Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings Review

Eva Kitt never expected to be the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over wieners, instead of pursuing the journalism career she dreamed of. When Eva publicly calls out her college ex for ghosting her, her video goes viral. 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 decent partners.
 

Now, she’s forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, where Rylie makes her a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them all on his channel. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the deal to further her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. But 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.

Mock dates, work-related forced proximity, a second chance romance, and collab between a self-improvement podcast and a B-list celebrity interview show called the Sausage Talk, Mazey Eddings’s Well, Actually is a romcom novel that mixes slapstick hilarity with great character writing. Marketed as a black cat/golden retriever pairing that explores personal growth, success, self-worth, and viral engagement, this is a book that’s flirty, fun, self-aware and hopeful. Its base premise and character dynamics is a contentious sticking point that has led to very polarizing opinions of its FMC, but I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this which was a big surprise!

“Hot girl is an armor you put on. An impenetrable fortress of makeup or dyed hair or fake nails or killer clothes or expensive perfume or any other bodily adornment that makes you feel f*cking good. Powerful.”

For better or for worse, the most notable and crucial factor when it comes to enjoying Well, Actually comes down to whether one can get behind the bitter, savage, and cold Eva Kitt, an aspiring journalist and host of the freeform interview show Sausage Talk. As the host of B-list celebrity gossip show consuming hot dogs that is obviously not an intention innuendo, Eva embodies a detached, apathetic, and spiky persona known for roasting her guests with the goal of creating viral memes or online traffic buzz. With limited savings, a non-existent social life, and stuck in a job far from her lofty dreams of covering more important social and cultural topics, Eva’s cold public persona has become one with herself, a hardened and impenetrable performance mask shielding the frustrated, lonely, and heartbroken young woman beneath it. It goes without saying that Eva treats her college ex-boyfriend turned social media advice star Rylie Cooper terribly in a jaded and loaded manner, with mild revenge on the mind for how he treated her six years ago. Per the black cat and golden retriever comparison, Eva constantly insults Rylie while he poses as the perfect supportive king, and that off-balanced dynamic is one that can sit very poorly with many potential readers. This book truly lives and dies based on whether the reader can empathize with Eva as an intentionally heavily flawed character, or if they find her insufferable and awful with nothing in between.

While it is inevitable that the premise and characters will be a non-starter for some, fortunately I found Eddings to be very aware and conscious with what she’s doing and how she handles her characters. The book opens by leaning heavily into the unhinged and silly side of the romance genre, firmly pulling out all the romcom hijinks and doing the most it can to throw Eva into distress mode constantly. Work-driven, no-nonsense and guarded, the confident and viscous FMC is given wild pitches left and right and it’s an absolute riot watching her try to maintain her detached persona while internally freaking out (I mean the show is called Sausage Talk, ‘nough said). Eddings’s banter is consistently excellent throughout the book, but the early chapters are where the verbal sparring and mismatched interactions are the strongest; Eva dragging Rylie with a petty insult while he returns a favor with a compliment that she interprets as a veiled dig or jab. The humor has an a cynical dark humor tone to it in the way Eva constantly assumes the worst in any given situation, and for me really works well, particularly a subtle way to keep the I-hate-you/I-miss-you dynamic from feeling off-balanced; Rylie may take a verbal and public beating in the moment but it’s Eva who walks away more embarrassed, off-guard, and distressed afterwards.

Where both the book and Eva as a character salvage themselves from being a manic pop culture and overly contemporary style romp is in the quieter and introspective moments where she returns to a cramped and empty apartment devoid of personal connections and meaning. Initially introduced to the reader as a fierce girl boss out to slay disrespectful men and get her work promotion, the book slowly draws back the curtain into her unfulfilled and stagnant personal life. Putting on a brave face and dismissing her brief college relationship with Rylie as a flippant regretful moment that means nothing, the book explores her history of being abandoned, made fun of, and repeatedly told she’s too much and unworthy. Jealous of Rylie, her best friend and Sausage Talk project lead Aida, and past roomate/chef Ray’s professional success, fulfillment, and happiness, she descends into a vicious spiral of destructive self-pity and externalizing all her toxic feelings of unworthiness into a forced show of apathy and viciousness. The book features a slate of strong themes that many working older Gen Z and young millennials can relate to which goes a long way to humanizing Eva. For some readers, Edding’s character writing can be too little too late to turn around their opinion of her, but those that give her a chance to cook may find them unconsciously warming up to Eva as it becomes progressively more obvious her actions are a form of coping and self-preservation in a world that can be very judgmental and unforgiving. The book also attempts to tackle other serious themes including internalized biphobia, public scrutiny, and both online and workplace-related misogyny (tastefully explored I might add, don’t worry Eva has the last laugh in the end). It also features great queer and pretty respectable ethnic representation that I wasn’t expecting given its front-facing white and seemingly heterosexual main couple.

Going into this book, I had some reservations as second chance romance is a trope that I don’t often enjoy due to the inherent difficulty of pulling it off well. A second chance romance requires the book to relive the couple’s past relationship, provide a notable cause for their breakup (especially important in this scenario where one character hates the other unbalanced), and finally not only deliver believable chemistry to reignite past feelings, but also provide plausible reasons why the second time around will be different. I find it very rare for contemporary romance books to hit each of these specific prerequisites, but I was impressed that Well, Actually check them all off. I found the character development to be unexpectedly strong in this book and was impressed with how Eddings handled Rylie’s growth off-the-page between the six year gap. Without giving away any spoilers, I found his personal demons and issues during their college relationship believable, the catalyst for change simple yet effective, and his confident and grounded base to be the perfect support to lead Eva on her journey of self-worth and lowering her guard. While revealed to be understandable given the context and situation, his past behavior and relationship with Eva is flawed and despite now being a guru of being a healthy boyfriend, still sometimes at a loss of what to say. One of my pet peeves is when the MMC becomes too love obsessed, or their characterizations and dialogue loses their distinctive feels, becoming perfect partner typical in most romance novels. I loved that from start to finish Rylie’s personality was still different and memorable from the norm and thankfully doesn’t recycle the same overused phrases in spicy scenes. He and Eva’s mismatched energy and banter was amusing from the get-go and while their dialogue gradually softened and shifted over time, I was happy to see that they still maintained the flirty and edgy push and pull banter, just without the bitter bite behind it.

Besides having good character growth and chemistry (and quite a bit of spice for those that look for it), I found the book’s plot to be very well crafted. The story perfectly intertwines Eva and Rylie’s relationship shifts with the drama at Eva’s workplace studio company, the two enhancing rather than clashing with each other. Although there is mild miscommunication used as a plot device involving Eva misjudging Rylie’s intentions through her pessimistic state of mind, a recurring thought of him just keeping her around for damage control purposes running a bit too long, the rest of the book thankfully largely avoids it. This could’ve been a major pitfall for the book which would’ve directly conflicted with Rylie’s schtick on social media encouraging open communication, establishing boundaries, and dispelling common male toxic tendencies. I was also very relieved and impressed that Well, Actually did not force the common third act breakup most romance novels are infamously known for, and the book’s climax and final resolution hinged on Eva’s professional and personal future, not her relationship status with Rylie. Particularly when it came to her dreams of reporting on meaningful topics, realization of self-worth, and standing up for herself with real confidence instead of her flimsy cold persona, I thought Eddings nailed the ending. The content is by no means groundbreaking or dramatically moving given this is light-hearted romance novel and not a literary fiction or drama story, however it’s still well done. Unless the reader is already anti-Eva to the point beyond saving, those neutral or on team Eva will find it impossible not to root for her.

Witty, flirty, silly, yet unexpectedly endearing, Well, Actually is an impressive romance book that in my opinion is perfectly pitched. Featuring a well-written second chance romance, great character development, and a nice balance of unhinged laughs with meaningful moments of self-improvement, this book doesn’t reinvent the wheel but simply does what it sets out to do well. The based premise and Eva’s characterization is an unfortunate make or break factor that can be so off-putting that it ruins the rest of the reading experience, but those that can see her cold front for what it is and give the story time to develop will find a wonderful and well-executed forced-proximity romance. I fully understand why this book has such polarizing reviews, but I shockingly and unexpectedly loved it and recommend giving it a try!

Side Note: I read the Owlcrate edition of this book from their quarterly Romance book subscription per my friend having received an extra copy. While it has no relevance to my impressions or review for this book, I’m surprised it was selected for their subscription given the book’s polarizing premise. This book was also offered as book pick from Aardvark Book Club which feels a lot more fitting for their more quirky taste and willingness to take bigger swings with love it or hate it books (I would’ve gotten this edition otherwise). Regardless, I’m impressed to see book companies willing to take a gamble with a more risky book premise like this vs more standard and forgettable romance book picks.