--- title: "Review: The Ex Talk, by Rachel Lynn Solomon" description: Review of The Ex Talk, a contemporary romantic comedy made for public radio nerds by Rachel Lynn Solomon. image: https://www.loveinpanels.com/hubfs/the-ex-talk.jpg --- [![LoveinPanelswhite.png](https://www.loveinpanels.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LoveinPanelswhite.png?width=640&height=225&name=LoveinPanelswhite.png "LoveinPanelswhite.png")](http://loveinpanels.com/) Search ![The Ex Talk Cover](https://www.loveinpanels.com/hs-fs/hubfs/the-ex-talk.jpg?height=500&name=the-ex-talk.jpg) **Title**: [The Ex Talk](https://www.loveinpanels.com/books?id=40802530093) **Author**: - [Rachel Lynn Solomon](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?author=Rachel+Lynn+Solomon) **Heat**: Re **Genre(s)**: [Romance](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?genres=Romance) [Contemporary](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?genres=Contemporary) **Tropes**: [Fake Relationship](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tropes=Fake+Relationship) [Office Romance](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tropes=Office+Romance) [Forced Proximity](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tropes=Forced+Proximity) **Tags**: [f-m](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=f-m) [public radio](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=public%20radio) [podcaster](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=podcaster) [journalist](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=journalist) [Korean-American](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=Korean-American) [Asian American](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=Asian%20American) [Jewish](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=Jewish) [grief](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=grief) [straight](https://www.loveinpanels.com/booksearch?tags=straight) **Where to Buy or Read**: If you'd like to purchase a copy of this book, please consider using one of these links to support the site: [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3nWd8Fu), [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/116/9780593200124), [Kobo](https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=2J8ZNsFdbgk&mid=37217&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kobo.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Febook%2Fthe-ex-talk) **Synopsis from the Creator**: **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. # [Review: The Ex Talk, by Rachel Lynn Solomon](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/the-ex-talk) [fa icon="calendar"] Jan 19, 2021 11:08:35 AM / by [Suzanne](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/author/suzanne) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) *The Ex Talk* very much appealed to the NPR nerd in me, so if you like romance and you like public radio, you probably don't need to read the rest of this review. Still here? Excellent. *The Ex Talk* pairs Shay, a public radio producer, and Dominic, a fresh-out-of-journalism-school reporter. Shay is a few years older than Dominic and she resents the fact that he's so recently come to the station and is already getting to be on air. She's been there for years and been held back by a "not-NPR" voice and a misogynistic boss. They have a sort of low-key antagonistic relationship and when their boss announces layoffs, they're paired up on a show Shay randomly came up with in a meeting. The premise is that two people who were once in a relationship will talk to guests and listeners about relationships. The problem is that they've never dated. So they fake it. I love fake dating and public radio, so I sort of hand-waved the ethical issues here. I loved the banter and the pretending-to-be-exes-while-falling-for-each-other premise. They're both lonely in a big city (Seattle) and Rachel Lynn Solomon does a great job of capturing Shay's persistent grief over losing her father as a high school senior and Dominic's isolation after moving back to his home city, leaving his only long-term girlfriend for this job. She also digs into why each of them wants to work in public radio, which at a couple of points works against her since they're both so passionate about the truth but lying their butts off. I had a couple of quibbles with the way that the deception is revealed and the aftermath, but overall it was really well done. The story is told entirely from Shay's point-of-view, which worked well with the single-narrator audio. In a land of trauma books disguised as rom-coms, I think this one fits the marketing. It's funny, it's packed with banter, the characters have all kinds of chemistry and the loneliness and grief aspects aren't so heavy that they diminish the fun. It was just what I needed three days before Inauguration. *** If you'd like to purchase a copy of this book, please consider using one of these links to support the site: [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3nWd8Fu), [Barnes & Noble](https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/8814288/type/dlg/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ex-talk-rachel-lynn-solomon/1136997644?ean=9780593200124), [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/116/9780593200124), [Kobo](https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=2J8ZNsFdbgk&mid=37217&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kobo.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Febook%2Fthe-ex-talk) *** **Content Warnings**: misogyny, mentions of racial stereotyping, grief *I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher for review.* Topics: [review](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/topic/review) ![right.png](https://www.loveinpanels.com/hs-fs/hubfs/right.png?width=640&name=right.png "right.png") ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Support Love in Panels [![Buy an eBook From Kobo Today](https://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=2J8ZNsFdbgk&bids=551651.109&subid=0&type=4&gridnum=0)](https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=2J8ZNsFdbgk&offerid=551651.109&subid=0&type=4) [- Recent - Popular - Categories ### Lists by Topic - [review (401)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/review) - [new releases (83)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/new-releases) - [best bets (52)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/best-bets) - [interview (34)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/interview) - [guest post (27)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/guest-post) - [cover reveal (17)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/cover-reveal) - [excerpt (14)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/excerpt) - [bingo (6)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/bingo) - [announcement (5)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/announcement) ](http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-8814288-11820649) ### Posts by Topic - [review (401)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/review) - [new releases (83)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/new-releases) - [best bets (52)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/best-bets) - [interview (34)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/interview) - [guest post (27)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/guest-post) - [cover reveal (17)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/cover-reveal) - [excerpt (14)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/excerpt) - [bingo (6)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/bingo) - [announcement (5)](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/tag/announcement) [see all](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/the-ex-talk#) ### Recent Posts #### About Us Love in Panels is two blogs, each with their own searchable database. One blog covers comics with queer and romantic elements, the other is dedicated to romance novels. We post news, reviews, and lots of other fun stuff! [Learn More [fa icon="long-arrow-right"]](https://www.loveinpanels.com/about-us) #### More Links #### Contact Us [fa icon="envelope"] [suzanne@loveinpanels.com](mailto:suzanne@loveinpanels.com) Copyright 2026 | Designed with [fa icon="heart"] by [HubSpot](https://www.hubspot.com) [[fa icon="chevron-up"]Back to top](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/the-ex-talk#) ## Something Powerful ### Tell The Reader More The headline and subheader tells us what you're [offering](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/the-ex-talk#), and the form header closes the deal. Over here you can explain why your offer is so great it's worth filling out a form for. Remember: - Bullets are great - For spelling out [benefits](https://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/the-ex-talk#) and - Turning visitors into leads.