Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Ex Talk

disclaimer if you’ve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: You’re correct that I don’t really give starred reviews, I feel like a peasant and don’t like leaving them and most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless if I add stars or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial

PREMISE:

contemporary adult romcom set in Seattle, Washington
first-person POV of main character
Shay Goldstein is a senior producer at a public radio station and has worked there for 10 years
The host of the podcast she produces is fired, and during a brainstorming session, Shay brings up the idea of an "Ex Talk" show where exes discuss what went wrong in their relationships
This idea keeps Shay's job safe, as others are fired, and she is asked to co-host the podcast with her work rival, journalist Dominic Yun, even though they aren't real exes
They fake break-up and agree to host the show for six months to see how it plays out, and the show is a massive hit!
There's a lot packed into this novel -- forced proximity at a cabin, an adopted nervous dog, past relationship wounds, and grief from losing loved ones
cw: sexism, misogyny, gaslighting, cancer, death of a parent, grief
steam: 2.5/5

THOUGHTS:
I think I am *officially* a RLS hypewoman. This is the second book I've read by her and I am just blown away. I am in loveeee with this goddamn book. These characters! The friends! The mom! The setting! The tropes! The examination of identity! The millennial angst and existential crises! The commentary on grief! The self-awareness in these characters' evolution! asdfsldjhfsldhf EVERYTHING!

I adored Shay's introspection into her sense of self as it was tied to her job, and what that meant for her relationship with her late father. I have not lost a parent so I cannot speak to Shay's grief, but I believed it and I felt for her. I especially appreciated the way that Rachel illustrated how it affected Shay's relationships with her best friend, Ameena, and her mom. Shay was so laser-focused on holding on as tight as she could to the dream that she shared with her late father, which was so beautiful and noble.

However, it deterred her from seeing how her own trajectory affected those around her. This was such a magnificent example of someone not actively and intentionally causing harm, but ending up placing a bit of an emotional and mental burden on those around them. I found that subplot so relatable, as we are all often so engrossed in our own challenges, that it prevents from seeing the ripple effects of how it affects those in close proximity. I sympathized with where both Shay & Ameena were coming from, and I felt both their feelings were valid. I loved the way this was written, and how it was the impetus for Shay to examine her motivations from within, and to attempt to finally find her identity without public radio. Gahhhhhhh!

As far as the romance, I can probably COUNT the number of romcoms with a Korean male lead on one or two hands, and I read hundreds of books a year so we have NO CHOICE BUT TO STAN RLS FOR THIS REPRESENTATION! I'm not Korean -- I'm Filipino & Chinese but I love seeing an AAPI man described as attractive, hot, desirable, etc., and not as the funny or super kind best friend or coworker. Thank you. I adored stuffy, master's-degree-boasting, active-listening, simping ass Dominic!!!!

Anyway, this was a fluffy, tender romcom and I am so glad I read it! Now I want to go to Seattle, thanks RLS!

Quotations that stood out to me:

It’s your typical coworkers turned enemies turned fake exes turned cohosts turned real romantic partners kind of love story.

Public radio is not solely filled with the kind of honey-voiced intellectuals who ask for money during pledge drives. For every job in this field, there are probably a hundred desperate journalism grads who “just love This American Life,” and sometimes you have to be vicious if you want to survive.
I’ve always been a forearm girl—a man rolling his shirt to the elbows is basically foreplay for me—and it’s a crime that such nice ones are wasted on him.

That interactive element—hearing Paloma through your speakers one minute and chatting with her live the next—is why radio is the best form of journalism. It makes the world a little bit smaller. You can be listening to a show with hundreds of thousands of fans across the country, but it still feels like the host is talking directly to you. Almost, in some cases, like the two of you are friends.

There’s so much power in a voice like that, in the ability to make people not just listen but care

“Make people cry, and then make them laugh,” my dad would say. “But most of all, make sure you’re telling a good story.”

I swipe it away and drag the app to the trash. That’s the only action I’ve had lately: Tinder and Bumble desperately trying to win me back.

I am perfectly capable of having a fake relationship—a fake breakup—with an attractive coworker. I am a professional.

The deceased don’t immediately become flawless human beings. And it wouldn’t be right to turn him into one. We loved him, faults and all.

“Do you know how long people’s attention spans last today? Not long. People go wild over a new Stranger Things season for a week before a new Marvel trailer drops, and then there’s a new Disney remake everyone’s talking about. Nothing lasts. But we want to stay relevant as long as we can, really be part of the zeitgeist.”

It’s the first time he’s complimented me outright, and I have no idea what it means. Drunk words, sober thoughts? Even if that’s true, I shouldn’t care if Dominic thinks I’m cute. I am cute. He’s simply stating a fact.

It’s the first time I’ve seen him blush, and it makes me want to cover my own face.

But what has always made radio so special to me is its ability to turn something intangible into something personal. To let someone tell a story only they can. This grief show wouldn’t be breakthrough radio, I know that—but it would be mine.

All of these people connected by something most of us do completely alone, with headphones on, blocking out the rest of the world—it’s kind of magical.

In public radio, thirty seconds is a lifetime. Thirty seconds is long enough for someone to get bored, change the station, switch over to a different podcast. To unsubscribe. Thirty seconds can end a career.

The thing about losing someone is that it doesn’t happen just once. It happens every time you do something great you wish they could see, every time you’re stuck and you need advice. Every time you fail. It erodes your sense of normal, and what grows back is decidedly not normal, and yet you still have to figure out how to trudge forward.

That’s the most terrifying part: that I’ve defined myself by public radio for so long that I’ve never wondered who I am without it. Maybe the truth is that I’ve been scared to find out.

But maybe that’s what we all are—halfway-broken people searching for things that will smooth our jagged edges.

Content Warnings

kcbatts's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

chailady's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a fun romance! I love fake dating, as we all know. XD

Content Warnings

whackettreading's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

hannah109's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Content Warnings

debosmitathereader's review

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emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The guy is such a charmer and the girl is a bookish reflection of me. What more can I say than that this is a freaking cute romance and I got more than I expected?

Content Warnings

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