This is a soft DNF for me at 45%

I was completely hooked for the first 25% but the banter turned into over-the-top bullying from the FMC, & it is painful to read. She has unresolved trauma from 6 years ago & hardly an ounce of interest in resolving any of it yet.

The book could also still use a hefty dose of editing, obviously this is an uncorrected proof, but the sheer amount of issues with punctuation were far too frequent & distracting.

I’m disappointed because this story started with such promise for me. I love the premise & the initial banter.

Not all books are for everyone, & I’m coming to terms with maybe this just wasn’t the book for me.

Will maybe revisit & revise my review should it change.

I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I really enjoyed the style of their writing. It was engaging and fun. I definitely recommend. Thank you netgalley for an arc of this book.

I loved the writing in the book and the banter between the characters. This book was funny and emotional. The two main characters Eva and Rylie were well developed and had me caring about them the whole time. I highly recommend this book! I will for sure be reading another Mazey Eddings book.

3.75/5 stars

The moment I heard Mazey describe Eva as "hot and mean" and Rylie and "babygirl" - I was hungry for this story.

We follow Eva Kitt - the host of a web-based c-list celebrity interview show called "Sausage Talk" - as a way to hopefully launch her career into journalism. Her former college fling, Rylie Cooper, has a successful podcast where he talks about smashing toxic masculinity. Only problem is, he left Eva high and dry six years prior. After she shares her *strong* feelings on social media, the video goes viral and catapults these two back into each other's lives and careers.

The banter between Eva and Rylie is phenomenal. It has the right amount of bite with the perfect soothe of affection. Rylie is DOWN BAD for Eva and I eat that up every.single.time. As she does in all her novels, Mazey pays delicate attention to mental health and explores the emotional depth of her characters in ways so many can't. She is thoughtful, intentional, and it leaves you as the reader with a complete understanding of her characters - from their outside personas all the way to their internal struggles.

After a lot of wonderful build-up, I do feel the way these two came together was a little sudden. Additionally, I wish we had seen a few more dates and allowed their relationship to grow more through that lens.

Overall, I highly recommend if you are a lover of banter, black cat/golden retriever, and characters with a lot of heart. And honestly, how could you not be?

Thank you the NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!

4.5 What a fun story, it’s quick witty and engaging! Chicken shop date in the most chaotic and best way!

Eva Kitt hosts her very own unique interview style show for b-list celebrities. When her college ex, made social media darling circles back into her life she wastes no time telling the internet he’s not who they think he is. Put him on her show and we get the best banter and the story begins.

The banter is top tier and Eva and Rylie’s back and forth chemistry is so much fun! I love a strong willed fmc who doesn’t take anything from anyone. I loved how well they communicated this was a main plus for this whole story that despite how fun they are together they also are able to communicate in a way that really strengthens their relationship. I highly recommend!

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.