The Ex Talk, set at a fictional Seattle public radio station, is a romantic comedy featuring Shay Goldstein. a longtime producer at the station who’s always dreamed of being on the air, and Dominic Yun, a hotshot young reporter fresh out of graduate school. Their instant dislike for each other is obvious to everyone, but when financial troubles force the station to come up with new programming ideas, they are told they will be laid off if they don’t agree to host a show together. The show? “The Ex Talk”, a show about dating and relationships, hosted by exes. Shay and Dominic have never dated, but they argue so much that their boss thinks they can convince the audience that they have. While at first they’re (reluctantly) willing to lie to the listeners to save their jobs, it becomes more difficult over time, especially once they get to know each other better and realize there may be a spark between them after all.
If you’re a fan of cute dogs, snappy dialogue, and well-written. diverse characters, I highly recommend this book. Regular NPR listeners will also appreciate the author’s loving and closely observed portrayal of public radio.