Reviews with content warning for Lesbophobia - Something to Talk About

Jo, famous star. Emma, her personal assistant. When the media proclaims them a couple after a photo of Jo making Emma laugh is circulated, a scandal is created. Now Emma's promotion and the release of Jo's new movie are in jeopardy.

This book is set in Hollywood, which created many elements in the plot. Among some of those, we can find issues that are often ignored or erased by the media or the celebrities themselves. Issues such as sexual harassment in Hollywood are addressed and I loved the way this event was dealt with and resolved in the plot.

I loved that rather than a boss-employee relationship, Jo and Emma have built over time a relationship of trust and friendship, where there is affection and concern for each other. This allowed the romantic relationship to work even better.

I liked seeing two main characters who are not white women (Jewish-American and Chinese-American). This novel does a good job of making their identities part of the plot, and while they aren't the most talked about aspect, they still bring great elements to the table. As for how realistic or good the portrayal is, I can't speak, but I was pleased to be able to read something more diverse.

Personally, I don't like the big age differences at all. I've never been a fan of these types of romances. However, the author does a good job of explaining how lesbians sometimes feel predatory towards women. She had a good way of addressing this age and power difference.

All in all, I was very pleased with this book. Although, there were a lot of problems that could have been solved with communication but I'll let it go because I liked the romance.

rep: bi Jewish mc, Chinese American lesbian mc, Chinese American side characters, Jewish side characters
tw: sexual harassment, homophobia & racism (mentioned)

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internationalreads's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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cassielaj's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is the slowest slow burn I’ve read and I LOVED IT. The characters are funny and smart and strong, the story is well-crafted and the plot moves well. Love that both characters’ perspectives are included

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amandalorianxo's review

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lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

There were some aspects that I did like about this book - the Jewish rep, the Chinese American woc lead, lesbian and bisexual rep + women in positions of power that weren’t just actresses and models. The age gap didn’t bother me 28 vs 42 is 14 years difference but sometimes neither character acted their age. However… there were other parts that left me stifled to understand what exactly Emma’s job entails ? It seemed like an over glorified secretary. How exactly does she help a TV show head writer in her day to day life? The amount of times Emma calls Jo boss was infuriating and not to mention Jo should be a bazillionaire with the amount of times her eyes rolled. The slow burn was also painstakingly slow. I’m a little hesitant to read Meryl’s next novel but maybe her writing improved?

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imaginingly's review

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

i enjoyed this book as an easy read! it was written very well and it would be a good sapphic book to get out of a reading slump with but it didn’t have a jaw dropping plot and it was very predictable.
a VERY slow burn romance

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maaikereadsbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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