I loved every single thing about this book. This was so soft and sweet and SASSY and so sarcastic and so much fun! All while dealing with heavy and real life things. As always Mazey knows how completely to balance everything. Honestly this was the perfect right person wrong time second chance of my DREAMS!

There is nothing I love more than a sad people always leaves girl, and Eva Kitt is that girl!!!! She also has a Hot Girl attitude and I loved that for her. She truly is a girl after my own heart. She just wants to figure it out!! Life! Her job! Everything! The journey she hopes through just during the story is absolutely phenomenal.

AND RYLIE COOPER IS THAT MAN!!!! I love him and his goofy crewnecks and his slutty glasses!!! And truly!!! The sweetest man alive and the perfect opposite to Eva’s guarded heart!! He really has done so much growing and work to get to where he is, and I love that we really got to see it develop. It was truly a delight.

Thank you so much to SMP for this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

I have mixed feelings about how this book handled the character development of the main character. It's clear that she's traumatized from all she's been through, but she constantly reverts back to her old self sabotaging ways, and it really seems like she doesn't learn from what she was taught in her session of therapy with Rylie. Obviously one session isn't enough to change someone entirely but it's like she didn't listen to any of what was said. I love books that handle character development well, so I'm really stuck at a crossroads here. I can't really say Eva went through a radical change, but she definitely did start to accept that Rylie had changed, and for the better. I can see why she'd have trust issues, especially being a naive young college student who thought she was in love with someone she'd known for a few months. To be hurt by a rejection and ghosting is valid, but to hold onto that resentment for six years is a little too much. This is one of the rare times where I'm in disagreeance with an FMC and actually think the MMC deserves better. Rylie definitely did, and he was for sure my favorite part of the book. I didn't hate this book, it was fun and romantic, but every part of it was good except for Eva. I would've liked to see a less bitchy FMC, but again, I can understand why she is that way. She went through a lot at the hands of her job and it's worth noting that women face a lot in their work industries and are expected to just put up with it because they're women and they're strong. She's right; she shouldn't have to be strong. Women should be allowed to be upset that they're being treated horribly. It's really a tough call for me on this one. I'd probably read it again, but I definitely didn't expect this from how hyped up it was.

Mazey Eddings books just do something to me. I laugh, I cry, I kick my feet, I cover my eyes. I always know I’m in for a good time.

Well, Actually is no exception! The scene is giving Chicken Shop Date but with enemies and the banter is SO good. Eva is witty and smart and so wounded but she hides behind that humor and I have a feeling that resonates for a few of us out there.

Rylie is exactly who you want him to be. His openness and vulnerability are the stuff of dreams and to be loved by him seems like a very special thing.

Lastly!! I’m a freaking sucker for Easter eggs, so if you have read Mazey’s other books, look out for some familiar faces!

Thank you to SMP and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

From the cover (which has had me in a chokehold since its reveal) to the last page, I loved everything about this book.

Number one: Eva. I adore her in all her caustic glory. She’s a tender heart deep inside of the tough shell her past and the world at large has made her. She’s also simply someone whose personality has a sharp edge, and good for her! She’s such a nuanced character. She presents herself as tough as nails, she guards her heart, yet she struggles just as much as anyone else with her insecurities and concern about pleasing others before considering her own wants and needs in certain situations. She has never had a place or person who has made her feel unconditionally welcome to be exactly who she is and be loved for it.

Which brings us to Rylie. The shared history between the two of them allows Eva that space because he already hurt her once, so forget dimming any part of herself down. Rylie is the ideal kind of man to be that for her. At 22, he sucked. Sure, we learn more about who he was at that time and it lends a sense of empathy and understanding, but the way he treated Eva as a byproduct sucked and there’s no denying it. The best part is, he knows that and he owns it. AND he’s done the work in the six years since to sort through his mess. He’s grown from who he was at that time. He’s approach and actions and words with Eva are the reward for that work. He’s so smitten with every part of her and isn’t afraid to communicate it while never asking her to change.

I’m sorry I’m writing a dissertation and haven’t even gotten to the actual story yet, but I’m here now. The premise, the set up, the execution, the dynamic shift, and the fallout are all so well done. The pacing, the banter, the balance between humor and deep conversations and emotions, everything. The first “date” had me full-body laughing at the beginning and all in my angsty feelings for Eva and Rylie by the end. One of their “dates” cracked me wide open. The situations the two of them had to face and the way they handled them felt so genuine to both the story and the real world.

Mazey Eddings continues to get better and better with each new book. There’s a reason she’s an auto buy author for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.