A review by bookcheshirecat
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon

emotional funny reflective fast-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

“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.” 

➽ The Ex Talk is a fun Adult rom-com about two rival radio hosts! Shay Goldstein and Dominic Yun work at the same radio station, but have been clashing more often than not. Shay's a bit bitter that her new coworker is getting all attention, even though she has seniority. As a woman, she's still facing prejudice in the industry and her boss isn't hiding that he likes Dominic, even though he's new. They end up pretending to be exes for their new show The Ex Talk as it might be the only thing that can save the radio station! I loved getting excerpts of the show and seeing two people pretend to be exes instead of fake dating!

➽ I liked Shay and Dominic's dynamic! I love rivals to lovers and here we've got the added tension of them having to pretend that they dated each other. I liked that Shay's the one who was a bit older than Dominic! Even though they don't get along, they end up growing closer together and finding out that the other person has hidden depths. I appreciated the discussions about loneliness in adulthood. Shay's still grieving the loss of a parent and Dominic feels unsettled in a new city. Both of them know what it's like to be lonely and to not have anyone else to talk to. 
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