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.

Sweet enemy to lovers energy in this one, as two coworkers, simmering with resentment for each other, are forced to work together on a big public project.

Add in subplots of feeling an obligation to make late parents proud, and feeling stuck on a life plan that might not be working for you any more.

Read this if you're stuck in a job for longer than you should be, but don't know how to let go of it.

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.

Shay has dedicated her life to public radio. She puts it above everything; she’s late for all plans after work, she comes home and turns all her lights on because she’s afraid of being alone. Enter Dominic: the new guy at the station, proud owner of a master’s degree (which he’ll gladly point out to anyone) who wants to report on only the hard hitting journalism. After layoffs at the station, to save their jobs, Shay comes up with the idea of creating a show about relationships: hosted by Shay and Dominic, exes. There’s only one problem: they’re not exes. They lie to the public and the show takes off with a boom, and Shay and Dominic try to deny the feelings that they have for each other. After all, they’re supposed to be exes, not budding romance partners. When their show and relationship takes off, they must juggle the two.
Funny, witty, entertaining, steamy, and topped off with a healthy dose of smashing-the-patriarchy, this book is for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Undercover Bromance, and Beach Read.

This was absolutely fabulous. I loved the characters, loved loved loved Dominic especially, and the sex scenes were VERY hot. (That might have been my favorite part, lol.) Rachel has such a strong voice for adult romcoms and I can't wait to read more from her in this category.

First off, enemies to lovers is probably my favorite trope. So we knew I'd love The Ex Talk right? My dad is also one of those people who always plays the radio when we're in the car. It's nostalgic for me to hear some of his favorite programs in the book! What I loved was how vulnerable Shay is on the page. How the dreams she's given up on, the promises that have been broken, are in the past, but not forgotten. How we are haunted by the compromise we've made and the things we think we've given up. As I'm between dreams now, this dilemma hit extra hard.

And that brings me to the kernel of what I loved about The Ex Talk: Shay. I could relate to her struggles looking at her life and wondering about her previous expectations. You know when you think 'adulting' or even just life will be one thing. And then when you get to it, it's never how you think it will be. It can feel like betrayal. That moment of disillusionment and the curtain comes down. At the same time, Shay is just this quirky ray of sunshine. Passionate about radio and story telling, she's one of those characters who live and breathe their passions.

"The Ex Talk" by Rachel Lynn Solomon is impossible to put down. Readers will immediately be drawn in by the chemistry between Shay and Dominic. The novel is a love letter to romance, public radio, and the enemies to lovers trope.

I know I haven't been reading romance for THAT long, but I can say with full confidence that The Ex Talk is quite possibly my favorite romance I've read this year. Which means one of my favorites ever...

The Ex Talk centers around Pacific Public Radio employees Shay and Dominic who start out the book basically trying to one up each other, until they are put into a the peculiar situation where they have to pretend to be ex's who have a radio show "The Ex Talk" to create buzz in order to save the radio station's funding. 

There's honestly so much to love about this book. First, it fills a ton of romance checklists for situations you look for, like enemies to lovers, forced proximity and even former lovers (even if it's fake). Then there's its diversity of characters. And my favorite part about that? The book doesn't harp on it and feel the need to explain every diverse character and why their diversity is important to the story. It just kinda is, a world existing where friends and family are diverse because that's just the way it is. 

However, my absolute favorite thing about this book is Dominic's character and his background. Without giving too much away, I was pleasantly surprised with the direction the author took with his character as we don't see too much of it in romances and especially because you were not expecting it in his initial character development. 

Also, this book has the perfect amount of steam!

All in all, I cannot recommend this book enough!

I knew that I'd like this book simply from the premise, but the execution was so much better than I could've imagined! It has everything I love in a rom-com: mutual pining, bickering, tension, and steamy scenes. I also loved how it was a commentary on the myth of adulthood, work-life balance, and finding passion in your work. Aside from the fleshed-out characters, the best part of the book was the exploration of loneliness and grief. Oftentimes, books about your 20's ignore how lonely adulthood can be. The Ex Talk makes it an integral part of the plot without losing the humor from the premise.

I absolutely loved these characters. Shay and Dominic have such a good dynamic throughout the whole book, and I found myself yelling at these two idiots to FINALLY admit that they like each other. It's hilarious and adorable and I CANNOT wait for everyone to read this gem of a book.

I love a good enemies to lovers book, and this one was done exceptionally well! Shay and Dominic had off the charts sexy chemistry and I loved that this was a feminist romance so I didn't even have to turn off my brain to enjoy it.

The Ex Talk is an enemies to lovers romance set in the world of public radio. It is a very satisfying love story without an undue amount of angst. Well written, hot boyfriend, a bit of misogyny brought to light and an HOA, You won’t be let down.

<blockquote><i>"Maybe that’s what we all are—halfway-broken people searching for things that will smooth our jagged edges."</blockquote></i>

Rachel Lynn Solomon cannot write a bad book and that is a FACT. I never doubted for a second that her adult debut would be anything less than 5 stars, and I was correct! It feels so good to be right.

Shay and Dom work in public radio, a field I've never read about before and where Rachel herself found her love of writing. With the risk of their station going under, they devise a radio show about relationships, starring two exes doling out advice for what they should have done to save their romance. One problem--Shay and Dom may not get along IRL, but they aren't actually exes and have never dated. With a growing fanbase, they must hunker down and continue in the lie or reveal themselves and lose their jobs.

I loved Shay's relationship with her father after his passing and how it affected her throughout the course of the novel. I loved that Dom is Asian and has FOREARMS for days. And I loved how easily Rachel flipped some beloved stereotypes on their heads! We have the fake dating turned fake exes, enemies to lovers, workplace romance, forced proximity, and there's only one bed. There is banter for DAYS, a tiny dog, a biracial couple at the forefront (we LOVE to see it), amazing side characters that are also diverse, and the classic balance of short heroine and tall love interest.

As this is an RLS book, we also have the brilliant Seattle setting (including the islands off the coast!) and own voices Jewish rep. It's feminist, it features a tiny rescue dog much like her own Wally, and is just all around a wonderful few hours of your life to read. Mark your calendars for January 26th!!

<i>Thank you to Berkeley Romance for the early copy in exchange for an honest review!</i>

The Ex Talk is an incredible slow-burn rom-com that gave me all the feels! The story follows Shay Goldstein and Dominic Yun, two coworkers at a public radio station, as they embark on a journey of starting a new radio show. The show will center around topics associated with relationships, told from the perspectives of Shay and Dominic, two people who used to date but who now are friends. What the listeners don't know is that Shay and Dominic never dated. Shay and Dominic are hoping that their banter and chemistry will make up for that small detail. The listeners don't need to know that since Dominic started at the station, Shay and Dominic have clashed and can't stand each other. The two just have to put on a good show and tell good stories.

The first thing I want to give props to Rachel Lynn Solomon about is the multicultural representation in the book. Dominic is Korean American and Shay is Jewish - two groups that are not represented enough in romance books. Being Asian American myself, I loved reading about a lead Asian American character in a book. I also loved that this is a relationship where the woman is older than the man (by five years) - another thing I want to see represented more in romance books.

This book has all the things I am looking for in a five star rom-com: great writing, humor, clever and honest dialogue, characters who are willing to be vulnerable with one another, insightful commentary on relationships, and scenes that can pull at my heartstrings. This book had me laughing out loud one chapter and then crying while reading the next chapter. Solomon's astute portrayal of all kinds of relationships (romantic, familial, friendships, working) and how they are the essence of our lives was remarkable.

I loved all the things about this book! This book should be at the top of your books to read in 2021!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the free digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In three words, I would describe The Ex Talk as delightful, charming, and steamy. The main character, Shay, was so relatable and easy to root for and her love interest, Dominic was sexy and sweet. I've read many books set in television, but this was my first in radio and I loved it! The pacing was perfect, the development of the romance was believable, and I enjoyed every moment of this rom-com. As an aside, I appreciated that the main character was Jewish without the book being about religion. Bring on the secular Jewish rom-coms!

I look forward to Solomon's next adult romance and will definitely pick up one her contemporary YAs as well.

I am obsessed with this book! 10/10, would recommend to anyone. This book was a delight. Total swoon-y and trope-filled (in a good way that makes you shimmy with excitement) goodness. I loved the enemies to lovers trope and thought the banter and chemistry was spot on. If you're a romance reader or just looking for a little positive escapism, I'd encourage you to add THE EX TALK to your list now!

And romance aspects aside, I thought the book had excellent families and also really appreciated how Rachel approached the topic of grief and mourning.