I’ve been so excited about this book ever since I saw the cover for it! And boy did it live up to it.

The banter between Eva and Rylie honestly carried this book. It was just so so good, it had me grinning while reading. The second chance part of it made me a bit nervous, but I loved the way it was done. It just made sense and felt real.

The side characters were also amazing and really added to the story which I loved. And the whole setting of the hot dogs and the podcasts, the vibes were just immaculate.

I do wish it would’ve been a bit longer so we could’ve gone a bit deeper. It’s clear Eva has a bunch of unresolved trauma and I think her actually opening up about it could’ve added a lot. While we do hear a lot about Rylie’s trauma, I wish we would’ve seen more of his job. It kinda disappears to the background besides the couple of podcasts they do together.

But I really loved this book. I flew through it and just had such a good time while reading it. For the banter alone I would recommend it to everyone!

Mazey Eddings has never once let me down, and this is no exception. Extremely funny, sweet, and so fun it made me laugh out loud. The perfect rom-com!

it’s a good day to end the month of april with a book that i’ve really enjoyed reading because of A LOT of things and guess what? it’s my time to shine and write my thoughts :”)

well actually was my very first book written by mazey eddings and trust me it won’t be my last one written by her because this story was so surprising in how the characters’s feelings portrayed were written in such a raw, relatable and beautiful way… but now let’s really talk about it!

firstly the cover… i know that it reminded us the same program 😁 just admit it and it’s gorgeous like the vibes, their expression completely ATE and portrayed the essence of characters and couple in a perfect way.

if u know me u know that i love nerdy boys like yup u wouldn’t be surprised about this fact :”)

and in this case ryle our well known infuencer was such a golden retriever so caring about our strong eva, the main female character (that i truly admire), and journalist in real life and our black cat in their story but let’s start from the beginning ryle and eva…

are they lovers? well…actually 😁 they were lovers during high school but then something happened and then life happened contacts were lost until one night there is a sort of accident that leads to our protagonists to met again and start to “date” publicly and y’all should be ready because if u love flirting, acts of service with a lot of cute moments and want to have some laughs well our golden retriever and black cat will keep you on your toes in very delightful way 🤓

perfect for the fake dating, black cat x golden retriever , second chance romance fans :”)

least but not last i want to truly thanks a lot netgalley and headline for sending me the e arc copy of this book and let me discover this lovely story and author :)

Thank you to Headline and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC book in exchange for an honest review.

Eva Kitt has been unable to stop thinking about Rylie Cooper since their disastrous series of dates six years ago. Unfortunately for Eva, he is also the one that got away (although she would absolutely refuse to admit it). Eva is currently stumbling through her journalism career by interviewing B-D-list celebrities while consuming hot dogs when she comes across a video of Rylie, who has claimed to turn his life around post-Eva by deconstructing masculinity. After drunkenly calling him out on his less than chivalrous behaviour during their brief relationship, Eva is stunned to learn that she has become an overnight success, and now her job wants her to collaborate with Rylie. What could go wrong, right?

I enjoyed Well, Actually. I liked Eva's often abrasive personality and her quick-witted sense of humour. and I enjoyed the chemistry between Eva and Rylie. Fans of Ali Hazelwood will really enjoy this book.

Two and a half stars.

Eva Kitt has a ghastly show where she interviews D-list celebrities over hot dogs (possibly the most disgusting food known to man IMHO) whilst making innuendos and giving off serial killer vibes. Its a job, but she'd much rather be a serious journalist.

Then one night she leaves a vitriolic post on her personal vlog about a fellow podcaster that she 'dated' in college which calls out his hypocrisy for hosting a podcast about deconstructing toxic masculinity when he was not only unmemorable and selfish in bed but also ghosted Eva afterwards. Of course the post goes viral and Eva's boos threatens to fire her for inappropriate behaviour, until her ex, Rylie Cooper, reaches out and agrees to be interviewed by Eva on her show where he proceeds to offer Eva a series of six dates to prove that he has grown and become a better human since college.

Maybe its my age, or the era of the social media influencers, but this is the second book in as many weeks where the FMC has had a completely BS job and it is soooo annoying.

This just felt obvious and crudely drawn. First it was obvious to this reader exactly how Rylie felt about Eva and because the book was written from Eva's POV it felt odd for her to tell the reader that he looked hurt (for example) we knew why but Eva was clueless? Like girl, if you can recognise his emotions then what do they mean? Ditto the boss. And why do all these characters have BFFS who are so mean that you wonder the entire book if they are actually back-stabbers? Get yourself some real friends. Rylie was a caricature, there was literally nothing wrong with him at all, a Ken doll, and there were 'reasons' for his behaviour back then.

Also, I don't get the motivation behind what the boss did ...

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

3.5 rounded up
Thanks for my earc of the book. Whilst I enjoyed this, it’s my least favourite of this authors. I enjoyed the romance but it felt like something was missing in the relationship/characters

A swooning sexy New York romance, a novel of second chances, love stories, and all round hilarious. A great novel to enjoy by the pool.

This was a delightful second chance romance which had me swooning and giggling and kicking my feet! It was just a really lovely, feel-good book that you shouldn’t take too seriously. I loved the chemistry and banter between Rylie and Eva, especially the second chance aspect where everything went badly for them the first time but this time around, while there’s still a lot of tension and unresolved angst, they realise that they’ve both grown and changed and maybe this time around, things will work out.

I enjoy Eddings books for a bit of a silly heartfelt moment and this one was no different. And she always had the most stunning covers which is a bonus.

Well, Actually follows Eva Kitt who is the host of Sausage Talk interviewing B-list celebrities over hotdogs. Eva ends up calling her college ex-boyfriend out online and it goes viral. Said ex-boyfriend is Rylie Cooper who has a social media platform deconstructing toxic masculinity. Her producers force Eva to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage talk and they end up going on a series of dates and discussing them online.

This was okay but to be honest I’m really not a fan of this author’s writing. I just cannot connect to it. Plus I was really drawn to this book because of the cover. I just didn’t really buy into this story. It was fine but Eva was a bit too cold for me. I appreciated the bisexual representation in this as it’s not often we seen bisexual men in romance books.

Mazey Eddings delivers a vibrant and witty second-chance romance that feels both contemporary and deeply emotional. The story centers on Eva Kitt, a journalist who never expected her career to revolve around interviewing minor celebrities about hot dogs rather than pursuing hard-hitting stories. But life has a funny way of surprising people, and Eva’s turning point comes when she goes on an impassioned on-air rant about her college ex, Rylie Cooper—who just happens to be a well-known influencer. When her outburst goes viral, she suddenly finds herself at the center of attention for all the wrong reasons.

Rylie, whose brand is all about helping men become better partners, sees this as a chance to show the world (and Eva) that he’s changed. He pitches an idea: a series of dates where Eva gets to test his growth firsthand, documenting each experience for his followers. It’s an outrageous proposition—one that Eva is more than happy to exploit for her own benefit. But as their playful sparring starts to turn into something more, she’s forced to question whether the guy who once shattered her heart might actually be the one who truly gets her.

Eddings nails the beloved “black cat/golden retriever” dynamic. Eva’s sharp-tongued, cynical nature collides in the best way with Rylie’s earnest, people-pleasing personality, making for some truly electric chemistry. Their quick-witted exchanges, laugh-out-loud situations, and unexpectedly tender moments create a relationship that feels both authentic and entertaining. The social media aspect brings a refreshing spin to the classic second-chance romance, and though some sections felt a bit drawn out, the humor and charm kept me hooked.

All in all, this is a lively, flirtatious, and surprisingly heartfelt read—ideal for rom-com lovers who enjoy snappy dialogue with an emotional core. I’d rate it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for its clever writing and emotional depth.

Big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!