This was a solid 4/5 Stars for me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I adored the other books I’ve read by Mazey Eddings and was so excited when approved for this ARC! Her banter is unmatched and I’m obsessed with the way her writing is so easy to read.

Her latest involves a second chance romance between former classmates who dated a few times but abruptly stopped when Cooper ghosted Eva. Flash forward about 6 years—Eva posts a stitch to one of Cooper’s videos calling him out on the way things went down between them and his less than ideal “performance”. The video goes viral partly because Cooper is now a beloved social media persona while Eva also works in the public eye. The two reconnect over a series of orchestrated dates meant for Cooper to prove to Eva and himself that he’s matured since college. What starts as clickbait develops into a very real love story between the two so buckle up for a flirty, fun rollercoaster of a ride.

The chemistry between Cooper and Eva is genuinely off the charts. It was so refreshing to see the two of them reconnect and overcome their individual and joint issues. I felt Eddings did a great job of handling their traumas with delicacy and properly worked through them before thrusting them together for a happy ending. Props to her sensitivity readers!!! Overall, this was a really great read—it brings all of her normal charisma, strong FMC energy, witty banter and just overall adorable romance. Be sure to add this one to your TBR—set to release August 5th☺️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this incredible opportunity to review Mazey Eddings’ most recent romcom, Well, Actually in an advanced reader copy! Eva Kitt is a shrewd, no nonsense, brutal, biting bitch (lovingly) who hosts an online interview segment surrounding hot dogs and hot takes with sizzling chemistry with her interviewees. When she drunkenly stitches together a video of toxic masculinity destroyer and beloved podcaster Rylie Cooper, outing him for their past tryst in college when he was a fratboy and the antithesis of his new persona, her show capitalizes off the immediate fandom the tete-a-tete provides, and she finds herself going on date after date with the one who ghosted her. Rylie is an adorable, loving golden retriever, and I cherished his tenderness with the biting Eva. The banter was bantering, y’all. And Eva? A lot of people are going to be quick to dismiss Eva for being too brash, too harsh, too much, but I couldn’t get enough of her brutal honesty that she dishes but cannot take and her own transformation to let love in. This book is the answer to the Chicken Shop Date with Andrew Garfield obsession we are all harboring, and Eddings delivers.

Mazey Eddings has been an author that I automatically order when there is a new book out. My last read by Eddings was Late Bloomer. Which was a cute sapphic story. For this book, I was excited about the premise and the great cover. Edding's loosely bases the plot from Chicken Shop Date, but instead the main character, Eva, does a hot dog shop date. Which in someways is arguably funnier. The second chance romance was also cute and well done. Eva really liked Rylie when they briefly dated in college, but he ghosted her. Now Rylie is a famous podcaster who is roasted by Eva in a drunk social media video about his lackluster performance. The dynamic was cute, Eva was the black cat to Rylies golden retriever personality. Both characters were, and are, going through things which really creates a deeper connection. My one issue with this, though, is it felt like Rylie gave so much of himself and his past to Eva. But, Eva never really opens up the same way. We see Eva remembering the ways in which her family disappointed her time and again, leading to her wish for someone to love her unconditionally. Even with multiple opportunities she never shares this trauma. While Rylie shares his trauma, multiple times. I think the story would have been stronger with this and the romance more believable. Overall the story was cute and funny. At times it was also quite serious looking at toxic work cultures and misogyny in the media. I would recommend it to anyone interested in seeing a Chicken Shop inspired story or for fans of Eddings. (Thank You to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC)

Thank you St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings was a pretty fun read!! Eva is so unapologetically her and I love her character. She felt genuine and real. I loved the banter between Eva and Riley. The witty dialogue made the book super fun for me as well. I love the growth between the both of them, both together and separate. The vulnerability they both showed was amazing and I just found myself being able to relate so hard.

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Posted arc review to my Instagram account 🫶

To be completely honest, I was a little skeptical of this book from the description and the first couple of chapters. I was worried that it would be too TikTok-feeling and trendy, but it actually turned out to be really lovely. The characters were really believable and lovable; it was definitely hot, and it didn't feel completely overwhelmed by social media trends or pop culture.

I LOVE THIS BOOK i’m only 56% of the way through but I’m already so in love with Eva and Rylie and CAN THEY JUST KISS ALREADY!! I am obsessed with the way that Mazey writes; it's so bold and vivid and unapologetic, much like our dear sweet Eva! I was going to wait until I finished but I needed to write this down because I know I’ll still stand by it when I finish!

This book was just the cutest little thing.

Eva Kitt was crushing hard on Rylie Cooper in college. They went on a few dates and had one lackluster sexual encounter before he ghosted her.

Fast forward 6 years, and he's a social media celebrity she can't seem to avoid. She stitches a drunken response about how unimpressive he was in college, and it goes viral. So obviously, they take their trauma to the internet and Rylie talks her into going on 6 dates where he can prove he isn't the same guy he was in college after which they recap each date on his podcast.

The witty banter in this is top tier and so funny. Eva is quick witted with a sharp tongue for sure but Rylie is just so smitten. I love a man who wants to take care of the woman he loves.

Going into this story, I wasn’t sure what to fully expect. What I found was a sweet and enduring romance between Eva and Cooper. Eva, a disgruntled and miserable 20something, calls out a former flame online and the video goes viral. What does Cooper do in response? Offer to make it right and asks Eva to give him another chance over the next six dates. What transpires is a fun story of witty dialogue, emotional growth, and definitely a spicy scene or two. The only drawback I had for this book was the rushed ending. I highly recommend this book.

Tiktok is going to eat this up! So good and hilarious and sexy! Reminds me of Chicken Shop Date in the best way!

This was a cute story with lots of banter and a creative basis. The beginning was a bit slow for me, but once I pushed past it the book flew. Thank you for this opportunity!

4.25 ★

You see that cover? Do you see that stunning cover? Yeah, that's my dream dynamic. Now, picture this: When you find out that your ex, who ghosted you and was very on and off about your relationship, has a podcast on how to be a better man, you immediately stitch one of his TikToks and expose him... right? Well, maybe not, but that's what Eva does, and that brings engagement to his podcast and her talk show (think a lá Chicken Shop Date but with hotdogs). Now they'll be forced to do some PR together if she wants to keep her job and he doesn't want to end up like a fraud.

I know you saw "man with a podcast advising fellow men," and you're wondering if you actually want to read this because straight white men with podcasts? In 2025? Well, first, he's not straight; he's bisexual ✋🏼. Second, rest assured, because this man is a walking green flag (or at least, he's doing his best) who prioritizes communication and doesn't shy away from letting his girl know how in love with her he is. Cooper's the very definition of boy-obsessed because this man was basically on his knees for Eva, and of course, I loved that 🤭. He was a bit quirky, silly, and weird, but it worked for him and added to his charm. The things he thought of and said to Eva had me (literally) giggling and kicking my feet. He went through some very tough times in the past and had these beautiful moments of healing throughout the story that made me tear up and ready to hug him. He wasn't the best the first time he went out with Eva, but he did everything he could to prove himself worthy of her, and he succeeded.

Now, Eva. Eva. Eva. Eva. My love 🥰. Some of you might get frustrated with her, her cynicism, and her reluctance to believe in Cooper, but I understood her. I understood her so much that it hurt and made me cry. She puts on this tough exterior, and even though she is tough, demanding, and somewhat dry, she also has a very vulnerable side that wants love and craves sweet and soft caring —and that's exactly who I am. I know you see me being all sweet and using pet names for my closest friends, but it's very hard for me to be affectionate in real life. I'm quiet, sarcastic, hard to impress, and I spend a lot of time in my head. I've gotten the "I can't see you in a relationship" comments, been told I'm intimidating and cold, and whenever I've randomly felt like hugging someone, people have acted like I'm going crazy, so I get what it feels like to be like Eva 😅. That's why it was beautiful to see her feel comfortable enough with Cooper to open up about this, to let herself be vulnerable and accept that she craves this validation and gentle love. I'm so proud of her, so if you end up hating her, I hate you 🫵🏼 (joking... kinda).

I'm going to admit I was a bit worried in the beginning because some comedic lines and moments didn't land the way they were supposed to, but it got better and I found myself chuckling through lots of these characters' conversations. Eva and Cooper's banter and back and forth was delicious. She kept being slightly mean (affectionately) to him and he ate this up and always had something to say to her back. But just as they had all these fun moments and I spent a good portion of the book chuckling, there were also some great and emotional conversations about sexism, bullying, toxic masculinity, and internalized homophobia. I loved the little cameos we got of characters from other Mazey Edding's books, and the bits we got of both Eva and Cooper's friends but I wished we had more scenes of them together, as well as ones with Eva's brothers and Cooper's sister that were only mentioned but had no appearances. We didn't get an epilogue either 😔. I also had a little problem with Cooper's dirty talk since there was this (unnecessary, for me) emphasis on making him curse through it all so there's a lot of "fucking" that threw me off, but some of the other things he said were scrumptious 😋, so it's okay.

All in all, Eva and Cooper were so witty, hot, loving, caring, and adorable, and I loved them very much. I'm so obsessed with them and you need to know it took me this long to write a full review because I annotated and highlighted so much of this book that I couldn't choose which quotes to pick. I can't wait for this to come out and see all of you reading it, as much as I can't wait to have a physical copy to put all my notes into. Make sure to pick this up when it comes out on August 5th, and be ready to fall in love with Eva and Cooper.

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

This book is for all the girlies who have ever been in a situationship that really messed you up that’s for sure, I think we have all been there hahaha! I appreciated the way this book dived deep into some of the reasons why people run from relationships and some of the healthy ways we grow in them! I also really love an fmc who is mean & love that the mmc loves that about her, it gets me every time!

A romance inspired by Amelia's Chicken Shop Dates you say? Sounds intriguing.

If you enjoy opposites attract or black cat x golden retriever pairings, I think you'll enjoy the romance here. Cooper is a delightful MMC. He's supportive and loving, he's basically waving a green flag in front of him. Eva comes off as an angry girl stereotype but once you're in her POV, you totally get why she acts the way she does. I thought these two were a lot of fun and kept me entertained.

Would recommend if you like opposites attract and second chance romances.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings! While I loved the idea of this book, it just didn’t hit the mark for me like Mazey’s other books did. I was hooked in the beginning with the story and the banter between Rylie and Eva but as I kept reading, I couldn’t really feel the chemistry between them and I was struggling to get through it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. A second chance romance for Eva and Riley. Eva was stuck doing podcasts with underrated celebrities while eating hotdogs when she was meant for more. She seen Riley’s show/podcast about being a good partner and breaking down toxic traits. She posted a call out while drunk about how horrible Riley had been and it went viral.
She was now forced to confront Riley about her post on her talk show. This lead to Riley wanting and second chance to prove he had changed. They go on a series of date that are start to lead to feelings but Eva hides behinds her sarcasm and whitty remarks. She must decide if Riley is worth the possible broken heart or if the risk is too high.
I always enjoy a second chance. Both Riley and Eva had fears they had to overcome. I like the therapy session and the therapist calling them out on their BS. Sometimes you need some tough love to really see what is going on. I appreciated the whitty banter and how they both grow as individuals.

Give me more heroines like this! This book was so fun to read - the dynamic between Riley and Eva was everything, and I ate it up. I can always trust Mazey Eddings to deliver an entertaining book that tugs at my heartstrings.

3.25
This had so much potential for me, but it didn't really
deliver. I loved the first 70%. I thought it was interesting to see Eva struggle with her feelings and the idea that she never felt cared for or wanted in her life before. I also thought it was cute seeing her rebuild trust with Rylie. But...after the 70% mark, it became really spice heavy and I just did not like it. I also didn't like the ending. Also, Aida was a horrible friend...
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Publishing Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

4.5

I adored this book so much!! I was laughing every other second! It was chicken shop, the jokes, the banter, all of it yes please. but in book form and I loved that so much. Eva and Rylie were perfect. Second chance romances are my jam❤️ Thankful to receive an arc for this

Thanks for the Arc NetGalley!!!

4.75/5 but rounding up. Mazey does it again with the most amazing banter and bringing light to challenging topics during a lovely romance. This took me quite a long time to read due to things happening in my life which I think is what knocked the .25 star for me. Read the last 30% in one sitting!