Thank you for the ARC I appreciated being able to have a first glimpse at this, I however DNF'd at 22% finished I just couldn't get passed a few things, the cover is beautiful and the description intrigued me. I have never read anything from this author before so I didn't know what to expect but the profanity and use of the word sin or sinful for everything was a bit much for me and the scene where they are texting and making a joke of the antichrist I couldn't get into it and stopped there. While I did like the idea behind the plot I would have preferred it in a clean romance setting but still thank you for the early copy.

Eva and Rylie get a second chance and it's a wild ride. Eva is dragging along, struggling to find a place in her career. Rylie is fairly successful and Eva calls him out for past transgressions from 6 years ago. Eva's slimy boss wants to capitalize on it. Eva has baggage so heavy it could sink a ship. Rylie is the sweetest and it's driving Eva nuts. Rylie is insanely patient with Eva. Eva is sarcastic and untrusting and not willing to give Rylie a chance. Rylie chips away at her walls and earns her trust. Things get steamy and emotional and you get to the point where you can't help but root for them. The book is pretty well paced, but did drag a little after the midpoint. Well, actually I enjoyed this very much.

unfortunately this one wasn’t for me! i liked the (sometimes millennial coded) humor and the banter, but even that became grating after a while. the fmc was insufferable, and not in a good way. halfway through the book it became very clear that cooper was a changed man, with no signs of it being performative, but eva was still so tightly gripped on her grudge over a 5+ year grudge that it becomes her whole personality and all she revolves around. the fact that she clearly liked him, yet was still so rude became repetitive after a while. cooper’s growth held such a mirror to the fact that eva has a very un-fleshed out character arc. i was waiting for her to explore her fear of abandonment or her insecurity. i thought she was going to take the “hot girl is an armor you put on” thing and deeply explore what was under the armor, but halfway through and no cigar!

had to dnf, but i’d try another one of her books in the future.

Special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press advanced digital copy!

Eva and Riley had a brief fling in college that ended in a disappointing night. 6 years later, Eva goes viral for a scathing review of Riley’s…performance. Of course, Riley and Eva are then thrown together and we get a front row seat. If you’re a fan of second chance romance and black cat/golden retriever then you will enjoy this book.

omg chicken shop date with a hot dog twist is my dream! loved the characters banter! definitely wish there was more about the dates and the podcasts to go along with them.

This was actually my first book by Mazey Eddings, and it certainly will not be my last. Well, Actually was hilarious, reflective, emotional and it kept me on my toes. I found myself lost in the story and rooting for both Eva and Rylie. An emotionally put together MMC who can admit his mistakes? Yes please. I also loved all the themes for LGBTQ+ community. I only deducted a star for Eva drinking the stupid juice for a bit too long in my opinion.

This was such a good book! I loved it from start to finish. I think we got a lot of swoon worthy moments from the banter exchanged between these two. I might be bias but I absolutely love a black cat and golden retriever style book and this delivered perfectly. I binged this book in a single day so it’s safe to say it hooks you right from the first page. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future!

I have to be honest, I really struggled connecting with this book initially. Normally I am hooked within the first chapter of one of Mazey's books but this took be a good while to get into or feel connected to the characters. Once Riley and Eva have that first real conversation, I was in. It was very moving, pretty spicy and had a message to tell, I just feel like a lot was trying to be covered at once.

Overall, I think I enjoyed the peaks at some of my favorite Mazey characters from other stories the most. I think it was her first book that did not make me ugly cry at some point.

I LOVE Mazey Eddings so very much. I was so excited to get selected for this book and I still think it was very good overall just not one of my personal favorites.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC :)

So the only thing that would have made this book better was if we got Riley’s POV as well. A dual POV would be amazing just to humanize her a bit sooner than she exposed it herself but I still loved Eva.

This book definitely made me laugh, gasp and cry!

William can rot in the lowest portion of hell there is, with that said I wish there was a bit more on the follow up of how everything went down, like that there was actual personal consequences for him and his mother which I’m sure there would be, it would’ve been nice to see it in writing though since she made us feel so much hatred towards him.

Eva is rough around the edges and has built so much armor around herself that she closes herself off to love, friendships etc, the reasons for that get exposed but she also only uncovers that in relation to what made her that way and the aftermath of Rylie, I do wish that we got a tidbit of her dad or step brothers reaching out to her as all this chaos unfolded but that would’ve made a way longer book.

I also wish we got a bit more of Ray and Aida, I like them all together but then Eva shut down and shut them out that we got a bitchy Aida until the end where I liked her again. But although I haven’t read them all I hope we get a book for them since she likes to focus on friend groups.

I loved the therapy session, I love how well Rylie reads her emotions/thoughts just from her facial expressions and body language and he takes her as she is, calls her out on her shit or gives the sass right back to her.

This book is LGBTQ+ friendly as it should be, there is a trans side character, bi and pansexual characters in our MCs, it’s touched on respectfully in a self reflection/admittance way.

This one is for the black cat/golden retriever trope lovers. Mazey Eddings once again takes something familiar and makes it thoughtful and relatable. Her characters are unforgettable. Eva is that hard shelled creature that is begging to be truly seen and Rylie Cooper is the one to convince her that he's not going to abandon her. He also posesses my #1, most attractive character trait in a MMC right now: emotional maturity. There is nothing sexier than a man who chose to face grief and hardship by going back to school for a counseling degree and proceeding to work on himself. Scorching hot.
Read this. Read all of Eddings' back catalog if you haven't had the pleasure to do so yet. You won't be sorry! (There are a few cameos from some favorite characters here, too).
Thanks so much for the ARC! Scarfed it down in one day.

Well, Actually is a compelling read that will appeal to fans of contemporary romance. It's a story that is both heartwarming and thought-provoking, leaving readers with much to ponder long after the final page is turned. Whether you're a seasoned romance reader or new to the genre, this novel is sure to captivate your heart and mind.

This book is a goddamn masterpiece. The banter, the chemistry, the emotions, the raw trauma and healing ... And the fucking Monster Mash. A masterpiece, Mazey Eddings.

I devoured this!! Loved Eva and Rylie so much!

Loved the banter and their story! Glad to see how their relationship progressed and that Eve didn’t have to change herself for it to work.

Can’t wait for the release and hopefully audio to enjoy this book again!

✅ Eva Kitt, 27, host of a B-D list celebrity interview show that involves eating hot dogs & Rylie Cooper, internet/podcast star on dismantling toxic masculinity
Eva is one of the most relatable heroines of 2025 - she’s pissed off, stressed out, holding a grudge, and has enough of men’s BS.
✅ second chance romance - Rylie is Eva’s college ex
✅ MC Pan rep and Bi rep and LGBTQ+ rep across several characters
✅ Laugh out loud funny
✅ 10 Things I Hate About You x Chicken Shop Date
✅ no third act breakup
🌶️: yes!

If you want to be laughing out loud and also screaming at people to communicate, this is the book for you😂😂 (they do eventually communicate in really good ways, don’t worry!)

There were a few parts that felt a little… off to me? It was a super enjoyable read and I sped read it in one day, but some word choices and the continuous back and forth + miscommunication really did throw me off. I almost stopped reading after the first page had the word “gullet” lmao

Also, it’s 100% Chicken Shop Date inspired but it doesn’t hinge too much on that aspect except for the beginning and then it being brought up throughout the book that Eva’s job is to eat hot dogs— ew lol

Did not finish, I had a hard time getting into this book, which is disappointing because I LOVED A Brush With Love. I just had too much trouble relating to the main character; she just felt too unrealistic.

What a great introduction to Mazey Eddings. She brought us interesting and real characters. The main character Eva is angry and spiteful and so, so real. Eva has been neglected by her family and has had a string of bad relationships to solidify the idea that she's unlovable. Rylie was an interesting character too. I wish we had to opportunity to be in his head but I understand why it made more sense for this to be a single POV. The Rylie that Eva knew was a total douche canoe who would send any sane person running for the hills with their feelings in taters. Thankfully we don't see that side of him because he has been therapized by the time we are introduced to his character. Overall the book had an engaging plot my only real issue was the ending. The last 10% felt rushed and the ending while tying everything together wasn't quite what I wanted.
The final thing to mention is that this is an inclusive book (which we love to see)

Mazey Eddings’ Well, Actually is a witty, refreshingly modern rom-com that delivers equal parts laugh-out-loud humor and genuine emotional depth. With an unforgettable premise, sizzling chemistry, and sharp social commentary, this book is a must-read for fans of second-chance romance with a side of viral drama.

Eva Kitt’s career has veered wildly off course, leaving her stuck hosting Sausage Talk—a gig as ridiculous as it sounds. But when a spontaneous public call-out of her college ex, Rylie Cooper, goes viral, she suddenly finds herself back in the spotlight. The twist? Rylie, now a beloved internet personality known for dismantling toxic masculinity, offers her a deal: let him take her on a series of dates to prove he’s changed—then publicly critique them on his platform.

What starts as a petty (and highly public) revenge scheme soon turns into something far more complicated. Eva and Rylie’s chemistry crackles on the page, their banter is razor-sharp, and their emotional journey is deeply satisfying. Eddings excels at blending humor with heart, exploring themes of personal growth, accountability, and the complicated nature of forgiveness. Eva’s struggles with her own ambitions and lingering heartbreak make her an incredibly relatable protagonist, while Rylie’s evolution from "the ex you love to hate" to someone genuinely trying to be better is both compelling and swoon-worthy.

Well, Actually is a pitch-perfect rom-com that captures the chaos of internet fame, the power of second chances, and the undeniable magic of well-written enemies-to-lovers tension. With its mix of biting humor, heartfelt moments, and slow-burning romance, this book is a delight from start to finish.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — A must-read for rom-com lovers who enjoy smart, socially relevant storytelling with a side of sizzling chemistry!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC.

Second-chance romance is not one of my preferred tropes but Mazey Eddings' writing sucked me in and made me care about a saucy, Aubrey Plaza type FMC and a words of affirmation, non-toxic MMC - with great pan and bi representation! I appreciated how Riley shut down Eva's spiral and desire to push him away during the conflict (I hate a dumb miscommunication final conflict and this was not that). This one got me in the feels!

This was a huge success for me—I absolutely ate up the confrontational yet sweet banter in this book. I really understood Eva’s motivations but also believed Rylie. At times the fmc’s boss seemed a bit unbelievable, but I understand her actions may have been exaggerated for the resolution of the story. Only major issue was the switching back and forth between the mmc’s first and last name; sometimes even in the same paragraph. It seemed really inconsistent and at one point I didn’t know which was his first name.