This post contains affiliate links. In addition, I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.
Title: The Ex Talk
Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Sub-genre: Contemporary
Trope(s): Enemies to lovers; fake dating-ish
Sometimes I am hesitant to read books like this one, books that have been seriously hyped and getting a lot of buzz. I am often wary of it not meeting expectations and there’s that worry as a reviewer of am I going to be the one person who didn’t like this book? Luckily, so many amazing romance books like this one not only meet those expectations, but they exceed them.
Shay Goldstein has been working at her local public radio station since she graduated college. Though she long dreamed of being a host, she has settled into her role as producer and is one of those employees who always goes above and beyond. But when her station has to make some cutbacks, Shay finds herself facing possible firing, despite her tenure with the station. Even more infuriating is that the new young gun at the station, Dominic, doesn’t seem to be in any danger of losing his job. During a brainstorming meeting, Shay throws out an off the wall idea for a new show, not expecting it to stick: what if two exes hosted a dating show, giving advice and talking about the challenges of dating. The idea gathers steam, and since her boss has noticed the tension between Dominic and Shay, he suggests (in private, just to the two of them) that they pretend to be exes and host the show. Both Dominic and Shay have qualms about the lying, but they also both want to secure their jobs, and Shay has always dreamed of being on the radio. Their show, Ex Talk, takes off quickly and develops a following, putting Dominic and Shay more in the public eye than they maybe would want. And with that comes more attention on the both of them–and that means some people start to poke into their histories and discover their fake relationship and even faker breakup. But the real kicker is how Ex Talk brings Shay and Dominic together. The more time they spend working on their show, the more they fall for each other. But how can they be together when the world thinks they already dated and broke up? And what will happen to their show and their careers if the truth is revealed? Luckily, it’s romance, so we know they will find a way to work it out in the end.
Alright, so there are a lot of great things to say about this book and I don’t really know where to start. I guess I’ll start with Shay, because it has been a long time since I related to a heroine the way I did with her. I don’t know what it was about her, probably her whole still trying to figure out her career well into adulthood deal, but I just really connected with her struggles and I felt her pain. Even though our life experiences are very different, she felt very relatable. The relationship between Dominic and Shay was swoony and sweet and sexy and just the right amount of complicated. Their black moment was actually heartbreaking (which sometimes feels rare in a contemporary) and I just really wanted them to get together and be happy. There’s a great cast of supporting characters here, but really this book is all about Shay and Dominic and I loved them for each other. I also really loved Rachel’s wit and style. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about her writing since I know she has a background in YA, but I was pleasantly surprised, especially with the sexy times scenes. This book reads like it was written by someone who really knows and appreciates the romance genre, and that came across on the page for me. Overall, this was just as delightful as promised and I’m already looking forward to reading it again.
Overall Rating: 5 stars
コメント