Thank you net galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest reviews

Well, I can say I really like the cover of this book .. and that's about it.

I'm really sorry but I did not vibe with these characters and found the personality of the MFC more annoying than anything. The writing felt to forced. The author was definitely targeting a demographic and I wasn't it

This was so cute! Felt like I was reading if “Chicken Shop Date” came to life in a second-chance romance. The MMC was a refreshing man who embraces therapy and growth, and the FMC was sarcastic (a little too much at times) but relatable in her fears and insecurities. I loved the banter in this one!

Well, Actually was filled with excellent humor, witty banter, heartfelt messages, and real life issues. I was genuinely laughing out loud along with the characters throughout most of this book. The storyline begins with a set up for second chances and forgiveness, but became about so much more. By the end of this book, I felt seen, hopeful, and heartbroken all at the same time. Would recommend this read 10000x over.

I really enjoyed this one! I see it’s getting a lot of mixed reviews, but I liked it!

The story follows Eva Kitt, a journalist and host of Sausage Talk and Ryle Cooper a “golden retriever” podcast host. They hooked up once in college and Eva hasn’t ever quite recovered from it.

I loved learning each characters’ back story and watching them fall in love after years of no communication. Eva is a strong character that may seem hard to like for some. I really liked how Rylie talked to her and got to know the real Eva.

There were lots of LOL moments in this one and it was a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the complementary advanced digital copy, all thoughts are my own.

Well, Actually was a delight to read! The initial tension between Rylie and Eva was steaming through the pages, and I was absolutely drawn into their dynamic from day one. Their love story is one about patience and open conversation as well as being willing to be in the wrong. The personal growth that both Eva and Rylie experience is tremendous throughout this book!

I truly loved reading this book. It was both realistic and hilarious, and I felt like Eva could be any one of my friends right in front of me. She’s a flawed character but she is REAL, and I absolutely adored that. It’s impossible to not root for someone who experiences such real character development through hardships.

The moment between Eva and Rylie where she shares about her experience with SSRIs and partners in the past is really meaningful to me. It’s so rare to have such open dialogue in romance books, and though it’s a small moment in a much larger (and spicier) scene, I was so grateful to see that representation on the page.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read and review this book! I received a free advance copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

There is truly something for everyone in this second chance romance. It's a modern love story that some will find very relatable with real life problems (and solutions), genuine friendships, and a good bit of witty humor. Perfect for twenty-somethings. I wasn't sure about the quirkiness in the beginning but really enjoyed how the plot developed — until it was largely abandoned for sex. Don't get me wrong, I'm here for the spice. But in this case, I found myself skimming scenes to get back to the story and characters.

Delightful fun! Laugh out loud funny. While also being a very deep and a love letter to the gals who are 100% themselves and sometimes told they are a little too much. I really adore the enemies background and second chance piece. the first half was so DELICIOUS I devoured it and loved the references to being a millennial and extremely online. and the second half was sweet emotional layers of romance which I adored! Add this to your list!!! I don't give out 5 stars lightly and this one was chefs kiss!

What the world needs more now than ever are women who exude female rage in the best way possible, and Mazey Eddings gave us that and so much more. Seriously though I think Eva Kitt could have a starring role in Female Rage: The Musical…maybe singing Cassandra or I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an EARC of this book.

This book was everything to me, and I will defend her with my dying breath. So obviously if I could give this book more than 5 stars I would.

Eddings gives us a second chance romance that dives into the harsh reality of learning to move past heartbreak and if we can find it in ourselves to forgive…after much groveling of course. And along the way how we deal with horrible work environments (misogyny, nepotism, etc), biphobia/homophobia, and being in the public eye. And together they create this beautiful story that makes you feel so many emotions.

Mazey Eddings gives us Eva Kitt, a strong woman, who had dreams and aspirations that the world wants to crush. She hosts Sausage Talk, where she sits down to chat with celebrities for social media content, which is not the career she had in mind but bills got in the way. So what happens when a post on her personal platform blows up over night when she takes shots at a beloved podcaster? Chaos ensues and she’s forced to be back in contact with the boy who broke her heart in college.

And the golden boy podcaster, Rylie Cooper, decides he wants to right the wrongs of the past and asks for Eva to give him ten chances to make up for his past failings. And let me just say the chaos that ensues allows both of them to grow into better versions of themselves.

What Mazey does so well with this book is show a strong independent woman who is not going to be swayed by a charming male. In fact Eva wants nothing more than to take Rylie down a peg. And Eva makes sure he knows he can’t just win her over by putting on a dashing smile and his adorably quirky sweatshirts, instead he is forced to show his growth as a person. He needs to prove how much he has learned and how much he truly regrets his past behavior.

And all I can say is he definitely makes up for hurting Eva in the past. And his growth is astronomical!! He opens up about struggling with his own identity based on how he believed society would react but also how he was dealing with grief at the same time. And all his current actions show his growth as a human and his capacity to have empathy for others. I mean who else would think of therapy as a dating option?

All this to say they both have a lot of growth in this book as Eva navigates a career environment that has become super toxic. It’s through her time with Rylie that she realizes how truly toxic her company is and how she should proceed in resolving this issue. And along the way she finds a partner who believes in her and is willing to support her anyway he can.

Overall this book is a gem and I can not express my love for it enough. Truly I could keep rambling and tell you all the things I love about it. The romance is exceptional, the spicy scenes are hot as heck and add to the emotional depth of their relationship, and Eddings deals with very harsh realities of society’s expectations and unfairness. Eddings will always be a favorite author for me and every new book she releases makes me believe she will keep getting better with each release.

Oh my gosh where do I even begin?? It’s so rare for me to read a book when I’m alone and to laugh out loud. Like I may chuckle here and there, but I usually don’t (idk why maybe it’s because I’m reading alone?) BUT THIS BOOK RIGHT HERE???? Had me absolutely dying! I did not expect it to be so funny and perfect. I WISH I could read this again for the first time. The FMC? Perfect. No qualms about her. She is written great in my opinion and for me there wasn’t a time when she annoyed me. Like FR her dialogue was like as if I was talking to one of my friends and her humor is HILARIOUS. The MMC?? Perfection. He never felt like he was written just to be a trope that’s loved. Like he felt like a genuine man (i know this sounds crazy) who was trying/doing better. Some books will have the MMC be written ‘perfect’ just to appease the masses and it doesn’t feel right to me.. but with him it always felt like it could be real. Like as if the author based that character on someone she saw/knows (she didn’t but you get the idea). And them together?? PURE MAGIC. I loved the banter, the healing, the TRYING and UGH don’t even get me started on the TRAUMA! I wanted to hug FMC so badly. And usually I HATE second chance romances, but this one was written so well I didn’t even mind. Overall I would say FMC needs better friends (iykyk) but other than that this is a top 5 read for me this year. This is my first Mazey Eddings book but now I have to go google and read everything she’s ever written. Truly an auto buy author for me now THATS how much I loved the book!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins press for this advanced ebook copy! My first book by this author although I’ve seen her work around. It starts out with Eva and Riley, both rival podcast hosts who have a brief past with each other. Eva holds a GRUDGE towards Riley cooper for things that happened in the their brief relationship many, many years ago. For this, I was not into the beginning of the book at all. She seemed angry and immature for no reason at all and the premise of them reconnecting seemed stupid. However, when things come to light towards the middle of the book from both Eva and Riley’s sides things made soooo much more sense and it made their enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance so intense and enjoyable! This really read like a gen z nora ephron rom com!

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings is a super fun, funny, charming second chance romance. Eva is perfectly witty and contrary, Rylie is a delicious golden retriever and together they are magnificent! And the setup was sooo entertaining! The whole book was a delight!
I do wish we got more of Eva dealing with her relationship with family growing up - it felt like it really affected her and her relationships, but there was no payoff there. I was also super mad that Eva and Aida were so submissive at work. I get not wanting to lose your job but it felt false that these two badass ladies would put up with William’s nonsense.
Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this book. I laughed out loud several times and loved the enemies to lovers vibe.
Huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the eARC!!

2.5/5
Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings started out really strong. The book is a modern romcom filled with amusing dialog, and problems that regularly plague people in their twenties. The main character, Eva Kitt, is the host of an online show where she interviews guests over hot dogs topped with heaps of dry humor and light teasing. Basically, a cross between Chicken Shop Date and Hot Ones. After seeing a particularly triggering video of her former college fling, Rylie Cooper, and one too many drinks, Eva posted a scathing response online that blew up overnight. This sudden success prompted her bosses to set up collaborative projects between the two, which not only forced them to work together, but gave the internet a front row seat to their relationship- past and present.

Eva is a defensive, headstrong character, who vehemently rejects Rylie for a majority of the book. Her defensive quips were understandable and enjoyable at the start, but quickly wore out. As the plot progressed and Eva and Rylie got to know each other, her critiques went from defensive to aggressive and exhausting to read. I understand the character was insecure and Eddings wanted to show significant growth, but I felt myself dragging my feet every time I tried to read. Her immature backlashes were never ending and gave me secondhand embarrassment. By the time I was 50% into the book I wanted to forget about the romance plot and lock Eva in a room with a therapist for a year.

Overall, Well, Actually had a unique plot that and a ton of lighthearted humor, but the main character’s issues quickly became exhausting and dragged on and on.

This is my first Mazey Eddings' book and I had such a fun time reading this one! I mostly giggled my way through this book because of their banter! I know everyone is saying that it reminds them of the chicken shop dates, and it really does give that vibe!

Let's get into the characters:

Eva. She's the definition of a boss woman—truly. She’s incredibly aware, and I absolutely adore a woman who understands what’s happening around her. Despite her strength, there’s a lingering sense of loneliness that clings to her—shaped by both her past and present. She struggles deeply with trust, and it shows in the way she constantly feels the need to prove herself. I get her so much for being the way she is because our past really shapes us. Her people-pleasing tendencies are on another level—she often stretches herself too thin just to make others feel comfortable, even when it costs her peace.

Riley. OMG, I was absolutely swooning. He’s the kind of character that makes your heart ache in the best way. What I admired most about him was his patience—especially with Eva. He’s completely gone for her, and he never makes that a secret. What made me appreciate him even more was how he didn’t shy away from owning up to the kind of person he was in the past. He knew he messed up. But instead of running from it, he chose to grow—to be better, not just for Eva, but for himself too. It was such a move and I didn't even sense any sort of hypocrisy from him.

Their dynamic is something that I don't always get to read and I absolutely had the time of my life! Who doesn't love a black cat x golden retriever, right?! Again, their banter was really fun because of how no one backs down. Even them as couples, they complement each other because they know what each other needs.

As for the story itself, Eva was one of the most relatable characters I’ve come across. Her fear of abandonment was written in such a raw and realistic way—it genuinely felt like reading my own thoughts at times. That constant pressure to stay tough, simply because you think you have to be, is exhausting. Everyone needs softness. Vulnerability. A safe space where they can breathe and let their guard down—and this book captured that perfectly.

One thing I also appreciated was how Riley’s college struggles were brought up—they were acknowledged, but never used as an excuse for his past mistakes. He owned them and held himself accountable. And finally, one of my favorite takeaways: the book emphasized not settling in your career. It reminded me that the world really is your oyster. Opportunities are everywhere—you just have to be willing to look for them.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for the ARC in exchange of my honest review.

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

This book was an absolute joy. Eva’s bite had me laughing almost constantly and Rylie’s ability to take it and dish right back made it so much better! Their first date? “Oh buddy! Big feelings!” Had me cackling.

I loved Rylie’s ability to wrap Eva up both physically and mentally to smooth out her edges; not because it was necessary to dim her light, but because Eva needed to sometimes turn it off (all of it!) for her own well-being.

There was so much representation within the story, but it didn’t feel disingenuous. Things were mentioned naturally and incorporated well. If anything, how the characters were written just makes me want to know more about them (hello, can someone say series?!).

I’d recommend this book to anyone who is interested in some pop culture references, sassy leads, a rich cast of supporting characters and 10/10 banter.

After having very little luck with this authors last book, I was surprised by how much I liked this! The FMC is spunky and funny and the MMC showed so much growth. It would have been better with dual pov to really appreciate the pining, but this was a perfect airplane read.

This was such an entertaining read. I love reading through polar opposite characters interact with each other, and this book definitely had that. Both main characters were so different. I found myself laughing often at their banter. I love characters with layers and who talk about struggles and this definitely delivered in that area. Second chance is one of my favorite tropes when it’s done right and I think Mazey did a good job with it. My only critique would be that I didn’t love all of the modern lingo which definitely dates books for me but this wouldn’t sway me to say I didn’t enjoy it. I would for sure recommend it if you’re looking for a second chance with some emotional depth, banter, and complex characters. Thank you for this arc!

I was THRILLED when I saw I was given the opportunity to read this book. Mazey Eddings was a recommended author through a TikTok video and I proceeded to love the two books I’ve read from her. And it was so fun when my QUEEN Lizzie shows up for quick cameo.

That being said, while I was so excited to read this I was also very nervous. Eddings is a fantastic writer, but I’m not a huge fan of the second chance romance trope.

Luckily for me, Eddings has proven she can get me to like anything. The banter between Eva and Riley had tears in my eyes as I giggled at them arguing. Eva is hilarious but also has her vulnerable side that I greatly appreciated being able to see since I think I saw a lot of myself in her so being able to see her navigate her feelings was great.

Besides her writing I love the inclusivity she adds to her books from being neurodivergent to being apart of the LGBTQ community. Because of this, she can make her characters relatable in so many ways. Their problems aren’t super obscure and we can see ourselves in them. This also helps you root for the characters to get their happy endings.

Out of all (now three) Mazey Eddings books I have read, this one is my favorite.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the eARC.

This is a delightful read! Seriously...I found myself grinning and kicking my feet throughout! Rylie gave a lackluster performance when they briefly dated in college, and Eva calls him out in a video that goes viral. In order to redeem himself, Rylie pleads with Eva to go on a few dates with him which Rylie reluctantly agrees to do to advance her career.

WOW do these characters have incredible chemistry, and such great banter! Mazey Eddings does tropes so well here; black cat/ golden retriever, second chance, slow burn. The pacing was great throughout; I was hooked from the first chapter.

This is going to be a popular book for sure!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was the first book I have read from this author. I did love the banter between the two main characters initially, but it ended there. They were both really hard to relate to or even like towards the end. I also felt like the side characters we were introduced to brought very little to the story and were surface level. I think in the end I am not the target market for this book.

Oh, how I spent this book absolutely swooning. Rylie, the man you are. Eva, my chaotic queen. The banter throughout this novel had me grinning so much my cheeks hurt. At the same time, there are heavier elements handled with real grace and honesty. I truly loved everything about this novel and will happily revisit it in the future. GO BUY THIS BOOK!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.