Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner 🎧 Narrated by Jorjeana Marie & Xe Sands

Synopsis (via Goodreads): 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?

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Something to Talk About was a S L O W B U R N romance that I mostly enjoyed. I thought their conflicts (they never really argued with each other) were petty and didn't warrant the level of avoidance and annoying childlike behavior that occurred, so that alone was super frustrating. One of my biggest bookish pet peeves is when something can be resolved with a simple conversation, so I hated that these two managed to make a misunderstanding - or maybe just a lack of shared information - last for weeks. It felt unnecessary and didn't really add anything to the overall story. 

Emma gets her feelings hurt and doesn't tell Jo why she's upset. I'm still not convinced what she was upset about was really that big of a deal. It's not Jo's fault Emma never went to a baseball game, and her relationships outside of work really weren't any of Emma's business. Emma feeling slighted by not being told Jo was sitting at games with her sister... ugh, it was obnoxious. She ignored Jo and acted like a recalcitrant child. If the author didn't want us to think the age difference between the two was a big deal, Emma shouldn't have had the maturity of a teenager going through puberty. Jo eventually apologizes for not telling Emma, but it's still not something I think she should have had to do to appease her assistant. Additionally, Emma kept mentioning that she "deserved better," which is why she waited for Jo to apologize a second time (apparently the first time wasn't good enough), and it made Emma seem pretentious. 

I also didn't like how long it took for the two of them to acknowledge their feelings for each other and actually act on them. Everyone can see that they're attracted to each other. We know what they're both thinking and feeling because of the dual POVs, but they don't discuss those feelings with each other because of their work relationship and power dynamic. Jo doesn't want to seem like she's taking advantage of her employee, and Emma doesn't know what her feelings really are until the very end. Despite her making awkward comments and being clumsy around her boss, she remained oblivious until the last few chapters. The thoughts were there, but it took her sooo long to admit anything to herself. 

This book would have ended much sooner if Jo and Emma had been able to have honest conversations with one another. I really liked their relationship and the setting for the story (though I wish we'd seen more from the secondary characters), and thought their romance was sweet and subtle. However, I wanted more romance between the two of them, not restraint and unvoiced thoughts and feelings.

I really liked the concept Jo had for helping women who have been sexually harassed in the workplace (Hollywood specifically), and wish that had also been expanded on. I wanted to really dive into how that would work, and what it would take for women to feel safe coming forward with their experiences. I felt like it was mentioned for a few pages, but then never really addressed again.

Also, other than Evelyn and Avery, the secondary characters were flat and mostly off-the-page. Emma and Jo mention people occasionally, but it's mostly about Emma and Jo. If we were going to be stuck in their awkward, not-going-to-address-the-elephant-in-the-room brains, it would have been nice to see things outside of their immediate circle. A few times it felt like the author was going to branch out in a different direction, but then we'd come right back to all of the things Emma and Jo weren't saying to each other.

I thought the narrators (Jorjeana Marie and Xe Sands) were amazing! They really brought Jo am Emma to life and made me want to keep listening despite being annoyed with what was happening in the story. It's a short audiobook (a little over nine hours), which is probably why I listened to the whole thing. Wilsner created wonderful characters, but Emma's childlike behavior, their reluctance to talk about their feelings, and how long it took for the two of them to get together really diminished my overall enjoyment. (★★★☆☆)