This week on NPR, Denny S. Bryce reviewed Meryl Wilsner’s debut queer romance Something to Talk About. Though it starts like your typical love story, Something to Talk About is anything but typical.
The romance begins with a loud whisper: 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. Jo is already facing skepticism because of her gender, and Emma is her much younger assistant.
The rumor ignites a slow burn romance that “centers on the ideas of mutual respect and friendship, and Wilsner explores those ideas with care and consideration.” In Bryce’s words, the novel “goes beyond romance tropes. It addresses tough topics like bias against women in the workplace, the #MeToo movement, the paparazzi, the power of social media influencers and gossip sites.”
Wilsner’s debut novel lets the reader escape into the fantasy of true love in Hollywood, all while staying relevant to issues of dating today.
We can’t wait to curl up and read Something to Talk About!
