Scan barcode
A review by sagireadinglist
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The basics:
-an (brief) enemies-to-lovers story
-an age-gap romance (older woman with a younger man)
-two people having to pretend to be exes as they host a podcast about relationships
-smut? yes
Even though I don't always gravitate toward enemies-to-lovers stories, the premise was interesting enough that I became curious. I like the behind-the-scenes look at public radio and podcasting, but would have liked having more of the podcast transcripts throughout the book (they ended up being more fun to read than I expected) and see how Shay and Dominic warmed up to each other on the show.
Now, onto the couple. The banter was there. Nothing particularly ground-breaking or life-changing, but it was nice to see how their interactions developed. However, I do find the mentions of Dominic's height too excessive and I could only stand so much description about how he's so tall and towering (yes, I get that he's 6"3, can we move on now?). I did like reading about how Shay is still processing the death of her father and how it's still affecting her to this day, and some of her words about the topic really resonated with me, but I can't get rid of the sense that she doesn't really read like a woman in her 30s. Maybe it's the way she acts? A little too aware that she's "millennial trash"? But then again, I'm not in my 30s so I can't comment too much on this.
I did end up liking Dominic quite a bit. He's very endearing, and I ended up relating to him because he and I share the same views when it comes to dating and sex. To be warned, their conflict is mostly centered around communication problems, and even the inevitable unraveling of their show did not get a satisfying conclusion.
Other than that, this was a fun and light read that suddenly made me want to go back to listening to podcasts.
-an (brief) enemies-to-lovers story
-an age-gap romance (older woman with a younger man)
-two people having to pretend to be exes as they host a podcast about relationships
-smut? yes
Even though I don't always gravitate toward enemies-to-lovers stories, the premise was interesting enough that I became curious. I like the behind-the-scenes look at public radio and podcasting, but would have liked having more of the podcast transcripts throughout the book (they ended up being more fun to read than I expected) and see how Shay and Dominic warmed up to each other on the show.
Now, onto the couple. The banter was there. Nothing particularly ground-breaking or life-changing, but it was nice to see how their interactions developed. However, I do find the mentions of Dominic's height too excessive and I could only stand so much description about how he's so tall and towering (yes, I get that he's 6"3, can we move on now?). I did like reading about how Shay is still processing the death of her father and how it's still affecting her to this day, and some of her words about the topic really resonated with me, but I can't get rid of the sense that she doesn't really read like a woman in her 30s. Maybe it's the way she acts? A little too aware that she's "millennial trash"? But then again, I'm not in my 30s so I can't comment too much on this.
I did end up liking Dominic quite a bit. He's very endearing, and I ended up relating to him because he and I share the same views when it comes to dating and sex. To be warned, their conflict is mostly centered around communication problems, and even the inevitable unraveling of their show did not get a satisfying conclusion.
Other than that, this was a fun and light read that suddenly made me want to go back to listening to podcasts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Sexual content