This book was sitting on my shelf for waaaaay too long, and I picked it up during the ice storm last weekend to save battery on my iPad...and I'm ashamed that I waited so long to read it now!
Format: Paperback
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Page Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley Romance (January 26, 2021)
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mr. Darcy‘s Rating: “You have bewitched me, body and soul.”
A Chasing Mr. Darcy Review
Here’s a summary from GoodReads: 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.
Okay, so I don't always love enemies to lovers...sometimes, the characters are too antagonistic for me and I don't see where the HATE actually comes from. But, when enemies to lovers is done right, as it is in The Ex Talk, it is *chef's kiss* perfection! Shay and Dominic are the perfect enemies to lovers couple with just enough hate to make it interesting, but not so much hate that it overshadows the beginnings of the relationship.
Basically, Shay's hate for Dominic comes from the fact that he's too perfect - fresh out of grad school, a man given instant credit when Shay has worked for ten years to earn her place at the radio station - these are things that can make a woman crazy. But, when Shay gets to know Dominic, she realizes he's not perfect at all...He's insecure, flawed, and just wants to be successful making a difference in the world. Qualities that are, as it turns out, really hard to hate. Their slide into friendship and then something more is really organic and effortless, and I love that the attraction on both sides is so obvious. Both try to take the easy road in their relationship, which I think is something everyone can relate to, but easy isn't always best.
I was really invested in their relationship from the beginning. I was also *anxiously awaiting* for the shit to hit the fan because hello, they were lying to all their viewers. I didn't expect the shit to hit the fan quite so spectacularly, I'll be honest, but boy was that a good way to rip the band-aid off! I don't want to spoil anything, but if public humiliation is a trigger for you, you've been warned. I also thought the fall out from the public humiliation was realistic; people found out Shay and Dominic were lying, and they didn't immediately say "oh it's okay let's move on you lying assholes." People were hurt, offended, and it took some mending to get things right again. I thought this was a really realistic way to handle the days following the fallout because hello, contemporary romance often has a way of brushing things under the rug. The Ex Talk is definitely NOT guilty of that. It leaves everything out in the open for discussion, and it is wonderful!!
This book has a healthy level of steam, and what girl wouldn't swoon at the knees when a guy tells her his favorite thing about sex is taking his time? Hello, sign me up Dominic because I will gladly wait in line to hear you whisper that one in my ear about a hundred times. I also really really really enjoyed the hotel room scene (IYKYK), and truly, all their steamy scenes were great. I again feel like their intimacy had a realism to it that isn't often found in contemporary romance, and I just can't say that enough about this story. Was it outrageous at times? Sure. Could I picture a version of this happening in real life? Also sure.
I really loved Shay's relationship with her best friend and her best friend's boyfriend in this story, too. Female friendships are not always well-executed in contemporary romances, but I think The Ex Talk got it right here too. Sure, their friendship was not conflict free, but at the end of the day, their friendship mattered more than past mistakes. I liked that both Shay and her friend had to grow into their friendship as things changed for them both.
Overall, this book really has it all. It has so many dimensions of relationships - familiar, romantic, friendship - and each is given the attention it deserves. None of the relationships really, in my opinion, overshadow the other throughout the storyline, and each gets its own individual resolution. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good love story!
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