REVIEW: Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings

In Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings, Eva Kitt pretty much gets through life with sarcasm, cynicism, killer heels, and (a false sense of) bravado. It has served her well ever since moving to NYC including hosting the admittedly ridiculous podcast Sausage Talk. Okay, so it’s not the hard-hitting journalism she planned on. Most days she interviews up-and-coming celebrities or those who are trying to jumpstart their flagging careers over a diner-style table filled with hot dogs. But Eva still has faith she will get the chance at bigger opportunities anytime now. Although she can feel her resolve weaken a bit when she comes across her college ex-boyfriend’s popular podcast on social media and in a drunken rage films a video criticizing him. She didn’t expect it to go viral. But once it does, her boss at Soundbites grabs onto the media attention with both hands.

“As we speak, our people are reaching out to Rylie Cooper’s.”
“What the fuck for?” I cry, immediately slapping a hand over my mouth as I realize what I said to my boss. “I’m sorry. So sorry,” I rush out. “But…but why?”
“Because you’re going to do an interview. A live, in-person interview…”
No. Please God no.
“With Rylie Cooper.”

Eva finds out she’s going to have to do a livestream with Rylie freaking Cooper. At least she’ll be allowed to be her catty, feisty self during the interview. But after six years of no contact, she isn’t sure she wants to sit down at a table with Rylie, let alone banter and find out what he’s up to these days. Eva just wants to get through the interview without throwing something at his handsome, friendly face. And somehow, she gets roped into going on a series of dates with Rylie just so he can prove that he’s a changed man. Supposedly no longer the bro-dude who chugged beers and ignored her in favor of his frat guy friends. Yeah, Eva will believe it when she sees it. But even after their first absolutely disastrous date, she has to admit that Rylie really is different. Not even in a bad way. And it will take all her resolve, but she isn’t going to let herself fall for him. Again.

‘Do I… Oh good god, do I actually like talking to Rylie Cooper? Have I not done anything to cure this terrible affliction in the past six years?’

Mazey Eddings thoroughly wowed me with WELL, ACTUALLY. The hysterical banter, the main characters’ attraction, the heartfelt somber moments, and the offbeat cast are all something that will stick with me for years to come.

“I’m asking for your time. That’s all,” Cooper continues. “A chance for me to prove I’m not the asshole you remember. Give me six dates to make it up to you.”

CW: View Spoiler »Grief, loss of a close family member, male toxicity, online bullying, misogyny « Hide Spoiler

I haven’t laughed so hard or had so much fun reading as I did with WELL, ACTUALLY in a long, long time. Mazey Eddings not only created a second chance romance that’s keeper-shelf material, but she also gave us a sarcastic, cynical, wise-cracking, gloriously sassy yet vulnerable heroine I would absolutely love to sit down and chat with over coffee. Eva was a force of nature. Known for her dry-witted remarks on the kitschy podcast she was roped into hosting, it wasn’t her dream job, but it was basically dream job-adjacent, so it was worth cultivating. For a while at least.

When Eva’s ex-boyfriend from college, Rylie, re-entered the picture, that’s when things went off the rails for her just a bit. And the fallout was a laugh a minute at first. As much as I enjoyed seeing Eva give Rylie a hard time about his former frat boy ways and how he ghosted her six years ago, it was when they got completely honest with each other to explain where their heads were at back then that made me fall for them even more. There were some heartbreaking moments that were handled carefully by Eddings that will bring a tear to your eye. But even in the same scene, she would layer in just a touch of humor so it didn’t get overly dark. And that balance was what kept me glued to the pages.

My other favorite part was the diversity. Set in NYC, we got to see the best (and sometimes worst) parts of the city through Eva’s adoring eyes as she *loved* living there. A happy bonus was that the majority of the other characters were either part of or on the fringe of the LGBTQ+ community. And again, Eddings had a deft, respectful hand in how she wrote it. I couldn’t help but be amused and smile through the quick back and forth Eva and Rylie had with their friends. I thought it really showed how much Rylie had grown since his college days. And the adult he turned out to be was compassionate, humble, had a terrific sense of humor, and was simply a great guy. It felt like he and Eva were truly meant to get one more try at a future.

QOTD: Rylie & Eva’s first date after six years apart was a complete (hilarious) disaster. Have you ever been on a terrible date?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: August 5th, 2025 | by St. Martin’s Griffin |

An utterly delightful and sexy second-chance romance between a black cat and golden retriever with Mazey Edding’s signature sparkling voice!

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 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.