ARC and ALC review
Publication date 5 August 2025.

'Well, Actually" by Mazey Eddings is a contemporary second chance romance.

I received an e-ARC from St. Martin's Press and an ALC from Macmillan Audio (via Netgalley).
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

The cover describes perfectly the book.
Eva is the host of an online celebrity interview show that goes viral after posting a video about her podcaster ex, Rylie.
She has black cat energy and he is a sweet golden retriever obsessed with her. They have such witty banter and I love them both.
The first half of the book is very funny and I had a smile on my face all the time.
But there are also some emotional parts that can be a bit overwhelming. Please check the content warnings if you have triggers.

The romance is a slow burn, as Rylie needs to show Eva that he deserves a second chance, after ghosting her 6 years ago. They go on dates, initially fake ones, for the podcast, and discuss a lot about their feelings and insecurities. Both characters are well written and complex. I would also say they complete each other.

I reread the book in audio and it was great experience.
The audiobook is narrated by Ariela Crow and she is the perfect Eva.
Also, she has a good male voice and it did not bother at all that this is a solo narration.

I don't know what can I say more without spoiling the story.
Just that I laughed and cried and I definitely recommend it.

You should take notes from this book on communication, self-love, and a perfect second-chance romance. This book killed it! Not only was this a delightful story, but the plot was complex, steamy, and built with tension. The characters are in a second-chance romance,e and they meet again when forced to work together, bringing up negative feelings about one another from their past college experience. This book was all about growth in yourself, learning to accept/love yourself for who you are, and acknowledging when mistakes were made and you hurt someone. Overall, a perfect recipe for a second-chance romance.

Tropes: Second chance, exes, enemies to lovers, kitten, winning her back, slutty little glasses, self love, great communication!

My fav Quotes:
“I would never willingly listen to a man speak in my free time. But that’s just me.” -Eva
“The most spicy thing is you kitten.” -Cooper
“Stop being so charming or I’ll fall in love with you.” -Cooper

“Don’t miss me too much.” -Eva
“Too late miss you already.” -Cooper

“I couldn’t hate myself into someone I like.” -Cooper

“I want you, contrarian and difficult and keeping me in my toes. I want your sour moods as much as your shiny ones. As long as I can call you mine.” -Cooper

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC.

3.5/5.

I had a nice time with this book. I thought the set up was cute and I appreciated that this book tackled some very heavy topics. I also loved the LGBTQ+ representation and discussions. The ending lost it a little bit for me but still was a good time!

🌭 “Welcome to Sausage talk, where fun in the bun is guaranteed” 🌭

Holy cow holy cow holy cow!!!!

I’m going to apologize in advance as I am slightly fan-girling over the fact that this was one of my first ARCs I was ever approved for and it was an absolute dream. Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity. 💕

To summarize, Eva Kitt is our FMC and she is your stereotypical hot girl bad bitch. She works as a “journalist” hosting b and c list celebrities over lukewarm hotdogs (gag), in hopes to move up in her career to actually write meaningful stories. After a night of drunkenly scrolling, she calls out her “ex”— whose entire online personality is deconstructing toxic masculinity— for being as toxic masculinity as they come. Well the internet did its internet thing and she went viral, causing her work to stir up the plan to get her to interview her ex. That is when the one and only Rylie Cooper shows up and invites her on a series of dates to try and prove he’s changed his ways, all while Eva’s work monetizes on their relationship.

Honestly, I cannot recommend this book enough to our contemporary romance lovers. I knew I’d enjoy it from the parallels to Chicken Shop Date, but I never expected to have such a range of emotions over it. I laughed, I cried, I felt sick to my stomach, and giggled like a lovesick teenager. Also, Rylie Cooper is the *perfect* book boyfriend and I do not say that lightly. But then again there’s something about a man in slutty little glasses that’ll get me every single time.

I will say, the majority of the book felt like one big miscommunication trope, that had they actually communicated well in the beginning, we never would’ve had this book to begin with. Eva has her moments where she’ll piss you off, but more often than not I just wanted to hug her and remind her that she is enough.

That being said, I can’t decide what I want to do more, binge all of Chicken Shop Date, or pick up that copy of Late Bloomer that’s been sitting on my bookshelf unread for what I now deem is FAR too long. At this point it feels like a crime to have not read Mazey’s other work and to love this book as much as I do. Sorry I slept on you for so long, Mazey Eddings. This was easily my favorite contemporary romance release of the year. 5/5 stars.

Tropes Include:
- Black cat/golden retriever
- Second chances
- Praiseeeeeeee
- Forced proximity/“fake” dating?
- Slutty little glasses (which I think I’m going to dedicate an entire shelf to on goodreads)

Spice is definitely open door. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Just like Rylie Cooper’s feet, this book was PRECIOUS.

This book was shockingly good, I honestly didn’t expect it! I went in completely blind without even reading the synopsis, and I’m so glad I did. It took me on an emotional roller coaster, I laughed out loud, I cried, and I felt everything in between.

The FMC did get on my nerves at times, but I totally understood where she was coming from. If I were in her shoes, I probably would’ve acted the same way. And Riley? He completely stole my heart with how honest and persistent he was throughout the book.

Also, I have to give a huge shoutout to the audiobook. The narrator was phenomenal! She nailed both the female and male voices especially that husky male voice… OMG, I was on my knees. I 100% recommend listening to the audiobook; it’s an amazing experience!

This was, generally speaking, a great romcom!

There are some books that, even though the circumstances are wildly different, pull strong and familiar emotions from me. This is one of those books. I had genuine tears in my eyes in some parts. It was very well written in that sense.

The banter was top tier! I had so much fun watching these characters fall in love and yell at each other the whole time.

I think the author did a great job pointing out some of the toxic aspects of the particular business she is in. However, I do take exception to “Real Journalism” as a trope in romance novels. It seems wrong to look down on popular culture/human interest in favor of something “more substantive.”

The narrator for the audiobook was a bit too chipper for my taste. I think she delivered the dead pan lines well, but her inner monologue did not match my idea of the character. She did have a great male voice (which is important for romance novels).

Overall, well written and I would definitely recommend it.

I love Eva & Rylie! They are adorable! I would 100% either smack that man across the face and quit my job or sue that mfering company.
I hate that for her so much. had me crying, I also cry when i get mad, i feel you girl!

Description
Eva Kitt never expected to be the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over lukewarm hot dogs, instead of pursuing the journalism career she dreamed of. But when Eva’s impromptu public call out of her college ex goes viral, she’s thrust into the spotlight. It doesn’t help said ex is Rylie Cooper, a beloved social media personality that has built a platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be good partners.
Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the scheme to advance her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. When these manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book!

Well, Actually
by Mazey Eddings
Narrated by Ariela Crow
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Pub Date Aug 05 2025

Dont let the first few sentences make you DNF. They say weiners a bunch of times and are literally talking about hot dogs 🤣
Overall, it was such a fun time to read!

The workplace/social media style setting was as relatable as it was terrifying to consider. I would never survive in that environment, but it made for some really entertaining reading.

The fmc, Eva, had some moments that I thought were a bit dramatic, but after considering how many years have passed and how many men have probably been major disappointments since, I get it. The mmc, Rylie, was written so well as like the perfect golden retriever supportive man who definitely doesn't exist in real life.

The narrators bring this so much life and such a realistic feel to the whole story.

Ok this was a lot in a damn good way. Loved the way the book is set up. I can sincerely said i was kicking my feet and giggling thru most of it. The audio was great. Enjoyed the voices a lot. And it conveyed very well the feeling and tone of each character.
Story wise, this was a very well rounded story. Enjoy Eva a lot and her ways. I also adored Rylie and how he again and again showed her that she could be vulnerable with him and he got her. That she was not too much. That she was perfect the way she was . Overall adored it .

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan audio and Mazey for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

My rating: 4.75⭐

100% recommend it if you like:
- black cat fmc X golden retriever mmc
- LGBTQ characters
- forced proximity
- fake dating
- second chance romance
- unbelievable banter
- off the charts chemistry
- Chicken-shop dates vibes
- the man loves to eat
- men in therapyyyyyy
- open doors spice

My thoughts:

I loved the book when I read it a few months ago and I jumped when I got the ALC. Because what do you mean I now got the chance to listen to Rylie be the most unhingedly obsessed guy in history??? YEAH, I was ready.

Can't count how many times I laughed maniacally again with their insane banter. Seriously. I'm talking about true cackles and screams. These characters are quick as a whip, and their dialogues only got better while also touching heavy and deeper themes that almost had me bawling (rude tbh).

And while there were things I still didn't love—such as the figure of the boss who, in spite of being a female journalist who I'm sure has faced her fair share of misogyny to reach the top is apparently a-okay with how her son is talking to and treating a female employee???—I do think what Mazey did here is truly spectacular.

Love seeing those complex fmc's pop up and the unyielding supportive hero (WHO BTW GOES TO THERAPY! YES, YES!!! PLEASE AND THANK YOU) to defend her rights and, above all, her wrongs.

I haven't been able to find him yet, but I'll keep scrounging amazon for a Rylie Cooper. Will keep you all posted.

An incredibly unique black cat/golden retriever second chance rom com! Eva and Riley's story is very engaging and will have you rooting for them from start to finish. The narration really brought the story to life!

Okay, so I spent like the first hour of this audiobook wondering if Ariela Crow is a pseudonym for one of my favorite narrators. I’m about 95% sure it is, but I don’t know if it’s in poor taste to say who I think it is.

Anyway, I liked Eva’s kinda sardonic humor. I will say it was sometimes a little challenging to stay fully on her side while she was struggling, which I found both enjoyable and frustrating. I love when an author isn’t afraid to write a flawed FMC, even one who’s occasionally unlikeable.

Rylie was lovely with his awkward, sometimes moody sweetness. One minor thing: he shows up already having done the mental health work, which made the contrast with Eva’s arc occasionally feel a bit uneven. It wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it did make her emotional messiness feel more glaring.

Other random thoughts:
– The title? Genius. Just lightly poking fun at mansplaining and the like.
– Rylie’s last name is Cooper, which is also my dog’s name, and it’s always a little weird when the MMC shares a name with my (extremely annoying) dog.
– All romcom MMCs should lovingly call the heroine things like “demon spawn” and “fruitloop.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC. Well, Actually comes out August 5, 2025.

The premise of this one is so unique & absolutely hilarious. This is a romcom that will have you smiling & giggling the entire time. Mazey Eddings delivers such a fun & thoughtful romance that will have you falling in love with these characters.

The story revolves around Eva & Riley Cooper, who dated 6 years ago only for Riley to ghost Eva. Eva has been holding onto this grudge but after calling Riley out online, Eva is now forced to collaborate with him in an interview. Riley Cooper has his own mission - to prove Eva wrong & show her that he's changed.

Talk about a second chance - the communication & vulnerability that these two characters show is perfect. There are stumbles & awkward moments but the depth of the character evolutions just had me devouring this book. Eva's walls are built of stone but the way Riley chips away at them, with his smooth talking, patience & dry sense of humor has him as one of my favorite MMCs. The conflict, the spice, the hilarious moments (the date Riley planned had me cackling!) - this is one that I truly loved from beginning to end.

Listening to this story, told solely from Eva's perspective & narrated by Ariela Crow, was absolutely wonderful. Her performance captures both Riley & Eva perfectly. If you love audiobooks, I highly recommend listening to this one.

💕 Second Chance
🐈‍⬛ Black Cat x Golden Retriever
🏳️‍🌈 Bi & Pan Reps
❣️ Right Person, Wrong Time
🤣 Great Banter
💋 "Stop being so mean to be or I'm going to fall in love with you" vibes
☝🏻 FMC POV

Gosh I love this spicy, hilarious story. I liked it the first time I read it but I love it even more now. The narrator was incredible! One of the most talented ref narrators in the romance game! And this endearing and humorous book has me literally lol-ing, and even tearing up a little. Must read. Must listen.

Thank you so much for the audio copy!!!

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for the ALC and ARC of Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Well, Actually follows Eva Kitt, a fluff journalist dying to be taken seriously, who accidentally goes viral after drunkenly posting a rant about her ex, Rylie Cooper—the same man now championing anti-toxic masculinity online. The fallout? She’s forced to interview him, and he proposes a “redemption tour” of dates to show he’s changed. What follows is chaos, chemistry, vulnerability, and slow-burn growth that had me absolutely hooked.

Eva is the perfect black cat heroine: fierce, witty, and guarded. Rylie is the reformed golden retriever hero we all deserve—genuine, persistent, and emotionally intelligent. Their chemistry is undeniable, and their banter had me grinning, gasping, and bookmarking quotes nonstop.

One of my favorite things was how honest and messy their reconnection felt. It wasn’t easy or perfect, and that’s what made it so emotionally satisfying. The audiobook, narrated by Ariela Crow, elevated the experience—especially during the steamy scenes. Her performance made the characters leap off the page.

Mazey Eddings doesn’t shy away from raw emotions, tough conversations, or anxiety-inducing moments, but she balances it beautifully with humor and heart. The “Hot Girl” mantra—“Hot Girl isn’t a look or a style, it’s a commitment to doing whatever makes you feel unstoppable in the face of life’s f**ery”*—will live rent-free in my mind forever.

This is a solid 5-star read for me. Full of surprises, heart, and a second-chance romance done right.

Mazey Eddings is one of my favorite authors, making Well, Actually once of my top anticipated reads of the year! Eva’s journalism career isn’t what she expected, but when her impromptu call out of her college ex goes viral, everything turns, especially when her job wants to take advantage of the coverage and her ex Rylie Cooper wants six dates to prove to her he’s not the same guy. And with every date, Eva is forced to face she may have been wrong about the boy that broke her heart. This had a kind of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days energy to it. I loved the banter and Cooper was just so sweet and adorable, Eva is a really interesting character that sometimes I didn’t connect with, but she was also so well rounded and dynamic. She’s icy and guarded, but I also appreciated how authentic and unafraid to be herself she was. But I think where I struggled the most was her friendships, there wasn’t a lot of moments of the friends with her being good friends with each other; it was a lot of sharp barbs. Her best friend and her work together and there’s a lot of how Eva’s “bad” behavior is affecting her friend and I was mad for Eva. But Cooper more than made up for it with her; he got Eva. Every time he called her a little demon, I swooned some, and he just really cared about her. The banter was so good; Eva is sarcastic and Cooper is so cute. It’s just a very fun read!

Mazey Eddings never misses. The characters are so thorough and diverse. The plot is perfectly paced. The smut is perfectly loving. Love love love (as usual).

📚WELL, ACTUALLY by Mazey Eddings
🎧Solo narration by Ariela Crow
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing this ALC!


WELL, I ACTUALLY enjoyed this one!! If you are chronicalllllly online, you love teasing banter, and know about the chicken shop date series — you are in the right place. The writing was very fresh and light, you get such a classic rom-com feel in our main character, Eva. And you get a very flirty, frat bro turned podcaster which wouldn’t be my first choice for how I’d want my book boyfriend to be. But he’s everything unexpected and a very dynamic character. His podcast is about dismantling toxic masculinity, which I have conflicted feelings about (cringe but actually very needed in the online space so we accept).

This is a very modern novel. I don’t know if modern captures it exactly - but it’s very much “2024/2025” in the language and references. I know that some people get turned off by this in books, but honestly I don’t mind as long as it’s done well. It has to be on the border of cringe but also funny because, yeah that is actually how things are these days. I personally am (unfortunately) consistently in-tune with what’s going on ~online~. I thought it was done well here and found myself genuinely laughing a lot.

Overall their relationship is so goofy but charmingly cute, major teasing and “fighting” that’s all just love and good chemistry. It was a very FUN and unique story (I mean c’mon, everyone has fallen in love with Amelia Dimoldenberg on chicken shop… I totally pictured her as our FMC and Andrew Garfield as our MMC).


Audio review:
GIRRRLLLLL Ariela Crow had a STUNNING performance!! I have never had the pleasure of listening to her narrate a story before so this was just the most incredible delight. She was absolutely outstanding - her accents, the different voices, the way she can master a “male” voice but also take on a flirty tone. She does it all and it really stands out. Her pacing was so good as well, she is such a talented voice actor! I’d put her at Julia Whelan levels of perfect-narrator.


Also some more thoughts bc I can keep going:
-major props to the LGBTQ+ representation, and mental health representation
-she calls him “babygirl” and he calls her “kitten” (her last name is Kitt. like stoooopppp so good!!
-honestly wasn’t expecting to be so spicy - it’s a little more than I personally like, but it wasn’t bad by any means
-I’ll be honest there were times where I could not stand how immature the FMC was but she gets a lot better so I can’t be super mad, at least she grows
-the cover is SOOO good I can’t!!!

Enjoyable read! Main character Eva is a podcaster, working for a large social media company. She hosts a show where she shares hotdogs and inane chatter with D-listers, hoping it will lead to a real journalist opportunity. After she posts a scathing drunken rant about her first love Riley, the pair agrees to communicate in viral posts that financially benefit the company. The book is about what happens after that to the couple. The sarcasm and witty banter was quite funny. I was really rooting for the pair. I liked the ending. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job.

I am not sure if I should openly admit this, but many times I will pick a book based on the title or the cover, as was the case with Well, Actually. I saw the cover and was like, “yup, I want to read this one!”

Eva dreamed of being a journalist but instead found herself as the host of a talk show called “Sausage Talk” where she interviews her guests in studio over hot dogs. Her ex, Rylie Cooper on the other hand has become a social media celebrity as the host of his own show focused on trying to help men become “good partners.” This is a bit ironic to Eva as when they dated, he was everything but. One night after listening to an episode, Eva publicly calls Rylie out and the internet goes wild. She wakes to a massive amount of new followers and in an effort by management to ride the wave, Eva is forced to have Rylie as a guest on her show. Rylie offers Eva a deal. Let him take her on six dates to prove that he has changed. They can then debrief each date on her show. Determined to exact her revenge, Eva agrees, but somewhere along the way the lines begin to blur. Will she reveal him for the fraud that he is, or has Rylie really changed?

For those who require trigger warnings, the author is very sensitive to this and lists sensitive subject matter at the beginning (at least in the audiobook). The list includes internalized bi-phobia, workplace abuse, toxic masculinity, internalized misogyny, and grief after loss of a loved one. With that said, if these are triggers you can work with, this is a fun and enjoyable story so don’t let that deter you!!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of the audio book. The production team did a wonderful job with this book and the narrator, Ariela Crow, was delightful! I really enjoyed this listen!