Thank you to NetGalley and @PenguinBooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tell Me How You Really Feel follows Maeve and Finn—college besties from totally different worlds (think: small-town girl meets golden boy with celebrity parents). Their friendship turns into a hit podcast about relationships, and naturally, things get complicated.

The setup is great. The chemistry between the characters? Totally there. And the whole podcasting angle felt like a fun, current twist that made the story feel fresh. I breezed through it in a day—very bingeable.

But... (and there’s always a but, right?) the core conflict revolves around good old-fashioned miscommunication. And not just a little miscommunication—like, years of dancing around feelings and missed signals. Which would be fine if it weren’t for the fact that Maeve is literally a therapist dishing out dating advice. It was kind of hard to buy into the idea that two intelligent people who talk for a living couldn’t have a single honest conversation with each other.

At times it gave me serious Ross and Rachel “we were on a break” energy—confusing, slightly messy, and left me scratching my head wondering how they got so off track in the first place.

All in all, it's a cute, easy read with likable leads and a modern vibe. But if you're not a fan of the "could’ve been solved with one conversation" trope, just go in knowing that’s what you’re signing up for.
3.5 Stars!

#NetGalley, #PenguinBooks, #TellMeHowYouReallyFeel, #BettyCayouette

🦇 Tell Me How You Really Feel Book Review 🦇

❓ Do you listen to any podcasts?

🦇 Podcasters Maeve and Finn have just gotten a life-changing, blockbuster deal for their viral sex and relationships podcast, Tell Me How You Really Feel. Unfortunately, given their history, they can barely be in the same room together. Now, Maeve needs to find a way to keep the show going without letting Finn completely ruin her. But to make things even more challenging, Finn is dead set on winning her back over. Told between flashbacks to the start of their show and the present, Tell Me How You Really Feel follows Maeve and Finn as they navigate their growing celebrity, try to make podcast history, and rediscover what they mean to each other.

💜 Gimme forced proximity + second chance + all the tension. Let's break it down:

✨ Characters (4/5): I adore Maeve for her wit, mental fortitude, and struggle. Her constant effort to break (or even reach) the glass ceiling is so real. Every scene of her providing advice, helping someone word an apology or reframe their mindset, was absolutely beautiful. Finn is perfect in the worst ways; he's the cis white boy who knows exactly what to say, the one everyone adores, who can do no wrong. To see his character make mistakes with real consequences, to have to navigate real solutions that go beyond a surface-level apology, was great. I don't love how the book ended (how easily he was forgiven) though.

✨ Plot and Pacing (3/5): There are a few lags in the pacing that some bigger, more impactful flashbacks could have aided.

✨ Romance (4/5): It's hard not to love these two together. Finn is so heart-eyed and plays the constant cheerleader to Maeve, while Maeve proves he has worth outside of being a nepo baby. It's very obvious that they were friends first; it shows in how well they know one another, how they tend to one another in big yet quiet ways. I don't love that the entire romance, and novel, relies on a constant miscommunication trope, especially when both characters help support and repair other relationships. However, this does make the conversations they finally have bigger on a more impactful scale.

✨ Mystery/Suspense (4/5): I'm glad we don't see every detail that caused their friendship to shatter too soon. That tension helps drive the story--and character growth--forward.

✨ Tone/Prose (3/5): The prose isn't as captivating as I'd like. The back-and-forth dialogue between Finn and Maeve more often carries the story.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Will They or Won't They and The Breakup Tour.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🎤 Friends to Lovers
🎤 Enemies to Lovers
🎤 Second Chance Romance
🎤 Forced Proximity
🎤 Miscommunication Trope
🎤 Mental Health Rep

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #OneLastWord

💬 Quotes
We don’t have a spark, we have a forest fire.

I don’t know what normal is for us. Normal is giving her everything, every last bit of me, all the best parts that I didn’t even know were there until I was around her.

It’s like we click into place, and all the kisses I’ve had before this one were just practice for this.

I realized I had just given up what might have been my only chance to be with my soulmate. I can only date other people and have them feel halfway right when you’re in the picture. Because all the things that make me tick, make you tick. We challenge each other, and ever since I met you I couldn’t imagine a world without you. I didn’t want to, ever again. Maeve, I love every fucking thing about you. So much. And without you? A piece of me was missing. We are perfect together, and I don’t want another day to go by without getting to say I love you. I love you, Maeve.

You shouldn’t have to leverage a painful moment to drag the fight for equality forward. But that’s what women, people of color, queer people,— that’s what we’re all forced to do.

I read Betty Cayouette’s first book and it was SUCH a five star read for me that I definitely went into this one with super high expectations.

The writing didn’t disappoint. I loved the flow of the story, the pacing, the setting, the FMC, even the supporting cast. What I didn’t like, at all, was Finn, the male lead. And i never quite understood why Maeve wants to be with him, after he keeps on messing up and never really showing any true growth as a character. I was really hoping for more there.

4 stars still because I do think this is worth a read, especially if you’d like to read a book with some great anxiety representation. Plus there were definitely plot points in there that I did not see coming. So it kept me reading and wanting to come back to this book over and over again. I just wish I ended the book liking the MMC more.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for sending me an ebook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I loved the characters and the premise of this book. Thoroughly enjoyed reading through this. I’m not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope but I still very much enjoyed this book.

I’m going to be honest.. I genuinely did not like this book.
I do not have time to walk on eggshells around people who are determined to interpret actions to mean that no one cares about them, even after theyverbally state that said action is completely fine andthey understand and even encourage said actions… and that’s who Maeve was. She drove me insane. And while Finn was a bit daft to the point of being a caricature of a clueless man, Maeve unfairly judged him because she thought she sucked and needed constant reassurance from everyone that she did notsuck. She could not rise above anything that she interpreted as proof she sucked. When I found out the details of their initial falling out, I wanted to scream. Like that’s what happened?
I was annoyed that she consistently believed the worst about herself, to the point where at the very end, she found a balance and allowed herself to be filtered positive comments about her show and never negative ones and that was somehow “healing”.… She was a therapist and had been going to therapy for years, but I felt she was in noway ready for a relationship, especially with Finn because she couldn’t seem to get over the past.
I just can’t with people like this.
I feel that perhaps people who enjoy themiscommunication trope and want their books to highlight anxiety and gender inequality as well as focusing on positive reinforcement and growththrough small steps may enjoy this, but that person is not me. This book was the opposite of the fun story I thought I was getting myself into.

A story that pulled me in and just was enjoyable and interesting to read. I like a quick and lovely journey and this definitely was just what I needed to read.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It gave me Nobody wants this vibes which I loved. Finn and Maeve had a fun dynamic and worked really well together. I enjoyed the aspect of female equality in a workplace and their flirty banter. And I was constantly curious as to what happened to them! The dual timeline and dual POV were also really enjoyable!

However…

I did struggle with Finn and Maeve. For being a therapist…Maeve never let Finn talk. She never was willing to listen to Finn or allow him to explain himself. It felt like she put him on a pedestal. And Finn….the man was totally clueless. It infuriated me the amount of times he felt like he needed to apologize in this book and how quick she was to forgive him. For how often he listened to her comment on how it was always about him why on earth show up at a photo shoot celebrating her and how far she’s come making the shoot more about Finn and Maeve instead of just Maeve?

Rating: 4.5 Stars

When their podcast, Tell Me How You Really Feel, blows up, so does the relationship between Finn and Maeve. But the show must go on, and they must try to find a way to continue working with each other.

I LOVED Cayouette's debut, and I am happy to say, I was not disappointed with her follow up. I am trash for friends-to-lovers romances, and with a strong pairing and an interesting concept, this one went the distance for me.

Finn and Maeve had been friends since their undergraduate years. Post graduation, they moved to New York where their friendship continued to flourish and their podcast was born. After two years, their program had garnered enough fame to get an exclusive pickup and a big money contract, but a major relationship incident threatened the future of the show.

I was really into this friendship, though it was easy to see that there was always something more. Flashbacks were employed to show both the history shared between Maeve and Finn, as well as to fully reveal what tore them apart. I was kind of furious with both Maeve and Finn. For people hosting a self-help type podcast, they didn't seem to be able to always help themselves. I groaned as to their lack of honesty with each other and themselves at times, but I had to keep going as this was a union I wanted to see mended.

Though I was frustrated with "the conflict", I understood the whys. Both characters were fully formed, and because of that, I was able accept why they made the choices they did.

Maeve was complicated. She always felt overshadowed by her sisters whose talents were celebrated by her parents. She felt like the failure, and therefore, had a lot to prove. I appreciated her drive and grit, and was cheering for her the entire time, but was saddened when she let her insecurities win.

Finn was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His parents were both part of Hollywood royalty, and he never had to worry about a job or money. He didn't need the podcast, though he loved working on it to be close to Maeve and valued it as a creative outlet. He has some fame related trauma that was holding him back though.

These two came from such different worlds, yet, they worked together so well. I felt the love and affection that flowed between them. Their banter and interactions were smile inducing, and I could see them finding their forever together. There were some rough patches, but both worked to get past whatever was in their way (for the most part).

Overall, I greatly enjoyed finding out how Maeve and Finn really felt. This story had so much warmth and humor. It was touching, and I was fully invested in seeing Maeve and Finn get their happy ending. People will come for the romance, but I think they will also enjoy the emotional depth offered via each character's personal journey, as well as the issues explored on the podcast.

I liked the idea of this story - healthy communication & breaking the glass ceiling. Unfortunately, the story itself seemed like a lot of filler with the main characters not actually communicating well. There really wasn't much for spice to make up for it either. I do think it would be an enjoyable read for YA 🤷‍♀️ Thanks to St Martin's Press & NetGalley for the ARC!

Maeve and Finn met in college and became great friends even though she came from humble beginnings and he is the son of famous parents. After their podcast about dating and relationships goes viral, it seems to get in between their friendship and they can't even be in the same room together.

Thoughts 💭
I really enjoyed the story, the characters, and the fresh take on a podcast career and was able to finish it in a day. What soured the story for me was that the entire plot hinged on miscommunication which I found even more ironic by the fact that she's a therapist and gives advice to people on dating yet were oblivious to their own struggles. I also thought it was strange and unbelievable that it took them years to realize they were into each other and then fumbled the start of it. It's reminds me of the infamous scene from Friends, where they debate whether they were on a break or not. I'm still not sure what even happened.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I could not put it down!!! I’m starting to think podcast is my new favorite troupe for any genre and this was no exception! Betty does it again!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is probably one of the more conflicted reviews I will ever have. This book had so many things I really loved, but also...I sort of hated the main characters.

This story centers around Maeve and Finn's podcast, and their Streamify contract. The success of that dictates whether or not Maeve can pursue other passions, including her own show, or if they get cancelled completely. The podcast actually reminded me a bit of "Love Line" from back in the 90's, with Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew. Their show is very sex positive, and I loved seeing that aspect brought into the story in a funny but also serious way.

However, I really could not stand Maeve's character. At first, I felt some sympathy for her, but she continually made things hard when they didn't have to be. Finn's character was fine, but he sort of felt secondary to Maeve. He could have been any character, and it wouldn't have really mattered. The conflict they experienced with each other was literally of their own making. And the thing was, it was mainly communication issues, and if Maeve had her degree in Clinical Psychology, it was hard for me to buy into her great advice on her podcast, but in her own life, she was kind of a terror at times.

Overall, I do think most readers will enjoy this book. It's well written, there are definitely moments of humor, especially when we see the origins of the podcast and Maeve and Finn in their college days. There are also serious topics, and readers do get to watch not only the characters grow, but also the podcast as it continues to dive into deeper topics.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC of Tell Me How You Really Feel by Betty Cayouette.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I’ve had a few ARCs lately that I wasn’t as excited about so was a bit hesitant to start this one, especially as this is a new to me author. But I enjoyed the book. Friends to lovers, second (or third) chance romance…it has a little bit of both. Maeve and Finn met in college, move to New York staying friends all the while. After a night out separately with their dates, they are regrouping when the podcast idea comes to be. And oh yeah, Finn is super famous nepo baby! The rest is history right…well maybe not. Without any spoilers, pick this one up and see where this podcast journey takes the two of them as they talk about sex and dating, the ones that got away. There are also a lot of good underlying themes throughout the book such as mental health and gender equality/pay gaps. Overall, a light read with some good themes!

I think my favorite part about this book was the therapy podcasts and all the info involved. Also, it had great banter and chemistry between the MCs, and realistic sex things like lube and peeing afterward to avoid a UTI, lol. Maeve was also a really powerful, assertive woman and I thought that was awesome. Some of the conflict between them felt overwrought and made some of the tension lag at certain points, but overall I found it enjoyable.

Too much miscommunication, too little character growth.

Despite that, I did appreciate the exploration of various topics like sex, anxiety, trauma, and developing an authentic connection.

Tell Me How You Really Feel was a fun romantic romp that still had the ability to make you think! Maeve and her journey with Anxiety and misogyny in media were well handled and realistic and Finn learning and growing after confronting his privilege was beautifully done. I wish I could listen to a real version of the podcast but since I can’t, I will continue to read for years to come!

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Betty Cayouette

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice: 1/5 🌶️

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Tell Me How You Really Feel is a forced proximity, second chance romance, friends to enemies to lovers contemporary romcom centered on relationship podcast host MCs who are struggling to work together given their past conflict.

Maeve and Finn have got a major deal for their viral relationship podcast. Given their history though, they struggle to work together. Maeve is trying to find a way to keep the show going, but Finn is set on winning her back. The story is told through flashbacks to the start of their podcast and through present moments. Maeve and Finn’s approach to navigating their growing popularity, aiming to make podcast history, and rediscovering what they mean to each other is all highlighted throughout the story.

Overall, this is an interesting, light read. With significant miscommunication between them, the MCs navigate the past and the present in a way that’ll keep readers engaged for the most part. Perfect for contemporary romcom readers!

I wanted to love this book! I loved the author's debut so much that I even bought a special edition of it, so I am honestly sad to have to admit that I DNF'd this at 69%. I kept reading, thinking that surely something would happen that moved the plot forward... and I finally had to throw in the towel and make the decision not to waste any more of my time on it.

I do think that Betty Cayouette is a reasonably talented writer. The failures of this book are less about technical execution than the woeful lack of plot development. The plot is so thin you can see through it. Because of this, the novel doesn't really go anywhere interesting, and the same scene/interaction between the characters happens over and over, just in different physical locations.

This sophomore effort is actually pretty much the exact same book as the debut, but the characters are not only less interesting, they're less sympathetic. Both novels are "second chance" romances between two best friends, but instead of childhood best friends, Finn and Maeve are college best friends. Instead of star photographer and model working together in the first book, the star MCs of this one host a huge podcast. In both cases, their relationship barrier stems entirely from miscommunication. This is a frustrating trope to begin with, but it's unbearably ridiculous here because Maeve earned her Masters at Columbia in psychology, and her expertise in communication is what makes her so successful as a podcaster regarding sex and relationships.

Maeve is immature to the point of behaving like someone half her age. She spent the entire 69% of the novel that I read yanking Finn's chain by alternately icing him out and then coming on to him. She's so insecure with herself that she doesn't trust anything Finn says he feels about her. By the time I DNF'd, I had lost respect for Finn for not respecting himself enough to cut line because he deserves so much more than what Maeve is emotionally capable of. There is no way that these two will go the distance.

I did like the political commentary of the story regarding gender inequity in the workplace and the pay gap. It is maddening to see how Maeve's opinions and expertise are discounted professionally in comparison to Finn, who is handsome, charismatic, and an admitted nepo-baby who is doing the podcast because he wants Maeve to succeed.

I can't recommend this one, but I will always recommend One Last Shot and I really do hope that this author's third novel will keep me around as a reader.

Confusing dual timelines. I had to keep backtracking to remember what was going on. Miscommunication tropes are my least fav.

For a moment, Finn and Maeve have it all—the deal that will ensure they can continue their podcast stays at the top, and after years of friendship, they’ve finally confessed their feelings for each other. But just as soon as their relationship came together, it falls apart. Unfortunately for Maeve, their contract has no escape clause, but for Finn, this may be his only chance to win her back.

I know what you’re thinking: “She’s reviewed yet ANOTHER book that’s about a podcast!” I get it—I’m a broken record. But I like what I like, and I definitely liked Tell Me How You Really Feel. As someone who also struggles with anxiety, I found Maeve and her internal dialogue so relatable. I think we don’t talk enough about how debilitating anxiety can be, and I loved that author Betty Cayouette delved into it so much. While the way Maeve’s mind works is frustrating to watch, it’s even more frustrating when it’s your reality and all the self-doubt constantly finds its way in. I appreciated the author giving voice to all of those out there with anxiety and making us feel seen through Maeve. I also loved the female empowerment with in this book. Maeve didn’t just break the glass ceiling, she shattered it! But, in her imposter syndrome, she recognized how rare that is. Furthermore, through Evangeline, Cayouette really hammered home the responsibility we all have for ensuring pay equity—it was a phenomenal call to action. In what may be a hot take, I found the alternating chapters a bit frustrating. It felt like so much of the central message was that this is Maeve’s story; she is learning to be the main character in her own life and offering Finn’s point of view seemed to contradict that—not that I didn’t love Finn. Watching his journey to self-awareness was a very satisfying character arc. Overall, a very entertaining read and one I’d recommend for those who love a good second-chance romance coupled with the friends-to-lover trope.