I loved this book!

This second chance romance interested me from the start, giving chicken shop date vibes with such an amazing female main character :)

I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice read with some humorous moments. I appreciated the bi x pan representation, it was very refreshing! I haven’t read anything else from this author but will be sure to check out her other books.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline Eternal for this ARC!

This was such a sweet book which had the vibes of early 2000s romcoms.

The writing was super easy to read, though I wish it were dual POV since I needed more insight into this couple. The black cat x golden retriever energy was strong and they complimented each other well. I loved how there was no third act break up and how they worked through the conflict together.

Appreciated how themes of grief, toxic masculinity and queer challenges were explored in the book - though idk how to feel about the MMC bringing the FMC to see his therapist together. I know this is a fictional book but surely that's not beneficial for anyone. Didn't expect these themes in a romcom but appreciated it nonetheless as it not only enlightened the reader (me) but also added depth to the characters and story.

I did wish more was shown about the FMC's career ambitions and her family life as I felt that would have humanised her more and made her more palatable as a character one would root for. Also wanted a bit more tension and banter prior to them rekindling their feelings and getting together.

Would read again, as well as other Mazey Eddings books.

Overall rating: 4/5

This one is for the eldest daughters who have had to take care of themselves their whole lives and just want someone to take care of them instead! I absolutely adored this one, Cooper is a dreamy book boyfriend!

After hearing this was chicken shop date made rom-com, I was so excited to pick this up and it was SO FUN! As much as I adored the comedy and the ongoing banter between the love interests, there was so much heart with queer representation, discussions on grief, the dismantling of toxic masculinity and so much was laid bare. This was as enjoyable and fun as it was heartfelt and raw, and these are endlessly my favourite kinds of romances!

Also rylie <3 people are going to fall in love with him!!!

I absolutely would've rated this higher would the FMC (female main character) not have been unreasonable in her anger at times. I found her communication to be slightly subpar to Rylie's vulnerability and that often felt hard to read as much as the hesitation made sense. This a romance I would DEFINITELY recommend (especially for summer)

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.

Eva Kitt is the creator of Sausage Talk, Chicken shop Date’s down market less good cousin, where she bitchily interviews minor celebs while eating cheap hot dogs, what happened to her dreams of serious journalism? She’s feeling a bit jaded so when she see her college ex giving out sage advice on how to be a “good man” she calls him out on the internet so viral results. Forced by her boss to do a live interview with him she gets railroaded into agreeing to date Rylie to see where they went wrong in college and Eva starts to catch feelings she shouldn’t. Mazey Eddings is as always solid on the angst feels and always makes me cry at some point. I absolutely related to Eva’s hard shell/marshmallow personality and the reasons for it but I felt the plot was a bit muddled as Eddings tried to do too much, half way through I kind of lost interest which was a shame because the initial premise was entertaining. It started as a book about one thing and became a book about something else so it felt a bit light on two fronts. Not my favourite of this authors but still worth the read.

Let me start by saying this book had me grinning like an idiot the entire time. Well, Actually is the kind of rom-com that feels like a warm hug—if that hug also came with sharp wit, chaotic energy, and a side of emotional baggage. Mazey Eddings delivers a second-chance romance that’s equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, with characters so vivid you’ll wish they were real.

Eva Kitt is a mood. A sarcastic, take-no-prisoners journalist stuck hosting Sausage Talk, a show where she interviews B-list celebs over lukewarm hot dogs. (Honestly, the concept alone sold me.) But when she drunkenly calls out her college ex, Rylie Cooper—now a viral "feminist icon" who deconstructs toxic masculinity—for being a total hypocrite, her rant goes viral. Suddenly, her boss forces her to interview him, and the chaos begins.

Rylie, bless him, is a golden retriever in human form. Sweater collection? Iconic. Emotional intelligence? Surprisingly high. Willingness to grovel for past mistakes? Absolutely. He proposes a wild idea: six dates where Eva gets to publicly judge whether he’s actually changed. What follows is a mix of awkward encounters, fiery banter, and moments so tender I had to put the book down and squeal into a pillow.

The chemistry between Eva and Rylie is electric. She’s all sharp edges and defensive quips; he’s sunshine and earnest apologies. Their dynamic is pure black cat x golden retriever perfection, and the way they challenge each other had me hooked. Eva’s reluctance to let her guard down feels painfully real, especially when you learn about her past, and Rylie’s growth from a clueless college guy to someone genuinely trying to be better is chef’s kiss.

The social media aspect adds a fun, modern twist—imagine Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date but with way more unresolved sexual tension. The podcast segments are hilarious, though I do wish we got more of them! The side characters, especially Eva’s chaotic best friend, add great flavor, even if I occasionally wanted to shake them for being so blunt.

That said, the book isn’t flawless. Some moments felt a little too tropey, and Eva’s emotional walls sometimes made her hard to connect with. (Though, let’s be real, if a man had her attitude, he’d be called "confident," so I’ll let it slide.) And while Rylie is adorable, I wouldn’t have minded a bit more depth to his influencer life beyond just being Eva’s love interest.

But here’s the thing: I didn’t care. This book is fun. It made me laugh, it made me swoon, and it made me want to shove it into the hands of every rom-com lover I know. If you’re into second-chance romances with snarky heroines, soft-but-capable heroes, and a healthy dose of emotional growth, Well, Actually is a must-read.

4/5

(Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!)

This book made me laugh, cry and feel so much, it’s almost unreal. You know that feeling when you can relate to a heroine so much it feels like the book is about you? That’s how I felt reading this.

It was almost eerie, like the author had crawled into my head and described my emotions and twisted thought processes.

Eva isn’t exactly likable—she struggles with forming connections and opening up. She’s witty and often hilarious, but also sarcastic, snarky, and, at times, just plain mean.

Rylie kinda deserves her constant roasting, and it’s satisfying that he takes it all with a smile. What an adorable cinnamon roll, that man!

Besides, is there anything better than a heroine going for a third-act breakup and the hero just not having it? There isn’t, ladies and gents. This might be my new favorite micro-trope; a hero preventing my most hated thing from happening. You have all my love, Rylie.

I loved this book. It made me cry, but I loved it. I couldn’t binge it—I had to pause and process some of the things it brought up. That’s the beauty of it, though: no fabricated drama, just raw emotion and real healing. That therapy scene—chef’s kiss!

I don’t know if it will hit other readers as hard as it hit me. It feels deeply personal, more so than usual.

But if you’re into reverse grumpy-sunshine, second chances with lots of groveling, and absolutely brilliant banter, go for it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great read, it was super fast-paced, the banter between Eva and Rylie was great. I really loved Eva, she stood up for herself and in the nicest way possible she was that bitch. I liked Rylie, normally I’m wary of a man with a podcast but I did find him to be endearing throughout the book

DNF at 29%.

Disappointed because I loved the concept of this book with the second chance romance, Chicken Shop date vibes, but the author took this fun idea and made it ridiculous. Eva's job sounds like it was written by someone with no understanding of social media, and the book is already full of pop culture references that will make it dated in six months time. I particularly couldn't get over Eva posting a TikTok about her famous ex and then being surprised it went viral... in general I found Eva's point of view a bit unbearable to read and couldn't continue past 29%. From the way the book is described, I was also surprised that Rylie was an ex that Eva had dated for two months in college rather than a previous longer-term relationship and I feel this would have added some more depth to her hatred of him, as it comes across as an overreaction.

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

My journey as a reader during "Well, Actually" mirrored much of that of the FMC, Eva. She is the host of a Chicken Shop Date type set up involving hot dogs. After some misguided use of social media, she ends up back in touch with an ex from university, Rylie. He's a bonafides podcast star and wants to use this chance to reconnect with Eva to make amends for the past. Eva is overwhelmed on having ended up back in Rylie's orbit and whilst, I was never exactly lukewarm on the story, it worked its competent magic on me until I didn't want to live outside Rylie and Eva's bubble. The story dealt with any miscommunication much earlier than I thought it might and advocated for therapy and the nuance to make mistakes and grow. Neither of the characters were perfect, but they were so much better and gorgeous for it. I shall now be diving in to Maz Eddings back catalogue.

I give this 3.5/5 stars! It had me hooked and interested In How the characters story would develop. I liked this story but as I was reading it, I found the story getting little repetitive and boring. It took me little over a week to finish this as I was gravitating towards it as much as I was in the beginning. I did enjoy reading this and was curious to see how the story ended. Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for this ARC.

It was funny, fast paced and an amazing time!

The fmc was genuinely HILARIOUS. Like I would find myself pinching my nose in an attempt to not laugh so loud i wake my family while I’m sat reading this at 2am 😭🤚 I loved her so much. Her vulnerabilities and character spoke to me.

The mmc is where it kinda felt a bit off for me. I enjoyed his character in the present but it was the shit he did in the past that made me feel torn. I’m a big lover of character development but it didn’t feel like I was A PART of that development with him which made me feel a little detached from him. It didn’t give me that same sense of confidence or stability in his character. I mean I can see that he’s sorted himself out with a therapist and everything but I wish we got more detail about what he did in those years he was struggling to get better.

This isn’t to say I don’t like him. He was a decent mmc I just didn’t love him unfortunately.

⁀➷ Thank you NetGalley and Headline Eternal for the ARC! ♥︎

Rylie Cooper is down bad, crying at the gym. Eva Kitt is convinced his feelings are fictitious and indeed everything has come out teenage petulance.

The last time I cried reading a romance book was during my Nicholas Sparks phase, and I felt there was a lot of similarity in the aftermath of my feelings after I devoured this book. Do read the trigger warnings before delving completely but I think Mazey Eddings handled it very classily.

The intense, raw, striking vulnerability and growth that Rylie Cooper goes through makes him top contender in my favourite redemption arc fictional boys.

Rylie and Eva’s banter had chemistry which was falling off the pages, and I had to close my eyes all giddy every time he called her ‘kitten’. Yes please, more of this, more of Rylie Cooper. There is a lot of emotional gravitas in their story, internal dialogues which make it seem like you’re watching a gripping romantic movie.

Mazey Eddings dug into their backgrounds, giving them very relatable backstories and contexts. She made them complex characters who are flawed but want to do better. People always say they love complicated FMCs who have faults, until they actually come across one and I can see that from some of the reviews online. But that is what made me love Eva so much. She is highly relatable, the kind of FMC that you know you have been at least once in your life. I can attest that her overreactions in fact are akin to my own and it felt like my personality was laid bare in those pages. I dislike parts of her but I am her, so I understand her.

A special mention to friends who are found families, the adversity you face sometimes in life which involve them, but coming out strong. Important marks of true friendship in my humble opinion.

I couldn’t recommend this one enough, folks!

A very big thank you to NetGalley, Mazey Eddings, and Headline for this arc!

If you’re looking for a book that gives the same vibes as a 90s/ early 2000s romcom, check this one out!
In this book we follow Eva, who after a terrible day at work gets drunk and stitches her college ex in a call-out post. Cooper does dating coach’s podcast about how to be a green flag, however his past doesn’t really reflect that. After getting invited to Eva’s show, he proposes to go on a few dates to show how much he’s changed; did he actually? Or was he lying all along?

I personally loved this book so much, the two main characters were great and showed a lot of growth, both with each other and as individuals. I really liked their relationship, even if I’m not a fan of spice; because it still felt real and heartfelt. Also their bickering took me out! I also really liked how their backstories were dealt with and how the author talked about certain topics like grief and how much that can change a person. The other cast of characters were also good, but I really liked how focused it was on the main couple.
The plot line following Eva’s work and struggles was also spot on with how things sometimes go, especially for women so I appreciated how that was also spoken about.

I cannot recommend this enough if you like reading romance, this was one of my favourites in the genre of this year. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

4✨
Thank you NetGalley, Mazey Eddings and Headline for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review - Well, Actually publishes August 5th.

Well, Actually had me giggling the whole way through. I loved the humour and banter and it was such a fun time! The plot and characters felt very unique with the podcast premise and is nothing like I’ve read before! It’s rare to actually get me laughing out loud throughout a book and this grumpy x sunshine delivered!

I really enjoy Eva’s personality, but Cooper is the stand out for me. He’s so down bad for her, but he’s confident in himself, recognises his growth and wants to show that to Eva. He never ever gave up even when Eva’s sass could be relentless at times. He’s now the definition of a walking green flag and we love to see it.

I thought the therapy scene was incredibly powerful and was a really interesting addition to the story, deep diving on what happened in the past for both characters and is again something I’ve not seen before in a book.

I did feel deflated at the hate comments scene, and the reality of Cooper’s experience vs Eva’s - this felt very real life with social media at the moment so was pretty hard hitting, particularly William’s behaviour. And let’s just state for the record that Landry and William are the worst.

There were a couple of times I felt like Eva came off quite harsh / rude towards Cooper (or were jokes that seemed a little too far) but I recognise this was largely her insecurities talking, given her history with him.

Overall, I really really enjoyed this heartwarming read and I’m so glad I got an advanced reader copy. I’ll be picking up the physical on release as a trophy for my shelves! I’m looking forward to reading more from Mazey Eddings!

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for this arc.

I really enjoyed this book. I found that both the female and male main characters were witty and funny.

Eva’s character definitely has depth and I personally related to her. Yes she may come off as rude at times but over the course of the story we get to see her sweet side come out which definitely hooked me to continue reading it. Cooper is such a sweetheart of a character. He’s so patient and he’s a great fit for Eva and helps show her walls slowly breaking down throughout.

I definitely would recommend this to others!

LOVED THIS! So much so that I went back and downloaded the whole back catalogue - really great friends>lovers>enemies>lovers - style book. The sex was raunchy and real and the characters realistic, relatable and FUN! A real romp - I loved this.

3.5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for this arc.

I really enjoyed the first half, it was witty, funny and I loved the chemistry between the two main characters.

For me, the second half wasn’t as enjoyable. I found the actions the characters (main and side) to be annoying or toxic, which detracted from my enjoyment.

Overall though this was a fun, quick read.