This was just okay for me - not my favorite from this author. I wanted to like it more than I did. Some lines felt so repetitive that it started to stand out and take me out of the story a bit (she laughed and disguised it as a cough - for example). Eva was very immature and she freely admits that she is - but there wasn’t much work done by her character to grow or change for the better - whereas Riley’s character has put in the work and is actively trying to be and do better.

5⭐️
ARC Review!!
Thank you Netgalley and Mazey Eddings for giving me the opportunity to receive this eARC!
Off the bat I was hooked. Just the banter between Eva and Riley had me so infatuated with their situation. Also the self-growth of both of them made this book so realistic and raw.
This almost lost the 5 star, but once they hooked up, I feel like there wasn't any other plot but them continuing to sleep together. The ending has me wanting more of them and the situation they got stuck in!

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy of this book.

Love the humor and snark in this book but I think at times it was too snarky where she became a bit unlikeable to me. Loved seeing the cameos from previous books' MCs.

Looking forward to the next one!

First off, thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Well, Actually! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

I really enjoyed reading this one! I thought it had fun elements while also diving into some more serious topics as well. It manages to have some decent spice too. I think Eva, the FMC, probably won’t be for everyone – on the outside she can be prickly, harsh, and push people away. I couldn’t help but like her though, and I enjoyed watching her character grow. I liked the dynamic between Eva and Rylie, the MMC, who challenged her in a positive way and accepted her the way she was. The banter between the two was fun and one of my favorite things about this book. I thought the way that Eva and Rylie confronted their past was handled well. Some of the workplace issues were a bit appalling, but I like how things were resolved in the end. I found the book engaging and hard to put down – I’ll be seeking out more by the author in the future!

I'm old, but I know this character's career is loosely based on a current person's - and it didn't wreck this for me despite skating so close to "influencer"

Anyway, Mazey Eddings has been delivering satisfactory romance for a few years now. I loved the interaction between the two main characters, who reunited because she's annoyed of his Internet schtick and didn't believe for a second this was the same inconsiderate guy that was once her boyfriend and so she drunkenly shares her experience with Rylie for the world (and made this middle-aged human cringe).

Like any good romance, Rylie is more than Eva credits him, and of course six years can do a lot.

Readers, I loved how mean she was! And she was mean! But Rylie can take it, we all understand fairly organically why that tough exterior exists.

I thought this was funny, heartfelt, and that the characterization for Eva was particularly strong. No matter what, Rylie will feel less known. We don't see his POV and he's frankly a bit "perfect" but it worked here. I always want more flaws, and his misreads at the beginning were helpful in that, but not much happened with him after that.

I do recommend this for fans of online personality romcom or Eddings, or those that really like a sharp-tongued heroine who is very slow to the. In my opinion, the workplace stuff was shoehorned in and I would've loved more friend stuff.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley, which has not affected my review.

3.5, rounded down as is my general policy

ARC copy from NetGalley
4.5 ⭐️
What an incredible surprise this one was! The cover alone caught my eye and I like to go to most books blindly, so all I read was second chance and what sounded like a bit of a take of “chicken shop date” and had to put in a request for the ARC.

This book was so much more. We meet the MMC, Rylie, after he already has worked through things and grown but the FMC, Eva comes in HOT. She is snarky, pessimistic, and a whole lot of insecurities. For most of this book, I wanted to throat punch her and tell her to wake up and smell the boiled hot dogs but I was also understanding how she has come to use deflection and sarcasm as a defense mechanism. While she made me frustrated through most of the story, I couldn’t stop reading. I was routing for her to realize the support around her, but through it all, I was the Rylie’s biggest cheerleader. He is full of charm, acceptance, and the funniest and cutest damn “pet names”.

Without spoiling anything, I would suggest reading this to anyone who loves a grumpy vs sunshine, snarky humor, and a HEA. I still think Eva is a bit of a brat, but the author writes the wit and snark so well, that you can’t help but cross your fingers for everything to work out.

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11444776

It’s giving Chicken Shop date with Amelia and Andrew!!!

Eva is 27 years old and working as the host of Sausage Talk, where she interviews b-list celebs while eating hot dogs, and not loving it at all. Her ex from college, Rylie, has a podcast and has built his platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to step up and be better partners. In an act encouraged by alcohol Eva duets one of Rylies videos online and calls him out for being a lackluster and inattentive partner. Of course the video goes viral and now Eva finds herself sitting down with Rylie on Sausage Talk. Eva agrees to go on 6 dates with Rylie to see if he has changed.

Eva has never had anybody in her life to depend on and has naturally closed herself off to her emotions due to that. Rylie is sunshine through and through and attempts to show her that she can rely on him. This was a true black cat/golden retriever dynamic.

Eva’s growth throughout this story was slow, but it felt real to me. I was absolutely obsessed with Rylie throughout the entire book. His willingness and encouragement for open communication was so refreshing. Witty and fun banter right from the very beginning.

-Second chance romance
-Black cat/golden retriever
-Witty banter
-Comebacks for dayssss
-NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!!

I'm off to go read everything Mazey Eddings has ever written because I had so much fun reading this one.
The whole thing was hilarious with the right amount of serious interspersed. I loved how real the characters were, and the way social media was integrated into the book felt really relevant. I just had a great time and definitely recommend.

This was a very fun and introspective second-chance romance! Eva is a journalist who blasts Rylie, an ex from college who is now a big social media influencer, on TikTok. Eva and Rylie reconnect under the premise that Rylie will prove to her (and his audience) he is a changed man. Lots of banter between the two and their relationship develops authentically. A few lulls in the overall pacing dropped a star for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. Well, Actually is available on August 5, 2025.

I really enjoyed the FMC’s journey through her toxic work environment and how she used a negative experience to follow her dreams. However, I feel as though the characters didn’t really know each other and the relationship was unbelievable

After reading Late Bloomers and as someone who thought the Andrew Garfield-Amelia Dimoldenberg internet obsession that this was clearly based on was blown out of proportion, I didn't have high expectations for this next novel. And sad to say, for me, I was proven right.

I am all for a golden retriever/black cat trope in a relationship. Especially when said black cat is the FMC. But there was something about both Eva and Rylie that put me off. Eva was tooapathetic, too hostile, too much didn't care about how her words or actions affected those around her. And Rylie was almost too earnest, and his explanation of why they didn't work out in college made me roll my eyes. Sorry, but it did. I get our brains aren't fully formed in our early twenties, but why would you treat a new friend the way you're being treated by the guy you have feelings for? If you know how much it hurts to be treated like that, why are you treating someone else like that?

Personally, I would've liked to see more of the side characters. We got one scene with Steve and I immediately adored him. Same with Ray and Lilith. This is a time in your life when your friends mean everything to you, but the friends barely existed outside a work capacity. I would've loved to see more of Ray shining as a chef, explore more of Lilith's charity work, and sleuth alongside Aida. But we didn't get any of that. We got repetitive sex scenes and talking in circles instead.

Lastly -- and this is a total nitpick thing -- Mazey Eddings, how many times do you have to talk about the color of Rylie's eyes? Let me tell you, because I counted. You remarked on Rylie's gray (or gunmetal or quicksilver) eyes thirteen times. I get it, he has a rare eye color, but I don't need to be reminded about it every other page.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I enjoyed this book. It's definitely not my favorite by Mazey but still a pretty good romance. I didn't like that Eva came across as rude at the beginning of the book. This might just be a me thing but it's why enemies to lovers doesn't work a lot of time in romance books for me (it does in romantasy though!). One thing I do love about Mazey's books though is she creates complex characters that go on a personal journey in tandem with the one they go on together. These characters are no different and they are definitely relatable in a lot of ways! Like I said, not my fav, but still an enjoyable and emotional read!

This is my 3rd Mazey’s book. I’m not sure if it was my favorite but I did enjoy it very much. This was full of witty banter, a lot of social media storylines (which may be too mainstream for some readers). Eva could be a bit too much on the grump side for me. Especially for someone who doesn’t care for grumpy sunshine tropes. I did love Rylie Cooper, and his golden retriever energy. Their chemistry relied heavily on the banter however there is a lot of unresolved hurt and messy emotions involved. No third act breakup was a plus for me. Would recommend to Emily Henry readers.

All the descriptions and graphics I’ve seen for this book fully do it just. You get strong Black Cat energy from Eva Kitt and strong Golden Retriever energy from Rylie Cooper. I love also love how through the whole thing Eva wasn’t willing to change her personality to be with Rylie and he didn’t ask or want her too, they loved each other where they were at. I also loved how encouraging Rylie was to her and wouldn’t let her push him away when that was her defense mechanism. I also loved the cameo from her other book.
Her writing style always has me laughing through out and I definitely am glad I was able to pick this book up.

Thank you St. Marin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Well, Actually will release on August 5, 2025.

For me, Well, Actually started off slow and it took me a while to get into the book. Towards the middle, the plot gets interesting and we learn more about Eve Kitt & Rylie Cooper. Tropes include slow burn and a second-chance romance. The book touches on subjects such as mental health, knowing your worth and the consequences of making assumptions about others without learning about their perspective.

I am so sad. I loved late bloomer and was looking forward to the next book. However, this book’s ok did not work for me. Both MC’s were aggravating. One was always on the attack and the other tried really hard to be the good guy but just came off as clueless.

Mazey Eddings has never done me wrong. Well, actually is just soooooo good. I love a mean woman and her lover boy. Literally nothing Eva could say would ever turn Rylie away and I love that so much. He loves when she's a little bit mean to him. They both had so much stuff in their past that they had to work through to come together. They are absolutely perfect.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Well, Actually was an entertaining book. Eva, an aspiring journalist, is the host of “Sausage Talk” interviewing celebrities while eating hot dogs. She talks about being ghosted by her college ex, Rylie, which then goes viral. Eva’s bosses force her to interview Rylie on her show when a deal is struck between the two of them to go on several dates. I liked the banter between the two main characters and found it humorous at times. This is definitely an enemies to lovers trope.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

This book had a lot of potential and really hits the mark in some of the heavier scenes between the two MCs but I agree that too much of Riley’s character growth happened off page which made it difficult to believe he had real feelings for Eva in the past. Though he was going through something traumatic at that time, it doesn’t excuse some if what happened back then or why he was even interested in Eva at all considering he was actively pining for his ex and wishing they’d get back together while he was with Eva in college. I think that scene more than anything made their second chance love story feel less “right person, wrong time” and more like Eva was a pretty distraction for Riley even as she was developing genuine feelings for him. Without that scene I can kind of understand his motives slightly better considering his family tragedy but that took me out a bit. That said, present day Riley is charming and kind and I do believe in their present day romance so some of their love story did work for me.

This book and I started off on rocky footing. I'll be honest. I started and stopped it close to four times.

As a main character, Eva comes off as rude. But more than that, it's almost an entitlement? I struggled with her at the start and just kept wanting her to go to therapy. That being said, as the book progressed, and the more we actually saw her work with Rylie, I did start to turn on her and feel better about her as a character.

Rylie Cooper, on the other hand, always felt like a saint in a way I never could believe. I loved him and almost cannot forgive Mazey for making me love a man this much. I liked his dynamic with Eva.

Overall, the book is well written. It just wasn't for me.

Thank you Netgally and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.