The Ex Talk | Arc Review

Hey friends! Christie and I are seemingly cruising through January while keeping up with our arcs as well as reading books on our shelves, so that is quite exciting! With January slowly coming to an end, we have just a couple more arcs to wrap up the month. Today, we are both super excited to bring you the review for the Ex- Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon! Also, HAPPY PUB DAY!!

SYNOPSIS:

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. 

So this has been a highly anticipated read for both of us. Ever since Thi read Today, Tonight, Tomorrow she has been praising Rachel Lynn Solomon. Add that to the fact that this book is an enemies to lovers romance and we are sold.

And with all the anticipation we had for this book, it did not disappoint. Between the blooming romance, the unforgettable and diverse supporting cast, and tackling issues on grieving, as well as, sexism in the workplace, there is a little bit of everything packed into this book.

Lets start off with the romance. Shay and Dominic were a couple we found ourselves rooting for. Their relationship seemed to progress at a realistic pace and was easy to fall in love with. Between their radio banter and steamy scenes, it was easy to see these two together. Shay’s character development throughout the story was just so genuinely nice to read about. As she came to terms with changes in her life, both personally and professionally. She was highly relatable and someone we could see ourselves being friends with. We also liked that the characters had flaws and weren’t perfect. They made mistakes and had emotions that just made them easy to relate with.

Now on to the supporting cast *swoon* one thing you know we love in a book is diversity and representation and this book has all of it! This book doesn’t shy away from any kind of relationship. There are representations for interracial and various LGBTQIA+ relationships. It really made our hearts so happy to see so much inclusion. Not to mention the fact that the supporting cast are just wonderful in their own rights. Shay’s mom, for one has got to be one of our favorites!

Lastly, as ya’ll are probably already aware, we are always looking for something more in a rom com than just romance. And this book tackles two important themes and does them both really well. This book delves into grieving and how losing a parent can sometimes alter how you view life. It is a tough subject to broach at times, but this one was done flawlessly. The other issue this book takes on is sexism in the workplace and don’t get us started on how angry some parts made us with Shay’s boss. It is a common problem in professional settings across the world and this story shows that issue and makes you want to scream at the injustice of it all.

All in all this book is truly a masterpiece of a romance novel. It is a book that will stay with us for a while and likely one we will reread again and again. It is also an ownvoice novel, so needlessly to say, we highly recommend you pick this one up TODAY and let us know what you think as well! Seriously, sprint to the bookstore!

Book Details:
Title: The Ex- Talk
Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Publication Date: January 26, 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Thank you again to Berkley Publishing, Netgalley, and Rachel Lynn Solomon
for giving us a chance to read this beautiful book in exchange for our review.
And always to you all for stopping by our blog. We appreciate you!