*Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for early copy for review*

This was okay, but I've read better second chance romances. While listening to the audiobook I enjoyed the banter, but never was excited to go back to it. I'll be honest and say when I saw the cover on my phone I mistakenly thought it was two women. Maybe that mistake clouded my enjoyment.

I really thought I was going to love this book and after I finished it I still thought I did. But the further out I get from it, the more I think it was just okay for me. There were things I really, really liked. Rylie Cooper is utterly charming and honestly doing seriously good working unpacking his personal trauma and issues. Eva is bitchy and guarded and that fabulous too, but for some reason their combination only works for me to a point. They are one of those book couples that I think would split up later. I liked that certain people didn't get any kind of redemption and not everything came up roses for the MCs. But again, something's just not landing for me now that I'm a few days out from reading it. I think chiefly, the idea that Eva who is clearly a girl boss with great angry girl vibes would just willingly stay in a such a toxic job as though she has no other options. I dunno. It was an enjoyable audiobook listen with terrific narration from a new to me. narrator. I'm not mad I read it, it just didn't end up being as strong as I anticipated.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

This was a fun second chance romance with major Hot Ones and Chicken Shop Date podcast vibes. I liked it, but didn’t fully love it.

Eva, the FMC, was so over the top at times. The number of times she stormed off from Rylie was honestly exhausting. That part made it hard to root for her in the beginning. But there were moments, especially in the second half, where I liked both of them and got more into their connection.

The concept was really interesting and it made for an enjoyable listen, even though it felt a little long.

The narrator was fantastic. So much personality and energy. She really brought the story to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC.

Eva may just be my spirit animal. I absolutely loved her snark and sarcasm and just overall vibe….she is my humor personified and I ate up every word that came out of her mouth. Enter Rylie, who cannot only spar with her, but lives for it! This was such a unique second chance romance in that these two dated a bit in college and both had it bad for each other, but really both of them still had some self discovery to do before they were really ready for the other.

I really felt like their journey from sort of enemies, to friends to more was mapped out so perfectly. We really get to see their growth from the time they were in college to now and how they got there. I mean the way they talked to each other from that very first meeting after Eva’s video goes viral….I was seriously melting! This man and woman know how to spar and the innuendo and tone and all of it, so so good!

This also sheds light on the double standard of how men and women are treated in so many ways, and I loved how Riley was just all in on supporting Eva to be the strong and snarky women that she is!

I really enjoyed the audio, but I will say I would LOVE a male narrator for Riley, just because of the way he is….the swoon level would have been an 11! With that being said Ariela Crow really did an amazing job with Eva!

TROPES
💞Second Chance
🐈‍⬛Black Cat
🐶Golden Retriever
🗣️The Best Banter
🎙️Workplace
📸Public Dating
🏳️‍🌈LGBTQ Rep
💋Nicknames

4.5 ⭐️

This was my first Mazey Eddings book and it did not disappoint.
Overall, this was such a fun read and really enjoyed the character development.

Well, actually portrays a strong woman who follows her heart and dreams with passion, while struggling to meet the patriarchy’s demands. We follow Eva’s journey as she connects with her past lover Cooper due to an accidental social media post. They end up having to go on dates as part of Eva’s job and develop a deeper connection than the one they previously had.

While Eva was our black cat, Cooper was our golden retriever. That man had the biggest heart and I enjoyed how he showered Eva with all the love! Their banter was perfection!

Ariela Crow did a fantastic job with the narration, she made the book better than it already was! She gave life to the book and the characters through her narration! 🎧

Overall, this book is a fast romantic comedy that gets to your heart easily. I fell in love with the characters, their banter and chemistry. I enjoyed how Mazey was able to touch on difficult topics while keeping a light, funny touch to the book.

Tropes:
* Second chance romance
* Single POV
* Black cat/golden retriever
* Rom-Com
* Enemies to lovers
* He falls first
* Slow burn
* Spice

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the ALC of this book!

This was such a fun read! Packed with laugh out loud moments and just the right dose of emotion, this story had me hooked. I found Eva super relatable…her snarky attitude was everything. And as someone married to a real life golden retriever, I absolutely adored Rylie!

If you’re into reverse grumpy sunshine, second chance romance with plenty of groveling, and top tier banter, then you need to pick this one up.

🎧Shoutout to Ariela Crow…her narration was absolutely spot on and brought every scene to life!

This was my first book by Mazey Eddings and I absolutely loved every minute of it.

I was smilling and giggling 🤭 throughout the book. Cooper definitely is a gem and such a sweetheart and our lady Eva is mean and bitchy (for a reason which is absolutely justified). You can hate her all you want but they have a past and people grow, mature, learn and unlearn things. The way this was handled felt very real and human to me.

I loved Eva’s sarcastic remarks and sharp wit and Rylie’s responses to each and everyone of them. Loved the chemistry and plot. Had so much fun reading it.

The audiobook quality was great and there were no issues with production or quality even at a faster speed.
Loved the narrator.

This book was witty and charming. The characters development arc from when they first met in college to where they ended the book was really well done. The audiobook performance was also fantastic!

“Well, Actually” is for all the girls who’ve been told they’re not enough, who have been pushed aside and ignored, who’ve been beat down at work so much that they believe they deserve to be treated as less than. It’s for those who are not entirely likeable and who are angry at the world because of this treatment but who only want to be seen and understood even though they’re afraid to let their inner gooey side show. This one’s for the women who have been called a b—— for speaking out or for asking for what they want and deserve or for saying no to being treated as less than. And this one’s for those who are witty and funny and sarcastic and somehow haven’t given up on the world even though the world seems to have given up on them.

While it took me a moment to sink into this one, once I did, I loved Eva Kitt and Riley Cooper. They felt real, raw, and emotional while going through some tough situations. This book has it all: witty banter, steamy moments, laugh out loud moments, and emotional depth. There’s one particular scene where I felt like I was receiving counselling and I have to say, I’m here for it.

Also, be forewarned, there are discussions of grief and the role it takes in our lives; the sexualization of women in the media, particularly in direct contrast with men; open and honest discussions of sexuality and mental health; workplace harassment; and misogyny. Eddings handles each of these topics with her trademark sensitivity and grace.

While I liked both formats, I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook with the narrative prowess of @arielacrow

I was instantly hooked on this story from the first sentence! I really enjoyed the premise of the romance and really felt the chemistry between Eva and Rylie! Their banter was top notch! And the way Rylie wouldn't let Eva give up on them throughout the story made me swoon. I also loved the side characters, and the cameos from some of the Eddings universe made me happy.

The narration was great as well; each character had a distinct voice that made it easy to follow along and get sucked into the story. I highly recommend!

I can’t lie - this one wasn’t it for me. As someone who could relate to Eva’s anxieties, I couldn’t relate to … well, the rest of the book. My eyes haven’t stopped rolling into the back of my head.

A black cat energy, hot dog eating podcast host. A golden retriever feminist podcast host. A deliciously fun enemies to lovers romance.

Firstly, I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narration was perfect, so big kudos to Ariela Crow.

Second, the dynamic between Eva and Riley was so good. Eva was the grumpy to Riley's sunshine and I ate it up. I loved their podcast interviews. I loved their private interactions. Their conversations were serious at times but also really fun. They just had amazing chemistry and I think that's what kept me hooked on the book.

Third, the writing! I have never read anything by this author before but I really enjoyed how well everything flowed together and the character arcs.

This would be a fantastic end of summer read/listen and I can't wait to check out more from Ms. Eddings in the future. Thank you to NetGalley, Mazey Eddings, and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen and review!

4.25 ⭐️

the BANTER!!!!! so good. i was immediately drawn in from the first chapter. rylie was so vulnerable with eva. i love when a mmc opens up and gets deep with his emotions and feelings. i will say there were moments when i felt eva was a bit too mean to rylie. i really liked him and his character growth and healing process through his trauma. this story was funny and cute, but it also had serious moments so i do recommend checking content warnings.

eva never expected to be the host of “sausage talk” interviewing b-list celebrities over writers instead of pursuing her dream journalism career. one night, eva publicly calls out her college ex rylie for ghosting her and the video goes viral. her ex being a beloved social media personality who built a platform teaching men how to be decent partners by “deconstructing toxic masculinity”. eva is now forced to confront rylie on a live episode of sausage talk where he makes her a deal: allow him to take her on dates to make up for his behavior and debrief them on his channel. will they be able to fix what happened all those years ago?

audio: i really enjoyed this. the pacing was great, i listened at 2.5x and the narrator brought cooper and eve to life. even though its single pov, our narrator portrayed both characters in a way that separated the two and easy to follow along.

tropes: second chance, lgbtq+ rep, workplace romance ish, black cat x golden retriever, fake(ish) dating, hate to love, single pov

If you’re in the mood to laugh A LOT while getting your swoon fix, you’re going to want to check this one out! I had so much fun listening to this audiobook. Eva is struggling to be taken seriously in her journalism career, while Rylie is a famous influencer known for his relationship advice. They went to college together and had an unimpressive fling that left Eva despising Rylie. Now she is forced to work with him after she publicly airs their history.

This has the perfect black cat/golden retriever vibes! I couldn’t get enough of Eva’s snark and sarcasm, Rylie’s cocky but charming personality, and their fantastic banter. [and my 90’s heart needed that Meredith Brook’s reference!!] But there is also so much heart and emotional depth, I loved it all!

🎧And I couldn’t stop smiling throughout Ariela Crow’s performance. Between her impeccable timing, emotion, and the eloquent way she depicted each character (I really loved her Rylie), paired with Mazey’s hilarious and addictive writing, I flew through this audiobook! I couldn’t put it down.

𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 ⇣
Rom-com
Second chance
Enemies to lovers
Black cat x golden retriever
He falls first
All the banter
Slow burn
Single POV
Spice

This was such a cute second chance story. I love the way it touched on grief, loss and growth. The banter was so good too!

Oh my goodness, this book had me hooked!!! Eva and Riley were feisty, flirty, and fantastic. A unique take on a second chance, and the character work was actually able to convince me as to why they couldn’t have been together in the first place. Loved this book!

If he kissed me right now, I wouldn’t push him away.

“After you . . . you turd.”
“Did you just call me a turd?” I hiss, following him to a booth. “No one’s called me a turd since I was like, twelve.”
“See, that I find genuinely surprising.”

He doesn’t get to leave me then come back and play a game of what-ifs over the tombstone of my hardened heart.

Mazey Eddings does it again 😮‍💨
There is something so satisfying about this dynamic, not quite black cat/golden retriever, it's more like bitch/himbo (complimentary to the highest degree). Eva is just SO MEAN and why shouldn't she be. And Rylie is just.. such a simp. Completely obsessed with her and the endless daggers she throws at him, as he should be.

I was confusingly surprised that this was single POV, but it also let me see how hard it was for Eva to really believe him, to trust him. He's so genuine but after already having felt his betrayal, it's hard to trust that and I was right alongside her in that skepticism and hesitation. I also loved that, while he was more than happy to keep taking her hits, he also felt hurt when he had the right to, and hesitated to keep opening up to her. It has to be both ways and I love that Mazey always makes it clear in all her books that absolutely everyone can and will mess up, but they can also grow.

THE LIZZIE RAKE HARPER DAN CAMEOS 😭😭😭😭😭 my love on the brain bunnies🥹🥹🥹 lowkey glad Jude and Indira weren't here i would've completely lost my shit

Eva and Lilah from Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder would be best friends in an AU where they would be running the whole world and that is a fact

MVP: Rylie's sweatshirt collection. And his silly goofy name-calling.

(THANK YOU to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and 🥹Mazey Eddings🥹 for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)
(love being back in my silly book review writing era)

So I have been sitting on this review for days not knowing how I was going to rate it or what to say.
First off for context, I have no clue what Chicken Shop Date is. I mostly picked the book because I loved the cover so much. Still it is my favorite part of the book. It took me days to finish it. Every single time I picked it up I groaned in despair. I really should of put it aside and not finish it. But in all actuality I am glad I did. I did enjoy the ending more then the rest of the book. I just did not care for the characters much. I had no emotional attachment at all. They just got on my nerves. But actually finishing it and getting to the end took a 2 star book and just almost pushed it to three.

This was my first book by Mazey Eddings so I'll give her one more chance(never base an author on one book).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for a gifted copy in exchange for a honest review.

This was my first title by Mazey Eddings. I liked the storyline and her style of writing (use of literary devices). The story is witty and some parts are comical. There are parts of the story that are pretty racy and colourfully descriptive. There’s an author’s note at the beginning of the book alerting the reader to the subject matter woven into the story. However, what the author’s note doesn’t mention, and what I struggled with, is just how much crude language is used and the unnecessary, over abundance of ‘f bombs’ - it just seemed excessive.
The narration of the audiobook is done by Ariela Crow and is well executed-it’s clear, well paced with consistent voice portrayals and easily listened to (you just have to get past the language). (2.5/5)
Thank You to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio/ St. Martin’s Press for the early audiobook widget for WELL, ACTUALLY.

This one was not really for me. I should have known from the start but that's on me I guess. I won't be rereading this one.