The Ex-Talk | By Rachel Lynn Solomon

 

 

 

 

Book Review | Contemporary Romance

The Ex Talk
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.

 

 

 

My thoughts

Narrative and Plot

 

 

The Ex Talk stands out even before the start, because of its concept. Instead of fake dating trope which is more common , here we have the two main characters Shaey and Dominic pretend that they are fake exes for a radio show. Shaey appears to have her life together from the outside. However, if you look deeper, that’s not the case. This makes her an easy narrator that anyone can relate to.

Personally I am not a great fan of books, which emphasize on what you should have achieved by a certain age and it seemed like a big issue for Shaey. However, later on it becomes clear that the age factor was underlined because she was falling for a younger person. It would have been more appealing if the age factor wasn’t given too much emphasis. Aside from these nitpickings, the book just flew through like butter in terms of narrative and pacing.

 

Characters and Conflicts

 

 

Like I said before, Shaey is your relatable girl next door romantic comedy heroine. But Dominic felt a bit under developed as a character. He is the lead and the love interest. He even seems like an interesting character to  read about. However, there was not much of a character arc for him. Except for the small “overcoming his stage fright” bit.

Shaey had a past and she emerges as a wiser and better person at the end of the story. Even if Dominic showed some interesting layers, nothing much was revealed about it in the book.

The way he took the job and how easily his moral compass swayed was addressed in the book. But there were other questions regarding his action that as a reader I never got any answers.

Conclusion

 

The Ex Talk is a must read if you’re an avid fan of hate to love tropes. It is fun, steamy, swoon worthy and a feel good romance all in a neat package, along with some public radio action.

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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