Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

4.25

This book was a lot of fun to read. It's black cat/golden retriever in a situationship to enemies to lovers story. The MMC is goofy as shit, but it made the banter really entertaining. I really enjoyed the plot from the get go and their story was super fun to read. I laughed out loud several times.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book!

I really liked the male main character in this book I think it was very clear that he was trying his best the whole time. The female main character was insufferable at times but I think that was by design. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend to a friend!

“I am tough. And I’m really 🦆-ing sick of having to be.”

This book follows Eva, a woman who studied journalism but got a job interviewing mid-tier celebrities on a show called Sausage Talk (which is setup like Chicken Shop Date just run by an evil media company) One night, Eva drunkenly posts a video calling out a popular podcast bro / “non-toxic male” influencer for being a bad lay. Hilarity ensues when he goes on her show and tries to make it up to her over the course of six dates.

Oh how I adore a prickly, black cat FMC and an absolutely smitten MC who worships the ground she walks on. I loved Eva’s tenacity, wit and ability to demand what she deserved. I also loved how tender and vulnerable she could be, over and over, because that’s where the real bravery lies.

And look, I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again (I think Eva even says it once) but the most non-toxic thing a man can do is shut up. That being said, Rylie Cooper was so adorable and charming that I couldn’t hold his chosen profession against him. Plus isn’t that the dream? That the horrible one night stand you had in college was just really going through a tough time and lives every day regretting how colossally he messed up?

I also loved the discussion of toxic workplace culture and how it can even pit friends friends against one another. Even family run business are simply looking out for their bottom line and it’s so important to remember that. Some of the worst female “mentors” I had in the finance industry were really just trying to put me down and take advantage of me so those scenes really hummed for me in this book.

Try if you like…
🎭 10 things I Hate About You (greatest romcom heroine of our time)
⭐️Funny You Should Ask (for the interview of it all)
🐈‍⬛ Paige Desorbo from Summer House (just in general, cause we love a woman who knows her worth and puts a man in his place)
🎤Good Material (again with women knowing their worth)
🎙️ Nobody Wants This (for the hot, messy podcasters)
🗽 You, Again (for the NYC setting, bi rep, when harry met sally of it all)

no bc i am eva, eva is me. like, that's literally it.

okay, not actually, but seriously i really loved this one!! i love a good black cat x golden retriever dynamic and this gave what needed to be given. like, rent must be due bc mazey eddings delivered so hard here. the whole concept is actually really entertaining, if a bit cringey at time. i imagined the sausage talk show to be like an overly sexualized version of the chicken shop dates on youtube and like ... that's literally what it was. why has no author ever used that concept before?

lovedddd the characters. like i said, i saw so much of myself in eva and just related to some of her opinions and experiences sm. except i don't have a hot golden retriever man making me slowly fall in love with him. where is my rylie cooper fr!!!

absolutely recommend. no notes. i enjoyed the writing and the plot and adored the characters and this COVER!!! i'm buying the paperback the second it comes out simply to have this cover on my shelf (also i liked the book but yk, priorities).

This one was a doozy for me, in an good emotional rollercoaster and big feelings way. I finished it almost in one sitting, staying up too late to see how it would end. Eva Kitt was almost a too tough trope but her softness peaking through evened out me wanting to strangle her for putting up a front. Rylie Cooper was an incredible character, and his trauma was handled really well. LOVED THIS ONE.

I enjoy books by Mazey Eddings, she brings a new perspective that I appreciate. This one was a fun little story. With lots of current / pop culture references, I do wonder how well this book will age though.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an eArc in exchange for a honest review!!!

This book was CUUUUUTE. It is laugh out loud funny and the flirting makes you blush and kick your feet. Think Chicken shop date vibes. Good character development + chemistry was there!!

This was super cute and so funny. I was cackling out loud sooo many times. Rylie was so so sweet and funny and he was down so bad for Eva, i was swooning for him!

I loved their banter so much, but i do think there were times when Eva was unnecessarily mean when she shouldn’t have been. Sometimes she took it a little bit too far. I wish she would’ve continued with therapy sessions after her and Rylie went, because she is holding in to so much stuff, especially concerning her family that was kind of brushed over. And im sad we didn’t learn what she is going to start doing for work at the end.

But overall, i would recommend this!

4.5⭐️

This book seemed like a cute concept, but I was unprepared for the way this book grabbed me and wouldn’t let go while making me laugh the whole time. Eva’s black cat energy full of quick wit and snark, coupled with Rylie’s golden retriever personally made for great tension and plenty of banter.

Like many second chance romances, there was a bit of miscommunication, or lack there of in their initial relationship, which lead to years of wishing things had turned out differently for each of them. When Eva stumbles upon a video of her ex on social media discussing red flags women should walk away from, Eva tipsily makes a response video calling Rylie out on all the red flags he exhibited during their brief college romance. When the video goes viral, the two are pushed together on a series of dates for Rylie to atone for how he treated Eva and to explore how Rylie has changed, documenting it all for their respective audiences. However, while Eva is vehemently opposed to the whole social experiment, Rylie is excited by the prospect of righting a wrong he has thought about for years. What Eva doesn’t anticipate, is the meaner she is and the more she pushes Rylie away, the harder he chases her.

The characters are dynamic and each undergo significant character development, on and off the page. Eva is incredibly relatable and Rylie is utterly charming. The story is well balanced and evenly paced with sharp and fluid prose that makes it easy to read in one sitting. I was invested in Rylie and Eva’s personal journeys as well as their happily ever after.
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🎙️ Second chance romance
❤️ Black cat x golden retriever
🎙️ Lovers to enemies to lovers
❤️ Stop being so mean or I’ll fall in love with you
🎙️ Talk show/podcast
❤️ Banter & wit
🎙️ Positive therapy representation
❤️ Depression & mental health
🎙️ Death of a loved one (off page)
❤️ Bisexual FMC and MMC
🎙️ Open door
❤️ Single POV
📍NYC
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“To fuck around is human, to find out is divine.”
—
“Sometimes you have to shove yourself out of the way and take a risk… Happiness might not be the outcome but it’s worth a chance.”
—
“Kitten, I’d rather spend every day getting in a pointless argument with you for sport than be bored and complacent with anyone else.”
—
Thank you St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin & NetGalley for this complimentary ARC - all thoughts are my own! 📚
Publishers release date 8/5/2025

I always love Mazey’s writing and this book was the perfect way to get me back into reading her stuff. I loved the concept of this story and loved both of the characters.

This was a fun romp and I enjoyed!! At times the internet culture speak was distracting and I often find myself wondering how references like this will age. It’s a hard line to walk! Despite this complaint, I did find myself rooting for the characters and engrossed in the story.

AGHHHHHH.
It's been a while since I've enjoyed a romance book so much. I truly enjoyed the banter between Rylie and Eva. Also the first time I've ever given a 5 star review to a second-chance romance AND actually felt like they need a do-over.

The perfect explanation for this book is quite simply: Amelia and Andrew Garfield if they actually did like each other, went on dates and fell in love.
I was hesitant about the book at the first because I thought the focus would be on the dates, but it was honestly just a cute subplot that added dimension to the story and not the focal point.

Truly a great, cozy, quick read!

Enjoyed it overall, but we lost some critical characterization along the way. Eva is presented as headstrong, stubborn, bitchy, but she folded immediately under William and Landry (stuttering, stumbling, and fumbling to boot). I waited patiently for her to stand up for herself, and I was hopeful we’d see more vulnerability and growth between her and Rylie; I didn’t feel like I got either. Don’t get me wrong, Eva was hilarious and I would absolutely be her best friend IRL, but she lost all her snark pretty quickly with everyone but Rylie, and he’s the one I wanted to see her soften with the most. The were multiple opportunities for Eddings to embrace Eva’s inner “Hot Girl” and I didn’t see her utilize them.

On that note, the social media whining and dining, and the repeated references to internet culture, didn’t do anything for me. Calling a man baby girl is very niche internet humor. Even black cat/golden retriever is a TikTok bastardization of the very traditional romance trope grumpy/sunshine. I would argue that you have to spend a lot of time online to understand references like these and even then, they might not resonate with you. To each their own.


Thank you NetGalley + St. Martin’s Press for the arc.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the ARC!

2 ⭐️⭐️

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I’ve never read turning from this author and I can’t say I would try another. I’m just not a big fan of the social media influencer vibe. It wasn’t bad just not for me. Some by like that theme I personally do not.

5 freaking stars and a standing ovation!!! Eddings might have just wrote the romcom book of the year for me!! The grumpy/sunshine energy was so good and I loved that Eva was that grumpy/black cat and Rylie was sunshine/golden retriever. I don’t typically read a lot of second chance tropes, but i think Eddings might have changed me. I need 500 more books by Mazey Eddings asap.

4/5! Well actually, I loved the premise of this book! Think hot ones or chicken shop date goes behind the scenes with lots of drama! The Banter between Eva and Rylie was hilarious. We get an amazing cameo from one erotic baker. Definitely recommend for a quick engaging romance with lots going on, which is on point for Mazey Eddings. I thought the representation of characters was well done. The only things that brought this book from a 5 star read to a 4 star read for me was the villains felt surface level and I wish it was longer to dig more into Rylie’s past traumas.

Thank you so much St. Martins Press and Net Galley for this ARC!!!

Mazey Eddings is always a hit, but I absolutely devoured this one! Eva Kitt and Rylie Cooper are the best duo. Rylie has found some fame with his podcast and social media presence, but all Eva recalls of him was his disappointing performance when they hooked up and the way he ghosted her in college. Cut to a night when Eva’s had too much to drink (after a frustrating work day where she hosts a hot dog eating interview show) and goes on a bit of an online rant about the beloved Rylie Cooper. It goes viral. Instead of getting fired, Eva’s forced to interview Rylie on her show where he makes a promise that he’ll make up for his college failings. This book is witty with brilliant characters. I cannot wait for Mazey Eddings’ next book.

I ADORED this book. What an incredible story with great representation and a story arc that felt real and genuine. This black cat/golden retriever romance was everything I thought it would be and more.

Things I loved:
- the banter! it was *chef's kiss*. I loved how Rylie could hold his own against Eva and not get offended.
- the queer rep - done so well
- the spicy scenes were perfect
- hilarity ensued almost the entire time. It isn't often that I laugh out loud with books but this one had me cackling a few times
- the plot was believable and something that I could see really happening

Things I didn't like:
- absolutely nothing. Honestly, this book was great.

Overall this book was fun, easy to read, and a great ending. Would 100% recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It was exciting in the beginning when Eva and Rylie were enemies trying to overcome their past hurts and challenging each other to go on dates. But I felt like their physical relationship happened too soon, before they could even work out their misunderstandings, and I loved that after that point they were mostly happy and together, but it seemed to go from a steady 30 mph to 100 mph. There was so much emphasis on writing the spice but not as much the emotional component after they fell into each other's arms. I appreciated that there was no third-act breakup, but Eva was so stubborn and closed off that it was difficult to like her sometimes. Nonetheless, this was a good story and it's probably the best Mazey Eddings book so far!

The writing was good and I could see myself really getting into this author with a different plot! For this book though, I struggled with how many mean everyone was, especially the best friend. Also, the workplace toxicity put me in a bad headspace. I know to pay attention to that content warning next time it comes up 🫡