This was a cute, quirky, second chance romance. Full of banter, laughs, and tension, but the repetition was frustrating and the pacing didn’t work for me. I was liking the first half of the book, but then I felt like nothing was happening and it was very drawn out. I just didn’t become as invested in the characters as I had hoped. I did like their open communication throughout the story!

I hardly ever rate romcoms 5⭐ But this one deserves it! I was absolutely crying with laughter! I was rooting so much for Eva to heal and to become someone capable of letting herself truly love. Go Rylie for being the person to see through her prickly exterior and know who she is. Loved this from start to finish! I wish I had notes, but honestly, no notes.

The vibes of the cover accurately represent the story inside. It was a quick, fun read. If you're a fan of 90s/early 2000s rom com movies, this is for you.

Most of us have at least “one that got away”. Some of us would like a do-over. This book satisfies both, playing like a classic 80s/90s rom-com with modern tech references. Full of humor and peppered with spicy scenes that aren’t over the top. A must read for those of us that can identify as a walking cactus.

This was a painful read at first. Eva Kitt is just cringe to read about because she’s so unhappy with her life. She gets a second chance with her former crush/terrible ex Rylie Cooper, but then it turns out Rylie had great reasons for acting like a shit to her earlier. And now he’s perfect. Annoyingly perfect—like, nobody is actually like that, please be more real here. So I didn’t love that. After all the cringe there’s some very hot (hetero) word porn. If you aren’t into smut, skip this book. I didn’t realize it was going there, and it really went there. It wasn’t bad but it was jarring after the first half of painful self-hate. I am sure there will be fans of this book, but I wasn’t one of them.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advance e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book has everything I look for in a modern rom-com: Top-tier banter, a barbed wire of an FMC (and I mean that as the highest compliment), and a swoon-worthy MMC whose wardrobe I desperately want to steal. Mazey infused such fun and sincerity into a story about the struggles of growing up and breaking free of the wounds of your past.

Highly recommend!

Wow! I ate this book up! I was laughing and swooning my way through the whole book. The banter and dry sense of humor was perfection. I loved the Chicken Shop Date vibes. It was a fun and unique twist for a romcom and totally different from anything I’ve read. There were a few times that Eva drove me a bit nuts, but I could totally relate with her tough exterior and I loved watching her grow/transform. Rylie was an absolute GEM. I mean, just the best golden retriever. I adored him. Overall, I had the BEST time reading this book! Wow! I devoured this book in one sitting! I couldn’t stop laughing and swooning throughout the entire story. The witty banter and dry sense of humor were simply perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed the Chicken Shop Date vibe. It was a refreshing and unique twist for a romcom, offering a completely different reading experience from anything I’ve read before. While Eva occasionally drove me a bit crazy, I could completely relate to her tough exterior and loved witnessing her growth and transformation. Rylie was an absolute gem—the epitome of a golden retriever. I adored him. Overall, I had an absolute blast reading this book!

Very cute. There was good character development and I really enjoyed how the characters really got to know one another and broke down some walls.

This book was a really good time. Eve is a such a funny, unhinged FMC and her banter with Rylie is top notch 👌 Their chemistry and dynamic is fantastic and I love their back-and-forth quips. I love the bisexual and pansexual representation and all the queer love in this book ♥️🧡💛💚💙💜 The plot revolving around Eva’s job felt a bit forced and the way her bosses acted felt very overdramatized, but other than that this was a really cute romance.

RATING: 2.5/5 STARS

The cover and vibes of Well, Actually were definitely giving Chicken Shop Date vibes so I was super excited for this. But the main character came off as very immature and I found myself not really enjoying the story. Bummer because the concept was great!

I'll be honest—this book didn't quite resonate with me. The premise was charming and definitely gave off vibes similar to Amelia’s Chicken Shop Date web series. The story follows Eva, who hosts a show called Sausage Talk, where she interviews rising celebrities while eating hot dogs. One night, after a drunken outburst on social media, she publicly calls out her now-famous ex, which leads to him appearing on the show in an attempt to make amends and prove he’s a changed man. While the premise had potential, I struggled to connect with the main character, Eva. She felt one-dimensional and lacked depth or maturity. Throughout the book, she often came across as self-centered, making her a rather poor friend for most of the story.
As the plot progressed, the book began to lose its momentum, and by the halfway point, it became a bit boring. The one bright spot for me was Cooper, the love interest. I found him so endearing and well. written, he was definitely the standout character. Unfortunately, aside from him, I didn't find much else to redeem the book overall.

A well-written, heartfelt second chance romance. I absolutely adored Rylie and Eva and their banter. A quick, witty read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mazey Eddings has once again delivered a romance that is equal parts swoon, sharp, and hilarious. Well, Actually introduces us to Eva and Riley, a pair so perfectly encapsulating the black cat/golden retriever dynamic that I want to frame their banter and hang it on my wall.

First, let’s talk about the dialogue—because this book has some of the best banter I’ve ever read in the romance genre. It’s quick, it’s electric. Every interaction between Eva and Riley is a masterclass in wit and chemistry, making it impossible to put this book down.

Eva? She serves CUNT. She is unapologetically a bitch, but in the most endearing way possible—sharp and independent. She owns every bit of her personality, and the more the narrative delves into her background, the more I came to appreciate her character. Then there’s Riley, the human embodiment of a cinnamon roll, with endless patience and an adorable collection of embroidered sweatshirts. Riley’s warmth balances Eva’s edge in a way that just. makes. sense.

Beyond the romance, Well, Actually also explores themes of vulnerability and breaking down the walls we build to protect ourselves. This novel has heart, humor, and a love story that will stick with you long after the final page.

If you love a romance packed with incredible character work, top-tier banter, and a relationship that radiates chaotic bi x bi energy, then go ahead and submit your pre-order. Of note, the preorder campaign includes teal sprayed edges. 🤩

Well, Actually releases on August 5th, 2025.

This book was fantastic. The protagonists were likable with great chemistry. I liked how Eddings subverted my expectations in the third act a couple times by not following the traditional romance novel beats. Don't fret, though. The characters get a very sweet, very steamy happily ever after.

Overall I really enjoyed this book!!! Such a fun story packed with humor, flirty banter, and real life issues stemming from work, childhood trauma, familial loss, and unhealthy coping mechanisms, all of which are all handled with so much grace and sensitivity.

FMC Eva and MMC Rylie have previous history that really is not all that great and I love how over the course of the story, you get more and more context over what exactly happened to create that divide between the two in the first place.

They both struggle with mental health issues and the way they go about dealing with them (both in the past and in the present) is raw and real and the author does a really great job of conveying those emotions to the readers.

It was really exciting to work through the plot and start to see the characters grow into themselves and find their way. I absolutely loved the ending and felt like it wrapped the story up so great!

Set in New York City, Eva Kitt gets drunk and rants online about her college ex Rylie Cooper, a famous podcaster. After the post goes viral, her bosses push to have her interview Rylie on her show "Sausage Talk", where she interviews C-list celebrities while eating hot dogs. During the interview, Rylie asks for 6 dates to turn those red flags green.

While this didn't fit for me, I did love how they grew and communicated in the third act. Rylie definitely seemed like a red flag for over a third of the book, especially in the flash backs and their first date after the show. To me he wasn't a green flag until towards the end when he shows up for her.

This romance novel features:
❤ Black cat x golden retriever
❤ Second chance romance
❤ Pro therapy
❤ He falls first
❤ Queer representation (the main characters plus supporting)
❤ No third act breakup
❤ Single POV (Eva)

Things that weren't for me:
- Jomforter (jean comforter) - I physically cringed but maybe that was the intent?
- The spicy scenes were all in a row, which felt disjointed to me, plus I hadn't quite turned the corner on Rylie yet
- Eva's producer / best friend Aida - while I liked her calling Eva out early on, she felt very self serving when work stuff hit the fan

3.25 / 5 stars

Open door / spicy!

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for this eARC!

Eva Kitt has wanted to be a journalist all her life, so her current job of eating hot dogs while interviewing B-list celebrities was not exactly part of her plan. As a woman in her late twenties with friends who seem to have it all figured out, Eva is feeling a bit lost trying to find her footing in the world. One drunken night, she decides to publicly call out her ex “situationship” from college who has a huge social media following. She was not expecting it to go viral, and definitely wasn’t expecting Rylie Cooper himself to see it. When Rylie decides to respond to her allegations with a proposal of a new series in which he will be taking her on 6 dates to change her mind about him, Eva is forced to relive a painful time from her past. How much could a guy like Rylie really change?

This story was SO heartwarming, sweet, & funny. I loved Eva, Rylie, & all of the friends in their lives that were involved in some major plot points as well. Highly recommend checking this book out this summer!! 💛

The texting is very confusing in the book like around 20% when she’s texting Rylie. Usually easier if it’s in Italics or those text bubbles.

I will die on the hill that is this book being a fanfic for Andrew Garfield x Amelia Dimoldenberg Chicken Shop Romance because I’m delusional enough that I NEEDED it to happen IRL and it didn’t. So yes, I know this was written before it took place, but it will live in my mind as this much needed fanfic for eternity.

This book was laugh out loud funny, charming, endearing, and hot
We all need a romantic interest we can patronizingly call baby girl.

Well, Actually was an absolute page turner for me. Eva’s character makes me laugh so much. Eddings does such a good job writing her that I can absolutely hear her sarcasm and wit. The banter between her and Riley is so fun, probably my favorite in this “enemies” to lovers trope. I read this like I was watching a movie and Eddings’ writing made this easy.

We love a MMC who is bi and can talk about internalized biphobia and toxic masculinity. Riley is super likeable and we hear a lot about his growth. Unlike other Eddings books, there were no clear neurodivergent diagnoses, though we can likely infer that Riley dealt with depression.

I love a book that can incorporate the importance of therapy in a real way. The therapy session in this book felt authentic and was a big turning point. However, I wish we had seen Eva’s journey. I felt like she didn’t get a chance to work through her challenges and had very little “growth” and development.

I also feel like the chemistry and the banter changed a bit too much after the big reveal/misunderstanding clear up. I do think it was a miss that Eva didn’t have this moment for herself also.

I enjoyed the side characters so much, this is something that Eddings always does well.

I do think that this is a must read for fans of Eddings. It might not be the most accurate representation of her work for new readers but old readers would definitely enjoy.

3.5/5⭐️ for me

Thanks to NetGalley I received an advanced electronic copy of the book to read and provide a review.

This was a fun time! Mazzy Eddings’ writing is addictive - it was hard to put down because I enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters. I loved the bitchy banter and Rylie’s redemption arc / groveling tour.