I loved The Split, but I loved Tell Me Everything more! Laura Kay writes stories are warm and funny and reflect the people in my life back to me in a way that no other book I have read does. This story kept me totally engaged. I had no idea who Natasha would end up with and I gobbled the book up in a couple of sittings. I loved her family and friends and loved reading about their ups and downs. There is such a gap in the market for wholesome, joyful stories of queer life, as it is in the UK today but Laura Kay is absolutely working to fill that gap, and I will snap up anything she writes immediately. This has cemented her as a favourite author for me. Can't wait to see what she writes next.

Natasha is a therapist who sems like she has her life in order. She doesn’t. Natasha isn’t good at taking her own advice at all. She is about to move out of her ex-girlfriend’s house (Georgia), about to turn 30, and about to go on a trip overseas that could change her life. Natasha is pretty much a mess, and Margot encourages the spiral to fall faster. This book is about relationships – dysfunctional, broken, loving, romantic, family-based. Adding to this is that Natasha is a twin to Natalie, and Natasha’s relationship with her mother is a strained one. All in all, a good reflection of modern day familial relationships, as well as an observation on queer romance and love.


I lost a bit of empathy towards Natasha long the way in this book. She really was her own worst enemy and should have listened to her own advice. Margot was mysterious and strange, and she also used Natasha, which was quite sad, but this I where we saw Natasha’s vulnerability in Laura Kay’s writing. I actually hoped Margot and Zara would ride off into the sunset together, didn’t care for either of them at all.

Natasha found a lot of love and solace among her friends, as a substitute for the distance with her biological family. These relationships were written authentically. They were a realistic observation of people trying to find out who they are and where they fit among family, friends work and life. Each of the characters had a strong back story, and really did create a strong circle of colour around Natasha. Their moments of love and sunshine were just as important as Natasha’s.

Thanks, @netgalley for the e-ARC.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Laura Kay for sending me this book in advance.

This was another really easy read, I finished this in two sittings & really enjoyed it.
It was my very first Laura Kay novel but I gelled with her writing extremely well.
This was a very interesting romance & at times I didn’t see where it was going which was nice as a lot of the time romance books can be overly predictable.

It’s based around the main character Natasha and where she’s currently at in life, she’s a practising therapist, she still lives with her ex, she has a difficult relationship with her mum & an almost non existent one with her dad and she’s just trying to navigate life and figure out what it is she wants in every aspect, I mean aren’t we all?

I really enjoyed this, it felt like a story that could be very real, I thought it was interesting to see someone who’s professionally a therapist struggle with juggling everything in her own life, reminded us all that everyone’s human, as someone who has a therapist myself I can confirm it really can sometimes feel as though they have it all figured out but it is just what they’re trained to do.

I loved all the side characters particularly her sister, they just seemed like the perfect duo. It’s got some great representation in there too which we love to see, it’s a sapphic romance which was just so lovely, but we also had a really important non binary character as her best friend and they were so brilliant too

Ye overall I’ll definitely pick up more of Laura books in future as this was right up my street.

I actually read this on my flight to Venice and it was the perfect kind of book for that moment.

It’s lighthearted and sweet but with some drama and chaos mixed in.

I absolutely loved Natasha’s character development all the way through. She starts off by being kicked out of the flat she shared with her ex-girlfriend. Being stuck, unsure on what to do, she starts her journey of healing. She works her way through the relationships she has, and what she wants out of them, and reflects on her own life right in that moment.

Beautiful book, highly recommend - especially if you’re a fan of THE SPLIT!

I really enjoyed Laura Kay's debut The Split so was very excited when Tell Me Everything was first advertised and became available for review.

Kay writes here about a therapist who struggles to implement in her own life the advice she offers to others. Overall I really enjoyed this book, and felt swept up in Natasha's character and emotional development. Some parts did feel rushed and left hanging, with either no resolution or real understanding as to why it was brought up. This was however a very uplifting read.

Much like The Split, it was easy to connect with the characters; Kay has a real talent in writing about relatable people and situations. I would absolutely recommend that others read this when they're fancying a speedy, uplifting read.

One of my favourite books of 2021 was Laura Kay’s The Split, a queer rom com set among the hills of Sheffield. Needless to say, as soon as I heard Laura had a new book coming out, I had to get my hands on it!

Tell Me Everything follows Natasha, a therapist who seems (at least to all her clients) to have everything together. But underneath her professional exterior, she isn’t following her own advice. She has a messy love life – going from one night stand to one night stand despite it not really making her happy – and she’s completely set on avoiding certain issues, people and truths. When Margot – unexpected, enigmatic and addictive Margot – comes onto the scene, it changes everything. Will Natasha finally take control of her own happiness?

Despite going in with high expectations, Tell Me Everything didn’t disappoint. Just like The Split, it is a joy to read, with believable, complex characters and a story that never feels exaggerated or unrelatable. Once again, I completely fell for all of our main character’s friends (and their pets!) and loved the changing but supportive family dynamic, with Natasha’s twin sisters’ growing family.

If you’re looking for a joyous, upbeat read that you can become fully engrossed in for a couple of days, I’d whole heartedly recommend Tell Me Everything!

Tell Me Everything was an enjoyable holiday read. Natasha is a therapist whose relationships are messy and is carrying some childhood baggage. As she celebrates her 30th birthday on an overseas trip she is forced to face some hard truths about herself, life, love and family. This character driven novel deals with these contemporary themes realistically and whilst I didn’t particularly like Natasha I had empathy for her self-discovery. More of a romance than I was expecting and I’m glad that wasn’t the focus of the blurb because it would probably have put me off and I would’ve missed this entertaining book. 3.5 stars for me. Thanks to Quercus Books and Net Galley for the eARC. #tellmeeverything #netgalley #Quercusbooks

Thank you for my earc of this book!
I adored The Split so I was so excited to read TME! My hopes and expectations were surpassed and as usual Kay writes wonderful, imperfect characters you can’t help but root for. I loved this book and it’s observation of complex friendships and love and how it’s not always easy or straight forward.
I love that our MC is a therapist but needs help herself.
The characters are brilliant, the dialogue is realistic and very witty and the story stole my heart. Definitely recommend!!!

First off, thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book as it's very much character-driven. It's great that the main character is a therapist, and that she very much doesn't have it all together! I love the journey of discovery she goes on throughout the book, the boxes in her mind she opens, the revelations she makes, the friendships and relationships she has and develops, and I love the diversity of characters too. A really enjoyable read!

Kay's debut was a warm, life-affirming tale that clearly indicated her as a talent to watch. She has an easy writing style full of warmth and intelligence and that's put to work brilliantly in Tell Me Everything. Her characters are beautifully drawn, their problems ones you want to root for as a reader, and the general scope and emotional psychology much more complex than her debut – and in all the right ways. Just lovely. (And very, very funny, too.)

I simply adored this book, just as I had Laura Kay's first release. I read it with urgency, in just a couple of days, unable to tear myself away from the story. It had me laughing, crying and everything else in between... which led to me getting some strange looks when I was out and about (as I said - unable to tear myself away from this one). I'd highly recommend this to anyone looking for a lovely book about love, the journey of self-discovery, family (birth and found), and just the trials and tribulations of being a 20-30 year old in the UK. Can't wait for whatever Laura Kay releases next!

"Tell Me Everything" by Laura Kay is a gift.

Picture this. A queer book where queerness is not being questioned. A queer rom com, to be precise, where queerness is not being questioned and the storyline is uplifting and feels real.

I mean. Wow.

The family of characters in this book is far from perfect. They don't have all the answers, they mess things up, they overthink and overcomplicate their lives... they are beautifully human*. They made me laugh and cry. They shared moments of such tenderness...

Sigh.

"Tell Me Everything" by Laura Kay is an essential gift to the world and is out May 26th. Don't miss it!

Now that that's done– when is the movie adaptation coming out? Tell me everything! (I know, I know)

Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Kay and Quercus Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book ahead of its publication.

*Allow me to explain why this made me emotional. I realised (and not so long ago!) that I have been trying to prove queerness to be good, to be a bright and shiny unicorn. This is emotionally exhausting. I am human. I make mistakes and bad choices. This has nothing to do with my sexuality and identity, thank you and goodbye. I was woken up by "In the Dream House" by Carmen Maria Machado.

Laura Kay is the queen of messy lesbians. First The Split, and now Tell Me Everything. These are books where lesbian characters are allowed to screw up, allowed to be, yes, messy, and aren’t at all demonised for it.

In this one, we follow Natasha, a therapist, who everyone thinks has her life together in the way she keeps telling her clients to have. Only, surprise, surprise, she doesn’t. She lives with her ex-girlfriend, she goes on dates, but never has a stable relationship, and, deep down, she has some unresolved issues regarding her father.

Tell Me Everything is a book in the vein of Mhairi McFarlane (one of my favourite authors), I think. It’s a contemporary with a romance wound in—the romance isn’t hugely central, because the book is about Natasha’s character development, but it’s there still. To be honest, that’s my favourite sort of contemporary novel. One where there’s a quiet romance alongside the main plot.

Central to this is how vibrant the characters are, not just Natasha but the surrounding cast as well. Each of them leaps off the page—there are a number of them that I’d actually like to see have their own books and plots (as unlikely as that is). And that’s the best kind of book, where it’s not only the protagonist who is fully fleshed out, but everyone else.

When it comes to the plot here too, those characters are at the heart of it, in particular the families, both biological and found. Natasha doesn’t have a close relationship with most of her biological family (which is, in part, what this book is about), but she has close ones with friends, who form a family of their own. And those relationships, like the characters, are vibrant and believable. And also ones you want to root for.

So, if you’re looking for a book to end your May/start your June right, then let it be this one.

This was a lighter read than I expected it would be from the synopsis. Not that that’s a bad thing, just not what I expected. The emotional beats didn’t hit quite as deeply as I had thought they would and then romance didn’t reel me in and drag me along the way I had anticipated. But I still really enjoyed this read. In fact, I read this all in one sitting which isn’t something I ever manage to do.

While I wasn’t massively invested in the romance of it all (but I’m so happy it works out the way it does!), I was absolutely sold by the messy, realistic portrayal of figuring out who you are and what makes you happy right now. This band of characters in all their various stages of life felt so accessible and I found myself rooting for them all to find their own moments of happiness along the way.

And what I really found great about this book is that being queer was never one of the issues for these characters to deal with — it’s just who they are — but the associated issues aren’t brushed aside either here. It feels like a really realistic portrayal of what growing up gay currently feels like, which is still something I’m craving from media. That alone, for me, makes this a book I’ll be recommending.

I really enjoyed Laura Kay's last book 'The Split' & am very glad to have enjoyed Tell Me Everything as much. Its got a similar vibe, with an LGBT+ woman approaching her 30th birthday trying to figure out what she wants from life and how to get it. 'Tell Me Everything' is the story of Natty, a Brighton based therapist still living with her ex-girlfriend Georgia after an amicable break up. Natty meets the charismatic Mara in one of her therapy training sessions and there's an instant chemistry between them, but Natty doesnt pursue it.

The story follows Natty moving out of her ex's house and in with her best friend Poppy, as Georgia's new girlfriend is moving in, Natty isnt looking for any long term relationship herself, she's enjoying dating and meeting new women but nothing too serious. She finds herself on a date with Mara unexpectedly, and the two finally have the space to explore what's going on between them,

It felt very current and real. I was carried along by Natty's story and her character's journey and progression; I especially liked her internal therapist voice. The friends and family she had around her felt true to life, with spats and arguments about past history and misunderstandings. As a Brightoner, I appreciated the description of the beach and the freezing summer sea too! I found Tell Me Everything an easy read and devoured it in one afternoon, keen to find out what was going on with Natty's world.

Another wonderful read from Laura, characters that you feel you are your friends and that you really care about.

She made me laugh with this novel, much like her lauded debut The Split.

Well written with an indepth knowledge of the geographical areas she was talking about - and yes I do want an ice cream now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This was a very quick read for me, I finished it in one sitting. I loved this book, I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much but it really resonated with me. It felt messy, confusing and awful at times, but real. I related to Natasha and her struggles with intimacy and opening herself up to others (insert crying peace sign emoji here), it was cathartic in a way seeing her grow as a person and in her relationships. I also liked that the focus was on Natasha’s inner journey but there was still enough romantic development that the ending didn’t feel completely unearned.

All in all a solid read, I look forward to reading future releases from Laura Kay.

Let me start this by saying this book wasn’t for, I don’t know but going by the blurb I was expecting something different.

The best way to describe this story is messy. Messy main character who should try and put her therapist’s tricks into practice for herself, messy relationship; romantic, familial, professional and friendly. It’s all just such a jumble. I got confused multiple times between the names of the main character Natasha and her twin Natalie. Both shortened to some for of Nat or Natty… all of is just so messy. I think it works if you like the main character but I didn’t like Natasha at all. She is the type of character I just don’t connect with and makes reading a book far less enjoyable for me.

I understand how this book can be witty for some people, it’s well-written, just not for me. It happens.

Couldn’t love this book any more, another triumph from Laura Kay!
Positive queer stories, especially around romance and family was something I could only dream of when I was younger and part of the reason we named our podcast Queer Longing- we were always longing for something! Tell Me Everything is a refreshing take on modern queer fiction, exploring the ups and downs of a 30-something woman reckoning with her career, romance and unresolved familial dynamics- impossible not to relate. Kay writes relationships that are not only believable, but nuanced, evolving and hilarious! This book will make you laugh, cry and shriek. Reading ‘Tell Me Everything’ made me feel known, understood and impatient for Kay’s next work of queer fiction. A must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for sending me an arc.

Tell Me Everything is the hilarious and relatable story of Natasha, a therapist who spends her days helping clients with their relationships and struggles and then goes home to the flat she shares with her ex girlfriend. Natasha was a very messy character but I think that’s where her charm lay. In her imperfections we got to unravel the story of why she felt stuck and why certain relationships in her family felt strained. I really enjoyed the characters, especially Charlie. The writing was heart felt and laugh out loud funny at other times. I felt like this was a very realistic portrayal and although I myself am nothing like Natasha, I was able to relate very strongly to her. I would highly recommend this book.