones, are fleshed out in a way that helps to build the world this story inhabits. This novel deals well with a number of serious issues while still giving the reader the warm and fuzzy feeling we look for in a romance.

In switching perspectives, Meryl Wilsner writes a really fun narrative about what happens when life starts imitating the tabloids.
Jo is a child star turned high-powered tv show runner. She is serious, never talking about her personal life (not that she really has much of one to talk about). Emma is her assistant, tasked with accompanying Jo to an awards show to be a buffer between her and the nosy press. However, once the media gets a shot of the two laughing together on the red carpet, the rumors of their romance start flying. Both women are shocked to be such gossip fodder, making for an awkwardness to their work together. But, did the cameras capture something they never saw before?

I liked the Hollywood story lines and the characters. I thought Wilsner did well writing a slow burn of a queer romance, and fans of the rom-com and romance genres should enjoy it!

Oh the sweet agony of this slow, slow burn - the perfect pay-off was worth the struggle. Meryl Wilsner's debut is fun, feminist, full of Hollywood sparkle, and the slowest of slow burns.

I received this novel as an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

FIRST OF ALL: I loved it.
SECOND OF ALL: I truly loved it.

Personal Assistant Emma is devoted professionally to screenwriter and former child actress, Jo. Jo is about to be announced as the new writer for a James Bond-esque film series and all anyone can talk about is how a woman can't write an established action star. In order to not be forced to answer questions all night at the SAG Awards, Jo takes Emma with her and photos show up and a relationship is all anyone can talk about. This is not only threatening to out a closeted Jo, but there's the small fact of a boss/employee relationship being inappropriate. How will Emma and Jo wade through these rumors and remain professional when feelings are on the line?

What I loved: Emma. She is a strong woman with a good head on her shoulders. I loved how she handled being propositioned by her hero and directorial idol, in that she doesn't back down or say it was her fault for inviting the inappropriate comment. She does a little at first, but with some reassurance never goes back to that line of thinking.
What I didn't like: The constant going back and forth between being professional and friendly to awkward and silent. I get it happening once or twice, but it was every couple of chapters, Emma would say something or Jo would say something and things would be awkward. For as much as the two of them talk other things out, I would have liked a little bit more of that when it came to their personal relationship.

Otherwise? I highly recommend Something to Talk About.

Even though we were in Jo's head a comparable amount of time, I didn't see -- and really would've liked to have seen -- indications until near the end of the book that Jo had any other than professional/platonic feelings about Emma. She cared about and admired her but didn't seem attracted to or romantically interested in her. That would've frustrated me enough, had the book been entirely from Emma's perspective. Being in Jo's head something like half the time and not seeing the romance on her side made it significantly harder for me to buy into that relationship. Plus, so much of the time, I just wanted the ladies to find a way to clear, open communication. All that said, I enjoyed the book, and I appreciated the concept and the inclusion of a variety of strong female main and supporting characters.

What I liked most about this was how real Emma and Jo felt - their reactions, their concerns, their gradual realization of how much the other meant to them all made the characters believable and so easy to root for. The supporting characters, especially Avery and Evelyn, were a lot of fun as well. The red carpet photo and the rumors, pus their boss/employee relationship aren't the only obstacles Jo and Emma have to deal with, which also made the story more fleshed out.

I'm glad to see publishers making more wlw romances available. I read a lot of YA fiction, partly because I find it easier to find good queer representation there. I hope this is the first of many and a hint toward a shift in the industry.

This book was recommended to me "because [I] enjoyed Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (and, DANG, did I enjoy that book a whole bunch!). Something to Talk About was already up against some pretty tough competition and, unfortunately, this didn't hold up for me.

The representation of LGBTQ+ people in this novel is wonderful and it's an own voices book, which we need so much more of! My only issues were with the way the two main characters treated not only each other, but the people around them. Emma, on multiple occasions, feels the need to mention how fat her sister, Avery, is, even comparing their two sizes at one point, stating that Avery is "built like a weight-lifter." Ugh. No thanks. I'm aware this is a Me issue and that's totally fair but it's still an issue.

The romance was cute, the banter was fine, the representation was THERE, but this book STILL fell a bit flat.

Meryl Wilsner is a new to me author. This book was suggested via Net Galley. After reading the blurb, I requested to read.

Let’s start with the positive. The author is a good writer. What you read from the blurb is actually how the story goes. Most blurbs are spoilerish, but the theme behind STTA was must right.

I really enjoyed both characters in different ways. Everyone should have an Emma as an assistant and Jo as a boss.

Although as I mention above is good, and usually I don’t mind a slow burn, but here was a bit much for my liking. There was too much non verbal communication and it was driving me a bit crazy. Most times there was too much fillers that didn’t need to be in the book.

Also, the third person voices was confusing at times even though each chapter was named by each character name.

I haven’t read f/f in awhile, but I would have like more of a romantic aspect.


*An ARC was provided via Net Galley

This one was okay. It wasn't my favorite and it was also my first F/F book, and its probably my last. I just couldn't get into the stories or the characters didn't excite me. But I will say that the authors writing was really good.

I am always on the lookout for good F/F romances and this one was wonderful! I was concerned about the boss/assistant relationship but she handled it super well and I was so happy when they finally got together. The only downside was sometimes Emma's personality was inconsistent, but otherwise I really liked everything from the cover, to the romance, to the set up!

Librarian: In the last 10 years LGBT romances have exploded across the YA market. A whole generation of teen readers have gotten used to having romances as diverse as they are. Well now those teenagers are growing up, and they want that same level of diversity in the adult romances they read. "Something
to Talk About' is a good one to hand them. It's as much frothy fun as any other Hollywood romance on the market, and it has at least some of the diverse content that the upcoming generation of adult romance readers have come to expect.
Reader: This one made me smile right from the first page. I only read romance sporadically, but I was in the mood for something lighter. This delivered. It hit all the beats I was expecting it to, but that was perfectly alright with me. Jo and Emma are adorable and a good Hollywood romance can be a real pleasure.

Something to Talk About is mostly fun. I appreciated that the power imbalance was addressed, but something didn't quite work for me, and I'm finding it hard to pin down what it was. I think for me slow burn romances are most enjoyable when there is pining involved early on, but there was a lot of the characters not realizing or not letting themselves have feelings or desires.

This book was an interesting look into the workings of Hollywood while also being a romance. I enjoyed the shifting perspectives between Emma and Jo since it gives us insight into their inner lives. I also enjoyed the little bits of gossip and the tabloid highlights that peppered their lives because it is a reality of celebrity life. Jo a child star turned writer and show runner is familiar with the tabloids running with any story finds herself the headline when she takes her assistant with her to an awards show and a picture of the two of them together set tongues wagging. Emma her assistant is not at all accustomed to the spotlight and finds herself the subject of speculation which is not at all comfortable for her. Calling attention to herself is the last thing that Emma wants and having the world believe that she's in a relationship with her boss is not exactly the type of career move that Emma desires. A picture is worth a thousand words Emma and Jo find themselves wondering if there really isn't something there when they do see the photos of them together but with all of the lights on them can they really have the relationship that they both want without the loud headlines (and families) butting in.

So grateful to have gotten to read this book before it came out! I loved this slowburn. It is very well written and the characters are dynamic and well developed. There are moments you want to shake the characters to have them come to their senses, but that's a sign of a good romance in my opinion. Excited to see more from this author. The diversity in this book is an added bonus and I am hopeful that this is th sign of more queer romances to come from this publisher and others! I will absolutely recommend to library patrons and friends.

The power disparaty, on multiple points, between the two mains colored my enjoyment too much for me to really recommend this title.

Emma is Jo's assistant, and she's very good at her job. Perhaps too good, because rumors start to spread that Jo and Emma are dating. Jo tries to convince Emma that "no comment" is the best course of action, but things spiral out of control quickly and the rumors will not die down. It doesn't help that someone on set is clearly leaking information to fuel the fire. Emma and Jo may have feelings for each other, after all, but how can they be together if it could destroy both of their careers?

I enjoyed every moment of reading this book. It was so fun, and it took on some very relevant issues that are going on in Hollywood. The diversity in this book is nice, as well: Jo is a Chinese American woman who is a lesbian, and Emma is a Jewish woman who is bisexual. I'm delighted that this book is written by a queer author, as well. I don't have any complaints at all about this book, except that it ended too soon.

This was very cute, and had a great plot and characters I really enjoyed, but it was VERY slow-burn. Loads of build up and anticipation, very little denouement. After being in these characters' heads through all the trials, tribulations, and angst, I wanted way more time spent on the ending result!

I've been waiting for this one and it did not disappoint! Wilsner's debut is a fun, queer take on workplace romance, rumor-fueled romance, and a delightful, tortuously slow burn. I'm always a little wary of significant age and power differences in romance, but the way perspective switched between Jo and Emma and the way Wilsner addressed the issues on the page made this work for me. Good chemistry, interesting setting, great supporting characters. I can't wait to recommend this one and to see what Wilsner does next!