Book Review: The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Soloman
Public radio co-hosts navigate mixed signals in Rachel Lynn Solomon's sparkling romantic comedy debut.
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.
★★★★☆
The Ex Talk was my first book by Rachel Lynn Solomon. Shay and Dominic are forced by their boss to be fake ex’s and host a radio show called The Ex Talk. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and listened to it on Audible in less than a week. I think one of the best tell-tale signs a book is good is when you are dying to get back to it whenever you can.
The characters Shay and Dominic were diverse, real, and flawed. I liked their backstories and how developed they were. They had chemistry (and a lot of sexual tension) right from the start, and it made me invested in their relationship. Maybe this is an outcome of the audiobook only—but the way Dominic would say Shay’s name was swoon-worthy each time. I also really liked the diversity in the side characters as well, it made for rich sub-plots throughout. My favourite characters are Dominic and their producer, Ruthie.
The plot is your basic enemies to lovers with a dash of a fake relationship. I seem to enjoy this premise in any book I read and The Ex Talk had a fresh perspective on it with the way it was done. And personally, I loved the rooted “bring down the patriarchy” tones throughout this story. Except, I was disappointed when the antagonist didn’t really see any consequences to being an evil dick (that’s the least I can say without it being a full-on spoiler).
The steam level is high and I’m not lying when I say I actually blushed. Maybe it’s that it was in my ears rather than on the page, but I think I prefer sex to be more implied and not full steam.
There are themes of friendship, family, grief, loneliness, and love with well-done nods to diversity, LGBTQ+, racism, and sexism.
I would recommend this book – and if you have been hearing a lot about it lately, I’m here to tell you, it’s worth the hype.