Can I Be Honest with You?

How I Learned to Speak My Truth Through Online Dating

By: Amy Palatnick

Narrated by: Amy Palatnick

Inspiration from the dating rollercoaster!

Every once in a while, a book comes along that makes you stop and consider everything.

Can I Be Honest with You? is way more than a collection of (hilariously) entertaining dating stories. It is a poignant inner ride through one woman’s sharp mind and deep heart, a mythic journey of love, authenticity, and personal empowerment.

Listeners have the opportunity to receive a very special gift: expanded clarity and excitement about living more closely to their own personal truths.This book is a fresh balm for the wounds of all people-pleasers, inspiring us to bring our biggest selves forward.

©2021 Amy Palatnick (P)2022 Amy Palatnick

An Honest Review

Some books I read or listen to and promptly forget. This is not one of those, for so many good reasons. First of all, Amy Palatnick has a lovely voice for narration, and I'm glad she was able to narrate her own work. I also very much enjoyed hearing from some of her dating partners, in what seem to be their own voices. That touch was a lot of fun and an unexpected bonus. So, 5 stars, easily, for performance. I was also very impressed with her writing style and the story arc. I very much wanted to listen to the end so I could see how it all turned out. I found the structure engaging and entertaining, almost as if she were a friend and we were out having coffee comparing dates (the good and the bad). Her story also made me think and contemplate my own marriage / dating / partnership journey, and consider my own honesty with myself and partners. When I started this book, I thought it would be a bit of a lark, but came away appreciative of how her kind example prompted me to look more deeply at myself. So, 5 stars, easily, for story. I mostly laughed and nodded at her dating adventures and her rich stories. It is so Eugene, Oregon! And, it might not be welcomed or understood by everyone. I am definitely glad I listened, and will likely re-listen in the future. Thank you, Amy, for such an honest and thought-provoking work.

To live life openly and honestly YES PLEASE

I virtually met Amy through pottery and absolutely loved her energy that gives you the feels from hundreds of miles away. I started listening to her book and loved hearing about how she learned to be more honest with herself and others. I am a people pleaser and feel as though her honesty and desire for that has helped me ask for what I want in many relationships in my life, not just romantically. Love is one of the most beautiful things in this world and I love how Amy has shared that with us in her book.

An honest, heartfelt portrayal of radical honesty as one woman shares her plunge into the dating world of polyamory

This book was a tough read for me, but I am grateful that I didn’t give up. I so appreciate Amy’s willingness to share her experiences with a larger audience, even though these experiences made me feel palpably uncomfortable at times. Because Amy not only wrote about her practice of radical honesty, but also applied that practice to her writing, I trusted the process and kept coming back to the book. My reading of the book sort of mirrored Amy’s dating experience described in the book… sometimes bolting through many chapters at a time and sometimes slowing down and taking long breaks in-between chapters.

I relished the peek into polyamory, and the analogous peek into the levels of communication required for a healthy polyamorous love life. Polyamory is not for me, and I understand aspects of why not at more specific levels after listening to this audiobook. That doesn’t mean I didn’t find learning about both polyamory and radical honesty valuable though. I grew to appreciate the telling of this story more and more deeply as I read on.

I have discovered that I don’t enjoy audiobooks nearly as much when read by the author. A personal preference… but that is why I didn’t rate performance higher. Amy did a fine job, as did the other narrators. But, I personally find that having both an author and narrator perspective deepens the audiobook experience for me.

Thank you, Amy, for your bravery, honesty, soul-connections, and storytelling that birthed this beautiful book from your heart into the world.