Well, Actually was such a fun read. MMC obsessed over the FMC? Check! Yearning and banter? Check! A lethal female lead with a sharp tongue? Check, check, check! I giggled throughout this whole book and really related to Eva's struggles in the world of romance and vulnerability. Mazey Eddings will continue to be an auto-buy author for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC! All opinions are my own.

Sexy, witty, and surprising emotional, “Well, Actually” tells the story of Eva Kitt, an aspiring journalist who has found herself interviewing wannabe celebrities on her online show, Sausage Talk. Eva find herself intertwined with social media sensation/podcast host Rylie Cooper, calling him out after his advice to men seems to completely contradict the Rylie she knew in college six years ago. Forced to work together for views, will Eva and Rylie make their viral moment something more?

Overall I really enjoyed this book! Eva does come off as abrasive and mean, which I think some readers will find hard to resonate with (including me). Her past with her family and other relationships has definitely lead her to want to push people away, which explains her personality. Her relationship with Riley has black cat/golden retriever vibes, which at the beginning had me laughing out loud when their dates were disastrous!

I was pleasantly surprised by how much depth Rylie had as a character. Eva met him at a time where a family tragedy had him barely functioning, and he spent so much time trying to grow as a person. He was so emotionally vulnerable and open with Eva! Beyond Eva and Rylie, there was great LGBTQIA+ representation and a great look into corporate workplace toxicity.

My one big qualm is with the pacing of the romance. It felt like a complete 180, especially for Eva. I know they had history and as they opened up to each other through their dates and the podcast, but it felt like they were suddenly head over heels for each other.

I definitely would still recommend the book if you want a true rom com!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!!!!!

I always have a great time reading Mazey Eddings. She is my most-read author.

So this book follows Eva as she worries about her job and wonders when she will be diving into the journalism world. While she is tipsy, she comes across an ex-boyfriend of hers, Rylie Cooper. Rylie is a social media personality who is deconstructing toxic masculinity. He was a horrible boyfriend when they were dating, and Eva posted a video about that. Now the video is going viral, and her bosses want to capitalize on the attention. Rylie proposed that he take Eva on six dates to prove that he has changed and make up for his toxic behavior. Broooo, this book worked for me. I love Eva, and I deeply understand the feeling of wanting to be chosen. I like how this book showed her development. Rylie was exactly what Eva needed, and he felt too perfect at times. But I wanted to be a fly on the wall so badly. Anyways, I wish Rylie had a point of view. It would have been interesting to see his thoughts throughout the book. I wish there were more scenes of Rylie and Eva learning different aspects of themselves. However, I flew through this book, and I am ready to read it again. There was a scene in the book that completely broke me, and I am very grateful to have experienced it.

Truly obsessed with this cover. Scratches my brain so good!!! This book follows Eva and it follows Riley or also called by his last name Cooper.
Eva is not the nicest person 😅 she’s whitty, she’s quick with the comebacks and she’s just sassy? Might need some therapy but hey what do I know. Anyways Eva and Riley dated briefly in college and it did not end well at all so both sides felt some type of way about it. Fast forward to 6 years later, Eva makes a video responding to a video that Riley posted and it blows up overnight. So now these two get thrown back into each others lives 😅 Riley wants to use it as a second chance to apologize for how he treated Eva in the past and Eva is using this situation because her boss is making her. You can imagine how this situation goes. This book is heavy on the “he likes it when she’s mean” trope. So if you love that trope then you’ll love this romcom!

AHHHHH!!! this was sooooo good!!!! from the moment she was about to stitch his video I knew what was coming!!!!
This book had me giggling, kicking, excited and sooooo happy for that HEA.

First of all, it was impossible for me not to picture Eva as Amelia from chicken shop (I'm sorry!!!! but the show was just so similar) having said that, the story and everything that is packed in it is absolutely amazing and so wholesome, what I would give for men with at least half of Rylie's sensitivity ughhhhh, that man is pure gold!!!!

I do have to say I would have liked to see more of the dates that Rylie had planned but ohhh well...

Thank you so much to Netgalley, St Martin's Press and Mazey Eddingsfor this ARC!

The set-up: Picture a sassier chicken shop date host whose rant-post about her ex goes viral. Said ex is now a podcaster who teaches men how to be good partners. Her boss wants to profit off the engagement, and he wants a chance to redeem himself… manufactured romance ensues.

What I loved:
❤️The [likeable] unlikeable characters
❤️The steadfast MMC
❤️The contrast between personalities
❤️The diverse background characters -if only they’d spent more time in the foreground!

Where it missed the mark:
🩶The tone was off with the content
☑️I think the diversity could have been integrated into the story better as it times it felt a little caricatured or just inserted to tick a box

The short and sweet of it is, this book wasn’t quite the right fit for me. The fun premise had me expecting a lighter plot and the more serious content just didn’t match up with the humour. The jumps between heavier topics and silliness were a bit jarring and at times left me feeling like I was reading two separate books.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves:
🩷Teasing as flirting
🩷A strong female lead
💖Second chance romance
💖Enemies to Lovers
💖Forced proximity

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

This is definitely black cat and golden retriever vibes. I thought the premise was a fun nod to Chicken Shop Date without feeling too oppressively forced. The banter and chemistry between these two was top notch. I liked that we could see the work that Riley had done in that he was (almost) always pushing for communication and being open. Eva has some work to do on herself, but I think they are well matched.
Eva’s dialogue is definitely biting, and there were times where it felt like overkill - even the most sarcastic and caustic personalities can’t speak in one-liners every sentence - but I still had a great time reading it and got several chuckles from her cut downs.

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

The premise of Well Actually is great. A woman in her 20's accidentally goes viral after calling out her college ex. Since the ex has a large following on TikTok and she works for a media company it is decided that he will try to show her he has changed. Riley the MMC is great. I enjoyed watching him show her how he has changed in the last 6 years. Eva on the other hand, while funny comes across mean a lot of the time. I understand her history and why she is, it felt over the top. I thought this book was funny but I also felt maybe I was too old for it. I am in my thirties and liked it for the most part. Some of the jokes were not for me.

The book had a lot of LGBTQ+ representation which was great and I enjoyed some of the banter and thought the book was very funny. It is just some parts I couldn't get over the way Eva acted towards Riley.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Well, actually... I think I loved this book. Once I picked up my kindle to read it I consumed it so quickly. This story is written in a single POV from Eva's perspective, but you get a pretty clear picture of both sides of the story. I don't recall actually crying during this one, so no 5 stars, but I'll give it a high 4. I was outraged multiple times, I was distraught during others. I almost had a full range of emotion during this one - which reminds me that I still have a heart. Strange.

Eva had the most distinct black cat energy I've read. She was witty, sarcastic, and delightfully mean. I wish I could be her when I grow up. I strive for that energy. In combat of her, we have Rylie - who's able to bounce off her like rubber. He's quite possibly a perfect golden retriever and he took NOTHING that she threw at him to heart. He embraced it. He so perfectly accepted how she was and said "give me more".

Honestly, this book had me at hello, though. The starting sentence:
"I always expected my career would revolve less around wieners than it does. I assumed there would be some wieners, of course..."

It had me questioning what I was walking into. But it did it's job and drug me right in. I read it to my husband and cackled. If you have humor in these, you've got me. Basically, if this concerns you - don't let it. Our girl is basically the hot dog version of Hot Ones. She talks to celebs while shoving hot dogs down her gullet. Her words, not mine. This wasn't the hard hitting journalism she wanted, so of course like all of us - she scrolls the unnamed Tiktok platform to drown out her sorrows of adulting. She's jaded and exhausted with the faded dreams-- a common feeling among GenZ and the Millennials (I think, at least for me)-- and came across a mirage from her past. Her first everything - who ghosted her - now deconstructing toxic masculinity for his followers on the internet. With liquid courage and a small platform - she goes viral.

Obviously, nothing bad comes from that and she doesn't get hounded on the internet. Her bosses don't lose their minds. She ends up happy, the end. Or something along those lines. This book made her outrage, my outrage. It was very poignant at times. I very much enjoyed the inclusivity of LGBTQ+ in the narrative. I really don't have a bad thing to say about this one. I was as in at page one as I was at the final page. I turned and looked at my husband and said "wow, I really liked that one". So there you have it. We all know my opinion is the one that matters, so definitely listen to me.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

For full transparency, I was allowed to read the ARC for this thanks to NetGalley and the authorMazey Eddings

But, eventually, I realized I couldn’t hate myself into someone I liked.
~
It’s your story. It’s your narrative to write and rewrite and revise as you see fit, but, at the end of it, it’s all yours.
~
You're just always so sweet, Kitten, wasn't sure how much added sugar you could handle."
~
Three quotes was the minimum here because as always, I tabbed SO MANY, as Mazey makes one do. Anyway, this book. This book was everything, and I put off reading it because Mazey is one of my comfort authors and I highly dislike when I know I have nothing new left to read by her, but I finally felt the security to read it, and oh my gods, Rylie and Eva blew me away. This was such a fun book, wrapped up with real, raw emotions and second chances and vulnerability and teasing and laughter and hurt and angst and strength and love and joy and I cried happy tears and I sobbed tears of feeling seen and I my heart threatened to jump out of my chest from joy and I laughed uncontrollably, and this book might be her best one yet. And of course, who are you if you didn’t picture Jonathan Bailey with the glasses? Anyway, the cameos? The CAMEOS had me squealing with joy. The story itself was funny but also real, and I think that’s part of what makes Mazey’s books so special. They tear down your walls and put you back together with sparkles and glitter and this is what this book felt like. Eva is a fantastic and different female character, and she was a breath of fresh air. She is witty and tough as nails with soft center, and Rylie, a surprisingly extremely complex MMC, fit with her like the perfect puzzle piece, but not before making a complete fool of himself more than once and the yearning. The yearning! Cooper and Eva were perfect for each other and I wouldn’t have wanted their story told any other way than starting with forced hot dog interview and a car crash. Buckle up and get ready to dig in to your new favorite summer read!

I wanted to love this book SO BAD.

Having been someone who did not have the context of Chicken Shop, I was so excited for this book. I loved the idea of a sarcastic, pining MMC and grumpy FMC, but for some reason, it just didn't click. I found the FMC to be a bit annoying in her stubbornness--Enough so that I couldn't imagine reading through the rest of the book (I was 50% of the way in).

I did enjoy the author's writing style and witty banter, but maybe I just wasn't the intended audience?

I wanted to like this so bad. Like if chicken shop date were a book. This was just a little too qwirky and unbelievable and I could not get invested for whatever reason. Some people may love this but wasn’t for me. Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

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

Desperate for a big break in real journalism, Eva works as a social media journalist on a show where she eats hot dogs with B and C-listers aptly titled ‘Sausage Talk’. During a slight bender, she publicly outs one of her exes from college, who is now famous for his relationship advice, as being a mediocre lover. The clip she posts goes viral overnight, garnering attention to her show that the studio couldn’t even dream of simulating. This sparks an idea, and the studio sends her and her ex on contractually obligated dates in hopes of boosting engagement for her show and his podcast.

I gave this book 3 stars. The two main characters were fun and had some great banter. My one critique is that I wish they’d spent more time figuring out who they were separately before they decided to begin a romantic relationship. The B plot of the female main character’s job being threatened added a bit more drama to the story than was strictly necessary, but made it all the more interesting to read.

Despite my qualms with some of the plot points and traits of the main characters, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun romantic comedy to read. This would make a great vacation book, and it’ll be out just in time for those end-of-summer pool days before school starts again.

I adored Well Actually, it was such a fun and lighthearted romance with really relatable characters. whats not to like? My first Mazey Eddings book which i will quickly be rectifying!

Genre 📚: Adult Contemporary, Romance
Tropes 💁‍♀️: Second chance romance, Talk show host x Influencer, Black cat x Golden retriever
Rep ✔️: Pansexual main character, bisexual love interest, BIPOC and queer side characters
CW ⚠️: Off-page death of a loved one, grief, internalized biphobia, workplace abuse
Rating ⭐️: 4/5

Yes, yes, I was one of the many people who got swept up in the Andrew x Amelia Chicken Shop Date craze. I’m a simple woman, and I swoon over simple things, even if they’re social media stunts. (“It’s called flirting, Amelia!”) So, imagine my delight when Mazey Eddings wrote a whole damn romance novel with a similar premise.

Well, Actually is just as ridiculously fun as it sounds. We have Eva, an aspiring journalist who works for Sausage Talk -- a show where she interviews B-list celebrities while eating hot dogs. Then, we have Rylie, a successful YouTuber who gives relationship advice. Eva hates Rylie more than anything, finding his mansplaining hypocritical when he, in fact, broke her heart years prior. She airs all their dirty laundry online, only to be faced with the consequences of… well, the internet. Because of course that shit goes viral.

Eva’s bosses capitalize on the situation real quick, forcing her to interview Rylie for views. And, let me just reiterate that she absolutely despises this guy. Like, as soon as they reunite, she goes for the fucking jugular. Rylie, however, claims to be a changed man and is determined to prove it. Their banter would get annoying at times, with Eva being so relentless and Rylie being so unserious, but it eventually made sense with their respective traumas. I enjoyed learning about their history and seeing them actually work through it (!!!) to move forward. Vulnerability + communication = one happy reader.

**Much thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Well, Actually will be released on August 5, 2025.

“I spent my early twenties dimming myself down, making myself as palatable as possible for the people I was dating in the hopes that they’d tolerate me enough to stick around.”

Oof. Yeah, that one hurt.

This story had so many things working against it for me in terms of tropes.

Thing #1: I’m not normally one for grumpy/sunshine. Usually it’s annoying. And black cat/golden retriever is soooo hard to get right IMO because often the man comes across too much like a dog OR the woman is just a straight up bitch for like no real reason. But this? This I think is done well! Really well. I loved how obsessed with Eva Rylie was. And I adored Eva’s biting, snarky wit. She was kinda mean but it a funny way, not in an actually mean way.

Thing #2: I also admittedly don’t love second chance romance. I feel like most of the time y’all broke up for a reason. Trying again almost reads like the definition of insanity. But again, in this case it was done well. The reasons they broke up are revealed (and it admittedly wasn’t a super long term relationship before), and they seem to work through that in this book. And Rylie, bless him, tries so so hard to make things up to Eva and get back in her good graces.

Thing #3: I love pop culture (for the most part) but I despise references to it in my books. I don’t know why, but something about it just rubs me the wrong way most of the time. This again did not. It worked. It was just enough without being too much of that makes sense?

Thing #4: Pet names. Listen, I love a good pet name as much as the next girl, but sometimes it gives the ick. And “baby girl” had me scared (and honestly “kitten” kinda did too) but I thought it was cute and they didn’t overly use them.

I do wish we’d delved a little more into her issues with her family, because it was touched on/mentioned however they weren’t really a part of the story otherwise and honestly it would’ve taken away from the romance being the focus. I like to believe Eva continued going to therapy and worked through her issues regardless.

All that to say, I loved this. I loved Eva and Rylie. I loved that it was funny but still had its serious moments. I love that Rylie loved how prickly Eva was but also made her feel safe enough by the end to be soft. I loved that we didn’t have a third-act breakup. I loved the slow burn. The banter. I don’t know what else to say. Mazey must’ve put something in this one because it’s definitely a new favorite! I was literally giddy reading this (and I don’t DO giddy…I’m very much like Eva in that way 🐈‍⬛).

I received an ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

6⭐️

If you enjoyed Truly Madly Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur then you should definitely pick this up. Like that one the podcast/online element is more prominent in the first 50%ish, the banter between the two leads felt similar too.

Yes the FMC comes across quite combative and abrasive there are clear reasons why (I wish she’d talked about her family life more with MMC as that clearly had a massive impact on her and was never really explored). The way the dynamic built worked well, they go to couples counselling on one of their dates of course it’s all very healthy. The start of it is a bit of an issue for me as MMC just assumes FMC wants to rekindle their relationship despite witnessing how much her work is pressuring her to pursue this boost in viewers. Though being in her head we can see there is conflict there I just don’t see how he got there beyond just taking the chance he’s been waiting 6 years for.

The author includes trigger warnings at the start so please do check those, it should just be standard practice now that these are available to help people protect their mental health when needed.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really love Mazey Eddings. And I was so grateful to get an arc of this. I’d had two of my favorite things: hot dogs and witty banter. I really loved the verbal sparing of the characters.
I love that the writing was constantly challenging me. Because there were moments where I found myself annoyed at or dismissive of Eva, but the whole point is to be reflective on what is acceptable behavior for men and for women. And when a man verbally spares like that it can be attractive but a woman might be too vicious. I’m deeply empathetic so I liked when the shell finally cracks and we got to see more of the softer side of Eva.
And I loved Rylie as a character and the exploration of masculinity and his sexuality including biphobia.
Overall I really enjoyed this read and I can’t wait to see what Mazey comes up with next

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings!

This one was messy, and I mostly loved it.

Eva is your classic black cat heroine: sarcastic, guarded, emotionally walled-up... but, honestly? She was also just plain mean a lot of the time. Her personality is framed as a trauma response (which is fair), but that doesn’t totally excuse how often she lashes out at Rylie, even when he’s showing up and doing the work. It made it a little hard to root for her in the first half—but thankfully, her growth arc does come through. Rylie, though? A golden retriever with a redemption arc, emotional intelligence, and a podcast about dismantling toxic masculinity. He’s goofy, kind, patient, and maybe a little too good to be true, but I didn’t care. The banter between them is LOL good and the slow burn is burning.

One of the highlights of Well, Actually is its thoughtful and casual inclusion of queer characters. The story doesn’t make their identities the focus—instead, it integrates them naturally into the friend group and broader cast, which makes the world feel more inclusive and real. The representation feels affirming without being performative, and it's clear Mazey Eddings wanted readers across the spectrum to feel seen. It’s refreshing, joyful, and exactly how more rom-coms should do it.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I am on such a streak of bad books, I can't take it. Here's another. I could not stand the FMC, Eva. She was so mean!! And immature! And, apparently, had zero idea how to use her phone. Oops, I posted a video I shouldn't have and now it's gone viral. Oops, I accidentally had Alexa send a text to the MMC, Rylie, describing his....anatomy. WHILE SHE WAS IN THE SHOWER. And WHY did the Rylie (or Cooper, the names were interchangeable which drove me nuts) still have feelings for her? I don't get it! She was so horrible to him. The banter wasn't there, the chemistry wasn't there, he was trying too hard to win her back, and I was bored. When I requested this, I thought it was going to have Rachel Lynn Solomon's "The Ex Talk" vibes; sadly, this didn't come close. DNF at 30%.

(As an aside, is it just me, or did anyone else wonder how much money Rylie lost on that first date? See? This is where my mind wandered when I couldn't stay focused on what was happening in the book.)