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sabinedion's review against another edition
funny
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? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
bzliz's review against another edition
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 didn’t have high hopes for this which is probably for the best because it was just okay. I enjoyed it enough to finish it but it wasn’t anything special.
I think the author tried to include some more serious subjects that people face in life like sexism, racism, loss and grief, but none of them went in depth enough to feel genuine. The closest was the sexist boss at the radio station getting minorly told off for his awful behavior but it was mostly handled through conversations about him between female characters which means nothing really came of it. There was also some mention of the struggle of interracial dating but it was brief and the main characters didn’t have to deal with any of it.
Shay and Dominic were fine characters but they were hampered by a downright obsession with public radio. There were a couple of romance tropes used to varying degrees of success. The rivals to lovers aspect was fun vs the ‘just one bed’ trope which was super predictable from the moment they were being sent on a trip. And Shay mentioned being pushed up against the wall roughly a dozen times which got old quick.
If you read purely for vibes, this is worth checking out. If you’re looking for something with more heart, you can skip this.
I think the author tried to include some more serious subjects that people face in life like sexism, racism, loss and grief, but none of them went in depth enough to feel genuine. The closest was the sexist boss at the radio station getting minorly told off for his awful behavior but it was mostly handled through conversations about him between female characters which means nothing really came of it. There was also some mention of the struggle of interracial dating but it was brief and the main characters didn’t have to deal with any of it.
Shay and Dominic were fine characters but they were hampered by a downright obsession with public radio. There were a couple of romance tropes used to varying degrees of success. The rivals to lovers aspect was fun vs the ‘just one bed’ trope which was super predictable from the moment they were being sent on a trip. And Shay mentioned being pushed up against the wall roughly a dozen times which got old quick.
If you read purely for vibes, this is worth checking out. If you’re looking for something with more heart, you can skip this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, and Sexism
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Racism and Cancer
beebowbabe's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Rachel Solomon is for the girlies. I read Business or Pleasure first and I must say I love the way she discusses topics that are often deemed too superficial or such, but are on the minds of myself and many women I know. How she does that, and also makes me horny, I'll never understand 😂
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Sexism
bookishspy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
slow-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
4.0
The Ex Talk was a solid read but was missing something for me.
Shay was pretty interesting, and I was pretty pleased that I didn't hate an FMC for once. She had a personality, and she adopted a cute AF dog, Steve Rogers! I've got to say, being a dog trainer myself, the little bits of dog training "advice" did kind of make me want to stop reading, but otherwise, that was super cute.
Dominic felt a little flat for me most of the time. There were moments when his personality peeked out, and I LOVED it, but he just felt very one dimensional otherwise. Perhaps this was because the story was only told from Shay's perspective? I wanted to know what was on Dominics' mind.
Their romance was totally believable, though. It was gradual and slow and felt really natural. I wanted more honestly it was so good!
The side characters were all fantastic. I also love the diversity in this book and that real-life issues like sexism and racism were brought into the story.
The pacing at the end did feel a little weird. I didn't quite feel satisfied like I'd hoped. I think because we were hit so hard, and then we got barely any time to recover.
Overall, this was a good read that I could recommend to most people, but it was just missing that satisfying finale and the wow factor that makes me go for that extra star
➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Shay was pretty interesting, and I was pretty pleased that I didn't hate an FMC for once. She had a personality, and she adopted a cute AF dog, Steve Rogers! I've got to say, being a dog trainer myself, the little bits of dog training "advice" did kind of make me want to stop reading, but otherwise, that was super cute.
Dominic felt a little flat for me most of the time. There were moments when his personality peeked out, and I LOVED it, but he just felt very one dimensional otherwise. Perhaps this was because the story was only told from Shay's perspective? I wanted to know what was on Dominics' mind.
Their romance was totally believable, though. It was gradual and slow and felt really natural. I wanted more honestly it was so good!
The side characters were all fantastic. I also love the diversity in this book and that real-life issues like sexism and racism were brought into the story.
The pacing at the end did feel a little weird. I didn't quite feel satisfied like I'd hoped. I think because we were hit so hard, and then we got barely any time to recover.
Overall, this was a good read that I could recommend to most people, but it was just missing that satisfying finale and the wow factor that makes me go for that extra star
➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Racism
toni7tess's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Loved this book so much! It's a fun, feminist rom com with a lovable, diverse cast and a really, really cool idea. A fresh take on the pretending to date trope, with a great setting in public radio and the cutest ending. The characters had great chemistry and I loved "listening" to their banter on the radio. Steve Rogers Goldstein was my favourite. More books like this one please!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
likeagilmoregirl's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol and Sexism
Minor: Cancer and Misogyny
kiingchika's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I honestly don’t have much to say about this book I can’t lie other than I’m glad it worked out?¿ Would not reread but hey, I learned a little bit about public radio! Dominic and Shay are cute
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Cancer
vj_thompson's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book started out slow but once the initial plot of Shay and Dominic host the radio show together happened, it got good. Seeing their relationship develop was absolutely adorable. The relationship felt normal aside from the miscommunication. Ugh, that sucked. The story surprised me. I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Alcohol, and Misogyny
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
Minor: Racism and Cancer
clareasday's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexism, Misogyny, and Cancer
cris_is_in_crisis's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
An enticing story about learning to go out of your comfort zone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Death of parent and Sexual content