Fake dating? Tired.
Fake exes? Wired.
Just kidding, they are both equally enchanting tropes but wow, Rachel Lynn Solomon really went for that fake exes one and I was here for it.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Ex-Talk follows Shay Goldstein, who has been a producer at a Seattle public radio station for close to a decade and can’t imagine working somewhere else. Lately her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who manages to sneak in the fact that he just got his master’s degree in journalism in every conversation, causes her to rethink that statement.
When the struggling radio station needs a new concept to stay on the air, Shay proposes The Ex Talk where two exes will deliver relationship advice while unraveling the reasons behind their own breakup. Loving the idea, her producer greenlights the show, but under the condition that Shay and Dominic ‘play’ the supposed couple. Despite their animosity, Shay and Dominic turn out to be the perfect co-hosts. As their listeners get enamoured with the pair, sparks fly between Shay and Dominic and suddenly, the ‘ex’ part of the whole show might need a status update…
This was by far the biggest surprise read of the year for me. I didn’t have any expectations going into The Ex Talk but boy, did it blow me away.
Shay Goldstein was such a relatable character. Closing in on the end of her twenties, Shay still doesn’t know what she wants from life, often feeling like a kid waiting for an adult to tell her what to do. I loved the nuanced commentary Solomon sprinkled into this story as there are a lot of expectations to be ‘settled’ by the end of your twenties, to know your purpose instead of still figuring it out. It was such a relatable struggle to watch Shay, who has bought a house and can check that off her list, realise that she doesn’t feel at home in it. Ostensibly, she has everything one is supposed to have: a house, a stable job, friends. But there is an emptiness in it for Shay and I bet a lot of twenty-somethings will be able to relate because I sure did.
Dominic, equally, was such a joy to read about. Fresh out of college, I love how he thinks he’s got it all figured out only to realise that the theory you learned in your studies isn’t always applicable in the real world. It was a sobering experience to follow his journey and see him rethink his understanding of what journalism entails. Here, Solomon also discusses the integrity and importance of authenticity in journalism and I loved how Dominic had to rethink his entire belief system when confronted with the conundrum of keeping his job and lying to the audience, or being taken off the air entirely.
Now, let’s talk about the romance because it was both sizzling and sweet. Shay and Dominic had undeniable chemistry. Their banter and their barbs worked so well and morphed almost seamlessly into flirting that made me swoon. Besides the rivals-to-lovers trope, there’s also a small appearance of the ‘there’s only one bed’ trope which made me grin like a Cheshire cat. Honestly, those two were born to be together.
Beyond the sexy times, this was also a very introspective novel with two people falling in love despite their reservations. Shay deals with a lot of baggage, always having been the first to say I love you in relationships only to be dumped right afterward. Meanwhile, Dominic has only had one long-term relationship and is still smarting over the loss of his vision of the ‘perfect’ future. Solomon put so much love in the pages of this novel and my heart went out for Shay and Dominic, which saw me basically oscillated between “just kiss already” and singing “I Was Made for Loving You” while devouring this story in one sitting.
I also really enjoyed Shay’s commentary on the age difference between millennials and Gen Z feeling like a century sometimes. Even though there are only a few years between Dominic and Shay, you can tell that they grew up differently with one of the examples Solomon uses is how Shay used to catch Buffy episodes on the TV (with commercial breaks and long waiting periods between episodes) and Dominic having binged the series on Netflix. It made me so nostalgic for the old days. Sure, I’m happy that we have advanced technology, but Shay feeling like a dinosaur when making a reference she’s not sure Dominic, who’s five years younger, will get? So damn relatable.
The only thing about this book that I didn’t really vibe with was the ending. Everything of course has to fall apart for it to come back together, but some choices (no spoilers) and miscommunications were out of character considering certain stances they take during the novel. But really, that’s a minor complaint in a novel that was unputdownable.
What I loved most about this book was the love letter it was to radio. A lot of things we used to do daily without thinking about it, like listening to the radio, have been replaced by podcasts or TikToks. And while I love those two things, I just really enjoyed rediscovering my love for radio while reading The Ex Talk. There’s a certain mix of nostalgia and reverence for radio in this book that I think will resonate with any reader who’s ever gotten used to listening to the same old radio morning shows before heading to work.
A well-rounded romcom with flawed and mesmerising characters that will steal your heart, The Ex Talk will leave you nostalgic for radio shows and delivers the enemies-to-fake-exes-to-lovers trope you never knew you needed!
The Ex Talk is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of January 26th 2021.
Will you be picking up The Ex Talk? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Public radio co-hosts navigate mixed signals in Rachel Lynn Solomon’s sparkling romantic comedy debut.
Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can’t imagine working anywhere else. But lately it’s been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who’s fresh off a journalism master’s program and convinced he knows everything about public radio.
When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it’s this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it’s not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts.
As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers.
