I’m kicking myself for not starting this ARC sooner. I absolutely loved this book. Eva and Rylie have great banter and I do not give that sort of praise lightly. I need a couple to be able to go toe for toe and this one definitely does. Just add it to your TBR now, okay?
Just in case you want a few tidbits about the book it’s got hate to love, second chance, and fake (ish) dating tropes. Both Eva and Riley have online personas and, for lack of a better word, collab to capitalize on a viral moment. Trust me, just give this book a try.

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

RYLIE COOPER 😍🥵🥵🥵🥵😍
A little nerdy, a lot of goofy, and a freak in the sheets.
Eva Kitt 🥹❤️❤️
Highly emotionally guarded, a secret softie, and a venomous wit.

Chicken shop dates meets hotdogs and C list celebrities.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review. I had the BEST time 🤩

Second chance romances have my whole heart and this novel is no different. Possibly my all time fav from Mazey thus far! She has such a way of displaying the flaws and faults in characters that make them feel more realistic and I adore that.

This book is a clever, heartfelt delight. Well, Actually serves up snappy banter, laugh-out-loud moments, and surprisingly tender reflections on second chances and personal growth. Eva’s sharp wit and Rylie’s earnest attempts to prove he’s changed make for a charming opposites-attract dynamic that feels both fresh and genuine

Thank you to Mazey Eddings, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of Well, Actually in exchange for my honest review.

Well, Actually follows Eva who after drunkenly rambling on social media about her hatred for an ex of hers, is put into a situation where she has to go on dates with him. From the very start I loved this book. It is a reverse grumpy sunshine, where she is the grumpy one. Eva does NOT know how to discuss her feelings if her life depended on it, and as a result she just has this neutral outlook that can come across as well, grumpy and somewhat blunt. Then there is Rylie, who for his own reasons is a former toxic male who has now made a platform for himself where he deconstructs toxic masculinity. From the outside looking in this is a grumpy sunshine ex's to enemies to lovers type of a vibe. However, when you get into the weeds of this book, this is a story about growth and forgiveness. Eva grows significantly throughout this book, though in a way where she still feels human. As a reader, we get to see Eva learn to accept that her emotions are valid and that she does not have to pretend that they do not exist. While Rylie's growth is less apparent as he does not have a POV, it is powerful to watch someone go through the process of making up for wrongs that they did in the past. I will say, the one thing about this book that I struggled with is that there were some subplots that felt unnecessary. For example, there is a subplot surrounding Eva's complex relationship with her family, however, that is barely touched upon throughout the novel it is just there and is left unresolved. It was a central part of Eva and her struggles yet she never discussed it with Rylie and we never saw her family. I do wish that it has either been explored a little more, or it was made to feel like less of subplot because I kept waiting for it to be resolved and it never was. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all my fellow romance lovers.

Well, actually, Mazey Eddings remains one of the top voices in contemporary romance.

Can you say BANTER?? The back and forth between Eva and Rylie made this book a true winner. Eva was so stupid, but in a fun way, not in an “I want to shake her” way. Her repeated insistence on hating Rylie, while he just was hopelessly in love with her, made for such great banter between the two. This was perfect in the single POV, as we really got to see her growth.

Some things knocked this down a star for me, but I am nit-picky. Once the spice took over, the plot lost its footing, and the final confrontation with the villains was a bit too rushed for my taste. Some of the references are perfect now but will be easily dated by next year. Fans of Eddings will love the Lizzie Blake cameo, but newcomers to her work may be a bit lost.

Still, you ACTUALLY should read this book :)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the
E-ARC! Loved so much! The banter was so good! Fun characters & great setting. Excited for the next book!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This was a fun read, and I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. Eva Kitt and Rylie Cooper are the perfect example of black cat and golden retriever puppy characters. She’s snarky, witty and disillusioned, and he’s earnest, sweet and trying to earn her forgiveness. Eva’s growth of trusting someone enough to let them in, to finally believing that she’s enough as she is to be loved was a great and emotional arc, it felt so realistic because who doesn’t feel less than at times.

4.25/5 rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review an e-arc copy of this book!

This was a delightfully hilarious book that also had me almost bawling my eyes out. Mazey Eddings filled this story with so much emotion.

Eva is funny, stubborn, and persistent. She has such a tender heart that she has hidden behind the highest and thickest walls.

Rylie is patient, supportive, emotionally intelligent and he *GOES TO THERAPY*. In college, Rylie set the bar pretty low for Eva, but after 6 years he’s made big changes and is ready to make it up to her.

I really enjoyed this one!

One of my favorite quotes: “I am a woman in STEM only in the sexy, tenacious, emotionally malicious sense.”

If I'm being honest, there were many points in the first 50% of the book that I almost DNFed this. I don't really enjoy the trope of a drunken rant posted on the Internet that goes valid and then oopsie daisy the main character has to deal with their morning-after embarrassment. Eva Kitt, host of Sausage Talk (think Chicken Shop Date, but with hot dogs), drunkenly stitches a video with her college ex, Rylie Cooper, who happens to be an influencer who posts about dismantling toxic masculinity. She attempts to call him out on his BS (he was a bad guy in college, so he must still be one now, right?), and oopsie daisy it gets a lot of internet attention and now they have to do their podcasts together!

The dynamic between Eva and Riley is very black cat/golden retriever, but Eva is a mean black cat. She's mean because she's never been loved blah blah blah, but she was so so mean to Riley on so many occasions that it was frustrating and hurtful to read.

Well, not only does she warm up a bit, but she learns to communicate (!) about her wants (!) and needs (!) and feelings (!) with Riley (!) and her friends (!). AND there's no third act break-up!!!! So I really mean it that the second half of this book redeemed the first half. Do I wish Eva were nicer throughout? Yes. But we love character growth.

I will say, I stuck with this book because I love Mazey Eddings. There are some adorable cameos from her previous books. And I just really like the way she tells stories and crafts characters. So it was worth it to stick through for sure.

5/5⭐️ 2/5🌶️ 1/5😢

I quite literally have over 100 highlights for this ARC as this might be some of the best banter I’ve ever read 😅 I adored the characters and was presently surprised by the emotional depth for a “romcom”. I highly recommend reading if you like the following:

- black cat x golden retriever trope
- NYC setting 🏙️
- bi/pan representation 🌈
- mental health rep 📈
- slutty little glasses 🤓
- ELITE banter 🫢

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

With an online show called Sausage Talk this had me hooked and what it entailed well that is a different beast which you have read to know. Both characters Eva and Riley were Ying and yang but complimented one another. When Eva does something that goes viral, I couldn’t wait to see what happens there. I was taken by surprise as to what happens at the very end and loved how the author ended by saying, The FLUFFY end (gotta keep it PG guys)! I couldn’t stop laughing there.

I want to give thanks @NetGalley and @ St.MartinsGriffin for allowing me to read this book in advance, which I highly recommend.

2/5 stars
3/5 spice

Honestly, I am so disappointed by Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings. Mazey had come onto my radar with their previous release, Late Bloomer. I haven't gotten around to picking it up but it's been on my TBR. Now I'm not sure I want to keep it on there. When I first heard about Well, Actually, I thought it sounded like a silly, fun time. Taking obvious inspiration from the viral Chicken Shop Date, I was very interested in giving it a read. In my personal opinion, however, the summary given about the book completely misleads you into thinking the tone of this book is lighthearted. It really is not.

I expected comedy, workplace rivals to lovers, and overall goofiness. Instead, however, this book is heavy with trauma. It is kind of depressing the entire time. The FMC is a grump who is happy to complain about her job and almost everything else in her life. The MMC is a reformed frat boy who has many trauma's that get discussed throughout the novel. Together, it made the book feel like one exhausting therapy session.

While I didn't particularly enjoy either the FMC or the MMC, I did definitely prefer the MMC. The FMC was happy to be a Debby Downer that found a problem with everything and was simply uninterested in being open to things and growing as a person. Then suddenly at 50% she's inspired. Inspired to change? HA, no, of course not. Inspired to suddenly be ridiculously horny for the MMC. So then they suddenly start having a bunch of sex. How am I supposed to root for these two? There is no chemistry, no bonding, no understanding. There was no reason for them to be together.

I don't want to get into anymore "spoilery" territory so I am going to leave it at that. The plot felt cyclical, the FMC was exhausting, and I simply could not root for the main characters. I am very frustrated and disappointed with this novel overall. I really do hope others love it, I just cannot give it my recommendation at this time.

This was a fun read, reminiscent of chicken shop date! The female lead, Eva, hosts a show where she interviews celebs while eating hot dogs. The male lead, Rylie, has good own podcast where he discusses toxic masculinity. The two briefly dated in college but are now set up for fake dates after Eva calls out Rylie on the internet and the video goes viral.

I loved the banter between the two characters, Eva as a black cat personality and Rylie with golden retriever energy. The story line was also unique that it felt like a fresh take on fake dating and second chance romance. Read it if you are a fan of chicken shop date, hilarious banter, and a MMC with emotional intelligence.

Okay, so, who is going to greenlight Sausage Talk hosted by Jonathan Bailey and Florence Pugh? I need that injected in my veins.

I want to start off by saying that this is my first read by Mazey Eddings. I was originally pulled in by the cover because it’s gorgeous, but the blurb was what really sealed the deal. Love a good enemies to lovers, but I’m also obsessed with the confident girl/nerdy boy trope. Mazey served this to me on a silver platter.

‘Well, Actually’ is about a podcast reflective to the popular ‘Chicken Shop Date’. The host, Eva Kitt, leads conversation with guests over hotdogs. When her ex Rylie goes viral online, Eva seeks to put an end to it by airing out their dirty laundry. In order to clean up the scandal, her team arranges an interview between Eva and Rylie to bury the hatchet.

What’s supposed to be a simple interview ends up being the beginning of an agreement: let Rylie take her on a date to make up for past mistakes and go on his channel afterwards to discuss the experience.

What I loved about this book was the transparency of both characters. Mazey made sure to touch on the highs and lows of these two characters and we’ve together a beautiful, imperfect relationship. Rylie is incredible. His maturity level and intentionality was refreshing to read through throughout the book. There were times when it was tough to love Eva, but at the end, she became my favorite character. Love the passion that these two had for one another, and the slow burn that was bubbling under the surface.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to request an arc, and thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sharing Mazey‘s work with me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️

Love this book. It’s deeply queer even if the characters are in a “straight” passing relationship and it’s really funny and joyful. The characters are clearly based on Amelia and Andrew, but I love that.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

A charming, heartfelt novel from Mazey Eddings, again. Every page was filled with fun, delicious angst, or beautifully emotional character development. Another one I’ll have to buy to add to my shelves.

OMG! This is everything I expect from Mazey! Slightly unhinged FMC and a lovable golden retriever MMC with a backstory!

Eva is a prickly woman! I wish we would’ve gotten more of her story of growth in this, hopefully home girl got some therapy but we love prickly woman!

4.5 rounded up to 5☆

This book was so very Mazey Eddings, and I mean that in the best way possible! It was funny but also real and relatable. Eva & Riley made for a believable couple and had a realistic storyline, something that makes a story that much more enjoyable to me!

Eva Kitt was not your typical FMC. She was mean, and witty, and fun, and so over your sh*t. It was fantastic. She never cut Cooper any slack, and I loved that as much as he did.

And Riley Cooper. The surprisingly complex MMC I didn't see coming. He was also fun and somehow perfect for Eva. If you're seeking some good old-fashioned yearning, Cooper is your guy.

The two of them as a couple? Spicy but sweet, fun but serious. I don't know how to put it other than just saying you should read this book!



Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this early in exchange for my honest review!

Well, Actually started strong for me, but quickly lost steam - it just wasn’t quite what I was hoping it would be. Our main man was too perfect. Our leading lady was just so flawed. Only he can “fix her”. It just didn’t leave the best taste in my mouth in the end.

I still did have a good time. I think the humour will hit for the chronically online, but sadly I fear that means it has a shorter shelf life. With so many pop culture references, it risks being out of date by the time the book is published. Which in some cases, is the story here.

My biggest grievance was that our main man, Rylie, was simply too perfect. All his flaws and self work were in the past. He somehow had influence, money, said all the right things, and appeared to have very little of a life outside of getting our main lady back. All his nuance seemed to be 6 years in the past. It just didn’t make him someone I cared much about it the end. I also did not enjoy how much our main lady relied on him for her self worth throughout the final conflict.

I do so hope you enjoy it. I myself just wish our leading lady could have stood a bit more firmly on her own feet by the end of the story

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