4.5 stars!!

ARC REVIEW|

- black cat x golden retriever
- Workplace romance
- Forced proximity
- Second chance
- Bi & Pan rep

if you love Chicken Shop Date, PLEASE READ!! You will love.

I REALLY enjoyed this one!!!! Huge fan of Rylie & Eva & their story.

Let me start by saying the chemistry was there right from the start, as was how obsessed Rylie was & I was in love. Rylie was the highlight of the story for me. He was so sweet and patient and VERY golden retriever. He really brought the magic for me and was the reason I rated this so highly. Even from only Eva’s POV, I felt like his depth was so refreshing! His journey as a person had spoken to me a lot and I found my heart breaking for him VERY often.
So! The nitty gritty. Eva was an interesting character! I did love a lot of aspects of her- her sharp wit, snide, and her general personality - but I also felt a bit of a disconnect, unfortunately. I love me a black cat, angry woman, but she was kind of just… cruel? In a way, I wish I were able to identify and justify with but it was kind of hard to actually read at some points because Eva was so painful to watch (not in a relatable way, either, it was plain hurtful, unfortunately).
On another note, I think if I had received more of her backstory and not just the highlights, Eva would have been more complete as a character, and maybe not so ruthlessly and needlessly harsh in my mind. She felt a little unexplored, and frankly, lacked agency at times, which left me feeling… REALLY frustrated. I’m sorry! She rubbed me the wrong way, I guess.
I thought the pacing was perfect, though!! The plot wrapped up nicely, and I did love them together overall. I do still definitely recommend it if you love the snide FMC x the ultimate soft man MMC where they’re obsessed with each other for six years!!! To be honest, for Rylie alone I think this book is worth the read!! AND! Some huge points for creativity!!! The storyline itself was very unique and a big part of the reason I enjoyed it so much in the first place.

Eva longs for the journalism career of her dreams while her current career is interviewing low level celebrities over hot dogs. What happens when she crosses paths with her situation-ship from 6 years ago that leaves her heartbroken?

I wanted to like this book. I’m a sucker for grumpy/sunshine and the grumpy was just TOO grumpy for my taste. At some point, I just found Eva to be a little annoying. Her bosses? Terrible. The ending was okay. I thought it fit the character arc of Eva. Not too crazy with the plethora of pop culture references throughout the book. Overall, I thought the story was okay.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Podcast, Rom-com, and hot dogs!

Second chance romance with depth
BANTER - Laugh out loud funny
Slow burn
Black cat/golden retriever

Some may want to check trigger warnings

One of the most real life feeling books I have read in a while!
This also features a black cat FMC and golden retriever MMC, you can't beat that.
Great banter and tension. I felt like this would make a great movie in the future!

The cover is also fabulous!

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

BABY GIRL. Ahhh I loved this so much. Such a sweet book and a fantastic reminder of why Mazey Eddings is a one-click author for me.

I really think this may be my new favorite Mazey book. I always feel so seen in her writing and loved following along in Eva's journey of personal growth. And Rylie? NEW FAVORITE BOOK BOYFRIEND. Baby girl and his slutty glasses and ironic sweaters was just everything. And his unconditional support of Eva as she worked through some very internalized issues was perfection.

🎧 The audiobook? 10/10. TEN OUTTA TEN. Ariela Crow was incredible and this will be one of my top audiobooks of 2025. Her narration of both characters, but especially Rylie was superb. She had me sweating. 😅

Read if you like:
-Second-chance romance
-Black Cat x Golden Retriever
-Redemption Arcs
-Major character growth
-Women navigating toxic work environments
-Baby girls
-Slutty glasses
-Therapy
-Chicken shop date

Overall, I loved it. It was SO FUNNY and lighthearted, while also touching on some serious topics. Big fan and highly recommend!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Eva Kitt is an aspiring journalist. She has her own Bumblebee following, she graduated with her journalism degree, and she has a podcast segment. The problem? The podcast is centered around hotdogs. Not exactly journalism gold….
Rylie Cooper has a very well off podcast helping men own their feelings and give women want they want and deserve. The catch? Rylie ghosted Eva 6 years ago in college, refused to talk about his feelings, and left Eva feeling less. What would happen if these two try it all again?

This book is FULL of absolute top tier banter. Eva gives as good as she gets. Rylie isn’t afraid of showing his true self, and we always love a guy who has put in the work emotionally (hello, therapy). Honestly, my only problems with this books stem from Eva. She started to drive me nuts with all the pushing away.


Thank you Mazey Eddings, St Martins, and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this romantic comedy!

I don’t normally enjoy social media being a big part of a story, but I enjoyed this one. Eva is on a ‘chicken shop date’ like internet show, where she interviews B and C list celebrities while eating hot dogs. She’s got a bitchy persona on the show and in real life. Eva would like to move on to something with more journalistic integrity, but is doing her time.

One evening, while scrolling Tik-Tok while drinking, she runs across an old boyfriend, Riley, that has made a bit of a name for himself with a podcast about NOT being a fuck-boy, anti-alpha man, being a generally better guy in 2025. In a moment of bad decision making, Eva posts a stitch about her experience with Riley in college. It’s not flattering and pretty much the opposite of the guy Riley is acting like now.

This turns into a social media frenzy and between Eva’s boss and Riley they convince Eva to work with Riley, going out on 6 dates for him to prove to her he’s a better man now. Eva is SALTY about the whole thing and only agrees because it might lead to a better job.

The first date is hilariously bad. The second, slightly better. The third…. I won’t spoil it but I cried real tears.

These two have to work hard for their HEA and by the end I really wanted salty Eva to get her HEA.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

3.5 ⭐️

Well, Actually was my first Mazey Eddings read and I had a fun time!
This was a second chance romance filled with great banter, lots of chemistry (and spice) and LGBTQI+ and therapy representation.

I laughed out loud quite a few times reading this and really enjoyed watching the banter and chemistry between these characters + watching them get to know each again and grow from their past.

Some things I didn't enjoy:
- Some parts did drag a bit for me more than others
- Eva did annoy me at times
- A lot of pop culture references, which I was ok with this time, but I think it could be off-putting to some readers.

Overall I enjoyed this one and I'm not mad about it! I think this would be a really fun one on audio.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

If you watched the Andrew Garfield ‘Chicken Shop Date’ video and wanted more, this is the book for you!
I LOVED this book! These characters were so unique and flawed but also just so perfect on their own and together. At the start i wasn’t so sure about Ava as I found her anger a little irritating but as we got to know her more you can understand why she acts the way she does, and her growth throughout the book was done so well. Rylie was the perfect love interest for Ava and just the perfect man in general. This man is obsessed with Ava and would do literally anything for her and we love to see it. This is the grumpy-sunshine trope done PERFECTLY. If you love witty banter, a couple that actually communicates, and smoking hot chemistry this is the perfect romance for you. This felt like a 90s romcom in all of the best ways. Every romance enjoyer should read this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!
Publication date: August 5, 2025

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings
📚 Genre: Rom-Com
📅 Release Date: August 5, 2025
⭐️ Rating: 3.5/5
🌶️ Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thanks to @stmartinpress & @macmillanusa for the eARC via NetGalley! 💌

Tropes/Themes:
🏳️‍🌈 Queer rep
💔 Grief
🧠 Toxic masculinity vs. healing
💞 Second chance romance
🚫 Rejection

When you find out your ex; the one who ghosted you, is now running a podcast on how to be a better man?! 😮‍💨 Eva, an up-and-coming journalist, goes on a rant thinking it won’t go viral, but it does. And now her media company wants her to sit down for an interview with the one man she can’t stand.

Eva runs a small show for her organization Soundbites and is hungry for a career breakthrough. Cooper? He’s the frat boy ex from college.

Some readers might not vibe with Eva’s bluntness, but I actually liked that about her. She’s direct, self-aware, and doesn’t sugarcoat her emotions, something we don’t see enough of in female leads

Question:
Does it bother you when an author suddenly switches how they refer to a character? 🤔
Like, if a character is Rylie Cooper and they use “Cooper” for most of the book, then suddenly switch to “Rylie” halfway through, I was so confused! I forgot his first name and thought it was a whole new character! 😩

Or are you fine with authors jumping between first and last names?

#WellActually #MazeyEddings #RomComReads #RomComBook #BookReview #BookRec #NetGalleyARC #SpicyBooks #BookishQuestion #Bookstagram #BookCommunity #SecondChanceRomance #QueerRomance #BookTokReads #WomenInFiction #RomComSeason #GrumpySunshine #SummerReads2025 #BookLoversUnite #BooksOfInstagram #BookishThoughts

Well, actually, by Mazey Eddings and narrated by Ariela Crow, was my fifth novel that I’ve had the pleasure of reading and listening to. Ariela Crow was an excellent choice for this book, and I highly recommend listening to it. This was a slow-burn romance with a second chance and a sort of enemies-to-lovers feel. Eva and Riley had a lot of chemistry and great banter. However, I was a bit annoyed by all the hot topics that were included in the novel. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had focused solely on their romance rather than trying to appease everyone. Mazey Eddings is one of the most talented romance authors that I’ve had the pleasure of discovering on NetGalley.

Thanks, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

“Every part of me is yours if you want it.”

⭐️ — 5/5
🌶️ — 2/5

HUGE thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for my copy of this book — all thoughts in my review are my own.

This was SUCH a fun read. I’m not going to lie, I requested the ARC on NetGalley based on cover vibes alone so I was completely unprepared for how much I would enjoy this book. ADD TO TBR IMMEDIATELY.

I know there will be some who won’t like this book solely because Eva’s character is not very likable in the beginning. Honestly the first several chapters had me wondering if she was redeemable at all, but as you get deeper into the story you learn exactly what her history with Rylie has done to her mental health. You start to understand why she has her fortress built in her mind. And, eventually, she starts to be incredibly relatable.

Once things start rolling, I genuinely could not put this book down. Easily top 3 of the 2025 releases I’ve read, and I highly recommend it!


✔️ he falls first (and harder)
✔️ SO MUCH BANTER
✔️ mental health rep
✔️ bi & pan rep
✔️ off the charts chemistry

i ATE. THIS. UP. there have been a few books that i’ve said had me giggling and kicking my feet but forreal this time y’all… by chapter 4 i was BLUSHING and GIGGLING like i was the one being flirted with.

WELL, ACTUALLY gives us eva, who gets put in the very uncomfortable but very intriguing position of having to work with her college situationship riley cooper, the one who treated her horribly and made her doubt herself constantly. and now he’s back, all grown up, fully aware of what a disaster he was, and desperate to prove he’s not that guy anymore.

i meannnn. a former college asshole earnestly admitting he was wrong and then spending the entire book showing you how much he’s grown?? (huda voice, "my dream date… cute.") listen. this is all jokes because all the men i met in college can kindly go to hell and stay there. BUT if you’ve ever had a situationship that left you feeling toyed with and worthless you’ve imagined this moment. don’t lie!!

ANYWAYS. cooper is down bad. like, he is fighting for his life trying to get eva to take him seriously. she does not make it easy for him (as she shouldn’t!!!) and her emotional walls are built so strong and tall. but cooper just keeps showing up. keeps planning these adorable, meaningful, intentional dates. he’s patient, vulnerable, and funny as hell. i’m not joking when i say he’s my now favorite book boyfriend. like. the bar has been raised and it's his fault!! their banter is golden. straight serotonin. i was grinning every few pages like a fool.

the only thing i wish had been handled a little differently is how quickly their arguments turned into sex. like they'd be mid-fight, do some processing with good(??) communication, and then suddenly be kissing each other’s faces off. and sure, i’m never gonna complain about chemistry, but it started to feel a bit like emotional whiplash. i would've loved just one or two slower moments of tension resolution where we really sat in the discomfort before the clothes started coming off.

but even with that, i truly loved this book. i’m going to be thinking about eva and cooper’s scenes (and their banter!!!) for a long, long time. i LOVE finding new favs!! now to read everything mazey eddings has ever written.

Cute read! I’ve never read a book by this author and I’m glad I was able to. Loved Eva and Rylie too. Also a fan of fake dates and exes to lovers 💜

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

My first book by Mazey Eddings. It was a fun read with humor, feelings & sarcasm. I’ll have to check out more by her

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

It was another that Mazey Eddings made me feel something. The story was fantastic, I couldn't put it down. The small spice scenes gave me life. I loved getting Eva's story but also seeing the flaws that both characters had. It made me love romance books even more.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t for me. It was funny at first, but I don't know, maybe I'm too old for this book. The FMC was immature and a bit rude, and the crude jokes got tiring and cringy after a while. I've seen so many great reviews for this book, so maybe I will try again in the future.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ariela Crow. She was fantastic and very animated with her storytelling. She nailed it and definitely enhanced my listening experience.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook and to St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Well, Actually follows Eva as she accidentally (re: drunkenly) posts a video about her ex and exposing him for not being the man he claims to be. What she believes will be a video only a handful of people sees turns into the next viral sensation. Now, in order to save her job and get a promotion she has been eyeing, she needs to confront her ex on the online show she hosts.

Mazey Eddings writes such fun lovable characters that are just going through it, and this one is no exception. Eva and Riley have a laugh-out-loud black cat- golden retriever dynamic that I could not put this book down until I had finished it. Not only are the two main leads amazing, but all of the side characters friends are the perfect combination to support the story. The queerness of everyone in Well, Actually also stood out to me, and I appreciated that Eddings wrote various journey's to discovering and accepting queerness. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys queer romance stories that feature strong women, men in therapy, and found family.

It’s the summer of the slutty lil glasses and Rylie Cooper is a worthy addition to the exhibit (I wasn’t a fan of his first name but I got over it soon enough). The man isn’t just sexy and bespectacled, he’s also pathetically down bad over the object of his affection. And most importantly, he’s a man who believes in and practices personal growth. Omg what, a unicorn?

On the other hand is Eva Kitt, modern strong confident woman and femme fatale, the black cat to Rylie’s sunshiney golden retriever. She’s the quintessential “unlikable heroine”, and like most unlikable heroines, she’s hiding something soft and wounded under that tough shell, and going through a lot of uncertainty as a 20-some year old New York City girl whose life isn’t quite going according to her hopes and dreams. She’s just so thorny, it’s sometimes hard to like her even for me, who is disposed to like every single “difficult” girl out of spite alone. But Rylie embracing her, thorns and all, is a reminder for us difficult girls that we all deserve to be loved. He’s perfect for her because he takes her barbs right to the chest with aplomb, but won’t take shit from her either. Even as he worships the ground she walks on. And her thorniness is wrapped in razor sharp wit and results in some crackling banter. Which equals explosive chemistry, and two horny souls making sweet steamy music together (forgive the confusing metaphors).

The book dodges the third act break up rather artfully, and it never feels like the stakes aren’t high enough. The author manages to balance the external conflict just right so we still get all drama and angst of the dark night of the soul. However, for a bit of a bitch (complimentary), Eva is rather naive (not so complimentary) when it comes to the corporate overlords. I guess that’s the duality of woman. Eva and Rylie’s friends were quite an adorable gang, and tbh I would’ve liked to see a lil more of Steve in action like we got to see the rest.

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings
Contemporary romance. Second chance, 1st person.
Eva Kitt uses her social media presence for journalism though her following numbers aren’t strong. One night after a bit of partying, she hears a show about her first college boyfriend, extolling his virtues. Eva is so shocked to hear about the righteous Riley Cooper, she posts an explosive and eye opening restatement of their relationship from college. Needless to say, she didn’t have any nice things to say about him. When they agree to do a show together, Riley convinces Eva to go on six dates together, proving he’s a better man than she remembers. And so starts her falling for him all over again.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The performance is narrated by Ariela Crow. She does a great job with voices of the two main characters with a clear distinction between Eva and Riley. There are also clear voices for the recurring characters such as Eva’s two bosses. Emotions are vivid and I was often exasperated by Eva again going off on an emotional tangent of some kind. It was phenomenal acting projecting a breathless quality at the end of a rant with Riley always calming in the wild storm.
I enjoyed the audiobook for the personality that I didn’t get from reading.
I did listen at @.5 and slightly higher for closer to my reading and conversation speed.

Rylie is clearly smitten with Eva and always has been. Getting his second chance has him all in. For him, I felt bad when he revealed about the death in his family and how it impacted him. I’m happy he got his hea.

Lively, often humorous, and a good romance.
3.5

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.