I loved this! I loved the dynamic between the two main characters, the focus on mental health, and support of the LGBTQIA+ community.

This book sent me into a panic. Bi panic. Eva and Riley are so wonderfully complex characters with stories and growth that I adore. They fit together so perfectly with their struggles but also their opposing personalities. And a man who yearns??? I am fully obsessed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to review this book.

A fun premise but I was not a fan of the main characters. Funny how important something like a personal connection can make for my enjoyment of a romance, but this one just was not for me. I do not think that makes it a book I won't suggest to others and it did make me want to re-watch Chicken Shop Date so that is a positive. A few funny moments but I mostly spent my read being annoyed at the characters.

⭐3.5⭐ Move over Mr. Darcy- there’s a new romantic hero in town, and he’s probably wearing a Santa shirt in October and his name is Riley Cooper. I completely adored our MMC from Mazey Eddings’ newest novel, Well, Actually. He’s a famous social media podcaster whose mission is teaching men how to be responsible partners and deconstructing toxic male masculinity. Eva Kitt is a journalism- wannabe and the host of a show called Sausage Talk (think Chicken Shop Date, but with hotdogs). Despite Riley’s alluring charm and charisma, one thing that people don’t know is how he trampled and tore Eva Kitt’s heart into tiny pieces back in college. As Riley rises in popularity, Eva decides to take matters into her own drunken hands and call him out online. Definitely not Eva’s finest hour, but this mistake lands her right back into Riley’s orbit where they confront the past and figure out what happened.
I loved reading Riley’s journey and his character arc. He was so genuine with Eva and we see them actually go to therapy together! Let’s go!!! Eva was a bit rough around the edges for me and she seemed a bit childish and cruel at times. But as the story progressed I could understand her rough exterior and how Riley tries so hard to help her shine through it. Riley and Eva’s banter was next level and I absolutely lost it and the jean comforter part. I would have loved more depth into the romance and the ending seemed a bit rushed.
This was a fun read that I know will resonate with so many readers. Also my girl Lizzie Blake makes an appearance and that alien is 5 stars!!!!
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this, but I found myself so beyond annoyed with Eva. She was so whiny and insufferable. And tell me why they “went out in college” yet didn’t know anything about each other?? It was as if they’d just met at the beginning and it didn’t make any sense.
The spice was good, though. But it doesn’t make up for everything else I disliked in the book.
Rylie was fantastic though, had a lot of trauma he had to overcome and he did, which is fantastic.

It was the chacters that made this one a winner for me. They are fresh, unique, and well-developed. Eva is the perfect girl boss, and Riley is the type of guy who would cover your drink to keep you from getting roofied. Eva was very real and relatable, and I appreciated her as a character.

Do you ever hate a book so much, but you feel like you have to see it through? That was me with Well, Actually. I hate dogging on a book that I got to read in advance, but I am here for honest feedback and honest feedback only, and I’d hate for anyone to spend too much time reading this one. Sorry, I am sure the author is lovely and maybe some of her other books are better!

Eva Kitt’s career is far from what she ever imagined, interviewing B-list celebrities while eating hot dogs on her podcast. When she blasts her ex-boyfriend Riley Cooper on the internet for being fake, he’s determined to win her over. Their producer agrees that it would be a great idea for Riley and Eva to go out on a series of dates to change her mind, and report back to their listeners. Eva is convinced Riley could never win her over, but as they spend more time together, she realizes maybe she never knew the real Riley Cooper.

I struggled so much with the lack of maturity with our main character in this one, and I think that’s why it was such a spite read. She reminded me of the WORST girl you knew in college. The one who is completely self-centered, thinks everything is about her, and only ever talks about herself.

How are you going on a fight, running out on a date, and then getting sad that you left while you’re on the subway and running to their apartment? And THEN you hook up with them AND sneak out of their apartment?! It’s like a toxic college relationship that you keep running back to when you’re drunk, but in reality, you’re an adult and you’re just acting silly. Pick a feeling girl – I am EXHAUSTED!

If you want to be annoyed by every interaction ever, read this book, otherwise, save yourself the pain. I only gave the half star because I finished and it wasn’t a *total* DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the advanced copy of this read in exchange for my honest review.

I’m such a fan of Mazey’s books! They’re always so fun and spicy! This one was so good! I love the main characters and their dynamic! I think they both deserved that second chance after the disaster of their first dating in college! I love how they both had grown too! Just a great romance! Can’t wait for more!

This was a fun read and I really enjoyed the chicken shop date type premise and the energy it added to the story. The fmc works as a journalist who has been stuck doing staged dates in the studio with struggling artists who need extra publicity. She dislikes the assignment but accepts it in hopes of advancing her journalism career, though it leaves her feeling trapped. The mmc is a famous influencer who coaches men on being better and less toxic, but the fmc resents him due to how he once treated her.
When the fmc drunkenly posts a video reply to one of the mmc’s clips, she’s forced into a publicity stunt pairing with him. As they film videos together, they gradually reconnect and start spending more time around one another. I adored the witty banter and how it carried through even after they began hooking up. I also appreciated that they had to rebuild trust and overcome the past. Altogether, this was a fast, entertaining romance.

As an avid fan of the YouTube channel/social media presence of Amelia Dimoldenberg with her Chicken shop Dates, I was excited to read this book. I love a second chance romance with amazing banter, and this delivered! The FMC was rude at times but was able to get past her attitude when she clearly loved the guy.

Okay hear me out.
Eva can definitely be mean but I fear I relate. Really well don’t miscommunication trope. Which takes me a lot to say but once they started communicating I was hooked.

I liked it but didn’t like it at the same time. I liked the premise and the second chance, enemies to lovers vibe going on between Eva and Rylie. I liked Eva and Rylie together and individually but there was just something about Eva I can’t quite put my finger on. I will say they both needed lots of hugs and I’m glad they are in therapy and understand the importance of honest communication with each other. Rylie was a huge supporter of Eva and that was a huge win for her to finally have someone in her corner for her emotionally and physically.

This was my first book by the author and I’ll be adding some of her other books on my tbr.



Thank you publishers and netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

This was SO cute. Rylie is an absolute cinnamon roll and I'm a sucker for a second chance romance, so this had the best vibes. Also... it was hot lol!

I really expected to enjoy this one but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I really liked Eva at first, but eventually her bad ass front shifted into being very immature. I wanted more from her character and felt like she, and the audience, got short changed. Rylie was fine, but just fine. I felt more like I kept being told he was so perfect rather than it being organically shown. While their banter was fun eventually the biting quips got old and felt even mildly toxic. I just didn't vibe with their relationship and journey, but could definitely see how this would be liked by others.

This was an absolute delight with the banter but it definitely had some serious undertones with subject matter. Rylie and Eva were the perfect yin/yang for each other. My only issue is I wish that Eva would have delved a bit more into her family dynamic with Rylie during the therapy session. I think it would help him understand her more even more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the e-ARC of this title to read and review. I own a few other of Mazey Eddings' books but this is the first one I've read -- and I'm ready to devour them all! This was so much fun, with snappy writing, zingy banter, and lots of passion (both romantically and for journalism jobs, which I am part of and love!) The premise was so much fun - reminded me of Chicken Shop Date all the way through, but make it a second chance romance with the guy who ghosted and wants to publicly right his image! What's not to love and enjoy?

Eva and Rylie are interesting and dynamic lead characters - I'd listen to them doing any mundane chore or talking about the weather, because they're just really fun. They feel authentic, they're the right amount of untrusting about one another, but they get there. The book manages to have them go to therapy together in a way that is actually great representation and moves the plot forward - not at all cringe like that could easily be. It examines what would happen if f-boys actually looked inward to genuinely see how their actions were effecting others - and truly, could you even imagine such a thing?

I do wish the ending was explored a bit more because I do love some good workplace drama/potential sabotage/ and anything that holds companies and their leaders up to a magnifying glass -- I kind of felt like the story ended like it was running out of an allotted page count more than it thoroughly fleshed out the idea. But. Again, I'll be back for more Mazey Eddings books!

THE BANTER I MEAN COMMON!! This book had 100/10 banter between the two main characters. I also truly loved strong and smart the female main character was in a way that isnt always well represented in books. The MMC didnt always do it for me but overall a wonderful fun read!

So great. Everything I wanted in a nice little book. I really needed a break and Im glad I got it with this nice read!

I knew from page one that this book was going to be a hit. I can’t explain it, sometimes I feel like I’m crazy when I say I get a specific feeling when I know a book is going to be THAT good, but I felt it with this one too and turned out I was right. I hadn’t read anything by Mazey Eddings before, and if all her books are like this, I’m officially reading EVERYTHING.

Why is it so good? Honestly… everything works. I really can't think about a single thing in this book that didn't work. Not one. The banter was out of this world. Rylie is the most golden retriever of all golden retriever main characters and Eva is just perfect, sarcastic with a spark of evil that makes everything so much better. Their dynamic is insane; they even have the audacity to keep bantering as a couple, and I ate it up.

Rylie’s growth was also chef’s kiss. He’s totally head over heels for Eva and isn’t shy about it, but he also actually faces his past mistakes instead of hiding. Even the tough stuff in his life gets mentioned without turning into drama or excuses. Eva, meanwhile, is one of the most relatable characters I’ve read in a long time. Her fear of getting hurt, the pressure to always be strong, the little cracks where she shows softness, it all felt so raw and real.

I really liked how the book wasn’t just about the romance. It touches on stuff like grief, figuring out who you are, and how people show themselves online, which made the story feel more real. I loved that it wasn’t only about Eva and Rylie’s relationship, but also about them growing as people and dealing with their pasts.

It took me "a long time" to read it (based on my stats) because I honestly didn’t want to finish it and I was so settled on giving it 5 stars that I was scared of a possible dumb third act break up that would make the rating go to 4, but thankfully Rylie said fuck third act breakups (*wink*) and I was spared the suffering.

So yeah, I loved it A LOT. And I beg you all to read this, you won’t regret it.

Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

And a little thank you too to the Owlcrate team (who will never see this review) because it’s only thanks to them I found out about this book and requested the ARC, so yeah thank you, I love you.

Generous 3 stars for this one. I don’t think I totally vibe with Mazey Eddings’ writing, but the story was fun enough to keep me reading. Eva had all the wit and bite I usually love in a FMC, but it felt more like a shield than true confidence, which left me wanting more depth from her character.

The romance moved way too fast for my taste. Six years is a long time to not know someone and then suddenly fall right back in, it just felt rushed. Riley was likable (if a little too flawless), and the banter was fun, but the miscommunication trope dragged things down.

Overall, it’s a playful, banter-filled second chance romance with some good one-liners and emotional moments, but not as groundbreaking as I’d hoped.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the eARC via Netgalley