Rylie is my new book boyfriend. I love Eva and her sassy attitude. I think every woman should wake up and ask themselves, how much Eva am I going to be today? Everyone should stand up for themselves and not be afraid to be vulnerable too. I loved that Rylie took his struggles and GREW from them. I love these two so freaking much. I also weirdly want a hot dog now, too.

Angry Girl Rights!

This was fun.

I saw a lot of people complaining that the FMC, Eva, was mean, and yeah, she was. And I quite liked it. Some people don’t seem to understand that snark, wit, and even straight up meanness can be a defense mechanism. Sometimes you lash out, fully aware that you’re being the worst, but it’s just armor for all the softness inside. Eva was so real for that.

I loved reading about a romance heroine who wasn’t a manic pixie dream girl, quirky, or a perfectly sweet princess. Eva wasn’t “nice,” but she had heart, soul, insecurities, and trauma that made her all the more interesting. We need more personalities in romance than just palatable, agreeable women.

The premise is great: Eva sees Rylie going viral online as a self-proclaimed “nice guy” giving life and relationship advice, but her personal experience with him in college was very different. So, in true messy girl fashion, she gets drunk and calls him out on TikTok. Naturally, it goes viral, and they’re forced to reconnect.

Rylie’s explanation for his past behavior and how much he’s grown since college felt really genuine, and I appreciated that. Also, the man was a total simp for Eva, which I ate up. He adored her snark, her “meanness,” all of it. He was basically the living embodiment of that Nick Miller quote: “Stop being so mean to me or I'm going to fall in love with you!”

So why not a full five stars? The last half of the book lost some of its urgency and meandered a bit. The final conflict wrapped up too quickly, and something about the ending just felt like it was missing a little extra. But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this, definitely a fun time.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC!

Honestly? This was my first ever "Enemies to lovers" romance book -- and I enjoyed it! It was cute, it was sad, it was lively and witty and I loved the banter between Eva and Rylie. I will say, it did move a littttle too fast for me in the middle, and I felt that their emotional connection was slightly lost in between their sexual tension, but all in all it was a solid read. Think Chicken shop date if Amelia hated their guest host -- and had a rather intense history with them.

Well, Actually is a sharp, witty romance with some of the best banter I’ve read in a while. This was my first book by Mazey Eddings, and it certainly won’t be my last! The humor is spot-on, and I genuinely found myself laughing out loud multiple times.

The book also delivers excellent queer representation, including trans, nonbinary, pansexual, and bisexual characters, all woven into the story in a natural and meaningful way. The romance revolves around second chance and fake dating—two tropes that bring plenty of tension, humor, and heartfelt moments. I especially enjoyed how the FMC was flawed and complex—different from the usual romance heroine, which made her stand out, even if she might not be for everyone.

While I really enjoyed the first half, I felt like the second half could have used a bit more depth, especially in terms of character development. I would have loved to see the relationships unfold with more nuance. That being said, this was still an enjoyable read with strong humor and heart. A solid 4-star book that I’d definitely recommend to fans of witty, trope-filled romances!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love a good grumpy/sunshine romance & Mazey Eddings did a phenomenal job with this one. Her books are always relatable & I can easily picture the story as I read it. This book was no exception & I found myself reading it slower since I didn't want it to end. A 4.5 star read for me. There are some explicit sex scenes & you should read the warnings at the front if you have issues with certain topics.

I support women's rights and wrongs, haha! Eddings frames such an amazing romantic narrative around a flawed FMC (which is something I wish to see more in literature in general, I loved both of the MCs and the dynamic they had. Mazey Eddings always writes such colorful and "pop off the page" type people that just feel REAL. I Cannot wait to share this with everyone I know!

I liked the first half or so but then it got really boring and I found myself skimming the rest of it. Honestly it's my own fault, I haven't really enjoyed her other books so I don't know why I requested this one.

Holy hell… okay. So first off, I liked the concept of the book, very chicken shop date vibes. I liked Eva…. BUT her flaws were FLAWING. I loved that she’s witty and funny, but god damn. She was mean & while I understand her character, I also was like ouch. And Rylie, sweet Rylie, was such a cinnamon roll & it lowkey made me think he could do better. At least have Eva be a black cat on the outside, but a lil softie on the inside. I wish we explored more of her family trauma or at least opened up to Rylie more about that. Anyway, I giggled and enjoyed the novel overall but kinda left wanting more ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thank you NetGalley, Mazey Eddings, and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC! 🫶🏼

⭐️: 3.75
📖: Kindle

Okay, this book truly is comical. I found myself cackling loudly and often. But WOW, did I truly dislike Eva. Like, truly she was terrible. Also, Riley was kind of terrible too. As a whole, not my favorite characters which kind of ruined the story over all for me. A lot of repetitiveness as well. The spice was truly excelley, so big thumbs up to that. Otherwise, not my favorite. I do love this author though and will obviously read whatever she puts out.

I just could not tollerate this fmc and it made me dislike the book because I disliked her so much I found the plot unbelievable and the interactions with the two main characters in the first half cringey

This book had me cackling 🙃

Eva is witty, sarcastic, and struggling to find her place in the world. Riley (her sort of ex from college) is wanting a chance to right the wrongs of six years ago.

I loved Eva and Riley’s banter (and Riley’s slutty glasses 🫠)

This was a light, fun read! I do feel like there was a missed opportunity to see more growth among the characters instead of repetitively having the same conflicts, but this is still a great time!

a hilarious twist on current social media frenzy, that has the most relatable and fun characters that get you hooked. the black cat x golden retriever vibe never misses and Mazey crushes it even more than expected, giving us such a relatable FMC that has the good guy MMC slowly falling for her and breaking down her walls. Eva is truly her unapologetic and sassy self, while being so incredibly human i couldn’t stop but feel overwhelmed by how much I saw myself in her and her experiences. While Rylie was there to genuinely love her as is, showing her that everything is for the right person *sobs*.
The characters, plot, writing and every emotion experienced was perfection and have no notes!

I think this will be one of my top books of 2025! Not only is this cover beautiful, Eva is a new favorite FMC. She’s a bitch in the best way and I love how Rylie treats her. He is such a lovable MMC and she is a black cat (who is equally lovable). The banter between the two is top-notch. I loved the cameos from other books as well. Highly recommend everyone read this romance when it comes out in August!

a bitchy queen and a words of affirmation king!! my two favorite types of main characters!!! i love eva, i love rylie, AND I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!

The premise of this was very sweet and I really did like the idea but I think unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me. I just found Eva SO mean. And I truly do understand that was the point but I could not for the life of me understand why over and over again Rylie would just allow Eva to degrade him and treat him like dirt and he’s all “I like you so much.” It felt borderline toxic and I just had a really hard time getting behind their relationship. I enjoyed the side characters a lot (except Aida, what a terrible friend) and I’m bumping a star because I really did enjoy the premise and the workplace drama and resolution of that storyline. I can see why people are loving this one, I really can, I just think this one was a miss for me unfortunately. Thank you for the ARC!

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

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings was kind of a wild ride. She really went all in on the chaotic, internet-era romance with this one, and it mostly worked? It had its ups and downs.

The story follows Eva, a journalist whose career has somehow arrived at interviewing washed-up celebs about hot dogs. As others have mentioned, very chicken shop date. She then goes viral for ranting about her college ex, Rylie—who just happens to be a wildly successful influencer teaching men how to be better partners. His solution? A redemption arc, obviously. He proposes a series of dates, filmed for his audience, to prove he’s changed. And we all know how this goes.

The great: the banter is awesome. The spice is amazing.

The not so great: they are both kind of insufferable, and the culture references were right in my face.

Overall, this was a fun, flirty, slightly ridiculous read.

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I DNF'd at 27%.

I will continue being a Mazey fan, but just not a fan of this book.

3 stars because I did laugh.

This was such a cute romance! I really liked their chemistry and how they grew closer to one another. I think their interactions felt natural and overall the cast of characters was lovable and the story was paced well which kept the story moving and enjoyable

Well, Actually was a fun read! I loved the humor so much. I laughed out loud multiple times. Eva was a bit too unlikeable for a too long for me. With that being said, that's the point of her character. It wasn't like the pacing was off, it was definitely done purposefully & with reason, it's just a personal preference. I adore Mazey Edding's books and I'm a bit sad the excitement of the new release reading is over.

Mazey Eddings, are you seeing this? I hope you are. I have devoured every book Mazey has ever written, but this one caught me off guard. When I read the description, I thought “I don’t know if this one is gonna be for me, a relationship that unfolds over social media?” I was so very wrong. There is so much nuance and backstory here, there is so much depth of character, when it seemed that Rylie and Eva could both be incredibly shallow. The tension between our main characters is positively crackling, if enemies to lovers is your trope, run don’t walk to grab this book. The wit, humors and positively OFF THE CHARTS banter had me completely invested in how their story played out. I’m sorry that half stars aren’t a thing, because this was 4.5 for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a gifted ARC of the most fun book I’ve read in quite a while!