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bbygirl21's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I enjoyed this book. I just probably wouldn't read it again. It was a great story and has some great characters. But my issue is that I've read something really similar to this before and i felt this one was a little too slow for me.
I'd still recommend it. The plot was good, I loved the characters, and there were a lot of really funny moments scattered throughout.
I'd still recommend it. The plot was good, I loved the characters, and there were a lot of really funny moments scattered throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Cursing, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Racism, and Death
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Cancer
naturally's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
the concept of fake-exes-to-lovers and the public radio setting really sell the ex talk. dominic and shay have enjoyable banter and chemistry - their relationship is a fun and smart spin of the fake-dating trope. it's fresh, and different, and rachel lynn solomon's writing style made the story a compelling read. additionally, i adore the level of detail given to shay's occupation as a producer/radio host. there was a lot to learn about the radio industry and podcasting too.
i'll hold my hands up and say that i enjoy a problematic/unlikeable heroine from time-to-time. shay starts out having a dose of sympathy the death of her dad, her mother and best friend in loving relationships while shay is single and unlucky in lover etc to balance out her flaws. but she becomes insufferable by the third act.
the exploration of sexism in the workplace was okay...but under-baked. shay's thinking lacks intersectionality. her mantra of What Would A Mediocre White Man do was...weird considering she doesn't often acknowledge her own white privilege. as a white woman, she doesn't give much thought to how dominic may face barriers as a man of colour. moving onto the depiction of characters of colour...i liked the diversity, however i felt there were maybe missed opportunities to integrate different cultures/practices beyond Judaism. e.g. shay's (future) stepfather was nigerian, but he and his children all had anglican names and there was no mention of their culture.
dominic was a cute love interest, but he felt a little too put-together for a gen z/zillenial man. overall, he was a lot more patient and mature than shay was. he's never done anything wrong a day in his life, in fact!!! and i don't think he was in any way at fault in the third act!
the ex talk is a fun time! there was a lot to love, but also a lot to loath. the plot was very messy too like, did PPR not have a HR manager? bc how was the company able to just pay for an Air Bnb with one ONE bed, so shay and dominic could get to know each other??? .
i'll hold my hands up and say that i enjoy a problematic/unlikeable heroine from time-to-time. shay starts out having a dose of sympathy
the exploration of sexism in the workplace was okay...but under-baked. shay's thinking lacks intersectionality. her mantra of What Would A Mediocre White Man do was...weird considering she doesn't often acknowledge her own white privilege. as a white woman, she doesn't give much thought to how dominic may face barriers as a man of colour. moving onto the depiction of characters of colour...i liked the diversity, however i felt there were maybe missed opportunities to integrate different cultures/practices beyond Judaism. e.g. shay's (future) stepfather was nigerian, but he and his children all had anglican names and there was no mention of their culture.
dominic was a cute love interest, but he felt a little too put-together for a gen z/zillenial man. overall, he was a lot more patient and mature than shay was. he's never done anything wrong a day in his life, in fact!!! and i don't think he was in any way at fault in the third act!
the ex talk is a fun time! there was a lot to love, but also a lot to loath. the plot was very messy too
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, and Sexism
olpapi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
CHEMISTRYYYYY! The electricity jumps off the page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, and Grief
Minor: Cancer
readbycarina's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Sexism
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexism, and Death of parent
Minor: Stalking
dorianablu83's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
loved it so much omg
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer
mengzhenreads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I really liked learning more about public radio and that aspect of journalism and for me that was honestly really interesting and fun. The romance itself was cute-ish, but I didn't like how much the author emphasized their age gap even though I feel like the gap wasn't that big (5 years), and it was kind of uncomfortable to read about it over and over again. Also this book is AGGRESSIVELY millennial and full of pop culture references which was very cringe. Also, the characters are literally copy paste of the main couple from Hating Game which is either very good news or very bad depending on how you liked the book. Overall it was cute and fluffy, with smut scenes that really go full out with the details, but this was really nothing special. The only thing unique about this was the setting that the characters worked in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Racism, Homophobia, and Cancer
mirandap442's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Sexism
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, and Misogyny
Minor: Mental illness and Cancer
livelypsyche's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A romance novel for NPR nerds. Loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Death of parent and Cancer
lindsayerin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, and Grief
Minor: Racism and Cancer
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Michael Joseph Penguin Publishing for sending this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is based on Shay Goldstein. She has worked at her Seattle radio station for nearly a decade. But lately she’s been clashing with her new colleague, Dominic Yun – who’s fresh off a journalism course and convinced he knows everything about radio. When the station needs a new concept, Shay proposes “The Ex-Talk”, where two exes give relationship advice live on air. Each armed with their own disastrous relationship stories, Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts – even if it does come with a little tension. Their spiky dynamic is an instant hit, and soon “The Ex-Talk” is climbing the charts. But when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other, is this the start of something amazing . . . or the end of their careers? This book is a contemporary romance.
I thought this book was super cute. I loved Shay and Dom’s slow burn sort of relationship. I liked the dynamic of the radio hosts fighting for the best spot. I loved the tropes in this novel, and they are all really good tropes, but I just wanted it to be more in depth. I enjoyed both characters being confused about whether they liked each other or if the feeling was normal. This was an easy read. I think there could have been more of the enemies’ side of it, like there could have been an incident or more of a story about why they didn’t get along, but it was just Shay wanting to be the young hot shot instead of Dominic was just a bit bland. I wanted more depth. I think the fake dating could have been done better as well. Like maybe before the whole show came in, they had to go on public dates. I would have loved the tension to be more of a slow burn with all the fake dating and the enemies. I would have loved to see more of Ruthie and think she should have happy ending as well.
I could read more of Dominic and Shay’s story and would love to see a series where they go on about different people from this series finding their own love stories, like Ruthie and Dominic’s siblings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Sexism and Misogyny
Minor: Cancer