The miscommunication in this book was so incredibly frustrating, and it took away from my enjoyment of the story.

This book is mainly focused on the miscommunication troupe for the main two characters, Maeve and Finn. It has a dual timeline, which was part of what I liked. But, I couldn't stand how much miscommunication there was at times making this book difficult to get through. The messaging about sexism in the media was the best part and most impactful part of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the
E-ARC!

Unfortunately the flip between the pass and present was a bit confusing for me. But that's okay, the rest of the book was funny. I always love a good enemies to lovers.

4/5

How do I really feel? I feel like this book was a waste of my time. I hate the Rachel and Ross trope. With a passion. And it took til about 50% to figure out what happened between them to truly make her hate him. She had a right to, but he was willing to make amends and she decided to be childish, refuse to communicate, and shut down every attempt at an apology. And she was a therapist for heavens sake! Just a wildly immature book with protagonists who were too old to be doing that stuff and acting like that.

This book didn't quite work for me. It was miscommunication to the extreme and it took so long to get to the root cause of it. The dual POV and timeline was a little too quick to the jump for me. I was really intrigued by the plot but the execution didn't line up with my expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. Tell Me How You Really Feel hits shelves on May 6, 2025.

Gosh I love this author’s writing style so much! The playful banter between the main characters makes you feel like you understand their inside jokes and their entire backstories with minimal context because they’re built so thoroughly. I thought this plot of having them be co-hosts of a relationship/sex podcast was so interesting and unique, and I loved the angle of having Maeve be an actual therapist with real mental health and relationship advice! Other things I enjoyed include the emphasis on anxiety, the double-standard for women in everything, emotional intelligence for men, and the power of money. What fell a little short for me was the intensity of the miscommunication trope; admittedly, it’s one of my least favorite tropes, and while I loved the second chance and friends to lovers elements, the miscommunication got me frustrated with the characters at times! Overall, this was such a great palette cleanser and this author is always going to be an auto-read for me.

I absolutely adored Betty's One Last Shot so I was so excited to read Tell Me How You Really Feel! Super cute second-chance romance with adorable characters! Add to your list for sure!

Girl after my own heart. Maeve is so heartbroken and just wants to feel that love for Finn reciprocated. I understand girlfriend. I loved the gesture of love from Finn; it really showed that he saw Maeve. I understand her desire to be loved by the person she loved and thought loved her back. I also understand why she pushed away. Pretty solid work, Betty.

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the
E-ARC! Loved so much! The chemistry was so good. Loved the banter! Will definitely read more from this author.

I had high hopes for this book because I was obsessed with Betty's debut.

This is a heavy miscommunication which is not my favorite so it was tough for me, but when the two main characters were actually communicating I adored it! For those who like angst and characters working through their communication skills, this is for you!

I enjoyed the book shedding light towards anxiety and the female gap pay issues that occur in our world.

This book just didn’t resonate with me at all. Right from the start, I was surprised to find Maeve, the female lead, already harboring resentment towards Finn for breaking her heart. I expected some buildup to this conflict, but it felt like we jumped straight into her anger without any context. It took ages to uncover the root of their issues and get to the reconciliation, which ultimately left me feeling a bit frustrated.

Honestly, I found Maeve to be quite unbearable. Her reluctance to communicate was exasperating, especially since she had so much to gain from those conversations. Finn could hardly do anything right in her eyes unless it perfectly matched her expectations. Characters like that really don’t hold my interest.

On the flip side, the dual POV was a refreshing touch, allowing us to see things through Finn’s lens, which I enjoyed much more. However, by the time I reached the 60% mark, I found myself skimming through the pages. Maeve’s constant frustrations overshadowed the story, and I realized I wasn’t missing much at all.

This was a 5-star read that got reduced to 4 stars because I just can't get past this level of miscommunication. Maeve (very humble background) and Finn (child of very famous parents) have one of the most popular podcasts in the world, a podcast about relationships and sex and their own searches for Mr./Mrs. Right. They are close friends, and clearly have some romantic feelings for each other, but mostly they have a semi-physical relationship with unresolved boundaries. The book jumps among their timeline to help us understand their situation, but as much as I found this un-put-down-able (which is saying something for my busiest season at work!), I was very very frustrated with how these adults whose job it is to literally talk to each other were somehow unable to talk to each other when it mattered.

That said, I found it incredibly readable and would recommend it to all friends-to-lovers fans. The banter and side characters were great, and I really appreciated both the frank sex/relationship talks (on the podcast!) and the look at misogyny (intentional and unintentional) in professional settings.

I received a free review copy through netgalley but opinions are my own.

Eh. That's how I felt overall about "Tell Me How You Really Feel". It's an okay book, with an okay story/characters but it failed to really capture and hold me like I wanted it to.

Tell Me How You Really Feel was an easy read. I liked the story line and felt like I could relate to a lot of Maeve's insecurities, but I also didn't find Finn to be a super believable character. The flashback moments were a little choppy, but I did appreciate the back story. Overall, it was a good story and I would read more from this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC!
I struggled with what to rate this book because my favorite parts (the best parts) were not the romantic parts. I actually found myself frustrated with both main characters - entirely too immature to be in a relationship with each other - at least through most of the book.
I LOVED reading about the podcast and the guests. I almost wish the book could have been only about that - though, to be fair, I have no idea how that would have really worked.
I almost gave up on this book at the 50% mark, but ended up mostly sticking it out to the end (I did skim a bit). I think the conclusion of their refusal to talk about anything (I'm purposefully being a bit vague so as not to spoil anything) was interesting - I knew it was coming, but the way it happened surprised me.
Anyway, if the miscommunication trope is your jam, I think you'll love this book. If not, you may still enjoy it - the podcast sections were really well done.

So much tension within the first chapter! I already felt this story in my gut pushing and pulling as Finn and Maeve pushed and pulled.

It was like any exs worst dream to be put in a situation where you have to pretend to like the ex that broke your heart.

Though throwing Finn’s perspective had me rooting for him throughout

Which made the back and forth so much frustrating, it detracted from the romance a lot. I wasn’t sure I wanted them together by the end. Which I hate feeling.

Look, I didn't like this book. I hate the miscommunication trope. HATE IT. We start off with our two main characters (Maeve and Finn) already at odds. They just finished signing a multi-million-dollar streaming contract for their podcast - Tell Me How You Really Feel. The story unfolds between Maeve and Finn's perspective. Not only does the book switch perspectives, but it jumps between the present and the past. I actually like that we jump back and forth because we get to see how their relationship grew, fell apart, and how they're dealing with the fallout.

Everything else about the book, I didn't love. These are people who have been friends for 6 years, hosting an intimate podcast for two years, and then after one romantic encounter everything falls apart, but they still have to work together. I think this could have been a better story if one of the characters (Maeve) wasn't a licensed therapist. It's like Finn never learned anything from her and Maeve has no tools to communicate better. It was incredibly frustrating to read about how evolved or well-spoken the characters were and then read how idiotic they were together.

There was also way too much background story. There is another podcast that is like far-right wing conspiracies and hate. The host of that show directs his followers to bombard Maeve and Finn with threats and vitriol. But nothing comes of this storyline, other than constantly referencing it. Maeve and Finn also both mention their "one who got away", while Finn does have a storyline with his "one", Maeve doesn't. Like, what? Why mention it? I get that it sort of sets up Finn's storyline, but it had already been brought up by mentioning Finn's first love.

Overall, I just didn't vibe with this story.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Griffin for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

This was a fun, quick read with a unique premise. Maeve and Finn had chemistry as podcast co-hosts (and ex-almost-lovers), and I liked the mix of humor and tension between them. The dual timeline worked well, giving just enough backstory to understand why their dynamic was so messy in the present.

That said, the miscommunication trope was *heavy* in this one. I get why it was there—these two were clearly terrible at talking about their feelings—but at times, it felt dragged out. Maeve’s anxiety was relatable, but her refusal to just hash things out with Finn got frustrating. And Finn, while charming, could’ve used a little more depth to make his obliviousness more forgivable.

Still, the podcast setting was timely, the banter was sharp, and the themes of self-worth and gender inequality added some depth. The ending was satisfying, even if the road there was bumpy. If you like second-chance romances with forced proximity and a side of drama, this one’s worth a read!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

A second chance romance with a lot of talk about mental health, importance of self care and speaking up, etc., and yet it relies too hard on the Miscommunication troupe. All's well that's well in the end, but it takes more work than seemed necessary to get there.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this novel.

I thought this was a cute romance novel that had so much potential. I really enjoy the forced proximity troupe and this one was done really well. Some moments from the book were done really well and I found myself laughing out louid.

I am really not a fan of the miscommunication troupe and unfortunately for me they didn’t work again in this book. I also found the book a little confusing and the jumping of timelines made it hard to keep up.

Overall, it was a good but not great romance.

3/5 stars