Mayci Neeley Courtesy of Lindsey Stewart Photography Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text Mayci Neeley knows a thing or two about what it takes to make good TV. Now, she's parlaying that expertise into her debut memoir. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star is the sole star in Told You So, her debut memoir which was released on Tuesday. In the book, Neeley opens up about getting pregnant while playing collegiate tennis at BYU, and her son's father's tragic death from a car accident that occurred before their child was born. Neeley has spoken about these topics on her hit Hulu reality seres, but Told You So shares her firsthand recount of navigating the shame she felt getting pregnant at such a young age as a member of the Mormon Church. Her story also tackles an abusive relationship she went through before meeting her son's father. Related Stories TV 'Murder Most Unladylike' Books to Be Adapted for TV TV 'Maxton Hall' Season Two Trailer Teases More Obstacles in Ruby and James' Love Story Below, Neeley reveals to The Hollywood Reporter what she hopes readers take away from her opening up about these tragic experiences, why she knew #MomTok could generate a hit reality show and how she's prepping for Mormon Wives season three's debut roughly a month away. *** You've opened up about your story on The Secret Lives of Mormon wives, but Told You So goes much deeper. Was it hard putting pen to paper on some of those experiences? Yes, but at the same time, I did start out in social media by [writing on a] blog, so that helped forge this book. It was still very difficult. You're kind of reliving your trauma, especially writing about losing Arik [my son's father], which was really hard for me. When you write a book, you read it over and over to make sure it's right, and there wasn't a time I read it over where I didn't cry. It was very challenging to relive, but [at] the same time it feels good. I didn't get to express as much of what I was feeling on the show; a lot of my story was cut. I did film a lot more, so I'm really excited people will get to hear more of the story. My abuse story wasn't in the show either, and I write about how that shaped me into the person I am. I feel like my trauma did shape me into who I am now, for the better. You write that you hadn't even told members of your family some of the details of your abuse. Why was it important to be candid and open about these experiences in this book? As I've gotten older, I just don't care what people think of me or the judgment that will come from it, even from family. I feel like my story is something that can help other people, and giving more detail will help people in those situations to maybe overcome them; maybe they will get out of an abusive relationship because they're seeing the little signs that I wrote about or those big, typical red flags. Like, oh, someone's hitting you, obviously, [get out of] the relationship. But they don't see the little manipulation that happens in the beginning, and the small red flags. It's important to share all the details so I can help other women. I felt so alone going through it myself; that was the hardest part. I didn't have anyone to relate to, and this was back in the time of the curated Instagram feeds where everyone was only showing the perfect parts of their lives. So I was like, I need to show what really is going on, and that's why I wrote the blog. And the book is even more in depth; it's showing the little things and also fun stuff you didn't really know, like the party scene at BYU, not everyone knows about that. And the dynamics of how tennis was so ingrained into my life; that's just not really shown anywhere on the show or even on my profile. A lot of people don't even know I was an athlete, and that was kind of my identity growing up. It was a big part of who I am, and shaped me into who I am now. Mayci Neeley with Joey Fatone. Disney/Barrot Elengold You write a lot about this shame you felt during those moments in your life. On Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, you always talk about how MomTok is challenging outdated norms set by the Mormon Church. Given this conversation that has sparked because of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, do you think if these topics would have been talked about during that point of your life that you would have still felt that shame [about getting pregnant young]? I don't think I would have, and I think it's because it wasn't really talked about a lot. It was like: these are the guidelines, you follow these guidelines, and it's almost embarrassing to an extent. As I've gotten older, I'm like, "No, it's not embarrassing. Who cares what people think?" Who cares that you got pregnant? Like, yeah, it wasn't great, but who's anyone to judge? It took me a little bit to get through that. I went to