Something to Talk About, and all the things we need to talk about

This book is a pleasantly current surprise wrapped up in a package of wholesomeness. I pre-ordered the Kindle version on Amazon purely based on the fact that I fancied a queer romance novel and, having read a bunch of stories focused on male couples already, I though it was high time I tuned into some lady loving. In, like, a non-creepy way.

When I first started reading, I was expecting your average romance novel, but with two women as the main characters. You know, when the protagonists don't realise they're in love, but they go though a series of cute encounters, overcome some sort of conflict and come out the other side to a happily ever after.

This narrative has all that, and more. We have an incredibly self-aware age gap, we have characters calling out racism, sexism and sexual harassment. And, obviously, homophobia, although it's not as prominent an issue as you'd expect from a book focused on a non-heterosexual couple.

The fact that the wonderful author of the book, Meryl Wilsner, is non-binary, does the story ALL the favours. We don't get any problematic pitfalls such as bisexual erasure or 'token' characters, which authors writing about a minority they don't belong to often trip over. I'm not saying it's always as bad as that Men Writing Women hashtag (Google it, it's a good laugh!), but straight people writing LGBTQ characters still makes me cringe at times (just look at JKR ...).

I also loved that the story was narrated by both perspectives - this approach always adds an extra layer of enjoyment for me when I'm reading a romance. There's just something wholesome about seeing the events unfold through the eyes of both characters, especially when they're navigating a chicklit jungle of misunderstandings and feelings they don't realise they have.

If you've read my past reviews you'd know that for the most part all I want from a rom-com if for it to be a lighthearted ride. Yet I found I didn't mind the way this novel addressed relevant current issues. I don't enjoy reading about characters suffering for the sake of it, but, to quote the title, racism, sexism, and all-around bigotry are something to talk about.

Worry not, the serious elements are handled with a balanced approach, which manages to keep the tone of the book from being heavy without coming across as flippant. The abundance of cute moments, pastry-eating and more conventional romantic misunderstandings helps with that as well.

Both Emma and Jo are extremely likeable characters, and no one is an asshole who needs to redeem themselves, which is refreshing and adds to the joy when they finally get together in the end. (I would have marked that SPOILER, but c'mon, we all knew it would happen!). That said, I did find myself enjoying Jo's chapters more, but I think that's mostly due to the fact that she's more representative of the level of grown up I aspire to be, whereas Emma is more the young adult I'm trying to leave behind.

Whether you're obsessed with LGBTQ romance like myself, or you're simply looking for a satisfying contemporary rom-com, you should read Something to Talk About. Trust me, it's worth your time!

5/5 stars