Content Warnings: anxiety, f/f romance, misogyny, sexism

Something to Talk About is the story of child actress turned director Jo and her overachieving do anything to make her boss happy assistant Emma. Sparked by a photo taken at the Emmys when Jo last minute insisted she needed Emma as a buffer, the world is determined that they're dating, and that Emma only got the job because she's sleeping with her boss. Told from a mixture of their POVs, the story slowly sizzles over their brooding and determination to understand their feelings. What will Jo and Emma untangle? Will they fall in love?

This is a very middle of the road book for me. It's not spectacular but it's not a donation, never to be seen again type of book. It's a slow burn mildly entertaining romantic comedy with a female/female relationship taking center stage. Where it fell flat for me was that the majority of the novel was like an inner dialogue of a fancier version of the age old middle school question: do I like that person or that person? There wasn't much beyond the surface.

There was an attempt to show and address the rampant misogyny that occurs in Hollywood, which I think was a metaphor for greater society. While the solution was heartwarming and in reality, would be great, it seemed to be too utopian and not realistic. It also served as another catalyst to

Spoiler

bring Emma and Jo together as an actual couple. That was a sour note with me as it's uplifting the troupe and the hate on lesbian relationships of oh you just haven't found a man that you like.

All in all, I did enjoy it. Although, I think a lot of my attachment to this novel is the fact that the author is from Michigan (my home state) and I will always support my local authors.