Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings is a fun, witty romantic comedy that plays on the typical "nerdy romance" trope, but with some clever twists. The slow-burn romance is well-executed. The tension builds up in a way that feels natural, and the relationship develops through shared experiences and emotional growth. If you’re a fan of lighthearted, intellectual romantic comedies with a focus on quirky, lovable characters, Well, Actually will probably be right up your alley. It’s sweet, smart, and funny, with just enough emotional weight to make the romance feel grounded and real.

This rom com follows Eva Kitt, in all her black cat energy, as her life takes an unexpected turn when her video calling out her college ex goes absolutely viral on social media.

Having to now confront the repercussions of this, Eva must face her ex, Rylie Cooper (in his pure golden retriever energy) who makes her a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for the past.

What follows is a delightful adventure, full of witty banter and potential second chances? This book had me twirling my hair and kicking my feet! I also appreciated Mazey Eddings careful handling of mental health, and bountiful queer representation.

Highly recommend picking up a copy when it releases, as this story was just such a joy to get lost into!

There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed!
This was a fun second chance romance! Loved the LGBTQ+ representation in the story as well. However, there were just so many lines that took me completely out of the story.

thank you to st martins & NetGalley for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

DNF @ 66%

I think Mazey Eddings is a great romance writer, and I'm not entirely sure why, but her romances don't fully work for me. I loved that Eva was a badass softie, and I loved how moony Rylie was over her. I thought the side characters were just OK- Eva's relationship with Ada was weird, and I don't always love when the diverse characters are relegated to the sidelines. I liked Eva and Rylie's banter, but it couldn't keep me interested enough to finish sadly.

Take a cranky black cat of a journalist named Eva, stuck ingesting hot dogs for clicks, and force her to do a podcast with the worst one-night stand of her life in the form of one golden retriever of a hottie by the name of Rylie Cooper. It’s been years since he ghosted her, and she is NOT in the mood to relive the heartache, but that’s what she must do to advance her career out of the depths of Sausage Talk, her (literal) basement level show.

Meanwhile, Rylie has done a lot of work on his mental health since they were together, and he is ready to convince Eva to give him another shot. If only she would stop running the other direction! Can’t blame her though. Rylie’s tortoiseshell glasses are just too slutty to ignore and chip away at her resolve to keep him at an emotional distance.

If you love witty, sexy, heartfelt stories, with characters you just want to give big hugs to while they work through all the feels, then you will love “Well, Actually”, by Mazy Eddings.

Loved Eva & Cooper’s story. As a lot of others are saying, it gives Chicken Shop Date vibes which is why I went for it, my first Mazey Eddings book and I’ll definitely be back!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book!

This is my first time reading anything by Mazey Eddings, but I have a decent intuition when it comes to books I'm pretty sure I'm gonna like, and this sixth sense did not steer me wrong. I absolutely ADORED this book! The premise itself of girl drunkenly calling ex out on social media and it becoming a viral sensation had me immediately intrigued. This was second chance done right. I literally couldn't put it down.

Well, Actually had me in ALL the feels. From the beginning, the author was able to effectively make me want to hate the MMC. His unflappable optimism at ALL times made me want to rip his head off. How dare he?? But as the story progresses you're in the same boat as the FMC and you come around to him and appreciate him. My chest constantly felt tight reading this book. The emotions are all over. The ANGST??? My god. I could cut it with a hot dog knife. Do they make those? Someone should start.

As someone who is chronically online, I really loved Mazey's sense of humor that came through in her writing. And I want to give Mazey a kiss on the forehead for her bringing awareness to SSRIs and their impact on sexual health.

Are you still with me? Good. A parting word I want to leave you with is this. I have been married to the LOML for 13 years. That being said, I sometimes miss that excited and nervous energy that comes with meeting someone new. The uncertainty and the longing. Books like Well, Actually are why I love reading romance so much. This book was able to give me all those feelings as I got to bear witness to Eva and Riley's love story and I cannot thank authors enough for putting their magic, because that's what it is, out into the world. So thank you.

The premise of this book was everything I ever wanted. A play off of Chicken Shop Date. It started off strong then just fell flat for me. I understood why both Eva and Rylie felt the way they did about their past and the grudge Eva had ( I would have felt the same way) but by the middle of the book the girl just needed to let it go. It dragged on for wayyy to long. I enjoyed the banter in the beginning and had some laughs but I just couldn't connect with the leads.

This book wasn't for me but I know many other readers will enjoy it.
3/5

This was basically the chicken shop date episode with Andrew Garfield. Cute, funny, it dragged a bit in the last 1/3 but overall enjoyable read!

I have mixed feelings on this book. Eva was a strong woman who was able to be vulnerable when she needed to be, letting people know that while she was tough, she shouldn’t have to always be tough. And Rylie gave golden retriever vibes for most of the story, which was a nice juxtaposition to Eva’s usual snarky personality. I don’t know that they would make it in the real world, though.

However, the premise is that Eva is mad about a drunken hookup with a frat boy she met in college who then ghosted her for 6 years. She’s mad enough that she goes online and posts about it, stitching his very popular content. It kinda feels like one of those let it go situations. When Eva does remember their times together, Rylie doesn’t seem like a real winner. He later explains his trauma about losing his sister, and how he was struggling during that time with his bisexuality. I didn’t love that Rylie tried to hide his sexuality by being homophobic either. (It is later discussed and he expresses remorse, but still…)

I think what bothered me the most was that during the entire story, we are seeing that it’s okay to be a strong woman and go for what you want. But then Landry, who owns Soundbites, turns out to be exactly what every man thinks about women in charge. I think if Landry had stood up to her son, especially after the elevator tape leaked, it would have really driven the point home.

P.S. The whole eating hot dogs thing seemed really gross to me. Couldn’t pay me enough…

The writing wasn’t bad and overall I did enjoy the story, it was a little different than most of the other romcoms I’ve read recently.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded to 4.

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings

Eva is trying everything she can to get her dream of being a serious journalist off the ground, including interviewing d-list celebs while eating hotdogs. A girls gotta pay her bills somehow.
When she drunkly stumbles on her ex-situationship’s Instagram video giving advice, she can’t help but comment on his poor treatment of her in college and the internet, (and her bosses) go berserk and they are forced together to repair their collective image.

Read if you love:
Enemies to lovers
Grumpy/sunshine
He falls first
Mutually assured destruction
Banter

Pub date: 8/5/25

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the chance to read this cutie early!

I absolutely adored this! It's my first book by Mazey Eddings and I'll definitely be recommending it to friends when it's released. Eva was absolutely hilarious, Riley was adorable and also (!) hilarious, and I was definitely in my feels for a chunk of this book. I was constantly dreading that third-act break-up (I had no idea when it was coming), but I gotta stop bringing this up in reviews because it's a romance book and it's bound to happen

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

Mazey Eddings’ Well, Actually had me laughing so hard I cried. This second-chance romance is packed with chaotic energy, witty banter, and a premise that feels like Chicken Shop Date meets viral internet drama, served up with a hot dog pun or ten. It’s funny, it’s messy, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously… which is both a strength and a weakness.

Eva and Rylie are classic black cat vs. golden retriever energy, and their “redemption date” arrangement has so much potential. Their banter is sharp and often hilarious, and I genuinely enjoyed watching Rylie get lovingly roasted by Eva at every turn. The scenes with her awkward interview show (seriously, Chicken Shop vibes!) were some of the best parts—equal parts cringe and comedy gold.

But as much as I laughed, I didn’t fully feel the romance. Eva’s grudge (totally valid, but dragged out) dominated so much of the book that the emotional connection took a backseat. When the deeper feelings finally kicked in, it felt a little rushed, like we skipped a few steps on the path from enemies back to lovers.

Still, this book has heart, humor, and a unique premise that stands out in the rom-com crowd. If you’re in the mood for something quirky, chaotic, and occasionally unhinged, Well, Actually might be your thing. Just don’t go in expecting a smooth love story—it’s more of a hot mess with heart.

4.75/5

Thank you so much to Net Galley, Mazey Eddings, and St. Martain Press for allowing me to get the e-arc of this book 💕

This book had an amazing combination of angst, tension, love, and support. Even though I am still in my reading slump, this may have pulled me out; I could not get enough of this book. Riley Cooper and Eva Kitt dated back in college; six years have passed, but have they put the past behind them? Eva posted a video on the internet hating on Riley about their past relationship. They start to talk again because of Eva's company, Soundbites; both do not know where this will lead them.

💕 Enemies to lovers
💕 Second chance romance
💕 Black cat x golden retriever

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I decided to DNF at 35%, picked it back up to power through, and then ultimately put it down at 40%. The characters were totally unlikable to me -- the FMC seemed immature, bratty, and mean and the MMC also seemed immature without any magnetic qualities I would hope for (and expect) in an MC with a second chance enemies to lovers story arc. The progressive lifestyle seemed uncomfortably forced in the name of representation and quick labels. The banter didn't feel fun and smart; it felt whiney and trite. Again, I may just not have been the target audience for this novel.

This was provided as an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for feedback.

This book started off strong for me but unfortunately missed the mark. I find the grumpy/sunshine trope to be a tricky one for authors to manage without the grumpy being just overall too mean or nasty. I found myself not liking the MFC because I thought she was just too grumpy/ such a brat at times that I got bored and disconnected from the story.

I really struggled with this one. It ended up being a DNF for me. I think it had a lot to do with the misconception trope and how her ex is "perfect". Angry girls just aren't for me.

I really enjoyed this one! I've never read anything from this author before, but I will definitely be picking up other works. The banter and the dynamic between our characters was SO fun. I also loved the chicken shop date kind of vibe and it just made me laugh and giggle the whole time. What a fun and sweet romance!!! I know that so many others will enjoy this one as well.

This is my third Mazey Eddings Book and they just keep getting better! The whitty banter and sarcasm thrown between Eva Kitt and Rylie Cooper is perfection. The black cat, golden retriever energy in this swoony queer representing rom com will make you hungry for more. You can't help but fall for lovable goof Rylie, while also wanting Eva to get all that a bad a$$ women like her deserves. So pass the ketchup and hand me a hotdog while I scarf down this perfect summer read. #thankyounetgalley #wellactually #romcom #netgalley

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Eva Kitt has never gotten over her breakup from Rylie, which she finds out when she gets drunk and records an embarrassing video about their relationship. He was her first everything, not that he knew it at the time and then he ghosted her without explanation. When her video goes viral, they have to work together creating content for her job. Their chemistry is off the charts, I was howling with laughter, and I cannot recommend this one enough for fans of open door steamy reads!