Talk to Me

by Jules Wake

Olivia and Daniel certainly aren’t talking the language of love…

Olivia has been in love with Daniel forever but, despite her best efforts, they’ve never been able to get it together. Their relationship has always been a series of mixed messages and misunderstandings, and the final straw comes when Daniel mysteriously starts dating her flat-mate, Emily.

Hurt and confused, Olivia resolves to forget her heartache with a spot of speed-dating. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

One crazy stalker later and Olivia’s life is becoming increasingly strange and scary. Can she rely on Daniel to step in when events take a terrifying turn, or will their communication breakdown ultimately result in tragedy?

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Friends To Lovers, Mystery, British Literature, Womens Fiction

Audiobook

First published May 6, 2014

About the author

Jule Wake's first book, Talk to Me, was published in 2014. Since then, she has written a further eighteen books, with another two in the pipeline. She has sold translation rights to various countries throughout Europe, she's had two best sellers with Covent Garden in the Snow reaching the heady height of No 2 in the Amazon Kindle chart, something she never thought she’d see and The Little Café in Copenhagen becoming a big hit in Sainsbury’s. In January 2021 The Saturday Morning Park Run was her first book to gather over 3,000 reviews on Amazon. Running and romance is a great combination!

Reviews

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can never fully enjoy a book with this basic plot, which is that the h has a long time male BFF who has never been single at the same time as her. When they do have that window, he suddenly starts dating her beautiful, slightly sociopathic roommate. So of course, that means that she’s a third wheel in her own house and hast to watch them together.

It’s only partially redeemed because the heroine is such a good character and has a lot of things going on in her life rather than just pining for the stupid H. Also he regrets his decisions and apologizes, although there wasn’t the kind of groveling that I would’ve expected. 2.5 stars

[Myška · Rating 4 out of 5]

Úplne niečo iné než sme zvyknutí u tejto autorky ale veľmi zaujímavé dielo. Aj keď ma štvalo slovo "Zlatko" ba každej strane .

No keby ja mám "kamarátku" ako Emily tak už ju dávno nemám a končí s takým monoklom a takým poníženim,že to ešte nikto nevidel

[Gerrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 stars

[Bell Sansone · Rating 2 out of 5]

At 33%. no aguantaba mas que Olivia sea un trapo de piso, y Daniel tenia menos caracter que una tortuga.

[Kate (KitKat07210) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary romance, Talk to Me by Jules Wake, has a lot going for it. I really liked the writing style, it’s easy reading with likeable characters, and it’s a lot of fun. However, it doesn’t really know if it is a straight up contemporary romance, or a romantic suspense. I guess that its main aim is to be a straight up romance, but with creepy stalkers, cats being killed by having their throats cut, and evil house mates, combined with a fairly light romance, it doesn’t manage to pull off either. Sadly, its mistaken identity made this book fall a bit flat. I wish the author had stuck to her guns and made the romance itself the main focus, giving the characters a bit more depth and the romance a bit more substance.

Our heroine is Olivia and she has been in love with Daniel for a very long time, but has never vocalised her feelings. Daniel, our hero, has always been in love with Olivia but has never told her how he feels. Each time the moment finally comes for them to tell each other how they feel something always happens to prevent it. This is the story of their journey to their, hopefully, happy ever after (but do they get there? I’m not gonna say as I don’t want to give away any spoilers). Both of these characters are endearing and they both have great voices, which made them enjoyable to read, but they do have some serious flaws.

Emily is Olivia’s flat mate, and newly made girlfriend of Daniel’s, who is just down right horrible – what a nasty piece of work she is. How she is anyone’s friend is beyond me. She lies, gossips, snarks (without being funny or cute) and says the most nastiest things.

There are several moments throughout the book that I was like WTF?! at some of the things she says. Most of the time they are in front of Daniel aimed at Olivia, and not only does Olivia allow Emily to speak to her that way, without saying anything, but so does Daniel!

Daniel has known Olivia for a very long time, and although they haven’t managed to voice their romantic feelings towards one another, they have always been the best of friends. So I was really surprised to see how Daniel just sat back and let his best friend (and the girl he supposedly loves) get abused by his girlfriend of five minutes. Not only that but surely the venom that spews from Emily would be a huge turn off? Over time I did see Daniel in a different light, I mean, where was his backbone? Why would he allow his girlfriend to say such horrible things, and speak to his best friend in such a way? I also became increasingly frustrated with Olivia for allowing Emily to speak to her like that. I can understand that being flat mates and wanting to keep the piece played a part in Olivia’s silence, but Emily never said anything nice. Ever. So I really wanted to see Olivia say something at some point, but she doesn’t.

The other aspect about Daniel that disappointed me was how much he was willing to listen to Emily’s lies about Olivia. He believed everything Emily said, which meant that there were so many misunderstandings between Daniel and Olivia that I could of slapped him. How can someone be so blind?

The other point I have to mention was the climatic scene between Olivia and Daniel. What should have been the pinnacle of this tale is somewhat overshadowed by the stalker aspect of the novel. This really detracted from what was good about the overall story, and that was Daniel and Olivia’s relationship.

So, would I recommend Talk to Me? Well, it’s not the best romance ever written, but it is a quick, enjoyable read, despite its irritations. There are some fun moments with a few laughs, so, if you want something that’s on the whole light and entertaining (minus the cat scene), then I’d say definitely pick it up from your local library and give it a go.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia and Daniel have been friends for a long time and although both of them have feelings for one another, they never make these known to the other person – yes, a complete communication breakdown! When Daniel starts dating Olivia’s flatmate Emily, Olivia is more than upset and “agrees” to try out speed-dating (well, she is being pushed by her family to do so) which is organised by her crazy cousin. Will she meet the love of her life or will everything end in disaster?

Talk to Me is a very enjoyable read. I wasn’t immediately taken by the storyline, but after a few chapters this book certainly grew on me.

I initially couldn’t make my mind up about Olivia’s character. I had no idea why she let people take advantage of her so much. Although as soon as the plot thickens and the reader learns more about her background, it makes sense why the author portrayed her the way she did.

It isn’t often that I re-act so strongly to characters as I did with this book. I well and truly hated Emily (Olivia’s flatmate) and Ned (a potential date she meets at the speed-dating session). Both completely take Olivia for granted. I love it when authors are able to awake such strong emotions in me – clearly a sign of a superbly engaging writing style.

When I read about half of the book I thought I knew exactly where the plot would take me, but I was COMPLETELY wrong. There is a huge element of surprise hidden in the storyline.

Talk to Me is a stunning debut with humorous elements that will plaster a smile on your face and action-packed developments that will make you hold your breath.

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 3 out of 5]

A romance with suspense thrown in, as the end does get really suspenseful.

Olivia has been in love with her friend Daniel for a while. But nothing has happened. But the spark is there, I can see it as I read and they so belong together. She is a nice girl, he is a nice boy. they should be.

But Daniel is dating her room mate. Noooo. And she was such a cow, I grew to loathe her as the book progressed. Trust me, you will also feel the same. Arghhh, what a cow!

So these two have a long way to go. He is with someone else, she thinks all is lost.

Now where does the suspense come in? Oh there is a stalker, a creepy creeping stalker. And who is it? What does the stalker want? What will happen? You will see.

Romance, suspense and a friendship that has a suffered a bit

[Rhoda Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were really fun to spend time with. Daniel is really sweet and Olivia is kind, without being too wet. The plot hinges around a misunderstanding, but the whole 'if only they'd just talk to each other and sort it out' thing is mitigated because they keep TRYING to talk to each other the whole time and something keeps getting in the way.

I liked the description of the mad family and the undercurrent of darkness brought in by the sub plot (can't tell you more because of spoilers!). It's a nice contemporary romance. Well worth reading!

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5.0

“Talk to Me” is the debut novel by author Jules Wake. It takes place in London, and is a great mixture of romance and suspense.

Read full review in the 2014/2015 Holiday issue of InD’tale Magazine.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5
https://my-bo0ks.over-blog.com/2023/0...

Et voilà, une relique de ma PAL de moins avec Juste un ami que j'avais depuis 2018. Il était donc plus que temps de le découvrir. On est ici sur une romance avec un côté suspense très important puisque notre héroïne et sa colocataire Emily sont harcelées pendant tout du long.

Olivia est amoureuse de Daniel, son ami depuis bien longtemps et si lors d'une soirée elle a cru que leur relation pourrait évoluer, Daniel s'est finalement mis à sortir avec sa colocataire et collègue de travail, Emily. Autant dire la douche froide. Forcée de participer à un speed dating, l'une des rencontres pourrait bien tourner au désastre quand Emily reçoit des mails étranges et que leurs affaires à toutes deux semblent disparaitre. Et si Daniel ne restait finalement qu'un simple ami ?

Cette lecture s'est avérée être une bonne lecture. Je l'avoue, je n'avais pas tellement d'attentes et au final ce n'est pas plus mal car cela évite (parfois) la déception. Olivia est une héroïne attachante, qui voit toujours le bon côté des gens. Elle veut faire plaisir, être la bonne copine et se fait parfois rouler dans la farine. Comme avec Emily, sa colocataire nombriliste qui, lui à piquer Daniel juste sous son nez. Son cœur se brise doucement mais surement de voir cette relation évoluer, durer, alors qu'elle nourrissait des sentiments forts pour lui. Mais il est son ami et bien sur, elle se réjouit pour lui. Du moins, elle essaie. Une héroïne profondément gentille donc qu'on a envie de voir heureuse.

Emily est un personnage que je n'ai pas apprécié. En même temps, elle est égoïste, superficielle, opportuniste et franchement, elle n'est pas du tout agréable. Et encore plus avec Olivia. D'ailleurs cette "relation" est tout sauf saine pour Olivia qui accorde un peu trop de bénéfice du doute lorsque cette dernière lui fait de sale coups. Un personnage qu'on prend facilement en grippe, d'autant que la relation Daniel/Emily est un frein à la potentielle histoire avec Olivia.

On ne peut pas ici parler de triangle amoureux et heureusement. En revanche, on est sur du très très slow-burn. Puisque Daniel va rester longtemps avec Emily et que l'histoire d'amour entre Olivia et lui ne va débuter que tardivement, ce que je regrette un peu. Car oui, moi j'aurais voulu plus de moments Daniel/Olivia et finalement cela n'arrive que dans le dernier quart. Ce n'est pas tant le rythme qui m'a dérangé, j'adore les slow-burn et j'aime que les choses prennent leur temps, mais ici, au moment où on commence à avoir quelques rapprochements, l'histoire s'achève.

Et ce, pour une raison simple. La partie suspense est clairement sur le devant de la scène. Pour le coup, j'ai trouvé toute l'affaire bien menée, cette tension palpable, cette peur de voir surgir le harceleur quand on s'y attend le moins. Clairement, cela tient le lecteur en haleine. Mais, je ne m'attendais pas à ce que cet aspect prenne le pas sur la romance, car oui, ici, le côté suspense est plus en avant. Résultat, je suis restée sur ma faim.

En conclusion, j'ai passé un bon moment pour cette romance Friends-to-lovers. Nos deux personnages sont mignons ensemble. Et si j'ai apprécié le côté thriller de cette romance, j'aurais voulu que la romance soit un peu plus centrale, car c'est ce que j'attendais d'un titre et d'une couverture comme celle-ci. Il n'empêche que j'ai apprécié ma lecture même si elle ne me marquera pas dans le temps.

[Erica Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely HATED some of these characters. All the way to the bone. They made me want to throw something! For that reason, as well as the fact that I thought the story was highly entertaining and very good, I liked this book a lot. Any book that can make me feel so much because of the characters deserves a good rating.

Olivia and Daniel has been friends forever and keeps having a crappy timing in trying to get together. Olivia lives with her flatmate, Emily, who is just the most annoying and crap person you've ever encountered - from the first page on.

At first I was quite annoyed Olivia, because she kept letting people take advantage of her. The more we knew about her and her past and so on, the more I did understand it. I still found her to be a very well-written and nice character.

I loved that the book went from romantic-comedy to suspense-thriller in a matter of pages. It was a very nice surprise that I didn't ever think would happen.

I think all the characters were well-written, the storyline was good and Jules Wake made sure we had closure in everything. I liked it. It was very real. It shows how much communication is key to everything, how you shouldn't believe everything you hear and that it's good to confront people sometimes.

[Naďa Zasadilová · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je znát, že jde o její první knihu, která původně vyšla jako Talk to Me pod jménem Jules Wake, ale už tady jsou vidět prvky, které mám na jejích příbězích ráda.

Příběh Olivie a Daniela je přesně ten typ romantiky, který umí bolet. Ne kvůli nějakým velkým dramatům, ale kvůli tomu neustálému míjení. Olivia Daniela miluje už roky a v hloubi duše ví, že k sobě patří, jenže okolnosti jim prostě nepřejí. A přiznám se, že mě to občas docela rozčilovalo, protože jsem měla chuť jim říct, ať konečně něco udělají.

Líbilo se mi, jak je příběh uvěřitelný. Žádné přehnané situace, spíš něco, co se klidně může stát i ve skutečnosti. Setkávání naslepo tomu dodalo lehkost i pár úsměvných momentů, ale objevila se i jedna napjatější část, která mě překvapila.

Je ale pravda, že pokud znáte autorčiny novější knihy, tady je poznat, že se teprve rozepisovala. Příběh je jednodušší a místy docela odhadnutelný a chyběla mi tam ta atmosféra, kterou mám u jejích knih tak ráda. Na druhou stranu je to příjemné čtení, u kterého si člověk odpočine.

Já jsem si knihu nakonec užila hlavně díky vztahu mezi hlavními postavami a tomu, jak se jejich příběh pomalu vyvíjí. Není to moje nejoblíbenější kniha od autorky, ale i tak má svoje kouzlo a jsem ráda, že jsem si ji přečetla.

[Charly Murg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I borrowed this from kindle unlimited and I’m glad I didn’t pay for it. I’ve just decided to DNF at the point where someone’s wife was referred to as “a haggard blonde” there have been consistent misogynist references throughout this book including someone being referred to as “a dolly bird” who would give all the lads on the building site a laugh when she turned up in floral wellies.

I had assumed that this was released this year when I first came across it as a “new release” but evidently it was originally released in 2014 and it has not dated well at all.

Not only that, I DNF’ed at 45% and the whole thing so far has been about the guy and his gf with office drama with maybe like 2 pages max of literally any interaction between the FMC and MMC. Literally the only thing I know about him is that he’s blonde, has a chipped tooth and goes out with Emily.

I honestly can’t be arsed to continue, I would hope that the writer has learned some lessons since me too

[Claire Lally · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this novel failed to live up to expectations. The only compelling character was Emily, and that's because she was completely vile. I honestly couldn't understand why Olivia put up with her both at work and at home. Yes, she eventually found a backbone and stood up to her, but she never gave her her just desserts. Furthermore, despite all his proclamations about how long they had known each other, Daniel didn't seem to know his "best friend" all that well. If I were her, I wouldn't have leapt into the arms of someone who thought I was capable of committing adultery. I also find it incredibly disengaging when the narrative flits from the first person to the third person to fill in a few gaps for the reader. Either use an omniscient narrator or stick to one character's POV!

[Sarah Goodfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

olivia has been in love with Daniel her best friend for ages, but her flat mate Emily steals him from her, knowing Olivia is in love with him.
Emily is out for herself and when she gets bored of Daniel, she invites herself to join Olivia in a speed date night Olivias family pushed her into. this is when things start to go horribly wrong! one of the guys at the speed date night is weird and creepy and ends up stalking Emily! and poor Olivia gets dragged into the trouble Emily created!
Daniel and Olivia get their happy ending
lovely book. really enjoyed it.

[MRS CHRISTINE SITTON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

Although this is Jules first novel its the third I've read and like the others I lost sleep as I had to keep reading! As always loved getting to know all the characters. Peter the stalker was so scary and make you understand what the victims go through. The glamour was interesting and you could see how shallow it really is. A brilliant book and looking forward to reading my fourth novel. Thanks Jules for another brilliant book

[Melissa Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

good story but needs work and editing

Story was good,thought it would be focused on Daniel and Olivia but mainly focused on Olivia and Emily which was fine just very miss leading when I stared the book. Also mid paragraph would switch POV which was very annoying…that should be fixed.

Still enjoyed the book it not my favorite friends to lovers but the suspense was great which is what stopped me from not finishing becaue I had to know what happens.

[Sara Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blah

I adore this author and normally devour every book she writes. This one was very disappointing. It was advertised as a romantic story of friends becoming lovers, but in actuality the majority of the story focused on the protagonist and her inability to see how awful her roommate/friend was to her. The ending had a bit of a thriller vibe to it, which I don't mind, but it just made it feel like this book didn't know what it was trying to do.

[Martina Avis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feel I have to say firstly calling a male speed dater a male chauvinist because he likes is ladies not too wear trousers then objecting to transvestism in men is being a female chauvinist by default.
In this enlightened age we all should be able to wear what we like.
Apart from this the story was entertaining and fun.

[Carol Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have greatly enjoyed Jules Wake’s recent novels. This story was darker than her later reads and took some unusual turns. While I liked the main character, I found her actions frustrating at times, especially when others, such as her friend Emily, took advantage of her. However, there was also plenty to like and a happy ending.

[Katie Watkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was really enjoying this story until the bit about the 15 year old girl, who sleeps with a rock star and "could easily pass for a 20 year old hooker". Wonderful, Wake manages to denigrate victims of sexual assault and sex workers in the same sentence.

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody good read

I never leave reviews usually, I read so much, but for a fix of romance, humour, and friends to more.. this was the book equivalent of a chocolate hob nob dipped into an irish coffee.

[Digi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knihy od Julie Caplin jsou moje srdcovka. Trošku jsem se obávala, co od této knížky čekat, vzhledem k tomu, že je to prvotina této autorky. Četla jsem mnoho recenzí, že to není ono atp.
Jsem ráda, že mohu napsat, že kniha byla skvělá. Líbilo se mi, že autorka přidala trochu z krimi a že vlastně celou dobu nejste v napětí pouze z toho, jak se vyvine láska dvou hlavních postav, ale tady jsem se chvílemi bála, zvlášť v jedné kapitole (každý kdo četl, určitě ví).
Rozjezd knihy byl sice pomalejší, ale příběh se moc hezky četl. 5/5* dávám hlavně z důvodu, že příběhy od Julie prostě miluju. Jinak bych dala asi 4/5*, kvůli tomu, že vím jak výborně píše teď.
Je to super oddychovka a určitě doporučuji.

[Julie Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good story

I really enjoyed reading this book, I was captivated from the first page to the last, in fact I would have liked for it to carry on but all stories has to come to an end. I love Julie Fall in books.

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn’t sure whether it was a romance or a suspense and as a result it was neither. So many unpleasant characters and a predictable plot failed to engage my interest. Sorry this just was not my cup of tea.

[Denise Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Jules' books, her writing sparkles and is deceptively easy to read. A lift to the spirits during a particularly dark Christmas.

[Margaret Hardie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I probably should not put that I actually "read" this, I put it down. I was so annoyed and bored with the first chapter, I just didn't bother.

[Bogormen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars , I really enjoyed this book so much, I couldn’t stop listening, even though you wanted to shout at the main character often, no don’t believe that.