I adore Mazey Eddings's work and haven't disliked a book yet. Well, Actually delivered on Eddings' brand of humor and banter combined with LGTBQ+ representation and thoughtful, relatable depictions of mental health and neurodivergence. The premise has shades of romcom silliness - sharp-edged Eva hosts a Chicken Shop Date-type show that inadvertently goes viral when she calls out her ex Rylie, who happens to be a social media personality focused on deconstructing toxic masculinity - but Eddings weaves in issues of confidence and self-worth, vulnerability, and more. This wasn't my favorite book by Mazey - I love how voicey she is but this is perhaps too much so, and some of it got old - but I'll still read anything by her.

So far, I have enjoyed the Mazey Eddings books that I've read. And I know that not every story will be for me. But boy, I disliked this book so much.

Eva Kitt is a journalist-ish, and is hoping to someday break free from her crass online interview series (think Chicken Shop Date but hornier) and move up the chain into hard-hitting news stories. After one drunken video stitch with an ex-situationship who is a non-toxic masculinity dude influencer, she garners tons of attention overnight, and now, she and said dude have to do her interview show together. Dude, AKA Rylie, wants a do-over of their time together. She has to go along with it for her job. Overall, it seems pretty cutesy.

Except that Eva is a grade A jerk. Rylie calls her witty and brilliant but all this lady is is mean. I would not spend more than one minute with her if I had to. She has next to no redeeming qualities, no actual care for other people exhibited, and no good reasons for the insane amount of HUGE mistakes and poor decisions she makes. But Rylie is hung up on her, and he is determined to redeem himself.

The thing I hated the most in this book was the banter. Eva couldn't take anything seriously ever, and Rylie, though in theory he called her on it, never held her accountable in anything. The conflict in the workplace was awful, though it probably does happen, realistically. The ending was way too short and I didn't see any real character growth.

In conclusion, I super disliked this book. I wouldn't recommend it myself, but if you liked Hannah Brown's book, Mistakes We Never Made, then I think you'd enjoy this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the e-ARC!

WOW I loved this book so much! Even more than I was expecting, and I am a big fan of Mazey Eddings!

Eva Kitt can come off a bit abrasive and angry, but deep down she is afraid of being hurt, and has her walls up high for some valid reasons. And dang did I relate to her!! Rylie Cooper could come off as playboy who is pretending to say all the right things, but when it comes to Eva, he is DOWN BAD. These two were hilarious. They had a rough start, with a first date that was so bad I was cackling. But as both of them opened up, and talked about what actually happened when they were in college, there was some real healing and rebuilding for them both!

I loved this book. I loved the communication. I loved how soft Eva let herself be with Rylie once she gave in to him. I loved that the 3rd act conflict was not a breakup. I loved the way these two fought for each other. I also loved how funny this book was!

I read some of this but will admit that I was also able to get the audio ALC, and let me just say: the audio of this was so good!

Second chances and a praise kink. Say less.

I devoured this book in one sitting. Each page was perfect.
To me Eva was super relatable and the relationship between her and Rylie shows raw emotions that I don’t feel like a lot of second chance romances have.

The banter between the two was everything. I love the sassy back and forth.

This book has a delicate nod the issues the LGBTQ+ community faces and it was written in what I feel like was a very tasteful way.

Very thankful for the opportunity to review from Mazey Eddings, St. Martin’s and NetGalley.

Highlight the whole first chapter as noteworthy, this might be Mazey’s best work yet.
The maniacal glee I felt, knowing chapter one was obviously FULL of dramatic irony had me clapping as I read.

Chicken shop date inspo? HOW has this never been done before?! But thank the world it’s been done by Mazey, the perfect author for this writing style. & ever since @amedliadimz tagged her and Jonathan Bailey in the cover recreation image, SWOON.

Taking snark to a new level, Eva instantly became one of my favorite hot mess main characters, right up there with Olivia from Lynn Painter’s Mr. Wrong Number. Nothing like knowing a book will be a five-star read before you’ve even officially met the love interest. Throw in their second-chance romance throwback and I was SOLD.

And it’s not all hot dog puns and piney hatred, Eddings covers tough topics in a way that feels brutally honest with a side of banter that SERVES y’all! I’ve never felt for characters in such a visceral way, with each new moment I felt like their relationship was messy and real and something I NEEDED more of.

READ IT, love it, learn and grow from it, this one’s a must-read!

It’s hard to put into words how ‘splodey my heart was with this warm, hilarious book. My heart just kept filling with every insult, every endearment, every time Rylie knew exactly what Eva needed. And then it exploded. In a great way.

So, Eva is lonely in her tiny apartment and drinking deeply while doom scrolling. She comes to a screeching halt when she sees a guy she used to date explaining red flags in dating. Hold up. *This* guy thinks he can advise about dating when he was the literal worst. Not on Eva’s watch.

She stitches his video with her truth bombs and never expects what happens. Viral video. Boom. Her bosses at Sausage Talk, where she interviews D-list celebs while eating hot dogs, wants her to have a live conversation with Rylie.

This doesn’t go the way she thinks it will. He convinces her to go on several dates with him so he can make up for his past behavior. It’s all supposed to be for the exposure and a possible promotion. But I think you know things start to feel very real very quickly.

On the surface, Eva is a classic black cat, but dig deeper (as we do) and she’s a char-roasted marshmallow- only black and bitter on the outside, but warm and tender on the inside. That being said, her outward confidence, looks, and way with a stunning slight is bar none. She is, as Rylie says, brutal. And I wouldn’t want her any other way. Neither would Rylie.

I truly cannot express how much I love this book and this couple. Please please please read this book. You’ll be giggling and kicking your feet. And probably sweating because the heat is…so hot. Tell me more, Rylie.

Highly recommended for lovers of second chances (my personal favorite), sexy nerds, lethal femmes, and all the freaking banter you could want.

I received this eARC via #netgalley and @stmartinspress. All thoughts are mine alone.

romance novels | contemporary romance | spicy romance| well actually | Mazey Eddings | book recs | book reviews

This book does have delightful banter and great LGBTQ+ and mental health representation going for it, but I just couldn't click with this overall. I think if the lust had taken a slower burn it could've worked a lot better, because I could not believe that Eva was getting so immediately hot and bothered by a man who once gave her terrible sex then ghosted her after one of her most vulnerable moments. Between that and the humor that didn't land for me, I was spending a lot of time cringing unfortunately. Eva also had so much bite in her but stayed so quiet when she should have unleashed, I wanted to see her have much more of a big moment than she got!

I’ve been looking for a romcom to hit all the buttons for me and this was it!

Eva was definitely the grumpy black cat to Rylie’s golden retriever personality. Their banter was excellent. Their personalities were fleshed out very well. Rylie had one of the healthiest redemption arcs I’ve seen.

The plot was interesting, reminiscent of Amelia D’s Chicken Shop Date. Communication was an important plot development tool, which was rather refreshing. Every time Eva backtracked, Rylie supported her through the conflict. The LGBTQ+ and mental health rep was great!

The audiobook narration by Ariela Crow was done really well. I usually prefer dual narration but this was great just as it was. Wouldn’t change a thing.

Complementary copy received and voluntarily reviewed.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This came off to me as a Chicken Shop Date, Andrew Garfield fan fiction, and it worked in many ways. I liked the black cat/golden retriever vibe of the two main characters, Eva and Riley. I liked that they worked through their trauma together, I thought they were hot together, I liked they both had queer found family. I thought the book paced pretty well, and had some funny banter. My only issues with it were that I thought the ending was kind of rushed and for the complexity of the topic, felt a little trite. But overall, the vibe and writing and steam and banter pushed this up to four stars for me. I recommend this book for fans of Eddings, contemporary romance, and Chicken Shop.

5 trillion stars, absolutely no notes. Everything about this book was fantastic. I just finished it and I'm already ready to dive back in. Where's the screenplay, let's make this a movie ASAP. Mazey, I will always read whatever you write and thank you for this absolute gift of a book.

Eva & Riley. 3.0 ⭐️s. It took me a bit to get into this book and while the book was not necessarily bad, I do think it was longer than it needed to be. I really liked Riley’s character. Out of both main characters he was the only one with actual growth and substance the entire book. He and the other side characters are what mostly kept me engaged. Eva was contradicting and at times annoying. I get her having mental health problems and family issues she had not dealt with, but her façade was not believable. She was supposed to give this black cat energy but it poorly masked her insecurity. Overall the book just felt dragged out, it’s supposed to deal with modern issues and it has representation, which I loved, but to me it just felt too much like the real world, which in all honesty is not what I enjoy reading. The spicy scenes were great but again a bit overdone and they added nothing to the plot. The hopeless romantic in me just wish it had been a lot shorter. Thanks to St.Martin’s press for allowing me to read and review ahead of publication.

The main character was whiny and I expected her to take a stance for women with the issue at hand, but it wasn’t quite what I had hoped for.

Readers get a glimpse into social media life and the downfalls it can come with.

If you want a book with a lot of sex this is a good choice but not for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC.

Well, Actually was a fun and refreshing romance novel - a mix of second chance romance, black cat/golden retriever. The banter between Eva and Rylie is fantastic! Overall very entertaining, funny and not afraid to deal with mental health topics, sexuality, self acceptance, etc. Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel.

This is my first Mazey Eddings book and it was completely delightful. It is a hate to love with exceptional, hilarious banter that had me laughing out loud.

Eva is the host of Sausage Talk, where she interviews B list celebrities. Rylie is a podcast host who helps men deconstruct toxic masculinity to teach men to be better partners.

Eva who knew Rylie in college goes on social media to call him out for being exactly what he professes to be against. When he appears on her show, and asks her to go on some dates so he can show her he has changed, Eva finds herself forced to agree in order to improve her work situation.

Eva is my kind of FMC. She is sassy and quick witted, but also struggles with self worth and confidence. Rylie is an amazing book boyfriend whose witty banter retorts and sultry words, including good girl, will have you begging for more.

Their chemistry is off the charts, and so entertaining. Have I mentioned that he also wears slutty glasses?

What a fun read! I’m looking forward to reading more of Mazey Eddings’ books.

I recommend this one for those that love a spicy, funny, witty and heartwarming hate to love romance.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC REVIEW (8/5/25): well, actually by mazey eddings 🤍 has the boy who broke her heart become the man who will heal it??

I’m sorry, but if he creams in his jeans, it’s an automatic NO from me.

what to expect:
🌭 second chance
🎙️ slutty little glasses
🌭 black cat x golden retriver
🎙️ hate to love
🌭 hotdogs… in the literal sense

I loved the sausage talk (chicken shop date inspired) series but it wasn't as prominent as anticipated! homegirl eva was too mean for my liking. I get that’s literally the point & it’s just her ✨personality✨ but with no accountability… it became unbearable. now, riley on the other hand?! he’s adorable & the words of affirmation king. they seemed more like a situationship couple than one to get married five years from now. the no third act breakup was almost as satisfying as a perfect french fry.

if you took a shot everytime eva ran from her problems instead of communicating, you’d be turnt.

thank you macmillan audio for the alc & st. martin’s press for the goodreads giveaway win 🎧 2.5 stars!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
☑️ Open-Door Romance
☑️ Reverse Grumpy Sunshine
☑️ Second Chance Romance
☑️ Black Cat/Golden Retriever Dynamic

New to me author Eddings wrote this book to make it easily consumable. I thought the pace was strong and she wrote compelling characters. We had a more substantial backstory on Rylie and I would’ve liked to have a bit more on Eva to get a stronger sense of why she was the way she was. May have had a bigger impact to my overall sentiment of the book.

Also, I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I’m not a fan of Eva’s treatment of Rylie. For example, the “pet names” felt unnecessarily demeaning, which made it hard to root for their dynamic. (Made some of the open-door romance scenes a little unbelievable.)
Much of the other banter was fine otherwise.

🎧: This was a first listen of Ariela Crow. She brought the sultry, snarky, and deadpan moments to life for Eva while pivoting well to be the voice of Rylie. She made this audiobook an easy listen.

Shared on Goodreads as of 8/1
Scheduled to share on Instagram on 8/4

Well, Actually | Mazey Eddings 🌭🎙️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*Thank you to NetGalley, @mazeyeddings and @stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange with an honest review

First thing you need to know : I had SO MUCH FUN reading this book! It was next level humorous and entertaining, i couldn’t put my kindle down ✨

I loved the original setting of the story that reminded me of a Wish version of the Chicken Shop Date interviews by Amelia Dimoldenberg. The FMC, Eva, is the host of a similar show where she has to eat disgusting hot-dogs while interviewing mediocre guests 🎙️

Eva was HILARIOUS. I bursted into laughter many times reading her wild thoughts and wilder actions. I loved that not only was she effortlessly funny, she was also relatable with her tough exterior covering her own vulnerability ❤️‍🩹

The MMC, Rylie Cooper, is Eva’s unexpected (and unwanted) guest on the Sausage talk show after she went viral on the Internet calling him out. There is a lot to unpack because of their unfinished business💥

Their banter was excellent and was quite literally the embodiment of « Never let them know your next move ». They were the perfect black cat x golden retriever pair, i can’t get over them ❤️‍🩹

💥 It’s out on August 5th 💥

This book was a miss for me which is really unfortunate because I LOVED Mazey Eddings' book "Late Bloomer," I just was really not clicking with the main character of Eva, and unfortunately hers was the only perspective we got. She kind of was insufferable and honestly holding someone accountable for their actions from college just seemed petty. Something I've realized reading this book is that I just feel like the "going viral" trope is just not for me. Social media is such a huge part of our lives that I don't want to carry it over into my reading. Also it's really difficult to write these types of situations because not everyone knows what it's like to actually go viral and have basically the entire world watching you and picking you apart, so it can often come across almost like a caricature.

Thank you St. Martin's and NetGalley for the ARC!

Things I appreciated : the bi4pan romance, the banter and sass. Everything else just didn't quite hit the mark for me. I was frustrated with most of the characters, found the scenarios kind of unbelievable, and really just didn't feel the romance. I didn't understand why the characters liked each other or why everything had to happen this way. The happy ending was nice and I see the message the author was going for, but it was all just kinda muddled.

I absolutely devoured this book as soon as I got my hands on it; the characters and conflicts were so engaging that I could not stop reading until I got to the end! I loved the two lead characters, who have a complex history, and a viral moment pushes the two back together. As they rekindle and heal their relationship in the present, they grow to be more honest and vulnerable with each other. I found a lot of myself reflecting on Eva, which was equally uncomfortable and cathartic to read about. There are the more serious themes of self-discovery, healing, and growth, packaged between really funny banter. I found that the dialogue and references were definitely leaning more towards gen Z (which may not be everyone's preference but I enjoyed it), but not in a way that felt forced or cringey. My only wish was that their history was fleshed out more. While I did understand on a base level why their short-lived relationship in university was so impactful, I would've loved to see and feel more of that development; I think it would've made the fallout hit much harder. I rate this book a 4.5, rounded up to a 5!

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