A banter filled second chance rom-com. Eva and Ryan split years ago but he's back, much to her surprise. And he's improved. He's also never forgotten her and he proposes that they go on dates and then rate them on their respective media platforms. You know how this is going to go, don't you? Well, Eddings has a way with dialogue and with her opposites-attract characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's light it's fun and it's funny.

Well, Actually started off so strong. It was fun, and I immediately loved the characters. I flew through 75% of it in one sitting because I didn’t want to stop reading. But somewhere along the way, the story lost a bit of its spark for me. What felt like a 5-star read at the start settled closer to 3.5–4 stars by the end.
Don’t let that discourage you, though, it’s still a really good book! It just lost a bit of its magic along the way and didn’t quite reach its full potential for me.
What I loved:
✨ A strong FMC who uses armor and wit to hide the deep emotional wounds from growing up with toxic family dynamics
✨ The raw look at toxic family relationships and a toxic first love
✨ The warmth of found family (always a favorite theme for me)
🔥 Spice level: 4/5 peppers (A bit more than I had expected going in, but was written well)
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reading Copy!

This was so much fun, I was so seated the whole way through. The character work, the angst, the pining, aaahhh, I had such a good time. If this is not nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards at the end of the year, I will be very surprised and frankly, very disappointed that I don't get to vote for it.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the main character and how this book explored the complexities of their relationship and past hurts. In a nutshell, this is a second-chance romance where he is still low key in love with her and she is very hurt by what happened and puts up walls. She calls him out for his past behavior in a video that goes viral, and he manages to convince her to give him a chance to make things right. Shenanigans ensue. If you are looking for a good rom com, I highly recommend this one. It scratches the itch for a grumpy/sunshine (she's grumpy, he's the sunshine), falling in love, and witty banter love story.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this!! This was such a cute read while also having a deeper undertone and a FMC that is definitely unlike any I have read before. While I liked that Eva had really relatable and honest thoughts/feelings, there were times that I found her to be a little too mean to Rylie. Some of the things she said seemed unnecessary, but that's just me personally! I've seen many reviews where people loved Eva and really related to her personality and attitude towards people, so I think she is just a really subjective character! I liked her a lot, there were just a few times that I didn't love her words. I absolutely ADORED Rylie though. He took Eva exactly how she came and never wanted her to change, and I really loved that because Eva deserved to have someone treat her as well as he did. I also loved how they came back together and had real, meaningful conversations about how their relationship ended. I really really loved that the author wrote a therapy session for the two of them to express their feelings about their relationship during college. I feel like there's so many books where it feels like a conflict is glossed over and solved without the characters really talking about it, so I really appreciated the therapy session and I honestly feel like it will stick with me for awhile! All in all, I thought this was such a good read and found it hard to put down, definitely recommend!!

I was 10000% OBSESSED with this book! The dialogue was so witty. The MMC was so reflective and a walking green flag. The FMC was so relatable and their communication was so refreshing to read. The plot itself was so fun and I devoured this book. 10/10 recommend!

This is a story that has several tropes. First, we have the second-chance romance, and then we have the grumpy sunshine where she is the grump. Eva went to college with Rylie, where they had a brief fling, but then Rylie ghosted Eva. Then years later, Rylie becomes a podcaster with a following, giving guys advice on how to not be toxic or whatever. Drunkenly, Eva stitches his podcast giving details on how horrible he was to her. Then Eva's job brings her in, and now she's stuck interviewing Rylie on her show Sausage Talk, where she interviews "celebrities" while eating hot dogs. These two wind up in some kind of scheme where they have to go on x amount of dates and then talk about them for their audiences.

With this story, the first three quarters of this book are spent learning about how incredibly broken both of our main characters are. They have both been through some trauma that has broken them in one way or another. Once these two finally get to the part where they jump into bed together, that is what the rest of the story focuses on. In and out of bed with a few breaks for a story in between. I will say the therapy session was rough and sad and heartbreaking, and that seemed to be the big turning point of the story. Eva is such a broken character that even by the end of the story, there didn't seem to be much better because, well, she needed some more therapy sessions. We have a lot going on besides the romance and sexy times. There are toxic jobs, toxic families, an inability to connect, and some hope that a lot of communication will help. It's a good story, not your typical romance, but I did laugh out loud a lot. The banter is top-notch. I loved the wit in here and the dark humor as a coping mechanism, which I can relate to. There are a lot of relatable scenarios here, mixed in with deep feelings and some spicy scenes at the end.

I genuinely think this one might come down to a matter of preference. The writing is solid and the story is cute but it is very, very clearly based on chicken shop date with the main character essentially being Amelia Demoldenburg. I personally can't stand a book that's very online and internet referential, so to me this was a huge flop. I also found every character unlikable but again this falls into personal preference, I'm just never going to like characters that fall into the category of internet personality. I have read Mazey Eddings books before and enjoyed them but this one wasn't for me.

Fine and cute but genuinely not for me due to the general content and themes.

4.5 stars.

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings is a marvelous second chance at love romance.

Eva Kitt’s career has stalled as the host of a show that features eating hotdogs while interviewing celebrities. When she comes across the podcast of her ex-friend from college, Rylie Cooper, her video about their former romance goes viral. In an attempt to redeem Rylie’s reputation, Eva agrees to go on dates with him then discuss them on his show.

Eva hides her vulnerabilities behind sarcasm. Her backstory explains why she is so guarded and lonely. Riley, on the other hand, is affable and incredibly patient. When the two are together, there is plenty of chemistry, but will Eve give Riley another chance despite how badly he hurt her in college?

Well, Actually is a witty, sensuous romance. Despite her prickliness, Eva is a wonderful character. Riley is a sweetheart who owes her an explanation for his past behavior. Their smoking hot attraction leads to some smexy scenes. The overall storyline is engaging and also features a serious workplace plot line. Mazey Eddings brings this delightful romance to a heartfelt conclusion.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an eARC of Well, Actually.

The concept of Sausage Talk pulled me in right off the bat (I'm literally a food scientist for work) and made me laugh in the best way.

I really enjoyed the banter and sarcasm in this book, and liked both the main characters. Eva was protecting herself, but I did get frustrated with her sometimes. Rylie's humor was great. I also appreciated the representation of this book.

This sounded so fun but unfortunately, it wasn't for me. I can see why people love it but I just had a hard time staying interested. I almost DNF'd it several times but I'm stubborn and kept hoping something would happen to change my mind.

My biggest issue is that I didn't care much for the characters. While Eva could be quite funny and I liked how sarcastic she was, I just wasn't a fan of how mean she was to Rylie.
Rylie gives off major golden retriever energy which I normally love but in this case, I wanted him to do more than just roll over and take whatever she threw at him. I wish there'd been a few chapters through his POV because it was hard to root for them as a couple.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I loved the first 60% of this book so much, it was making me laugh, it had interesting characters, it had a good pacing that kept me engaged with the story; it was on its way to being a five-star read. The last 40% though...took it down a peg.

I felt like the story started to drag once the characters got together, and the smut was mostly filler and the plot went by the wayside, unfortunately. The story picked up again a bit towards the end, but my interest had been lost at that point.

I still really enjoyed this read, even if it didn't quite live up to expectations.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

This book started off really strong. I loooooove mean, angry FMCs, and Eva Kitt has made her career out of a bitchy persona. (She interviews B and C list celebs by acting like they're not hot shit at all while eating hot dogs with them in a dank basement. Honestly this is too believable.) One night she gets drunk and calls out her hypocritical ex on social media. This guy is a podcaster who's made his name in the "recovering from toxic masculinity" sphere. As a kind of redemption tour he goes on her own show and challenges her to continue to meet with him for 6 more dates. She's forced to do it by her company.

The first date is truly so awful that I found myself cackling. But (this is a romance novel, duh) Eva kind of legs him off the hook faster than she should have (in my personal, mean FMC-loving opinion). And yes, I get it, this is partly the romance of it all (she thinks he's soooooo hot even though she also hates him AND he has NOT IMPROVED on the date thing), but I guess I just wanted to revel in the Eva Kitt Is a Bitch energy rather than the swooniness of a romance. (Yes, I recognize this is a me problem. This is also my personal review and it's HOW I FEEL.)

This is billed as black cat/golden retriever, and Rylie is definitely the nicest, most genuine guy to ever host a podcast and wear ironic crewneck sweatshirts. I get that he's already put in the Work before this book (hence the whole podcast thing) but I wanted just a little more friction between them than his sweet pursuit of her not matter how many times she clawed at him. (Oh and if you need to make the whole black cat thing even more obvious? His nickname for her is "Kitten.")

I tandem listened and read to this one (my poor ears just cannot handle too much steam!). Ariela Crow does a great job as narrator. The book is entirely first person POV, which usually works well for me on audio. My only issue with the narration is that the secondary characters are often differentiated from Eva by giving them a New York accent. (I mean, it did help me recognize Aida, Eva's BFF... I just thought it was kind of a funny narrative decision).

And speaking of my sensitive ears: let's talk about the sex real quick: I understand - I truly do! - that romance readers are loving the praise kink right now. But did we seriously have to have Rylie play against type and get all controlling in the bedroom? Instead of making this feel ironic (Rylie is soooo sweet and nice on the streets, of course he's a Dom in the sheets!) it just made the sex feel like every other book out there right now. But there is a LOT of sex (at least 3 full scenes), with a huge focus on her pleasure, and he does come in his pants on at least one occasion.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel and audiobook.

This was such a cute and fun read. Definitely different than other second chance romances I’ve read but very good.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

5 stars

This was really fun and a very interesting take on a second chance romance. I definitely got the Chicken Shop Date inspo but people saying the MMC is like Andrew Garfield is a bit crazy to me, I don't get that vibe at all from his character. I loved how the FMC was definitely meant to be a bit unlikeable yet I liked and rooted for her still. Her reactions were FAIR (ghosting is SUCH a shitty situation) and I fully understand her hesitance for him returning and trying as hard as he was. But I also really liked how honest the MMC was throughout. And going to couples therapy was so nice to see in a romance novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

I’m a sucker for a second chance romance novel and enjoyed the latest one from Mazey Eddings.

It’s a fun premise with witty banter/flirting, but it also tackles the struggles of a toxic work environment.

3.75 stars

This was easily one of my favorite books of the year. Seriously, the first line was epic! Also, I knew on page one that I was going to absolutely love this story! Page one. This may have been my first experience with Mazey Eddings’ writing, but it certainly won’t be my last.

Well, Actually is a slow burn, enemies (she hates him) to lovers, second chance romance with a black cat FMC with a grudge and a golden retriever MMC with six years of regret to make up for. The hilarious banter is this book was divine. I ate it up and would happily ask for seconds. It was so damned good. This book was exactly what I needed to pull me out of a reading rut it feels like I’ve been in all summer.

Not only was the story to die for, the characters were all so relatable and easy to connect with. I loved Eva’s abrasive personality built from her need to protect herself and her heart. And Riley was an amazing contrast to her but felt so freaking perfect a fit at the same time. The supporting cast was equally intriguing and all so well developed. Nothing about the book felt rushed or out of time; it flowed flawlessly.

I’ll start by saying that lots of times, when a book focuses on social media woes or publicly embarrassing online content, I am very uncomfortable and even put the book down for good… But this had enough promise to make me want to push myself past that to get to the happy ending! Maybe because the characters knew a little bit about what they were getting into just by working in that world? Or maybe it was the fact that it was handled very carefully by Mazey and I trust her.

Riley and Eva had a few dates and an underwhelming hookup in college. Six years have passed, and he’s a social media darling and she eats hot dogs with celebrities on camera. In a fit of pique, she drunkenly posts a video putting Riley on blast for the bad hookup… then her job decides to capitalize on the drama and forces Eva to have Riley on the show.

You can imagine me cringing at this point. I am SO UNCOMFY.

But then Mazey does this amazing thing. She turns this snarky, dry sense of humor Eva’s got into the thing that makes Riley adore her. She turns a scary situation into, well, if not a “good” situation, then one with potential to bring these two silly fools back to each other. Between Riley’s slutty little glasses and his soft heart, I melted for him immediately and hung around till Eva found out for herself.

Honestly I adored pretty much everything about this book. Eva was pretty harsh at the beginning, and the work stuff stressed me out, but the romance angle was top-notch. I adored their friends, the things they cared about, and the declarations?! Your honor, I cried.

3.5 stars

I absolutely loved Late Bloomer, Eddings' sapphic cottage core flower farm novel, so I went into this with high hopes. But the mean female MC didn't work for me at all. I found myself skimming a lot of sections because she was just awful and not anyone I wanted to root for. Rylie Cooper was great, and I love how self-aware he was as a love interest. The second half of the novel was a little redemptive with their great sexual chemistry, but ultimately this one didn't work for me as a whole.

What a unique, emotional, and unexpectedly hot romcom. Well, Actually is a second chance romance with bite, heart, and a lot of healing.

Eva Kitt is the host of a hilariously bizarre but totally addictive streaming show called Sausage Talk, where she eats hot dogs and interviews B-list celebrities. Her chaotic charm pulled me in right away. Rylie Cooper, her ex, is now the golden boy of podcasting with a “feminist ally” persona, which makes it all the more satisfying when Eva publicly calls him out for how terribly he treated her when they briefly dated.

From there, the premise kicks into full gear. They're thrown back together for professional reasons and forced to fake date to help fix Rylie’s image. This setup was such a clever twist on both the enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes. I loved watching Rylie genuinely work to redeem himself, not just for Eva, but for who he wants to be. The slow unraveling of his backstory was both devastating and completely illuminating. It gave his character depth and vulnerability that really landed.

Mental health plays a big role here, and I appreciated how naturally it was integrated into the story. One of their "dates" even involves couple’s therapy, which is not something I’ve seen often in romance, but it absolutely worked. There’s also solid bi and pan representation that felt authentic and refreshing.

The chemistry between Eva and Rylie was fire. Once they let themselves be real with each other, the emotional and physical intensity exploded. But what I especially loved was how Rylie recognized the ways Eva tried to self protect and gently refused to let her push him away. Their growth, as individuals and as a couple, was genuinely moving.

And that ending? So satisfying. Eva’s career comeback gave me all the feelings I wanted.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator nailed it. She captured Eva’s snark, sass, and emotion perfectly, and even pulled off a great Rylie voice. Definitely worth the listen if you love audio!

Thank you to, Macmillian audio for the ALC and You Had Me at HEA and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. What woman doesn’t want to be mean to a man and have him grovel and simp for her???

I did not love the ‘kitten’ nickname (although I appreciated the context for it) and at times it felt like the FMC’s mean-ness was a little over the top.

The spice was great, the banter excellent and whoooo boy the groveling 🥵