Book No. 92 of 2020
I think this is the last of the feel-good books I put on hold to get me through the election, so yay for working through that backlog!
Something to Talk About is a mostly fluffy rom-com with much better and more nuanced representation than your typical Hollywood chick flick. I think it’s the first non-heterosexual contemporary romance I’ve read, maybe ever? It’s really fun and refreshing to see a take on the genre that centers queer marginalized women that also tackles workplace sexual harassment/gross predatory men. The element of fame/rumors/reputation—one of the protagonists is an A-list actress, show runner, and producer tasked to write what is clearly a James Bond script—also makes for a compelling story, and adds a believable element of difficulty to the already-fraught romantic setup.
The book does read very much like a debut novel; I found the writing to be a bit more telling than showing, especially in the first half or so of the book, and there were times when the characters’ motivations or reactions weren’t fully believable (which is when the telling-not-showing became even more apparent). I also found myself going back and forth on how I felt about one of the protagonists being Asian-American; the author clearly put a lot of effort into writing her authentically, and I did appreciate her backstory as a Chinese-American actress in a predominantly white industry, tackling racism and tokenism. That being said, I read a lot of Asian and Asian-American authors (probably more than the average person) and I didn’t feel like there were enough details to really make her feel truly real—in fact, other than the aforementioned backstory (which is told, not shown), I felt very much like that character could easily have been white, and it wouldn’t have changed the story. (That being said, I’m also aware that characters’ ethnicities should not be all-consuming elements of their characterizations, so is this even a valid criticism?? I don’t know, this stuff is hella complicated!)
I did appreciate how the characters expressed the complexity of handling sexual harassment, and going up against powerful men—it’s also clearly shown how power and money are huge factors in how women are allowed to react, and how important it is for people to be allies. Also, I really want the fictional Cassandra Project to exist.
Similar Reads
Jasmine Guillory’s Party of Two also looks at how fame can throw a wrench into relationships.
Kelly Yang’s Parachutes also explores (in greater depth) Me Too-era situations of assault and harassment, and the anguished complexities that persist even as attitudes are shifting.