The Ex Talk
Feel good
Light hearted
Sweet

The Ex Talk

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.
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Reviews

Photo of Ian Brakspear
Ian Brakspear@ibrakspear
3 stars
Feb 21, 2025

After never reading a romance book set around a radio station, I have now read 2 back-to-back and I don’t know what it was about this one that just left me feeling a lite off, It’s an enjoyable easy romance read that is enjoyable but just didn’t hit the spot for me personally.

 

Two rival journalists in the field of public radio are strong-armed by their supervisor into faking a relationship on-air in a human-interest afternoon radio show called "The Ex Talk." & This Book looks at the rise and then subsequent reveal of the secrets the show is based on and the romance between the 2 hosts.

Firstly, I want to say that its clear just how much research went into creating this one and it would appear Rachel Solomon is very familiar with the ins and outs of public radio and all that takes place behind the scenes to make newscasts and shows successful. This really helps to make the characters feels well created and makes them feel real.

Shay lives for her career and has worked at the Seattle public radio station her entire adult life since interning after college. Equally driven is the young upstart political reporter, Dominic, who values his sense of ethics and integrity as much as his belief in his investigative skills.

 

Overall I found the premise a little weird and I was just not a fan of the show being based on lies about them being exes as this felt a little unrealist for any radio station. The ending also felt a little rushed; like most romances and that in order to wrap everything up is was all over and issues resolved in just a couple of pages.

Photo of stephie
stephie@readwithstephie
4 stars
Dec 23, 2024

The female lead looks realistic. A fun and light read and interesting because of it's about radio broadcasting and how the female lead on start believing on the beauty of her voice with the help of the mle lead (cute). A great read. I would recommend this one.

+6
Photo of Bree Orbe
Bree Orbe@breeorbe
2 stars
Sep 2, 2024

I decided to finish it for the sake of finishing it. It was honestly predictable and reading this book felt like reading fan fictions in middle school… sorry… The male lead was kinda cheesy after the stuff happened…

+1
Photo of Zoe R
Zoe R@zrobber
3 stars
Jul 5, 2024

3.5⭐️

Photo of Isabella
Isabella @iscbella
2 stars
Mar 13, 2024

I was not a big fan of the book. It was a book I had trouble reading because of how uninterested I am (I even thought of not finishing it). I guess it was an okay book, at best. There was no tension at all, and they went from 0-100. It felt so slow at first, then suddenly it went so fast. It felt really flat. Maybe, I just wasn't really interested with the characters nor the plot.

Photo of Gemma McCarthy
Gemma McCarthy@geesmcc
3 stars
Feb 4, 2024

solid book, entertaining, loved the main characters, happy ending, easy read!

Photo of Ryan
Ryan @ryandoesread
4 stars
Jan 19, 2024

3.5 stars following the bandwagon of feel-good books i needed to read, this book was enough to continue eliciting serotonin to my body. even when i got annoyed in the countless times dominic brings up his masters degree like it's his personality trait, the author acknowledges it with the master's jar. i rarely love the enemies-to-lovers trope because of how come books are mis-marketed, like how this book is more like annoying-coworkers-to-lovers. even when i couldn't completely gravitate this romance enough, it ended up being a book that got the Koosh ball rolling with their chemistry and likable personalities.

Photo of farrah
farrah @farrah
5 stars
Jan 15, 2024

actual rating: 4.5 dare i say, this might be my fav from rachel lynn solomon! dom and shay are coworkers-to-enemies-to-fake exes-to-lovers excellence. lots of fun banter and steamy scenes. i had a great time reading this :')

Photo of Soha
Soha@soha
5 stars
Jan 4, 2024

4.5 stars. LOVED this one! ❤️ Review coming soon. ****** LOVE IS ON THE AIR 🌿❤️ Rachel Lynn Solomon's adult romance debut is a *chef's kiss* enemies to lovers workplace romance. Shay Goldstein, a 30 year old producer who's worked at Pacific Public Radio for a decade finds herself suggesting a wacky show idea to save the struggling station - two exes giving out relationship advice live, on air. Dominic Yun is the fresh face at the station, a 24 year old fresh off a masters journalism program with some preconceived notions about journalism and public radio. When their boss suggests that Shay and Dominic host it together as (fake) exes since they already dislike each other, they're both initially hesitant. There are so many things I loved about this book. The diversity and representation (across multiple spectrums) - to begin with, Shay is Jewish (#OwnVoices rep) and Dominic is Korean American. Shay's loneliness + feeling lost in her adulthood as she navigated friendships, love, grief and more, was so convincingly written that I often wanted to reach through my phone and hug her. Her rescue dog was the cutest thing ever. I loved how sex positive this book was. Dominic Yun has my heart 🥺❤️, his forearms 👀, his collection of Beanie Babies, his adorable parents, asdfghjkl. The chemistry between Shay and Dominic was undeniable. One second, I was grinning at the banter, and the next, I was making sure my earphones were properly connected to my phone 👀🔥 Some of the best steamy scenes I've ever read🔥🔥🔥🔥 The 2 Rachel Lynn Solomon books I've read so far, have been fiercely feminist and I love that ❤️ I think the only minuscule thing that bothered me was how many times Shay brought up the age gap between her and Dominic. It didn't ruin my reading experience but it made me wonder if it would've been this pronounced had the genders been reversed. All in all, a wonderful read that brought me immense joy and warmed my heart ❤️✨ The narrator, Emily Ellet, was excellent! 👏🏼❤️

Photo of Patricia Nelson
Patricia Nelson@tnelson577
4 stars
Aug 23, 2023

Very cute and enjoyable romance. While the setup is somewhat predictable - two people meet and immediately dislike each other, only they end up drawn to each other, the story is also about overcoming grief, facing change, being alone in a new place, misogyny in the workplace, honesty, and overcoming obstacles for something that is worth it.

Photo of becky oh
becky oh@olivepages
2 stars
Aug 18, 2023

RTC

Photo of Laura Wilson
Laura Wilson@bookswithlaura
3.5 stars
Aug 9, 2023

3.5. Solidly adorable. First half was a little slow, second half was real cute. Didn’t blow my mind but it was a quick and mostly satisfying for a rom com.

+3
Photo of Maggie Hotmer
Maggie Hotmer@maggielynn8
5 stars
Jul 27, 2023

Amazing book with amazing characters. They went on a great journey together and I loved their story. This was one of the few books I’ve felt the characters emotions right along with them. Would definitely recommend!

+6
Photo of Charlsy Sekyere
Charlsy Sekyere@charlsy_s
2 stars
Jun 30, 2023

It is a painfully mediocre book. By recommending this book to anyone, I will be doing the romance genre an injustice. While this may seem harsh, this is my honest opinion of the book. My major problem with the book is the main character, Shay, about whom we only get her POV. She is simply unbearable. In addition to being whiny and frustrating, she is insecure about her career progression and age. The biggest weakness of this book is Shay. She is certainly a relatable character to some, but she is also quite irritating most of the time. Shay has a dislike for Dominic in the beginning. However, her hatred for him just seemed groundless and unjustified. As the story progressed, it lingers throughout the story making it unpleasant to read. The smut scenes were just okay. I went in believing it was going to be more than just okay. By the end of the book, I did not care if they got together, after that shitshow of a conflict. I mean the guy has stage fright and his anxiety was on a all time high. What is he supposed to do? Give him a break. There is only one person Shay should be pissed off at, and that is Kent.

Photo of debbie <3
debbie <3@debbiereadslittle
2.5 stars
Jun 19, 2023

not only did they broke up once, BUT TWICE! i started skimming when they first broke up and then skim again the second break up until the end of the book, idk characters were kind of whatever, it was really depressing that they were both super lonely people like i think y’all have bigger problems here lol, the dog was the funniest

This review contains a spoiler
+1
Photo of Isabella
Isabella@isabellareads
3 stars
May 17, 2023

this was cute too lol

Photo of jinni
jinni@dearjinni
2 stars
Apr 30, 2023

i was really into the premise of this book but the on-air segments only became shorter and shorter meanwhile irrelevant things like “going on a business trip with my love interest” were included to drive the relationship. wasn’t into that as i came for the public radio component of the plot (which barely happened). shay’s character didn’t stick with me either and the first person perspective made it worse as i had to read through repeating details of dominic’s height and her self pities. dominic’s character... there’s nothing to say because i didn’t even realize he had a character 😧 steve the dog was the star of the book.

Photo of Candice Browne
Candice Browne@candicepbrowne
4 stars
Apr 7, 2023

this book was so cute! she named her dog steve rogers 😭😭

+3
Photo of Ali Angco
Ali Angco@aliangco
4 stars
Mar 26, 2023

3.75 to be exact - loved the concept, characters, the flirting lol Got predictable but I still enjoyed it

Photo of Tijana
Tijana@tijanaf
5 stars
Mar 18, 2023

Amazing book, great story

+3
Photo of Joana da Silva
Joana da Silva@julesdsilva
5 stars
Mar 5, 2023

I'm giving this one 5 stars because 1) it got me out of a slight reading slump and 2) THE BANTER, THE CHEMISTRY, THE STEAM. Dear god, what was that?! Although I had some issues with Shay's storyline, this was the rom-com I needed to get my spirits up. Another note: it's always fun to read the author's bio and learn that the main character is basically them, living vicariously through fiction. Don't get me wrong, I do that all the time. It's just always funny to learn that some people manage to get paid for that.

Photo of Marie
Marie@mariecze
4 stars
Mar 2, 2023

The ending was a bit too sappy for me tbh

+1
Photo of Britany byrne
Britany byrne @britany
4.5 stars
Feb 23, 2023

amazing, such an easy read and had all of my favourite tropes ( enemies to lovers, fake dating, close quarters, slow burn ) really pulled at my heart strings at the end, such a cute little romance

+4
Photo of thea lockburn
thea lockburn @thea_lockburn
3 stars
Feb 17, 2023

** spoiler alert ** I wanted to read this book because I was searching for some contemp romance and comedy books and this came up. I'm honestly so so glad that I came upon this book as it is just the thing I was searching for. Shay is a producer at Pacific Public Radio and Dominic completed his Journalism Master's degree and is now working at the station. It's a typical enemies to lovers and hints of comedy and it's a great read for anybody who's looking for a lighter read. The characters were perfectly written, some you are bound to dislike and some you'd really want in your life. Even though this book is a rom-com, there are some heavy topics addressed which is what makes this book seem so real. Though I liked it, it wasn't a 5 star read, but it's definitely good. you'd get what I mean when you read it ! If you are in need of a little laugh and you enjoy reading contemporary romance, then The Ex Talk is the book for you!! 🗣️🗣️🎤🎤

Highlights

Photo of stephie
stephie@readwithstephie

I never want to wait around, hoping someone else will decide to take control when I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself.

Photo of hannah
hannah @fellalil

I love too much, too soon, and the other person can‘t reciprocate.

Page 296
This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of hannah
hannah @fellalil

short people are nothing if not skilled counter climbers

Page 84
Photo of Laura Wilson
Laura Wilson@bookswithlaura

The thing about losing someone is that it doesn't happen just once. It happens every time you do something great you wish they could see, every time you're stuck and you need advice. Every time you fail. It erodes your sense of normal, and what grows back is decidedly not normal, and yet you still have to figure out how to trudge forward.

Page 301
Photo of hannah
hannah @fellalil

While I don’t love the idea of ceding time on Dominic, if he’s uncomfortable, I‘m definitely on board.

Page 6
Photo of hannah
hannah @fellalil

I could. But being passive-aggressive is much more fun.

Page 2
Photo of syd!
syd!@sydthorne

“So often, I'm trapped between the pain of remembering and the fear of forgetting.”

Page 121
Photo of SG
SG@sgmacdonald

The doorbell rings at ten thirty the next morning, while Dominic’s in the kitchen breaking in one of his new cast-iron skillets. A spinach and red pepper frittata. I’ve already canceled my meal delivery service.

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of SG
SG@sgmacdonald

“It’s going to be good, though,” he says. “I can’t wait to learn all the weird things you do when you’re alone.” “They can’t be worse than you wearing a blanket as a cape and pretending to cast spells on Steve.” “That was one time! And I really thought you were still in the shower.” I snuggle closer, laughing into his shoulder. His arms come around me, a thumb stroking the space between my shoulder blades. It hasn’t sunk in that we get to fall asleep together like this every night, that I’ll wake up next to him every morning. “I love you in this house,” I say. “I’ve thought so since the first time you came over. I was too scared to say anything, but you just felt so right here. It was the worst, feeling all those things and not knowing if you were feeling them, too.” He grasps me tighter. “I was. I was feeling them so much that it killed me to leave. It killed me to leave every time.” Even now, hearing that does something to my heart. “Can you believe we hated each other a year ago?” “I think you mean a year ago, we were on our third or fourth date. I believe that was the one where I demonstrated some of my raw sexual energy.”

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of SG
SG@sgmacdonald

“I love you,” he says only to me, a hand cupping my cheek, thumb tracing along my jaw. “I’m in love with you, Shay.” “Dominic.” We’re breathing in time with each other now, as steady as my mother’s metronome. “I love you. I love you so much. I love your radio voice and your cast-iron skillets and the way you wrapped my dog in a T-shirt when he was scared, and I even love your Beanie Baby collection.” He plugs his headphones back in with one hand, still holding on to me with the other. “I fucking quit, by the way,” he says. And then, because I’m feeling powerful: “Fuck you, Kent.” I say it into the mic, crisp and clear, relishing the strength in my voice. “Enjoy your fucking fines!” Then I rip out the cord. “I love you,” I say again to Dominic, unable to stop. I grab the collar of his shirt and pull him close as his hands slide into my hair. “I love you, I love you, I—” His mouth meets mine, warm and sweet and certain. My past and my future—because he has always felt like home. And even though we’re in a soundproof both, I swear I hear people cheering.

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of SG
SG@sgmacdonald

“I have this history of telling people I love them and not hearing it back,” I say. “It’s a problem, maybe—I jump too quickly. But . . . I want to be brave this time.” “I do, too,” he says, and then with one swift motion, he reaches forward and unplugs both our pairs of headphones, effectively taking us off the air. Outside the studio, our coworkers throw their arms in the air and bang fists against the glass, but no one rushes inside.

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of SG
SG@sgmacdonald

“That’s perfect,” I say. “I’m all for shaming Dominic.” “Five dollars?” Dominic says, incredulous. “How much do you think we make?” So that’s how the empty Costco jelly bean jar ends up on my desk with DOMINIC MASTER’S JAR written on it in Sharpie. Ruthie decorates it with blue and orange stickers, the colors of the University of Illinois—Northwestern’s rival. At the end of every month, the listeners get to vote on the charity we donate the money to. By the end of the week, there’s twenty-five bucks in there.

Photo of Alyssa O
Alyssa O@soundsgouda

Cute! It moved really quickly and was a good read during a reading slump. Good representation of different cultures and interracial relationships!

Photo of María | @AltroReader
María | @AltroReader@altroreader

The thing about losing someone is that it doesn't happen just once. It happens every time you do something great you wish they could see, every time you're stuck and you need advice.

Photo of María | @AltroReader
María | @AltroReader@altroreader

So often, I'm trapped between the pain of remembering and the fear of forgetting

Photo of María | @AltroReader
María | @AltroReader@altroreader

But maybe that's what we all are–halfway broken people searching for things that will smooth our jagged edges