ARC Review: Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings

 

Eva Kitt never expected to be the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over lukewarm hot dogs, instead of pursuing the journalism career she dreamed of. But when Eva’s impromptu public call out of her college ex goes viral, she’s thrust into the spotlight. It doesn’t help said ex is Rylie Cooper, a beloved social media personality that has built a platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be good partners.

Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the scheme to advance her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. When these manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.

Title: Well, Actually

Author: Mazey Eddings

Publisher: St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin

Expected Publication Date: August 5, 2025

Review:

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is my first Mazey Eddings book so I wasn't sure what to expect. But the blurb of an enemies to lovers and second chance love story drew me right in and I'm so glad I read this one! It was a lot of fun and I'm definitely hooked on this author and will read more of her in the future!

Eva Kitt calls out her ex on social media and it goes viral. When her boss finds out, they= company want to take advantage of the video's popularity to help boost the company's views. To do so, Eva must form an alliance with said ex, Rylie Cooper, and put herself out there by going on dates with him and using his PodCast to review them. 

This book is quintessential enemies to lovers. I truly had no idea how these two would possibly get over what made them enemies in the first place. But Mazey made it work. Their verbal sparring was top notch.

Eva's past with Rylie revolves around their dating and the relationship Eva thought she would get versus what Rylie actually gave her. She gave all her firsts to him but he blew her off. They had so much to work through in this book. And it just worked. I can't really talk too much about the hows and whys without spoiling things but let's just say Rylie had a lot of trauma he needed to work through that he never told Eva about. This story is his redemption.

The chemistry between these two was top notch. And their banter. I laughed so hard so many times. But there are also a ton of tender moments and moments where clarity between them becomes super emotional and heavy. So much so Eva has a hard time handling it. There is one scene with couples therapy that happens and it's probably one of the most raw scenes in a romance book I have ever read. 

Eddings paces this book perfectly. And YAY for no third act break up. These two truly learn how to work through their stuff and come out healthier on the other side. There's mental health and LBQTQ+ rep throughout, as well, which I absolutely loved because Eddings did it right.

This book had me laughing, crying, clutching my chest, and made me a bit of an emotional wreck, but in a good way. There are so many lessons to learn. There's insecurities and grief along with happy times and sweetness. And Eddings balances it out perfectly.

Author:

Mazey Eddings is a bestselling author, dentist, and (most importantly) stage mom to her cats, Yaya and Zadie. She can most often be found reading romance novels under her weighted blanket and asking her husband to bring her snacks. She's made it her personal mission in life to destigmatize mental health issues and write love stories for every brain. With roots in Ohio and Philadelphia, she now calls North Carolina home.