I am a huge fan of Mazey Eddings' other books, especially LATE BLOOMERS and THE PLUS ONE. The conceit of a thinly-veiled fanfiction of the Chicken Shop Date between Amelia Dimoldenberg and Andrew Garfield was what originally drew me in. However, I came to appreciate our main characters outside of these comparisons to Amelia and Andrew. I especially liked the male protagonist, and his insistence on being a good guy. Sometimes, the female protagonist's guardedness and hard shell became tiresome, and I grew frustrated with her inability to see the AMAZING guy in front of her. But Eddings made it still feel realistic enough, that I could see my friends in this character. As always, Eddings weaves her characters' mental health throughout the story. I think the couples therapy scene was a bit heavy-handed, but appreciate the focus on building healthy relationships in a romance novel. I really liked the supporting characters, and wish we'd gotten a bit more out of the friendships, particularly since the big finale is set at the male protagonist's friend's benefit. Additionally, Eddings does a great job of implementing the characters' queer identities, despite it being a cis-hetero relationship. Overall, I'd probably give this 3.75 stars. Nothing insane, but a nice romance, and really well-written spicy scenes.

Thank you so much for an early copy of this book. I LOVED THIS. This is my first Mazey Eddings book and I will be here for anything they write in the future. This was very fun and flirty and I ate it up in one sitting. Highly recommend!

if you love chicken shop date, you're going to love this book.

this was very cute! i loved the romance between the characters and the characters themselves. eva is unapologetically herself-- mean, snarky, stands her ground and we need more of that! if you love black cat x golden retriever dynamics with some second chance sprinkled in, i def recommend this book. their banter is top-tier and rylie is swoon-worthy. he's such a great MMC and plays off eva's personality so well. ty to st. martin's press and netgalley for the ARC!

I debated what to do here... knowing this book hasn't been published yet and how important reviews are, should I rate it up and change it later? Or be honest? At first I thought I was too Gen X for this. It was heavy on online/social media commentary, part of the storyline, really, and the trauma/conflict seemed very... millennial boo hooing. 😂 But then i realized... wait, millennials will also find the MC super annoying. She's super mean at first, and I get she has insecurities, but she was completely spinless for someone who in the beginning was dishing it out. The relationship insecurity was moving, I liked the general premise at first, and I liked the first time they got together but then she completely flaked out. I dont know... so it was a 3 then a 4 in a middle section and then a 2.

3 stars

Thank you NetGalley and St. Marten's Press for the chance to read this eARC.

Eva Kitt hosts a semi-popular talk show (think Chicken Shop Date but with Hot Dogs) and ends up forced in to a social media agreement with former lover/current anti-toxic masculinity good boy, Rylie Cooper after a drunken rant confessing that Rylie isn't all he's cracked up to be. She interviews him on her show, where she agrees to go on 6 dates (the same number they went on in college) to see if Rylie can change her mind and convince her that he has changed from the frat boy he used to be.

Eva is a feisty one and holds nothing back. She's witty, fierce, and has amazing comebacks. Rylie, for his part, seems like such a cinnamon roll. He's supportive, encouraging, and says all the right things. I really enjoyed the banter between these 2- there were moments that I was laughing out loud from their back and forth and could just imagine the tone in which what they were say was being said (skim milk anyone??) Also, great amount of spice. Love that for us smut girls.

However, as much as I really liked Eva and her wit, she really could have benefited from some therapy like Rylie did. I felt like there was this constant cycle of "I hate Rylie" > Rylie sharing feelings/them talking about feelings > Eva running away because she can't trust her feelings > Rylie saying the right things > Liking him > "I hate Rylie" and so on and so on. She was so stunted from her first mini-relationship with him in college that she wouldn't allow herself any mature relationships until he came back in to her life 6 years later.

Another thing that drove me insane was the switching of calling the MMC Rylie and Cooper. There were times I almost forgot Rylie was his first name cause Eva would talk about him as Cooper like that was his first name. Maybe I'm the only one that was bothered by that IDK

One last thing, William and Landry can go to H-E-Double hockey sticks. They were disgusting (IYKYK)

TW: LBGTQ+ is a big theme in this book. There are trans characters and bisexuality is a main plot point. If this is a topic that makes you uncomfortable in any way, I would avoid this one.

this will not be a safe place for Eva slander. love all of the blunt, sarcastic, mean besties I have in my life <3

regardless of being a mean girl apologist, there is more to focus on with Eva’s character rather than just her being mean. I’m genuinely surprised that’s the only thing people picked up on or decided to focus in on. Eva had me cracking up and laughing out loud. She at the end of the day cares about her friends, and quite frankly just had a lot of things on her plate.

Riley Cooper, my man my man!!!! So sweet and kind. Zero notes. Coming to terms with so many things and wanting to do better, not perfect but trying :’)

(I also think over critiquing Eva and giving all the credit to Riley for being sweet kinda aligns with the misogynist themes of the book Mazey tackled. Eva isn’t sweet and doesn’t fit in people’s boxes but it doesn’t make her a bad FMC)

I understand people’s qualms with the book but i personally will be rereading it august.

Thank you netgalley for the arc. I appreciate it.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review.
Reading the first few chapters I wasn't sure if I'd like the book, but then it picked up and I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed it. Eva and Rylie's banter was entertaining to say the least and they made a really cute couple. Throughout the book I just wanted to smack that William guy for being so mean to Eva for no good reason and was surprised that his mother turned out to be like that too. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far off the tree. I'm happy that Eva was able to stand up for herself in the end and stop the workplace bullying she and others received.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t an outstanding piece of work for me. I’m sure others can relate to the characters more and will absolutely love it. The writing was good, the banter and tension were good! The author was able to pull me in from the beginning and even had me kicking my feet, giggling and having second hand embarrassment for the main character.

Well, Actually is a second chance romance with a sort of dark undertone. I appreciated the obvious nod to Chicken Shop Dates, and I liked Rylie. There was a lot to enjoy in terms of humor, dating mishaps, and some fun secondary characters. But I don’t think I quite connected with Eva… in fact I found her a little obnoxious. That’s not to say no one else will, she just was not my favorite of Eddings’s FMC’s. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Well, actually.... this book was really good! Eva and Riley were so cute together! Eva is hard to like in the beginning but you get these glimpses intl her past that help you like her more.
Riley is this wonderful golden retriever of a man who love Eva through it all.

I LOVED this so much! Eva and Rylie were absolutely hilarious and their tension and banter were perfection. I loved the second chance and fake dating storylines as well as Rylie's pining and groveling. They feel like real people and I wish I could watch them interact IRL.

4.25 ⭐️ my new fav black cat girlie x golden retriever !!!! IM SO UP FOR EVA + RYLIE!!!! 💗
Loved the premise of the story and that it took place in NYC! It was such a fun time!! These two had so much chemistry it had me PANTING!! 😮‍💨 I love the way Mazey gave us glimpses of their backstory without spending too much time in the past. RYLIE COOPER THE MAN THAT YOU ARE!!! EVA IS MY GIRL FR FR!!! Tysm to SMP FOR THR EARLY COPY!!! ✨

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. This was my first book by Mazey Eddings and I thoroughly enjoyed it. At first I found the main character Eva a little annoying and hard to relate to but as the book progressed and you got to know her more, you understand where she's coming from. Rylie Cooper was so sweet, I adored him! Pick up this book when it publishes, so good!

Hilarious and such a quick read.
The bantering is AMAZING.
I love that Eva has such a sarcastic personality and tends to make harsh comments and has a dry sense of humour.

Very rarely are the tough girls lovable. I love that she did not have to change who she is to be loved.

Five Freaking Stars

And Rylie the way he can just handles her and love all of her is such an incredible unicorn kind of guy!

I need me a Rylie

While I wouldn’t consider myself chronically online, I do agree that Rylie is verrrry babygirl. I loved the bits of the past that we got to learn about Rylie’s story. I found it to be compelling and heartbreaking, it was so necessary to understand his character and mindset of where he was when him and Eva first met. His commitment to be vulnerable with Eva and rewrite their history had him groveling in the best ways while she learns to trust him again. The banter between the two of them was fun, it was quick and witty and definitely had me giggling. Eva is sassy and unapologetically herself and Riley fully embraces it (and is so stop being mean to me or I’ll fall in love with you). He never tries to soften who she is but at the same time he allows her to feel comfortable being soft. It’s such a perfect dynamic and they matched each other so well. I was frustrated with Eva and her job. Unfortunately I get why she stayed and it actual felt realistic for her to endure a toxic workplace. But GD I wanted her to just up and quit so many times (and honestly I feel like she is a badass character and it would have felt right for her to take them down.) This one gets extra points for me LOLing at the kitten nickname and not hating it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy!

Well, Actually was my first book by Mazey Eddings - this one tells the story of Eva, who hosts an online video show interviewing C and D list celebs while eating hot dogs and Riley, who hosts a podcast focused on toxic masculinity and psychology. The two know each other from college after going on a few dates and a disastrous hookup. Eva calls Riley out on a drunken social media post for being a hypocrite which leads to him asking her out on 6 dates to redeem himself and show how he's changed.

Overall this one a sweet book but left me with some disappointment. Eva was hard to like at times with how she pushed Riley and others away in her life. She was mean and short tempered and really didn't want to give people a chance. Riley is a sweetheart who gave a bit too much grace to Eva in my opinion. The burn was slow with Eva constantly finding reasons to hate Riley until she all the sudden loves him. The challenges she had at work were semi believable but hard to care about at times with her bad attitude. I liked this book but didn't love it. Will still check out other works from this author!

4⭐️
Thank you to St Martins Press and Netgalley for giving me an early copy of this book!
I really wanted to read this one based off the FMC’s job description. It definitely gave me chicken shop date with Amelia Dimoldenberg vibes, as out FMC Eva worked as a talk show host eating hot dogs with celebrities interviewing them about their lives and careers.
Though one night she drunkenly releases a smear video about an ex she dated that has a big following and sparks big views and attention on them both. They are forced to film a hot dog interview for Eva’s job and her ex Cooper comes up with a proposition to Eva. Go out on do over dates to see he has changed from his past toxic behavior and became a better guy. As the two go on these manufactured dates, feelings start to become real and Eva struggles with trusting the guy who broke her heart to be the one to put it back together.
I think it was so interesting reading about a character that does a lot of the opposite things I would do in certain situations. Eva was very confrontational and not afraid to speak her mind, she calls people out and is super brash and unapologetic about who she is. She definitely is an acquired taste but as I read more about her and who she was, I began to see why she put up these walls and how hard it was for Eva to let people in.
Riley was such a sweet dorky guy who always saw through Eva’s walls. Most people would run away from someone who called them out but Riley saw Eva for who she was and refused to run away from her and instead did all he could do to make it up to her for hurting her in the past.
The banter was so good and this felt like a genuine enemies to lovers with a lot of angst and back and forth between our main couple.
There was definitely some spice in this book (be warned if that is something you are not a fan of) that had me blushing and kicking my feet!
I can’t wait to go back and read some of Mary Eddings other books after having a great time with this one!

I loved this book! This is my first Mazey Eddings read, but I will definitely be reading more. The characters were so fun and realistic, and I laughed out loud many times with their witty quips and comments. Highly recommend!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, solid 4 stars. Some things did frustrate me like Eva’s bosses being absolute garbage (but hey that’s corporate for ya) and Eva refusing to accept for awhile that the guy she had a thing with in college may have grown up in the last 6 years but I get she was going through her own things and we support women’s rights and wrongs here. I loved the romance and Eva and Rylie balance each other out so well.

I couldn't request this book more quickly when I read the synopsis and knew exactly what it was inspired by. Unfortunately, it wasn't as charming as the real show and it was so long and draw out.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.