Chicken shop date with grumpy/sunshine and second chance tropes

This book started off so strong. The premise was great. I loved the public call-out of a frat bro on social media. It was fantastic that he was brought onto her show and they agreed to do dates and recaps. I could not stop laughing during their first date. Rylie is a walking green flag. He is so earnest and lovable. He grew up and made life changes to make himself better. He apologizes and is so communicative! Five stars for Rylie! The spice was also spicy in this book.

I received an advanced copy of the audiobook. The narrator was great. I really enjoyed her various voices for the characters. It was very clear who each voice belonged to. I also enjoyed her use infusion of emotion into the narration.

This book was overall a miss for me though. I was thoroughly enjoying it for the first two thirds of the book, then it took a nosedive for me. Eva has an absolutely soul crushing job. She is constantly in fear of losing her job, belittled, and humiliated. Yet she stays. She's living in NYC with a social media following. Go get a job that is a good fit for you! Go work literally anywhere else while you get the journalism job you actually want. Her best friend working with her was just a terrible friend and coworker. She saw what was happening with Eva and ignored everything to save their jobs. Why would you want to work so hard to save that job?? As the book went on, I felt like Eva was making phenomenal personal growth. Then it suddenly just disappeared and she was running away from Riley again and literally begging for her job. That really bothered me. Also, Eva was just a crappy friend. She just disappeared from her two best friends leaving one to clean up her mess at work. Then her friends communicate with her at the gala, and Eva is barely able to give anything back to them. THEN she leaves! In the middle of the event to go get it on with her boyfriend! It's Ray's first time catering an event and she leaves before the entrees are served. Ava literally just talked to Eva about Eva's lack of communication, then Eva just leaves. On top of all that it's a huge event being thrown by Rylie's roommate, and he didn't even stay for the auction or dinner. That seriously makes me so angry.

Eva Kitt dreams of being a hard-hitting journalist, but for now she spends her days hosting a show where she interviews B-list celebrities over hot dogs (think chicken shop date / hot ones). Her ex-boyfriend from college, Riley, has become a well-known podcaster who teaches men how to be good partners. After she calls him out online, she is forced to interview him on her show and agrees to go on six dates with him so he can prove to her that he has changed in the 6 years since they dated.

I enjoyed this one more than I expected to! The premise was fun and felt different than other romances I've read. It also delved into some deeper topics and I felt like the characters actually communicated their feelings to one another, which was refreshing. Despite the main characters being a man and woman, there was some great LGBTQ representation with them being bi and pan (as well as a side character who was trans).

Eva is a "black cat" type of character and at times I found her to be a little unnecessarily combative toward Riley, who was a very lovable MMC. They also strayed from the fake dating for their show after only a few dates, and I wish they would've seen that through. Overall I would definitely read more from this author in the future!

*ARC audiobook provided by NetGalley

I really liked this one! The banter between Eva and Rylie is hilarious, and the heat between them was intoxicating. I loved the therapy rep and deeper conversations about toxic masculinity, depression, and grief.

Ariela Crow is great on audio! She’s electric and delivers a great performance overall.

Read if you enjoy:
🎙️ second chance romance
♥️ black cat x golden retriever
🌭 banter and quirky flirting
💄 emotional payoff
👓 a man in glasses
🥵 open door spice

And now for a completely out of context quote that made me chortle:

“I wanted an obvious signal to visitors that I’m a freak in the jeets.”

the conflict in the third act felt so disappointing. of all the curveballs to throw at a plot, I really didn't love the choice made here. lots of elements of the plot were ultimately given little to no resolution. however, I did appreciate the commitment to a prickly character, since that is always a gamble with audiences. eva was crude and intense and raw and her guys loved every bit of it. it was sweet to see her be adored rather than shamed for who she is. by design, second chance romances offer so much potential and well, actually was fairly successful in delivering what a reader fond of that trope would desire. though not my favorite from mazey, the audiobook was solid.

Eva is an aspiring serious journalist with an online job called sausage talk, where she interviews not very famous people while eating hot dogs and making snarky jokes. One night she gets drunk and uploads a video she made about a famous internet guy. They went on a few dates in college. They had bad sex and then he ghosted her. The video goes viral.

The next day her job forces her to agree to date this guy and have live recaps afterward. He says he's honestly hoping to make up for what he did. She's hoping for a promotion with something more serious.

The narrator does an excellent job!

This is an entertaining, emotional at times read. Riley and Eva are wounded characters whose stories are compelling and well written. This story is powerful in its impact and message. I found Riley easy to understand and connect with as his story unfolded – which is to the author’s skills. Eva on the other hand, I didn’t always connect with or like. She had me though once she started to let Riley in and the romance really began. The story has a lot going on and I wish the work sub-plot had a different ending – as I was left unsatisfied and unfulfilled by it. Overall, I enjoyed the story the more I got into it and these characters. The story is easy to read.

As the author states at the beginning of the book – this story deals with loss and grief – while it’s well done, for anyone for whom this is difficult to read in a story, please save this book for another time when you can consume its content.

There are different types of bullying either depicted or mentioned on page.

I enjoyed the audio version of this book and the narrator.

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

Audiobook Review: Ariela Crow did a great job as narrator for the most part. Her narrator for Eva - especially during Eva's more vulnerable to sarcastic moments - was infused with great humor and emotion. I felt her voice for Cooper was a bit too smoldering which made him sound a tad sleezy at times but overall I felt she did a good job. Her accent for Ray was distracting and I couldn't figure out where he was supposed to be from.

Book review: very funny and adequately spicy with wonderful chemistry from the leads. I felt it needed to show more than tell their original relationship and chemistry and I felt Eva acted too young and immature for her age. Overall, decent romantic comedy that I think has good appeal to lots of readers.

I loved this! I laughed a lot, it was emotional. The perfect romcom! I listened on audio- narrator was good and I know I’d want to reread this again.

~ He goes to therapy and takes her on a “date” to talk about their past and heal from it.

✨ Black cat x golden retriever
✨ Second chance
✨ Queer rep
✨ Workplace romance
✨ kind of fake dating

“I’ll be brave enough for the both of us” 🫠

I really loved the premise of this book! Eva is so relatable and I really like hearing her inner dialogue. Eva and Rylie’s interactions were golden. So much hilarious banter as well as great jabs and sassy nicknames!! Contrarian witch will now forever be a favorite saying!! I can’t wait to read more by this author!!

4.5 ⭐️ I received this as an audio ARC from NetGalley. I had such a great time with this one. This was my first book by Mazey Eddings and it won't be the last. I am usually not a fan of second chance romance stories. But this one was so well done and I loved the characters both individually and together. The spice was very good and I enjoyed the pacing. Would definitely recommend this one!

I absolutely loved Well, Actually! I haven't read such a great second chance romance in a long time. We have Eva who is an aspiring journalist, but is frustrated in her job filming flirty interviews with B list celebrities while eating hotdogs (think Chicken Shop Date). One night while tipsy, she is annoyed when she sees that her ex from college (Riley) is doing a podcast that breaks down toxic masculinity. She finds this very hypocritical because in college he was a huge frat boy. She makes a post stating this, and it goes viral. Now Eva is forced to do an episode with Riley to tamper down outrage. Let the bantering begin.

This is a "black cat" and "golden retriever" romance. Eva speaks her mind, and is very blunt, while Riley is very sweet, and loves Eva's brashness. It was a wonderful pairing.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan audio for the advanced listener copy. I enjoyed the narrator Ariela Crow, she kept me glued to my audiobook. I highly recommend Well, Actually, it was a great listen. 4.5 star.

As a longtime fan of Mazey Eddings, I didn’t hesitate to pick up Well, Actually—and overall, I’m glad I did. The story centres on Eva Kitt, a sarcastic, no-nonsense host of Sausage Talk, a quirky show where she interviews B-list celebrities over hot dogs. Things take an unexpected turn when a viral call-out of her ex, Rylie Cooper—now a social media darling known for preaching emotional intelligence to men—lands her in the spotlight.

Forced into a live interview with Rylie, Eva reluctantly agrees to his proposal: a series of “redemption dates” he’ll broadcast to show how much he’s changed. She’s determined to use the situation to boost her career and expose him as the same old guy underneath. But, as their staged romance unfolds, sparks start to fly, and Eva begins to question if the man who once broke her heart could actually be the one to mend it.

This second-chance romance hooked me with its snappy banter and emotional depth—especially Rylie’s vulnerable backstory, which added a surprising layer to his character. That said, the book is definitely steamier than Eddings’ previous work, and I found myself skipping over some of the more explicit scenes in the latter half, missing the sweeter tone I’ve come to appreciate in her earlier novels.

The Narration:

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Ariela Crow, and I have to say, her performance truly brought the characters to life. She struck a great balance between Eva’s biting wit and vulnerability, delivering her sharp one-liners with just the right amount of sass while also capturing the deeper, more emotional moments with care. Her portrayal of Rylie was equally impressive—his charm and warmth came through clearly, making it easy to understand how Eva could start to fall for him again. Crow gave each character a distinct voice and energy, which made the listening experience dynamic and immersive.

Final Thoughts:

Well, Actually is a fun, thoughtful read with heart, humour, and just the right amount of chaos—and if you enjoy second-chance stories with a modern twist, it’s definitely worth checking out. The audiobook is an excellent option, and I’d highly recommend it.

I received an ARC of this audiobook from the publisher, but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

I honestly think maybe I need to reconsider my stance on second chance romance because I’ve had a few in a row I didn’t immediately want to DNF. This really gave me some second date update vibe in the start, the banter of things ending horribly and getting a do over all in the name of journalism and podcasts was great imo. I was hooked from the start. The banter is really what sold me on this all and how it developed from banter, to flirty snark, into just vibes so naturally. I loved the actual underlying message of woman empowerment and standing up for yourself in a male dominated field and doing right by yourself. Honestly there isn’t much about this book I didn’t like. The narration was well done, I really don’t have complaints. Thank you Macmillan audio and NetGalley for this alc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun read and I loved that the FMC was different than a lot of books I’ve read recently. I didn’t connect to every aspect the book the still had a good time. The narrator was amazing!

4.5 (and I’m only docking because I didn’t find a connection in the book to the title (like why is it called Well, Actually?) and I didn’t like the incorrect use of the word/term “hearsay”)

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. She did a great job switching between characters and I was excited to listen to the book each day.

The book itself was fun, witty, and made me laugh out loud. I really connected with the main character, Eva, and her internal doubts and insecurities. I loved hearing the characters’ growth throughout the book as it made the characters more realistic and relatable.

I got an advanced listener copy from NetGalley.

Well, Actually is a delight from start to finish. We begin by meeting our queen, Eva Kitt, host of a podcast where she interviews B-list celebrities over hot dogs. Not exactly the journalism career she has dreamt of, so one night in a fit of frustration (and fueled by alcohol) she accidentally goes viral in response to a Rylie Cooper video. Rylie is a beloved social media personality who has built a platform on destructing toxic masculinity, though that was definitely NOT college Eva’s experience with him - and she lets the world know.

Now Eva and Rylie are forced together on her podcast by the powers that be, and Rylie proposes a deal - five dates as a chance for him to make it up to her. She’s all in for her career, but OF COURSE sparks fly, misunderstandings are cleared up, and she starts to see that current Rylie is definitely not the same as college Rylie. CUTE, right?!

The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the right tone, emotion, and (quite honestly) voice to all of the characters, and I was impressed at how well she captured both the light and the heavy moments of this story.

This is absolutely a romance that is rooted in reality - real characters, real problems, and real experiences that make Eva and Rylie easy to root for and for this story to be easy to read. A solid four stars from me!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

WOW I loved this book so much! Even more than I was expecting, and I am a big fan of Mazey Eddings!

Eva Kitt can come off a bit abrasive and angry, but deep down she is afraid of being hurt, and has her walls up high for some valid reasons. And dang did I relate to her!! Rylie Cooper could come off as playboy who is pretending to say all the right things, but when it comes to Eva, he is DOWN BAD. These two were hilarious. They had a rough start, with a first date that was so bad I was cackling. But as both of them opened up, and talked about what actually happened when they were in college, there was some real healing and rebuilding for them both!

I loved this book. I loved the communication. I loved how soft Eva let herself be with Rylie once she gave in to him. I loved that the 3rd act conflict was not a breakup. I loved the way these two fought for each other. I also loved how funny this book was!

This audio was PHENOMENAL! The voices, the emotion, the humor..it was all so good! Ariela Crow has become a new favorite audiobook narrator for me because of this book!

This audiobook is so cute. The narrator is excellent! Despite feeling aged out of a lot of the current romantic storylines, I enjoyed this story between two older 20-year-olds I loved the banter between these two characters. I found the joking, sarcastic insults hilarious and just really enjoyed this one. The story shows how childhood drama really shapes a person and affects their relationships. Love it when a person fights for love and breaks through those barriers. Thank you to net Galley and Macmillan audio for the advanced copy and exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First of all, I want to say that I love the cover. It’s beautiful and definitely gives off Chicken Shop Date vibes. I enjoyed the banter and the laugh-out-loud moments. I just wish the banter hadn’t been quite so mean, but that might just be a personal preference. I’m a huge sucker for both the second-chance and enemies-to-lovers tropes, so that aspect really worked for me.

The narrator did a great job of differentiating between our FMC, Eva, and our MMC, Rylie. Eva’s best friend, Ada, wasn’t my favorite character. She didn’t come across as very supportive and mostly frustrated me. I also wish the spicy scenes had felt more convincing. I ended up skimming through most of them because I didn’t find their chemistry believable.

Overall, this audiobook had some genuinely funny moments, and I’m glad I had the chance to listen to it. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been looking for a romcom to hit all the buttons for me and this was it!

Eva was definitely the grumpy black cat to Rylie’s golden retriever personality. Their banter was excellent. Their personalities were fleshed out very well. Rylie had one of the healthiest redemption arcs I’ve seen.

The plot was interesting, reminiscent of Amelia D’s Chicken Shop Date. Communication was an important plot development tool, which was rather refreshing. Every time Eva backtracked, Rylie supported her through the conflict. The LGBTQ+ and mental health rep was great!

The audiobook narration by Ariela Crow was done really well. I usually prefer dual narration but this was great just as it was. Wouldn’t change a thing.

Complementary copy received and voluntarily reviewed.