This week we will be discussion Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner Chapter 17 - End.
Spoiler Warning!!! This post is full of spoilers for Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner.
Trigger/Content Warning!!! Racism, sexual harassment, homophobia, and sexual content
Discussion:
Michaela: Hello friends, welcome to discussion #3 of Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner. This last part of the book definitely kept me reading. I could not put it down. I needed to know what happened between Emma and Jo. I feel like this last section went by really quickly but not in a bad way. Everything just kind of happened all at once at the end.
Jacilyn: Things did move quickly but of course, they didn’t have a real damn conversation until close to the end. It was refreshing to see Jo finally come around to admitting her feelings about Emma to Evelyn, though. And Evelyn gets Best Friend of the Year Award for surprising Jo with a visit! That’s the kind of support we like to see around here. I’m not surprised that Emma thought they were dating, and of course Jo didn’t say, not once, that Evelyn was her best friend. Of course.
I gotta say, I finally realized the leak was Phil after I read about his interview. And props to Meryl for giving us a false trail of breadcrumbs leading towards Chantal! I can’t believe the audacity Phil had to make those jokes about Jo in an interview. That’s honestly just disgusting. I was impressed with Emma’s ability to keep it together, because I probably would have just walked out right then and there.
Michaela: Communication is key people! I know miscommunication is what makes stories happen but it frustrates me so much. I thought Evelyn showing up so quickly and so fully in support of Jo was so beautiful. But yes, of course, Jo didn’t say anything about who Evelyn was and then was surprised that that’s what Emma thought. Like bitch please.
I suspected Phil when he started asking so many questions and teasing Emma just a little too much and then he even “jokingly” said “people do funny things for money” and “I guess I’ll stop selling my stories to the press then”. I cannot imagine doing that to anyone let alone someone I considered a friend. What a horrible person. He could clearly see how troubled Emma was over everything and she even vented to him about it. Then to do that and then make jokes. Just throw the whole man away!
They definitely hinted at Chantel but considering it wasn’t her can I just say…..she acted like a bitch to Jo, honestly. She was not shy about hiding her reactions to whatever she imagined was going on. Like way to not be a good friend to Jo, who you have worked with for years. She can go away with that attitude. Maybe try supporting your friend who is going through something that clearly isn’t true.
I kind of wish Jo hadn’t paid off the paparazzi and Phil, and instead had done something else but I don’t know what that would have been. I just don’t think they deserved to get any money for doing that, they deserved so much worse than signing an NDA and getting fired. Such an invasion of privacy and it was straight up blackmail essentially.
Jacilyn: Phil had some guts to say what he did about selling stories to the press. To just brazenly joke about that, you can’t tell me he ever cared about Emma at all. It doesn’t seem like he just fell on hard times and did it out of desperation or something. I think he saw an opportunity to exploit someone and jumped on it. And then to apply to be Jo’s assistant!!!!!! I can’t believe how brazen he was.
I agree about Chantel treating Jo badly. She clearly believed some of the rumors, or was at least suspicious. She could have been a voice of support, and if she thought it might be true she should have at least asked Emma or Jo. She had worked with both of them for so long, she should have known she could just ask.
I felt weird about Jo paying them off, too. But honestly, I don’t think there was really a better solution. Unless they just admitted they had feelings for each other and let the photo go out. I mean, honestly, it’s going to get out now that they’re actually dating. I would love another book to see how the media reacts to their relationship.
Michaela: I think his goal of the assistant job was just to continue leaking stuff to people who would pay him. Since he hadn’t gotten caught he was full of confidence and thought his “friendship” with Emma would get him an in. The greed in this action just makes me seeth.
I don’t think Jo had a lot of options but I do think she should have told Emma before paying them off. She had a right to know. I applauded Emma when she finally said to herself that she deserved more than being ignored by Jo and then demanded that Jo talk to her. No one deserves to be ignored or treated badly and she stood up for herself and I’m really proud of her. I’m also proud of her for shooting her shot with that birthday kiss, she has way more courage and confidence than I have ever had in my life. I don’t think I could ever make such a bold move as that, I was shocked but also delighted. Finally something happened! But of course we don’t communicate about things until it all blows up into an argument.
But I’m also proud of Jo for working past her thoughts of her feelings for Emma being “wrong”. She only thought this because of the boss - assistant relationship, which is understandable especially after what happened with Barry Davis. The feelings were pretty clearly reciprocated from Emma. At least Evelyn was pointing all this out to Jo the whole time and the same with Avery to Emma. Everyone needs a friend/sibling who calls out the bullshit otherwise nothing will ever change. When Jo showed up at Emma’s apartment I was just like, yes finally some real progress and they’ll be forced to talk to each other in complete privacy for once.
Jacilyn: You’re absolutely right, Jo should have talked to Emma before making that decision herself. Honestly I would have been pissed if I were Emma, just on principle alone. I would have agreed with Jo that paying them off was probably the best course of action, but I would have been pissed she didn’t ask me first nonetheless. Also, Emma was absolutely right to call Jo a coward for just dropping a note on her desk like that. Emma deserved more than that, and I was proud that she addressed it. And that birthday kiss! After their time in Calgary together, which was adorable, by the way, I was going to be so mad if they didn’t kiss.
I actually think Emma initiating that kiss helped Jo work through her concerns about having feelings for Emma. She had the encouragement from Evelyn, and she knew her and Emma weren’t going to be working together soon. It was time. I think she showed a lot of courage in going to Emma’s apartment, too. You’re right about the privacy, too. The moment that they had in Emma’s apartment just felt so genuine and tender. It made my heart happy.
Michaela: Then when they were finally alone and not in a work environment I think they finally could see each other completely, as more than a colleague. They had a glimpse of that at the baseball game but they were both still very shy and scared of the media at the time. Jo coming to Emma’s was the first time they could be themselves together without work or people interference. And I think they basically melted together that night, it was almost easy for them. Especially on their first real date on New Year’s Eve, they just became a couple so quickly and fluidly. There was some awkwardness but in the best way, in the way that you can tell they both cared about each other and what happened that night. I just really loved the ending of this book. It gave me the warm and fuzzies and it was also finally a cure for the TENSION between the two characters for the ENTIRE book!
Jacilyn: I’ll be honest, after the sexual tension we felt throughout the whole book, I was so glad we got a spicy scene at the end. It felt like the perfect end to their date, and made me feel content with how we left their relationship. The New Years Eve date was simultaneously adorable and sexy, and I loved it. I also loved the choice to end the book with them attending an award show together, as a couple. It was really the perfect conclusion to their story.
And that’s it, folks! This book was outside of our typical comfort zones, but we enjoyed it so much. I will definitely be looking for other books that have the same vibe. We loved Emma and Jo’s story, and we hope you did too!
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