4.25 ★

You see that cover? Do you see that stunning cover? Yeah, that's my dream dynamic. Now, picture this: When you find out that your ex, who ghosted you and was very on and off about your relationship, has a podcast on how to be a better man, you immediately stitch one of his TikToks and expose him... right? Well, maybe not, but that's what Eva does, and that brings engagement to his podcast and her talk show (think a lá Chicken Shop Date but with hotdogs). Now they'll be forced to do some PR together if she wants to keep her job and he doesn't want to end up like a fraud.

I know you saw "man with a podcast advising fellow men," and you're wondering if you actually want to read this because straight white men with podcasts? In 2025? Well, first, he's not straight; he's bisexual ✋🏼. Second, rest assured, because this man is a walking green flag (or at least, he's doing his best) who prioritizes communication and doesn't shy away from letting his girl know how in love with her he is. Cooper's the very definition of boy-obsessed because this man was basically on his knees for Eva, and of course, I loved that 🤭. He was a bit quirky, silly, and weird, but it worked for him and added to his charm. The things he thought of and said to Eva had me (literally) giggling and kicking my feet. He went through some very tough times in the past and had these beautiful moments of healing throughout the story that made me tear up and ready to hug him. He wasn't the best the first time he went out with Eva, but he did everything he could to prove himself worthy of her, and he succeeded.

Now, Eva. Eva. Eva. Eva. My love 🥰. Some of you might get frustrated with her, her cynicism, and her reluctance to believe in Cooper, but I understood her. I understood her so much that it hurt and made me cry. She puts on this tough exterior, and even though she is tough, demanding, and somewhat dry, she also has a very vulnerable side that wants love and craves sweet and soft caring —and that's exactly who I am. I know you see me being all sweet and using pet names for my closest friends, but it's very hard for me to be affectionate in real life. I'm quiet, sarcastic, hard to impress, and I spend a lot of time in my head. I've gotten the "I can't see you in a relationship" comments, been told I'm intimidating and cold, and whenever I've randomly felt like hugging someone, people have acted like I'm going crazy, so I get what it feels like to be like Eva 😅. That's why it was beautiful to see her feel comfortable enough with Cooper to open up about this, to let herself be vulnerable and accept that she craves this validation and gentle love. I'm so proud of her, so if you end up hating her, I hate you 🫵🏼 (joking... kinda).

I'm going to admit I was a bit worried in the beginning because some comedic lines and moments didn't land the way they were supposed to, but it got better and I found myself chuckling through lots of these characters' conversations. Eva and Cooper's banter and back and forth was delicious. She kept being slightly mean (affectionately) to him and he ate this up and always had something to say to her back. But just as they had all these fun moments and I spent a good portion of the book chuckling, there were also some great and emotional conversations about sexism, bullying, toxic masculinity, and internalized homophobia. I loved the little cameos we got of characters from other Mazey Edding's books, and the bits we got of both Eva and Cooper's friends but I wished we had more scenes of them together, as well as ones with Eva's brothers and Cooper's sister that were only mentioned but had no appearances. We didn't get an epilogue either 😔. I also had a little problem with Cooper's dirty talk since there was this (unnecessary, for me) emphasis on making him curse through it all so there's a lot of "fucking" that threw me off, but some of the other things he said were scrumptious 😋, so it's okay.

All in all, Eva and Cooper were so witty, hot, loving, caring, and adorable, and I loved them very much. I'm so obsessed with them and you need to know it took me this long to write a full review because I annotated and highlighted so much of this book that I couldn't choose which quotes to pick. I can't wait for this to come out and see all of you reading it, as much as I can't wait to have a physical copy to put all my notes into. Make sure to pick this up when it comes out on August 5th, and be ready to fall in love with Eva and Cooper.

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

This book is for all the girlies who have ever been in a situationship that really messed you up that’s for sure, I think we have all been there hahaha! I appreciated the way this book dived deep into some of the reasons why people run from relationships and some of the healthy ways we grow in them! I also really love an fmc who is mean & love that the mmc loves that about her, it gets me every time!

A romance inspired by Amelia's Chicken Shop Dates you say? Sounds intriguing.

If you enjoy opposites attract or black cat x golden retriever pairings, I think you'll enjoy the romance here. Cooper is a delightful MMC. He's supportive and loving, he's basically waving a green flag in front of him. Eva comes off as an angry girl stereotype but once you're in her POV, you totally get why she acts the way she does. I thought these two were a lot of fun and kept me entertained.

Would recommend if you like opposites attract and second chance romances.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings! While I loved the idea of this book, it just didn’t hit the mark for me like Mazey’s other books did. I was hooked in the beginning with the story and the banter between Rylie and Eva but as I kept reading, I couldn’t really feel the chemistry between them and I was struggling to get through it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. A second chance romance for Eva and Riley. Eva was stuck doing podcasts with underrated celebrities while eating hotdogs when she was meant for more. She seen Riley’s show/podcast about being a good partner and breaking down toxic traits. She posted a call out while drunk about how horrible Riley had been and it went viral.
She was now forced to confront Riley about her post on her talk show. This lead to Riley wanting and second chance to prove he had changed. They go on a series of date that are start to lead to feelings but Eva hides behinds her sarcasm and whitty remarks. She must decide if Riley is worth the possible broken heart or if the risk is too high.
I always enjoy a second chance. Both Riley and Eva had fears they had to overcome. I like the therapy session and the therapist calling them out on their BS. Sometimes you need some tough love to really see what is going on. I appreciated the whitty banter and how they both grow as individuals.

Give me more heroines like this! This book was so fun to read - the dynamic between Riley and Eva was everything, and I ate it up. I can always trust Mazey Eddings to deliver an entertaining book that tugs at my heartstrings.

3.25
This had so much potential for me, but it didn't really
deliver. I loved the first 70%. I thought it was interesting to see Eva struggle with her feelings and the idea that she never felt cared for or wanted in her life before. I also thought it was cute seeing her rebuild trust with Rylie. But...after the 70% mark, it became really spice heavy and I just did not like it. I also didn't like the ending. Also, Aida was a horrible friend...
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Publishing Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

4.5

I adored this book so much!! I was laughing every other second! It was chicken shop, the jokes, the banter, all of it yes please. but in book form and I loved that so much. Eva and Rylie were perfect. Second chance romances are my jam❤️ Thankful to receive an arc for this

Thanks for the Arc NetGalley!!!

4.75/5 but rounding up. Mazey does it again with the most amazing banter and bringing light to challenging topics during a lovely romance. This took me quite a long time to read due to things happening in my life which I think is what knocked the .25 star for me. Read the last 30% in one sitting!

3.5 🌟

“It doesn’t make you a bad person to admit that you were hurt by the actions of someone also hurting.”

💕 Tropes
- Black Cat FMC x Golder Retriever MMC
- Second Chance Romance
- Words of Affirmation MMC
- Forced Proximity
- LGBTQ+ Representation
- Banter

🌶️Spice
-Ch. 14, 15, 16, 21

💭 My Thoughts

As a whole, I had a good time with this book. I loved getting to see Eva and Rylie banters throughout the course of the book. The scene during couples therapy made me shed a few tears, I'm not going to lie. However, Eva's best friend rubbed me the wrong way throughout the majority of the book, and the plot with the boss could have been more fleshed out. There were also A LOT of pop culture references that I feel are going to be dated in a couple of years. I did really like Eva as a character with the way she uses her meanness as a safety mechanism. I also feel that the reason behind the situationship going the way it did in the past was understandable and well-done. I would recommend this book to those who believe a book ending with "The f**king end" is for them (or are just really into praise, which there is plenty of).

A HUGE thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital copy. All opinions are my own.

This is basically Amelia Dimoldenberg and Andrew Garfield fan-fiction and that was certainly not on my BINGO card for this year but I’ll take what I can get.

I enjoyed the concept of Eva and Rylie being a college hookup gone awry and their banter is one of the highlights of this book - Rylie is down for being the butt of the joke which feels like a fresh take for a male character. Unfortunately, there is a fine line between “take no shit” and “straight up mean” and Eva fell into the latter category for me throughout the majority of this story, which left me skeptical of why Rylie (who is the Gen Z version of a Tumblr King) would give her the time of day, let alone 6 dates and so many goddamn flirty winks I should have kept count. But, never fear, there will be endless dialogue around toxic masculinity, mental health, gender and the spectrum of sexuality to really drive the point home that what these two really have in common is their 💥 OFF THE CHARTS EQ💥 (I fear they are both virtue signalers).
Ultimately, this left me unfulfilled even though there are certainly pages with potential - I also wonder if this book will age poorly due to so many cultural and internet references that will be old news by the time it’s published in August.

⭐️: 3.25
📕: Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review 🌸

Ahhhhh, I loved this book! I jumped for joy when I received this arc - thank you - and it did not disappoint! Eva and Rylie have a history from six years ago. When Eva posts a drunken video about how bad Rylie was in bed amongst other things, her company jumps on it and gets the two of them together on screen. Eva agrees to six dates with Rylie. However, Rylie has changed a lot in six years, Eva quickly finds out. Eva reminds me of myself - fairly distrusting and skeptical of people. She has good reason not to trust Cooper, but they quickly fall in love. Rylie is a dream character - honestly, he was so perfect! Eva becomes a bit whiny, even for me. But the ending of this one is a good one that you don't want to miss. Thanks for the opportunity to read this fun book!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for the ARC reading opportunity!

I'm convinced that Mazey is an avid YouTuber enjoyer, because I could not stop thinking about Chicken Shop Date when reading this book (A total compliment). I usually don't read a lot of second chance romance tropes, simply because I'm more of an enemies to lovers girl, but this story has me open to reading more.

The story was very enjoyable and it didn't take me long at all to get into the plot. The early events of the timeline are very believable, especially compared to how social media functions today, and even more so with a little added past college endeavors. If you like a little *praise* so to speak, then Rylie is your next book boyfriend candidate. Eva is for the girls who aren't afraid to show that feminine rage energy when it's needed. A fun read for sure!

I almost loved this book! I loved how witty and sharp Eva was, and Rylie was a nice golden retriever. I thought the tension between the two of them at the beginning could have been played up more. Her cheeks immediately heated 900x at every breath he took. The switch from “enemies” to lovers was pretty quick, too. The banter was fun and the story overall was entertaining enough.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC! Was very excited to read this!!!

I really liked Mazey's other books. One of the reasons I loved them so much was how delicately she handled handled tough topics.
In this book, it felt like those topics were kind of swiped over. I missed that from here and wish would have been better covered.

Second, I had a hard time enjoying the MC. She was so quick to judge things and never let anyone explain things.

I liked Riley and found him very charming. He really fought for her and his truth and I appreciate that.

I would still recommend you read this book if you enjoyed Mazey's other books!

This was my first Mazey Eddings book & it was such a good first book to read. The banter was hilarious as someone who also has a super dry sense of humor that can often come off as aggressive. I loved Rylie & his approach to undoing toxic masculinity. At times the chapters felt long…which made it take longer for me to read but that is because I have a short attention span and prefer short chapters so I can feel like I read more than I am. The only criticism I have is how quickly the drama wrapped up at the end, it felt fast but not a deterrent to the overall story of the second chance romance.

I unfortunately had a tough time getting into this one! I read majority fantasy with some dark and contemporary in between and it just wasn’t my jam! It definitely is someone else though!

Okay. Well. Wow. I laughed, I maniacally cackled, I cried, I felt righteous anger, I felt SO MANY FEELINGS. Mazey Eddings, you are BRILLIANT. From the plot of the story itself (because who doesn’t love a good blast from the past jump scare coupled with forced proximity and a man with relentless golden retriever energy in EVERY facet of his being?) to Eva’s, our incredible narrator and FMC, ruthless internal and external dialogue about the state of her late-twenties life. I never, I repeat NEVER, feel the need to use the highlight feature in my kindle app. And well I used it 22 times. TWENTY TWO, because I either didn’t want to forget Eva’s one liners or the writing was just too “I want a man to say this to me expeditiously” to NOT highlight it.

Eddings makes it real and honest and I feel so seen in every one of her books. Thank you for making Eva a mirror for so many of us, both personally and professionally.

I will post on socials as we get closer to release date!

Massive thanks to SMP & NetGalley for the Arc! (Also please check your email.)

Thank you to #NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

Eva Kitt is the host of a pop culture internet show that's maybe not quite her dream job. One night after a few too many glasses of Prosecco, she stitches a video callng out her ex-boyfriend, who is now a podcaster about detoxifying masculinity, for the way he treated her. When the video goes viral, he comes on her show for a publicity stunt and convinces Eva to go out with him again to try to prove he's changed.

This was hella fun. Eva's show is clearly based on Chicken Shop Date and it definitely prompted me down a YouTube rabbit hole, but the story still felt fresh and fun. Rylie was a great MMC and their banter was really funny and their chemistry was great. The ending felt a little rushed, but it did all of the things it needed to do and was a fun ride.

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️

At first I was worried that this would be a book inspired entirely by Chicken Shop Date. Thankfully it wasn’t and instead I got to read a very cute second chance story. To be honest it did drag quite a bit around the 70% mark but it came together nicely at the end. The depth and history between the main characters was explained well and also how the experience impacted Eva and Riley was believable. The banter was fun but at a certain point masking real feelings with humor was overdone or maybe could’ve been done better so that it felt more natural. Regardless, it’s a good book with intriguing characters.