Ken Heard's Reviews > The Ex Talk
The Ex Talk
by
by

This was only the second or third romantic comedy I've ever read, so I'm not really a good critic of such things. However, I stuck with this and liked it for several reasons.
First, it's written in first person, present tense, which I llike. That's a hard venue to do because the readers is trapped in the lead character's head. If we don't relate to her, the book is shot. I found Rachel Solomon did a great job of characterizing Shay and of bringing out Dominic through actions and dialogue between the two. It's a difficult task, but she pulled it off. (I taught English at two universities. I know of what I speak).
Second, the dialogue itself was really good. Some say the jokes seemed forced, but I thought it read like natural conversations. Both used curse words a bit too much, though. I'm not a prude and in addition to collegiate level teaching, I worked at a daily newspaper for 20 years. Cursing was an art with reporters and editors. But I thought some of the things the two characters said used the bad words excessively and it hindered some of the dialogue. Other than that, she did a fine job.
The plot was good, although quick at times. It followed the formula romance writers use, I guess. Conflict early on, slow building attraction, sudden crisis that leads to "break up," a second chance, self-realization, resolution.
Again, I'm probably the worst demographic to read such a genre; I read it instead for the structure and mechanics of how Rachel Solomon did it. It was good enough for me to venture into whatever she writes next.
First, it's written in first person, present tense, which I llike. That's a hard venue to do because the readers is trapped in the lead character's head. If we don't relate to her, the book is shot. I found Rachel Solomon did a great job of characterizing Shay and of bringing out Dominic through actions and dialogue between the two. It's a difficult task, but she pulled it off. (I taught English at two universities. I know of what I speak).
Second, the dialogue itself was really good. Some say the jokes seemed forced, but I thought it read like natural conversations. Both used curse words a bit too much, though. I'm not a prude and in addition to collegiate level teaching, I worked at a daily newspaper for 20 years. Cursing was an art with reporters and editors. But I thought some of the things the two characters said used the bad words excessively and it hindered some of the dialogue. Other than that, she did a fine job.
The plot was good, although quick at times. It followed the formula romance writers use, I guess. Conflict early on, slow building attraction, sudden crisis that leads to "break up," a second chance, self-realization, resolution.
Again, I'm probably the worst demographic to read such a genre; I read it instead for the structure and mechanics of how Rachel Solomon did it. It was good enough for me to venture into whatever she writes next.
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
April 2, 2025
–
Finished Reading
April 3, 2025
– Shelved