This was surprisingly good. I went in with no expectations. I love, love the banter. A Plus. The characters had great chemistry and I laughed out loud at several moments

Well, Actually was a quick and entertaining read. While the cover art is absolutely gorgeous, I unfortunately didn’t love the story as much as I hoped.

This is in the heroine Eva Kitt’s POV only, which I do think the story could have benefited more by having the hero Rylie Cooper’s POV as well. But there are some great tropes like, black cat x golden retriever, hate to love, a second chance and a workplace romance.

The overall premise was enjoyable. The Chicken Shop Date vibes and social media/online personality aspects were entertaining and led to some interesting moments. I really enjoyed the first half – Eva and Rylie’s dates and banter had me hooked. However, the second half lost a bit of steam and felt slower-paced.

I actually didn’t mind Eva’s personality. She was guarded and had a tough exterior, which made her come off as unlikable and rude. But to me she felt so relatable and real. I will say though, I think she definitely could have benefited from going to therapy like Rylie did. Her growth around her insecurities and family issues felt a bit underwhelming too.

The romance between them was great though. The push and pull, tension and witty banter was perfectly written. I loved how obsessed, sweet, and patient Rylie was with her. The open door spice did not disappoint as well.

There was no third act breakup, which I appreciated. But the conflict with Eva’s job at the end felt rushed and resolved itself too quickly. I wished it had been a bit more explored upon, as it was such a relatable and interesting conflict.

Overall, still just a fun and light romance read.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

🌟Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💧Drip-o-Meter: 💦💦💦💧
💗Something I Loved: There are so many things I loved about this book. From their initial pact of unconditional honesty, to their communication, which was [brilliantly] interspersed with sarcastic jokes and witty jabs, their entire dynamic was superb. They were each other’s ideal sparring partners, each giving as good as they got, every interaction between them showcasing their chemistry and the “rightness” of their partnership. Separately they were great, but together they were magic… how Riley taught Eva her worth, loving her not in spite of her “too much,” but because of it, how Eva delighted him and kept him on his toes, and especially the way his softness complimented her strong (I use the term strong vs hard because while Eva is bristly, “hard” has a negative connotation and I never saw her in that light, instead recognizing that her “hardest” traits are a form of self-preservation, her sarcasm a shield). These two quickly sunk their claws into my heart and I truly loved every moment of this delightful second chance romance.
🫤Something I Would Have Changed: Ok, so I personally wouldn’t change this. However I will mention that there are a lot of pop culture references (memes and emojis and mentions of specific movie scenes and/or characters), and while it completely worked for me, and likely will for most people in my age bracket, I’m not sure everyone will get the references or that it will hold up long term.
🥰Favorite Moment: It’s like choosing a favorite child (aka pet) but I’d have to go with Rylie’s speech in chapter 23 following “the incident.” Honestly, speech isn’t the right word because what he said… that was one of the best love declarations I’ve ever read.
🫶🏼Other moments I loved: Date #3 (the vulnerability!), their gridlock talk (the honesty!), and the “precious feet” tickle fight (the lightheartedness!).
🌶️Spiciest Scene: Another nearly impossible decision but probably chapters 14-15…. "Don't you dare stop yourself, Eva. Fucking use me." The spice in this book was… whew *fans face* 🥵
📚Standalone vs. Series: Standalone
📖Would I Recommend: I think you could guess but it’s a big fat juicy yes for me. This book was everything I wanted and more. Full of relatable characters (yes, I relate to the black cat… big surprise), hilarious [actual] laugh-out-loud humor, and more depth and vulnerability than you’d ever anticipate, this book quickly became my new favorite Mazey Eddings romance and may have even set a new standard for enemies-to-lovers banter.
💬Tropes: Hate to Love, Second Chance, Fake(ish) Dating, Workplace Romance, Black Cat x Golden Retriever
🙏🏼Thank you to author, @mazeyeddings, as well as @netgalley, @stmartinspress, @macmillanusa, and @youhadmehea for the opportunity to ARC read this gem!

4.5 stars

I absolutely devoured this in 24 hours oh my goodness. I never really read books so fast but something about this one just kept me in my toes the whole time!

Eva and Rylie are brilliant characters. Eva is fierce and strong and a sarcastic queen and I would quite literally do anything for her. She overemphasizes her fierceness to appear as the badass, independent, untouchable kind of woman (which of course she is badass and incredible). She puts on this type of persona in an effort to push down her deepest fears and insecurities and my heart breaks for her. She has spent her whole life feeling unworthy of any kind of love, care, and attention. Stemming from her familial relationships to her romantic ones (particularly her past with Rylie), Eva’s fears have been the focal point of her character and to see her slowly put down her walls was wonderful. Acknowledging your deepest darkest feelings is a painful journey, but a necessary one in order to grow into the person you want to be. I’m so proud of Eva for beginning to work through her emotions.

Rylie, on the other hand, is much more in touch with his emotions. In fact, he’s the opposite of Eva in that he is very open with what he feels. But that didn’t come from nowhere. He recognizes that the way he treated Eva all those years ago was unacceptable. That mixed with his own traumatic past acted as a kind of wake up call for him. He got his shit together honestly. He made the decision to get the help he needed to work through what he was feeling and that’s how we get the Rylie we know in this book. He is kind and careful. He is understanding and patient. He is exactly the kind of man that Eva needed (not that she needs a man obviously because she is awesome and badass).

Rylie and Eva perfectly balance each other out. Rylie is the water to Eva’s fire except he doesn’t put her out haha. He is the calm to her storm. And Eva brings so much excitement and laughter to Rylie. I absolutely adore them together.

There are just a few things that keep me from giving this a full 5 stars. Obviously these are just my personal opinions and everyone is going to think differently.

1. I felt that the ending happened very fast. The big conflict moment happened and was resolved in what felt like the same breath. It was a really interesting conflict but I felt like we could’ve been given more. I almost wish the solution to said conflict didn’t come up so quickly. I wanted that conflict to sit with me for a little while longer to really feel the full weight of its impact on our characters and I just don’t think it did that as well as it could have.

2. Eva deserved to have her big angry girl moment. Rylie gave several wonderful speeches expressing his feelings on their past and explaining himself but I don’t think Eva was afforded the same luxury. She vocalized her anger and frustration in several moments but those moments were always a few sentences whereas Rylie had whole paragraphs dedicated to his emotional expression. Even when conflicts arrived with her friendship with Aida, I didn’t feel like Eva was fully able to just let go of all of her feelings. I like where Eva ended up with her relationships by the end of the book, but it feels like a missed opportunity to not let her have her big angry girl moment. She deserved to yell out all of frustrations.

3. There is a big part of Eva’s character that is discussed through the entire book and that is her deepest fear that she is not worthy of love and care. I felt like there wasn’t a big discussion on this particularly part of Eva’s feelings. There was a lot of inner monologue moments and narration but I felt that Eva wasn’t given the chance to express these feelings to Rylie. I love that he was able to just know some of these feelings about her though because that shows that he truly gets her. But a lot of her insecurities stem from her childhood too and not just her past with Rylie and I wish we got to explore that a bit more.

Overall I truly loved this book so much. I love Eva and Rylie with my whole heart, especially Eva (no offense Rylie i love you but i’m a girls girl at heart). I just really resonated with Eva’s character so much. I understand that overwhelming feeling of unworthiness and feeling trapped in a life that you never wanted. I understand how it feels to watch everyone you love move on to big wonderful things and you are in the same place you always have been. I’m so happy that Eva got her happy ending. Whether it was with Rylie or not, I’m happy she was able to recognize her own self-worth because that is so important.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. I had a truly wonderful time reading this one.

Well , Actually was a very online book in a way that I know will piss people off. I, for one , am not one of those readers. I was the target audience , actually

I’ve admittedly never watched a full episode of Chicken Shop Date so my knowledge of the host Amelia Dimoldenberg — besides her dry interviewing style and icy blonde hair ,characteristics the FMC Eva Kitt has— is rather limited. But I thought Eddings managed to toe the line of alluding to the inspiration (which was sometimes on-the-nose) , without the book feeling like invasive real-person fanfic

This was a witty , heartfelt , sexy romance that unabashedly leaned into online culture from it’s prose to its references and premise . The very idea of a drunken TikTok where you drag your ex-college situationship —now a popular influencer— going viral will inevitably date itself. But that’s not necessarily a con to me . I loved how accurately it captured my brand of internet humour and discussed the increasingly normalised celeb-adjacent parasocial relationships thrust upon influencers like Rylie and the scrutiny “unlikeable” women like Eva face.

My stance TikTok mentions has softened over the years —but I will criticise a book for using it as some sort of relatability crutch . Here, TikTok (and Rylie’s podcast) forced these two characters together, but ultimately faded into the background to centre their real , genuine relationship. Eva was such a frustratingly tender and flawed woman whom I rooted for despite me BEGGING her to just talk to Rylie . Rylie was not all smiles and fluff . I loved learning about his grief, journey to self-acceptance and accountability for his past wrong-doings.

Minor thing but I kinda hated the pet name "Kitten ". I get it , it made made sense ‘cause Eva's surname is Kitt but it simultaneously cringed and endeared me to them, but I otherwise LOVE THEM TOGETHER .V excited to dive into Mazey Edding’s backlist !

That’s all I’ve got right now but I genuinely had a time with this

Thank you SMP for the ARC!

I loved this book! It was definitely one of my favorite ARCs that I’ve received. The humor was incredible & I found myself laughing out loud (on a plane!) multiple times. The representation was incredible & well-written. Mazey did a great job making me feel all of Eva’s emotions along the way…& there were a lot of emotions!!! Thank you so much to NetGalley & St Martin’s for this ARC 🩵

I absolutely ADORED Well, Actually. I really wasn't certain about Rylie at first (which is rare, and hard to pull off in a romance), but I came around to loving him. I loved the dynamic between Eva and Rylie, and what we got to see of their friendships felt very realistic, with a mix of uncomplicated and very messy. The spice was also phenomenal, which is definitely something I've come to expect from Mazey Eddings. Overall I had very high hopes for this book and it met every single one of them!

Eva didn’t picture her post-grad journalism grind involving on-camera hot dog banter with minor celebrities, but “Sausage Talk” pays the bills. Until one night, she has a tipsy callout of her college ex, Riley Cooper, causing her to go viral. Rylie is now a beloved influence known for unpacking toxic masculinity and talking about how to be a decent partner. He challenges her to six dates to prove he has changed. Eva agrees for her career, and maybe a bit of revenge, but emotional chemistry and a little big of chaos follows. As they grow closer, she has to decide if the guy who ghosted her has turned into a man who will show up.

If you love second-chance romance, edged with an enemies-to-lovers, this one delivers. Eva has sharp, black cat energy, which is opposite to Riley’s golden retriever charm, and it works in a way that is both funny and vulnerable. The media circus that follows the viral video delves into internet performance and parasocial fandom.

I related to Eva’s ambition and burnout, using her sarcasm to protect her heart. I loved watching Rylie try (and sometimes fail) to earn back Eva’s trust. This scratched my itch for a messy redemption arc.

Though this is not a flawless read, it was a thoroughly enjoyable one that left me smiling. If you like a modern, fun romance, this would be perfect for you. Thank you to Netgalley and SMP Romance for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine

DON'T LET ALL THE SAUSAGES FOOL YOU, THIS BOOK ALSO HAS A BIG OLE HEART. Thank you to @NetGalley for the eARC and @mazeyeddings for curing my reading slump!

Apparently a girl with a semi-public persona can't post one single drunken Instagram video calling out her (also semi-famous) college ex without the whole world getting involved. Who knew? Now Eva, host of celebrity interview show Sausage Talk, and Rylie, podcaster and social media darling, get to hash out their history through a series of dates where he attempts to right his wrongs and she attempts to prove he's not as good of a guy as he wants everyone to think.

Based on this banger of a cover, I was expecting all the humor and the spice, but the "one that got away" of it all absolutely snuck up on me! From the very beginning, Rylie is coming at Eva with his heart in his eyes, in his throat, in his FIST and she is having none. of. it. Watching this ice queen melt is SO satisfying. This book also LITERALLY goes to therapy so get ready for some big feelings.

Also did a little SQUEE getting to see my faves Lizze and Rake, plus more babies from Mazey's previous books. But don't worry, no need to read in any particular order to enjoy this one!

I don’t what I did in a past life to be granted this NetGalley arc but I am forever grateful!

I giggled, I cackled, kicked my feet, swooned, and even teared up. The wit and banter are seriously next level. No notes!

Baby girl, this was simply perfection. Please do yourself a favour and read this as soon as humanly possible!

Mazey Eddings delivers a fresh and clever second-chance romance full of heart, humor, and heat! 💫

Meet Eva Kitt—a journalist who never expected her career to involve interviewing C-list celebs about hot dogs 🌭 instead of chasing real stories. But after a chaotic (and VERY public) on-air rant about her ex, Rylie Cooper—who’s now a swoony, self-help influencer—her life explodes into viral infamy. 😬📲

Rylie sees the perfect redemption arc: a series of dates with Eva, documented for his massive audience to show just how much he’s changed. Eva? She’s happy to play along… if it gets her something in return. But what starts out as a staged social experiment slowly becomes something more sincere. 🥹💘

Eddings totally nails the black cat x golden retriever dynamic—Eva’s sarcastic, prickly charm is the perfect match for Rylie’s golden-boy eagerness to please. Their banter? Elite. The tension? Electric. The feels? Totally there. 😍

Though a few sections dragged a little, the humor, heart, and social media twist on the second-chance trope kept me turning pages. I’d give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for all the charm and emotional payoff.

I am decidedly not the target audience for <i>Well, Actually</i>. I don't know anything about Chicken Shop Date, I don't always love Mazey Eddings' novels, and - most importantly - I'm significantly older than the lead characters. But Eddings' talent shines in the witty banter that crackles through the pages, and I found myself sucked into the story despite myself.

Things that worked for me:
- The writing is great, the banter is awesome, the characters are smart but not pretentious.
- The pacing in the first half is impeccable, snappy without ever feeling rushed.
- This is a rare second-chance romance that makes sense. Eva and Rylie have matured enough since their initial encounters six years ago that it might actually work this time - but neither of them has changed so much that their connection no longer makes sense.

Things that had me rolling my eyes:
- The pacing in the second half feels slow. There's a long period of sex scenes and chitchat while the leads avoid their regular lives. Some readers will probably love this.
- Eva is consistently cruel to the male lead because of a romantic misstep he made as a college student. She's also obnoxious to her friends, treating them as accessories to her own life and resenting any good fortune they experience. <spoiler>I was hoping for some comeuppance and/or personal growth in this department, but it didn't happen.</spoiler> She's even rude to her boss!
- Eva is whiny and entitled about her job. She's a 26-year-old journalist and somehow has a gig that pays for a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. But she's a surly, underperforming employee. <spoiler>When her bosses become cruel and exploitative in the final act, and Eva's pushback becomes legitimate, I was so annoyed by her earlier behavior that I barely noticed.</spoiler>
- Eva is stupid about the internet. She's a public personality, but she posts stuff she doesn't want anyone to see and tags her famous ex-boyfriend. Even after her visibility blows up, she still expects privacy in public. I'm two generations older than her, and even I know better.

Verdict: A good book that could have been great with a slightly more self-aware and mature main character. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

I really enjoyed the concept of this story; a couple whose college fling ended badly are forced back together for their social media/podcasting jobs. After a social media snafu, these enemies agree to go on a series of dates for publicity reasons and end up working out their old issues and falling for each other again.

I love a black cat FMC, so I enjoyed the banter in the first half of this book, but I was really disappointed to discover it was just a cover for yet another female character with low self esteem. At my (middle) age, I really struggle to read women with this particular issue. That combined with some light praise kink confirmed that while this book may be an enjoyable and satisfying read for some readers grappling with the insecurity sometimes associated with family trauma or youth, it was just okay for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy. Well, Actually releases August, 5, 2025.

This book gave me all the feels.

Second chance romances like this one have a tough job to do. Six years ago, Rylie broke Eva's heart when he ghosted her after sex. Now, she is a celebrity interviewer (think Hot Ones) and he produces a podcast and videos on helping men move beyond toxic masculinity. After Eva posts a late night drunken video pointing out the discrepancy between Rylie's current advice and his past actions, the two are brought together by their bosses to talk it out and to date each other and provide feedback.

It is hard to walk the line between Rylie having been hurtful to Eva in the past and letting us believe that he actually liked her and was into her, and the book does succeed in doing that. I do think it's interesting that the book allows Rylie to have a full identity as a bisexual man. I love that more romances allow for leading men to be LGBT, but I do wonder if Rylie would have been as sympathetic with his past if he was a straight man? Maybe not. But I really did love that the book is celebrating a variety of queer identities, and that the book allows Eva to be prickly and unlikeable. She gets vulnerable, but she never really changes, and it's special that Rylie loves her for who she is.

I really enjoyed this one (despite crying through half of it). Thanks to St. Martins Press for the early copy - and I'd recommend this for fans of Chloe Liese and Christina Lauren.

Thank you to NetGalley and @StMartinsGriffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, Actually is a fun blend of messy feelings, sharp humor, and second chances but with a feminist twist.

Eva Kitt’s life hasn’t gone quite to plan. Instead of chasing hard hitting stories, she’s stuck interviewing washed up celebs over questionable hot dogs. But when she calls out her ex, Rylie Cooper, during a taping of her show and it goes viral, everything shifts. Rylie isn’t just any ex, he’s now a well known “woke” influencer teaching men how not to be trash. Awkward.

Forced back into each other’s orbit, Rylie proposes a bizarre redemption arc: public dates with Eva, posted to his channel, in hopes of proving he’s changed. Eva, still pissed (and rightfully so), agrees but mostly to roast him and ride the attention wave.

I loved how Mazey Eddings plays with power dynamics, social media culture, and personal growth here. Eva is prickly, smart, and hilarious. Rylie walks a tightrope between charming and infuriating, and watching them slowly dismantle their baggage is so satisfying.

The banter is A+, and the chemistry builds in that enemies-to-lovers but make it slightly traumatized kind of way. That said, the pacing does wobble in spots. Some moments felt a bit stretched or repetitive but overall, the story holds up with heart and humor.

If you like a rom-com with teeth, accountability, and an FMC who doesn't hold back, this is the book for you!

4 Stars!

#NetGalley, #WellActually, #MazeyEddings, #StMartinPress

Overall: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plotline: 4/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Tropes: MF Romance; Second Chance; LGBTQ+; Black Cat/Golden Retriever

Themes: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Spice Factor: 2
Enjoyment Factor: 4/5

Review: This was very cute and showed very healthy coping mechanisms and dealing with those as you age and recognize your mistakes as a young adult. I also liked how the misogyny was handled within this book, as usually it's dropped for the romance, and it was seen through the end, which I enjoyed. I will say the MMC was a bit too perfect, and I wish he had some flaws in the present day, and not just in the past.

I absolutely loved this book! I’ve read a few of her other books but this one is my favorite of hers by far!
The banter in this book is out of this world! The back and forth between the MCs was constant and always funny! They were eating each other alive and they were so quick-witted.
The banter made the chemistry palpable, everyone around them knew they had feelings for each other before they did.
I love a second chance romance because it leaves so much room for growth, but it was so genuine in this book. The MMC’s growth was especially great in this book, without spoiling, it was really well done and felt like a real situation someone could be in.
The FMC also grew a lot, working on her confidence and willingness to fight back and not just take whatever is thrown at her.
This book was laugh out loud funny and incredibly spicy! I can’t wait for Eddings’ next book!

I enjoy this book because I am a true believer on romance genre and with second chances in life. I will be buying a hard copy

Six years after an awful ending to a college situationship, Eva Kitt and Rylie Cooper find themselves back in each other’s orbits. Rylie has a large online following for his videos deconstructing toxic masculinity and after Eva goes viral for posting a drunken reaction to one of his videos, her boss sets up Rylie as the next guest on her show, Sausage Talk. Can they work through their history or is the door closed for good?
This was one of my most anticipated releases this year! I absolutely loved this, kicking my feet and giggling from the very beginning. I love a second chance romance and the banter was top notch! I’ve seen that other people really dislike Eva but I loved her almost as much as I loved Rylie. I thought she was highly relatable in her anxiety and insecurities but she also stood up for herself. She wasn’t going to make herself smaller to make someone who wronged her feel better. We need more FMCs like her. Rylie Cooper was perfect and I had big heart eyes every time he spoke to Eva. I desperately need more Rylie and Eva!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and author Mazey Eddings for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review:

This was my first Mazey Eddings book and definitely won’t be my last! The premise immediately grabbed me, think Chicken Shop Date but with hot dogs and B-list celebrities and I was curious from page one.

The story follows Eva Kitt, host of Sausage Talk, who unexpectedly goes viral after drunkenly calling out her college situationship-turned-TikTok-feminist-king, Rylie Cooper. After ghosting Eva six years ago, Rylie now runs a podcast on deconstructing toxic masculinity which triggers Eva all over again. When her response video explodes online, she’s forced to have Rylie on her show. What follows is a chaotic agreement: he’ll take her on a series of dates to prove he’s changed, and she’ll get a front-row seat to exposing him while boosting her own career.

Their chemistry is undeniable, and the banter is sharp. I loved the setup, the satire of influencer culture, and the “fake dating with revenge” twist. However, I struggled with Eva’s character. While I sympathized with her abandonment issues, her emotional whiplash and harshness toward Rylie became repetitive. The hot-and-cold dynamic dragged in parts, and I found myself wishing she’d just go to therapy already.

Still, the book kept me engaged the whole way through, and I genuinely enjoyed the originality of the concept. If you're into messy second chances, media-fueled romance, and a little revenge served lukewarm on a hot dog bun, this one’s for you.

I’ll definitely be checking out more of Mazey Eddings’s work!