Tell Me How You Really Feel

Sonia Siegel dreams of becoming a filmmaker while completing her senior year at a Seattle high school. When her film teacher assigns her to direct a romance for her final project, she casts cheerleader Rachel Rosenberg as the lead - the same girl who rejected her and broke her heart years ago. Rachel maintains a packed schedule of extracurriculars and college prep while hiding her interest in acting from her doctor parents. Taking on the lead role in Sonia's film presents an opportunity, but working with Sonia brings up complicated feelings about their past interaction. As Sonia and Rachel collaborate on the film, they confront their assumptions about each other and their shared history. Their initial tension evolves as they navigate family expectations, career aspirations, and their changing relationship. The novel explores themes of artistic passion, identity, and the challenge of moving past first impressions. Through its dual perspective structure, it examines how two people can experience the same events differently while finding unexpected common ground.

Readers highlight the authentic emotional depth between the two main characters and natural development of their enemies-to-lovers relationship. Many note the book handles complex family dynamics and cultural identity with nuance. Likes: - Realistic depiction of anxiety and mental health - Strong character growth for both leads - Incorporation of filmmaking themes - Representation of Jewish and Iranian-American characters - Balance of heavier themes with humor Dislikes: - Some found the pacing slow in the middle - A few readers wanted more scenes of the characters working on their film project - Minor characters felt underdeveloped to some Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (12,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (450+ ratings) BookPage: 4.5/5 Sample review: "The character development was fantastic. Both Sana and Rachel felt like real people with real flaws and real growth." - Goodreads reviewer "The anxiety representation hit home. First time seeing my exact experience on page." - Amazon reviewer

Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon Two academic rivals fall for each other during a 24-hour scavenger hunt on the last day of high school.

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales A bisexual teen who runs an anonymous relationship advice service at school faces complications when she develops feelings for the boy she's helping with relationship problems.

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen A former basketball player and a cheerleader enter a fake dating arrangement to make their exes jealous while dealing with their growing attraction to each other.

I Kissed Alice by Anna Birch Two art school rivals unknowingly fall for each other online while collaborating on a webcomic under pseudonyms.

Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen A closeted teen enters a secret relationship with another girl while navigating friendship dynamics and her own identity.

📚 Author Rachel Lynn Solomon was inspired to write this book after seeing a lack of Jewish representation in YA romance novels 🎬 The story plays with the enemies-to-lovers trope while also subverting classic rom-com stereotypes, particularly those found in student films 🌈 The book features two Jewish main characters in a sapphic romance, marking one of the first mainstream YA novels to highlight this intersection of identities 🎥 The protagonist Sana's passion for filmmaking was influenced by Solomon's own background working in television news before becoming an author 💝 The novel was published during Pride Month (June 2019), making it a meaningful addition to LGBTQ+ young adult literature that year