Gosh! I actually giggled my way through this. I was desperately in the mood for a lowstakes rom com, and this delivered exactly that. I thought Mazey did a great job of giving us a realistic black cat/golden retriever dynamic without either feeling suffocating, forced or desperate.

If you're on a romance binge like I currently am, it's hard for them to not all start to feel like you're reading the same text in different fonts, but I can honestly say, I've never read one like this! I loved how witty the writing was and you can tell that Mazey truly had a ball developing the characters and all sides of them. There's great character development and all the side characters carry the story forward the same way the FMC and MMC do.

Can't wait to buy the physical copy and have this become one of my comfort reads!

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings is the third book I’ve read by her, and I can clearly see the growth she’s made as a writer. I appreciated the difficult topics she tackled in this novel—misogyny, workplace sexism, bullying, internalized trauma, and diverse queer representation.

Eva is one of the most unlikable female characters I’ve encountered, and I say that as a compliment—I genuinely love a heroine who appears unlikable on the surface but has hidden deeper motivations. Eddings wrote Eva in an unapologetically honest way, giving her space to be blunt and even unflinchingly mean at times. Yet she also ensured that the very traits that made Eva feel self-conscious or less palatable to others were the same ones Rylie found attractive. He consistently praised her, lifted her up, and never let those qualities come between them. I loved his earnestness so much as he worked to mend their history and as he shared/faced his own personal trauma.

I didn’t connect with the social media plotline, but on a character level—and as a romance—I really enjoyed the second-chance love story between Eva and Rylie. I was especially happy with the growth each character showed as they confronted past mistakes and did the work to move forward in the present toward a positive future.

Eva Kitt is the host of a sarcasm-heavy, internet-based chat show called Sausage Talk, where she interviews B-List celebs while noshing on hot dogs. While she once dreamed of a serious career in journalism, that's not how it worked out. She's here now and she's trying to do her best, even though it seems like the world may sometimes be against her career advancement.

Riley Cooper is the guy who broke her heart in college. Not just broke it, shattered it and danced on the pieces. He's also a beloved social media personality, where he hosts a show on deconstructing toxic masculinity. After a few too many cocktails, Eva watches one of his annoyingly-successful vids, and is disgusted he gets away with peddling lies. Thus, she makes her own scathing review of Riley's work and character; as you do. She doesn't have that many followers on her accounts. No one is going to see it, or take it seriously.

IT GOES VIRAL...and she said some things!!

Eva finds herself raked over the coals by her bosses, but then she's given an opportunity to redeem herself. All she has to do is reach out to Riley and interview him on her show. Eva would rather do anything, seriously ANYTHING, but that, but with her career on the line, she's forced into the interview, where she finds Riley as handsome and devilishly-charming as before.

When he suggests that she allow him to take her on a series of six dates to make up for the past, all of which will be followed via social media, she begrudgingly accepts. It has nothing to do with him. She's thinking of her career here...As the dates progress, the two begin to relate to one another in unexpected ways. Did Eva have it wrong? Is the boy that broke her heart, suddenly the man that she needs to heal it?

Y'all, Mazey Eddings is a go-to Romance author for me, and this novel is the perfect example of why. I was immediately pulled in by the humor, banter and quick, yet thorough, character development. The set-up is so fun. I enjoy stories involving celebrities of any kind, and Rylie was definitely giving off those celeb status vibes. I also loved the concept of the 6-dates for him to redeem himself to her. Each date was unique and helped to progress their relationship.

Eva was giving off major Bobbi Althoff vibes. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but it was seriously all I could think of. She did get a little frustrating at times, Riley was definitely the star of the show for me, but I did feel like Eva's character showed some real growth over the course of the story.

I like how Eddings always has characters that are going through some fairly serious, and common, real-life issues. I like watching people work through challenges like that, and to see them open up and receive help from others in regards to those issues. That's life, right? It always gives the stories a bit more of a believable feel to me. No one is perfect, no one's life is perfect, and I like the see the messy day-to-day things pulled through into my fiction. Maybe it helps me feel not so alone, IDK.

This is also super steamy. So we have the serious life stuff, but we also have some wild, toe-curling, giggling and swooning bedroom stuff. That's a nice mix. I would recommend this to any Romance Reader, particularly if you have read from Eddings in the past and enjoyed. There's so much to love within this story.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. Eddings has crush another one! Well done!

I unfortunately how to DNF this at like 15%, I just couldn’t get into it and I love second chance romances but this one just seemed silly. The FMC did all that for a guy she was talking/dating for 2 months?? The humor wasn’t hitting for me and I felt like I was reaching less and less for my kindle to pick this up 🫤 the cover is gorgeous though.

Rep: bi x pan mcs, trans and gay side characters
Triggers: biphobia, toxic workplace, misogyny

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC

Review:
This book is so much fun! From the first page, the story pulled me in and I was hooked and in love with our two main characters and their dynamic

Eva is mean and snarky and so constantly aware of what being a woman on the internet (and in the workplace) means. She’s prickly and protective and doesn’t really know how to let people into her life. She felt so real and I just love and relate to her so much.

Rylie is baby girl, a golden retriever in human form. He and Eva dated 8 years ago and it ended terribly - and he desperately wants to show her just how very much he’s changed since then. He’s smart and a little strange (see:jomfortor) , adorable and funny and a lover of strange ironic crewneck sweaters (a man after my own heart).

These two are iconic and fiery and sassy. Eva is snappy and sharp and Riley gives as good as he gets (and he loves Eva’s meanness - which is the ultimate green flag to me).

The banter is off the charts and had me giggling and kicking my feet the whole time

I honestly couldn’t put this down. It was a refreshingly unique romcom that had me giggling and kicking my feet! Eva is a mean girl, but she owns it and she has the FUNNIEST comebacks. She’s never felt love and has no idea how to let people in, so she pushes them away instead. Rylie is such a golden retriever boyfriend, he takes all her snarky remarks in STRIDE and falls head over heels in love with her. It was cute, it was funny, it was spicy! It has a ton of inclusivity, with Bi and Queer representation, but doesn’t shove it in your face.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my review :)

This was a fun read about romance between two influencers, second chances, healing, and standing up for yourself (particularly in the workplace). I appreciated the easy queer rep and Eva's journey of self-discovery. However, as an older reader, this was the first time I've read a romance novel and felt like I might just be too old to really enjoy or understand these characters, their banter, and their jokes. Would still give Mazey Eddings another try, but maybe this one is for the Gen Z-ers who are sure to eat it up more enthusiastically than Eva eats hot dogs.

Thank you so much to SMP and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Black cat and golden retriever energy. Hot dogs and hilarity. A slow burn packed with a truckload of words of affirmation. Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings doesn’t hold back.

Eva Kitt, our fierce FMC, creates a lovely, viral TikTok video, which catapults her into a fake dating scenario with the same man who ghosted her years prior. Rylie Cooper is a reformed frat boy who uses his social media platforms to teach men how to be better partners. He would love nothing more than to show Eva how attentive and caring he is now.

Rylie is the goldenest golden retriever I’ve ever encountered but in the best way. Eva is the scrappiest black cat. Between the two of them, I was on the floor with the banter and holding my breath with the chemistry.

“You’re the human equivalent of Comic Sans.”
“Because now I’m so deep in this, I would crawl through hell on my hands and knees over a bed of broken glass before I let you go again.”

*Fair warning: The workplace toxicity is heavy. I was dying for Eva to find something else even though I understood why she was desperately holding onto her position.

If you love a snarky FMC, a sugar MMC, and no shortage of hot dogs, this read is definitely for you!
Thank you, NetGalley, Mazey Eddings, and St. Martin’s Press for an arc of this title!

Well, Actually
By: Mazey Eddings

Thank you St Martin’s Press for the free book! #SMPPartner #SMPRomance #TheRippleEffect All opinions are my own.

“You’re the human equivalent of Comic Sans”

When a drunken post calling out a college boyfriend for his toxic behavior goes viral, Eva is forced to discuss these declarations with said ex while eating hot dogs on her talk show known as Sausage Talk. The ex, Rylie admits to being a poor boyfriend and challenges Eva to let him make it up to her by allowing him to take her on a series of dates to prove that he is not the same person he was back in college.

I adored this book from start to finish. Eva is unapologetically amazing and I absolutely loved her and Riley matches her energy in all the best ways. Together their chemistry is off the charts and had me devouring Well, Actually in less than 24 hours. I have read other books by Mazey Eddings and always appreciate how beautifully written they are. The way that she is able to weave humor and snark in with the emotional depth of these characters is masterful!

I’ve seen other amazing reviews of this one and wholeheartedly agree! This is one you can’t skip!

Read if you like:
✩ Black Cat x Golden Retriever
✩ Second Chance
✩ One that got away
✩ He Falls First
✩ Amazing banter
✩ Bi & Pan MCs

This was my first Mazey Eddings book despite having Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake and Late Bloomer on my shelf. I really enjoyed this one, so am definitely moving the other two up my tbr!

Eva and Rylie were really cute together. Their chemistry and banter were great. Eva's wit was awesome and her comebacks had me laughing. Eva is a flawed character and I loved that about her. She's stubborn, prideful, a little emotional and I found her very relatable. Rylie is top tier boyfriend material. He was down bad for her and it was adorable. And he has glasses!!

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐭.”
“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮.” 𝐈 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬. “𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫.”
“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐬. “𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐦𝐞.” 𝐌𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥.

This book was so much fun. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the e-ARC and ALC. I LOVED the audio. Ariela Crow is a fabulous narrator and her "guy" voice is superb! 5 stars for that alone!

Our FMC Eva is working at a dead end job eating hot dogs and interviewing celebrities. When she drinks too much one night she see's a video of her college fling Rylie Cooper talking about positive masculinity and Eva makes a counter video eviscerating him, because she only remembered him giving her 4 minutes of lousy sex and ghosting her.

It goes viral, of course, and both Cooper and her company see an opportunity for them to make everyone money. They stage dates, and podcasts together, and it's clear that Cooper has been yearning for Eva for a very long time.

“𝐀 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫. 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐱 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
“𝐅*𝐜𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.” 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐩 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭. 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐥𝐞.
“𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐈 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

There is a LOT of lustful loathing. Eva throws barb on barb at Cooper and he loves their sparring.

“𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞.”
“𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫. “𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.”

“𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞.”

“𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞.”
“𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲."

It was also rather spicy once the spice got going....

“𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐄𝐯𝐚. 𝐅*𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞.”

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥,” 𝐈 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫. “𝐁𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫.”
“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞, 𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐬. “𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.”

𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬. 𝐑𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩*𝐬𝐬𝐲.

Needles to say, I loved it. It was spicy and romantic and I love a traditionally unlikeable female character that is loved by another character for exactly who she is. Cooper never wanted to make her softer or nicer. He just loves her. Highly recommend!

5⭐️ gahhhhh this was perfect 🥹

Eva feeling like she’s difficult to love, & the way Cooper is soooo down bad for her 😭

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC & MacMillan Audio for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

✦ tropes & stuff:
💫 second chance
💔 hate to love
🐈‍⬛ black cat x golden retriever
🌭 workplace (podcaster x interviewer/host of “Sausage Talk”)
🥸 fake(ish) dating
💙 he falls first (OBSESSED)
🧠 mental health rep
🌈 bi x pan rep
💖 single 1st person pov/single narration

•┈••✦ review ✦••┈•

🎧 audio+ebook | ⭐️: 5 | 🌶️: 3 |

I loved everything about this.

Their banter was absolutely TOP TIER my goodness 👌🏼 and Eva’s inner dialogue was absolutely hilarious.
I loved her entire being.

Loved their nicknames for each other - her calling him “baby girl” and him calling her “Kitten” or “little demon” 🤭 how she *hates* it but really loves it

You can tell Eva is a girl with a tough exterior while inside she’s just heartbroken, wanting and deserving to be loved for who she is, and NOT HAVE TO CHANGE A SINGLE THING ABOUT HER! 💔

Cooper showing Eva that someone could be there for her, and not abandon her or leave, or find her to be “too much” 🥹🥹🥹

🎧 audiobook thoughts:
Ariela Crowe is the PERFECT Eva - she captured her spunky personality and heart so well!
I wasn’t a huge fan of her “man voice” but that is often a struggle for me with a single narrator.

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings is a contemporary romance that follows Eva, a would be journalist who is paying her dues to be taken seriously in her career and Rylie, who is a popular podcaster. Their lives intersect again after Eva calls out Rylie on social media and their jobs capitalize on the hype.

I really liked this. Some of the set up and events were too over the top for me, but there were many genuine moments of connection and there was care taken with some difficult things. Specifically, a comment made by a character about anxiety resonated deeply and I will remember for a long time. Also, anyone who has been in a toxic work environment will find a lot to relate to in this book.

I have read Mazey Eddings before and like her writing style. I also liked the characters and the fact that there was some subversion of expectations. What I don't think worked as well is how much it relies on memes and pop culture that is of the moment now, but may not be read in the same way a few years into the future. Readers even five years from now, may not know what is being referenced.

I recommend this book and would certainly read more from Mazey Eddings. Well, Actually will be published on August 5, 2025 and those who like well written romance with strong characters, lgbtq representation and some very steamy scenes will not be disappointed.

Thank you very much to St. Martins Press and the author for providing a digital early review copy via NetGalley in consideration of a possible review. All opinions are my own.

If you loved the episode of Chicken Shop Date with Amelia and Andrew Garfield you will love this book! Well Actually follows Eva who hosts a show called Sausage Talk where she interviews minor celebrities while eating hot dogs. When Eva’s social media rant about her ex Rylie goes viral she is forced to confront him in person, on her show and his own show. This book was surprisingly emotional. This book features the grumpy (her)/sunshine (him) trope - showing she has a huge heart underneath her tough exterior.

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

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings
Pub Date: 8/5/25
Format: audio/ebook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely adore Mazey Eddings and her books have such an incredible mix of charm, vulnerability, and steam. Well, Actually was one of my most anticipated romance releases of the year and I was so excited to get my grubby little paws on it early so big thank you to Netgalley and St Martins for the advanced copies in exchange for my honest opinion!

This is a second chance romance that has the backdrop of an online interview called Sausage Talk where our FMC interviews celebrities over hotdogs. I’m sorry but this is genius and I love Mazey’s silly genius brain so much. Basically our host Eva ends up having her ex on the show and they have to go on some dates for content. Oh nooooo what ever will they do.

I am obsessed with this book’s love interest Riley. He is so genuine and honest from the jump and his no bullshit approach is so refreshing. He was so soft and kind but also didn’t let himself be pushed around which I loved.

Where I did have a bit of an issue with this book is unfortunately Eva was very grating. I love how Mazey can write flawed female main characters because hi hello we are all flawed and still worthy of love. However, Eva’s continued immaturity in this novel did grate on me after a while.

That being said, I did read the first 55% of this book in audio format and honestly almost DNF’d it because of my feelings on Eva and a friend told me to switch to the ebook and I am so glad I did. I think a lot of my negative feelings regarding Eva were *highly* influenced by the narrator. I really struggled with how she made a complex character incredibly whiny and also made everyone so breathy.

SO all of that being said I highly recommend this book (though it still didn’t top The Plus One for me I think it will forever remain my favorite) but please eyeball read this one if you can! It has all the wit and banter that you love and expect from Eddings and I think it’s going to be a great success!

2.5 stars rounding up to 3
The heartfelt conversations Riley and Eva had were the only things that kept me going but they were few and far between. I did enjoy how witty they were. Plus the banter had me kicking my feet and giggling but it just wasn’t enough.
The middle is definitely where it lost me. With such a strong beginning the middle fell flat. It felt like it was dragging on and nothing was actually happening.
Once we hit the third act it did pick back up but it still wasn’t enough for me to keep interest in the plot or relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc for my honest review!

It was a little difficult for me to get into this book, and I'm still not sure why. All I know is that Eva was one thread away from being an unlikeable character. She was just so frustrating. But I also understood where she was coming from. I guess I'm just glad it didn't get worse. Once she showed vulnerability and trusted Ryan, it was easy to continue reading the book. I just wish there were more of her vulnerability and not just in the last 25% of the book. I liked that Ryan stood up to her no matter what and basically never gave up on her. I also wished we had seen a little bit more of their past. It's difficult to understand their trauma when there's only little context. I also very much enjoyed the Lizzie and Rake cameo; I missed them.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, Actually
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Eva is the host of Sausage Talk where she interviews B-list celebrities over a hot dog. This is a far cry from her journalism dreams.
Rylie is a social media influencer doing a pod cast deconstructing toxic masculinity.
In an alcohol induced moment, Eva goes to social media to blast Rylie on his less than stellar “performance” in college. The video goes viral and forces Eva and Rylie to confront their past.
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🌭enemies to lovers
🌭second chance romance
🌭grumpy x sunshine
🌭witty banter
🌭fake(ish) dating
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In all honesty, it was hard for me to root for Eva. She has a hard exterior and she hides her insecurities with (sometimes) mean quips and jokes. I do however think she had quite a bit of growth throughout the book. Big fan of Rylie. A man that can communicate is always a win in my book.😘
3 stars
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Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!

I voluntarily read, listened to, and reviewed advanced copies of this book and audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Eva desperately wants to be taken seriously as a journalist but she’s stuck interviewing low ranking celebrities while they eat hotdogs. A series of bad decisions leads her to drunkenly call out her college ex, Rylie, on social media. With her career now hanging in jeopardy, she agrees to work with him on a new segment of her show.

Well, Actually is a stand-alone contemporary romance. This story of second chances does contain open-door content.

Eva has an aggressively relatable personality and I love her for it. Mazey Eddings always writes exceptional dialogue and the banter in Well, Actually is top tier. The more hate and disgust Eva throws at Rylie, the more he just wants to follow her around like a little puppy. While the relationship between Eva and Rylie is obviously crucial to the plot, I also enjoyed watching Eva figure out what she wanted for herself beyond romance. Eva’s personal growth rounds out the story in an important way.

This is one of the rare times in which I preferred reading the ebook to listening to the audio.

Mazey Eddings is one of my auto-buy authors. I can’t wait to see what she has next for her readers. I know it’s going to be delightful, whatever it may be.

“Well, Actually” by Mazey Eddings is a captivating tale that intertwines second chances with the vibrant energy of a bustling city. The story is expertly crafted, with twists and heartfelt moments that keep readers engaged and turning the pages. The characters are richly drawn, each adding depth and authenticity to the narrative, making it easy to become emotionally invested in their journeys. The snappy dialogue enhances the overall reading experience.

What truly sets this book apart is the seamless fusion of romance and personal growth, culminating in a heartwarming and satisfying ending that feels earned. The city backdrop adds an extra layer of charm, perfectly complementing the protagonists’ evolving dynamics.