Isn't It Romantic?

The Ex Talk
Rachel Lynn Solomon
Age/Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Berkley 
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

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.

Shay had a fantastic idea for new show. A relationship show hosted by exes. Brilliant, right? The only problem was she and her co-host had never actually dated. Given the choice of faking it or unemployment, Shay chose the show, but while pretending to be his ex, she caught some real feelings. 

I am a die-hard fan of Solomon's YA books. I had really high hopes for this one, and it surpassed all my expectations. I expected it to be fun and swoony with snappy banter, but I didn't expect it hit me so hard emotionally. That, my friends, is why I this book gets all the stars. 

One reason this book was perfection was the characters, who I believe people will find hard to resist. Shay had so much passion for public radio, which was something she shared with her late father. Though he had been gone for a decade, Shay still felt that hole in her life, and she plugged it up by working, a lot. Dominic was the wet behind the ears earnest news reporter, who Shay had declared an enemy early on. Getting to know them both was a pleasure. These were complex and layered characters, and I found so many reasons to love them. 

Together, they were spectacular. I loved the tension between them, and their interactions delighted me to no end, but they also had these backstories, which made me love them more. Both struggled with loneliness, and Solomon did an incredible job capturing this, especially with Shay. I found myself moved to tears at some points, because I ached for her, while also relating really hard to what she was feeling. 

Though we don't get to spend any time in Dominic's head, there were many times in the story, where he shared his fears and pain, while being extremely vulnerable. He was open, where Shay was very closed off, and each new reveal endeared him more and more to me. 

I can't get my mind off this wonderful romance, but there was more to adore in this book. It was interesting learning so much about the radio and podcast industry, and I loved that Solomon included bits of the show as well as pieces of their social media. The tweets, the promotion, the podcast, the convention - it was fascinating and took my reading experience to the next level. 

This book was simply a joy to read! It had so much humor, heart, and warmth and made me feel SO much, that my heart overflowed with joy. 

Then There Was You
Mona Shroff
Age/Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: HQN
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

The wrong man never felt so right.

When helicopter medic Daniel Bliant answers an emergency call at Phil’s Bar, he can’t believe who the bartender is: the beautiful woman he saw in his ER months before and hasn’t been able to stop thinking about. He should forget her. After all, he knows he’s damaged goods. But Annika is intelligent, fun and totally stunning—the breath of life he desperately needs after the incident that left him shattered.

Annika Mehta is doing just fine. She loves her job as a kindergarten teacher, even if the pay is low and she has a side gig working at Phil’s. At least the bar owners are more like family. Sure, she’s reeling from a bad breakup and the terrible event that caused it, but she’s fine. Really. What she doesn’t need is Daniel. He’s wrong for her in every single way—so why is their chemistry off the charts?

After suffering a tremendous loss, Daniel buried himself in work in order to avoid moving forward. He felt like there wasn't much the future had to offer him until he met Annika. She also knew what loss was, but would this connection be enough for him to open his heart again?

Like Shroff's pervious book, Then, Now, Always, this book was really emotional. I won't lie, it was super painful at times. I shed tears, my heart ached, but I found comfort in seeing these characters find some solace in each other as they worked to heal in their own way, at their own pace. There were people who surprised me along the way as well, especially Annika's father, and it was these things that touched my heart. 

If I am making this sound like the pain Olympics, shame on me, because Shroff sprinkled this story with moments of joy throughout. She took us to some wonderful Indian celebrations and shared some really fun, sweet, and tender moments between Daniel and Annika. I did feel there were those bright moments to balance the darker ones (death, racism, shootings, etc) and found them very necessary as I waded through this couple's pain. Though both had lost so much, I found myself more devastated by Daniel's story, and therefore, was very invested in his journey. It was a difficult one, but one worth taking with him. 

For me, this was a story about loss, love, and healing. It was about finding that strength to go on, when it seemed as though everything had been taken from you. It was about choosing to lean on someone, to share the burden, even when that support came from an unlikely source. It was about allowing yourself to take a chance, to love again, regardless of your fear of loss. 

Overall: A tough, but beautiful journey through grief and loss, which was topped off with a heartwarming ending that left me smiling.  

**ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

Do you have a favorite radio show or podcast?
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