A little too spicy for my liking. I enjoyed the banter between Riley and Eva but I needed more enemies to lovers. It felt like Riley was all in from the start

I devoured this so damn fast! I could not put this down because Eva and Riley were everything!

I have a soft spot for FMCs who are rough around the edges, and a bit jaded. Eva was definitely that, and I truly adored how blunt and frankly, how mean she was at times! She was absolutely hilarious and her wit was unmatched. Beyond her "tough" exterior, she was just someone who felt like she was hard to love, and damn that's a heavy weight to carry.

Enter Riley who was such a little loverboy. His smiles, curly hair, crewnecks and his slutty little glasses had me feral!! He took all of Eva's fire in stride and honestly treated it like flirting. I love a man who is smitten.

*insert GIF of Nick Miller saying "Stop being so mean to me, or I swear to God I'm gonna fall in love with you" because I'm a millennial and attempting to add a GIF to this review was making me wanna tear my hair out*

Mazey wrote a second chance romance that was full of hurt, yearning, some spectacular grovelling and chemistry so sizzling I was kicking my feet! oh, and their banter had me giddy!!!!

This book had me laughing out loud, crying and blushing so damn much! I loved every word!

Important to mention, the spice was immaculate. This man could call me a menace or his little demon any time he wants!!!! The mouth on this man was truly something to behold.

A new favourite.

I really enjoyed this book! As the plot thickened, I found myself turning the pages faster and faster. The banter between the main characters was top notch.

Well written and entertaining!!! Definitely a new auto buy author for me! I love the author’s voice throughout the story. I am a sucker for the black cat x golden retriever trope and these two really took the cake for me!!!

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)

I had a lot of mixed feelings on this.

I thought the story was well written and kept me entertained and interested throughout. I read it in one evening. The various themes were cute, and I liked the little lessons of life the characters went through. It showed a lot of growth.

I didn't love some of the slower parts of the story that hashed a lot of backstory. I did love every fun moment between Rylie and Eva. Their banter was great. I'm not a walls up type person and had a hard time relating to Eva, but I could see how it worked for their story, and it made me appreciate Rylie more. The voice felt young as well, so as an older woman, 41, I didn't know some of the tech terms, but it didn't mess up the meaning of the story. I also had a hard time understanding Rylie's investment in Eva, so it made me not really trust his intentions. I wanted something to guarantee they are happy ever after, and he's actually happy in the relationship. I guess there's enough there, but it just didn't click all the way to 100% for me. He just wasn't believable as a character, and I'm not entirely sure what it was. Maybe too many ideas were trying to get painted, and they didn't all come together.

While I super appreciated the story and enjoyed it, it's probably not a full 5 star for me.

LOVED it. Had to literally throw my kindle across the room at one point to stop myself from reading another page lest I end up reading until 3 am on a weekday.

Loved the characters, loved the plot, loved the setting.

AND THE BANTER! 27/10. Excellent. Perfect. No notes.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Unfortunately, I could not get into this book. I found zero connection with the characters and while I had hoped to find their banter funny, I just didn’t care for their connection. The chemistry was off and after so much time hating the guy, the girl gets over it very quickly. So what was the point? I can’t definitely see what some people will love this book, but it was a no for me.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the concept of this book. I actually loved the characters too, both of them! Their banter made me laugh and the character development was nicely done.

I do think the plot was very heavy with smut towards the end, something to consider if that isn’t your thing. While the ending started off hazy, it ended nicely.

I've loved every single book of Mazey's, so I had high expectations - and she once again met them! These two were so fun and often had me laughing out loud. 100% picturing him as Andrew Garfield. As always, I love the representation in Mazey's books. I'll be recommending this to everyone!

I’m usually not big on second chance romances, but I absolutely LOVED this book. I truly could not put it down once I picked it up. Eva is in the category of “difficult” female main characters, which are my favorite to read about. Her previous relationship with Rylie has left her guarded in a way that I think is totally understandable. I love the way she protects herself with biting humor, particularly in her interactions with Rylie. Despite his previous bad treatment of Eva, you come to understand why Rylie was that way and come to love him too. His patience with her, his admiration of her whole essence and the fact that he stands strong and doesn’t let her push him away is all so perfect. This book is just really entertaining as a whole, loved it!

Mazey Eddings has crafted a lively, witty second-chance romance that feels both modern and deeply heartfelt. The story follows Eva Kitt, a journalist who never imagined her career would involve interviewing B-list celebrities about hot dogs instead of chasing serious stories. But life has a way of throwing curveballs, and Eva’s takes the form of a heated on-air rant about her college ex, Rylie Cooper, who’s now a famous influencer. When the rant goes viral, Eva finds herself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Rylie, who’s built his brand on teaching men how to be better partners, sees an opportunity to prove he’s changed. He proposes a deal: a series of dates where Eva can put his redemption to the test, documenting each encounter for his audience. It’s a ridiculous idea—one Eva is more than happy to use to her advantage. But as their playful back-and-forth starts to feel real, Eva has to confront whether the guy who once broke her heart might now be the one who truly understands it.

Eddings absolutely nails the “black cat/golden retriever” dynamic here. Eva’s sharp, sarcastic wit clashes hilariously with Rylie’s eager-to-please energy, and their chemistry is electric. The snarky banter, ridiculous antics, and moments of genuine vulnerability make their relationship feel authentic and engaging. The social media angle adds a fresh twist to the classic second-chance trope, and while some parts of the story felt a little drawn out, the charm and humor kept me hooked.

Overall, this is a fun, flirty, and surprisingly introspective read. It’s perfect for fans of banter-filled rom-coms with a touch of emotional depth. I’d give it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for its cleverness and heart.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This may be my new favorite Mazey Eddings book! I devoured this book and fell in love with all the characters, but especially Eva and Rylie. Eva is definitely black cat, independent, cool girl energy, but I love the Eddings also made her relatable. She has the insecurity I, and many women, feel in their late twenties as it feels like every one ha their life together except for you. Her back story gives you insight into what made her react the way she does, but doesn't excuse her being callous or mean to people. It's called out and allows her to grow throughout the book. I also love that Rylie is equally as complex despite the reader never being in his head, only seeing him from Eva's POV. You start the story only knowing what Eva has built him into from her memories and slowly get to know more of his story and understand how things happened in their past and where misunderstanding came into play. Overall, the story is a fantastic take on the fake dating story and I loved watching these two come together and grow! What I also love about this book, and Eddings' other works, is the representation of LGBTQ+ characters without making that their entire personality. They're real people and their sexuality is not all there is to them. I just really loved this book! I'm so excited I got a chance to read it early!

I didn't get a chance to read yesterday, and woke up this morning dreading having to push through the end of this. I realized I didn't even remember the main character's name after one day off from reading. That's a sign that it's time to pack it in.

I found the FMC completely insufferable. And although she admittedly did grow on me as the story went on, it was hard to get past the beginning. She is simply not my kind of gal. A completely unbearable mix of pathetic and petty. Social media in books is bad enough on its own, but a public "call out" and attempt to "cancel" a guy you knew for 2 months, 6 years ago when you have like 400 followers is so embarrassing. She felt like the universe owed her a high powered journalism career but was doing nothing to get there except whining that her job sucked. The best part of the book was when her mean boss called her out for watching too much Gilmore Girls as a kid and wanting to be like Rory and finding out who Christiane Amanpour was and saying that was the job she wanted lmaoooo. I don't think I'm supposed to be cheering for the mean boss though? I had thought we left "eyeliner sharp enough to kill a man" white feminism in 2018 where it belonged, but no one told Eva (the name just came to me!), apparently.

I also thought we left white authors writing books with white main characters but including one-dimensional side characters who just so happen to be transgender BIPOCs in a gay throuple for "representation" points somewhere in the last decade too, but no one told Mazey, apparently.

The spice was good, I'll give it that. But as soon as the sexual tension was resolved I was left with no reason to care about the rest.

If you liked other Mazey Eddings books, I'm sure you'll love this one. I didn't like other Mazey Eddings books and I found this generally tolerable, just nothing to be excited about.

Thanks Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings did NOT disappoint. I was delighted to get an early e-arc and devoured it in two sittings; Eddings nailed this black cat x golden retriever, second chance romance. Eva and Rylie had met and briefly dated in college and had a lasting (albeit not a positive) impact, on each other. Six years later they reconnect, due to a viral social media video and through a lot of grovelling and vulnerability on the part of Rylie, Eva gets the closure / understanding of what happened all those years earlier. Eva is a strong, brash and deeply vulnerable character who I thoroughly enjoyed and based on some of the reviews I’ve read seems to expose a bias in society re: a strong female character.

The banter between Eva and Rylie is top tier. The book touches on some very real and important topics such as toxic masculinity, work place toxicity and mental health.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press | St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley and the author for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I absolutely loved the chemistry between Eva and Rylie, from enemies to coworkers to… The concept of double standards in the workplace against women vs men is really well done, and I appreciated the well-developed minor characters as well! Some of Eva’s personality felt so harsh, and I love that Eddings exposes our bias against strong female women and expectations of a male role instead. Overall, it is an engaging story that explores how we treat others has long-term effects and also, second chances might be our best opportunity for love!

While reading this book, it's important to understand that the Male Lead is 90% gold retriever, and the Female Lead was Gritty in another life.

This was a really excellent book. It had a lot of emotional pain in it for a romance, and was on many levels not an easy read, but it was so good, and so funny, and watching Eva fall in love with Rylie (see, even his name is a golden retriever name), and watching how Rylie already loved her was just a wonderful experience. Several times Eva catches Rylie rubbing his chest after interactions with her and I get that, Rylie, this book made my heart hurt sometimes too.

3.5 but rounding up because the way Rylie showed up for Eva was amazing.

A Nesta-coded FMC (Black Cat) and Theo/Isaiah coded MMC (Golden Retriever) get a second chance after their failed "relationship" in college caused by trauma and led to more trauma. Now two online personalities, they come together to help move forward her career and give him a redemption arc. The book dives into self loathing, queer sexuality, mental health and work place toxicity.

They had great banter, but most of the conflict came from the FMC getting in her own way which I didnt love, but it was a good read!

This was an incredibly funny, heartfelt sexy novel about two people finding love and overcoming insecurity! It was tender when needed and laugh-out-loud funny when needed. Eddings created the perfect balance of plot, romance, and steam! It was incredible and a must read for romance lovers!

We said bring back yearning and Mazey said “okay bet”.

Rylie is walking around like the human embodiment of the heart eyes emoji and Eva is this one 🤺, which, coincidentally, is also the emoji I most closely resemble emotionally.

Their entire present-day relationship is an unsteady and chaotic dance of Rylie holding his heart out to Eva and her reaching for it, panicking, and running six to twelve blocks in the opposite direction (before jogging back and being like “I may have overreacted”). It’s a sharp reversal of their brief but impactful history - in which Eva fell fast and hard and Riley all but disappeared as soon as she did.

But boy HOWDY does our boy know how to grovel. He does make an absolute mess of it a few times because he is a boy but he is doing his best and I love him. And Eva truly does want to be loved and safe and vulnerable, but also is understandably hesitant given their past and also that nearly every person in her life is objectively terrible to her for reasons I cannot comprehend since she is great. Scared and overwhelmed and quick with the snark, but great. She deserves the world and Riley will give it to her if it takes everything he has.

And most importantly, all of their friends are also super into them being into each other, which is the true mark of a successful relationship. I enjoyed every moment of this book even when I cried a little.