I absolutely adored Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings—I tore through it in one sitting! This book had everything I love in a rom-com: sparkling banter, swoon-worthy tension, and just the right amount of emotional depth. Eva and Rylie’s second-chance romance was perfection. Their black cat/golden retriever dynamic had me grinning the entire time, and I loved how their history added so much tension and chemistry to every scene.

Eva was such a relatable, sharp, and fiercely independent heroine. Her frustration over her stalled career, mixed with her lingering resentment toward Rylie, felt so real. And Rylie? Ugh, the man was impossible not to love. He’s charming, self-aware, and trying so hard to prove he’s grown from the guy who broke Eva’s heart. Their forced proximity through the ridiculous dating scheme led to so many hilarious, heartfelt, and hot moments—I was completely invested.

Beyond the romance, I loved how the story tackled themes of ambition, forgiveness, and learning to let people surprise you. Eddings’ signature wit and warmth made every page sparkle, and the way she writes neurodivergent characters with such care and authenticity added another layer of depth to Eva’s journey.

This book was fun, fresh, and completely addictive. If you love a second-chance romance packed with humor, heart, and undeniable chemistry, Well, Actually is a must-read

I absolutely loved this book! This was my first time reading anything from Mazey Eddings and I will definitely be picking up more from her! I think that the concept of the book was so entertaining and her execution of it was so well done. Also, thank you so much to NetGalley for the eARC of this books!

The story follows Eva Kitt, the host of an online show called Sausage Talk where she interviews lesser known celebrities over hot dogs. When she drunkenly posts a TikTok drunkenly calling out her ex-situationship Rylie Cooper (who just happens to host one of the most popular podcasts for helping men break the cycle of toxic masculinity) for his sub-par emotional and relationship skills, and the fact that he ghosted her, she is forced to confront him in a live filming of Sausage Talk. Things really pick up when Rylie dares Eva that he can change her mind about him over the course of six dates, and she agrees with every intention of proving him wrong. But things don't always work out as we intend them to...

This was such a fun read! I loved Eva as a character and really related to a lot of the things that she has been through emotionally. I also loved how we got to see the growth that she goes through while she's learning more about Rylie. Speaking of Mr. Rylie Cooper... WE LOVE AN EMOTIONALLY MATURE MAN. I was literally giggling and kicking my feet any time this man opened his mouth. There were so many points throughout this book where I was so surprised by Rylie's maturity and his openness. I thought that the story itself flowed really well and I really enjoyed all of the different parts of it. I felt so many emotions while reading it that I wasn't really expecting to but was totally here for. Overall, I had a really great time with this story and can't wait to read more from Mazey Eddings!

I almost stopped reading this book very early on because I found Eva so unbelievably and unnecessarily prickly BUT I trust Mazey to choose her plot points intentionally and I'm glad I stuck with the story. I thought it was a different spin on a second chance romance and one I was completely invested in. So not only is it second chance but it's fakeish dating and the book takes on toxic masculinity, mental health and so much more. I loved the cameos from some of Mazey's other characters, especially our favorite pornographic baker. And I think both Eva and Rylie grew up over the course of the story and learned a lot about each other and the power of forgiveness and friendship.

Not to mention, the book is just really funny at times and I think the way Mazey can balance humor with vulnerability is top notch. If you have enjoyed her other books, maybe just go click the pre-order button on your favorite bookseller site and get yourself a late summer treat.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the early copy!

I liked reading about the ways that journalism has fallen prey to the gig economy and clickbait, but the stakes never felt fully realized to me. A bit predictable but I enjoyed being along for the ride.

3.5 stars

I am struggling with how to review this book because I really did enjoy the characters, their arcs, and the overall plot, but I struggled with the overt crassness of this novel.

I wouldn’t consider myself a prude, I don’t think it was all bad, I like to joke around like this too sometimes, but it was just so constant that it was a touch tiring. Not everything needs to be an innuendo.

But other than that, I really related to Eva and her desire to be known and loved because isn’t that what we all want? For someone to truly know us and love us through all our quirks and bad decisions.

I thought the final act conflict was very well-down as well. Eddings went a different route and it was so much better than a third act breakup (which I hate)

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love everything Eddings has published and this one was a great addition to her works. I loved every minute of reading this gem.

✨📚Well, Actually📚✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this book! Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings was such a fun read. I received this book as an arc from Mazey and St. Martin’s Press and I definitely recommend it!

This book follows a journalist, Eva, as she gives a very public second chance to the guy who ghosted her in college. It has very strong how to lose a guy in ten days vibes and is so so funny! The first date had me cackling!

It has a lot of the tropes that we know and love like second chance romance and enemies to lovers, but it kind of remixes some of them. For instance, there is fake dating, but everyone knows that it’s fake (or is it? 👀)

The characters work through a lot of trauma, both together and individually, but the serious stuff is well interspersed with comedy and 🌶️spice🌶️.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book. It is such a good read! It comes out on August 5th, so mark your calendars!

This book crawled into my brain, rooted itself in, and refused to leave—and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a stunning representation of how being strong isn’t just about resilience but also about how damn hard it is to express that struggle. The emotional depth? Gut-wrenching. The banter? Easily some of the best I’ve ever read. It had me grinning, crying, and clutching my heart all at once.

The character growth was messy, raw, and beautifully portrayed—just like real life. Watching these characters navigate their struggles, their love, their pain, and their healing felt like watching something sacred unfold. This book is, quite literally, life.

Easily in my top three favorite books of all time, and I will never shut up about it. If you haven’t read it yet, I need you to fix that immediately.

This book was a little out of normal genre of reads but it absolutely deserves the five stars. It was well written. The author and the characters reeled me in and I literally could not stop reading once starting. I loved the snarkiness of the FMC and the love connection between the FMC and the MMC. Highly recommend!

I am a bug fan of Mazey Eddings, and was so excited to receive an ARC of Well, Actually. It was exactly what I wanted it to be! I've already pre-ordered my physical copy (one for me and one for a friend!)

4.5 ⭐️ | Finished this in less than 24 hours and i’m OBSESSED. This book was so funny and genuinely had me laughing so much. The FMC Eva is a guarded up girl who has gone through a lot and so misunderstood but her character development was one I cherished. And Rylie!!!! Rylie freaking Cooper. I love that man with everything in me. He showed up for Eva every. time. and i adore him for it. while the chemistry and spice was AMAZING there was also so many sweet and soft moments that healed my guarded up heart.

✨I received this book as an ARC for free in exchange for an honest review✨

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings
Pub Date: August 5, 2025

🖤 Second Chance Romance
🖤 Enemies to Lovers
🖤 Golden Retriever X Black Cat
🖤 Toxic Workplace

Black cat heroine with killer outfits and so much sass she will make a grown man cry. Golden retriever who is giving Andrew Garfield Golden Globe vibes (IYKYK)

I loved this book, it was such a fun read. Eva records a drunk video bashing her ex Riley and his shortcomings of their time together. They are reunited to do an interview after the video goes viral. Eva is full of sass and wants nothing to do with Riley. Riley on the other hand has had some time to think about the past and tries to charm his way back into her life. The story is full of flirty banter with an unexpected twist.

Thank you to the @mazeyeddings and Netgalley for this ARC.

Okay, I really enjoyed a lot of elements to this book!! It started off really strong for me. I loved the place our two main characters started, because I feel like our FMC had very legitimate reasons to be angry and hateful towards the MMC. I could see why she wouldn’t want to give him a chance or hear him out. This made for such a great second chance romance setting.

One thing I really didn’t love is that the FMC so was so whiney about hating her job and not having enough money and life just generally sucking. Yet she had amazing clothes, always looked perfect, had really great supportive friends. I get things might not have been going her way, but I felt like she whined about the wrong things sometimes if that makes any sense.

I loved the way she teaser the MMC and they had such great tension between them leading up to their first hookup. And then the spice hit…

The spicy scenes were SO copy and paste. There was nothing unique or personal to the characters, the scenes could have been from any other romance book. The way the MMC spoke in the bedroom did not feel authentic to his character at all and that seriously irked me. “Good girl” does not always work and should not always be used.

I do feel like the end dragged on a bit as well. We could have cut at least one spicy scene and a few other moments and still had a great book with a little bit better pacing!

This might just be me, but I do feel like there was some virtue signaling going on here that states to get a little over the top after a while.

Overall, I enjoyed it and would for sure recommend it to a lot of friends!

This book is amazing!! I don’t even know where to start.

The writing is wonderful. There were so many witty, snarky, and funny one-liners that I was highlighting constantly as I was reading.

Eva is a bisexual disaster who uses make-up, fashion, and aloof snark to protect herself. Rylie is a reformed frat boy dedicated to deconstructing toxic masculinity and winning Eva back. I love books where the male love interest falls hard and fast – Rylie definitely does both. This story is funny and sexy and gripped me as soon as I started reading it.

By the end of the book, I truly understood why Eva is the way she is, and I understood Rylie’s past behavior too. Both had great character growth.

The spice, the dirty talk, and the praise definitely deserve a shout out too.

I’ve read all of Mazey Eddings’ books and have consistently enjoyed her writing. This book felt like a vibe/tone shift from her other books to me. I am super impressed to see Mazey doing something different so excellently. I’m obsessed!

Highlights:
- Black cat x golden retriever
- he falls first
- second chance
- bi for bi
- both snark and praise

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC for Well, Actually!

I had added this to my TBR a few weeks ago after seeing it on Instagram, and when I saw that it was added as a "Read Now" on NetGalley, I had to pick it up.

I loved the premise of the book! Eva, the host of a hot dog eating interview show, accidentally goes viral when she calls out her college ex on social media. Riley, the ex, is an influencer who has built his platform on calling out and dismantling toxic masculinity, but apparently back in college he wasn't so great! Eva's bosses decide to capitalize on the success of her video, and invite Riley for a live interview. In an effort to show Eva he's changed, Riley makes a deal with her - go on a series of dates and debrief them on his podcast later. But how long until these fake dates, start to feel real?

I found myself giggling out loud at work while reading on my lunch break a few times during this book, especially at the beginning and during Riley's disastrous attempt at their first date.

Despite their rocky start, I thought Eva and Riley had a genuine connection and their chemistry felt real. I liked the glimpses we got into their past, and it helped sell the idea that Riley had really changed. Sometimes I thought Eva was a little too mean to Riley in the present, but the flashbacks to how he actually treated her kind of justified it.

I wish Eva had stood up more to her horrible bosses during the course of the book, but I was pleased with how it ended, and the vindication she felt.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and will probably pick up a copy to keep on my shelf at home!

The one thing I hope is "corrected" (for lack of a better term) is the formatting of the text messages. It was sometimes hard to follow because the copy of the text messages blended into the paragraph without any quotations, italics, or markers to help distinguish. One of the things I love in books is when actual chat bubbles are used for text messages. It just makes things feel more integrated.

Thank you again St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I love when a book is able to make me laugh so hard my stomach hurts, cry, and then blush like crazy.

This is the first book I have read by Mazey and it definitely won't be my last. It follows Eva, the host of Sausage Talk (think chicken shop date but with hotdogs lol) where she interviews B list celebrities. One night she stumbles across a social media post of her college ex, Riley Cooper on his podcast teaching men to be better partners. She ends up posting a stitch breaking down the terrible time she had with him in great detail and it goes viral leading to him becoming the next guest on Sausage Talk.

This book had such great banter and there were so many moments had me hysterically laughing. It also handled so many important topics like misogyny at work, grief, therapy, self love and lgbtq topics. I have seen a lot of people say that Eva was too mean but I loved her so much. She has a tough outer shell that she has used to protect herself and Riley sees right past it. Seeing Eva open up and become vulnerable with Riley had me in actual tears! Also the spice in this book, specifically every single word that came out of Riley's mouth during it had me melting into the floor! I was blushing so hard oh my god.

I think if you loved Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams you should definitely give this book a try!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an early copy!

I loved the premises of this book and read it in one sitting. At the beginning, I was not a fan of the main character Eva and her attitude. It took some time to adjust to her and see the path that Mazey was taking her on in this book.

Eva gets drunk one night and decides to put out on social media about her college experience with Rylie, the newest "IT" podcaster on how not to be a toxic male. Not expecting anyone to see her post, she wakes up to quite a surprise. After that post and once her boss finds out, Eva and Rylie are thrown together on each of their shows. Rylie sets out to get Eva to agree on 6 dates so he can prove to her, he's a changed man from college. What ensues is fun dates, interesting friends and roommates, and a lot of romance and spice thrown in.

This book is a great fun read, and you really can't go wrong with one of Mazey's book.

i couldnt get into the book and i wasnt a huge fan of how it was written. i stopped maybe like 30% into the book, maybe ill try rereading in the future but for right now i cant read it

literally love anything mazey eddings writes and well, actually was everything you could want in a rom com, second chance romance.

this is like the ugly truth meets how to lose a guy in 10 days. mediocre blogging work meets dating advice. the best of both worlds

meeting in college, Eva Kitt and Riley Cooper had a bumpy start- him constantly badgering her in class trying to get her to date him until one day she said yes- his red flags and all- and then it ended. she was heartbroken and it traumatized her for any other relationship over the next 6 years.

He’s a million follower influencer, she’s a hot dog eating website host, and when she comes across one of his podcast snip it’s on tiktok one drunken night, her impulsiveness takes over and her video going against everything he’s saying goes viral and they’re shoved in close quarters again.

She’s the grumpy to his sunshine, golden retriever personality. will he be able to break her down into the girl he met in college or will she ruin him?

spice 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

this was basically chicken shop date where they eat disgusting hot dogs instead of chicken. the guests also can’t compare to who amelia pulled so far💅🏻 nonetheless the concept was fun.

it starts with our <i>lovely</i> fmc Eva -the host of hot dogs program- who is also not lovely at all but more like an ice queen, seeing her college boyfriend/one night stand/hook up on internet talking about how men can beat toxic masculinity. which rightfully angers Eva because Rylie was the embodiment of toxic masculinity when they were dating. long story short she stitches his video(drunkenly) and talks about how bad he was back then, gets millions of views and her producers wants to milk the attention so her ex boyfriend comes as a guest to her show👀

now, i know Eva isn’t for everyone. she had some unreasonable moments and she was mostly rude and mean. but for me she was so real. i unfortunately saw myself in her like a mirror and it was both sad(because no one loves me like rylie loves her) and relieving (because someone loved her so dear).

but god how i adored Eva!!🥹 the sweet girl inside of her tough exterior, she walls she build around herself after everyone let her down💔 MY GIRLLLLLL deserved to be loved and Rylie loved her so much it seemed like loving Eva was easier than breathing for Rylie🩷

and Rylie my love🩷 i love a down bad man, i believe this is universally acknowledged at this point🤭 but i also love a patient man, a man who doesn’t have a fragile ego, a man who can take a joke from a woman, a man who acknowledges his past mistakes and redeems them🙂‍↕️ he was all of them🥹 MY DREAMMMMMM seriously when.is.it.my.turn?!

honestly i wasn’t expecting to get emotional over this book let alone shedding actual tears🤚🏻 but there was a scene where they read hate comments about them on internet and all the comments for him was like “can i call him daddy, can he spank me” etc which i know there were probably bad comments about him and that was evil planning bla bla but what hurts me was the comments she had to read. the way people criticized her, called her mean names and the way they were all so real. like there are so many women on the internet getting hate comments for something so trivial something we all do and something no one bats an eye when a man does. so yeah the reality of it made me cry because my heart broke for her💔