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

I honestly don’t know why I finished this🥲

So I guess the book had that going for it, that it was interesting enough for me to want to finish it. I just found the FMC so irritating. She literally tried to cancel some guy she knew for two months over five years ago on TikTok…idk it was just icky. She gave off major teenage maturity levels, which was annoying knowing that she was in her mid 20s.

Plus how she acted with her job was such doormat behavior. Obviously I get the need of having a job but girl at what cost?! Plus what her company did to her was atrociousssss. Ultimately, I was interested in seeing how the story would wrap up which I more or less enjoyed, but I don’t know if this book was worth my time.

There was also a lot of crass jokes and behavior, and a little bit is fine and can even be fun, but this was… a lot.

The one thing I really did enjoy was the MMC as odd of a duck as he was. He was super forthright, extremely caring and really wanted to show the FMC that he cared. Ugh he was so sweet and she really was so annoying to him.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

I LOVED THIS BOOK. As someone who is chronically online, it's not hard to draw similarities to the Chicken Shop Date YouTube series, and BOY did it work. The banter between Eva and Cooper was next level, and had me giddy and kicking my feet while reading.

Mazey never disappoints me. A black cat girl and a golden retriever boy will get me every time! The miscommunication I truly think was done well, and gosh they made me laugh so much with their banter! No one does that as well as Mazey!

Synopsis: Eva makes a drunken decision after seeing her college ex be lauded for being a gentleman that goes viral.

Read this for:
- hot dogs
- second chance
- black cat/golden retriever
- late night bad decisions
- MMC in therapy
- fake dating
- dating lessons
- podcast hosts
- journalist stuck in the wrong job

My thoughts: Eva and Cooper are adorable in this book, Eva is abrasive and emotionally cut off, Cooper has done a lot of therapy and admits he was wrong. The two of them are a study in opposites and how they can go together. I had so much fun reading and listening to this book and want to giggle and kick my feet with how everything goes down because Cooper really does become the gentleman golden retriever biggest cheerleader that Eva should have. Eva doesn’t need him, but she has him.

Highly recommend for those who really liked Court Of Silver Flames for Nesta. And for those who cheered over a certain podcast and IG post this month.

Mazey Eddings does it again! A delightful second-chance, enemies-to-lovers rom-com with big heart, vulnerability, and humor. Eva and Rylie have history of hurt and misunderstanding back in college, that gets unearthed when they're propositioned with a public-dating arrangement. From the jump, the banter is a standout and I loved how the characters slowly opened up and share their vulnerabilities and context of their prior behavior. It was emotionally deeper than your standard rom-com and the chemistry was thick!

Sincere thank to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4.75 ⭐️

This one was more delicious than a hot dog on Fourth of July! It will have you laughing out loud. It’s a second chance romance with sizzling chemistry.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I am posting my review late as life has just been busy.

This book was romantic and fun to read. It felt fast paced and I adored the second chance romance within this one. It felt realistic for the falling out in the first place, even though communication could have been had but with the ages at the time and trauma, it is understandable. It was fun watching the relationship grow and the banter between the two.

I did enjoy both characters individually and thought they had chemistry. The plot was intriguing and I'm happy the FMC had justice for her job at the end, because that aspect drove me nuts!

3.5 ⭐️
This was a fun second-chance romance with sharp banter and a really modern internet-culture vibe. I liked Eva and Rylie’s dynamic, but the pacing dragged in spots and some parts wrapped up too neatly. Overall, it was cute and entertaining, just not a new favorite.

An unlikely romance between two social media personalities which starts out as a dare and turns into more... Eva and Riley once dated in college, very unsuccessfully, since Riley was a fuckboy who ghosted Eva the day after they had extremely mediocre sex. Years later, Eva is at a dead end media job where she interviews B- and C- list celebrities over hot dogs on an innuendo filled (and kind of gross) pop culture beat, while Riley's career has taken off as a social media darling running a "feminism for men" podcast. On a drunken night, Eva decides to very publicly call Riley out on his hypocrisy given their own less than stellar dating history, which sets off a dare for Riley to win Eva over during a series of very public, publicity stunt driven dates.

I loved this take on the fake dating, second chance romance trope. Riley and Eva have to go on dates for their jobs, but there is nothing fake about the relationship - other than the fact that they're forced into it and also have to discuss it on air after the fact. The banter between Eva and Riley is top notch. I loved the romance and how much determination Riley showed in pursuing Eva, even as she continuously negged him in the most delightful ways possible. The man knows what he wants from the first moment and I have mad respect for that. I especially loved that Eva and Riley's banter did not wane in the least bit even after they got together and admitted their feelings to each other. I'm always so disappointed when the dynamics between a contentious couple suddenly change when feelings get involved, but Riley and Eva turned their negging into flirting and kept it going until the very end. Absolutely delightful romance.

Predictably, since we live in a capitalistic hellscape, Eva must also confront her work struggles and the fact that she is basically making dirty jokes over hot dogs for a living. I really enjoyed this arc of Eva's, although I felt the work drama resolution was maybe a little rushed. I wish the bad guys had really gotten their comeuppance in this one in a painful and visceral way, but it mostly happened in the time skips. I also really enjoyed Eva's personality as an extremely high maintenance girly girl, and her ultra petty side as well. She's all about the high heels and the flawless make up and the designer hand bags and I love it. It seems like such as an unpopular type of character to lean into and I enjoyed it immensely.

Big thanks to SMP for the gifted eARC, and my local library for the audio version. Speaking of the audio - the narration by Ariela Crow was utterly top notch.