Thank you @macmillanusa @macmillan.audio for my #gifted audio and ebook copy!

I just love Mazey Eddings’ writing! This was a great second-chance romance that also dove into deeper topics such as grief and sexual identity.

The setup: Eva drunkenly calls Rylie out online for being a trash partner in college, & the internet eats it up, causing her to go viral overnight. Suddenly, both are stuck doing damage control together on their respective podcasts, resulting in a lot of forced proximity & unresolved tension building. They had such great chemistry, & you could fully feel how much of a wrong time, right couple they were. They lit such a fire in each other & their banter was off the charts.

Now let’s talk Rylie. Rylie was so good. He did the work - owned up to his past mistakes, took measurable actions to better himself, went to therapy, & bent over backwards to apologize to Eva. He was so patient, almost too patient with Eva’s attitude, but his tenderness surrounding her anxieties was so sweet. He broke down her walls while also giving her space to grow. Eddings also wrote his bisexuality & coming out journey with so much care.

Eva, on the other hand, infuriated me. I’m all for prickly, self-protective FMCs, but this girl came out SWINGING with zero chill. I understand that Rylie hurt her in the past, but it was almost like she couldn’t comprehend that people can change in six years. Even after his countless apologies, explanations of the trauma he was going through, & his attempts to make it up to her. She was dead set on being a bitch to him. Girl needed therapy so bad it was almost painful. Towards the end, when she let her guard down & let go of the past, I was able to enjoy her & her relationship with Rylie.

I also liked how Eddings highlighted toxic work environments & how much we put up with to keep our jobs. This is a theme I think a lot of readers will relate to.

All in all, this was another enjoyable romcom by Mazey Eddings!

🌭 bi/pan rep
🌭 lovers to enemies to lovers
🌭 workplace romance (sort of)
🌭 second chance romance

So, where do I start? To preface, I did enjoy this book and the banter?? My gosh, the banter was top notch. Loved everything about it. The tension and chemistry between Rylie and Eva was definitely present, and it's quite hard to deny the feelings that came about once these two were forced to work together.

However, there were some aspects of the story that I feel like had me thinking if this hadn't occurred, would their paths have even crossed again?? Would they even be together if it weren't for this situation? Besides that, I kinda felt for the both of them. Their backstories and their coping mechanisms definitely played a part in how their relationship came about not only in the past, but also how it is in the present which I think only adds to the depths of them trying to work things out again.

I will say I did love Rylie a lot and think he's such a golden retriever bf that is working on himself (which we love!!!) But, for Eva, her character did have to grow on me throughout the storyline.

Overall, if you're into a book that has top notch banter and witty remarks with crazy chemistry, then this book is for you! I'm curious to see if some side characters will have a story, but I overall enjoyed the book and the representation showcased in it!

Thank you Netgalley, the author, and publisher for this eARC! I love sharing my opinions with others, and if you read this book, I can't wait to read your thoughts!

The cover hooked me, unfortunately, I've tried quite a few of Mazey's books and I just don't think she's a good fit for me.

Mazey Eddings reliably delivers such endearing and wonderful romcoms every time. I'm so happy to see a new novel out from Mazey and had a really good time with Well, Actually. I felt like the setup was unique and I enjoyed that the storyline felt fresh. I enjoyed the characters and their relationship trajectory. The cameos from previous couples was a fun touch as well. I always have such a great time with Mazey's books and I appreciate the opportunity to read this one!

Yes, OMG, yes! If you haven't read Mazey Eddings' Well, Actually, get up from wherever you currently sit and go get this book!!! Well, Actually is full of witty banter, steamy moments, and character growth that all comes together to make the most perfect book ever.

Eva Kitt had big dreams of having this super important journalism career when she graduated college, but then reality set in (and student loans) and now she's the host of Sausage Talk, a show where she interviews B-list celebrities while downing hot dog after hot dog. After a particularly uninspiring day, she gets drunk and publicly calls out her college ex, Riley Cooper as a toxic male and everything wrong with the world. Her video goes viral and Eva finds Riley suddenly back in her life as her bosses take this opportunity to capitalize on the awkward situation.

I loved everything about this book. I loved how Eva is a no-nonsense, call you on your BS, I'll walk all over you and you'll like it kind of woman. How could you not love a woman like that? I also loved how Riley gives it right back to Eva and how he manages to show Eva that she is worthy of being loved. Mazey expertly handles what it's like for a woman to be in the spotlight and I loved watching Riley support Eva. And guys, the slutty little glasses should get a star for the amazing supporting role they played. I also loved how Eva and Riley's friend groups became one and supported each other in their own endeavors.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication Date: August 5th, 2025


Synopsis:

Eva Kitt never expected to be the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over lukewarm hot dogs, instead of pursuing the journalism career she dreamed of. But when Eva’s impromptu public call out of her college ex goes viral, she’s thrust into the spotlight. It doesn’t help said ex is Rylie Cooper, a beloved social media personality that has built a platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be good partners.

Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the scheme to advance her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. When these manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.

Review:

Mazey Eddings has crafted a lively, witty second-chance romance that feels both modern and deeply heartfelt. The story follows Eva Kitt, a journalist who never imagined her career would involve interviewing B-list celebrities about hot dogs instead of chasing serious stories. But life has a way of throwing curveballs, and Eva’s takes the form of a heated on-air rant about her college ex, Rylie Cooper, who’s now a famous influencer. When the rant goes viral, Eva finds herself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

this is my first mazey eddings' book and i had such a fun time reading this one! i mostly giggled my way through this book because of their banter! I know everyone is saying that it reminds them of the chicken shop dates, and it really does give that vibe.

I'm going to admit I was a bit worried in the beginning because some comedic lines and moments didn't land the way they were supposed to, but it got better, and I found myself chuckling through lots of these characters' conversations. Eva and Cooper's banter and back and forth was delicious. their dynamic is something that i don't always get to read and i absolutely had the time of my life! who doesn't love a black cat x golden retriever, right?! Their banter was really fun because of how no one backs down. even them as couples, they complement each other because they know what each other needs.

Overall , I thought this was a really fun read & I love a strong FMC! Thank you NetGalley & St Martin's Griffin for this arc!

Eva is another of Mazey Eddings' typical heroines struggling with serious mental health issues, which Eddings writes so well. However, in this case, Eva's struggles are not always internal. She deals not only with a serious fear of abandonment as well as severe feelings of inaddequacy, which she masks with a false sense of bravado, but also is subject to a toxic work environment wherein she is harassed and treated extremely misogynistically. Every single interaction she has with her bosses is both distressing and cringeworthy, and her family background is just as heartbreaking.

Although Riley is sweet and good to Eva, and seems to be exactly what she needs, he is not a believable character. Despite his sad backstory, he is still one of those too-perfect book boyfriends that don't exist in real life. They only give real women impossible ideals and real men impossible standards to live up to.

He does have one flaw, however, his nickname for Eva.. His calling her "kitten" even though it is clearly based on her last name of Kitt still sounds diminutive. Because of her already overwhelming feelings of inadequacy, that is the last thing Eva needs. This one factor is not enough to make him feel real, though, and because he doesn't feel like a real person, it's hard to believe in the romance. Real people have flaws; they are not perfect.

SO FUN 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

4.25 stars!

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Mazey Eddings, and NetGalley for this ARC of Well, Actually! I will be giving my honest review.

If there was an award for the most intense black cat/golden retriever dynamic in a romance book, Eva and Rylie would win it hands down. The tension and the banter between these two was off the charts, but I wouldn't expect anything less from Mazey Eddings.

This book was entertaining, campy, spicy, emotional, and had me actually laughing out loud. Think Chicken Shop Date meets quirky 2000's NYC romcom meets queer and pop culture references galore. In short, my kinda book.

I think the reason that this did not reach that coveted 5 star rating for me was the sheer amount of back and forth in Eva's feelings. I understood her reluctance and her hurt and hesitation fully, but it just kept getting dragged back up over and over. I also wasn't a fan that she could be so incredibly mean to Rylie, yet not stand up for herself against her coworkers or friends. But let's be honest - sometimes if I see myself reflected a little too much in a character, I get a little frustrated and turned off by them (my fault fr.)

Overall though, I had such a great time with this book and wish that I had read this when I got the ARC back in February. I will definitely be purchasing a shelf trophy!

This was such a fun read! I love a book with good banter and this delivered ! Enemies to lovers and fake dating…sign me up!

This was such a great read!! Eva was the most perfect black cat character, she was so cutting and witty and I couldn’t get enough of her. Her interactions with Rylie were absolute gold. This will 100% be a book I add to my reread shelf because I’ll come back to Kitten and Baby Girl any day 😘

Eva is the host of a talk show called Sausage Talk, where she chats with celebrities while eating hot dogs. All things come to a head when she is forced to interview an ex over a sausage, which gets the audience interested in more.

This one has a little bit of second chance romance and a little bit enemies to lovers. It also mixes in fake dating. I struggled to get behind the main character, Eva. I thought that Rylie was a much more well-rounded character. Their relationship centered on a lot of witty banter and overall their chemistry was on point.

Positives:
LGBTQ representation

I like this author overall, but this is not my favorite of her books.

I don't think I can adequately express how much I loved this book. Eva was do prickly but being in her head you really understand how & why she was that way. She had so many vulnerabilities that I think so many of us women can relate to. The way that Riley saw her & helped her work through them was just beautiful while also being hilarious. The relationship Eva & Rliey develop is one I would also aspire to have if I weren't already in a 25 year marriage. Mazey is just an amazing writer. Collectively I have felt more seen & understood by her books than almost any other romances I have read.

I am always a fan of second chance romances that double as enemies to lovers. While I would categorize this book as such, I wasn't totally invested in the connection between the lead characters. Overall there was a decent amount of tension and banter, which are absolute musts in a rom com, but I feel like I just missed something with this one. Definitely worth a shot though because I feel like it would probably be perfect for plenty of romance readers. Thanks NetGalley for the arc!

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5

I have some mixed opinions about this one, but it was an overall positive experience! If you’re thinking, “Wow, this looks it could have been inspired by Amelia Dimoldenberg and Andrew Garfield on Chicken Shop Date,” then yeah, you have a pretty accurate idea of what this book will be like! 🌭 Personally, that’s exactly who I was picturing in my head the entire time, and it was a fun time.

Right out of the gate, this book is hilariously funny and witty. The banter is top tier, and the jokes are genuinely humorous. It has the same kind of dry and flirty humor that are on some of the most popular podcasts of the moment. It’s easy to envision exactly what inflection and tone the characters are using.

As far as the characters themselves go, they were just kind of meh for me. I did like Eva in the beginning, but by the end, she sort of felt a bit like a pick-me girl. There were some times she was genuinely funny and then other times that felt a little try-hard. I also liked Rylie for the most part, but it was hard to shake the idea that a lot of what he was saying and doing was purely performative. This is a theme they deal with in the book, but for some reason, I just had a hard time shaking the feeling that he was a bit fake. Maybe that’s just my mistrust of men in general though, and no fault of the author’s at all. 😂

The romance for me was cute! There was definitely chemistry between Eva and Rylie. My only issue is that once they finally get together, the book loses almost all it’s steam. After that point, it really dragged for me, especially since I wasn’t a fan of the whole workplace drama plot point to begin with. It also got a little “ok we get it, you’re in love.” I was just ready to move on.

If you’ve spent any time at all shipping Amelia Dimoldenberg with any of her interviewees or just really love hot dogs (HELLO!), then you should definitely read Well, Actually!

Thank you to Mazey Eddings, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions stated are my own.

Well, Actually is a fun and witty second chance romance about Eva, a podcast host who unexpectedly has to confront her college ex, Rylie, live on air. Rylie offers a deal to go on a series of staged dates to prove he’s changed, but as the dates continue, feelings get real and complicated.

MazeyEddings writes sharp banter and tension that kept me hooked, and Eva’s comebacks had me laughing out loud more than once. Eva’s mix of humor, insecurity, and honesty felt very authentic. At times I wanted to shake her and at other points I completely related to her struggles. The spice scenes are so well done and add to the chemistry. I did lose a little bit of interest once the couple officially got together, but that didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the story.

If you’re looking for a witty, heartfelt romance with plenty of laughs and tension, this one’s definitely worth a read!

The chemistry was palpable, and really well done.

The banter was TOP TIER. If you love the point in romcoms where each partner is yelling at each other in the rain, and they're pulling the small bits of emotion out of their emotionally stubborn half? This is it, there are few moments of those, and they were excellent.

There's enemies to lovers and this really felt like it took that brief to heart. She outwardly did not like this dude (while internally pining of course, despite not wanting to), and held fast to that for a long time. She's about as soft as a the prickliest cactus and he sees through it all, and keeps coming back for more. (We do love a man who loves to torture himself for his lady.)

I think my only problem, was for someone who was as self aware as she was, she somehow was still so niave about some things? But I feel like the gap in her mental reasonings about things, made sense with who she was as a character. We all have gaps, and hers made sense to a point. Also kinda hated that he was a dating podcaster (yuck), but I understand he needed to be for the story.

Otherwise, the chemistry between the two characters was what made this work so well, and that it was sarcasm served straight up. Narrator did an awesome job.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St, Martins Press and Netgalley for an early copy.

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings is a fun and witty second-chance contemporary romance.

This story follows Eva Kitt, who is a journalist. She never imagined that her career would consist of interviewing B-list celebrities while eating hot dogs, rather than following serious stories. Eva ends up shining the spotlight on herself after a rant about her college ex goes viral.

Eva’s ex, Rylie, is now a famous influencer. He focuses on teaching men how to be better partners. He sees an opportunity to prove he has changed, and proposes a deal. He proposes a series of dates where Eva can put him to the test and document each date for his audience.

Eva and Riley have chemistry that is increased by their snarky banter and genuine moments. There were times the pacing felt a little drawn out, but the characters remained charming and fun.

If you are in the mood for a fun and flirty second-chance romance, this book is for you!

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

I had a really hard time liking <I>Well, Actually</I>. The characters were not likable and very inconsistent. The dialogue was at times dramatic and overly sensitive and then at other times unnecessarily mean and tedious. It felt as if I quota was trying to be met with all of the references to lgbtqiap+ (one was pan and one was bi, but the book focused on the relationship between male and female). This book felt like it was trying too hard to make everyone happy with the content and it ended up really missing the mark for me.

I am so glad I finally got to this one!! This was SO good and everything I was hoping it would be.

Our main couple gives such strong Black Cat & Golden Retriever vibes. If you want a man who is truly obsessed with the FMC, look no further. He needs her in an almost pathetic way and I ATE IT UP.

Eva has blunt, sarcastic, dry humor which is very much up my alley. Because of this, the flirting and banter was so much fun. Rylie is the type of guy that enjoys it when a woman bullies him playfully. The match and chemistry between these two was unmatched.

I definitely need to give Mazey Eddings' other books a go after this one.