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merlesstorys's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.0
“Something to talk about” by Meryl Wilsner is a lovely book that is easy to read (which I read in one day because I just couldn’t stop).
Both Jo and Emma felt age appropriate and, even though I’m a tad younger than Emma, I could heavily emphasize with her. Their relationship with each other built up more or less nicely, even though the lack of communication really fucked me up sometimes (like I wanted to tell Jo that she should tell Emma things that the latter was related to) and with that also a lot of missed character understanding for each other.
Their relationships with other persons in the book were rather in the background/they kinda only ever talked about their love interest.
I do loved that their running gags were happing out of situations on and not off page (re: Asthma)
What I definitely didn’t like were the things teased but never or way less detailed - why I’ll briefly mention because I don’t want to spoiler anyone.
The leak and the persons behind. Emma’s personal thoughts on Avery/her feeling left behind. The pretty uncomfortable scene with Emma’s idol. Search for new assistants. Life on set. Writing a script. More Hollywood glamour.
And that’s probably not even all I kind of missed.
But, in general, I enjoyed Jo and Emma’s story very much.
Both Jo and Emma felt age appropriate and, even though I’m a tad younger than Emma, I could heavily emphasize with her. Their relationship with each other built up more or less nicely, even though the lack of communication really fucked me up sometimes (like I wanted to tell Jo that she should tell Emma things that the latter was related to) and with that also a lot of missed character understanding for each other.
Their relationships with other persons in the book were rather in the background/they kinda only ever talked about their love interest.
I do loved that their running gags were happing out of situations on and not off page (re: Asthma)
What I definitely didn’t like were the things teased but never or way less detailed - why I’ll briefly mention because I don’t want to spoiler anyone.
The leak and the persons behind. Emma’s personal thoughts on Avery/her feeling left behind. The pretty uncomfortable scene with Emma’s idol. Search for new assistants. Life on set. Writing a script. More Hollywood glamour.
And that’s probably not even all I kind of missed.
But, in general, I enjoyed Jo and Emma’s story very much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Sexism, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
brinotbrie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Outing, Sexism, Racism, and Misogyny
Minor: Death of parent
panthalassa's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcohol, Homophobia, and Sexism
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, and Racism
saojimenez's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
i loved this!!!! emma and jo have my heart 💓💓 i liked how they weren’t perfect people. for ex, jo wasn’t always the best, but i respect her for acknowledging that and apologizing and growing as a person. i loved how emma grew more secure in herself throughout the book. another thing i liked was how the chinese rep didn’t feel forced or super stereotypical which is often the case when authors write poc characters. i personally think wilsner did a great job with jo (: oh and don’t get me started on the slow burn- YALLL!! i was dyingg. at one point i kept getting annoyed cause it was taking them foreverrr to suck it up and get together, but that first kiss was worth it omg. i just love them and this book sm <333
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Misogyny
storykath's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
When rumours begin to fly about the relationship between child-actress-turned-showrunner Jo and her assistant Emma, the two women begin to find it harder to navigate their professional and personal lives with each other.
First of all, it was super refreshing to read a queer romance where the queerness is (almost) never the focus. Taking away the queer aspect would change the story significantly, but there's next to no conflict regarding coming out, homophobia, etc. Wilsner did a great job balancing a distinctly WLW story with the necessary lightheartedness of a romance novel.
The alternating perspectives provided an effective insight into the protagonists' inner thoughts and feelings, while also amping up the frustration with every miscommunication and missed opportunity. Their inner monologues were realistic and relatable, if a bit repetitive. Then again, who doesn't mull over the same worries over and over in their mind? Jo and Emma were equal parts endearing, sympathetic, and agonizingly frustrating as they tried to understand themselves and each other - that is to say, they're typical romance novel characters and typical human beings.
The focus of the story was absolutely on the characters and their growth, which left the setting as more of an afterthought. Descriptions of the award shows, business trips, and day-to-day demands of the television industry fell flat, and it was hard to tell if they were unrealistic or just poorly fleshed out. While Jo and Emma's relationship is, of course, top priority, it would have been a nice touch to have more details about the characters' workplaces and homes to round out the story.
Altogether, as a general avoider of romance novels, I came for the queer representation, I stayed for the sympathetic characters, and I only sometimes wished for a more literary experience.
First of all, it was super refreshing to read a queer romance where the queerness is (almost) never the focus. Taking away the queer aspect would change the story significantly, but there's next to no conflict regarding coming out, homophobia, etc. Wilsner did a great job balancing a distinctly WLW story with the necessary lightheartedness of a romance novel.
The alternating perspectives provided an effective insight into the protagonists' inner thoughts and feelings, while also amping up the frustration with every miscommunication and missed opportunity. Their inner monologues were realistic and relatable, if a bit repetitive. Then again, who doesn't mull over the same worries over and over in their mind? Jo and Emma were equal parts endearing, sympathetic, and agonizingly frustrating as they tried to understand themselves and each other - that is to say, they're typical romance novel characters and typical human beings.
The focus of the story was absolutely on the characters and their growth, which left the setting as more of an afterthought. Descriptions of the award shows, business trips, and day-to-day demands of the television industry fell flat, and it was hard to tell if they were unrealistic or just poorly fleshed out. While Jo and Emma's relationship is, of course, top priority, it would have been a nice touch to have more details about the characters' workplaces and homes to round out the story.
Altogether, as a general avoider of romance novels, I came for the queer representation, I stayed for the sympathetic characters, and I only sometimes wished for a more literary experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Alcohol, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent, Outing, Cancer, Cursing, Lesbophobia, and Medical content
sonia_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4/5
I don't normally pick up books with age gaps, but I decided to make an exception because I read the book's description and knew that I had to read this. What I wasn't expecting was for this book to be such a slow burn, it took almost 300 pages for them to kiss but when they did it was worth the wait. It had a good and unfortunately realistic depiction of how women are treated in the tv and film industry. I'm also a huge sucker for tabloid/social media kind of stories which was one of the biggest reasons that I decided to read the book in the first place. The reason why I gave this 4 stars was because of the miscommunication, it was a recurring thing and I personally don't like that trope but I can definitely see how others could enjoy it. While this wasn't a life-changing read, it doesn't have to be, it's just a super cute sapphic romance!
I don't normally pick up books with age gaps, but I decided to make an exception because I read the book's description and knew that I had to read this. What I wasn't expecting was for this book to be such a slow burn, it took almost 300 pages for them to kiss but when they did it was worth the wait. It had a good and unfortunately realistic depiction of how women are treated in the tv and film industry. I'm also a huge sucker for tabloid/social media kind of stories which was one of the biggest reasons that I decided to read the book in the first place. The reason why I gave this 4 stars was because of the miscommunication, it was a recurring thing and I personally don't like that trope but I can definitely see how others could enjoy it. While this wasn't a life-changing read, it doesn't have to be, it's just a super cute sapphic romance!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexism, Homophobia, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent
eamily's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexism, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, and Medical content
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