Told You So

by Mayci Neeley

From TikTok and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Mayci Neeley, a deeply personal story of love, grief, motherhood, and resilience.

Mayci Neeley and the women of MomTok burst into the center of pop culture when Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives took the world by storm. But the show barely scratched the surface of Mayci’s personal story. From becoming a mom at twenty, to losing her son’s father in a tragic car accident, to going back to college as a single mother, she’s only ever given us glimpses of the challenging things she’s been through. Now, finally, she’s ready to tell us everything.

In this inspiring and darkly funny memoir, Mayci lifts the veil for readers on what growing up Mormon is really like and how it’s strict standards completely blow up for many young people when they get to college. When Mayci arrived at BYU on a tennis scholarship, she was unprepared to manage the temptations she’d been taught were sins. She found herself drinking too much, stuck in an abusive relationship, and on the verge of falling down a dark and dangerous path. Suddenly, she was pregnant at nineteen and mourning a boyfriend she’d been building a future with. Mayci captures the period from college to adulthood with brutal honesty, grace, and humor, offering up a heartfelt portrait of a woman finding her voice and her strength.

All of these trials led to her current love story, her journey with IVF, and of course the inside story of MomTok. Fans looking for a juicy play-by-play on the friend group drama will get everything they want—and then some—but more than anything, readers will walk away with a sense of confidence in themselves and an ability to wear their scars proudly.

Genres: Audiobook, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Religion, Adult

1 pages, Audio CD

Published October 7, 2025

Reviews

[Brady Lockerby]

that was.. something! i loved being able to learn more about Mayci and her story after watching her on Secret Lives, but this book felt so disconnected. almost as if it didn't go through any kind of revision or editing process? if this was meant to be just her publishing her journal, i wish that was stated somewhere or put on the cover so i knew that going into it, because that's what it felt like. i'm never one to critic someone's story, it is such a beautiful thing to share your story with the world! i just wish this was done a bit better.

[Courtney]

I don’t like rating memoirs, because it’s not fair to rate someone’s life/experiences. I am a huge fan of Mayci from SLOMW. I can acknowledge what she has gone through at such a young age was horrific. However, this was not good. The writing is not polished. She chose to narrate it herself, and the audio was flat and lacklustre with each chapter just ending so suddenly and choppy but not on a cliff hanger/ in a good way. Although her story is sad and tragic, Mayci didnt get deep or emotional with her story telling, so it didn’t feel somber to me.

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This writing is so chronologically all over the place, and the wording is crazy

[Nicole Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can appreciate the story and the vulnerability it takes to share your life like this, but the actual writing was pretty awful. Simple sentence after simple sentence. I went to a party. I wore a black dress with spaghetti straps. I got drunk again. So yeah, I’d say that was a generous 2 stars.

[Nicole Hoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read - Mayci story is incredible and interesting but she is not a story teller. It was just a list of her life - which is so boring. Not to mention she was incredibly privileged and doesn’t seem to recognize it.

She would say things like “His lake house was nothing special” or “my parents pranked me with a used car but I got a brand new one for Christmas” or “I was so innocent” (meanwhile she has hooked up with many guys by the age of 17) - I am just so confused.

Why is this book making me not like her? She is so unproblematic and nice but this book was not it. Sorry - the only reason I did not rate it a one is because I like Mayci.

[Jennifer Herbert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Felt like reading the journal of 16 year old. Half way through the book you’re still stuck in her childish HS romances.

[Josie Atkinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

wow! but in a bad way

[Emily Blanchette · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I had taken notes as I was reading, I could have written a full length essay on everything that was wrong with this memoir, but lucky for you, I did not take notes. This is the only memoir I've ever read that made me think... wow, this is a truly awful person. (Well, actually, I can't say that... I've read Gypsy Rose's as well). That says a lot, though, because before reading this, I was convinced that Mayci was the most genuine and down to earth of the Mormon moms by far. I was under the impression that she was a young woman who had been through a lot of hard things at no fault of her own and came out stronger and more mature on the other side of it all. Boy, was I wrong.
This memoir follows the story of Mayci Neely: a spoiled, naive, young Mormon woman who uses nepotism to her advantage, manipulates and is manipulated by men, never learns from her actions and never grows up. She dates awful man after awful man, always making excuses for why she's dating multiple men at once and why she's going back to freaks and abusers. She tells us that she would never ever drink, do drugs, or be sexually promiscuous because she is Mormon, yet she spends the entire book telling us how she does all of these things constantly. You might think "Yeah, but she changed when her child was born right?" No. She did not. She continues all of this behavior and we never really get to see her grow up. She even mentions that her Mom watched her child all day long and had a rule that Mayci had to come home to tuck the kid into bed before going back out again every night. Like really? 🤯 You needed a rule to make you see your kid for 30 minutes a day??
If this all wasn't bad enough, she constantly says things in this book that rubbed me the wrong way. It's clear that she is very shallow and materialistic. The story about her family pranking her by pretending they got her a used car for Christmas was so embarrassing. The fact that she was ungrateful until the newer car showed up was the cherry on top. She judges people for their financial situation several times throughout the book and it's disgusting. I also hated the way she spoke about IVF... from "at least I won't have to do IVF" when she got pregnant the first time, to complaining about her IVF experiences with her current husband knowing that she has it easier than 99% of women out there going through IVF because of the financial situation that came with her circumstances. It was all just really tasteless. She has no tact.
The most interesting aspect of this book is the peek into Mormon culture... the corrupt and sexist BYU honor system, the magic underwear, the loopholes they all jump through, etc. However, like with my complaint of Sherri Franke's book, Maci never directly ties some of the things she went through back to Mormonism even though they are clearly related. She even goes as far as to say how uncomfortable she would be to think of her own children having to sit with a middle aged man (the bishop) and talk about sexual things. 🤢 LIKE HELLO!!! WHY ARE YOU STILL ASSOCIATING WITH THIS RELIGION? THATS AWFUL. But, that's less about the book and more about her personal journey. Though, her story would be more satisfying if she was able to come full circle in that way. Almost everything she went through can be traced back to how she was raised. The poor girl was kept naive and the men she was around were a product of their raising as well.
So, this definitely changed my views on Mayci. Overall, it was entertaining in a way, I guess. So, I'll give it two stars. If you like to cringe, give it a read.

Edit to add: I just realized I didn't even touch on the writing. It was AWFUL and all over the place. That's it. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[Delaney]

Loved learning more about her & so inspired by her bravery, strength, & vulnerability. However, this book felt very distant/disconnected? Can’t totally pinpoint WHY, just didn’t feel as impactful as it should’ve been for the content discussed.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm kind of surprised at the amount of people who didn't like this? I thought it was really good, though a bit challenging to read/listen to because of all that Mayci went through.

The book began, and I knew I'd have to keep pausing often to reflect on what I'd just heard, it was wild, and heartbreaking at the same time.

I chose to go with the audio version, and I honestly didn't notice the chapters ending abruptly like I'm seeing other reviewers mention, but maybe that's because I was so engrossed I looked over all the flaws? To me, they seemed like your average mini cliffhangers, nothing more. And I didn't have trouble following the timeline either.

Looking back, I can see why so many people disliked the writing style, it is quite simple, but it didn't bother me one bit. Maybe it would have if I'd read it myself.

Told You So could've gone deeper, but I ended the book feeling like I got to know Neeley better, so I think she gave us just enough, and I thank her for sharing her story.

[Sydney Murray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Imagine you’re in a coffee shop and you overhear a young millennial gabbing about herself to her friend for 5 hours. You write down everything she says, but simplify a lot of the sentence structure and take out most of the interesting figurative language or word choice (you have to leave in all of the internet slang that everyone stopped saying 3 years ago). You have an eight grader read it out load very slowly and carefully for the first time in a room full of people she’s either very scared of or very bored with. That is what this audiobook was.

[Elena Cantwell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved her on the show but the writing is so awful.

[Gracie Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mayci!!! Girl!!!! You are SO strong and brave and vulnerable. I am more obsessed with you than ever after reading your story. Your story is a love letter to love in all its forms: love for your parents and siblings, love for your children and husband, love for the sport that made you who you are, and love for yourself and the things that have made you grow.

Readers, this is NOT A MOMTOK TELL ALL. It is so much more than that! It’s not a trashy memoir that someone wrote to be trendy. This is a hard, dark, deep story of pain and resilience and growth. Let Mayci speak for herself, I guarantee you will be impressed.

The only semi negative thing I want to note: the writing felt so awkward at first. The sentences are so choppy and the chapters are really short, and it’s all written in the present tense even though the stories take place in the past. I got used to the choppy writing eventually, and instead of awkward it became wry and truthful. But these things make it compulsively readable! I literally could not stop reading to go to bed because I could just read ~~ one more chapter, haha.

Love you Mayci. You are a good mother and friend and daughter and wife. Thank you for sharing your story!!

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in Utah, obviously I am very familiar with the Mormon culture 🥸 This is a sad reality of assault being reported to a bishop instead of authorities 😢 where young women are forced to detail physical acts in a room with a grown man 😡 there is a lot that the church does that is good- but the inequality and treatment of women continues to be a gross reality. 👎🏻

[Peyton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mayci definitely went through some awful trauma, and I’m glad she is ready to share her story. But oh my gosh. She needs a better editor. What is up with the stagnant simple sentence structure???? We went to the party. We sat on the bean bags. We kissed a little. The party was over. I drove us home. ???? It was almost rhythmic (not in a good way). Hardly any introspection at all, practically no reflection, and definitely confusing at parts. She literally said how glad she was to not have to do IVF ever and then later in the book is talking about how she has to do IVF. With no explanation of how we got there. And yes, she absolutely could have transitioned that shift without revealing the personal details she wants to keep to herself. Just so bad. I only finished it because it was so short.

[Kristen Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ Mormons = GROSS
Mayci’s family = GROSS
The writing of this book = GROSS (bad writing not inappropriate writing)

[Grace De La Mare]

Girl you gotta fire your ghost writer

[Hannah Braunersrither]

as someone who loves the SLOMW and loves a memoir this book felt like a no brainer for me to read— however I really don’t have good things to say.

I usually walk away from memoirs with so much love, respect, and empathy for the person I just read about. But somehow I like Mayci less?

I feel like I just read the first draft of her book against her will. Like while I was reading she should have been saying “don’t worry it’s not done yet it will get better!” Except what I was reading was published.

Idk maybe I’m pro ghost writers?

also don’t mention things in your book you don’t want to talk about ????????? why did she mention an incident twice just to tell us it’s so bad she’ll never tell her husband or her therapist? Hey maybe you should talk about it queen you need HELP. You also really easily could have left that out and all the same story would’ve gotten across.

This is easily my least favorite memoir I’ve ever read but it was a pretty quick read and I would like to hear others thoughts! so even though I just wrote a scathing review everyone read it so we can chat

[Anika (Encyclopedia BritAnika) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, do we want or expect this to be good? No! Thank you for giving me what I needed from a Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star. It is about her time in college, about drinking and having sex, and then becoming pregnant, and then her baby daddy dying in a car accident, and her subsequent depression. So it's not light but it's not deeply written, so you'll likely be fine. There are like two chapters at the end about the show and TikTok. So don't read it for any dish, you won't be getting it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy. Told You So is out 10/7/25.

[Nikki Jangula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would go 2.5stars, rounded up to 3. I listened to this on Spotify, so I think it was probably better than actually reading? It felt like Mayci was just telling us all about her life and trauma. I applaud her vulnerability and sharing her story in detail, it’s sad what she went through. I just overall felt like it was her talking about her trauma and how it led her to where she is today. It was more detailed than what we kinda know from the show already, but overall just kinda 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Alyssa Keller · Rating 2 out of 5]

YIKES. 1.5 stars.
I feel bad giving a memoir about someone’s trauma such a low rating but the writing was just AWFUL. So let me preface this by saying my issue was not at all with the content, but more with the way it was presented.

Ok maybe it’s a little about the content. On SLOMW Mayci seems like the chill relatable one. However, this book screams entitlement and naïveté. And although she does acknowledge her privilege (I was raised rich, I’m pretty, I’m blonde, etc.) I don’t at all get the feeling that she’s grateful for all the help she received from her family while she was going through a tough time. Her mother basically raised her baby so she could play tennis and party.

She makes a lot of really weird choices and is constantly contradicting herself. For example, her family hid her first pregnancy for as long as they possibly could. Several chapters later she says she’s so glad her family doesn’t care what other people think. Huh???

And not to speak ill of the dead but her first baby daddy Arik (yes it’s actually spelled that way) seemed like a problematic guy…

This book also made me hate Mormon culture even more, if that’s possible. Mayci was blamed by her bishop for all the traumatic things that she endured, including rape, which made my blood boil. But Mayci barely condemns the misogyny, homophobia, racism, and slew of other things wrong with the Mormon
church. So that was disappointing.

And finally, the writing. The writing made this so hard to get through. Bleh.

[Angie Miale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly the right amount of self-ownership and respectful reflection.

There are only a few pages of when they started Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. This is a very small part of the story.

This is the story of growing up a goody two shoes, being in a controlling, abusive relationship, then finding new love. She got a full scholarship to play division 1 tennis. Then she got pregnant with her boyfriend. Then he died in a car accident.

This book is real, raw, and transparent. It felt very healing to me because of past relationships and with high control religion.

This is more of a “tell some” than a “tell all,” but it’s an empowering story.

[Alanna Grace]

I listened to the audiobook...I pushed through. I wouldn't recommend.

[Rachel | All the RAD Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

the audio was… so bad. and the writing was… not good. not at all knocking her story (wow she has been through A LOT) but the quality just wasn’t there and i couldn’t finish it

[Shana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just didn't care for this book. "I'm a Mormon. I'm saving myself for marriage." Yet she does every thing she says she's not going to and talks about it like poor me..... I don't watch the Mormon wives show just because of this. You want me to feel sorry for you, yet you don't change the crazy way you're living..... nope.

[Shelby Preciado · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’d give it three stars if the writing wasn’t so horrible. It reads like a seventh grade personal essay with unbearably choppy sentences and inane, impertinent details.

My first thoughts were “How is this even a book? My trauma is uncannily similar, so why is this special?” But I realize that’s not very girls’ girl of me. And I realize Mayci’s main intention was to help people in similar situations not feel so alone.
So… sorry, I guess 😅

I was pretty perplexed at the amount of irresponsible driving (eg. Driving under the influence, texting and driving) that happened during this timeline and it makes me never want to take my kids out ever again 😳

I also found myself a feeling resentful toward Mayci and the people in her college circles that got away with some of the more serious infractions to the honor code. I’ve seen others get kicked out of BYU and BYUI for much less.

That in itself is the problem I have with the church’s schools. If Mayci had chosen to go to ucla instead, there wouldn’t be any black mail to kick her out of school from any abusers. There wouldn’t be so much shame and stigma and judgement. I hope that doesn’t come off as victim blaming. ABUSERS ARE ABUSERS AND THEY DESERVE TO GO TO HELL AND AT LEAST JAIL. I swear to god every book I read just reinforces my hatred of the male species.

I have a big problem with what she said about finally understanding why the church has the rules that they do regarding the law of chastity and the word of wisdom. No, honey, you weren’t miserable and depressed because that’s gods consequence for breaking the rules, you are a victim of a toxic puritan society with archaic ideals about women.

Edit: after reading other reviews that agree she should have had a ghost writer or a co writer, I’m taking my rating down to a one. Everyone is being too nice and I’m honestly a little salty I had to endure that 😅

[Ellie Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved hearing Mayci tell her story through the audiobook! A lot of trigger warnings, but I appreciate how vulnerable she was in hopes of helping others.

[Tatum Diel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was horribly written and the audio book was even worse.

[emma]

while she has an interesting story to tell, she isn’t much of a storyteller

[Ashley Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down! Love Mayci! Love her story! She is a badass woman. She is raw, honest and strong.