Tell Me How You Really Feel by Betty Cayouette
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on May 6, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
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.
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.
Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau
Published by Atria/Emily Bestler Books on May 6, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Romance, Fiction
Goodreads
The “masterful, inspiring, and full of heart” (Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author) Jackie Lau returns with a thoroughly unique love story about a woman reliving the same Friday over and over again—and the intriguing man who can’t quite remember her.
Noelle Tom really shouldn’t have eaten those dumplings at the night market. But the old lady at the stall said they’d give her what she needed most, and what Noelle desperately needed after another long workweek was food.
Except now she’s reliving the same Friday over and over. Every morning her alarm goes off at 6:45 no matter what, the Wordle answer is always “happy,” and she watches a silly squirrel video go viral day after day. And no matter how much she works on the same proposal, it’s always erased when she wakes up. It seems Monday will never come in this workaholic’s worst nightmare.
Noelle has no idea how being trapped in a time loop is the “thing she needed most,” especially now that everything seems meaningless. Sure, three fancy meals in a row is a fun treat, but it’s getting repetitive. Noelle’s not sure what lesson the old lady was trying to impart. Even a trip to the dumpling stall doesn’t help…because there’s no sign of it.
But then she meets a young woman who also ate the dumplings, and good-looking Cam, who appears in multiple places on her Friday. While he seems to have no memory of their encounters, there are signs he might be the key to getting un-stuck. But Noelle will have to put work aside and live a little in order to make him notice her. As their flirtation progresses, Noelle begins to worry that if she ever gets to turn the calendar page, Cam won’t know who she is and her life may never return to what it was before that fateful Friday…
After eating some dumplings at the night market, Noelle finds herself trapped in a time loop, reliving June 20, over and over again.
Confession: I cannot resist a time loop book. Though I am primarily a contemporary reader, I never fail to enjoy a good time loop. It's a pretty well loved plot device, but I can admit that Lau did a few things that were new to me and plesantly surprising.
The loop was accompanied by a lot of introspection. As with many time loop stories, Noelle spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how to escape the loop. The dumpling purveyor hinted that it was something she needed most. I spent many June 20ths with Noelle as she made attempted to correct whatever was missing in her life.
I always love when there is someone else trapped in the loop with the main character, and here we had Avery. I guess we can say they trauma bonded, but a deep friendship did grow between these two, and I am always here for a female friendship.
Cam was a wonderful love interest for Noelle. He was charming, and I felt those sparks between them. I didn't quite understand Cam's chapters, until I did! It was all part of that new-to-me time loop twist. There were things I didn't think I would know, answers I didn't think I would get, but I just had to be patient. I was thrilled to get all my burning questions answered while my penchant for stories of connection was more than satisfied when all was revealed.
Overall: A fun twist on a time loop filled with risk taking, reflection, and lots of amazing food.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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