Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my ARC of this book which has now been published.

This 5 star book was my first by Mazey Eddings and I know it will not be me last. What a hysterical laugh out loud book with many tissue moments for tears too. This was a busy book but I enjoyed every moment of it and I loved the chemistry between the two main characters. I felt it even though they were fictional but Mazey's words brought them to life for me. Great writing with wonderful conversations. The bantering was a true joy to read. Definitely a truly fun rom-com that I will definitely recommend to others.

The banter in this book is AMAZING! The date ideas were so cute and great! The slow burn made it all very satisfying! Her snark was fun in the beginning but got a bit old to me quick. Wish I saw a bit more growth in Eva. Overall cute fun second chance read!

This was such a fun read!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for my gifted copy of Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings!

I’m such a fan of Mazey Eddings—she just knows how to write a romance. ♥️ Second chance romance isn’t usually my go-to trope, but this one completely worked for me. The humor, the banter, the chemistry—it all clicked.

Eva and Rylie were such a joy to follow. I loved their black cat/golden retriever dynamic, the swoony spice, and the way their personalities balanced each other out. Eva especially stood out to me; her dedication to her job and her drive made her so relatable and easy to root for.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Ariela Crow, and she did a phenomenal job capturing the emotion and energy of the story.

Overall, I highly recommend this one—whether you’re already a Mazey Eddings fan or just looking for a romance with heart, humor, and heat. I’ll be first in line for whatever she writes next!

I don’t really care for second chance romance all the time. But every once in a while, the books get me so hyped up about it. Well, actually was such a good book! I loved the wittiness; it was scheming and then turned into that romance you’ve always wanted from the beginning. I can’t hype this book up enough!

Well, Actually is a black cat–golden retriever, second-chance romance packed with charm, banter, and plenty of hot dogs—literally. Eva Kitt hosts Sausage Talk, a quirky interview show where B-list celebrities and hot dogs share the spotlight. When she publicly calls out Rylie Cooper, her college ex turned viral TikTok star known for discussing toxic masculinity, she lands both unexpected attention and an invitation. Rylie proposes a series of “make-up dates” filmed for his platform to prove he has changed, and Eva reluctantly agrees.

Eva is unapologetically herself—sarcastic, sharp, and sometimes a little too cutting—but her spunk hides a deep fear of abandonment that makes her all the more relatable. Rylie, glasses and all, is a words-of-affirmation golden retriever who made mistakes in the past but refuses to hide from them. He is patient, kind, and determined to show Eva he is not the same man who broke her heart in college. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the push-pull between her guarded nature and his relentless warmth makes for both laugh-out-loud banter and tender, vulnerable moments.

Mazey Eddings delivers on her signature strengths: witty dialogue, playful setups, and romance rooted in mutual growth. The book balances humor and heat with more serious themes, from owning past mistakes to rejecting the idea of settling—in love, in career, or in life. By the end, Eva and Rylie’s journey feels like watching two people not just fall in love again, but finally find the safe space they needed all along.

Thank you to St. Martins and NetGalley of an early review copy and Macmillan Audio for an ALC!

To fuck around is human, to find out is divine.

This book was everything I needed it to be and more. The tension and banter were top tier. While the plot was great, there were a couple areas where it slowed down, but the good far outweighed the short period of slow pacing.

As always, Mazey knows how to pull those heartstrings, drag a smile out on a rough day, and write 👏🏻 a 👏🏻 damn 👏🏻 book 👏🏻

4.5/5

This was a good read that grabbed me from the very start and kept me interested! I love how Eddings plays with the typical romance plot / arc formula and delivers a fresh addition to the “evils of social media” repertoire and a fun romp in a enemies to lovers / second chance romance!

This is probably my favourite of hers to date and I recommend it!

Overall, I enjoyed the hell out of this one and genuinely laughed out loud on many occasions. Eva Kitt is a Disaster™ and Riley Cooper is obsessed with her mess- like SO smitten. INSANELY down bad. A court jester on hands and knees for his Ice Queen.

I loved their banter.
I loved their humor.
I loved the tender exploration of queerness and the conversations around biphobia.

I will admit, I got a bit bored towards the end though. As much as I adore a love interest who has put in the work on themselves, Riley was a little too therapized. I would have liked him to have been more flawed (even if you could argue that Eva was flawed enough for two.) His perfect responses and reactions to everything kind of dulled the edges of this otherwise compelling romcom.

*And actually, there is one criticism that I have regarding Eva as a character and it's that I'm kind of over the "UGH, men" as a personality trait in 2025. It's stopped being funny and started feeling reductive/gender essentialist. Eva has these on-going, "I don't like or respect anything you say because you're a man" quips throughout and for me it's like, girl you can dislike and not respect him to the moon and back but do it because he is a shitty individual with a morally bankrupt agenda. Not because he's a man. Being a fuck-ass isn't gender specific. That's all. *

Unfortunately, this one just didn’t click for me. I had a hard time connecting with either main character, and Eva’s constant sharpness wore me down quickly. I get that it was part of who she’s supposed to be, but it left little room for warmth or likability. The workplace setting, instead of adding fun drama, felt overwhelmingly toxic and made the story more frustrating than engaging.

Cooper wasn’t much better for me—he was painted as the sweet, golden retriever type, but his personality read more like someone overly self-assured and not particularly charming. With no real spark between them, the romance never took off for me.

Humor-wise, what I think was meant to be witty banter often came across as arguments, which made the tone heavier than I’d hoped. In the end, it just didn’t deliver the vibe I was looking for.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

THIS WAS SO DIFFERENT AND FUN!!! I loved the representation!!!! All around perfection and I really need to read more by Mazey Eddings.

Well, Actually
By Mazey Eddings
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @stmartinspress for the eARC access in exchange for my honest feedback so here it is:

I have been wanting to rant about this book for a couple of weeks but life has been busy and urgency is a hell of a drug for this adhd brain so HERE WE ARE. Happy release day @mazeyeddings! WELL, ACTUALLY was so much fun to read!

🤩 I adored the cameos from a couple of the characters from the A Brush With Love series.

🤓 Rylie Cooper is a man-obsessed AND he won't let her push him away. I love it!

👊🏻 I will fight people to defend Eva because sharp 👏🏼 edges 👏🏼 always 👏🏼 have 👏🏼 a 👏🏼 reason! 👏🏼

❤️‍🩹 Healing and grief and softening and joy are all beautifully depicted.

🔥 "I asked you a question." Rylie is a talker in the bedroom. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

🧎🏻 It's giving Pride and Prejudice vibes - I'm convinced that one scene is meant to be just like Darcy pleading.

🌃 NYC setting adds so much flavor and a sense of community and culture - loved the diverse representation, the workplace and industry issues, & the social media/smartphone addiction realities. Having just read The Anxious Generation it was telling to see the characters grapple with the same psychological issues.

Congrats Mazey Eddings - hope you get to enjoy this pub day and the tour that follows! Wish you were coming closer to Northern California - I'd be there! 💕

I really enjoyed the characters and storylines going on within this book and loved the romance between our two main characters. The antagonists were clearly awful but depicted realistically, and the problems are genuine to real life. Throughout the book though, I'd stop to cringe and leave the book's world because of various jokes and quotes stolen directly from internet memes for character dialogue. I can absolutely suspend my disbelief when I read a romance and that's a lot of what makes the genre work, but each one of these made it feel like a complete jump from "cute and professional novel" to "tiktok comment language." Aside from this I loved the book in general, and I've loved all of Mazey Eddings's books before, this was just an issue with the writing for me from time to time.

Characters- 5 stars
Plot- 4.25 stars
Writing- 4 stars

This was my first Mazey Eddings book and it didn't disappoint! Black cat x golden retriever is one of my favorite tropes and it was done SO WELL in this book! Rylie Cooper was so down bad for Eva and I ate up every second of it. I love the emotional depth we got from both characters and their background stories. The history between them made them reconnecting even better! I haven't read a book with such good banter and tension in awhile! Can't wait to read more from Mazey Eddings!

This is the first book I’ve read from Mazey Eddings but certainly won’t be my last! This book is so heartwarming and I was grinning watching the banter between Eva and Rylie.

Eva comes off as harsh and dismissive but you soon learn that she longs to be soft and taken care of. Aside from the romance, I loved watching Eva realize that she deserves love and to be taken care of.

Rylie and Eva’s relationship works so well and I love the black cat, golden retriever energy they bring. It was such a wonderful book and I ate it up!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!!

Parts of this was really funny, but lots of this was really cringe and awkward. The banter was SO GOOD. I laughed out loud at some of her insults and witty comebacks.

I really liked the FMC. I felt so bad for her. The “bitch” thing was obviously a defense mechanism developed by her bc of her absolutely shitty past.

The man I had such a hard time liking.

The book wants you to feel so bad for him and let it excuse his behavior, but didn’t ever explore her past?! Literally never had a heart to heart with him about her upbringing. Wtf??? I wanted him to teach her she deserved to be loved. That what she went through was not normal or okay. Instead this convo never took place and for a book that’s trying to be really girl’s girl, it came across not. Maybe that’s me but I was really vibing with her anger, and really annoyed that the overall message appeared to be “forgive men!” Lol never.

Especially when that man still sleeps on a mattress on the floor covered in a Jean comforter and drives a silver PT Cruiser with wood paneling. He stood no chance with me.

It’s such a shame he was so unlikable. He was written to be such a green flag that I immediately could never trust him. And I’m just really annoyed he never asked about her life before him. UGHHH.

I have not read such a good romcom in a hot minute.
I think it’s hard to be genuinly funny in writing but Mazey Eddings has a way including humour in her writing that is hilarious!!
If you’ve been craving great banter, you HAVE to read this book!! The characters are so quick with it and their chemistry is through the roof😌
Their relationship progression was so well done, it felt really natural and true to the characters. My personal fav was the fmc. She’s so beautifully and realistickly complicated, I love her so much. She didn’t pass one single opportunity to humble the mmc and I’m obsessed with her!!
The only thing that threw me off is the development of the plot. It felt rushed towards the end:(

An engaging second chance redemption story that cleverly incorporates social media. While I enjoyed details of the other two books by Eddings that I've read, neither one of them completely worked for me, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. At first glance, Eva comes across as an unapologetically catty bitch, but she has multiple layers to uncover and a legitimate reason for having such an abrasive outward personality, one that ties directly back to her shared history with Rylie and left a definite lasting impact as well as a lot of hurt. I liked seeing the stark contrast between Eva and Rylie during their many interactions, especially early on when he's trying to win her over, and their written banter is very strong. While I didn't love how the work aspect that was front and center at the beginning fell away in the middle to let the romance fully take over, it came roaring back in a big way at the end to wrap up in a satisfying manner. Although I would have liked a little more from the final chapter or even an epilogue, this was a fun read that guarantees I will continue reading novels by the delightful Eddings in the future.

I’m generally a sucker for second-chance romances. I’m also a sucker for eccentric FMCs with strong personalities, so this book should be right up my alley, right? While there were definitely some interesting aspects to it, I finished this story and was left wondering what to make of what I just read.

Eva and Rylie? I definitely think there was chemistry between the two of them, and there were moments that I really enjoyed watching their relationship. There were a few moments where Eva seemed unnecessarily destructive with their relationship, but I could overlook them because of all the positive that came from the two of them. My problem is, like in other romances, there are just one too many obstacles placed in their story that just end up being messy. I wish they stuck with the personal history drama OR the workplace drama so they could flesh that aspect out for both MCs instead of doing both and making it feel half-assed for at least one character.

The steam in this book is legit…I hate to sound like a prude, but it ended up being too much for me. I ended up skipping the last few scenes because it got to be a little much, between the sex talk and explicitness. Not taking anything away from the rating for this, just noting for everyone’s comfort level.

Overall, I think this was an OK read, but I think it could have more potential. I think Eva can be very polarizing for readers, and if she was softened a bit more, people may enjoy her and the story (I didn’t mind her 90% of the time, but there were some moments I winced at things she said). It doesn’t help much that the supporting cast is unlikable as well. Still, if you judge a romance book by its chemistry, then this story will not fail that test.

**Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this story in exchange for my honest opinion. I appreciate the opportunity!**

“Haven't you ever wanted a second chance to right a wrong?"

Eva hosts Sausage Talk. Instead of pursuing her dream of investigative journalism, she's settled into interviewing B-list celeb's over hotdogs. When she calls out ex, who's in the podcast world, it unexpectantly goes viral. See Riley (the ex) is well loved in their community. So when he reaches out suggesting a series of dates to explain and make up for his past with her... it turns into a plan of on air sessions, but also starts to feel very real.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and given freely.*

I have really enjoyed all I have read from this author, so I was really excited for the opportunity to read this early. But it unfortunately fell a little flat for me. Don't get me wrong there was much of what I love about this author's writing style here- including the great banter and wit. And it doesn't skimp on the spice, which I'm also always here for. As well as writing a variety of rep and inclusivity with care.

But I just found Eva's grudge holding to be a little too much for a little too long at the start of this book. She came across mean, even juvenile at times. And Riley was such a green flag sweetheart, I adored him- another thing I generally love about this authors writing- she nails her MMC's. But I just felt like the romance took a back seat to ALL that was EVA. I just didn't feel it like I hoped. Even the friendships felt off. Ultimately, this one didn't quite work for me, but it might for you!

WELL, ACTUALLY follows Eva Kitt, the host of a short form Internet talk show called Sausage Talk where she interviews B-list celebrities while eating hot dogs. Disillusioned by her lackluster career, she drunkenly, and publicly, calls of her college ex for his less-than-gentlemanly behavior. Her video goes completely viral, and because Rylie Cooper is now a beloved social media personality, her bosses force to confront him in a live episode of her show. He offers to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, but when these start to feel a little too real, Eva has to decide if Riley is someone she can trust this second time around.

Mazey Eddings is one of my favorite romance authors and I will devour any book that she releases; this one was no different. Eva is a much more…spirited protagonist compared to some others from this author, but I loved it! Her spunk and sarcasm really worked for me, though there were some moments where she was a little frustrating. Rylie was a sweetie, a complete cinnamon roll, who had the time of his life receiving Eva’s verbal backlashes. I enjoyed the back and forth between them, both verbal and emotional, because it set up their chemistry well and it forced them to grow as individuals which led them to reuniting as a couple. Honestly, I just had a great time reading this book. Highly recommend!