Review: Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

Something to Talk About
Meryl Wilsner
Release: May 26, 2020
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Trigger Warnings for sexual harassment and homophobia.

A showrunner and her assistant give the world something to talk about when they accidentally fuel a ridiculous rumor in this debut romance.

Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet, and just like that, the tabloids declare them a couple. The so-called scandal couldn't come at a worse time--threatening Emma's promotion and Jo's new movie.

As the gossip spreads, it starts to affect all areas of their lives. Paparazzi are following them outside the office, coworkers are treating them differently, and a "source" is feeding information to the media. But their only comment is "no comment".

With the launch of Jo's film project fast approaching, the two women begin to spend even more time together, getting along famously. Emma seems to have a sixth sense for knowing what Jo needs. And Jo, known for being aloof and outwardly cold, opens up to Emma in a way neither of them expects. They begin to realize the rumor might not be so off base after all...but is acting on the spark between them worth fanning the gossip flames?

Review:
Did you all know that this book is Berkley's first ever queer female romance?!? AND that it's written by a queer author!?! That in of itself put this book on my radar. Then I heard about the plot and I was sold. My expectations kept rising for this story the more I heard about it and the praise it was getting. Add in that gorgeous cover and I needed this book in my hands ASAP!

And OMG! I devoured this book! It met each and every one of my expectations and blew several more out of the water. I loved it so much that I immediately went and ordered a copy for curbside pickup so I could have it for my personal library. I sometimes struggle with slow burn romances but this one was the good kind of slow burn that had me shouting “Just kiss already!” at the characters! It being a f/f romance was just the cherry on top! 

I'm kind of a sucker for the "icy and distant businessperson falls in love with a sweet cinnamon roll love interest" trope and this story tackled that romance trope in such a way that I wasn't icked out by the fact that it was an boss/employee love story. It was so well done!

I loved Emma and Jo and the Hollywood setting so much! I didn't realize I needed this book in my life until I read it. It checked all of the boxes for me. I loved that Emma is Jewish for more than just Hanukah and that we get a peek into what it's like to be Chinese-American from Jo. I also loved that we get to see a part of what it is to be a woman in Hollywood. I will warn you that there is some sexual harassment in this book so be careful if that's a trigger for you. 

I loved that there is so much women supporting women in this book. I almost loved the relationship between Emma and her sister, Avery, as well as Jo's relationship with her best friend, Evelyn, more than the romance. Almost. What I really adored was seeing Jo and Avery become friends. The family dynamics in this book were intriguing and awesome for the most part.

The story is a slow, slow burn romance. I was invested from the get go but I could see people being turned off because of it too. I loved the chemistry that developed between Emma and Jo. I would have liked to see more of an epilogue or just more pages of them being officially together though.

This book is filled with a lot of good tension but some of it's also the kind of tension that would have been made unnecessary with some simple communication between the characters. I enjoyed the story as is but I may have been frustrated enough in a few parts that I shouted at the main characters to just talk to each other already. I loved getting the story from both Emma and Jo's perspectives but it got annoying how much they assumed they knew the other's answers without asking them.

Overall, I think Berkley chose a home run for their first female queer romance to publish. It was almost perfect, in my opinion. So if you're looking for a f/f romance to read during Pride this year, I can't recommend picking this one up enough!

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

   1/2

  4.5 / 5 Stars

Book #23- Lady Lane- Read a Women's Fiction Novel
(This may be cheating a bit for this prompt but quite a few people marked this book as Chick Lit or Women's Fiction on Goodreads so I'll take it!)


 

Recommended for fans of:
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston