Tell Me How You Really Feel is about a podcast hosting duo who make it rich and have to deal with their feelings for each other through it. I do feel like I was dumped in the middle of a story, like there was some other book I was supposed to read first to understand what was happening but I think it was just the way it was told. I liked the book and liked the back and forth with the flashbacks but I didnt love it. I would have loved to see more of their backstory and it told more linear, i think its a personal thing and would have resonated more with me. But it was a fun and quick read.

Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. It was fairly predictable - except for the fact that I assumed that Finn had royally messed up. When in reality, he didn't do anything wrong... and Maeve just acted like a child.

I received a ARC for this friends to lover romance book. Two friends start a podcast and when fame is on the rise, they take it to the next step and hook up. This changes the work dynamics. They then get a opportunity to become the highest paid podcasters . . . but they cannot be in the same room together, but only one feels this way.
3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, Tell Me How You Really Feel didn’t work for me. While the concept of two exes navigating fame and forced proximity through a popular podcast had potential, the execution fell flat.

The main issue for me was the lack of chemistry and emotional depth between Maeve and Finn. The constant back-and-forth, both in the timeline and in their dynamic, made it hard to stay engaged or root for them as a couple. I struggled to connect with either character—both felt underdeveloped and often came across as immature or inconsistent.

The podcast premise was interesting on paper but wasn’t fully integrated into the plot in a compelling way. Instead of enhancing the story, it often felt like a background detail rather than a driving force.

I wanted to love this, especially as a fan of second-chance romances and media-centered stories, but this one missed the mark for me. Other readers may connect with the style and tone, but sadly, I just couldn’t.

"Tell Me How You Really Feel" was a combination of a second-chance romance and a soapbox. And while I truly enjoy a good plot twist, this book went on too long. A good editor could have reduced this by a third to create a tighter and more compelling story, but the biggest challenge I had was accepting how insecure the main female character, Maeve, was when she's a licensed therapist hoping to help other people deal with their own challenges in life. What's that old saying? "Physician, heal thyself!" As someone who continually advocated that her podcast listeners should learn to communicate their wants and needs, almost every misunderstanding in this story stemmed from either Maeve or Finn not communicating well with the other.

As for the soapbox, the latter part of the book focused a lot on the disparity of pay between males and females performing the same work, and while I agree that equally skilled individuals should receive equal pay, regardless of their gender, this whole conversation was introduced around the time that I was ready for Maeve and Finn to figure things out already.

There were definitely parts of the story that I enjoyed. But it would have been nice to figure out which secondary storylines to pay attention to and let the others go.

Thank you to Betty Cayouette, St. Martins Press, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

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.