I absolutely adored this book!

I loved the authors writing style and how the humour blended in with the emotional, heart felt scenes as well. I’ve already recommended on Goodreads for my friends to read the book but will also recommend it to anyone interested in black cat/golden retriever romances and second chance lovers.

Thanks for allowing me to read the book early!

If you live for banter, this is the book for you! Eddings writes top notch banter and I was giggling the entire time. Not only is this a cute, feel good story, but it also touches on grief, anxiety, and personal growth. Thank you to SMP for the early review copy!

This was a very compelling and sweet story between two people wanting to be better and finding that together.
The main characters had my heart in the best way.
Mazey’s writing is always so relatable and had me kicking my feet laughing and swooning at the same time.
I was constantly rooting for them!
It was very clear why they both acted like they did and made me have immense sympathy for both.

This was my first time reading a novel by Mazey Eddings and it is definitely not my last! While there were times I was confused as to why Eva and Rylie couldn’t finally be together, I enjoyed the banter between the two. This was much spicier than I expected (in a good way)!

4.25⭐️

The banter in this one is 🔥🔥🔥 it will have you giggling and blushing and begging for them to “just kiss already!” And Rylie freaking Cooper! He is so caring and tender, but he’s assertive when he needs to be, and it is working for him! 🥵

This was a cute, and surprisingly emotional second chance romance. I went in expecting the fun and flirty vibes but this book also covered some deep topics of grief and trauma - and for the most part, I think it did it really well. It felt well balanced between the two.

You feel the tension between these two right from the start, and you just can’t help but to root for them to figure it out.

4.5 stars! Thanks net galley for the chance at reading this book in advance. I was hooked from the first chapter. So funny and cute I could not put it down! Really enjoyed the characters and story. I definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys a good rom com!

Mazey Eddings is one of my favourite romance authors, but I'm disappointed to say I didn't care for this one at all. The vibes were not at all what I was expecting from this, and the humour didn't land for me at all. I think Eva was meant to be witty and sardonic, but instead she was combative all of the time, and she escalated any given situation any chance she had, and it was frankly exhausting to read. I didn't like Cooper either, who felt very different from the golden retriever type he was being described as and read more like a fuckboy. I especially didn't see any chemistry between them, which will always make it difficult to enjoy a romance.

If you enjoy watching the chicken shop date videos, this one’s for you.

First off, I need to highlight how excellent the BANTER is in this book!! Seriously had me shaking with laughter at times. I was highlighting so many lines of dialogue, it’s ridiculous. The romance was so good. I could go on and on but would rather just sum it up by saying please read this one.

Next, two words: baby girl. Rylie is the ultimate baby girl and I’m obsessed with him. From his self awareness to his willingness to go the extra mile, he’s the ultimate romance hero. I love how communicative he is (therapy pays off) and also how he shows his support by sticking around when things get tough. Also love the nickname he gives Eva.

That brings us to our heroine. Eva is an absolute spitfire and I’m obsessed with her character. Think Amelia from chicken shop dates but maybe a bit more sassy. I love her character development as she learned to open up more and let people in. She was so witty and even when she was being stubborn I didn’t mind too much.

I absolutely ate this book UP. I was a little weary at first for the similarities to chicken shop date but Mazey did so well make Eva’s story her own story and not a full reflection of a real life person. Rylie is also INCREDIBLE and I love him. I appreciate the positive outlook on therapy for not just yourself but your relationship. I genuinely loved this book so much I can’t wait to have it physically in my hands.

I love Mazey’s writing, I’ve read most of her books and I find my self loving them every time but Well, Actually takes the cake. The FMC is beautifully written, it’s so easy to connect with Eva and her need to protect her self by being what people love to call a “bitch” but she’s such a well rounded character, soft and sweet yet fierce. And Rylie holy Christ it’s been a while since I’ve loved an MMC this much.

I loved how funny this was, like laugh out loud funny. The emotion was there as well, and the chemistry between Rylie and Eva was 🔥🔥🔥.

A lot of different things are tackled in this book, but as always I feel like Mazey does it with grace and it’s obvious she really tries to write these issues with respect.

This is definitely a book no one should miss!


Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

i want to start with saying this and if you don’t read the entire review; i am happy you read this part: there is no job in the world, no amount of money in the world that should make you okay with enduring mental and emotional violence. please.
so tbh, i was very confused and irritated this entire book.
the f main character is so rude it’s almost unbearable, no accountability, nothing. she’s also in love with the guy, obviously, but continues to just be rude and vindictive because of something he did years ago. you obviously still care about him if you did was she did, so stop making excuses. either be with him, or don’t.
the male main character continuously switches between using his first name and his last name and i couldn’t keep up half the time. also he’s so BORING.
the author made sure this book was current to the year, if you had read this a year ago you wouldn’t understand half of the references. or even if you read this in six months with all the shifts the world is going through, none of it will be relevant. she name drops and references a bunch of memes, viral videos, etc. that are popular now in january 2025, but if i read this when it came out half of it would be ancient history.
also, don’t get me wrong. i live for lgbtq+ & racially diverse characters in books but to an extent. don’t just throw the characters in the book with no backstory, for the sake of having the characters in your book.
also, her best friend/producer was a bitch the entire story, idk if that’s just me but. also, her boss. like i see the warning at the beginning, but i think it’s just so unnecessary in a book for a person’s boss to be such a bad human being and the person does nothing about it. girl, QUIT. find ANOTHER job. you’re in new york city, go be a mta operator or something while you find another journalism job.
overall, this book was a miss for me. i skipped half the book just to get to the end and even the epilogue was boring.
1 outta 5 stars.

This was a cute story that seems clearly inspired by Andrew Garfield being on Chicken Shop Date. The MMC was cute and charismatic, trying to win over the FMC any chance he got. Both MC's had complicated emotions based on a previous encounter, and the author wasn't afraid to explore that to make this romance grounded in reality. I felt like the premise was something different which grabbed my attention and I've been wanting to read it ever since I heard about it, even not having read anything else from the author. The cover art is also fun and eye catching, and likely would have been something I grabbed at a bookstore right away.

There are some fun laughs, and you are rooting for the FMC and MMC to get together. I do kind of wish there was more exploration of their media personas vs. who they actually are. I think it would have made the book a bit more fun and fleshed out the characters more, especially Rylie. I'm sure some people will disagree since there was plenty of spice, but I found myself less interested in the back half of the book, sort of wondering when it would wrap up.

Overall, an enjoyable read, and grateful to have been able to read and review this ARC!

What a fun rom-com! Well, Actually follows Eva, host of a ridiculously-named talk show (Sausage Talk), and Rylie, a podcast host. Eva and Rylie had a short, unsuccessful fling in college that left Eva reeling and hurt. She now wears a tough outer shell - and directs a drunken rant at Rylie one night to her social media followers. When the video goes viral, Eva is told her next guest on her show will be Rylie.

This book made me actually laugh out loud, which is rare. Even when there were some cringey lines, the banter was strong throughout, and I felt myself drawn to both characters. At times, Eva's character verged a little too far into mean, but generally, I was rooting for them both.

I also appreciated both the diverse representation in the book in terms of gender identity and sexual orientation, as well as the commitment to naming the misogyny a lot of women face in the dating world.

Also - the spicy scenes were SPICY.

Overall, I really had fun with this book - even as someone who doesn't read a ton of romance! Highly recommend for rom-com fans.

thank you netgalley for this arc!

wow i don’t even know where to start. this was so refreshing to read.

I see so much of myself in our main character Eva (idk if that’s good or bad for me tbh lol) especially her personality and “bitchy” demeanor that she hides behind. Maybe an unpopular opinion but i loved her and i absolutely loved how Rylie aka Cooper matched her energy perfectly. (Did you all pick up on the fact that she calls him Cooper up until things start to get more intimate between them and then it changes to Rylie? *kicking and screaming*)

The banter between these two characters was top tier. I couldn’t even be cringed out by some of the cringiest comments/parts in this book because i was just having to much fun to care!

I did find myself wishing that we saw more of a development with some aspects of the plot. i honestly would have been fine with another 100 pages of the dates/podcasts portion of this novel. the relationship kind of quickly jumped to “we are in love” territory and i was having so much fun with the relationship build up! nonetheless the fun did still continue after the fact.

This was an amazing rom-com! I couldn’t put it down and I had a smile on my face the entire time. It was a quick read and totally worth my undivided attention!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was my introduction to Mazey Eddings, and I will definitely be reading more! I loved the writing, the characters, and the story, and I also appreciated the way this book handled LGBTQIA+ themes. The lead character is so, so harsh at times, and I think Eddings did a great job of detailing how trauma can affect people years down the line if left unresolved. I did feel like the end came up on me very quickly, and I was left wanting a bit more of a resolution/details around the workplace situation, but who can really complain about that when the romance portion is tied up so nicely?? Thank you for the ARC!

I really tried to force myself to like this one, but I think it's just not for me. Initially I thought the concept was really funny, and the opening line made me instantly laugh. But I was quickly lost to how unlikeable I found Eva to be. Melodrama for the sake of plot is one thing, but I really think she was mean spirited at the start of the story, and I couldn't convince myself to push through when I jumped so far into dislike her.

Truthfully I stopped reading about 30% of the way into the story, because I couldn't force myself to love it the way I needed to. I usually have a hard time with books that are so clearly written about specific celebrities. While I know Eva being based on Amelia Dimoldenberg was intentional, I couldn't tell if the author was basing Rylie on Justin Baldoni and I could not shake how much that made me dislike him for no reason other than, ya know, Justin Baldoni.

I devoured this! This was my first read from Mazey Eddings and definitely will not be my last! I loved our two MCs - Eva felt extremely real and I saw myself in her, which was both comforting and alarming to read, haha. I loved how down bad Rylie was for her, and enjoyed seeing how Eva slowly let her walls down to let him in. I really appreciated the mental health and therapy representation that was in this book. I would definitely recommend!

Well, Actually is a true masterpiece full of humor, romance, bickering, and hot dogs. In this forced proximity second chance romance we follow Eva (the host of Sausage Talk) and Riley (a podcaster working to deconstruct toxic masculinity) as they go from viral social media bickering to manufactured dating to something real. It is impossible for me to sum up the journey this book takes, you’ve got to read it yourself - trust me, it’s worth it! Also, if you don’t laugh at least once while reading this you might be dead inside-the comedy in this book is truly top notch!

I highly recommend grabbing this book!

P.S. If you haven’t read Mazey’s other books, drop everything and do that now!

Omg.. what can I say about this stinking wonderful, beautiful, lovely book!? I mean, I loved it. I loved it so much. It was a sassy barb followed by giggles the whole way through. It was raw, and felt so real and so heartfelt and heartbreaking all at once.

Okay okay. Gathering my thoughts. Eva. I loved her. I absolutely LOVED her. She could be so mean.. but the type of mean that had such soft edges and hope behind it. I’m just going to be honest here and say this is the type of protective backlash I think was meant to be felt by Nesta’s character that just didn’t land for me. But with Eva is 100% did. Her meanness was never over the line, it was obvious it was a protective layer she held close that would lash out when threatened. But every second, under it all, was such a longing to be accepted and loved and protected when no one had done those things for her before. Ugh. I adored her.

Cooper.. Rylie… Rylie Cooper. This is.. the simp we all needed. The recovered asshole ready to show his vulnerable side. I loved this MMC. He may be my favorite contemporary book boyfriend I’ve ever read. I’m obsessed with the way baby girl put in the work to win back the woman he lost all those years ago. Sigh.

The plot of this book was so good and so heartbreaking and I’m sorry this is true but I think so many women will relate to in some form or another. The spotlight shown on the total misalignment of the public reaction between men and women concerning different topics is SO relevant. I felt it played out so frustratingly well. I ached for Eva. The drama was so natural to this story, I just felt like it was beautifully done.

And yes yes yes. Slight spoiler, but no third act breakup!!!! Screams my happiness into the readerverse!!! The third act drama was so well done. Ugh. Chefs kiss. No notes. 10/10 would recommend.

Thank you so so much to Mazey Eddings and Netgalley for this ARC!! I feel like this will land as one of my favorite reads of the year!