This is the first book I’ve read by Mazey Eddings and I had a good time! Eva Kitt is a strong female main-character paired with a dorkier male character, Rylie Cooper, and they navigate their past tryst and social media hype around it after Eva posts a video recounting the time she spent with Rylie.

Eva’s a quite frustrating character to read, but I liked her, found myself rooting for her all the way to the end. The banter with Rylie was superb, but I do feel like the novel lost some of its steam along the way. Maybe I was expecting a little more in the third act than there was. Also, although I was rooting for Eva, I don’t think her character arc is fully actualized because at 90%, she’s still acting a certain way. Also, we did not get enough conclusion regarding her family, who is absent from the book, but important enough to Eva’s character to be mentioned multiple times until they disappear from the page. Something was just missing there.The plot itself is pretty entertaining, but we lose a little past the halfway point, and while this makes sense character wise, this is where the novel started to fall off a bit for me. It was still easy to keep reading, but some points were glossed over.

Overall, this book is just a fun time. You will laugh and again, the BANTER is so well-written, the chemistry between the two leads is palpable right off the page from their first scene together. If you’re looking to have a laugh and you don’t mind the social media-ness of it all, then you’ll enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!!!

I was interested in this book because I'd seen the roundups. A Chicken Date inspired book? Sure, I'm interested. I got into it, and quickly thought the MMC was similar to a real-life podcaster who has some legal troubles brewing, and I wasn't sure how into it I would really be. But i persisted, and I'm glad I did. In the end, both main characters grew on me and each other. And we got important life lessons along the way — especially standing up for oneself in the workplace.

This second chance romance was one for the books (pun intended)! I loved the banter and conversations, they felt very real and captivating! The character development was spot on as well, with Eva and Cooper growing together and individually through the book. I loved the chicken shop date vibes lol!

Thank you for the ARC, Net Galley!

I really enjoyed this book. It had witty banter, and i never wanted to put it down. I loved the characters and the story. It was definately relatable to me. If you are a romance fan, this is a must read!

4.5/5⭐️ 2/5🌶️ 1/5😢

I quite literally have over 100 highlights for this ARC as this might be some of the best banter I’ve ever read 😅 I adored the characters and was presently surprised by the emotional depth for a “romcom”. I highly recommend reading if you like the following:

- black cat x golden retriever trope
- NYC setting 🏙️
- bi/pan representation 🌈
- mental health rep 📈
- slutty little glasses 🤓
- ELITE banter 🫢

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What really stood out to me about this book was its pacing—it kept a steady momentum with no dull moments, and I was drawn in right from the start. Rylie Cooper, the male lead, completely won me over. He was thoughtful, kind, and incredibly loving toward Eva, making him a genuinely well-rounded and surprisingly deep character. I also appreciated how both main characters were given meaningful depth. Unlike some recent romances that overemphasize trauma just to drive the plot, the characters’ histories and experiences here felt natural and purposeful, which was refreshing

I am riding the vibes high of this book and I don’t even care. I loved it so much, it’s getting 5 stars from me. Eva is an FMC for all guarded, former self loathing ladies. She’s for the Nesta lovers. God, I loved her so much. She put up such a rough exterior and our dear boy Rylie softened her. I love their journey. Definitely very character driven with lots of character development. Some heavy themes are tackled and I think it’s done with grace. Some parts could feel maybe a little trauma bondy but overall it does not give that vibe.Absolutely adored.

Thank you Netgalley for my early copy! Forever grateful
Slowly becoming obsessed with Mazey Eddings making me swoon and laugh thoughout the whole journey of this story.
Cooper is so adorable and everything I would ever want in a MMC, Eva is so set on hating him it hurts to see her act mean to him, but it's also kind of funny that he will not back off and just is completely enamored by her.
Cooper needs a hug and I want to give him one so badly!!
Eva needs a hug too dammit! Getting further into the story and uncovering their experiences and trama had me feeling so much for them two.
There's a specific moment in this book that had me bawling my eyes out, having to cover my mouth from trying not to cry too loudly. There's so much I could relate to and hit so close to home, that chapter is going to stick with me for some time.
Excited to get my hands on a physical copy and see how all the interactions actually print on paper. I could go on and on about this one, all I'm saying is you need to get your hands on a copy ASAP!!
For this being my first read by Mazey Eddings I am happy to say I will be reading every, and all previous books, from here on out!

I absolutely loved this book! Such an incredible read. I can’t wait to purchase this book to display on my shelf as a trophy. Definitely my favourite read of 2025!!

This book was hilarious, relatable, and such a fun read. The characters felt like people you know and love, and it felt immersive like you just dropped into their day. Seriously top shelf. I can’t wait for everyone to read it so we can joke about the “monster mash”.

Eva Kitt, an aspiring journalist currently interviewing B-list celebrities while eating hot dogs feels like her career is a joke, When she drunkenly posts a tiktok where she rambles about her now famous ex go viral, her life blows up in ways she never imagined. Mazzy Eddings gave us a witty yet heartfelt romance filled with so many laugh out loud moments. Eva is a sharp and sarcastic black cat character and sparks fly with our golden retriever, eager-to-please mmc, Rylie. Their chemistry just flys off the page and their hilarious banter kept this book so engaging. After Eva's video goes viral and she hosts Rylie on her show, he proposes a series of dates to prove to her that she's changed and find redemption for their failed relationship six years ago. The moments of deep vulnerability made this book feel so much more authentic but the humor was what kept it going for me. This was a very fun and flirty read--easily digestible and perfect for fans of low-stakes rom coms with hilarious banter and genuine characters. While some of the social media aspects and pop culture references could feel a little cheesy, it didn't take away from the buzz of the book for me. I gave it 3.75 stars, rounded to four for its humor and charm. Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Mazzy Eddings for allowing me to review such an enjoyable book.

I was drawn in by the idea of a book with a Chicken Shop Date premise, of course! Overall, this was a cute, quick, enemies-to-lovers read, but it didn't leave a strong impression. The pacing as well as the layering and development of the plot fell a bit flat for me -- most of the storylines just felt a bit underbaked. Thank you very much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Really liked the banter between the main characters. Wasn't the biggest fan of the heroine, but actually really liked the hero. It was hard at times to root for the heroine but was overall happy with the ending!

grateful to receive an ARC! this was my first mazey eddings book! i loved eva, she was funny and relatable and this book had me swinging my feet giggling. wish there was a little more from the epilogue but overall it was a fun and cute read

This was such a fun and easy read! It was inclusive and real. The story wasn’t all fluff and love right away, they had to work for it! Just like any of us, they had to work on it by communicating and talking through their own hurdles. It was a refreshing book full of truth.

I liked the concept of this book. I think had a good story line. I think the characters bothered me a little and found myself getting frustrated that they couldn't just communicate or have digs at each other. Because of that, I wasn't rooting as much for the couple as I wanted/ usually do. I felt like also the romance was like hate to love a little too abruptly and could have been more of the in-between. All in all, still an enjoyable read!

Such a good ride. Eva and Rylie were a hoot!

This is a second chance romance between a "black cat/golden retriever" duo with fantastic banter, serious chemistry, surprisingly heartfelt moments and lots of LOL kick your feet moments.

Eva is sassy, sarcastic and desires a better hold on her future. She can be harsh but it is a shield since she has never really felt loved.
Rylie is desperate to show Eva he has changed since college and is adorably charming in the process.

This is my first Mazey Eddings book and I really had the best time. Now on to dig into the rest of her catalog.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

This was okay. It was a hard one for me to get into. Its a quick read, but at the same time, the ending was so rushed after everything else, and that was disappointing. There were some moments that made me laugh, but overall, it fell short for me.

Eva was really difficult for me to like. I understand that her rudeness is a front, and all of that, but some of the way she spoke to the MMC was not okay with me, especially since we are meant to root for the two of them. It is a romance after all.

I think this would be fine for some people, but it fell flat for me and was a miss.

I didn’t love this book as much as I hoped I would - Late Bloomer blew me away, and this one didn’t hit the mark. I didn’t like that the main character was nicknamed Kitten, it was overtly sexual and uncomfortable in nature. I don’t love a miscommunication trope and I feel like these characters just needed to talk it out more.

DNF @ 25% I just could not get into this book. I disliked the FMC so much I couldn't go one. I didn't like how she treated the MMC; very immature.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.