This book crawled into my brain, rooted itself in, and refused to leave—and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a stunning representation of how being strong isn’t just about resilience but also about how damn hard it is to express that struggle. The emotional depth? Gut-wrenching. The banter? Easily some of the best I’ve ever read. It had me grinning, crying, and clutching my heart all at once.

The character growth was messy, raw, and beautifully portrayed—just like real life. Watching these characters navigate their struggles, their love, their pain, and their healing felt like watching something sacred unfold. This book is, quite literally, life.

Easily in my top three favorite books of all time, and I will never shut up about it. If you haven’t read it yet, I need you to fix that immediately.

This book was a little out of normal genre of reads but it absolutely deserves the five stars. It was well written. The author and the characters reeled me in and I literally could not stop reading once starting. I loved the snarkiness of the FMC and the love connection between the FMC and the MMC. Highly recommend!

I am a bug fan of Mazey Eddings, and was so excited to receive an ARC of Well, Actually. It was exactly what I wanted it to be! I've already pre-ordered my physical copy (one for me and one for a friend!)

4.5 ⭐️ | Finished this in less than 24 hours and i’m OBSESSED. This book was so funny and genuinely had me laughing so much. The FMC Eva is a guarded up girl who has gone through a lot and so misunderstood but her character development was one I cherished. And Rylie!!!! Rylie freaking Cooper. I love that man with everything in me. He showed up for Eva every. time. and i adore him for it. while the chemistry and spice was AMAZING there was also so many sweet and soft moments that healed my guarded up heart.

✨I received this book as an ARC for free in exchange for an honest review✨

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings
Pub Date: August 5, 2025

🖤 Second Chance Romance
🖤 Enemies to Lovers
🖤 Golden Retriever X Black Cat
🖤 Toxic Workplace

Black cat heroine with killer outfits and so much sass she will make a grown man cry. Golden retriever who is giving Andrew Garfield Golden Globe vibes (IYKYK)

I loved this book, it was such a fun read. Eva records a drunk video bashing her ex Riley and his shortcomings of their time together. They are reunited to do an interview after the video goes viral. Eva is full of sass and wants nothing to do with Riley. Riley on the other hand has had some time to think about the past and tries to charm his way back into her life. The story is full of flirty banter with an unexpected twist.

Thank you to the @mazeyeddings and Netgalley for this ARC.

Okay, I really enjoyed a lot of elements to this book!! It started off really strong for me. I loved the place our two main characters started, because I feel like our FMC had very legitimate reasons to be angry and hateful towards the MMC. I could see why she wouldn’t want to give him a chance or hear him out. This made for such a great second chance romance setting.

One thing I really didn’t love is that the FMC so was so whiney about hating her job and not having enough money and life just generally sucking. Yet she had amazing clothes, always looked perfect, had really great supportive friends. I get things might not have been going her way, but I felt like she whined about the wrong things sometimes if that makes any sense.

I loved the way she teaser the MMC and they had such great tension between them leading up to their first hookup. And then the spice hit…

The spicy scenes were SO copy and paste. There was nothing unique or personal to the characters, the scenes could have been from any other romance book. The way the MMC spoke in the bedroom did not feel authentic to his character at all and that seriously irked me. “Good girl” does not always work and should not always be used.

I do feel like the end dragged on a bit as well. We could have cut at least one spicy scene and a few other moments and still had a great book with a little bit better pacing!

This might just be me, but I do feel like there was some virtue signaling going on here that states to get a little over the top after a while.

Overall, I enjoyed it and would for sure recommend it to a lot of friends!

This book is amazing!! I don’t even know where to start.

The writing is wonderful. There were so many witty, snarky, and funny one-liners that I was highlighting constantly as I was reading.

Eva is a bisexual disaster who uses make-up, fashion, and aloof snark to protect herself. Rylie is a reformed frat boy dedicated to deconstructing toxic masculinity and winning Eva back. I love books where the male love interest falls hard and fast – Rylie definitely does both. This story is funny and sexy and gripped me as soon as I started reading it.

By the end of the book, I truly understood why Eva is the way she is, and I understood Rylie’s past behavior too. Both had great character growth.

The spice, the dirty talk, and the praise definitely deserve a shout out too.

I’ve read all of Mazey Eddings’ books and have consistently enjoyed her writing. This book felt like a vibe/tone shift from her other books to me. I am super impressed to see Mazey doing something different so excellently. I’m obsessed!

Highlights:
- Black cat x golden retriever
- he falls first
- second chance
- bi for bi
- both snark and praise

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC for Well, Actually!

I had added this to my TBR a few weeks ago after seeing it on Instagram, and when I saw that it was added as a "Read Now" on NetGalley, I had to pick it up.

I loved the premise of the book! Eva, the host of a hot dog eating interview show, accidentally goes viral when she calls out her college ex on social media. Riley, the ex, is an influencer who has built his platform on calling out and dismantling toxic masculinity, but apparently back in college he wasn't so great! Eva's bosses decide to capitalize on the success of her video, and invite Riley for a live interview. In an effort to show Eva he's changed, Riley makes a deal with her - go on a series of dates and debrief them on his podcast later. But how long until these fake dates, start to feel real?

I found myself giggling out loud at work while reading on my lunch break a few times during this book, especially at the beginning and during Riley's disastrous attempt at their first date.

Despite their rocky start, I thought Eva and Riley had a genuine connection and their chemistry felt real. I liked the glimpses we got into their past, and it helped sell the idea that Riley had really changed. Sometimes I thought Eva was a little too mean to Riley in the present, but the flashbacks to how he actually treated her kind of justified it.

I wish Eva had stood up more to her horrible bosses during the course of the book, but I was pleased with how it ended, and the vindication she felt.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and will probably pick up a copy to keep on my shelf at home!

The one thing I hope is "corrected" (for lack of a better term) is the formatting of the text messages. It was sometimes hard to follow because the copy of the text messages blended into the paragraph without any quotations, italics, or markers to help distinguish. One of the things I love in books is when actual chat bubbles are used for text messages. It just makes things feel more integrated.

Thank you again St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I love when a book is able to make me laugh so hard my stomach hurts, cry, and then blush like crazy.

This is the first book I have read by Mazey and it definitely won't be my last. It follows Eva, the host of Sausage Talk (think chicken shop date but with hotdogs lol) where she interviews B list celebrities. One night she stumbles across a social media post of her college ex, Riley Cooper on his podcast teaching men to be better partners. She ends up posting a stitch breaking down the terrible time she had with him in great detail and it goes viral leading to him becoming the next guest on Sausage Talk.

This book had such great banter and there were so many moments had me hysterically laughing. It also handled so many important topics like misogyny at work, grief, therapy, self love and lgbtq topics. I have seen a lot of people say that Eva was too mean but I loved her so much. She has a tough outer shell that she has used to protect herself and Riley sees right past it. Seeing Eva open up and become vulnerable with Riley had me in actual tears! Also the spice in this book, specifically every single word that came out of Riley's mouth during it had me melting into the floor! I was blushing so hard oh my god.

I think if you loved Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams you should definitely give this book a try!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an early copy!

I loved the premises of this book and read it in one sitting. At the beginning, I was not a fan of the main character Eva and her attitude. It took some time to adjust to her and see the path that Mazey was taking her on in this book.

Eva gets drunk one night and decides to put out on social media about her college experience with Rylie, the newest "IT" podcaster on how not to be a toxic male. Not expecting anyone to see her post, she wakes up to quite a surprise. After that post and once her boss finds out, Eva and Rylie are thrown together on each of their shows. Rylie sets out to get Eva to agree on 6 dates so he can prove to her, he's a changed man from college. What ensues is fun dates, interesting friends and roommates, and a lot of romance and spice thrown in.

This book is a great fun read, and you really can't go wrong with one of Mazey's book.

i couldnt get into the book and i wasnt a huge fan of how it was written. i stopped maybe like 30% into the book, maybe ill try rereading in the future but for right now i cant read it

literally love anything mazey eddings writes and well, actually was everything you could want in a rom com, second chance romance.

this is like the ugly truth meets how to lose a guy in 10 days. mediocre blogging work meets dating advice. the best of both worlds

meeting in college, Eva Kitt and Riley Cooper had a bumpy start- him constantly badgering her in class trying to get her to date him until one day she said yes- his red flags and all- and then it ended. she was heartbroken and it traumatized her for any other relationship over the next 6 years.

He’s a million follower influencer, she’s a hot dog eating website host, and when she comes across one of his podcast snip it’s on tiktok one drunken night, her impulsiveness takes over and her video going against everything he’s saying goes viral and they’re shoved in close quarters again.

She’s the grumpy to his sunshine, golden retriever personality. will he be able to break her down into the girl he met in college or will she ruin him?

spice 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

this was basically chicken shop date where they eat disgusting hot dogs instead of chicken. the guests also can’t compare to who amelia pulled so far💅🏻 nonetheless the concept was fun.

it starts with our <i>lovely</i> fmc Eva -the host of hot dogs program- who is also not lovely at all but more like an ice queen, seeing her college boyfriend/one night stand/hook up on internet talking about how men can beat toxic masculinity. which rightfully angers Eva because Rylie was the embodiment of toxic masculinity when they were dating. long story short she stitches his video(drunkenly) and talks about how bad he was back then, gets millions of views and her producers wants to milk the attention so her ex boyfriend comes as a guest to her show👀

now, i know Eva isn’t for everyone. she had some unreasonable moments and she was mostly rude and mean. but for me she was so real. i unfortunately saw myself in her like a mirror and it was both sad(because no one loves me like rylie loves her) and relieving (because someone loved her so dear).

but god how i adored Eva!!🥹 the sweet girl inside of her tough exterior, she walls she build around herself after everyone let her down💔 MY GIRLLLLLL deserved to be loved and Rylie loved her so much it seemed like loving Eva was easier than breathing for Rylie🩷

and Rylie my love🩷 i love a down bad man, i believe this is universally acknowledged at this point🤭 but i also love a patient man, a man who doesn’t have a fragile ego, a man who can take a joke from a woman, a man who acknowledges his past mistakes and redeems them🙂‍↕️ he was all of them🥹 MY DREAMMMMMM seriously when.is.it.my.turn?!

honestly i wasn’t expecting to get emotional over this book let alone shedding actual tears🤚🏻 but there was a scene where they read hate comments about them on internet and all the comments for him was like “can i call him daddy, can he spank me” etc which i know there were probably bad comments about him and that was evil planning bla bla but what hurts me was the comments she had to read. the way people criticized her, called her mean names and the way they were all so real. like there are so many women on the internet getting hate comments for something so trivial something we all do and something no one bats an eye when a man does. so yeah the reality of it made me cry because my heart broke for her💔

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Review has spoilers!

Overall, this was a pretty good book. I enjoyed the snarky humor of Eva and the back and forth between Rylie. I am a bit unsatisfied with the ending though. Eva gets fired from her job and then the next chapter (or the next) everything is wrapped neatly and everything is okay again. I would have liked to have seen some of the struggle after losing her job to the point of calling out the former company and bosses.

I also was disappointed that they never really have Eva deal with her obvious abandonment issues and family issues. It's mentioned several times how her family basically ignored her to do what her step- and half-siblings needed/wanted all the time. It obviously affected her so much. But we don't get to see her really deal with those issues. She doesn't ever mention it to Rylie which I think it odd. Just a comment about "hey I struggle with feeling loved and appreciated because of my family" would have made me happy.

But like I said, overall a decent read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This is such a funny, moving, delightful novel. Eva and Rylie are such great characters, and their personalities flew off the page. Every character, really, was written very well. I liked how the readers were able to see Eva and Rylie work through their feelings (develop them, in Eva's case, and put them on full display, in Rylie's case) in a way that did not feel rushed or forced. The banter was witty, the conversations about grief and mental health were executed perfectly, and the villains really had me mad every time they appeared on page. I cannot wait for the rest of the world to read about Eva and Rylie, because I loved them.

This book had solid writing, great pacing, and a smooth flow—but I don’t think I was the target audience. I love second-chance romance, banter, and reverse grumpy-sunshine, so this should have been perfect for me. That said, the heavy focus on internet culture (think Chicken Shop Date vibes) didn’t quite land. The humor wasn’t my style, so I struggled to stay immersed. But if you love contemporary references and social media-driven storytelling, this one might be right up your alley!

Where do I even begin? This book was absolutely amazing! It was everything I needed right now, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to read this arc. Mazey Eddings did an amazing job at giving you a book that had you giggling and kicking your feet, laughing at the characters, and providing so much depth and meaning to their lives and stories.

This was easiest 5 stars I could've given a book. I went into this thinking it would be a fluffy cute romance, but it was that and so much more. These characters had raw emotions and problems going on within themselves and their relationships with others. Well, Actually surprised me in the best way possible. I sat and read this book in literally 2 sittings.

This story follows our FMC, Eva, who is a newbie journalist at a company. She hosts a podcast where B-D list celebrities come onto the show and eat hot dogs with her. One day she comes across her ex from college on social media, our MMC Rylie, and completely dogs him on the internet. This video blows up and she finds herself having to collaborate with him on episodes and go on dates with him.

You get fake dating, forced proximity, second chance romance, slow burn, yearning/longing, and so many others in this novel. Again this does cover some heavier topics, so just know that going in. I would recommend this book to any and everyone. I also read this after reading First Time Caller by B.K. Borison, so if you enjoyed that book I would highly recommend you read this one. It has similar aspects when it comes to the podcast and social media aspects.

This book will take you on a journey of self love, finding love in places you least expect it, discovering your worth, and just allowing yourself to have people there to support you and lean on in times of need. This book isn't set to be released until August, but please please go get it once it is released. You won't regret it!

My first ever ARC! Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If there is one things I love in a romance book it is a black cat girl and her golden retriever boyfriend. This book starts off with a silly rom-com premise, but somehow also handles serious situations gracefully. I loved these characters and their growth throughout the book so much that I was fully crying during the couples therapy scene. I highly recommend this to all my romance loving girlies. I will definitely be checking out Mazey Eddings' other books!

Unfortunately, had to DNF this one at 50%— simply not for me! The premise had SUCH potential (love a reverse grumpy/sunshine setup), but the execution fell flat. The FMC wasn’t giving “black cat energy,” she was just… mean :’) like so so so mean :’) I’m all for a little sass, but Eva felt more like a bully tbh, making it hard to root for the romance or even care.

The social media references and humor had their moments (definitely gave chicken shop date vibes), but the constant negativity and shallow character development dragged it down soooo bad. I really tried to hang on, but by halfway through it felt like scrolling endlessly through TikTok—some mildly entertaining moments, but nothing substantial to hold onto.

A fun, laugh out loud rom com that I always am in the mood for. One of my favorite interview styles is the Chicken Shop Date with Amelia which this is absolutely reminiscent of and based off of. It made it so fun to read and one of the reasons why I grabbed for it! I found myself smiling at my kindle throughout the entire thing. Eva is definitely the opposite of a fmc I usually read which made it a little “skimmy” for me but the banter made up for it and gave a balance. It was a slow burn, second chance, banter-full laugh out loud romcom. Super cute for what it was and a decently good story.