Thank you for an ARC of this book! While it wasn't one of my favorites from Mazey, I'm sure other readers will think differently 🥹🖤

Mazey Eddings has done it again. Imagine a woman who's never been loved properly, who worries she's too angry, too mean, too much, who finds a guy who's absolutely obsessed with every part of her, and has never forgotten her during the six years after their breakup. He'd move mountains for her. He likes that she's blunt and speaks her mind. He'd never want her to anything else. Do I have your attention? Yeah.

I loved this so much. Before I describe the plot, I also want to add that the book cover perfectly shows their dynamic and vibe. So in this case, you can judge a book by its cover. WELL, ACTUALLY by Mazey Eddings follows Eva and Rylie who dated briefly six years before the story, which left a mark on both of them. It broke Eva's heart and Rylie always regretted the way he left things. All this time later, Rylie is not the same college guy he used to be, and he's known for his videos where he talks about how to be a good partner and deconstructing toxic masculinity. Eva works at a media company where she does 'sausage talk' where she eats hot dogs with (not that famous) celebrities. She gets drunk and makes a video complaining about Rylie and the way he acted before, and then he convinces her to do a podcast where they talk about their past, the mistakes he made, and go on a few dates to make up for it.

The relationship between them is complex, complicated, and compelling, and I loved the development of it. It explores mental health, healing, changing, making up for mistakes, and letting yourself be your whole messy self. They both have flaws but they fit well together, and they slowly figure that out in the most wonderful, fun way that feels real and beautiful. I love how Mazey Eddings writes her characters, and how she explores their individual journeys while creating a wonderful relationship as well. It's fun, unique, relatable, and I loved every second.

I also have to point out again how amazing Eva is as a character. How important it is to let her be a messy, angry, frustrated woman who is worthy of love in all of her rage. It stands against all the patriarchal BS that labels women bitches and doesn't give them space to be anything but polite and quiet. As someone who used to have anger issues as a child and worked hard to unlearn them, this hit a deep spot in my heart that made me think that perhaps rage should have some space in us when there are reasons for it. That we don't have to mold into some perfect standard to find a loving relationship.

So needless to say, you need to pre-order this and read it the second it comes out because it's a wonderful romance that will be well worth the wait. It's emotional, sweet, funny, meaningful, steamy, and beautiful.

Review left on Good Reads (link below) and Bookmory. I couldn’t figure out how to share that link, but it’s the same review just on another platform to hopefully help

The banter was great. Eva and Riley were very entertaining. Eva’s character is such a love hate relationship

Eva hosts "Sausage Talk," a social media show, while she tries to climb the ranks in journalism. One day, she posts a roast of her ex Riley (a host of a podcast) on her personal social media, and it goes viral. Her media conglomerate gets a hold of it and plays it up, leading to a confrontation and a challenge by Riley to let him taker her out on six dates to prove that he has changed. What ensues is a very sweet story of their dates. Overall, I really liked this book, but I felt like it reached its peak about 75% of the way through and could have been much shorter. Several times I considered not finishing, and it was work to get it done.

ʍʏ ʄɨʀst ɮօօҡ ʄʀօʍ ʍaʐɛʏ aռɖ ɨ ċօʊʟɖռ t ɦaʋɛ ʟօʋɛɖ ʍօʀɛ
ɛʋa ɨts sօ ʄʊռռʏ tɦɛ ɮaċҡɢʀօʊռɖ aʀօʊռɖ tɦɛɨʀ stօʀʏ ɨts sօ ɨռtɛʀɛstɨռɢ
ɨ ʍ sʊsքɛċt tօ taʟҡ sɨռċɛ ɛռɛʍɨɛs tօ ʟօʋɛʀs ɨts ʍʏ ʄaʋɛ ʀօʍaռċɛ tʀօքɛ ɮʊt ɨts ʀɛaʟʟʏ ʀɛaʟʟʏ ɢօօɖ aռɖ ʟɛaʋɛɖ ʍɛ աaռtɨռɢ tօ ʀɛaɖ tɨʟʟʏ ɨռ tɛċռɨċօʟօʀ ʄʀօʍ tɦɛ saʍɛ aʊtɦօʀ tօօ
sօ ʄօʀ քɛʀsօռs աɦօ ɖɨɖռ t ʀɛaɖɛɖ ʍaʐɛʏ ɮօօҡs ʊռtɨʟ ռօա ɨ ɖօ ʀɛċօʍɛռɖ ʀɛզʊɛst tɦɨs օռɛ
ɨʄ ʏօʊ ʟօʋɛ ʀօʍ ċօʍ ɮօօҡs ʍʊċɦ as ʍɛ ɨ քʀօʍɨsɛ ʏօʊ աɨʟʟ ռօt regret

This was my first Mazey Eddings book and it was playful, witty, and sexy as heck! We follow Rylie and Eva as they navigate their careers and relationship in the public eye. They're witty, the banter was fun, cheeky, and sprinkled with pop culture references, and I really enjoyed their snarky remarks to one other. They actually had me laughing out loud at times and this was definitely the highlight of the book for me!

However, as the book progressed I started to lose interest. The banter became repetitive and the plot wasn't holding up. The dates, although they started with a bang, became less and less interesting and I simply felt like something was missing. This book had all the elements to be great - strong character development, chemistry, romance, and depth... but it just didn't hold my attention like I wanted it to. I loved all the representation and really appreciate the diverse range of characters, but at times it started to feel like too much was being incorporated and there wasn't enough time to properly dig deep and give these important topics the representation they deserve.

The ending came together too quickly and it didn't feel like we had enough time with Rylie and Eva before they gave into their desire for one another.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful romance full of heart, charm, funny moments, and depth. It's definitely worth giving a try!

So so so grateful to be an ARC reader of such a fun story!
It’s giving “The Ex Talk” meets the “Chicken Shop Date” series in the best way possible.

After swooning over the young love from Tilly In Technicolor- I knew I needed to get my hands on the newest book when I saw it available for requests.

Eva and Rylie ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I love the hi-jinx of it all. It’s clear Rylie is there to win Eva’s attention while she fights soooo hard to ~feel her feelings~. It wasn’t a slow burn but it was a good build up to an even better happily ever after.

Also Eva’s bosses got what was coming to them! That’s all I will say on THAT matter!

2 ⭐️ I had really high hopes for this book and was excited to start it after seeing so many positive reviews. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. Overall, I think this played too hard into the "black cat girl" and "golden retriever boy" tropes and made the characters feel like caricatures instead of having any sense of realism. The FMC is insufferable and mean for no reason, while the MMC is very two-dimensional for the majority of the story. Their conversations are comprised almost entirely of cringey quips and references that are sure to be outdated quickly.

I was super interested in the "Sausage Talk" aspect, but it played such a small role overall. I think that this book would have been much more enjoyable if it dove deeper into exploring Eva as an internet personality. Many chapters, characters, and plot points felt like filler, and I also think it would have made more sense as a novella that could fully focus on the two main characters without superfluous conflict.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was fun. Sometimes the plot felt a little forced, but the characters were the best part. Both protagonists feel real and their chemistry was decent; they're messy even though they're overall pretty good communicators (in the later timeline). Yes they get in fights with each other or their friends, yes she's a bit avoidant and kind of overreacts to certain situations, yes work sucks and there isn't much she can do about it, and everything takes real work to straighten out. Eva is a bit of a pill, but in the best way? The hot-girl-as-offense-being-best-defense was superbly portrayed. William was a bit over-the-top in terms of antagonists, gotta say, but I get it.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC eBook.

This wasn’t my favorite by Mazey, but it is hard to beat her other trilogy. This was a cute contemporary romance with a black cat x golden retriever trope. Even though that’s not my favorite, it was still enjoyable. I thought that Eva’s personality and character development was lacking, but Rylie’s made up for it. He was a more flushed out character and I feel like he saved the story. I did laugh out loud in public at the champagne incident on date one. Overall I’d say 3.5 stars!

I truly didnt know how i was going to feel about this book , I started it and walked away from it a couple times. There were just things about it I didnt like

thank you so much mazey eddings, st. martin’s press & netgalley for this arc

oh this was *so* fun! the banter was really entertaining and topical, including a line about a “ludicrously capacious bag”. as frustrating as eva could be, she also felt very real and relatable. rylie felt less real, but in the way that i’ve simply never met a man so endearing, witty and emotionally intelligent. truthfully, i loved all the characters mazey introduced us to (except the two that i loved to hate).

some of my favorite quotes:
✧ “i will not be undone by an ironic sweatshirt and an endearing smile”
✧ “being an angry crier is the world’s greatest curse”
✧ “i am tough. and i’m really fucking sick of having to be.”
✧ “every part of me is yours if you want it.”

thank you so much mazey eddings, st. martin’s press & netgalley for this arc 🖤

Well, Actually is one of the first books I have read in less then a day in a long time. The book revolves around Eva And Rylie. Eva is the host of a podcast called sausage talk where she eats hot dogs (for men) and talks to b-d list celebrities about almost everything, but one day she scrolls upon her ex Rylie Cooper, a social media star who teaches men who to be better to woman and be the best boyfriend you can be, but Eva finds that ironic because when she dated perfect boy Rylie there relationship was way less then perfect.She stitches his video calling him a 2 pump chump and just goes on about how horrible of a boyfriend. The clip goes viral and now the two exs have to go on dates. While Rylie is doing everything in his power to make her fall in love with him, Eva is hating this so much.

I honestly had a hard time liking the FMC because she seems rude and says whatever comes to her mind but after a while I think I disliked Eva so much because she pushed on all my personal insecurities about being an outspoken woman. She is bullied by her boss and people on the internet and I believe that hurt me because I felt the things the harassment was saying. But however Rylie loves her even though she is the way she is and that makes my heart whole and wish that I could have my own Rylie Cooper in my life.

This book is so good and I think everyone who is insecure about how she sounds you need to read the way Rylie loves Eva.


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martian Press for the eARC for my honest opinion on this book.

I started Out not sure how I felt About Eva and then by the end of the book I was Fucking obsessed with her. She’s real and raw and honestly so relatable. She doesn’t have it all figured out, she’s rough around the edges and uses cutting remarks/sarcasm as her greatest defense mechanism, which same girl. She NEVER claims to be a kind person but she is so soft on the inside and just has had a shit hand dealt to her so she’s grown some thorns to protect herself. I loved the concept of this book and throughly enjoyed the relationship dynamic between Eva and Rylie. They never let the other get away with things and volleyed back and forth perfectly. They had me laughing out loud so many times. I also Really loved the way they slowly became more vulnerable with each other and how beautiful their growth in page was. Rylie showing up and being what Eva needed was *chefs kiss*. This book was heavy on the relationship and their dynamic being the main plot and the stuff with her job/career being a secondary plot and I loved The way both were done!

I was so excited to see that Mazey Eddings has a new book coming out, and even more excited to receive an ARC of her book, "Well, Actually." This book is centered around podcaster Eva Kitt, who seems to be based after popular Chicken Shop Date's Amelia Dimoldenberg. Eva's podcast is called Sausage Talk, and her guests eat hot dogs during the interview. While it's not Eva's dream job by any means, it's a way to get her foot in the door, One night, after getting drunk and going on TikTok, she publicly calls out her college boyfriend/one-night-stand, who has now become a massively popular pop culture personality. Rylie, her ex, and his team have an idea: he'll come on her show to address this public call-out. During this interview, Rylie dares her to go on a series of dates with him in order to prove that he's changed and is not the same jerk he was during his college years.

While Rylie and Eva go on these dates (and the first one is a disaster!), she begins to discover what was really going on with him when she knew him previously and how he's trying to change. Sparks fly and the two have a good rapport with a lot of banter. It took me a while to warm up to Eva because I couldn't understand why she was determined to hold on to her grudge. However, as she opened up and softened to Rylie, I really began to root for the two of them. This was a sweet, easy read and I enjoyed it! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Oh Eva, my god, how I love you.
Rylie, how many of your quotes did I highlight, I’ll never tell. (it was so many)
THE SPICE?? someone douse me, my WORD.

this was the first book I’ve read from Mazey, and I couldn’t get enough. I’m literally fighting for my life against influenza B right now and this was the only thing that kept me alive, i swear. the amount of times i genuinely cackled from Rylie and Eva’s banter is at least 25 times, because their quotes were downright hysterical (the jomforter? are you kidding me?)

i love love LOVED this book, from the LGBT representation, the gentle way trauma was explored, and the way feminism and pure badassery of women was explored. Mazey, you’ve gained a new fan. bravo 👏🏽👏🏽✨

Well, Actually is a second-chance romance told by Eva, a fiercely intelligent but emotionally guarded hot girl trying to thrive in the world of journalism while still healing from a past that left her believing love wasn’t meant for her. Reenter Rylie— the kind of man who makes you believe in love again (but he wasn’t always that way!) When life (and social media) throws them back together, old wounds resurface, but so does the electrical connection they once had. As they navigate workplace dynamics, personal growth, and the messy realities of love, Eva has to decide if she’s willing to give her heart to Rylie again.

This was my first Mazey Eddings read, and I devoured it. She had me actually laughing out loud with some of the most unhinged, outrageous moments and then crying over something that hit a little too close to home. She even managed to make me fall in love and see reflections of myself in all her characters.

Eva is that girl. She’s unfiltered, witty, and sometimes relentless, but underneath all of that is so much vulnerability. Watching her navigate her childhood trauma, emotions, self-worth, career woes, and relationships was both hilarious and gut-wrenching in the most relatable way. And then there’s Rylie—my new dream MMC. The way he truly sees and supports Eva while still having his own lore and charm makes their romance feel all the more real and meaningful.

This book had everything I love in a romance: humor, depth, a good amount of spice, and a story that felt so real. If you love grumpy x sunshine, slow burn, second chance stories with a hint of workplace romance, this is so worth the read!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Well, Actually is Mazey on the top of her game!
As someone that has read a Mazey Eddings book before, I wasn't sure what to expect coming into this one since her books in the past seemed to be more cute rom com, focusing on tropes and just generally a fun time. This book however really surprised me.
Eva's quick retorts and smart mouth was what really had me invested initially. Throw some childhood trauma and an ex situationship that is forced back into her life for the sake of the career she refuses to let slip out of her grasp and I am fully locked in.

Riley and Eva had a little bit of a rocky relationship in college, Eva, clinging to Riley as the only person to show her even a modicum of attention in years, and Riley just floating through life after the death of his sister, unknowingly breaks Eva's heart and now, years later are thrown together to conduct a series of interviews for her company's channel.

The banter was absolutely top notch. I absolutely loved Riley being a little quirky and different with his denim bedsheets. Respected the hell out of this man for forcing Eva to talk to him because lord knows this woman would have just walked if he hadn't away and been sad and lonely for the rest of her life.

Took away a star at the end because it felt like it dragged a little with the lack of conflict and them just being generally happy for the last 25%. I personally prefer a little bit more of a slow burn when they start hooking up at around 50% and make their relationship official at about 80%.

I really enjoyed this! I did feel like Eva was a bit much in the first few chapters complaining a little but too much. But overall it did have me giggling and I loved Rylie.