Mazey Eddings, you did it again!

A second chance romance with a grumpy (but not actually grumpy, just bad ass and snarky in the best ways) FMC and a sweetheart, sunshine of a man MMC will always get my heart racing. Throw in some work place drama where the FMC stands up for herself, some of the best one-liners I’ve ever heard, and a cast of loveable side characters and you have a recipe for a book that I’ll love!

I truly love Mazey's books and one of my favorite things she does or more accurately, doesn't, do is include a ton of anxiety inducing third act break ups. She includes a conflict, but it doesn't always or if ever, include a third act break up.

I don't have many cons, EXCEPT - our FMC is so strong and in the one instance where I wanted to see her flay the skin off someone, she was quiet and let her fear overtake her. NOW with that said, it is entirely relatable because that's exactly how I'd respond to a situation. I just wanted to see her grab the 'villain' by the balls and stake him to the ground like the slime ball sleeze he is. Our MMC was a supportive amazing baby angel and I love him.

This was heavily reminiscent of Chicken shop date made into a rom-com, (but not ripped off) and I LOVED the whole theme. I loved our FMC and I wonder if part of me pulled away from her because I see so much of myself in her and it was hard to see her on page (calling my therapist Nicole, don't worry).

I also LOVED LOVED LOVED the guest cameo we got of a certain Lizzie Blake who is one of my absolute favorite characters/books of all time.

Thank you again for this eARC. I loved this.

This was recommended by author Ashley Poston at an event I attended and when she said it had Chicken Shop Date vibes I knew I needed to read it.


Eva Kitt is very sarcastic, cynical, and afraid to let anyone in. Rylie Cooper is still pining after Eva after 6 years and wants to make things right with her after she blasts him online in a viral video. I really enjoyed the black cat/golden retriever dynamic between these characters. He is so earnest in his attempts to get her to give him a chance to redeem himself, it was impossible not to fall in love with him. Eva's attitude is relatable to a point but I did find myself hoping she would start to soften earlier in the book than she did. Eventually, I felt like the the sarcastic/insulting responses had run their course, but overall loved the witty banter. Eva and Rylie had amazing chemistry from the jump!


This was my second Mazey Eddings book (after Late Bloomer) and I'm looking forward to making my way through the rest of her backlist.

Eva Kitt has a less than glamorous job interviewing B-list and aging celebrities while eating lukewarm hot dogs. After a long day, she drunkenly replies to a video of a college ex. The next morning, her world changed as she is forced to work with said ex and give him the chance to right his wrongs.
Will Eva forgive him and get her happily-ever-after or will she make his life miserable and get a promotion at her job?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I loved how snarky Eva was, and I loved that Rylie kept showing up and not letting Eva hide behind her feelings. I loved their banter; it was very quick witted and *slightly* mean, which I enjoy.

Some things I didn’t love - Eva’s friend were kind of nonexistent in this book. It felt like every 50 pages or so, they’d be mentioned in passing without really doing anything.
And lastly, the sex scenes were plenty, but I got the ick from all the excessive pet names. But not enough to stop reading.

Thank you, Netgalley, for this ARC!

Where to start? Well the cover is very cute, it’s what drew me in but after that I didn't find much else cute. The Main character Eva is very unlikeable, just mean to be mean. The books gives wanting to be viral and current and used a lot of popular phrases of the time. The love interest was just okay, vanilla. All in all its an okay read and just okay. You can be bitchy without being Eva. I said what I said😂

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || WELL, ACTUALLY [thank you to St. Martin’s Press and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: Well, Actually
Author: Maze Eddings
Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
Eva Kitt never thought her big break would involve lukewarm hot dogs and B-list celebrities, but hosting Sausage Talkisn’t exactly hard-hitting journalism. Then, her off-the-cuff callout of her college ex—viral relationship guru Rylie Cooper—blows up the internet, and suddenly, everyone’s watching.

When Rylie suggests a redemption arc—publicly dating Eva to prove he’s changed—she agrees, but only to expose him further and boost her own career. Yet as their staged dates start feeling suspiciously real, Eva has to wonder: has the guy who broke her heart actually become the one who can mend it?


ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
If you were obsessed with the Andrew Garfield “Chicken Shop Date” episode, then you’ll probably find that you enjoy this romance novel.

And honestly, this was a delightful story that had a lot of laughs and a decent amount of self-discovery (especially on Eva’s part). Eddings nailed the “grumpy/sunshine” of it all and honestly painted Rylie as a top tier book boyfriend.

I think most of my issues here stemmed from the fact that Eva felt a little petty through most of the book? She hated her job, but wouldn’t change it. She blasted Rylie online about a couple of dates they had back in the day, without truly knowing if he’d changed as a person or giving him a chance to explain. I just felt like she took too long to grow up - and that ruined a little of the romance for me.

But it was still fun - and the banter, as always, was top notch!

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Grumpy/Sunshine
Fake Dating
Second Chance Romance
Social Media Personalities
Witty Banter
Open Door Spice

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 4.06 ⭐️
# of Pages: 384
Pub Date: August 5, 2025

It’s the Chicken Shop Date girl and Andrew Garfield, and I’m honestly not sure what to think of the “fanfic of real live people” situation. Usually it gives me the ick. This book… mostly didn’t give me the ick, but only when I didn’t think of who the characters appeared to be strongly based on (with creative liberties). So that’s my big disclaimer. (If you’d like a workspace romance of a non-celebrity inspired sort, try Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore).

All that being said, the MMC was a simp. The FMC had a caustic dry wit that I could relate to. It was funny in bits and dark in others. TW for death of a young sibling.

Well, Actually is the story of podcasters Eva and Rylie Cooper. Eva is hell bent on revenge for a college relationship gone sour, and one night in a drunken rage she goes after Rylie on her own podcast.

What follows are funny, steamy (very), interactions between Eva and Rylie when her employers throw them together on a podcast. Rylie must take Eva out on dates to prove he’s changed. Eva is rough, angry, and at times a little over the edge. Can the two of them find their way back together (should they)? Can Eva see that Rylie has grown since college or will she always see him as the one who ghosted her for no apparent reason.

Not my favorite of Mazey Eddings books, but an easy quick read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and the author for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book caught my interest from the start! Full of witty banter that I laughed out loud while I was reading. I’ve read so many romcom books and this was a unique and refreshing take from all those other ones. The main character, Eva, could be annoying at times but she was written in a way that you witness her growth and transformational journey. Rylie was such a lovable character that the reader will instantly adore and root for! I really enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait for others to read it when it publishes on August 5, 2025.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

This book is so much fun - Mazey Eddings has done it again! Eva Kitt, with biting wit and walls built high enough to let no one in, is an unhappy journalist working at a BuzzFeed-esque brand. Rylie Cooper is a content creator working with masculinity and men's mental health. After a bottle of wine one night, Eva posts a scathing video of the time she spent with Rylie years prior, and they end up thrown together for social media clout/numbers.

The first half of this book I struggled a bit with Eva's attitude, but once she started to open up, I was far more intrigued by her story, the way she built trust with Riley, and how much he was willing to put in the work to explain their past interactions and how things could be different. His dedication made him a great book boyfriend and her beginning to develop levels of vulnerability with those in her life was great. Overall, a fun book with multifaceted characters and situations ready for a modern dating scene.

Spice rating: 3.5/5
Overall rating: 4/5

I have to admit I started out a bit hesitant with this book because of how the beginning plays out on social media. I have a hard time understanding how someone can feel okay dragging another person in front of the whole world. I kept going however, because there are some truly funny moments that had me smirking, chuckling, laughing out loud, the whole gamut. Cooper was adorable, while Eva was harder to like, a bit too mean to be relatable, but the author did a good job showing where her insecurities came from to be able to understand her just a bit. Overall, I would say this is not a cute, heartwarming romance, but it is a good romcom that keeps you engaged wanting to find out what exactly happened with Eva and Cooper in college and how they can form something new and better this time around.

A fantastically diverse romance! If you drooled over Andrew Garfield appearing on the Chicken Shop Date, then this is the book for you. Honestly if there was any more time between that video and this book's release I would say it was heavily inspired, but maybe it is just happy accident.

I think I was in slightly the wrong mood when I was reading this, it didn't grip me in the way I wanted it to. The snark was fantastically well done, Eva will put you in your place with zero hesitation. It felt a bit cruel towards the beginning - but also as we discover more of what Rylie was like when they first met and dated, it kind of makes sense. I still feel a little on the fence on if she was a bit too bitter, but I also feel like Mazey explained her character well.

There was many levels to this book, from the MMC dealing with grief and internalized biphobia when he was in his early 20's to the FMC dealing with her own neglect and how that sharpened her edges. I think the best part was the acceptance they ended up having for each other by the end, they would go to bat for each other on any level. A true black cat x golden retriever romance!

4.5 stars!

I am not usually a huge fan of second-chance romances, but I really enjoyed this one! Eva is funny and sarcastic and completely lacking in confidence. Rylie is a sweet and thoughtful cinnamon roll (seriously, loved him!). I really adored their banter and watching their relationship (and Eva) blossom. The author included excellent queer and some racial diversity, especially with side characters. These side characters were a bit flat, but I don't mind that in a romance novel. I felt like a few threads weren't fully tied together, but, overall, this was an extremely enjoyable read!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. This review is honest and completely my own.

4.75 stars! A time was had with this book and by that, I mean I definitely had a box of tissues and tears streaming down my face. I thought I was getting a cute little rom-com (bc of the hot dogs), and was surprised with how emotional this made me.

Eva is feeling stuck: in her job (who wants to interview C & D-list celebs while eating hot dogs?), her home (tiny shoebox NYC apartment where her shower is basically in her kitchen), her life (her friends are all moving on to bigger things). One drunken night, she stumbles across the social media of the boy who broke her heart and ghosted her in college, Rylie Cooper. What was supposed to be a silly little rant about how horrible he was to her goes viral, and now Rylie has a proposition for her: let him take her on 6 dates to make it up to her.

•Bi MCs
•Black cat FMC x Golden Retriever MMC
•Second chance romance

*This has only a little to do with the book, but when I saw Eva's job I immediately thought of Chicken Shop Date with Amelia Dimoldenberg*

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It made me laugh, it made me sweat (the spice did its thing), and it made me cry. The way Eva viewed herself growing up and now - easily forgotten, too much for someone to handle, someone people will eventually tire of - had me weeping. I think that aspect of her is something readers can relate to or empathize with. I know I definitely did. I also really loved how consistent Cooper was with showing up for her, even when she tried to push him away. His story was also a surprisingly poignant one, and I was really happy to see therapy play into it as a healing tool. This story also portrayed the topics of misogyny and nepotism in the corporate world realistically, and what shit employees (particularly women) sometimes need to endure just for job security.

My two gripes with this book: Eva's meanness and Cooper winking every other page😬 I understand being a mean girl as a defense mechanism, but for me it was almost TOO mean that I'd have a hard time believing Cooper would truly continue to pursue her. There has to be a line somewhere, and I feel like it was dangerously close.

I haven't read any of Mazey Eddings's other books yet, but there were some cameo appearances in this one so I am definitely going to read some of her backlist!

Thank you for one of my new favorite reads of 2025!! I did not expect to fall in love with Eva and Rylie the way I did, but their effortless banter and ability to be vulnerable with each other made them so easy to root for. For the girls that put up a strong exterior to hide their soft side let Eva be a love letter to you! Additionally, Rylie’s discussions around internalized biphobia and grief were so important and added much needed conversation to his story. I had so much fun reading this and would definitely recommend to everyone!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a kick your feet squealing kind of book! I found it very Amelia Dimoldenberg and Andrew Garfield coded after their viral Chicken Shop Date. Eva (FMC) is a bit meaner than Amelia and Rylie (MMC) is a bit more genuine than Andrew. It's as if Chicken Shop Date was produced by Buzzfeed for C-list celebrities. Point is, we get a lot of tension with a lot of payoff, and I was hooked from the start!

What I love about this book is that we get to see the characters really break down their walls and address some big feelings. We come to understand how their original situationship was complex and why it made such a lasting impact on them both, which I really appreciated. We especially see the messy growth that Eva does throughout the book which was tender, raw, and oh so relatable.

There is quick banter throughout that fuels the slow burn in this book. When the spice gets going though, it's well worth the wait! Rylie loves eating pussy, and we love to see it, lol. I also really appreciated that this book is queer in a really delightful way with a whole slew of queer secondary characters to make you feel embedded in community. MILD SPOILER: (it's also bi x pan which I loved!) END OF SPOILER.

I devoured this book and adored the dynamic between Eva and Rylie. I especially related to Eva's sense of feeling lost and disappointed in her life as she hadn't landed where her younger self had hoped. Rylie's support was a healing balm in the ways that he believed in her, which was lovely to read.

If you're a vibes/seasonal reader like me, this book takes place during the Fall in NYC. There isn't too many mentions of the season or the city itself, but in case you're looking for something to fit that atmosphere, here ya go. I think this book would suit anyone who needs their faith restored in men, honestly. If you've been through a slew of Brad's and Chad's, pick up this book for a refreshing Rylie who has grown from his douchebag ways. If you're someone who uses humoured bullying as a coping mechanism because you're scared that if people see the real you, they will run- read this book! If you're chronically online, this book may also speak to you. In all, I really recommend this book because it's fun, sharp, spicy, and has a lot of heart.

LOVEEEEEE. This book was fantastic. I was worried that I wouldn't vibe with it once I knew the basis, but I was totally wrong. Our main character is trying to figure out what she wants to do in life while balancing her career aspirations with personal fulfillment. The romance unfolds organically, filled with sharp dialogue, tender moments, and a refreshing take on love in the digital age. Eddings crafts characters that feel authentic—flawed, charming, and undeniably human. Beyond the romance, the book delves into themes of self-worth, imposter syndrome, and societal expectations, making it more than just a love story. Eddings' prose is engaging, infused with humor and emotional depth, ensuring readers stay hooked from start to finish.

Fans of contemporary romance will appreciate Well, Actually for its smart, heartfelt storytelling and empowering message. If you enjoy witty banter, slow-burn romance, and characters who feel like real people, this book is a must-read.

Loved this! I thought their banter was adorable. I really liked Rylie and how he supported Eva.

Obviously William and Landry were the villains, and gosh did they suck. It was so sad that Landry would backstab Eva like that, gross. I hated how Landry kept manipulating her with the potential job promotion.

A few things that I wish were different: I would have loved to see a few chapters in Rylies POV. I also wish that Eva had more character development prior to Rylie coming back into her life, she deserves to grow. I would have loved to learn more about if/how Ray’s career took off after the charity event!

4⭐️

I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

This was an absolute joy to read. I have enjoyed Mazey Rddings books and this was no exception. The characters were lovable and their story was great.