Wow, okay, I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did! 4.5⭐️

The premise starts out really similar to chicken shop date (but with hot dogs). Eva, the host, calls out her ex situationship Rylie Cooper for being terrible when they were together in college. Her post goes viral on social media, her bosses invite him on the show, and it turns into a hilarious, heartfelt, and vulnerable second chance romance.

The first half of this was so fun. The banter between Eva and Rylie: hysterical. The chemistry: off the charts. Eva really said I hate you, and Rylie’s response was I’m going to fall in love with you.

The second half was my favorite. The vulnerability between the two of them wasn’t something I would’ve expected from the first half. I loved learning why Eva put up such a tough front. I loved understanding why Rylie acted the way he did when they were first together. I loved them working through their past together.

Rylie Cooper may be one of my favorite fictional boyfriends ever. He’s silly, witty, emotionally intelligent, loves to give praise… I could go on.

I loved this book! The second chance at dating trope was done well. It was so original and unlike any book I’ve read before. I’ll definitely be recommending this one to my friends. The podcaster and the journalist falling in love while working out their issues was adorable and realistic. This was fast-paced and so enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this arc.

I loved the dynamic between the two characters. I felt like this was one of those dates/conversations that I’ve seen on Tik tok where the girl interviews celebrities. It was funny and I love that he was the ultimate hype guy!

DNF at 22%, this book just isn't for me. Loved the premise of it, but I'm just not vibing with how it's happening.

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

4.25 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The relationship between them is complex, complicated, and compelling, and I loved the development of it. The banter was great. Overall a great read.



*.✧Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC!! There's nothing better than when a book makes you laugh out loud, cry and kick your feet all the same time. Well, Actually did that and so much more. I fell so in love with these characters, especially Rylie!! This book is 100% going to make it on to my list of favorites of the year. Everyone definitely needs to pick this one up when it's out in August!

I had never read a book by Mazey Eddings before reading 'Well, Actually.' I like her writing, the wit, and the humor, and you can see how much work she put into this story. I have a lot to say about this book. So be forewarned this review has spoilers.

First, the cover, fantastic and eye catching even though throughout the book I never pictured the characters to look like what were drawn on the cover. But the cover is fantastic. But don't let that cover fook ya because this romance is deep. The cover appears it could be a light-hearted romance, which this is not. This book has all the feels. Because I loved the writing so much, I looked up Mazey Eddings on her social media, and her joy is infectious. You can tell she loves being an author and having this dream come true. Mazey Eddings is also a dentist which I got a kick out of. I'll be reading her other book A Brush with Love. She also states she is neurodivergent which makes a lot of sense since her story focuses highly on the mental health of her two main characters, Eva and Rylie. In the synopsis, it is described as Eva being a black cat and Rylie a golden retriever. But I did not look at the two main characters like this at all. Rylie is a fantastically written character, he's easy going but a very evolved man from his younger self. When Eva and Rylie met in college and dated for a few months, Rylie was immature and in grief from losing his sister. He was distant, aloof, and ghosted Eva. Eva comes from a very neglected upbringing who was not nurtured. Her "black cat' as I saw it was from a deep-seated insecurity from a lack of nurturing and she's probably neurodivergent. Her behavior is a result of self-protecting and the fear of not being lovable and if she loves someone and loses then loses them the pain she'll have to face, which stems from the neglect in her upbringing.
With all this said, this book has a lot of humor from the spectacular writing of Mazey Eddings. It also has spice. The book is not a typical romance, which is in part, why I like it. The story felt more original than most romances, but Eva did grate on my nerves after a while. To me she felt so needly which is part of her neglect in her upbringing but man the character of Rylie had the patience of a saint and also just incredibly gets her and wants a lifetime with her. For him she's it and for Eva she has to work through a lot to get to the stage Rylie has evolved to.

The story starts with Eva making a video post, which goes viral, about Rylie, who is a successful social media influencer with a popular podcast. He talks about toxic masculinity and during the time Eva knew him in college she viewed her relationship with him as toxic because of how he treated her at the time. So she calls him out as being disingenuous in her video. Again, the writing has humor, heart and a whole lot of drama. I'll be reading more of Mazey Eddings writing after this book.
Perhaps this isn't a romance for everyone but it is original, heartfelt and deep.

Got this as an ARC from NetGalley and wasn’t sure if I’d like it because I could never finish a Brush with Love. But this was thoroughly enjoyable! I even considered giving it 5 stars.

I think my favorite part was the main character’s struggle with vulnerability and how she postures with confidence even when her self-esteem is low. It’s a bit extreme, like most of these types of books are - but there was something incredibly relatable in her not wanting to be seen by those around her, at least to me. I found myself reflecting on what aspects of myself I lie to myself about - and I rarely do that when reading rom-coms, they’re meant to be nice and full of spice, not reflective insights.

But speaking of spice, the chemistry is off the charts, the banter is excellent, hate to love story is really satisfying, the love interest is a boyfriend dream, and once it makes sense in the plot - there’s a lot of spice.

I didn’t give it 5 stars because of the work sub-plot. She was a bit too stuck on some of the elements there ( no spoilers) which made some parts less fun to read. The villains are a bit unidimensional and what happens there is a bit too simplistic and neatly wrapped for my liking.

But overall - a super fun read during a one day trip. Fully recommend.

Oh and it has some truly funny bits. I laughed out loud at the following astrological joke which I’ll just leave here as a nugget:

“Every planet must be out of order with Neptune double penetrating Uranus because something unbelievable is happening: I’m actually having fun at work.”

Mazey Eddings keeps on writing the exact right book in the exact right moment. Even as someone who doesn't tend to appreciate second chance romances from a realism perspective, this was perfectly handled and felt very real and true to each character's learning process. Riley was the most perfect cinnamon role who had taken the time to heal the parts of himself that had hurt other people. Eva was snarky and wonderful and my heart ached at how much she felt like a burden or an afterthought to the people around her. It was so healing to engage with her story of discovery as she finally got to experience what it was like to accept being cared for. The banter was A+ and running in the background was a story of a toxic work environment that was thoughtfully handled and expertly resolved. I also love how rooted all of this was in queer community. I sincerely hope we get to see more of the side characters in future stories.

I have loved everything Mazey has ever written and this is no different! When Eva Kitt, host of "Sausage Talk", calls out her college ex on social media and the world implodes. Said ex, also has a social media following and wants redemption for the way he treated her back then. The two agree to go on 6 dates and discuss on their platform. What Kitt doesn't expect to happen is to actually like Riley Cooper after all this time.

This book will keep you entertained while hitting on some heavy topics, but with the usual humor we all love and expect from Eddings. The easter egg of Lizzie Blake was *chefs kiss*. Perfect book to escape reality!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mazey Eddings has done it again! This book had me in a chokehold from start to finish. Completely obsessed. She’s raw, messy, and deeply relatable—using sarcasm as armor, never pretending to be soft, yet full of heart underneath. Watching her and Rylie push each other, challenge each other, and slowly break down their walls was everything.

The relationship dynamic took center stage, and I adored how naturally their vulnerability unfolded. Rylie showing up for Eva exactly when she needed it? Beautiful. Beyond the romance, I loved how this book handled trauma with care, embraced feminism and representation, and celebrated women in all their complexity. Mazey’s writing is addictive, and I'm SO happy to read more of her work.

A man on a podcast truly gives me the ick, but Mazey managed to write a man so pure, reflective and self-possessed that I was eating my words! Mazey has a talent for writing characters with open communication, really diving into the psyche of two people fighting to make it work. I adore her writing and WELL, ACTUALLY is a standout. Such a unique premise that really delivers through the power of her strong writing!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The dynamic between the black cat and golden retriever was fantastic, and Mazey Eddings really nailed it. The characters were relatable, especially Eva, and I can't wait to buy the paperback just to showcase that beautiful cover on my shelf.

Thank you for an ARC of this book! While it wasn't one of my favorites from Mazey, I'm sure other readers will think differently 🥹🖤

Mazey Eddings has done it again. Imagine a woman who's never been loved properly, who worries she's too angry, too mean, too much, who finds a guy who's absolutely obsessed with every part of her, and has never forgotten her during the six years after their breakup. He'd move mountains for her. He likes that she's blunt and speaks her mind. He'd never want her to anything else. Do I have your attention? Yeah.

I loved this so much. Before I describe the plot, I also want to add that the book cover perfectly shows their dynamic and vibe. So in this case, you can judge a book by its cover. WELL, ACTUALLY by Mazey Eddings follows Eva and Rylie who dated briefly six years before the story, which left a mark on both of them. It broke Eva's heart and Rylie always regretted the way he left things. All this time later, Rylie is not the same college guy he used to be, and he's known for his videos where he talks about how to be a good partner and deconstructing toxic masculinity. Eva works at a media company where she does 'sausage talk' where she eats hot dogs with (not that famous) celebrities. She gets drunk and makes a video complaining about Rylie and the way he acted before, and then he convinces her to do a podcast where they talk about their past, the mistakes he made, and go on a few dates to make up for it.

The relationship between them is complex, complicated, and compelling, and I loved the development of it. It explores mental health, healing, changing, making up for mistakes, and letting yourself be your whole messy self. They both have flaws but they fit well together, and they slowly figure that out in the most wonderful, fun way that feels real and beautiful. I love how Mazey Eddings writes her characters, and how she explores their individual journeys while creating a wonderful relationship as well. It's fun, unique, relatable, and I loved every second.

I also have to point out again how amazing Eva is as a character. How important it is to let her be a messy, angry, frustrated woman who is worthy of love in all of her rage. It stands against all the patriarchal BS that labels women bitches and doesn't give them space to be anything but polite and quiet. As someone who used to have anger issues as a child and worked hard to unlearn them, this hit a deep spot in my heart that made me think that perhaps rage should have some space in us when there are reasons for it. That we don't have to mold into some perfect standard to find a loving relationship.

So needless to say, you need to pre-order this and read it the second it comes out because it's a wonderful romance that will be well worth the wait. It's emotional, sweet, funny, meaningful, steamy, and beautiful.

Review left on Good Reads (link below) and Bookmory. I couldn’t figure out how to share that link, but it’s the same review just on another platform to hopefully help

The banter was great. Eva and Riley were very entertaining. Eva’s character is such a love hate relationship

Eva hosts "Sausage Talk," a social media show, while she tries to climb the ranks in journalism. One day, she posts a roast of her ex Riley (a host of a podcast) on her personal social media, and it goes viral. Her media conglomerate gets a hold of it and plays it up, leading to a confrontation and a challenge by Riley to let him taker her out on six dates to prove that he has changed. What ensues is a very sweet story of their dates. Overall, I really liked this book, but I felt like it reached its peak about 75% of the way through and could have been much shorter. Several times I considered not finishing, and it was work to get it done.

ʍʏ ʄɨʀst ɮօօҡ ʄʀօʍ ʍaʐɛʏ aռɖ ɨ ċօʊʟɖռ t ɦaʋɛ ʟօʋɛɖ ʍօʀɛ
ɛʋa ɨts sօ ʄʊռռʏ tɦɛ ɮaċҡɢʀօʊռɖ aʀօʊռɖ tɦɛɨʀ stօʀʏ ɨts sօ ɨռtɛʀɛstɨռɢ
ɨ ʍ sʊsքɛċt tօ taʟҡ sɨռċɛ ɛռɛʍɨɛs tօ ʟօʋɛʀs ɨts ʍʏ ʄaʋɛ ʀօʍaռċɛ tʀօքɛ ɮʊt ɨts ʀɛaʟʟʏ ʀɛaʟʟʏ ɢօօɖ aռɖ ʟɛaʋɛɖ ʍɛ աaռtɨռɢ tօ ʀɛaɖ tɨʟʟʏ ɨռ tɛċռɨċօʟօʀ ʄʀօʍ tɦɛ saʍɛ aʊtɦօʀ tօօ
sօ ʄօʀ քɛʀsօռs աɦօ ɖɨɖռ t ʀɛaɖɛɖ ʍaʐɛʏ ɮօօҡs ʊռtɨʟ ռօա ɨ ɖօ ʀɛċօʍɛռɖ ʀɛզʊɛst tɦɨs օռɛ
ɨʄ ʏօʊ ʟօʋɛ ʀօʍ ċօʍ ɮօօҡs ʍʊċɦ as ʍɛ ɨ քʀօʍɨsɛ ʏօʊ աɨʟʟ ռօt regret

This was my first Mazey Eddings book and it was playful, witty, and sexy as heck! We follow Rylie and Eva as they navigate their careers and relationship in the public eye. They're witty, the banter was fun, cheeky, and sprinkled with pop culture references, and I really enjoyed their snarky remarks to one other. They actually had me laughing out loud at times and this was definitely the highlight of the book for me!

However, as the book progressed I started to lose interest. The banter became repetitive and the plot wasn't holding up. The dates, although they started with a bang, became less and less interesting and I simply felt like something was missing. This book had all the elements to be great - strong character development, chemistry, romance, and depth... but it just didn't hold my attention like I wanted it to. I loved all the representation and really appreciate the diverse range of characters, but at times it started to feel like too much was being incorporated and there wasn't enough time to properly dig deep and give these important topics the representation they deserve.

The ending came together too quickly and it didn't feel like we had enough time with Rylie and Eva before they gave into their desire for one another.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful romance full of heart, charm, funny moments, and depth. It's definitely worth giving a try!