This is Mazey Eddings at her best. After Eva, the host of a video show where she interviews celebrities over hot dogs, drunkenly "cancels" her podcast-hosting ex and goes viral, they team up for an interview and he tries to win her back. What follows is equally parts hilarious, sexy, full of chefs-kiss banter, and heartfelt, and I loved every page. This is a must-read for the year for sure!

DNF at 50%. I typically love Mazey Eddings, so I was excited for this one. But between the text clearly trying to make very current references to things I’m not caught up on (I’m not into Chicken Shop Date), the way the MMC’s two names kept being used interchangeably, and the utter lack of charm of the FMC, I was bored.

This book is enemies to lovers done right! You know the banter/animosity/rivalry is perfection when you actually miss it when the couple stops hating each other and gets together. I could have read an entire book of him trying to win her over with dates and each of them going horribly wrong. I loved the shared history of the couple and slowing finding out what went wrong, the way they dished it out to each other (even after they started dating!), and the way Riley was so patient and caring with Eva’s insecurities. Fun and hilarious the whole way through!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Griffin for this ARC! I was so excited to read this Chicken Shop Date Amelia/Andrew Garfield inspired romance. The two main characters, Eva and Rylie, had great banter and chemistry. I liked the idea of a fake dating, slow burn, second chance romance (three of my fave tropes). However I did find Eva to be almost unlikeable and the end conflict happened way too late in the book (literally at the 90% mark). The ending felt very rushed and some of the writing in this was a bit cringe. I did love Rylie though, he was straight up golden retriever vibes. I appreciated how he communicated like an adult because Eva did NOT.

3.5 stars

I'm heart broken that I didn't love this more. I've adored every one of Mazey's previous books but something about this one didn't work. The FMC really did just throw her career to the wayside IMO, I enjoyed the MMC and the ending was great. But something felt off the whole book & I struggled to get into it, especially with how long some of the chapters were...

Huge thanks to NetGalley & St Martin's Press for an advance copy

3.5 stars rounded up because I was really excited for this book. I wanted to LOVE it, truly. But I didn’t. I had a fun time, though. Eva and Rylie’s banter was razor fast and sharp, which kept me on my toes as much as them. (Aside, though: Eva switches from calling him Rylie and Cooper depending on her mood. I’d understand if she did it while talking to him to assume emotional distance, but somehow it felt jarring. I couldn’t keep up in when he was what name.) I also struggled with the intimacy scenes a little. I am a speed reader, so I could be wrong, but with three truly spicy scenes, Eva receives in all of them - but never gives. It just feels like the whole relationship dynamic is imbalanced in her favor and he’s just, fine with it. Idk. The book was a fun ride of Internet-related references that makes a great summer pool read. I just might not pick it up again.

Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this story in exchange for this review!

WELL, ACTUALLY delivers an unlikable lead character and cares nothing about your opinion of her. And why should your opinion matter when Rylie Cooper loves every sharp edge of Eva Kitt. He responds to her barbed words with flirtation. The armor around her heart, with patience. And her sass makes him swoon. It's a classic black cat x golden retriver relationship with the emotional care that Mazey Eddings is known for.

Regretfully, there were several elements that kept me from fully investing in their second chance. One being Rylie himself.

A major block for me was getting past the fact that Eva and Rylie don't know eachother. They've been out of contact for 6 years. They may creep on each other's socials, but that's not knowing someone. Further, he was emotionally unavailable when they went on dates in college. Never made an effort to know Eva personally (rememberimg her food order is the lowest of achievements please don't clap for him). And ghosted her after the one and only time they had sex. Yes we get the reveal why he was a douche frat bro, but there is not one hint of a suggestion that Rylie had any true feelings for Eva then. But somehow we're to believe he's been harboring this great love and is so desperate to not lose her again. It's not there.

Eva's part in this isn't as frustrating because luckily the story is told from her point of view. We know the love she felt for Rylie then was more of an imprinting and the genuine feelings develop when she gets to know him now. No notes for Eva.

One major scene nearly had me DNFing completely - a couples therapy session. Rylie's first date plans for them may have been a comedy of errors, but this was ... rough. It was a) a surprise, b) with his own therapist not a neutral party, c) the trauma Olympics after the therapist promised it wouldn't be. I was so confused by this choice. Did Rylie need the safety of his own therapist in order to be vulnerable? Did he really think putting Eva on the spot was a grand gesture sorta move? It felt more like an intervention than a date. He spends most of the "date" opening up to Eva about why he was a douche frat bro in general but never tells her why he ghosted her specifically.

There's also a very frustrating moment just outside that scene. Rylie swears he'd change the past if he could. “I’d call you, Eva,” Bro, if you detoxified your masculinity why did you not call - at all - during the six years apart? Instead you stalked her blog. That is not the same.

Their give-as-good-as-one-gets fighting as flirting was hot. Eva in all her brassy goodness was fun to read. But Rylie? There were too many questions left unanswered. Not enough work on page to help me understand him. And I'm gutted to report my disappointment with this book.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the advance copy to read and review.

Eva and Rylie briefly dated in college. However when he ghosts her after spending the night together, Eva has been hating him since then. It's been seven years and they both work in social media. On a drunken whim, Eva posts on her stories about Rylie dumping her in college. It goes viral and we see them both faking dating to salvage their reputation and their respective shows.

As I suspected there is more to the story about what happened in college, when we hear Rylie's side of the story. Again Eva comes off as abrasive and mean, which made it hard to relate to her. Rylie on the other hand was written as the perfect golden retriever MMC, so I'm not sure if it was intentional by the author to write such contrasting personalities.

There was great LGBTQIA representation in this book. Also, the book does a good job of bringing to the attention about corporate workplace toxicity.

Thank you St. Martin's Publishing Group for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was such a fun read! I heard about it after the Chicken Shop date with Andrew Garfield came out, and if you loved that… you’ll love this book 🤭

It’s a great mix of sassy, funny, spicy 👀, and tender. I love how inclusive it is too!

I had a hard time getting into it at first, but that’s usually the case for me with any ebook. A few chapters in and I was hooked though.

The MMC is such a flirt and total golden retriever. Kind of a twist on your typical grumpy sunshine trope, because the FMC is the grump. He looks like a cinnamon roll, is a cinnamon roll. She looks like she’d kill you, is a cinnamon roll lol.

My one low-grade ick is that he'd call her Kitten 😅, but in his defense her last name is Kitt so it kinda made sense.

This had a fun premise and it delivered the laughs---dry humor for the win. It took a dive into self worth and other issues which was balanced with the humor and romance. Not my first nor last book by this author.

Now, this may have been a me problem since I’ve been on a spree of reading mostly fantasy, but still the contemporary romance genre still holds a place in my heart. Though this was a fun concept and there were things I enjoyed (the banter, the girlboss side of the fmc, the mmc) there was also things that had me a little on the fence.

Eva Kitt calls out her ex (who is a podcaster) on social media, though it was an accident the video was even posted— nonetheless, it gains traction and the ex: Riley Cooper, is actually pretty amused about it and from there Eva’s team decides that she should interview him to gain an even bigger audience.

As I said, I did enjoy their banter and Eva definitely had some moments that had me clapping, she was pretty iconic. I do also enjoy when a book is not only bits of fun, but also has some realness to it, the characters aren’t perfect, they have flaws and problems. Now, my biggest critique may be the repeated use of gen z humor. And yes, I am gen z myself but reading it just makes me cringe a bit, and it was just constant as if I was scrolling through social media.

Though I saw it’s potential, I wouldn’t say it was the book for me.

Such a fun book! There were so many times I found myself laughing out loud at both Kit and Cooper. Kit's hardcore attitude and wit were refreshing, as I often find that the females in romance novels tend to be the same, muddled-down personality. I also enjoyed the social media/podcast aspect as it wasn't overplayed in the plot.

Well, Actually is a heartfelt story of second chances, character growth, and self-kindness wrapped in a layer of fun sarcasm and wit. Eva is a black cat woman, intelligent, strong-willed, and stoic. Riley is the golden retriever man, goofy, compassionate, and gentle. I loved seeing the deeper elements of their characters as the story progressed. Eva and Riley have some of the best banter I've ever read, making me laugh throughout the book. I really enjoyed Eva's character growth throughout the novel as she navigated the walls she had built around herself due to past traumas and learned to let herself be loved and cared for. Riley and Eva's relationship was raw and relatable, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also appreciated the elements of LGBTQIA+ representation, women's empowerment, and "stick it to them" capitalism. These elements were very well done, with the grace and poise they all deserve. Overall a great read!

Tropes: second chance romance, black cat x golden retriever, slow burn, secret relationship, he falls first and harder

I read the first third of Well, Actually in one sitting. I was immediately hooked by both the writing and the plot. It’s funny, fast-paced, and the banter between the two main characters is top tier! The writing felt like a love letter to contemporary pop culture. The references to Chicken Shop Date, TikTok slang, and podcasts were entertaining to read, but I’m not sure they’ll age very well. If you’re a chronically online girlie, RUN to read this NOW. Rylie’s redemption arc fell flat for me. While I appreciate a man who goes to therapy, I think the author’s exploration of his bi awakening missed the mark. Sometimes, there is such a thing as a man being written by a woman a little too perfectly. There was a lot of opportunity to explore more character development that was missed when the second half of the book turned into a sausage fest (pun intended). Eva’s job fiasco came too late in the story for me to really care about the tension it added between her and Riley. Despite some qualms, I had a fun time reading this book and think a lot of readers will find it equally enjoyable!

I'm not typically one to enjoy M/F romances, even when they're queer, but this book had me giggling and kicking my feet ALL OF THE TIME. The banter! The vulnerability! The chemistry! I will admit I flipped very quickly through the sex scenes because I'm just not a girl who wants to hear anything about a man's genitals, but even within these scenes, both of these characters show such humanity and growth. They were funny and sad and relatable and REAL. And I think that's what so often draws me to Mazey Eddings's books. The realness of her characters. She's writing that happy ending, but she is also giving us all of the ups and downs that are typical of getting there.

This was a fun, flirty, and surprisingly emotional second-chance romance! Eva, the sarcastic host of Sausage Talk, isn’t thrilled about where her life has ended up—but things take a turn when she publicly calls out Rylie Cooper, her ex from college who ghosted her. Suddenly, they’re back in each other’s lives and going on six dates to prove he’s changed.

I loved the banter between Eva and Rylie—it was sharp, funny, and full of tension. Rylie was such a sweet and emotionally open love interest, and his character had a lot more depth than I expected. Eva was a tougher character to like at times, but her walls made sense given her backstory. The romance pacing felt a bit rushed toward the end, but overall, it was a satisfying read.

If you enjoy enemies to lovers, opposites attract, and messy-but-real characters, this one’s worth picking up!

4.5⭐ rounded up
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Eva, host of Sausage Talk where she interviews minor celebrities and eats hot dogs, is not thrilled with where her life is it. She comes across a video from Rylie Cooper, a guy she dated for two months in college who ghosted her among other sins, and decides to stitch a video response to his. Work forces her to confront Riley on her show where he gets her to agree to six dates to try and prove he's changed. And maybe he has...

Wow, I really enjoyed this one! Eva and Riley have banter for days, though maybe most of it is due to Eva. The main character Eva can come off as abrasive, but the issues she and Riley have feel very true to life. Make sure to review content warnings (some of the serious themes reminded me a bit of Abby Jimenez's novels I've read). Give this a read if you enjoy:
- hate to love
- snarky teasing as flirting
- second chance romance
- NYC setting
- podcaster/pop culture journalist

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will be published on 8/5/25. I'll be posting to Instagram closer to publication

i really wanted to like this. the premise had potential, and i was excited for the hot dog interview show concept, but the execution didn’t land for me.

i didn’t connect with eva. i know she’s supposed to be sharp, sarcastic, and guarded, but her attitude in the beginning made her hard to root for. she did grow on me a bit, but it took too long. her callout of cooper felt petty more than powerful, and it set a weird tone for their reconnection.

cooper had his moments, but i struggled to believe in his character development. we’re told he’s changed and gone to therapy, but we don’t really see that growth. it made the second chance romance harder to buy into. their chemistry was there at times, but it didn’t fully win me over.

the banter was hit or miss. some of it was fun, but a lot of the humor felt forced. i also found the workplace drama frustrating. eva is supposed to be confident and bold, but her dynamic with her boss didn’t reflect that. the pop culture references were constant and already feel dated, which might make this book tough to revisit later.

there were a few emotional moments that hit harder than i expected, and i appreciated the way the book touched on online hate and how women are treated on the internet. that part felt honest and real.

overall, this just wasn’t for me. the setup was strong, but the characters and pacing didn’t hold my attention.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martins Griffin for allowing me to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm giving this a 2.5, but rounding up to a 3.

I love Rylie but I can’t stand Eva, I just could not connect with her at all. I feel like she had zero growth until the last like four chapters and now all the sudden she's reflective? No. And don't get me wrong, I loved her snark, but sometimes it just came across as rude. Even once she admitted her feelings it still just crossed a line for me. Because I did really enjoy that they were truly opposites attract. You don't see that often, I feel like most opposites are often just one of them is secretly nice, or closed off but then opens up just for them. I did enjoy that they were true opposite for the entire book, it made the banter so so good!

It did also bother me that she still called him Cooper in the bedroom? Thats weird.

This is also one of the only books where I did not like a single side character. None of them stood out to me, which left the book feeling really one demential.

I don't know... overall it was fine? But I just can't say I was head over heels about it, or that I will really remember it after this.

Can I just say, I love when characters are messy and raw and real in books? Was I frustrated at times? Hell yes. Did I swoon? Also, yes. These two had the best banter and the best tension and were just overall perfect for each other. Seriously, there is no better pairing than a woman who’s a little mean (a lot) and a man who gets off on it. HOT!