I have read Mazey Eddings before, and I feel like every time I’ve given her a try it always is just okay. I never dnf it but it never leaves a lasting impact on my mind and I never revisit anything.

I really appreciated that Mazey committed to having genuinely toxic characters in a romcom. Part of my problem in the past has been how forgettable I feel her characters are, and these were definitely not that, although they were a little too annoying and irredeemable at times.

I still think I’d call this just okay because the whole book felt very much like just another mass market romance being churned out for sales with nothing special about it, and I could feel the anticipation of the author and co saying maybe people on tiktok will talk about the book if social media is a big plot point of the book.

DNF at 23%

I’m shocked to have to DNF a Mazey Eddings but considering I didn’t like her last 2 books, maybe I shouldn’t be that surprised. Right off the cuff, the FMC Eva is incredibly mean and aggressive in her behavior. The story already leaned very heavily on Gen Z humor (and having just read another book that did the same thing, I don’t like that) and the fact it’s basically a fan fic of Chicken Shop Date…something just felt really off in the 23% I read and I truly didn’t care or connect with either MC). Super disappointing but I cannot go on!

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

Well, Actually is my fourth book by Mazey Eddings and I really enjoyed it!!

It starts off so fun. Throughout the book I was constantly laughing out loud at all of the ridiculous conversations between the characters. The plot: two podcasters used to date in college. It ended poorly (because of him). Years later, Eva goes viral after drunkenly calling Rylie out on social media. They get so much attention that they decide to try to make it right and go on dates for his podcast.

While it is my favorite of hers, it sort of lost traction for me after the halfway point. There were some annoying re-occurances that made me roll my eyes. But otherwise it was a great romcom that also hit on some heavy topics.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

This was a cute, fun romcom featuring two scorned rivals. Eva is very take no shit (to a fault, for me) and Riley is every golden retriever mmc ever written. I enjoyed their backstories and banter for the most part.

My biggest complaints with this book are that it’s very trendy and has all the popular buzzwords, and the FMCs personality. This felt like it was written to be “the next tik tok sensation” which is fine, it just wasn’t for me. I felt like the FMC thought everybody was out to get her, and acted accordingly. The way she treated the MMC when he had clearly changed as a person and was trying to show her who he was now was just absolutely wild to me. I don’t think their romance was very believable.

Overall, this was a cute summer rom-com, but not one I would re-read.

Oh my GOD. I stayed up late 2 nights in a row reading this, and didn’t pull an all nighter to finish only because I have a cold.
This book was everything. I love these characters. I relate to these characters. I love grumpy sunshine and I love a mean girl who shows vulnerability and softness around her chosen man. I hate the general Podcast bro that’s happening now but LOVE how Rylie was written and how he approaches what he does. I love how they dished it out and took it from one another. I was cackling out loud so many times, cried a few times, went through the gambit of it all. Genuinely such a great read and I am so thankful to NetGalley, St Martin’s Griffin and Mazey and her team. What an incredible book, I hope to read more like this!

Well, Actually is a goddamn delight. It is a sharp-tongued, energetic When-Will-They that squeezes your heart as it leaps out of your chest.

Rylie is such a delicious flavor of book boyfriend — earnest and bright with his love, awestruck and helplessly gone for Eva. Eva, who is a walking eye roll emoji, all barbs and bite. And their messy history just makes her sharpen her claws.

Part second chance romance, part enemies to lovers, this book is so fun and so satisfying. You’ll be hard pressed not to fall in love right along with them.

This one was cute and funny! I am grateful to get an arc of this! This was my first book by this author. Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's

“But you, Eva Kitt, are not just a woman. I’m fairly certain you’ve got a bit of the devil in you. But don’t worry, I’ll win her over as well.”

ˋ°•*⁀➷ 1.75 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I wanted to like this so badly. It had all the elements to make up a book I would have expected to enjoy but the execution just didn’t do it for me at all. Admittedly, I don’t think the writing called to me from the start and had a hard time feeling engaged with the style so I do believe this could be a great read for others, just not for me. My core issue with this book does truthfully sit with the FMC. Eva is a frustrating narrator and character as a whole. She does have what would normally be considered a fun spunky “bitchiness” that for me just felt unfounded. It’s hinted at that she has family trauma that is the reason for her attitude but the fact that it isn’t explored just leaves it feeling unnecessary and annoying more than anything.

Rylie is the best part of the book and even then, I felt like the writing did a poor job of explaining his backstory and properly justifying why he did that made Eva hate him for so long. The banter is the best part of the book but sometimes it felt like it was being overused and taking away from what could have been good development for the characters when there were opportunities for it. The plot also felt like it fell so flat at the 50% mark. I understand why it did because of what happens between the characters but if anything, I wish it took longer to get to that point just to keep the more interesting part of the plot going. The ending “conflict” just felt so unimportant as well and I felt like I was skimming the last like 10% because I just wanted it to be over.

Overall, I think this could be so good but the execution just didn’t do it for me. I wish that the writing hooked me more and kept me engaged but the lack of development both for the characters and the plot in the end made it really hard to keep reading at times.

~ My Ratings ~

Characters - 1.5 ☆ - flat, limited character growth, unlikable

Plot - 2.5 ☆ - cliched, disjointed, uneven pacing, unsatisfying conclusion

Setting - 1 ☆ - bland/generic, lack of depth

Writing Style - 1.5 ☆ - boring prose, hard to follow, repetitive

3.5 stars for me! I went into this book with really high expectations, and unfortunately this just wasn’t a favorite for me. That being said, I did still enjoy this for most parts. There definitely were some good moments and scenes that had me laughing out loud, but I just didn’t feel super connected to the characters. I did love the growth and development of our MMC though! overall this was a fun and quick read

"I'm here to check on you, you contrarian witch. I'm here to see if you're okay."

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for the ability to read this early, and to Netgalley for facilitating the ARC request.

Tropes:
- Second Chance (with a bit of a twist)
- Loathe to Love
- Chicken Shop Date vibes
- Surly x Sunshine

What I Liked:
- There is nothing Mazey Eddings could write that I wouldn't like. The woman's words are tattooed on my skin, ffs. That being said - Lizzie, I love you - but Well, Actually is my favorite Eddings novel thus far. Eva Kitt is for the girls who are angry at the world but desperately don't want to be. She is for the women who were soft once, and time + shitty life experience build walls around that softness. Riley Cooper is the man all of the women like that deserve. He's patient, he's understanding and most importantly he's not afraid to throw her attitude right back at her.

[Something I also loved was the switch from Cooper to Riley. I noticed that as Eva was starting to take Riley more seriously, and not hiding from him anymore, she stopped calling him Cooper and started calling him Riley. It feels like such a small detail, and could be confusing to someone who didn't catch it - but I am absolutely obsessed with it.[

I also adored how loved Eddings makes sure the queer community knows they are by her. Because they are. The tidbits we see of that in the book are so beautiful and tender, and I just fell in love all over again with Eddings' writing during this book.

Everyone should pick this up when it's released on August 5th - pretend I asked nicely ;)

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings was a solid 3.5 star read for me. I enjoyed the characters and storyline. I would definitely recommend to my friends.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed both characters and the plot kept me entertained for sure! This is my first read from this author and I’d definitely read more of her books.

A lively, witty, second chance romance that feels both modern and deeply heartfelt. For being so fun and flirty, it was surprisingly introspective. Perfect for fans of banter filled rom coms. I’d give it 3.5⭐️

Mazey Eddings the woman you are!! I’m absolutely obsessed with this. I was cackling out loud and just loving these chemistry.

Deliciously spicy. I thought the characters were well-drawn, so specific and defined, which is a hallmark of Mazey Eddings works. Which made it really easy to dislike the FMC!! Which is the only reason I rated this book a little lower than her previous books. I really liked the MMC (I thought he was too good for her! Hah)

Mazey Eddings is the premiere author of mental health in a variety of nuances!

Mazey tackles all sorts of neurodiversity with empathy, humor and normalcy. I so appreciate this valuable resource.

Eva is a minor 'celebrity' and influencer on social media. She uses this outlet to call out a brief and former boyfriend from college, who ghosted her after five dates and one night of awful sex. The boyfriend, Riley Cooper is also a social media influencer with a much larger following.

Riley wants to make amends so he challenges Eva to six dates and a chance to atone. Eva is witty and snarky and has a retort for everything. She doesn't give Riley any slack, especially when they talk on air (video). Their reels are as entertaining AF.

Riley does get to explain what happened six years ago and his reasons for his absence. Plus, the attraction they feel for each other starts to reveal itself. Fabulous!

Couldn't put it down!

🚩 Actually? No.

I really wanted to like this. Second-chance romance, podcast drama, media messiness—it all sounded like my kind of chaotic fun. But from page one, this was a hard no.

Eva, our heroine, hosts a show literally called Sausage Talk, and yet somehow spends the whole book acting like she’s too good for everything and everyone. I get being burnt out or feeling stuck, but her nonstop snark and smug bitterness made her feel more exhausting than empowered. She wasn’t funny, she wasn’t edgy—she just came off mean. And not in a fun “oh she’s spicy” way. Just… unpleasant.

Then there’s Cooper. I guess we’re supposed to believe he’s a reformed himbo now fighting toxic masculinity one podcast at a time, but honestly? He felt like a walking PR stunt. His whole “I’m soft now” act read more like performative allyship than genuine growth. I didn’t buy the redemption, and I definitely didn’t buy the romance.

As for the chemistry between them—there wasn’t any. The banter was clunky, the fake dates had no tension, and every emotional beat felt either rushed or forced. I don’t mind slow burns or messy characters, but there has to be some spark. This felt like two people play-acting intimacy for content. Which, I guess, is what they were doing… but it never evolved past that.

Also, side note: the TikTok and podcast references are going to age like unrefrigerated milk. The book is already dated and it just came out. That kind of pop culture overload only works if the characters are strong enough to ground it—and they weren’t.

The only people I mildly cared about were the side characters, and even then, they barely got space to breathe.

DNF’d at 70%. Not out of hate, just out of boredom. When even the spicy scenes feel like filler, it’s time to tap out.

I didn’t really vibe with this one. I felt like the characters were a little annoying and a lot of it fell flat for me.

I did like the idea/plot, but everything else kind of fell flat for me.

Honestly, I didn’t like Eva from the very beginning. Who does a sausage talk show and then feels embarrassed by it? If you’re going to do something ridiculous like that, own it. It just felt degrading to the character and made it hard for me to connect with her.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC of Well, Actually! Eva is a grumpy, sarcastic, disillusioned journalist who drunkenly makes a TikTok calling out her crappy college ex, Rylie, a podcaster and social media star whose platform is about speaking out against toxic masculinity. After her video goes viral, Rylie goes on Eva’s show and asks her to give him a chance to show her that he’s changed, and Eva agrees, hoping it will help her career. It’s a grumpy-sunshine social media love story for the digital age!

The good:
-The banter is so good! Eva is very witty, and we’re shown that in the dialogue instead of just told that she is, and I love that Rylie gives it back to her without being too mean
-I loved all of the focus on LGBTQIA+ issues, and I loved that Rylie’s struggle with biphobia and Eva’s description of coming to terms with being pansexual were represented
-I typically don’t enjoy second chance romances because I tend to hate flashback scenes, but I thought this had the perfect amount and I liked that they didn’t take up whole chapters
-I really liked a lot of the side characters

The bad:
-This book often read like a TikTok comment section and felt super chronically online in a way that will likely feel outdated in a couple of years. I don’t super hate that it’s this way because the main characters work in social media but it was pretty cringey on occasion, especially because Eva was weirdly bad at social media despite working in it
-I don’t understand why Eva and Aida stayed at that job they hated for so long. Girls stand up!!!
-Eva was a bit too mean to Rylie for me, especially as the book went on. I’m not trying to have internalized misogyny and expect women to be nice and happy all of the time, but it was just a bit much for me
-Spicy scenes got repetitive imo
-A MMC having American girl doll teeth is triggering to me as an avid Love Island USA Season 6 watcher (IYKYK)
-The nickname Kitten

The swoony:
-I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love grumpy/sunshine romances, and I loved that this one was the reverse of the typical romance. I loved that Rylie loved Eva for who she was and that Eva let Rylie in despite her trauma
-Rylie is such a sweetie and so good at getting to know Eva and SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER I loved that he didn’t let Eva break up with him towards the end. A third act breakup would’ve felt so contrary to Rylie’s character so I’m glad it didn’t happen
-I loved that Eva and Rylie had chemistry from their first interaction and how that continued as they fell in love. The banter was amazing and they just were delightful to read about!

I really enjoyed this and will definitely look up the author’s other work now!