Thank you NetGalley and Mazey Eddings for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say, I was chuffed to receive this as an ARC because I had been waiting for this to get released in August, so to get it earlier was amazing!
The book was so worth the wait and the characters are really relatable, especially the MMC. He was honestly the sweetest person I've read about, he was such a good partner and just such a good person. FMC was a tad trickier to relate to but her grumpiness was also quite funny. Overall, it's such a good reach, can easily switch off and just enjoy the story

oh i did adore this book. right from seeing the front cover it took me in. such a gorgeous book to go with it. so fun, witty, energetic and with that perfect balance of emotional and beautiful characters to go with it. i couldn't get enough of this book and was doing that too big grin far to often whilst reading.
Eva in this book had my whole heart. she is such a wonderful character. and you get her. you see her. and you feel her. and how she felt about everything that had gone on in the past was so on point, and good on her for standing up against what she saw! lets have some more angry woman please. because its making a few people uncomfortable and WE ALL KNOW WHY THAT IS.
and Cooper? no stop. its not ok that we are all so into this bloke and clearly the work hes done and still doing. his kindness and emotional open doors is something stunning to see. and the realist of this current world aint seeing any of this or rarely. so yeh, forgive me for my escape and therefore falling harder for it in this book. i had to shout down my "these men dont exist" far too often which is far to sad to keep thinking over why woman cant believe in men like this apart from in books!
this books is why we read books. it was charming and fun and full of everything we need from this genre. and more than that, everything we need from the current world we live in which seems to be far to scary on some of the linking themes featured in this book. but dont worry Mazey doesnt make us feel down on that. she soars away from it with wit and sass and romance of a delightful kind.
the story follow Eva into a world she never really dreamed of. interviewing people she doesn't reaaaally care for instead of chasing the stories shed like to be as a journalist. ts not her career highlight to be honest. but when she confronts something on her podcast its about to change everything. this happens when she has a rant over her ex Cooper. and when we hear what she says we are totally on her side. so many of these influences are telling stories(LIES) about who they are. and are believed. they are believed. but her rant goes viral. and shes about to find herself at the top of the story not writing it!
Cooper aint happy. and he wants to SHOW her he has. he proposes a deal of dates so Eva can see hes changed. and she can document it.
Eva is all for it. she thinks this is going to be all balls in her court. this is going to be something for her. but as the time they spent together starts to feel different, real she thinks the man that once shattered her heart might be the only one she needs to make it feel whole.
the tone is perfect. the humour is perfect. the interactions are perfect. i loved this book with my whole heart and loved these characters with my whole heart. the ability that Mazey has here to make such lightness and brightness to the world she has bought us into whilst also making us ahce with the emotional vulnerability in it is a skill to behold.
this is going to my top list and will sit there forever. if someone would like to give me this book so i can have it on a shelf for all of time then id happily accept!
i needed this book to be told. and i needed to read it. and im so glad i got to. im so glad for books!

I really enjoyed this book! I've been following Mazey Eddings on social media for a while now so was very pleased to be granted access to her newest book! Thank you Netgalley!

Eva: 27, exhausted, and absolutely winging life.
Frustrated with her job and love life, she’s stuck interviewing celebrities over hotdogs — a gig that was supposed to be temporary 🌭🎤

One drunk night, she posts a rant about her ex — Rylie Cooper whom she dated six years ago , now a famous influencer — and the video goes viral.
Suddenly, her boss wants a new segment: an interview with Rylie himself.
Only... Rylie has his own plan — he wants a second chance.
Six dates to turn red flags 💔 into green lights 💚.

Eva says yes — for revenge, not romance. But in the process, she just might be putting her heart back in Rylie’s hands.

✨ My thoughts?
I had high hopes for this one. The concept was fun, the humor worked — but I struggled with Eva.
She felt a little too harsh, too quick to push Rylie away, and it didn’t feel like she was really open to giving him a chance.
Every time things softened, she pulled away again.
Not saying it was bad, but it didn’t land the way I wanted. I just expected more.

That said — if you love second chance romance and enemies to lovers with a side of celebrity drama — this might be right up your alley.
Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of #WellActually in exchange for my honest review.

Xoxo😘

I’m so sad to say this one wasn’t for me.
I’ve loved all Mazey’s other books but I just found this very slow. I didn’t warm to the FMC. Her grumpiness and general behaviour just came off as rude and unnecessary a lot of the time. So I didn’t really feel the romance between the two characters building.
I really loved the idea and the setup, but the actual dates and scenarios they found themselves in were quite dull.
Such a shame but it hasn’t put me off Mazey. Hopefully her next book is for me

This is Chicken Shop Date in the form of a romance book and it was tons of fun. Eva is the unhappy host of an online celebrity interview show who gets drunk and calls out the unproblematic darling of non-toxic men's podcasting, Rylie.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Rylie is truly the sweetest most wonderful man who has made mistakes in his past and is doing the work to improve himself and atone. I am sure there are some who do not like this book because Eva is a very unlikeable character and probably feel like Rylie could do better. Sure, Eva is mean and rude and it would be nice if she had been more honest and vulnerable with Rylie but I feel like Eddings does a good job of making us see why Eva acts the way she does. The romance is sweet and swoony and, for the most part, I enjoyed the plot and how it called out how men and women are treated differently online. The humor is also really good and the banter between the characters is top notch. Also great queer rep!!! This felt like a solid 5 stars for me until the end started to go off the rails a bit in terms of plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's press for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.25 stars

thank you to netgalley and headline for the arc!

honestly, the main takeaway i have from this book is that it could've really used rylie's pov. i feel like, while i enjoyed being in eva's head, i would've liked her a lot more as a heroine if we go to see her through his eyes. it wasn't really clear why rylie liked her so much and had held a flame for her for so long.

that being said, this book is funny and hot and the tension was really good. eva was, despite everything, very relatable and felt real, perhaps a bit too much (her self-pity got to be a bit too much sometimes, but ig that was the point?)

i really wish we got to know more about rylie and their relationship in college, since we only got very few glimpses into it. perhaps some flashback chapters would benefit here.

obviously i still devoured this very quickly, it kept me engaged and hooked, i LOVED the banter between the two main characters and the way rylie was just absolutely down horrendous

This is a beautiful book and a fun read. The characters are fun and relatable. I loved how much it reminded me of the chicken shop show. The FMC was powerful and that was good.

[3.5] i LOVED the fmc, eva, in this!! she was punchy, quick-witted and so confident (at least on the exterior). i wasn’t crazy about the mmc, rylie, at least at first, but i did like watching their banter and quips at each other. one thing i definitely made a mental note of was that we got an onscreen therapy session, that was realistic, raw, and not skimmed over like other books. some times the actual relationship did feel a bit on-again off-again, but overall, pretty refreshing!!

thank you to netgalley and headline for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This made me laugh! Mazey Eddings handed us laugh out loud moments throughout a crazy rom-com.

You have sass, tension, crazy banter that grabs you from the beginning. The remarks and banter had me dying and Riley....what can I say except swoony. Don't get me wrong, Eva will seem a bit off putting to some, possibly abrasive but it all comes together, she is a bit vulnerable...no? Maybe I am keen to her because of the inner dialogue, who knows...what I do know is this was a fun read and a wonderful palette cleanser in between my high fantasy reads. Give it some try, I bet you'll see a bit of yourself in Eva.

I received this advanced reader copy from NetGalley and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

3.75 stars (rounded up to 4)

I've had Mazey Eddings' books on my TBR for a while now, so receiving an arc for Well, Actually was an honour. For the most part, I enjoyed this book. This was funny, emotional and deeply romantic.

It does an incredible job at showing the chemistry between the two main characters. Eva and Rylie have such a funny dynamic, and the connection between them is obvious. I can't lie though, at first, both Evan and Rylie acted a little immature and juvenile when it came to their insults; it was almost like I was reading about teenagers fighting. However, at some stage while I was reading their banter just clicked and I found myself laughing along. As we progress further into the plot, the growing attraction between the two becomes even more prominent, even when Eva is furiously trying to deny it.

However, a part of me thinks, that Eva and Rylie connected a little too quickly. Yes, there was chemistry, but I honestly would have liked for both to have slowly become friends first instead of just giving into their attraction by the third date (feels a little insta-lusty not gonna lie). I also thought the conflict in the end would carry on for longer, but it resolved too quickly for my tastes. I honestly thought it would last longer. I do get what the book is trying to do, and for the most part it succeeds but the pacing of things made it seem very surface level.

Overall though, I enjoyed reading Well, Actually and will definitely be reading more of Mazey Eddings' books!

✨3.5 stars✨

This book is literally based on Chicken Shop Date, but in this book the video series is called Sausage Talk - cue the innuendos from the very first page. Also the fact that our protagonist and host of Sausage Talk Eva Kitt is sarcastic and known for her deadpan delivery is literally Amelia from Chicken Shop Date. The author really thought hard about that premise😂.

This book wasn’t bad, in my opinion. It read quickly and I can see people enjoying this if they are looking for a fast-paced romance over the Summer. Definitely a by-the-pool light-hearted read.

However, there were certain things I didn’t particularly like/felt frustrated by as listed below (🚨POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD🚨):

- The romance felt incredibly rushed and mainly lust rather than a deeper connection. We’re told that the connection is there rather than shown. I have no issue with spice in books but for how short this book felt, it just seemed excessive without any deeper developments. Everything in that department just felt surface level.

- Aida, Eva’s producer and I’m guessing is meant to be her friend but is honestly horrible to Eva for the vast majority of the book, even belittling and questioning how serious Eva is about her job compared to her. All the while knowing how unsatisfied Eva is with the trajectory of her career and feeling stuck.

- Think that’s one of my main issues that nothing about this book was original and a lot of the references (Chicken Shop Date, the video reacting to people’s comments, podcasts for the sake of being podcasts without any rhyme or reason - Rylie for example) that it dated this book.

- Finally the ending was so rushed!! Spoiler: but a video of Rylie and Eva is leaked (by the evil bosses for clicks and views). However, this was introduced with 23 minutes left of the book according to my kindle, but it definitely didn’t feel like it. So it felt like it was introduced just to make the book just a few pages longer and not a natural part of the plot.

Overall, I can definitely see people enjoying this book when it is published, however it just wasn’t a new favourite for me.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Eva's journalism career isn't panning out like she hoped - I mean, does anyone expect to find themselves eating hot dogs and giving out deadpan snark to quasi-celebrities in exchange for clicks? It's especially galling when her college ex is making a name for himself teaching men how not to be the kind of toxic that he encapsulated in his relationship with Eva, something she impulsively and drunkenly calls out online one evening. With potentially career (and life) changing results.
What really made this book for me was the chemistry and connection between tough, witty and secretly sensitive Eva and charming, quirky and clearly obsessed Cooper. The way he responds to and deflects her mean comments makes for highly entertaining dialogue, and they actually communicate, both about their past relationship and the development of their current one. It takes time for Eva to open up and trust him, and that's depicted sensitively and realistically. I wasn't so convinced by the portrayal of her work colleagues - her producer and so-called best friend seems to blow irritatingly hot and cold, and the others feel a little two-dimensional, plus the way Eva reacts to them made me go "huh... really?". (Maybe I'm the wrong demographic to truly get it.) But that's a minor quibble about what is, at its heart, a thoughtful, emotional and witty second-chance romance.

I would re-read this so quickly if I didn’t have over 100 books on my TBR. Honestly, one of the best books written that I’ve read in a long time. I could gush about this one for hours and hours.

Mazy Eddings has been auto-buy author for me since I read her first novel and Well, Actually just reminded me of why she is. First of all, Eva is one of my favourite FMCs of all time. Like ever. She is in the top ten. I loved her snarky little attitude and her humour was spot on. I also adored how relatable her worries and anxieties were throughout.

Now Riley, aka my newest book boyfriend. God what a gem of a man. So loveable, like too loveable. He obviously adores Eva from the beginning for their reunion and it was so clear to see. The yearning this man displayed had me weak in the knees honestly. I want him. Alas he is not real.

It also goes without saying at how great the plot also was and how relevant it felt. Ok so I’m not going to say anything else as I actually want people to read this book. Like 10/10 would recommend. Always.

This book was fine. The concept was interesting and at times entertaining but something fell flat for me and I couldn’t really get into it. For me, the characters weren’t particularly likeable so I found them hard to root for. I did feel for both of them at times but mostly I just didn’t care. Their relationship was okay, it was nice to see it develop from when they were younger but it did feel a bit rushed to me. The side characters are more interesting but rarely featured.

Overall I think this is an okay romance, with diverse characters and a lot of character development, it just wasn’t for me. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book!

This second chance romance interested me from the start, giving chicken shop date vibes with such an amazing female main character :)

I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice read with some humorous moments. I appreciated the bi x pan representation, it was very refreshing! I haven’t read anything else from this author but will be sure to check out her other books.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline Eternal for this ARC!

This was such a sweet book which had the vibes of early 2000s romcoms.

The writing was super easy to read, though I wish it were dual POV since I needed more insight into this couple. The black cat x golden retriever energy was strong and they complimented each other well. I loved how there was no third act break up and how they worked through the conflict together.

Appreciated how themes of grief, toxic masculinity and queer challenges were explored in the book - though idk how to feel about the MMC bringing the FMC to see his therapist together. I know this is a fictional book but surely that's not beneficial for anyone. Didn't expect these themes in a romcom but appreciated it nonetheless as it not only enlightened the reader (me) but also added depth to the characters and story.

I did wish more was shown about the FMC's career ambitions and her family life as I felt that would have humanised her more and made her more palatable as a character one would root for. Also wanted a bit more tension and banter prior to them rekindling their feelings and getting together.

Would read again, as well as other Mazey Eddings books.

Overall rating: 4/5

This one is for the eldest daughters who have had to take care of themselves their whole lives and just want someone to take care of them instead! I absolutely adored this one, Cooper is a dreamy book boyfriend!

After hearing this was chicken shop date made rom-com, I was so excited to pick this up and it was SO FUN! As much as I adored the comedy and the ongoing banter between the love interests, there was so much heart with queer representation, discussions on grief, the dismantling of toxic masculinity and so much was laid bare. This was as enjoyable and fun as it was heartfelt and raw, and these are endlessly my favourite kinds of romances!

Also rylie <3 people are going to fall in love with him!!!

I absolutely would've rated this higher would the FMC (female main character) not have been unreasonable in her anger at times. I found her communication to be slightly subpar to Rylie's vulnerability and that often felt hard to read as much as the hesitation made sense. This a romance I would DEFINITELY recommend (especially for summer)