This is more like 2.5 stars for me, which I rounded up to 3, because I liked Rylie Cooper so much. Eva on the other hand, got on my last nerve. I'm not a fan of the enemies to lovers trope, so that's partly on me for reading it anyways, but I was so annoyed with how many times she kept pushing him away, when he was clearly so genuine. I liked them as a couple a lot once they finally got together, but that didn't happen until 70% through the book. I basically slogged through up until that point. Also, I didn't get or like the title... It was weird to begin with, and then was never even hinted at or alluded to, so that just felt like a loose end. (This whole review feels whiny, but oh well, it is what it is.)

This book was actually given to me for free from NetGalley as an arc in exchange for my review, and clearly it's my honest opinion.

Thorny journalist Eva Kitt longs to prove herself with a real investigative story, but instead, she's the host of an online interview show called "Sausage Talk." But she's thrown into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons when she posts an impulsive video trashing her college ex, Rylie Cooper. Rylie's built a platform on tearing down toxic masculinity and teaching men to be good partners – which is basically the opposite of how he treated her.

To capitalize on Eva's sudden fame, her employers force her to interview Rylie on "Sausage Talk" and guest-star on his podcast. Rylie promises to take Eva on a series of dates to make up for his bad behavior in the past, but can Eva really trust him? The short answer is no, but it's not because of Rylie; it's because she's got trust issues.

Eva's emotional wounds date back to her upbringing, but there were a lot of blanks for me in what we know of her family structure and childhood. We're told she lived with her dad and stepmother as a child, but where was her mom? We learn that her dad was an absolute jerk, but what was her stepmom's influence in her life? Eva has older stepbrothers and younger half-siblings, but the age spread of these kids seems implausible to me unless her stepmom started having children at a very young age—plus the stepbrothers are old enough that their treatment of Eva goes beyond normal sibling drama, bordering on cruelty.

Based on what Eva tells us, I wasn't sure if we were talking about a lonely kid or a true child neglect situation, and that makes a big difference now that she's an adult navigating the wounds this upbringing caused. She also doesn't seem to have any contact at all with her family now, despite claiming to love her siblings—and you'd think even one of these seven people would've given her a call after the media explosion. Just another paragraph or two about her family could have really helped me in understanding just how alone Eva was.

Typically in a romance novel, the reader gets to see both partners overcoming their wounds in order to find love. Here, we're limited to Eva's point of view; Rylie's growth seems to be just around disclosing important information because we don't actually see into his head. The crisis at the end had more to do with Eva's job than her relationship, which felt a little odd from a genre perspective but did make sense for the plot up to that point.

While I would have liked just a little more background to support Eva's character, overall I really enjoyed the book: it's wickedly funny, fast-paced, and very spicy.

I received an advance copy of this book for my honest review. Thank you to the author and NetGalley.

Thank you to the St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin with Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Chicken Shop date fans unite! Mazey Eddings delivers a sparkling and entertaining romance in this second-chance story that blends humor, heart, and a touch of sass. The book’s premise—a viral call-out leading to a series of redemption dates—sets the stage for sharp banter and genuine emotional growth between the main characters Eva and Rylie. I recommend if you are a fan of the Chicken Shop date online show!

Second-chance romance can be tricky, but in this day-and-age of podcasters, TikTok influencers, and the scandals that follow them, Mazey Eddings smartly weaves a narrative where no one is a “bad guy,” the reconnection is genuine, and the forced proximity is believable.

There was so much I loved about this book! Eva is tough as nails, a girl who was taught that showing emotion is an unforgivable weakness, and instead of doing the journalism she wants to do she’s stuck doing a Hot Ones type of show except instead of wings, it’s hot dogs. A video response to her ex Rylie Cooper’s video about red flags in relationships — where she basically calls him a giant red flags and insults his skills in bed too — brings him no her show and the banter and insults start flying. I absolutely loved the whole premise — her dry, disinterested attitude to her hot dogs eating interviews was just perfection — and I loved how Rylie was such a simp for her insults and such a sweet, earnest guy. He masterfully deflects all of her attempts at getting under his skin and does it with humor and heart, and this was the best. I also loved the idea that they’d be forced to go on a set number of dates together and then discuss it on their respective shows — that felt like a really novel forced proximity thing. But they only ended up going on two actual dates, which was kind of a letdown, and then when their relationship turns real they back off the banter and off the publicity too, so that also kind of bummed me out. The last half of the book is INCREDIBLY steamy and delicious, but the ending felt rushed — the conflict could have been queued up better (Eva’s best friend Aida basically hands her the solution to the problem, which felt a little weird.) Overall I really really enjoyed it, and since this is my first Mazey Eddings book I am excited to read more of her backlist!

First and foremost, THANK YOU Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the early digital copy of Well, Actually in exchange for an honest review!!

And holy shit I’ll be honest… this was one of the best romance books I’ve read so far this year. Hands down. I felt every aspect of hurt, longing, loneliness - and then on the other side of it, I felt the giddiness, relief and safety that was their relationship. This was another beautiful example of messy people finding beauty in doing life together. Both Eva and Rylie were frustrating, witty, outrageous and relatable. Also shoutout to Mazey Eddings - the heartfelt monologue Queen! 👑

This is the type of 10/10 banter that makes it obvious that men written by women are superior and unfortunately slightly out of reach in the real world… but it’s fun to pretend 🩷

I can’t recommend this book enough. I cannot wait until pub day when I can get my greedy hands on the physical copy 😩

💬 Smart, swoony, and beautifully real 💬

Mazey Eddings has once again delivered a gem—Well, Actually is witty, tender, and full of heart. With a neurodivergent heroine who’s sharp, vulnerable, and incredibly relatable, this story had me hooked from page one. The banter crackles, the romance simmers, and the emotional depth hits in all the right places.

What I loved most? It’s a love story that doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff. It sees people for all they are—messy, complicated, and still entirely lovable. It’s funny, fierce, and quietly empowering. If you're craving a romance that balances humor with heart, and characters who feel real, this one's a must-read.

Eva is the host of sausage talk where she interviews people while eating hotdogs. One night she calls out her college ex and it goes viral. Because her ex is a social media influencer that has made his whole online presence deconstructing toxic masculinity. Getting famous for teaching other men on how to be better partners. Her employer thinks it’s a great idea for her to have him on the show and confront him. He offers her a deal where he takes her on dates to make up for his past, and then they can talk about it on their shows. Riding off that original high of virality.

I was really excited to read this book because I loved Late Bloomer by the same author. This book is super cute, filled with romance, humor, and a lot of banter. I have the humor of a middle school boy so I was cracking up at all the hot dog jokes. The story really focuses on the emotional work. Both characters had to do to make their relationship work.

I kind of lived for the fact that this book is grumpy x sunshine except where the woman is the grumpy one. I felt like I could relate to her a lot. Even when she was getting on my damn nerves. It was extremely realistic.

Also, can we talk about Riley? That man is a SIMP and a MUNCH. (The smut?! Was so SPICY!!!) Him always doing the absolute most for her. The way he was able to reassure her and not let her push him away. Was so grateful when there wasn’t a third act break up even though she tried.

Will definitely continue to support and read from this author in the future.

Thank you, NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review!

Well, Actually Ms. Eddings, you’re a star! This one delivered romance, humor, realism, tension, banter…all of it. From the very first chapter, I was hooked. Everything is well thought out and hits the right beats at the right time for me. I look forward to purchasing!

Squeal! This book is so cute!

This book is for the girl who never felt like she was good enough and always felt like she was too much at the same time. Our FMC is a black cat but she's so squishy on the inside. She developed the personality out of a sense of self preservation and luckily, Rylie Cooper sees right through it.
I love a man with persistence who can see past your personal trauma and confidently reassure you that you've always been enough. The emotional intelligence displayed by this character is off the charts. The story is told so well in the beginning that I really did not like him at all. He won me over though, and he is a rock for Eva. I believe I saw the author is neurodivergent and as a fellow neurodivergent, I appreciate some of the included elements. I have LOTS of annotations in this book.

If you're looking for a story to give you that loopy swoopy swoony feeling, this is it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️
Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings is out August 5, 2025. Pre-order wherever you get books :)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced readers copy for my review.

2.5 Stars ⭐️

Well, Actually I think there is something missing from this book?!? 🧐

I struggled to get into this book and struggled to keep interest. It took me over a week to read this rom-com. There is definitely some good banter between the MFC and MMC but I felt there wasn’t any chemistry. It is also a very slow burn. Maybe I’m not to target audience, I don’t know, but it is a pass for me.

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

Eva calls out Rylie for his hypocritical dating advice. The public call-out spirals into an unexpected collaboration, and what follows is banter-filled and surprisingly thoughtful. It tackles the double standard for men and women online.

Eva’s reluctance to trust Rylie dragged on a bit. While it’s understandable given their history, her emotional progress sometimes stalled in ways that tested my patience. I appreciated that the core conflict wasn’t about the relationship—instead, it focused on the very real emotional work both characters had to do. The fact that Rylie took her to therapy to process their baggage was refreshing.

Read if you like:
•Enemies to Lovers
•Second Chance
•Sunny vs. Grumpy
•Workplace Romance

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Explicit Open Door: At least two intimate scenes, explicit language with a variety of sexual acts.

This was such a great book! I read my first book by Mazey Edding last year. She writes a great swoon worthy romance. This one is super fun and has enemies to lovers vibes. There is some real snark and attitude with this one. Eva is straight up mean at time. And Cooper is a sucker for her. Enemies to Lovers is one of my favorites so this one Ioved. The chemistry with the characters was so good. The cover to this book is also so cute!

Thank you to @stmartinspress for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!

“To fuck around is human, to find out is divine” tea

This book was kitschy, and weird, and kind of ridiculous, and still addicting! Mazey Eddings somehow took us from chicken shop date romcom to a very righteous story about the toxicity of media and your lack of a right to privacy when your life is expected to be constant content for the masses- and honestly I was here for it. Social media is the most wonderful tool of human connection that ruins our lives every single day, and as someone trying (their hardest) to stay off of it right now, this book gave me a second wind on my journey 🫡
I’m not usually a fan of a second chance romance (bc sometimes two people just shouldn’t be together even when you try again) (but I also feel that way about a lot of first time contemporary romances, like I knoww divorce rates are sky high in downtown booktok city), but this one really worked for me! Hurt is inevitable when you carry the learned flaws of your relationships with your parents into your approach to dating at a young age, so it felt very human and understandable. These lovely (deeply flawed) individuals really got a chance to fix a ‘right person wrong time’ relationship because they actually worked for it!! And their painful finding their way back to each other just filled my chest up like a hot air balloon

I’m sure I have critiques somewhere rattling around in my brain, but I really just can’t say more than how much I enjoyed reading it! The well-timed (very crass) humor earned it like 3.5 stars, and the brutal therapy chapter earned it that half more. Can’t give it five stars for making me lose so much sleep (Mazey, I’ll be billing you<3), and for the whole “kitten” thing that persisted way longer than it needed to (ok yeah found it, that's my critique. I had to pretend not to see it on the page while reading so I could still stand Rylie) anyway 4 stars.

Thank you to netgalley and st martins press for the arc!!

Well Actually, I might love every book that Mazey Eddings writes. This book is so Andrew Garfield and Amelia from Chicken Shop Date coded and I. Am. Here. For. It. Eddings manages to write characters that lift off the page and feel like they could be someone that you know. I loved how Eva and Rylie got thrown together and the growth that Rylie proved he had made since college. Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes but it is so hard to be pulled off properly and Well Actually does it. You understand the draw they felt in the past as well as the present, the reason things didn’t work out is believable, and the change to why things work now in the present just works.

Thank you net galley for the arc in exchange for my review!

I absolutely loved the first half of the book. It had some very funny moments. To me it felt a little repetitive after 50%.

I mean, I'm a vegetarian! I don't even LIKE hot dogs. But you better believe I was craving hot dogs the entire time! Mazey Eddings delivered with this one—black cat x golden retriever energy was off the charts, and I ate it up. The premise is a little wild (think spicy Chicken Shop Date vibes), but it totally works and had me laughing out loud. Eva was so relatable, and Rylie? Absolute dreamboat. Where’s my golden retriever boyfriend, huh?

The writing, the characters, the banter—and that cover?! I’ll be grabbing the paperback the second it drops.

Huge thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Mazey Eddings does not miss! This may be my favorite of her books yet. The banter and teasing between the love interests
*swoons* and spice was SPICIN'. All that tension and longing paid off nicely. Rylie Cooper is such a great MMC - his slutty little glasses & his overall golden retriever demeanor and his humanity and compassion - I was won over instantly and gee to love him even more. Eva Kitt was a great character in her own right as well - a lot of people may be put-off by her personality and attitude, but that's on internalized misogyny.
Eva is traumatized, lacking a strong sense of self-worth and simultaneously intelligent, passionate, quick-witted and dedicated. I could go on & on about how much I loved this book, but I implore you to read it for yourself. So worth it.

This was cute story and fast read. I would recommend this as something just fun. I will say I didn’t fall in love with the characters though, I loved the LGBTQ representation and plot of the story. Honestly the FMC was kind of insufferable at moments. I think this book is definitely meant for those in the their early 20’s to read.

From the very beginning this was hilarious. The banter between Eva & Rylie was everything & some of the best I’ve read. The way she would completely DOG him and he would be like “you’re so lovely.” IM SCREAMINGGGGG 😭😭😭 I related a lot to Eva when it came to feeling like she wasn’t important enough for anyone to love her- even in her own family. I saw a lot of myself in her with that aspect. Was she a little too harsh with Riley at times??? Sure but that’s real life! Everyone has flaws and I love when stories portray that. & there was even a part where she was a little too mean and she said something like “why can’t I ever say the right thing?” Which made my heart sad.

I. love. Riley. I will go to battle for this man. I’m feral for a man that blushes in romance books- it gets me every time I fear. He was so enamored by her- and he just wanted to show her that.

this was a lot more than just the romance & banter though. This was a story that had the very important message- that no matter WHAT type of job you have or who your boss is, sitting back & expected to be silent when you are being bullied is NOT part of your job. You deserve kindness, and just because you aren’t the boss or manager or supervisor doesn’t mean you aren’t important.🖤