Excuse me while I catch my breath after finishing this book. What a perfect ending! (How do I add a chef’s kiss gif?)

Early on I found Eva whiny and maybe a tad too relatable. (Girl, I see that negative self talk and I’m right there with you!) And then she slowly opened up and allowed folks to help her. And she saw that some folks will still take advantage of your vulnerability but the folks who see you make it worth it.

The chemistry between her and Rylie is so good! And this is the second chance trope done perfectly!

I could write more about how I loved every part of Eva’s foul-mouthed lovable journey but I’m already repeating myself. This book is amazing! Go read it!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book. This is my honest review!

Thank you @youhadmeathea @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for my free e-arc and alc 💖.

✨What it is about:
Eva Kitt’s stuck hosting a hot dog talk show instead of chasing her journalism dreams, until a viral call-out of her ex, influencer Rylie Cooper, puts her in the spotlight. To save face, Rylie proposes they go on public dates to prove he’s changed, and Eva agrees, mostly to roast him and boost her own career. But as the fake dates start to feel real, Eva wonders if the guy who once broke her heart might actually deserve a second chance.✨

💭My thoughts:
This was such a fun read, super entertaining and full of heart. Mazey really nailed it with the characters and the emotional layers of the story. I loved the tension between the main characters, all the over the top antics, and the hilarious moments mixed in with the deeper, more vulnerable ones. Oh, and it was spicy too! Mazey definitely knows how to turn up the heat.
🎧 The audiobook was 11 hours and 33 minutes, narrated by Ariela Crow. She was great, really engaging and brought the witty dialogue to life. She also did an awesome job with the character voices; they were all easy to tell apart and felt super distinct. I listened to the audio while reading the e-book and it was a lot of fun.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
👩‍💻Second chance romance
👩‍💻Fake dating
👩‍💻Black cat MFC & Golden retriever MMC
👩‍💻Witty banter
👩‍💻Social media
👩‍💻LGTBQ+ rep

⚠️CW: Bullying, car accident, death, grief, abandonment.

I wanted to love this but overall just liked it. Giving this 3.5 I’ve read all of this authors books and she has the tendency to make her FMCs blubbering messes at some point and I don’t know it just seems like too much for me.

I enjoyed the first half of the book. Second half something was just off for me. Maybe I got a little bored with it? Not sure exactly.

I love Mazey and will continue to read her books for me but this one isn't a favorite.

Thanks Netgalley for an Ecopy.

Eva interviews B list stars on her show where they eat hot dogs while she intereviews them but she wants to be a hard hitting journalist. Rylie is a podcaster/influencer who talks about how to be a great boyfriend - but he slept with and ghosted Eva 6 years ago so whenever she hears his content she becomes enraged. Until she shares her feelings about him on a post and it goes viral. Now she is forced to go on dates with him, all for likes and content. Of course there are sparks and it seems like the one who broke her heart may also be the one who steals it.

I was looking for a quick fun romance after the more serious book I had just finished but this one just didn't work as well for me. Honestly I may just be too old for it but I found Eva too harsh and frustrating as a character and just didn't believe the relationship. It's a bit spicy and I did have to turn it off before I walked into SoulCycle because it felt inappropriate to listen while walking into a room with people I knew.

3.5 stars

Thank you to St Martins Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC to review

Overall: 4/5
Spice: 3.5/5
Tropes/themes: second chance, mental health & pan/bi/trans representation, workplace romance, black cat & golden retriever energy, fake dates for PR

“You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?”
“Not for a second.”

I finished this within 24 hours and it was just sooo good! I haven’t read many second-chance romances, so I was curious to see how things would unfold, and this one absolutely delivered.

Eva Kitt is the host of Sausage Talk, and her personality is razor-sharp. She’s witty, a little bit mean, and totally owns who she is! Definitely classic black cat energy!

Then there’s Rylie Cooper, host of his own podcast and a beloved social media personality. He’s all about dismantling toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be better partners. Total golden retriever energy.

One drunken video of Eva calling out her college ex goes viral. Turns out, that ex is Rylie, and when her job tries to capitalize on the sudden attention, it kicks off a six-date challenge to prove he’s changed.

The chemistry between these two??? Off the charts. I was squealing and laughing out loud at some of the dialogue. And the spice?! Dayum. 👀

I especially loved seeing Eva’s growth throughout the story, working through her trauma, learning to open up to love, and allowing herself the gace to be deserving of love. Rylie was so precious, understanding, and willing to put in the WORK! 👏🏼 Plus, we looove a words-of-affirmation king. 🤭

Not totally sure how I feel about the nickname Kitten (pet names just aren’t my thing 😅), but aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed this!

It comes out August 5th, so if you’re looking for a fun, steamy rom-com with heart, this is it!

Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Mazey Eddings for the ARC via NetGalley!

This was a fun, flirty second-chance romance with great banter and a sweet, lovable hero! There was a good mix of humor and real emotion, as they deal with grief, mental health, and figuring themselves out. The chemistry and heartfelt moments were the high points.

Well, Actually is an interesting blend of enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, and second-chance romance with a modern twist—two social media stars with a complicated past trying to navigate a very public reunion. I loved the witty banter and undeniable chemistry between Eva and Rylie. Their dynamic was fiery, emotional, and layered with years of unresolved tension.

What stood out most was the thoughtful representation of mental health. Eddings never shies away from showing the messy, tender parts of healing, and she does so with depth and care. The conversations around sexuality also felt natural and respectfully handled, adding another important layer to the story.

The spice was exactly what I expected from Mazey Eddings—just the right balance of tension and heat. My only wish? That the story had been told in dual POV. With so much shared history and emotion between Eva and Rylie, hearing both sides would have added even more richness.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Sharp, Sparkling, Second-Chance Romance

Well, Actually is a witty, emotionally resonant second-chance romance that absolutely sizzles with Mazey Eddings' signature charm and sparkling prose. From the moment Eva Kitt publicly calls out her ex—now a beloved internet guru of healthy masculinity—you know you're in for a ride that’s equal parts hilarious, heartfelt, and wildly sexy.

Eva is a whip-smart, no-nonsense heroine stuck in a career rut, while Rylie is the golden-retriever ex who’s made a name “fixing” the kind of guy he once was. Their chemistry crackles as they dive into a series of staged dates for the internet’s entertainment (and a little personal revenge), but underneath the banter and Instagram filters is a tender exploration of healing, accountability, and the possibility of real growth.

This story is for readers who love slow-burns with big payoffs, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and complex characters you can’t help but root for. The teal-stained edges and embellished cover are a beautiful bonus to a story that’s just as gorgeous on the inside.

An utterly delightful, satisfying read that left me grinning like an idiot and believing in second chances.

Solid 3-star read for me because I did like this book!

It got a genuine chuckle out of me a time or two, and I think the first 30% of the book was excellent. Did I want more than just snark from Eva, of course! I would have loved this book to be a dual timeline to see WHY she fell in love with him so fast in college. Eva was just too mean, and that's coming from someone who relates to her a little too closely. I would've loved to see her character transition into a much softer, vulnerable character because she felt ready to do so, and not because of a forced therapy session.
Cooper or Rylie, whatever you want to call him, worked great as an MMC; he just got a little cringy around 70% into the book. I love a good "golden retriever/cinnamon roll" character, but where Eva leaned a little too close to mean, Cooper leaned into... whimpy?

I really wish the issues I had with this book werent so picky, but they are, and they bother me so much. Like I said, I did enjoy this book when I did, but also didn't when I didn't. Maybe if there were more dialogue in the last 20% and less smut (coming from a girl who loves smut), the issues I had with it might have been resolved.

3.5, rounded up. Parts of this are good and the setup is interesting, but there are times when Eva is just SO UNLIKEABLE that the plot becomes fairly not plausible. I liked the viral video setup and the the discussion of journalism; the bad people characters could have been more flushed out, and sometimes there's so much plot it's hard to keep track of the relationships. The callbacks to other Mazey Eddings books were clunky but fun.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley.

This is easily my favorite Mazey Eddings book yet. These two were just so fun, and I loved watching them re-learn each other and fall in love. I adored Eva, and Rylie's pursuit of her was very sweet. Five stars. Highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early digital copy of Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings. I love Mazey's books so much. This book reminded me of The Ugly Truth, a romcom with Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl. If you watched that one and liked it, you will like this book! It had all the black cat x golden retriever vibes, and I was totally here for it. I literally laugh out loud when I read Mazey's books, and the swoon and banter had me smiling and literally kicking my feet as I was reading it. Mazey has solidified herself as an auto-read and auto-buy author. This one is out in about 2 and a half weeks so make sure you pick up your copy!

I am a huge fan of Mazey Eddings - Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake is one of my all-time favorites! But this book was just so-so for me. Eva came across really mean and rude. Riley was just...there. I do appreciate him actively trying to fix his previous mistakes in life. I wish there had been more backstory on the two, because I did not quite feel any connection to them as a couple. I thought they sparred well, but Eva always just got mad and stormed off and assumed the absolute worst. An somehow Riley has been infatuated with her for years?

Also, Eva - quit your job! I was so frustrated with the backbending she kept doing for this company that clearly did not value her. There are other avenues, which given what she does, she had to be aware of!

I will still absolutely read everything Mazey writes...this one just did not click for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

i liked this! i was never bored, although it did feel long at times. but i was entertained the whole way through. the writing reminded me of ali hazelwood in the way that it was a mixture of cringe but also genuinely funny but also discusses serious topics throughout. i do wish there was more celeb hot dog date content 🌭

i think my biggest qualm is that i liked the characters separately but didn’t fully feel their connection as a couple. this is one of the second chance cases where it would have benefitted to have more in depth flashbacks or a dual timeline so i could really see their history. especially since they were only hanging out for 2 months i think in college. eva is hilarious and kind of mean, and i liked that about her honestly. rylie was sweet and also funny. their banter made me laugh out loud sometimes. but i definitely was not convinced of the romantic connection between them. also, i will mention the spice was very dragged out and lasted a very long time. there were only probably like 3 scenes but i literally was like why is this still happening??? i skimmed.

i do recommend this overall! i’m going to give this author another try in the future because i really did like the writing and the voice. thank you st. martin’s griffin and netgalley for the free eARC! pub date august 5, 2025

Mazey, Mazey, Mazey.- my girl! You have the ability to write these characters that I just cannot get enough of. I ate this one up!! They were funny, they were sweet, they were crazy, they were spicy. What more could you want? I love to read Eddings’ books as a palette cleanser between other things because they are always light and fun. This one was exactly that. Great job.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoy a rom-com spicy romance.

⭐4
🌶️ 2
🥵 Spicy chapters: 14, 15, 16, 21
📚 Tropes/Themes: enemies to lovers, hate to love, it's always been you, second chance, forced proximity, Cinnamon roll MMC? Golden retriever MMC? Golden Retriever x black cat? Pan FMC bi mmc, praise, just once, good girl,
👀 Single POV 1st person
💔 Triggers: mentions of sibling death, toxic parents

💬 I have a lot of big feelings about this book. Some good, some not so good. I have a lot of notes written down but I will never share with the class 😂 I thought a lot about what to put in my review because part of me wants to go on a soapbox and complain about things, but the other part of me thinks that might not really be necessary or appropriate.

Ultimately, if you read the author's note at the end, the book achieved its goal. It's not meant to be completely fluffy and soft and gooey. And it's not, I'd say it's about 50/50. I found the FMC to be pretty insufferable. Even....yes, even though I knew exactly where it came from and could even relate to it a little bit. She's very flawed, but that's the point.

But once you get past the fmc, this book is smart and funny. The banter between Rylie and Ava is top notch. It is sharp and biting and I love it.

I also really liked Rylie. He is just a big ball of golden cinnamon sunshine with the hottest mouth 🥵 It took a while to get there but that spice was spicing for sure.

I also like that the storyline surprised me a little bit. Originally I had written down initially that I already knew where this book was going and I didn't like it. Well, it did go sort of where I expected but there was still a lot that I didn't see coming.

So, like I said big feelings but not all bad. I think this book is definitely worth adding to your TBR.

you know when you start a book and within the first 10% it’s going to be a 5 star read and change your life???? this happened to me with well, actually and i’ll forever be changed.

eva is a pan black cat who takes to the internet one night to trash talk the guy from her college situationship, who happens to be a big time and beloved podcaster, rylie cooper. when her media company wants to use the viral attention to their benefit, she ends up getting sucked into a fake dating-ish situation with rylie trying to make up for ghosting her back in college.

RYLIE IS THE SIMP, PATHETIC, DOWN BAD love boat of my dreams. the soft boy. the one who likes it when she’s mean to him. I adored every single word, glance, and breath this man took. eva is perfect for him and he’s perfect for her. eva is soft deep down and she just needed to get in touch with her emotions when she felt safe to do so. and rylie makes sure she feels safe with him.

the disaster dates, the banter, the character development and hysterical plot had me laughing out loud to the point my husband came to check on me (first time was when eva accidentally voice-to-texted rylie in the shower and the second time was the cork debacle, for those wondering).

I got lost in the pages of this book. I felt seen and loved watching the two of them come together. and not for nothing, there couldn’t have been a better way for the two of them to overcome the third act conflict. I LOVED it.

while this book was incredibly funny, the emotional moments ROCKED me. Eva’s journey was so moving that I literally had tears in my eyes. this is going down as one of my favorite books of the year and a new one I won’t shut up about.

🎧 ariela crew acted this perfectly. she embodied eva, rylie, and all of the characters so well!!! the snark and comedic moments as well as the more emotionally charged ones were so well done. I highly recommend this one on audio.

thank you so much St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the arc and alc!

A black cat / golden retriever second-chance romance that delivers with laughs, delicious banter, loads of romantic tension, and spice.

Eva, who once dreamed of a career in journalism, is now a podcaster whose show is called Sausage Talk, where she eats hot dogs while interviewing B-list celebs. Rylie is her college ex who ghosted her. He is now a beloved social media personality who deconstructs toxic masculinity and instructs men on how to be good partners. Eva drunkenly calls him out, and it goes viral. Now, thanks to her employer, she's forced to confront Rylie on her show. They agree to six fake dates. He wants to show her he's changed, and she wants to advance her career.

The characters were well developed, with Eva being the most complex. She can be difficult and cynical, but as I got to know her, I understood that the snark and other behaviors were walls she erected after getting hurt. And then I rooted hard for her. She is hilarious and made me laugh out loud several times. Rylie, too, has a good sense of humor. Better yet, he can take a joke, and the banter between these two is top-notch. This is probably the best banter I've read all year. Theirs is a slow-burn, full of tension and chemistry. Loved the secondary characters too.

As fun and funny as this is, it also touches on deeper, emotional themes. Some scenes had me on the verge of tears. Social media is a big theme in the book, and the public holds Eva to different standards than Rylie, and leaves very different comments for her than for him. A sad reality that I thought was well done in the book, and it makes you think. This is the second book I've read by this author, and I have enjoyed both!

Thank you to St, Martin's Press Griffin and Netgalley for the gifted review copy.

*4.25

This book was so witty and funny. It had great pop culture references without being over the top. The characters had great redemption arcs. I really didn’t like Kitt in the beginning. She was just so extra about hating Cooper. Even when he was trying to explain things, she refused to believe him. Cooped was seriously the perfect book boyfriend.