From the start, this book reminded me of the scene in how to lose a guy in 10 days where they’re singing “you’re so vain” and I love it so much. I loved this book, the characters, and the hate to love that happened. bonus was this book didn’t stress me out like some enemies to lovers stories do (but yet I’ll always read them). 10/10!

I don’t even know what to say!!! I’m still processing… This was my most anticipated read ever since it got recommended to me by the Instagram algorithm. Everything from the synopsis told me this was going to be my favorite read of the year, and while I can’t say with certainty yet as it’s only January, this certainly has been my favorite read of both this and last year so far. I’m in awe, I fell out of contemporary a while ago, but this was like a breath of fresh air. Now I’m not saying I’m the number 1 contemporary fan, but this was just everything to me. I read it all in one go, I was engaged from start to finish and my heart was pounding the whole time.

The pacing was perfect, the banter had me giggling and blushing and kicking my feet, it touched on serious topics and advocated for getting therapy!! We love that in this house. Eva was such an impactful pov character, and I really resonated with her. While I have obviously never experienced misogyny, my heart hurt reading all of the things she had to go through. The villains were sickening in a way that wasn’t cartoonish, as it’s a very realistic portrayal of how people who are in positions of power can very easily abuse it and it can sometimes feel like you’ll never be able to get out from under them. The only real complaint I have is that I wish her family issues also had a resolution or it was touched on more so she could have some sort of closure for it. It was gut wrenching and I wish she was able to get some familial love or even open up about it with Rylie. I kept waiting for it to happen but it just never did. Other than that, this was a perfect read for me.

Overall, this was everything and more to me. I can’t say enough how much I recommend this to anyone who’ll listen. This got me out of a bad reading contemporary romance reading slump, and I will be reading all of the rest of Mazey’s books whenever I find the time. Thank you so much to Mazey and St. Martin’s press for this e-arc.

Mazey Eddings is one of my most favorite authors and I squealed with joy when I was invited to read this book. The banter, the sass, the grumpy-sunshiney-ness of it all. It was delicious. It was such a unique premise that hit all of my buttons and I love, love, love how inclusive Mazey is in her stories when it comes to gender, sexuality and mental health. It's so genuine, but it's there and shows you that it exists in the world in all kinds of stories, even HEAs that aren't wrapped up with a perfect bow. I will be recommending this book and shouting about it to the world, which I tend to do with all of Mazey's books. Thank for the chance to read this ARC.

This is a witty second-chance romance. Eva is a journalist who is frustrated by her current career (the equivalent of Buzzfeed) and drunkenly decides to respond to her es-boyfriend online video about how to be a supportive partners. This leads to a viral moment and the opportunity for the couple to reconnect as fully formed adults.
here are the parts I loved about this book - Eva is absolutely feral and mean and unapologetic. Cooper actually has some character growth and maturity
Here is what I disliked - the side characters were one note, Eva has an incredibly traumatic family story that is never addressed and I just did not believe the motivation behind anything that happened.

Thank you netGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own

Unfortunately had to DNF this book. The characters fell flat for me and it was difficult to connect with them. I also just personally felt like there was no real connection between our couple.

The FMC was just blatantly rude at some points to the MMC for no reason. When reading a romance I want there to be a strong connection from the start, and I get that not all romances will start with the couple being sweet and smitten. But it felt like there was no real reason for Eva to be so rude (I mean y’all dated years ago and you’re still holding a grudge??) and therefore the chemistry was just not there for me. I do like the fact that we had multiple flashbacks and we got to see a bit of their relationship before the current timeline.

One aspect I do really like about the book is the up to date references. It definitely reminded me of the chicken shop date and a lot of the humor in the book made me laugh out loud. It’s very modern and there are multiple references to social media etc. The book just dragged on a bit too much for me which led me to having to put the book down early.

This was such a cute, quick romance read that constantly had me giggling and kicking my feet! Mazey Eddings can write characters with chemistry and it was SO refreshing!! I just know this is going to be so popular when it comes out.

I really enjoyed seeing the characters progress in this story. The story was well paced and well written. I was hooked from the beginning and devoured it in just a few sittings.

This book was FUN! thank you to net galley and the publisher for this ARC.
I think this book is what the movie UGLY TRUTH with Katherine Heigl,should have been! Like true enemies to lovers, haters because of feelings, challenging each other, and top tier banter.
I was laughing out loud in the first few chapters.
I really enjoyed this read, I felt like the characters were real people with genuine experiences. If you like rom coms, this is for you!

When I first came across this book, I was honestly kind of off-put by it. Like, what do you mean she’s the host of a show called Sausage Talk where they eat hotdogs and talk? No thanks.

But then I couldn’t stop thinking about this book and now, here we are.

To be completely fair, at first, I absolutely hated Eva. But the more I’ve thought about this book and everything that happens, I think she’s going to be everyone’s favorite.

I didn’t care for how Eva referred to Rylie as his last name for most of the book, but seeing that switch to “Rylie” from “Cooper” as their relationship grew really paid off.

Rylie Cooper has stolen my heart. He has the greenest of green flags and is a walking dream (to me at least). I need a Rylie Cooper in my life.

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

I really enjoyed this book! The banter was top-tier and I will always love a second chance romance! I loved how down bad Rylie was for Eva and didn’t even try to hide it! The back story for Rylie was especially heartbreaking and I love the bi and pan representation!

"You keep saying that, but the bar's been on the ground, and you keep showing up with a shovel."

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings is a phenomenal second-chance romance. The FMC and MMC are the embodiment of the black-cat/golden retriever relationship! Mazey killed it with this book; it is definitely my favorite of hers. However. I feel like the ending was very rushed and left a lot of questions. I wish there was an epilogue!

I devoured this book in one sitting! I highly recommend you read this!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book. It was such a great, fast read! The banter between Eva and Rylie was so quick-witted and sharp that I found myself laughing out loud at points. The storyline was well-developed and the spice was just right. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

This book was sooo good! I loved the second-chance romance aspect and you could physically feel the love

ARC REVIEW:

the fact that I need to wait to actually buy this book is a travesty. I loved every minute of reading it and it was such an easy 5 stars to give. Black cat/ golden retriever is quickly becoming one of my favorite tropes and this book did a perfect job of making me feel so much for the FMC and want to hug her when she was vulnerable and strangle her for her self sabotage. August can’t come soon enough but in the meantime I will absolutely be reading all of Mazey Eddings other books.

Did you ever watch an episode of Chicken Shop Date and go, what is the story behind that and is it a rom com? Then Well, Actually is the PERFECT book for you. And it is the reason why I requested this from NetGalley but I ATE THIS UP! Eva and Rylie's second chance romance story was the perfect way to give a nod to those who shipped two specific individuals from Chicken Shop Date without slapping it across your face and making it its own story.
Not only is this rom com full of angst and delicious banter, but it is also filled with self-discovery and the true ugliness of toxic work environments. This book was an enjoyable experience and was exactly what I was looking for.

Thank you NetGalley and You Had Me at HEA for this arc in return for an honest review.

This was a tough one for me to finish. I felt like just rage read the entire thing because the FMC was so insufferable. There’s a different between having a snarky attitude every now and then and just being straight up bitchy. And speaking of bitchy, her so called best friend is almost as mean as her.

We don’t even get the true reason why Rylie ghosted Eva and we see no true connection between them that grows into romance. Just sexual tension. We get little bits of Rylie (Cooper) and then it’s just left there hanging in therapy session.

This just felt very flat to me. Characters weren’t enjoyable, the romance wasn’t there, the plot unrealistic. Plus the many reference to very current memes and etc would make it difficult to understand if you aren’t chronically online.

Thank you to Saint Martin's Press and Mazy Eddings for allowing me to read an ARC of this book!

Overall, I enjoyed it. However, I think maybe Eva was a bit too harsh at times. I would never expect her to just melt and give into Rylie's charm at the drop of a hat, but she carried on her ruse a bit too long for my liking, being downright insulting at times when Rylie was trying his best.

Landry and William were so frustrating, but in a way that made the book better. They were slimy and awful and I wish there had been an epilogue to talk about the (hopeful) fallout of Eva's article coming out. I hope their punishment was swift and cutting.

Anyway, this was a great little book with exciting spice levels and a great cast of characters. That I wish we'd gotten a bit more of. Ray seemed like a riot!

Let me tell you - this book has some top tier banter so if you’re looking for spicy, witty, borderline bitchy, sarcastic retorts that will make you laugh…look no further.
I loved the plot around the FMC, Eva, and the MMC, Rylie (who also has THE BEST collection of cheesy crewnecks)! I thought it was well thought out and enjoyable to read. There was moments where Eva definitely annoyed me a bit with her constant stubbornness and much like Rylie, I would find myself thinking, “come. on. Eva!” But I also think this worked in really well with their dynamic which made their chemistry almost perfect. Eva and Rylie had me truly cheesing and routing for them.
I do think that the ending felt a bit like it was cut short and I wish there would have been more there to explain the outcome of the events whether by drawing out the last few chapters in general or at least including an epilogue.
Well, Actually was not at all what I was
expecting and I do wish that the book blurb included a bit more of a description of what was included in the book because some of it was not my typical cup of tea, but overall I really enjoyed the story!

Release Date: August 5, 2025

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for proving me this ARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Quotes I Loved:
"Would you also say you're a Kraft Single ready to mingle?"

"We'd be Gouda together, don't you think?"

"Hot Girl is an armor you put on. An impenetrable fortress of makeup or dyed hair or fake nails or killer clothes or expensive perfume or any other bodily adornment that makes you feel fucking good. Powerful. Hot Girl isn't a look or a style, it's a commitment to doing whatever makes you feel unstoppable in the face of life's fuckery."

"Welcome to Sausage Talk, where fun in the bun is guaranteed."

"You're the human equivalent of Comic Sans,"

"Sometimes you have to shove yourself out of the way and take a risk,"

"Every part of me is yours if you want it."

I’ve never read a book by this author before but after a few chapters I was an immediate fan! Such a perfect cute quick read!

I received an ARC of Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings in return for an honest review.
Eva Kitt, the host of a tongue and cheek show Sausage Talk, drunkenly posts on social media berating her ex-boyfriend, beloved podcast host Riley Cooper. Surprisingly, the management at her job decides to capitalize on the action and bring them together hoping for a drama-filled interview to boost their ratings.
Throughout the book Eva hides her broken feelings behind her quick-witted digs at Cooper, but then is she starting to get feelings for him?
The sharp-tongued banter was my favorite part of this book. Eva had a quip for everything and Cooper gave it right back to her creating a great story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I would absolutely read this author again.