I DEVOURED this book! Chapter 4 had me kicking my feet and biting my lip. The tension was top tier! One thing I have always loved about Mazey’s writing is how much it makes me feel. It’s so easy to become enmeshed in the story and feel like it’s happening to you. Did I think Eva was a tad unlikable at times? Yes, but did Mazey make me empathize with her too? Yes! Riley and Eva were so beautifully messy together, and it was impossible not to root for them. Their chemistry and character development was impeccable. It was simply impossible to put the book down and I definitely will be listening to it too when it comes out in August! Beautiful cover art, sizzling chemistry, and hot damn Riley… 😅

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Mazey Eddings has done a great job once again fusing humor, romance, female empowerment and spice in this story of Eva and Riley, who have history and are now enemies in Well, Actually. Eva dreams of being a journalist, and has a path she wants to take, but ends up making a video that gets more attention on social media than she planned, which leads to her second chance meeting with Riley. These 2 have history from college, which was devastating for Eva and has impacted a lot of her relationships. This story is fun with a lot of quick wit and deeply emotional feelings for both Riley and Eva. I enjoyed this story and getting to know both main characters more, as well as a little glimpse into one of Mazey’s previous characters in a snippet of the story. I recommend Well, Actually to people who enjoy romance, enemies to lovers, laughter, second chance romance, and spicy stories.

“I mean this with all the love, light, and peace in my heart: What the hell is wrong with you?”

I honestly wanted to give this book five stars. But there were just a few things about it that prevented me from taking the leap.
That being said, I’ll still round this one up mentally to a 4.5.

“I always expected my career would revolve less around wieners than it does”

Eva Kitt has big dreams, but for now she’s stuck working her way up the ladder, while hosting a self-deprecating mini segment that she’s WAY too good for and getting paid peanuts to live in NYC. She has the self confidence to take it all in stride, eating an ungodly amount of hotdogs while having to deal with the lesser knowns of fame.

One drunken night she stitches a video with her ex-fling completely dragging him for their college hookup. When she wakes up, she’s viral! Her bosses pressure her into interviewing the ex on her segment, and it takes off from there. Rylie Cooper seems genuine and asks her to go on a series of dates with him to make up for old times. The publicity and a pending promotion seemingly hang in the balance, so against all better judgement, Eva agrees.

First of all, Rylie Cooper is a BOYFRIEND. He is sweet, he is genuine, he is kind, he is loving, he is SPICY. Everything. 10/10 for Rylie. He was being so great that I found myself constantly thinking “wow, Eva is being a brat to this angel of a man.” BUT Eva did redeem herself throughout the book, great development here.

Honestly, the entire plot played out in my head like my new favorite movie. I could picture it all as it unfolded. I loved the banter between Eva and Rylie, but also the playfulness between the entire friend group. I laughed and found myself smiling in so many different places. This book made me feel warm and fuzzy which is exactly what you need with something like this.

I really enjoyed this book. There are so many positive themes here. Representation for women, LGBTQ+ and advocation for queer youth, self-confidence, friendship, love. I would absolutely recommend this one and I’m thankful to NetGalley, Mazey Eddings, and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this one.

2.5⭐️ i was so excited for this book that when i saw mazie post that the arc was free for everyone on netgalley, i ran. well… it took me 3 weeks to finish which says a lot as is. Late Bloomer was one of my favorite reads from last year but this one really disappointed me. maybe because i’m not an avid watcher of chicken shop but i could not get over how mean Eva was being for the first like 60% of the book — and even after this. big misses for me: the whole premise is that eva posts a tik tok “”exposing”” riley (someone she had a fling with for a few months, years ago in college) and it goes viral. i don’t know why she is so hung up on this. riley was going through the death of his sister, which made him flakey during this time (understandable), but they way that serious conversations in this book come around is like whiplash. one second they’re goofing off and the next they’re trauma dumping. minor things i also had trouble with: call riley one name please. is he riley, coop, or cooper?; i hate the nickname kitten. he also started using demon spawn as a term of endearment which i can kinda get behind because eva was annoying but what.

anyway, there were more misses for me but i cant talk about this any longer. maybe this is more like a 2⭐️ but i feel bad.

This book surprised me in the best way!

Initially, I wasn’t feeling this story, primarily because of our headstrong leading lady, Eva. She is contrarian, sharp, and downright not likable at times. Then, we meet Rylie Cooper, and the pieces start coming together, because while I would have a very hard time dating someone like Eva Kitt, there are men like Rylie Cooper out there who would move mountains to be with this fireball of a woman.

This romance tackled deeper themes than hot dogs and bad one-night stands. It addressed bigger questions about relationships and growth, like: are people truly capable of change? Why do humans ask for love in very unloving ways? Where do you draw the line when it comes to your dream career? And how can someone who dislikes themselves allow others to love them?

The growing tension and pacing of the relationship are superb. I give Eddings major props for her sex scenes because they are beautifully written: sexy without being graphic, and very sweet without being cringy.

For fans of Ali Hazelwood or Abby Jimenez, you must add this book to your TBR!

I picked up this book because the blurb really caught my attention, but unfortunately, that was where my excitement stopped. There were parts that were entertaining, but overall, it just wasn’t for me.

Eva, the main character, was tough to connect with. I get that she was supposed to be this guarded, sarcastic person, but sometimes her jokes went way too far and felt kind of mean. I totally understand that’s just her personality, but it started to wear on me. On the other hand, I really liked Rylie. He was honest and straightforward from the start, and I was definitely more invested in his side of the story than Eva’s.

Another thing that bugged me was how long some of the chapters were. Like, some of them felt like they went on forever—30 minutes per chapter at times! I honestly think a lot of that could have been cut down or condensed to make the pacing better.

In the end, while this book wasn't for me, I did feel compelled to finish it out of respect for the author's work. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. I always appreciate the opportunity to try new books, even if they don't always hit the mark for me.

Mazey Eddings just doesn’t miss. Every book of hers that I’ve read, I’ve loved. Her characters are hilarious and relatable. Their stories just resonate. And this one is no different. I absolutely loved Eva’s saltiness and Rylie’s golden retriever-ness. This was so satisfying ☺️

Well, Actually 🌭
I’m in love with this book!! 6/5 ⭐️’s

THANK YOU NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC of this book. I recommend readers that love a deeply emotional, hilarious romance to read this when it releases Aug. 5th!


This book tackles a lot….
-Childhood emotional trauma
-toxic masculinity
-LGTBQ+ advocacy (including struggling with defining your own sexuality)
-toxic workplace - harassment and bullying
-grief

And it does so with the utmost consideration. Not once did these topics feel contrived or unauthentic in how they fit into the storyline. I appreciated the representation in this book and identified with so much. I want to take Eva and give her the biggest hug. I loved her and Riley so so much, they were fast new favorites of mine ❤️ there was a scene near the 50% mark where they were being so communicative/vulnerable that had me in tears. The portrayal of how they navigate hard conversations together was so raw and real.

Mazey Eddings did a masterful job at finding the perfect moments to make Well, Actually hysterically funny 😂 Eva’s black cat attitude was full of deadpan humor and I’m living for the banter between her and Riley.

Eva is not a character for the faint of heart. She is complex; broken but Bold to cover up her self doubt, intelligent but guarded and “mean” to hide her vulnerability. I thought she was witty and could appreciate wanting to have an opportunity to close and old wound by agreeing to the plan with Rylie.

Rylie is playing the long game. He seems too good to be true with his intuition and understanding of his own feelings. The author did a good job of helping the reader understand both the events that shaped Rylie’s past actions and the work he has put in over the past six years to have such a clear understanding of his own actions and how they affected others and himself.

Watching him continue to take a bunch of crap from Eva and come back was sometimes a bit taxing, but I’ve known (and been) Eva Kitt so I get it.

William and Landry are hellacious bosses. Their workplace is the stuff of nightmares. I know how common it is for people to ignore such toxicity in the workplace. Eva was naive to think that these people were on her side (ever). Aida was the much needed, original truth seeker. Eva is lucky to have her in her corner.

4.5 ☆ ⊹₊ ⋆
this was such a sweet book omg! the cover is so so cute — it’s what brought me in to request the arc — but i was hooked from the first page. and yes, the concept is basically just the chicken shop dates, but i think that the author played that very well.

*:･ﾟ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪✧ °❀ ₊‧₊˚⋅
╰┈➤ .✩ 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈 ✩.
⋆
˚｡⋆˚ eva kitt ˚⋆ ｡˚⋆
i loved her and her snarky remarks so much! i love a good fmc who knows her worth, and eva was nothing if not that. i think some people will find her as too headstrong (and truth be told, at one specific point, i felt the same way), but her feelings were valid.

⋆ ˚｡⋆˚ rylie cooper ˚⋆ ｡˚⋆
rylie was the absolute freaking sweetest !! at first, i was a bit hesitant but wow he amazed me. he literally worships the ground eva walks on and she deserves that kind of pure, true love. (but woah those bedroom scenes were something else jeez (i mean that in the best way possible))

*:･ﾟ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪✧ °❀ ₊‧₊˚⋅
╰┈➤ .✩ 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈 ✩.
overall, such a cute book!! i loved the golden retriever x black cat trope combined in with a good old second chance, and if you want a book that will keep you grinning like a fool the entire time, this is the one for you!!

thank you to netgalley and mazey eddings for this arc in exchange for an honest opinion! <3

This is my first read by Mazey Eddings, and I was immediately obsessed! This adorable second chance romance is fully of the witty banter I love but actually has emotional depth as well.

This book follows Eva Kitt, a journalist who has found herself interviewing celebrities about hotdogs. Needless to say, this isn't where she saw her career going! While doing an interview, Eva goes on a mega sized rant about her college ex that broke her heart, Rylie Cooper. What Eva didn't expect was to go viral and find herself in hot water.

It turns out that Rylie is a social media star himself. He has built hus entire platform on detoxifying masculinity and teaching men how to treat their partners well. Rylie takes this opportunity to prove to Eva that he is in fact, a changed man and not that boy who broke her heart back in college. He asks Eva to let him take her on a few dates to prove just how much he's changed, to which Eva agrees. As the dates progress, they become feeling much more real, and it's so fun watching these 2 rediscover the love they had for each other. Top tier banter and heartfelt and even vulnerable moment made this a solid 4.5 star read for me, rounding up to a 5 because it just left me feeling so happy after I finished it!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's press for this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was a little apprehensive starting this book after seeing some negative reviews, but I honestly don’t know what they were talking about. Eva is an outspoken, sarcastic, funny character, but I still found her sympathetic and likable. She’s hidden a lot of pain and childhood trauma behind her sardonic facade. Rylie Cooper is a good match for her, as he seems to find her charming and not at all scary.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

This book was so good! Mazey Eddings is great and I have loved everything of hers I’ve read.

These two main characters were great. I loved how patient Rylie was, and how he wouldn’t let Eva drown in her own self-loathing. This story only worked because Rylie had figured his shit out and done the work in therapy.

I struggled with Eva as a main character. She has SO MANY walls up and is genuinely kind of mean? She’s not “likable”. And overall I kind of loved that? Like she does not have her shit together AT ALL but still gets to be loved and supported unconditionally by someone who loves her sharp edges. It’s a tough balance to strike and I think the author pulls it off beautifully.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

I don’t love slow burns, but that’s just my personal opinion. They do keep me reading. I did like the character and relationship development. I love the FMC black cat energy. It’s nice to have a different type of female lead. Overall, a good read.

Amazing slow burn. I know it won’t be for everyone because it takes time for Eva to trust Rylie and so it also takes a while for him to win her over. She genuinely doesn’t like him at first and only slowly starts to trust and open up to him. But I loved that, I want to see the romance develop, I want to see how she learns to trust him and then slowly falls in love with him. And I got that here.

I loved this one! I love how Rylie was immediately flirting and trying to swoon over Eva but she was not having it. What surprised me in this book were the deeper topics it had to it and the way the characters went about them was nice, all in all a good read! cant wait to read more of Mazey's books!

An absolutely delightful book. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it in advance.
The author captivated me from the very first words, and as the story unfolded, I found myself so engrossed that I couldn't put the book down for even a second. I'm obsessed!!!

I had a ton of fun reading this book but it had a few shortfalls that held back my rating. I felt like the MC’s flight response went on too much for too long, and we didn’t get enough of Rylie’s perspective of their relationship leading up to present day. However the first half was an absolute delight and the author’s humor had me legitimately laughing out loud and highlighting passages throughout. I loved the real life inspiration behind the plot, and I’m excited to read more of the author’s books!

EVA AND RYLIE HAD ME ABSOLUTELY FERAL.
This book had me laughing, and swooning.
The banter, the jokes, the back and forth, all of it, so funny and addicting. I couldn't put this book down.
This second chance romance, where he falls first and hard, and perfect level of spice.

Reading this book made me feel like I was watching a movie, I had to keep reading to see what happened next and routing for Eva and Ryle.
The plot was 5/5 stars.
The side characters tied the story together perfectly.

Cannot wait to read more Mazey Eddings and will be recommending this book to anyone and everyone.

About halfway through this book this went from 4 to 5 stars! Wow, this one is for the modern Nesta girlies. I'm a sucker for anything black cat x golden retriever and this one 100% delivered.

We get to know Eva Kitt and Rylie Cooper (who let's be honest is the dreamiest sunshine boy) as they collaborate on a podcast gig regarding an old love entanglement. Eva's character is what made me fall head over heels for this book. She protects herself with "mean" sarcasm, keeps her walls up sky high, and is afraid to love. We get to know why and watch her try to figure out how to trust again and it's a beautiful story.

Now Mr Rylie Cooper. Dreamy, smiley, full of banter, Rylie. His love for Eva is the sweetest, best thing.

That’s all I’ll say, the rest you’ll have to find out for yourself on August 5th 💁🏼‍♀️