While I wouldn’t consider myself chronically online, I do agree that Rylie is verrrry babygirl. I loved the bits of the past that we got to learn about Rylie’s story. I found it to be compelling and heartbreaking, it was so necessary to understand his character and mindset of where he was when him and Eva first met. His commitment to be vulnerable with Eva and rewrite their history had him groveling in the best ways while she learns to trust him again. The banter between the two of them was fun, it was quick and witty and definitely had me giggling. Eva is sassy and unapologetically herself and Riley fully embraces it (and is so stop being mean to me or I’ll fall in love with you). He never tries to soften who she is but at the same time he allows her to feel comfortable being soft. It’s such a perfect dynamic and they matched each other so well. I was frustrated with Eva and her job. Unfortunately I get why she stayed and it actual felt realistic for her to endure a toxic workplace. But GD I wanted her to just up and quit so many times (and honestly I feel like she is a badass character and it would have felt right for her to take them down.) This one gets extra points for me LOLing at the kitten nickname and not hating it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy!

Well, Actually was my first book by Mazey Eddings - this one tells the story of Eva, who hosts an online video show interviewing C and D list celebs while eating hot dogs and Riley, who hosts a podcast focused on toxic masculinity and psychology. The two know each other from college after going on a few dates and a disastrous hookup. Eva calls Riley out on a drunken social media post for being a hypocrite which leads to him asking her out on 6 dates to redeem himself and show how he's changed.

Overall this one a sweet book but left me with some disappointment. Eva was hard to like at times with how she pushed Riley and others away in her life. She was mean and short tempered and really didn't want to give people a chance. Riley is a sweetheart who gave a bit too much grace to Eva in my opinion. The burn was slow with Eva constantly finding reasons to hate Riley until she all the sudden loves him. The challenges she had at work were semi believable but hard to care about at times with her bad attitude. I liked this book but didn't love it. Will still check out other works from this author!

4⭐️
Thank you to St Martins Press and Netgalley for giving me an early copy of this book!
I really wanted to read this one based off the FMC’s job description. It definitely gave me chicken shop date with Amelia Dimoldenberg vibes, as out FMC Eva worked as a talk show host eating hot dogs with celebrities interviewing them about their lives and careers.
Though one night she drunkenly releases a smear video about an ex she dated that has a big following and sparks big views and attention on them both. They are forced to film a hot dog interview for Eva’s job and her ex Cooper comes up with a proposition to Eva. Go out on do over dates to see he has changed from his past toxic behavior and became a better guy. As the two go on these manufactured dates, feelings start to become real and Eva struggles with trusting the guy who broke her heart to be the one to put it back together.
I think it was so interesting reading about a character that does a lot of the opposite things I would do in certain situations. Eva was very confrontational and not afraid to speak her mind, she calls people out and is super brash and unapologetic about who she is. She definitely is an acquired taste but as I read more about her and who she was, I began to see why she put up these walls and how hard it was for Eva to let people in.
Riley was such a sweet dorky guy who always saw through Eva’s walls. Most people would run away from someone who called them out but Riley saw Eva for who she was and refused to run away from her and instead did all he could do to make it up to her for hurting her in the past.
The banter was so good and this felt like a genuine enemies to lovers with a lot of angst and back and forth between our main couple.
There was definitely some spice in this book (be warned if that is something you are not a fan of) that had me blushing and kicking my feet!
I can’t wait to go back and read some of Mary Eddings other books after having a great time with this one!

I loved this book! This is my first Mazey Eddings read, but I will definitely be reading more. The characters were so fun and realistic, and I laughed out loud many times with their witty quips and comments. Highly recommend!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, solid 4 stars. Some things did frustrate me like Eva’s bosses being absolute garbage (but hey that’s corporate for ya) and Eva refusing to accept for awhile that the guy she had a thing with in college may have grown up in the last 6 years but I get she was going through her own things and we support women’s rights and wrongs here. I loved the romance and Eva and Rylie balance each other out so well.

I couldn't request this book more quickly when I read the synopsis and knew exactly what it was inspired by. Unfortunately, it wasn't as charming as the real show and it was so long and draw out.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Banter, Banter, Hot Dogs, Banter!

Mazey Eddings has quickly become one of my favorite authors solely from this book! Well, Actually is funny, witty yet compelling. Eva is a journalist who interviews B list celebrities while eating hot dogs. She aspires to be a serious journalist but feels stuck in life. She drunkenly posts a video bashing her now influencer ex Riley. From that day on, her world is turned upside down as her bosses force her to interview Rylie as part of a segment on her show. This is a second chance romance with a lot of clever banter, spice, but also deep topics that help you better understand the characters.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a great laugh and read some goooood spice.


Thank you St Martin's Press & NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mazey Eddings gave us a fun second-chance romance with Well, Actually. This book follows Eva Kitt, a journalist whose job has her interviewing B/C-list celebrities while eating hot dogs. A late-night drunk TikTok rant that goes viral brings her college ex, Rylie Cooper, back into her life. I absolutely loved the banter – Eva being the black cat & Rylie being the golden retriever. Once we get to know Eva, I understood why she was so guarded and snarky. Cooper was a great MMC - supportive, persistent, emotionally available, communicative. He was a great match for Eva.

This was a charming and funny read. It wasn't my first Mazey Eddings book and it won't be my last. Definitely recommend!

Thank you St Martin's Press & NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

There were some great one liners. I’m not usually one to utilize the highlighter while reading but I was cracking up at some of the witty bits and needed to make note of them. I really loved the FMC personality. Definitely a cute book.

a second chance romance you don't want to miss. second chance romance isn't usually my
favorite but i liked this one.

This is a cute romance story. Was it anything special, no. Did it give me what I needed in a romance, yes. This story was predictable, but I love sprinkling in romance in between fantasy reads.

A second chance romance that follows Eva, the fmc who is stuck in a job she hates and Rylie, her ex who has a popular social media following. When Eva calls out Rylie online, it starts a chance for a re-do relationship, but both sides do not have the same end goal.

The premise of this book sounded fun and enjoyable, however the fmc was overly rude, borderline cringe and the mmc had little to no personality, I honestly don’t remember much about him. The book started off great with some solid banter and tension, but fell flat halfway through and just seemed to drag on.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC read!

Well, Actually is the first book I've read by Mazey Eddings, and I was absolutely blown away. I haven’t laughed this hard and consistently while reading in a long time—I devoured this book. It’s comical, witty, passionate, and relatable.

At first, Eva came across as rude—and to be honest, she is. But as the story progressed, I began to understand her better, especially her dynamic with Rylie Cooper. My boyfriend and I share a similar banter—what some might consider rude quips is just how we show comfort and affection. Eva pushes the boundaries at times, but I honestly loved her more for it. You do you, boo.

Eva is thrust into an impossible situation, forced to navigate the whims of corporate nepotism. I loved how she could throw verbal punches when needed. And Rylie? I adore him. His charm and quick wit brought the heart that Eva’s character sometimes lacked, making their dynamic work beautifully.

The spice was spicing, and overall, I loved rooting for Eva and Rylie. Quick, light-hearded read with the promise for a good laugh.

ARC Review!

3.75 stars!

Let me start by saying, this second chance romance is a slowwwww burn. I think around 60% is when Eva (The FMC) finally gave in some. There were times where I wanted to scream through the pages to just be honest and talk to each other and explain feelings already. However, the banter was comical and so fun!

I do believe Eva was a little too mean at times. Rylie (The MMC) was such a golden retriever boyfriend. He was emotionally available and a literal sweetheart. I did have trouble picturing him in my head visually, but I’m not sure why. Eva made me role my eyes a few time by how much she was fetching for compliments. Mainly because it feels as though she never returned the compliments. Despite all of this, I understand her reasoning for having her guard up and I don’t think anyone would be able to match her energy and break through that barrier other than Rylie. That makes them complete perfection together.

The spice was also very much there. Top tier. It is not closed door, so just beware in that is not something you enjoy reading.

This has a lot of progressive themes such as the MMC is bisexual (but it’s just talked about nothing spicy is known) and the FMC is pansexual I believe. But again, nothing is discussed other than that she is and explains what it means. Also, one best friend is transgender. But again, nothing discussed further than she used to be a male. So, it is discussed, but not so heavily that it dictates the whole book.

Overall, it was a sweet read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC!

I love love this cover so much! I enjoyed it. Fun and quick but I wanted more complex characters. Will read future titles from the author though, it was fun!

Well, Actually
By Mazey Eddings
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Eva Kitt, social media personality and blogger, is unfulfilled at her job, eating hot dogs with b and c list celebrities sometimes even d-list ones on socials for clicks. One night while polishing off a bottle of bubbles, she finds a podcast about toxic masculinity from her first ex, the frat boy who gave her all her firsts and began a cycle of disappointment in her relationships. Of course, Eva thinks it’s an amazing idea to create a stitch calling him out for his frat-boy behaviour to her leading to them fake dating for clickbait on the site she works for.

The first half of the book was amazing. Lots of banter, lots of physical humour, lots of tension. Halfway through Mazey Eddings breaks your heart with backstory. Then she pieces you back together only to have you absolutely melting into a puddle of sexy goo. Multiple times. I really liked watching Eva shift from prickly to vulnerably soft with Rylie. And I loved that Rylie actually listened and learned from his toxic past behaviour. Were there some times when I wanted to shake Eva and yell at her to be honest with herself and Rylie? Yes. Were there some times that I wanted to yell at Rylie that he was being too real too fast and dropping unexpected truths way too soon? Absolutely. Did either of those things mess with my enjoyment of this book that deals with some pretty deep and painful topics? Not even a little.

Things I loved:
- Bi and Pan representation!
- Second-chance romance
- Therapy normalization!
- The banter
- The sexual tension
- The resolution of the sexual tension (omg edging)
- Partners who are honest with each other and talk about hard things
- How they both actually listen to one another

Pick this one up if you love any of the above. You won’t be disappointed!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

When i first received this arc I went into it thinking of Chicken Shop Date and Amelia, and it's not too far off in the beginning. If it were done under deplorable working conditions.

I love me a good golden retriever/black cat trope. And this black cat came with some seriously ferocious claws, but not so terrible that she was unlikable. The banter between Eva and Rylie was great. I seriously loved these two.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was my first book by this author, and I enjoyed it! It very much had chicken shop date vibes.

Spoilers Ahead:
I did feel like the hero and heroine reconciled a little too quickly. The hero felt he was owed a chance to make it up to her, and I don’t feel like there was enough time or basis before she came around to it. And they both cared a lot about each other very quickly without really knowing each other, either from the past or in the present. I also felt like her workplace was toxic to a cliched degree. It’s hard to imagine them forcing her to do some of the things she did and being willing to fire her if she didn’t comply, so there could have been a little more nuance there. And him bringing her to therapy and asking her to be extremely vulnerable with a therapist in front of him felt like it was crossing a line.

Eva Kent and Riley Cooper went on just four dates in college. 6 years later, while doom-scrolling one night and sees him giving advice on how to rid your life of toxic masculinity. She may or may not have had a drink (or two) and stitches his video determined to set the record straight about how he really is. She puts him on blast for how he treated her when they were dating, but doesn’t think anything will come of it, that is until the next morning when her phone alerts her to the new viral status of her video. Now she has to host him on her LIVE-STREAMING INTERVIEW SHOW and he proposes a plan to take her on 6 dates to turn his red flags from college all to green.
This book was funny, there were so many laugh out loud moments that had me in stitches. It’s was also a great reminder to give second chances.

I really enjoyed the female empowerment and discovery in this book. This second chance romance follows two characters who had previously dated, and now were dating again for a show and podcast. Eva hosts sausage talk, which is basically like hot ones but with hot dogs instead of hot wings. And Riley runs a successful social media account. They are thurst together once again when Eva drinks a tad too much and bashes Riley online.

There is plenty of spice throughout this. Lots of confrontation and uncomfortable moments our FMC needs to overcome. Through the support of her friends, Riley, and rediscovering her self worth she comes out the other end much better.