The author captures the millennial spirit well. This book feels current without trying too hard in terms of podcast references and the content creator lifestyle. However, Finn, the male lead, lacks authenticity. His inner monologue feels like it was written from the hopes, dreams, and fantasies of every woman ever. Still, an enjoyable read! 3 Stars.

NetGalley ARC Review ✴️

Tell Me How You Really Feel
By Betty Cayouette
Pub Date: 05/06/25

Maeve and Finn are co-hosts of the popular podcast, Tell Me How You Really Feel. They land a huge contract and are set to launch their podcast on a new platform but the only issue is Maeve can't stand to be in the same room as Finn. How can they record a podcast when they aren't speaking?

The podcast is all about their dating exploits and offering advice all while trying to find their person. Maeve and Finn were best friends until he started dating his "one that got away". Can Maeve and Finn work through their differences to make the podcast an even bigger success? Or will their feud destroy everything they've worked for?

Can they follow their own advice and get past their issues? Or will their friendship be destroyed forever?

I really enjoyed this story even though I hate a miscommunication trope. I could understand each of their perspectives and felt like this trope was actually well done. I loved the therapy aspects of this story and felt like Maeve gave stellar advice, even if she didn't always follow her own advice. Such a cute story!

I really liked the concept of this book. I loved the podcast duo angle and I loved that glass ceiling and white male privilege were brought up. Normally I like a flawed character. I don't need my characters to be perfect or even good or what have you... but the main female character in this story... I just had a real hard time with her, she wasn't very likeable. Yes, she had severe anxiety, but her personality... I just had a hard time with her, which affected my ability to enjoy the story. This is a friends to lovers book, so if you are into that, which I normally am, give it a shot and don't let my personal views on the MC hold you back.

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Betty Cayouette had so much promise, but it didn’t fully work for me. Maeve and Finn, co-hosts of a popular podcast about relationships, have to team up again after years of unresolved tension following their failed romance. Maeve is all about keeping things professional, but Finn clearly wants more than that. With a huge podcast deal on the line, the story flips between their present-day struggles and flashbacks to their messy past.

I loved the concept—second-chance romance, forced proximity, and the podcasting angle all seemed like a recipe for success. The writing itself was solid, and I really appreciated the third-act conflict about unequal pay between Maeve and Finn. It was handled thoughtfully and made a strong point about privilege and accountability, which added a meaningful layer to the story.

But overall, this book didn’t quite land for me. The miscommunication trope was front and center, and while I can tolerate it sometimes, it felt particularly frustrating here. Maeve’s inability to express her feelings didn’t align with her role as a therapist, and I struggled to connect with her because of how cold and closed off she seemed. Finn had his moments, but he also felt underdeveloped. The central conflict—his brief relationship with someone else despite being in love with Maeve—felt too weak to carry the tension for most of the story.

The dual timelines could have worked, but they often felt jarring, disrupting the flow and momentum. And honestly, the constant back-and-forth between Maeve and Finn got exhausting. Instead of rooting for them, I found myself annoyed at how often they hurt each other when all they really needed was a proper conversation.

That said, there were parts I enjoyed. Some of the podcasting scenes were fun, and the writing had moments of humor and emotional depth. I just wish the romance had felt more believable and the characters’ choices made more sense. If you’re a fan of second-chance romance or love podcasting dramas, you might enjoy this, but it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this one. I loved the relationship between Maeve and Finn. There was clearly a lot of history between the two, and it took awhile to find out what exactly it was. I enjoyed how it slowly revealed the cause of the tension by flipping back and forth between past and present. The one thing that took me out of the story a bit was how bad they were at communicating. It felt like sometimes they were back to super close one minute, then at the slightest dilemma Maeve was icing Finn out again.

This was a like not a love for me. Betty Cayouette is a talented writer but the will they won't they that Finn and Maeve navigate in the story left me really wondering if they were supposed to be together or not. Both characters prided themselves on being good communicators and knowing the other better than anyone else and then miscommunicated through the entire book. I still enjoyed parts of it but parts left me not excited to get to the next chapter. The discussions on mental health and anxiety brought a unique storyline and character development to the book but overall I'm not rushing to tell anyone to read this one.

I wanted to like this book. There were things about it that I had fun with. I loved the setting of relationship podcast hosts navigating their own rocky relationship.

I think maybe I would have liked this book better as a single first person PoV vs the dual first person PoV. I just had a hard time connecting with the MMC. It was also a little hard to take the feminist undertones seriously when the book ended with their engagement? After making a point that not all female focused mediums needed to revolve around a man?

I don't know. I think readers will have fun with this book, but it personally just wasn't for me.

Content: language, explicit content, misogyny

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

I had a genuinely good time reading this even though Finn is actually the dumbest man in the universe (known and unknown) and Maeve is the most apprehensive little treasure around. Not to be dramatic but I would die for her. And also beat up Finn for her. In fact, let me at him right now !!!

The pain and desperation Maeve is feeling from the start is SO vivid and raw that I was in near-immediate tears. She loves so fiercely and with everything she has, so to feel not only that it’s not seen but that it’s not valued even when it is is DEVASTATING for her. And she is going THROUGH it.

She deserves the world and she deserves Finn at his best - but my man is not at his best because, as I previously mentioned, he is the dumbest man in the universe. He was so real when he said it was chronic. Their communication is somehow all-in and also not enough, mostly because Maeve is holding on to her sanity for dear life and Finn is taking all of his advice from the worlds dumbest man playbook and ignoring everyone who is like, hey bestie you’re being SO dumb right now!!!

But he loves her, like actually loves her, and Maeve deserves that (because she deserves EVERYTHING and I love her). And he is good at groveling, which is so important when you are the dumbest man alive.

Anyway Maeve is the queen of the world and she can have whatever she wants even if it’s Finn (because he is actually good for her in spite of. Well. Everything)

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.

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I spent so much of this book wanting to complain to someone about this book. But honestly it made me side with a man and I don't think I can ever forgive a book for that.

Truly Maeve looked for a way out any time they were together and she made them. Also there were a couple of times it felt like I was expected to know who people were and I didn't love that.

Overall the book felt preachy almost. Very much like how hard it is to be a woman but just kept beating Finn over the head about it. When he wasn't ever malicious, just dumb.

Anyway, thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Maeve has finally gotten the dream podcast streaming platform she's always wanted, but there's a catch. She has to do it with her best friend, the man she loves, the man who knows her like the back of his hand... the man who tossed her aside for a famous model after a single month. Finn is desperate to get back into Maeve's good graces. He realized he threw away the best friend he's ever had, and this is his only shot to get her back. However, she isn't willing to hear it, and he's struggling to find out how he can make amends and bring them back to what they used to have.

*****

It was clear what the author wanted to do with this book and the messages and genuine interactions and growth she wanted to portray. Unfortunately, it got bogged down in endless, detailed therapy sessions and examples of how to communicate and make amends, all while both leads were failing to properly do either. The entire book was a massive miscommunication trope where Maeve let her anxiety and intrusive thoughts run the show. She was cold, dismissive, and constantly jumping to conclusions and putting up walls and barriers despite being a therapist and going to therapy for over a decade herself. Finn is a nepo baby who is also Just A Man (TM) so much so that he can't fathom why he'd get pushed off and given a cold shoulder for asking the girl he was with, if he could be with someone else, while already on a date with the other person.

I was baffled as to why either of them wanted to try to be together when they were in a constant cycle of hurt and repair, to the point we received two second act breakups in this book. In the end, the conflict is overly contrived and pointless, and forming an entire book around it with the underlying message of woman empowerment and gender inequality just ended up with the latter message being missed in the slog.

The authors writing itself is good, but this book missed the mark. I look forward to seeing what else she writes.

*****

Thank you, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Griffin, for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tell Me How You Really Feel delivers a compelling blend of tension, humor, and raw emotion as readers follow Maeve and Finn through the ups and downs of love, betrayal, and professional partnership. The novel effortlessly weaves between past and present, unraveling how this once-inseparable duo ended up at odds—and what it might take to repair the fraying edges of their relationship.

The dynamic between Maeve and Finn is electric. Maeve, fiercely independent and sharp-witted, brings a refreshing voice to the story, while Finn’s persistent charm and vulnerability add depth to his pursuit of reconciliation. As their viral podcast skyrockets to fame, the added pressures of success amplify the unresolved conflicts between them, leading to moments both heartwarming and gut-wrenching.

The flashback structure enhances the narrative, offering glimpses into the roots of their partnership and the unraveling of their relationship. Readers are drawn deeper into the complexities of their dynamic, rooting for them to find common ground, even when their flaws make it difficult.

At its heart, Tell Me How You Really Feel is a story about second chances—at love, at friendship, and at figuring out who you are when the world is watching. Fans of contemporary romance and layered character dynamics will find themselves hooked until the very last page. It's a binge-worthy read for anyone who loves sharp banter, emotional stakes, and the magic of rediscovery

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Tell Me How You Really Feel by Betty Cayouette.

The story begins with Maeve and Finn receiving a significant deal for their popular sex and relationships podcast titled, Tell Me How You Really Feel. However, Maeve and Finn are no longer the best friends they used to be when we meet our two main characters. Maeve and Finn are forced to navigate the state of their relationship while preserving their show.

I was most drawn into the plot related to their podcast. Maeve and Finn developed a great friendship (the flashbacks were a good addition) and definitely had chemistry with each other. I’m not sure I fully understood Finn’s actions in the final act revelation but I could certainly see how these two got to where they were when we meet them at the beginning as a result.

If you enjoy a second chance, friends to lovers workplace romance this is a book to check out!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishing team of this book for an ARC copy. While I enjoyed it, due to the friends to lovers/second chance trope… it also gave me miscommunication trope vibes which I am not a fan of. This book touched on so much mental health in different ways, anxiety as far back as childhood, panic attacks, ptsd effects from fame and harassment as well as normalizing therapy. I love that mental health is being brought up more and more in books in such a relatable way. I really enjoyed Maeve and Finn’s friendship but they had a lot of downs during the relationship part and it was all due to a lack of proper communication which is what bothered me. I did enjoy the epilogue and the proposal with the surprise.
I look forward to more from Betty Cayouette.

I absolutely loved the FMC, Maeve. She is a bad ass woman! I loved seeing a strong female portrayed in a book. However, I didn’t love the subject of the book. The whole podcast and pay disparity was overplayed and cliche. I wanted more of the relationship evolution between Finn and Maeve. Focus more on how a woman can have it all and not so much on the “man keeping you down.”

This was such a good book, I loved the interactions between the main characters and the back and forth between past and present. Maeve and Finn were friends who started a podcast about their hook ups and eventually they get a huge contract to buy the rights to the podcast. I love how much Finn loves Maeve through everything they go through.

thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maeve and Finn are college best friends and together they have a very successful podcast. However, when the podcast gets bought out by a conglomerate, they need to get good ratings in order to survive. In addition, Maeve and Finn have a miscommunication and they end up not talking to each other for a while. Can they figure out how to move forward, and is there more than friendship in their future?

I didn’t love this to be honest! Took me a while to finish. I really liked the plot tho! Characters were not very likeable :(

This was a fast paced enjoyable book about two podcasters who do a show dealing with everyday topics that draws a large audience of viewers. The impact of their show spreads further than one of the characters Maeve could have imagined because of its honesty and humility dealing with topics such as anxiety, panic attacks, and true raw emotions. There is a true romance story tucked in this book that will stay with the reader long after the last page in the book is turned. Be sure to grab this one, it’s truly a treat with many messages for the reader woven throughout the book.
Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Book Press for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

The plot: The Tell Me How You Really Feel podcast is breaking new ground with a huge studio deal, primarily due to the sizzling chemistry between its co-hosts Maeve and Finn. The only problem? It's difficult to continue to film a top-notch sex and relationships podcast when you're not on speaking terms anymore. Maeve is a charismatic licensed therapist, but she can't find the words to process her fight with Finn. And Finn's a handsome, former actor accustomed to getting everything he wants.. until what he wants is second chance with Maeve. Can the pair find a way to rebuild their relationship and give the world the second season of the viral podcast they want? Or will they crash and burn in epic fashion, forced to forfeit a multi-million dollar deal and a chance at podcast history. I recommend this book to fans of second chance romance, forced proximity, and general romance.

Maeve and Finn have been best friends since college, inseparable until their recent rift. The book takes us through the journey of their relationship in flashbacks from the the podcast's humble beginnings up until present day, at the peak of their careers. The "big reveal" of the reason for their feud comes toward the end of the book, bringing us along in suspense as to the details behind the clearly romantically-driven falling out. Along the way, we get to hear from both Maeve and Finn in alternating perspectives that complete the narrative.

My opinion: I liked this book. The strongest elements were the deep emotional scenes (scenes describing anxiety disorders, panic attacks, feelings of low self-worth) and exploration of serious topics (pay and gender inequity, sex disparities, and more.) I really liked the focus on mental health and therapy throughout the book, as it's important to destigmatize both for readers. One aspect I struggled with throughout the book is the inconsistency of both characters from one scene to the next. For example, in one scene we see Maeve and Finn as best friends who can talk about anything, and in the next they are breaking up over a small miscommunication because Maeve isn't clear with her words and Finn doesn't bother to clarify. Ditto with Maeve as the badass feminist icon who stand her own ground with difficult people, but refuses to say a word when Finn crashes her magazine set and steals her big photoshoot. The Finn of flashbacks also seems inconsistent (and much more likable, considerate, and caring) than Finn in the present day. I'm not sure if those inconsistencies were deliberate, and a comment on how our personalities and actions can fluctuate, or something that could have been smoother with an additional edit. . Overall, I enjoyed reading this and found it a unique spin on the "podcast book" and second-chance romance. I'll read anything Betty Cayouette writes because there's a sweet yearning in all of the books that's not easy to find in other romance novels.

Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a great book, I loved it. I loved their podcast I enjoyed their banter, and I really enjoyed the entire story. Thanks for letting me read this book.