I’m a huge fan of second-chance romances, and Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings is a fantastic addition to your summer TBR! This fun, fast-paced story—out in August—has everything you want in a beach read: sizzling spice, sharp banter, and delightfully quirky inner dialogue.

Eva Kitt hosts a bizarre internet show involving hot dogs (yes, really!), and that’s just the beginning. After a social media mishap, she reconnects with Rylie, and their journey kicks off from there. Expect workplace drama, past trauma to unpack, a lovable supporting cast, and a thoroughly satisfying story with a great ending.

I’m giving this one 4.75 out of 5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of Well, Actually—it was an absolute joy to read!

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I just don’t think this book is it for me. I thought the Chicken Shop adjacent aspect of this book was really cool and I haven’t read anything like it. The cover is also so beautiful. I also think it was well written, and I would like to read something else from this author at some point! I just really couldn’t get into the characters, I usually do not mind snarky and overly sarcastic female main characters, but Eva was just a bit mean and defensive at points. I did also not enjoy the over use of tik tok slang and internet references. Yes, this is our life now and it should be used in stories, I think it was too much at some points. Thank you St. Martins Press and Netgalley for this arc!

a second chance romance full of drool worthy banter, wit and spice galore! 3.5-4 stars

Eva Kitt never thought her dreams of a career in journalism would lead her to interview sub tier celebrities while munching on hotdogs, but after she drunkenly calls out her ex on social media, new opportunities may be on the horizon. Rylie Cooper isn't exactly the stereotypical frat bro that Eva remembers, and in the six years since they were together Rylie has become somewhat of a social media star, hosting a podcast that mostly discusses toxic masculinity, gender roles, mental health and being a supportive partner. When the two reconnect Rylie is determined to make it up to Eva, but Eva isn't so willing to play nice.

Thoughts and potential spoilers:

THIS BOOK IS A BLUEPRINT FOR GOOD BANTER!!! UGH it was delicious! Eva was ruthless but Rylie was so playful and took every punch! I personally loved Eva though I know there are people out there who will hate her. She is strong minded, guarded and sooo bitchy but paired with Rylies goofy, words of affirmation king energy it was a true black cat golden retriever dynamic. I'm always such a sucker with when the FMC is scared of being vulnerable or tries to self sabotage and MMC is relentless and patient.
"Well, Eva, I hate to break it to you, but right now your hard-headedness is really fucking annoying. So I guess we're even. Doesn't change my decision though. We aren't breaking up."
"I love you, you little demon!"
"I love you, and there's nothing you can do to stop me, so you might as well accept it."
UGH IT'S JUST SO GOOD. I think alot of people won't understand Eva, but when you grow up in a household where you're constantly told to toughen up, it is so impossibly challenging to be vulnerable with someone or to let yourself care. "If you care than it hurts more when they inevitably leave" and that type of trauma take YEARS to overcome and I wish we had gotten to see and understand more of Eva's childhood trauma, and not just her past with Rylie.
Rylie is a perfect delicious ray of sunshine. Bantery teasing? Filthy mouth? Words of affirmation? PERFECT

I think my only complaint is some of the pacing in the book. We spend a long time seeing the banter and dynamic and attraction grow, and then they flip a switch and it's pound city! Nothing wrong with that and i loved that they couldn't keep their hands off one another, but then the work place plot conflict was super quick

Thanks so much to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC all thoughts and opiions are my own

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on August 5, 2025.

This was my first Mazey Eddings book and was recommended to me by several other book influencers, so I was excited to start reading. The premise of this book was super cute - two separate podcasters who slept together once, 6 years ago in college, are brought back together after one of them blasts the other on social media. In order to rectify the situation, they both agree to publicly go on dates and discuss them on a podcast afterwards. Let the drama commence.

To be honest, I found Rylie (MMC) to be a total golden retriever. For me, it was Eva (FMC) who I had trouble connecting with. She was very strong willed and a little too ungrateful for my liking. I traditionally like FMCs who say what they mean, but something about Eva seemed overly rude at times. I did, however, appreciate the toxic work place exposure and I thought Mazey's writing was great.

A solid 3 stars for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC

This wonderful book gave the perfect amount of love, humour, and heartwarming moments. Eva and Riley deserve the world and endless love.

i was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as i did. the tension, the pining, the characters, ugh it was all so good. i also loveee a second chance romance trope which the author executed perfectly. the main characters are so perfectly flawed and vulnerable throughout this book which made it so much more enjoyable to read. and a fmc that acc knows her worth??? YES. this book was honestly fun, the only turn off was how the plot of the book uses everyday slang that is seen on tiktok. it’s not my cup of tea and ik a lot of people dont like those types of books either, but regardless the way the author delivered the characters and their storyline balanced it out.

Well, Actually follows Eva, an ambitious aspiring journalist whose dreams of hard-hitting reporting have taken an unexpected detour—hosting Sausage Talk, a quirky show where she interviews D- to B-list celebrities over lukewarm hot dogs. One night, slightly tipsy and fully fed up, Eva reacts to a viral video by her college crush-turned-regret, Rylie, who lists relationship red flags—many of which sound suspiciously familiar. Her video response gains traction, thrusting her back into Rylie's orbit as her employer strong-arms her to capitalize on the drama. As the two reconnect under very public scrutiny, Eva must confront the possibility that people—especially Rylie—can change.

This book gave me so many feels. The witty, whip-smart banter between Eva and Rylie was a total delight—her prickly sarcasm met perfectly by his soft, golden-retriever energy. The chemistry felt both authentic and electric. I also deeply appreciated the natural, unforced diversity of the characters and how the story explored the fluidity of sexuality with genuine care and nuance. Mental health themes were handled with insight and heart, giving the characters real emotional weight. I even found myself tearing up at times, which practically never happens on a first read.

I wholeheartedly recommend this one—it’s funny, smart, tender, and empowering.

Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had the time of my life reading this book. I have loved Mazey’s writing for quite some time now but Well, Actually completely knocked it out of the park!!
This was such a romantic book (TOP TIER MALE YEARNING!!!! Rylie Cooper KING of puppy dog baby boys!!!) with a PERFECT balance of comedy and also depth and emotion.
I also LOVE some jaded, cold exterior, a little mean girl representation!! My Eva baby is JADED! And I SUPPORT all her wrongs!!!! That being said, I absolutely adored getting to see her slowly soften up with Rylie and unpack everything from their past while moving forward!! In such a unique way!! Mazey literally manifested Amelia x Andrew Chicken Shop date chemistry!!!! And then wrote the follow through that they refuse to give us….

All in all, I LOVED THIS BOOK!! I already cannot wait to reread ASAAPPPP!!!!

This book was good but it wasn’t my favorite. I don’t typically gravitate towards second chance.. it’s the one trope I just can’t get behind especially in romance. For the right person, it’s a great book.

White this was a little tough for me to get into, i really enjoyed it at the end! Eva was a harder character for me to try behind, but after a little while I grew to like her. Definitely had some chicken shop date vibes!! Really cute and a fun read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC!!

I loved the description of this book, but unfortunately the book itself didn't quite stick the landing for me. I felt like Eva was a tough character to connect with- the Tiktok-esque language was a bit jarring, I wanted to love her but she honestly came across as rude/combative so much of the time, and a lot of her personality just ended up feeling like a forced persona. Every time she called him "baby girl" it just didn't feel authentic! I liked Rylie/Cooper as a love interest and had fun reading about their first few dates, but ultimately I just wasn't able to connect with the characters.

"stop making fun of me before i fall in love with you" - energy in literally the best way possible

as always, Mazey Eddings combines horniness and emotion in an insane plot that should not work but somehow does. i'll love you and your books forever Mazey Eddings

This is the first book I’ve read by Mazey Eddings and I had a good time! Eva Kitt is a strong female main-character paired with a dorkier male character, Rylie Cooper, and they navigate their past tryst and social media hype around it after Eva posts a video recounting the time she spent with Rylie.

Eva’s a quite frustrating character to read, but I liked her, found myself rooting for her all the way to the end. The banter with Rylie was superb, but I do feel like the novel lost some of its steam along the way. Maybe I was expecting a little more in the third act than there was. Also, although I was rooting for Eva, I don’t think her character arc is fully actualized because at 90%, she’s still acting a certain way. Also, we did not get enough conclusion regarding her family, who is absent from the book, but important enough to Eva’s character to be mentioned multiple times until they disappear from the page. Something was just missing there.The plot itself is pretty entertaining, but we lose a little past the halfway point, and while this makes sense character wise, this is where the novel started to fall off a bit for me. It was still easy to keep reading, but some points were glossed over.

Overall, this book is just a fun time. You will laugh and again, the BANTER is so well-written, the chemistry between the two leads is palpable right off the page from their first scene together. If you’re looking to have a laugh and you don’t mind the social media-ness of it all, then you’ll enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!!!

I was interested in this book because I'd seen the roundups. A Chicken Date inspired book? Sure, I'm interested. I got into it, and quickly thought the MMC was similar to a real-life podcaster who has some legal troubles brewing, and I wasn't sure how into it I would really be. But i persisted, and I'm glad I did. In the end, both main characters grew on me and each other. And we got important life lessons along the way — especially standing up for oneself in the workplace.

This second chance romance was one for the books (pun intended)! I loved the banter and conversations, they felt very real and captivating! The character development was spot on as well, with Eva and Cooper growing together and individually through the book. I loved the chicken shop date vibes lol!

Thank you for the ARC, Net Galley!

I really enjoyed this book. It had witty banter, and i never wanted to put it down. I loved the characters and the story. It was definately relatable to me. If you are a romance fan, this is a must read!

What really stood out to me about this book was its pacing—it kept a steady momentum with no dull moments, and I was drawn in right from the start. Rylie Cooper, the male lead, completely won me over. He was thoughtful, kind, and incredibly loving toward Eva, making him a genuinely well-rounded and surprisingly deep character. I also appreciated how both main characters were given meaningful depth. Unlike some recent romances that overemphasize trauma just to drive the plot, the characters’ histories and experiences here felt natural and purposeful, which was refreshing

I am riding the vibes high of this book and I don’t even care. I loved it so much, it’s getting 5 stars from me. Eva is an FMC for all guarded, former self loathing ladies. She’s for the Nesta lovers. God, I loved her so much. She put up such a rough exterior and our dear boy Rylie softened her. I love their journey. Definitely very character driven with lots of character development. Some heavy themes are tackled and I think it’s done with grace. Some parts could feel maybe a little trauma bondy but overall it does not give that vibe.Absolutely adored.

Thank you Netgalley for my early copy! Forever grateful
Slowly becoming obsessed with Mazey Eddings making me swoon and laugh thoughout the whole journey of this story.
Cooper is so adorable and everything I would ever want in a MMC, Eva is so set on hating him it hurts to see her act mean to him, but it's also kind of funny that he will not back off and just is completely enamored by her.
Cooper needs a hug and I want to give him one so badly!!
Eva needs a hug too dammit! Getting further into the story and uncovering their experiences and trama had me feeling so much for them two.
There's a specific moment in this book that had me bawling my eyes out, having to cover my mouth from trying not to cry too loudly. There's so much I could relate to and hit so close to home, that chapter is going to stick with me for some time.
Excited to get my hands on a physical copy and see how all the interactions actually print on paper. I could go on and on about this one, all I'm saying is you need to get your hands on a copy ASAP!!
For this being my first read by Mazey Eddings I am happy to say I will be reading every, and all previous books, from here on out!

I absolutely loved this book! Such an incredible read. I can’t wait to purchase this book to display on my shelf as a trophy. Definitely my favourite read of 2025!!