This one is hard for me. I like the premise but holy crap both characters kinda sucked. Maeve has been in therapy for years and still doesn’t know how to effectively communicate her feelings, granted people slide backwards in therapy sometimes but to still not be able to confront your best friend about your feelings? Dang. Finn saying he’s been in love with her forever and then as soon as she presses pause to figure out her feelings instead of asking her to have a conversation about said feelings after the designated time he asks instead if she cares if he tries dating his first kiss instead? Communication was nonexistent between these two despite literally hosting a podcast about relationships

The story was fun and lighthearted and I had a good time reading it. This was a wonderfully written romantic comedy. I really Betty’s writing style. I absolutely loved these characters and really enjoyed getting to know them. A sweet, funny and heartwarming read!

What starts as a friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance with podcast drama vibes turns into a deeper story about growth, feminism, and mental health. I really appreciated how therapy and anxiety were portrayed realistically and positively. Maeve and Finn felt flawed in a believable way, especially Finn, who had to own up to his mistakes. The tropes and drama made it a fun read.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

oof, this is a hard one to review because while the premise sounded promising, the execution was a fail. I can enjoy miscommunication to a certain point but this was...wow - done horribly wrong! Sadly, the book was unrealistic and I could not stand any of the characters.

This was just OK. Not something I was super invested in, but I finished it with no issues. I do find it to be easily forgettable.

Enjoyable read - predictable, but I'm never against predictability in books, its why I like this genre!

well.......... I hated the main characters lol Are we children or what? What a turn off for this book, sorry.

Maeve and Finn became the best of friends in college. When she wanted to start a podcast, the one person she knew she could do it with was Finn. Now that they're podcast has been bought by a streaming service, Maeve needs to figure out how to do her job while staying away from Finn. Except Finn is dead set on winning her back. The story goes between flashbacks to the past and the present. We see how their friendship developed into a relationship and how they grew their podcast following. Things get so heated up between Maeve and Finn. They can't function together or apart until they talk about what happened and how to move on. Tell Me How You Really Feel was not just the name of their viral podcast, it was also what they both needed to do with each other to heal and move forward. Lots of banter and lots of angst!

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

The premise of a second chance romance between two podcasters was so intriguing, but the execution was a miss for me.

When I’m not feeling the leads, it’s really hard for me to enjoy a book. In this case, I didn’t like the hero, and the heroine wasn’t that far behind him. With the maturity levels of the leads, this book reads more like a YA novel than an adult romance.

Overall, I pushed through because I did enjoy the commentary on sexism in the entertainment industry, but the romance itself was a miss for me.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really like this authors writing style! So relevant and modern with relatable dialogue and dating tropes.

Maeve and Finn are podcast hosts and friends who maybe could be an amazing couple. He has celebrity parents and she’s from a working class family in Pittsburgh. They meet in college and start a successful romance podcast, giving candid takes on love and physical pleasure. Both suffer from anxiety and that was a bit heavy at times but felt realistic.They have some second chance romance and we flip between before and after a major business deal.

I found myself thinking I would totally listen to this podcast! Really liked the story and these two!

This book was very cute, if a little heavy handed with the lessons at points! I really liked the MCs and the premise. I thought some of the strongest sections were about managing anxiety and how anxiety can play a role in relationships.

This book is charming, witty, and fresh. Two rivals, one podcast. Can they make (sound) waves without destroying each other? Bravo, Betty!!!

Maeve and Finn have been friends since college and are cohosts of one of the most popular podcasts Tell Me How You Really Feel. After signing one of the biggest podcast deals ever, Finn and Maeve have a falling out. Despite their falling out, the show must go on and the pair must find a way to work together to fulfill their contract.

Tell Me How You Really Feel was a book that I was so excited to read. I really wanted to love this book, but it just fell flat for me. This book focuses heavily on a second chance romance between the two main characters. While I normally enjoy second chance romances, the issues between our two main characters just felt so repetitive. Every fight felt like it would get resolved between the two characters and then would be brought up again a few chapters later. Both characters just felt incredibly immature, and for a book that was so focused on communication, the lack of effective communication was frustrating to read.

Another big element of this book discusses female empowerment and the gender pay gap. Maeve, the female main character, has a contract incentive that will allow her to become to highest paid female podcast host if Tell Me How You Really Feel can maintain a spot as the number one podcast for 6 consecutive weeks. While this is a topic that can be interesting in a book, the execution fell flat. The way it was brought up in the book felt more like I was being lectured instead of reading it in the book.

I would give this book 2.5 stars rounded up. I really wanted to love this book, but it just fell flat for me. Thank you so much to the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the premise of this book but just couldn’t get on board with the MMC. He needed more of a redemption arc or to do more of the heavy lifting in the relationship. Some great banter and would love to have the FMC in my friends group!

This entire book was the two main characters not communicating (which is ironic given they co-host a podcast which is essentially about communicating) but, I’m not going to lie, I was entertained for the first 85% or so until I truly started to get annoyed with the MMC (Finn). This dude makes like three massive transgressions throughout the book and I do not get why the FMC (Maeve) keeps forgiving him! He’s this entitled, rich boy who has gotten everything he has ever wanted and it shows. Maeve had her own issues but I could overlook all of them compared to the glaring red flag that is Finn.

I actually really enjoy the author’s writing style and I liked her first book. I think she can come back from this with another solid romance. She does a great job writing banter and the chemistry between the characters was legit.

The theme of gender pay equality was great. Really loved that the author highlighted that and how overlooked it is but the more were too many problems with the rest of the book from a thematic standpoint for me to truly enjoy it.

I loved Betty’s instagram. I actually accidentally found her little free library in Salem. I loved her first book. So it should come as no surprise to anyone that her second book is just as good.

The idea that you got forced to work wirh the one person on the planet you would want to avoid is very fun to play with through out the story, I couldn’t wait to see where the story was going next.

Rating: 1.25 ⭐️

This book had so much promise, but ultimately wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect with the characters at all and didn’t feel like they even made sense together. The storyline was fun, I liked the podcasting concept. Finn was pretty much the ultimate Nepo Baby and it made me so mad every time he was just ignorant to everything going on. Maeve was a bit better of a character, but I still just didn’t love her. Also there were just so many Finn moments throughout this that IRKED ME! Like i’m sorry showing up at HER PHOTOSHOOT and then being in all the photos when you already know that people think you’re better than her, i’m sorry just no. My favorite part was when Maeve called Finn out after the article because I think he needed to hear that. Basically what i’m saying is i’m a Finn hater, but anyways enough of that. This book in the end was not my favorite, but I think there’s definitely a lot of people who would really enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book started out really strong for me. I was invested in what happened with Maeve and Finn to get them from being best friends to can't even stand being in the same room together. I was hooked on the podcast parts and seeing the past-present POVs from both sides really helped make this book work. But around 50% and through the rest of the book, I was getting more annoyed and frustrated than invested. Maeve and Finn communicated so poorly for two individuals praised for their honest communication. At first I understood it, in the beginning because that's how everything unfolded, but then it just kept happening and I was starting to get sick of it. I even skimmed a lot towards the end just to get out of reading about another miscommuniation moment between them. I was rooting for Finn and Maeve but by the end, I was actually hoping they wouldn't end up together because they saw every flaw, even some minor ones as huge blaring red flags. However, I really enjoyed Betty Cayouette's writing style and the way she describes settings really makes me feel like I'm in them too. I would like to read another book by her in the future, as long as it isn't a book solely about miscommunication like this one felt like.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this ARC and all opinions are my own.

I want to start off by saying that I deeply appreciate the chance to read this eARC. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for this opportunity.

However, this book was not for me. I hated Finn. This wasn't just a run-of-the-mill miscommunication. It was mishandling a relationship and then playing it off as romance. And then building up Maeve as someone who is working on establishing her professional credibility to end up being kind of...spineless? The intended appeal did not land for me, sadly.

Book Review: Tell Me How You Really Feel by Betty Cayouette
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had such a promising premise, and while I genuinely enjoy Betty Cayouette’s writing style, I found myself more frustrated than invested as the story unfolded.

The miscommunication trope isn’t a favorite of mine to begin with, but this story really put it through its paces—and not in a good way. For two characters who constantly talk about honesty, accountability, and emotional maturity, they do very little to actually embody those values. It felt like a case of “do as I say, not as I do,” and that disconnect made it hard for me to root for them.

Their dynamic left me more annoyed than anything, and I struggled to feel the emotional connection that the story was clearly aiming for. That said, the author's talent is undeniable, and I’d love to see her explore different themes or relationship arcs in future work—hopefully with a little less miscommunication and a little more follow-through.

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the ARC in exhange for my honest review.