Eva Kitt always imagined her journalism career would be a bit more 60 Minutes and a lot less hot dog smorgasbord with washed-up celebrities. But her trajectory takes a sharp and unexpected turn when, during a wine-fueled haze, she impulsively stitches together a viral video calling out a former college hookup, Cooper, for the hypocrisy in his now-squeaky-clean persona. She never expected the video to gain traction—but the internet has other plans.

Soon, Eva is strong-armed by her manipulative, ratings-hungry boss into confronting Cooper live on air. She wants nothing to do with reopening that chapter of her life, but Cooper has other ideas—like convincing her to go on six dates with him to prove he’s not the same heartbreaker she remembers.

Can Eva resist falling for the polished version of the guy who once let her down? Or are some doors best left closed?

This rom-com had me laughing out loud at the sharp, witty banter between Eva and Cooper, while also reflecting on how much people evolve (or don’t) after college. A breezy, smart read that hits all the right notes of charm, humor, and heart.

This surprised me in many ways! It wasn't on my radar at all until Ashley Poston recommended it at a book event. My review for this is going to be all over the place because I have a lot of thoughts about a lot of elements. Overall, would recommend!

Things I loved:
-That it wasn't a complete rip-off of Chicken Shop Date. I was afraid this was going to be basically an Amelia Dimoldenberg/Andrew Garfield fic, and the story quickly veered away from any similarities between them.
-How gay it is! When I requested this book, I had no idea, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that both main characters were queer.
-I enjoyed how quippy it is. Often, pop culture references bug me in books, but this didn't bother me as much.
-It's about people being messy, and I enjoy a messy main character.

Things that were just okay:
-Soapboxy dialogue. There were a lot of buzzwords and therapy talk, especially around queer topics. It felt a little unnecessary for an adult romance book (though as I'm saying this, I loved Rylie's journey with his sexuality).
-Kitten. It was a clever pet name at first, but by the end I was over it.
-Tell, not show, about how wonderful a writer Eva is. I wish we had seen some of her work outside of Sausage Talk.

My experience with this reminded me a lot of when I read You, Again by Kate Goldbeck. I look forward to going back and reading Mazey Eddings' other books.

i absolutely ate this book up. from the very first page, this story had me hooked. our two main characters, eva & riley hooked up in college and riley ghosted eva after. after seeing riley’s podcast of him claiming to be ‘such a good guy’ eva posts a bit of a meltdown on tiktok after a night of drinking exposing him. eva is the host of a somewhat popular talk show, where she interviews celebrities while eating hot dogs (lol) and her job decides they can profit off her new viral meltdown about riley cooper. eva & riley team up for sausage talk and go on a series of dates that result in some seriously top tier banter and the best grumpy x sunshine trope. this book had me seriously laughing out loud at so many moments. i could not stop giggling. riley is such a golden retriever and eva is definitely the black cat! i loved going along these dates with them and seeing them resolve their past issues. it was so refreshing to read about feelings being discussed this way in a romance novel, i feel like i haven’t read characters having the conversations they had in a very long time. the only reason why this wasn’t a 5 star for me was because i wish the conflict between eva and her best friend, aida didn’t feel so rushed. i love female friendships and would have loved to see more of that and how they overcame it and how that affected eva. overall, i would highly recommend this book and really loved it.

This wasn’t my favorite Mazey Eddings book but it was enjoyable. I liked the diversity of the characters and the representation. The side characters truly shine!

What brought it down for me was the main character, Eva. While her struggles were valid and important, her abrasive personality and constant defensiveness made it difficult to root for her. Her emotional arc just didn’t quite land for me.

Overall, a good story with a meaningful message — just not quite the right fit for me, personally.

“You’re an enemy of the state,” he says against my mouth.

“What state?”

“The state of my mental health.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Well, Actually is 5 stars. No notes.

Eva and Rylie dated in college. He completely ghosted her and she never fully recovered. Eva hosts a celeb interview show and Rylie has a huge social media following. She blasts him online and when the post goes viral, they’re forced back into one another’s lives for the sake of publicity.

Their chemistry is instant, but so delicious and not forced in any way. Eva is tough, guarded, witty, and will verbally tear you apart without even having to think about it if needed. Rylie is a steady force of calm, patience, reassurance, and unconditional love.

Both characters are queer (bisexual and pansexual) and another part of storyline in the book is about an organization to support youth in the queer community. Sexuality is handled so beautifully in Well, Actually.

Rylie and Eva are so messy and soft. Seeing their walls come down and the past repaired is just perfection. Mazey Eddings has such a talent for creating perfectly imperfect character.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

What a delightfully flirty and funny romance!! This features guarded, shit talking Eva Kitt, the host of a Chicken Shop Date-esque internet show and podcast host Rylie Cooper (who coincidentally went on a handful of dates in college followed by a ghosting). Eva is determined to rip this man a new one, to no avail. The banter in this book is top notch. I loved hearing Rylie and Eva volley back and forth. But, I also loved how Mazey Eddings showed us why Eva was so guarded and the gooey little heart she had under her Hot Girl armor. I will be reading more Mazey Eddings after this.

2nd chance romance , fast paced, witty at times, lots of Tik Tok and pop culture references. If you are not into social media the storyline may not make sense to you. I got the storyline but overall ,though, the story and characters were just too flat, unlikable , unrelatable.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and chance to offer opinion

Mazey Eddings does it again and writes a romcom that I absolutely love and had me giggling and kicking my feet because of the mmc. I loved this second chance romance between Eva and Rylie, like they are both obsessed with each other and work so well together. Rylie is the only one who sees Eva for who she is not the persona she portrays online, and I loved it.

I thought the whole story was very cute. It touched upon problems we face daily in the business industry. It also showed how to advocate for yourself when sometimes it might be hard. It showed that sometimes life isn't all the easy. But at the same time it told a great story of a second chance at love for people who weren't quite ready the first time.

I loved Eva's character, sweet and sassy.
Cooper's character was done- loved the cute nerd vibe. Love the pink ears when he's embarrassed- mine do the same thing and I've never thought of it as a cute trait.

I love their banter and their growth- they were perfect for each other.

I laughed and swooned multiple times.

This was a new-to-me author and WOW I loved this. The play on chicken shop date was super fresh. I love how social media played into this in a way that wasn’t cringey. Second chance romance but make it fun, feisty, and spicy!! Also loved how delightfully gay this was, especially since I read this during pride month!! Loved the story and representation all around.

This was the first book I've read by Mazey and it definitely won't be my last.

Great tension, premise, and the banter in this book is an absolute *chefs kiss*.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Well, Actually! Eva and Rylie’s second-chance romance had the perfect mix of spice, heart, and hilarious banter. Eva is sharp and unapologetic, and Rylie is the charming ex you can’t help but root for—even when he puts his foot in his mouth.

Mazey Eddings does such a great job blending humor with real conversations about grief, identity, and toxic masculinity. It’s fun, messy, emotional, and completely addictive. I flew through it and have never related to a character like I related to Eva.

Big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC!

If you like snarky, low self-esteem, heroines with a penchant for spitting out biting commentary; then, this is a book for you. We are introduced to Eva Kitt in this novel. She has a degree in journalism; but, is in a job doing meaningless schtick while eating hot dogs and interviewing up & coming celebs. She admires the owner of the company she works for and feels like she would get a decent shake from her. One of her besties also works at the same company.

This book has some insight into relationships; familial, romantic, business, & friendship. The HEA and hea deal with the loss of a familial relationship. One eventually deals with it in a positive way; but, only after hitting rock-bottom. The other doesn't really deal with their feelings of inadequacy at all; except to curl up and ignore everything and everybody.

I like how this book dealt with workplace bullying; from the top down. I kept wondering why Eva put up with the s**t her superiors were dumping on her and not just walking away. The only point of contention I have is that the author left it up to someone else to make Eva feel good about herself; instead of letting her find the guidance she needed on her own to face it head-on. That's merely my feelings; but, hey, I am not an author, so, ya know, "poetic license". She's allowed to make her characters any way she wants them to be.

The writing is good an draws the reader in. I was invested in the characters and their lives. I enjoyed the plot and the secondary and tertiary characters as well. I am hoping that the author follows this up with a second book about one of Eva's besties as there are stories to tell there too.

4.25 stars

I loved both of these main characters. Eva was so much fun. She was a bit prickly on the outside to cover disappointments she had faced with her job and in finding romance. Only those that knew her well were able to see the softie she really was. Rylie was adorable with his funky sweaters and his podcast which focused on men doing better. I enjoyed the secondary characters. Eva friends were funny and supportive. Rylie's roommates were very cool and added to the circle of personalities. The banter between them all were my favorite parts of the story. Ms. Eddings does this very well. The ending was so very good and I sighed with contentment when I completed the book. I finished it in one sitting.

I received an e-ARC for Well, Actually and want to thank Mazey Eddings, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to voluntarily read and give an honest review of this book. Well, Actually will be published on August 5, 2025.

Eva is on her way to be a journalist. Interviewing almost has-been celebs while eating hotdogs on the internet is the way to do it... right? But when she goes on a drunken tangent, calling out her ex, she goes viral. And it doesn't help that she just called out Riley, a beloved social media personality. Eva's company just told her that she can start writing more serious stories and become a real journalist, as long as she can extend her virality by going on dates with Riley.

The banter in this book gives me life. Both Eva and Riley are so funny and I definitely like the direction of their love story. But I'm not going to lie, I didn't see it so clearly in the begining because Eva's animosity for Riley ran deep. The enemies-to-lovers trope is not my favorite, and these characters embodies the reasons as to why. I truly believed they can't even get along at all.

I guess it speaks volumes to how good the writing is, because even I was convinced that they were meant to be together, So kudos to the author. And I think since the unfriendliness is one sided, we were already halfway there.

The thing that truly made this book shine was how communication was the center of everything. Maybe somebody can explain if better, but the way the characters just poured their hearts out plus the playful banter, was truly superb.

This book talks about mental health and a variety of other issues. And I appreciate the author putting in a trigger warning, because it can be triggering. Though I praise the banter, this was also very emotional. You can't help but feel for the characters.

Overall, the book was really good. I really appreciate the relationship it showed.

What a delightful read! Eva is a sarcastic aspiring journalist, feigning apathy on her show, Sausage Talk (think Chicken Shop Date, only with hotdogs). One night after, another somewhat humiliating show, she stumbles upon a video of her ex, Riley Cooper, and his podcast where he dissects toxic masculinity. In response, she makes a video, calling him out on his bullshit. The video takes off, and Eva finds herself agreeing to having Riley on the show, for them to go on 6 dates, and for them to record episodes for his podcast where they debrief. What Eva doesn’t expect is for her to actually start enjoying herself.
This is the first book by Mazey Eddings I’ve read, and I really enjoyed it. Eva’s people pleasing makes sense knowing her childhood, and Riley’s backstory helps to explain his behavior and subsequent character arc. I look forward to reading more books by Mazey!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

I LOVED this book! Eva and Rylie are adorable together and their story and conflict are so good! I loved how much our characters seemed to grow throughout the story and their flashbacks. At first, I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to relate to Eva and her story but it was so well done that I empathized with her so much.
I love that Eva’s love language is snark and meanness and Rylie is totally golden retriever energy.

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

It reminded me of Chicken Shop Date and Quinnickleshow on TikTok was who I pictured as the MMC. #IYKYK I truly love a black cat FMC + golden retriever MMC combo normally, but I feel like the FMC was overboard at some points. The spice was the perfect amount. I thought the therapy date was the best part. The end was wrapped up too quickly for me. Overall, I thought this was a cute, easy read.

4.5⭐️ Thank you to St Martins Press for the ARC!

I seriously haven’t binge read a book like this in so long! The whiplash I got from their therapy session to Rylies dirty god lawd!!! Seriously this book had it all, witty banter and some of the jokes legit had me laughing out loud!, so emotional intelligence/conversations! I really enjoyed this book!