This was the first book I've read from Mazey Eddings. And WOW! It was so good! This also happens to be book 3 in a series but can be a standalone as I had no issues with it. I know a lot of the characters are in previous books but they give enough of an introduction to them that it doesn't feel like something is missing from the story.
Ok, Indira breaks up with her boyfriend and has to move in with her brother and his fiance. No big deal? Well, her brother is about to get married so his best friend, Jude, is staying with them while he is on a break from his job. Indira and Jude do NOT get along...or do they?
I really loved how this story could really happen in real life. The trauma both characters faced and how they are dealing with it is so relevant. The way they navigated their relationship was so good! There wasn't the annoying miscommunication but actual communication and since they grew up with each other they had more of an understanding.
The perfect brother's best friend/childhood friends/enemies to lovers romance!

I really enjoyed reading about Jude and Indira. The author did a great job approaching the topic of mental health. It was not gimmicky and was presented in a very thoughtful manner. I loved the growth the main characters had throughout the book. Finding love while healing from trauma was a joy to read. I'm always a sucker for the fake dating trope and this one did not disappoint. Jude and Indira love with the same amount of passion that they bicker with and I enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

DNF

There was just too much second-hand embarrassment and mental health stuff. I'm an anxious person myself and I love to see anxiety depicted in books, but I just wasn't in a place where I could handle how intense it was.

The anxiety in this book is extremely intense and unrelenting.

If I could give this book 10/10 stars I would. I’ve found an auto read/auto buy author in Mazey Eddings, and I just adore the writing, the well developed characters with flaws and real relatable issues , the mental health rep, and the perfect pacing.

I’ve found a new book boyfriend in Jude and this might just be my new fave out of the series. I read the book but then loved it so much that I also listened to the audiobook, and can’t recommend THE PLUS ONE enough.

*many thanks to St Martins and Macmillan audio/Netgalley for the gifted copy

Mazey Eddings does it again! The Plus One is a perfect addition into the world she’s already created. I loved all the characters and their growth through out the story. Mazey does such a great job of highlighting disabilities and bringing awareness through the story. Will absolutely be purchasing for my collection!

4.5 stars

I really loved the previous book in this series (I have not read the first yet) so I was really excited to give this one a read! I found that The Plus One was even better!

The beautiful way that Mazey Eddings handled PTSD and mental illness is *chef's kiss* and I am here for more representation like this.

Indira and Jude's story was a great one to get lost in and I really enjoyed getting to know these two and rooting for them.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my review.

I'm not sure what type of magical dust Mazey consumes, but her books are always perfection. I love the mental health rep that her books have and always end up learning so much about it while enjoying a swoony romance. Her books have the perfect blend of humor, heart and emotions.

As always, the group of friends are a joy to see and I love the intertwined stories. Just sad that this series is coming to an end, but I'm so excited for whatever else Mazey has up her sleeves!

Cute RomCom! Enemies to lovers is one of my favortite tropes. I was not a fan of the PTSD or the cheating triggers in this one though. The characters were all very likeable. I never found myself bored. I would definitely give this author another try in the future.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute read! It had enough tension to keep me reading but nothing too heavy to make it a hard read.

Bravo & all the love for the amazing, compassionate mental health rep in this book. The therapy scenes were written so perfectly as if one were actually present in the room.

Indira & Jude's relationship felt natural & endearing. I liked how fast they decided to fake dake considering the "animosity" in the past. And speaking of fake dating, I really thought this was unnecessary to have been added; it was only meant for 1 or 2 people's eyes.

Despite the beauty of not having any 3rd act breakup, the plot felt dragged on, especially with the last few chapters; including the epilogue that easily could've been summed up to just 1 epilogue.

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have read and adored this entire series. This book was everything my heart didn’t know it needed. It was so, just truly wonderful. I felt the heart break and anxiety that Indira and Jude struggled with independently. I swear I had tears in my eyes so many times, because I felt them; that deeply.⁣
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Watching these two go from frenemies to lovers was so so beautiful. The way that they were just intune with each other and gently pushed each other to work through their feelings and were just present with one another. They made my heart sigh in this beautiful and wonderful way.⁣
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There were so many adult, brilliant conversations in their dialogue. The openness about mental health awareness and how brave and hard it is to show up and feel everything instead of sitting in numbness and anger.⁣
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For a work of fiction, this book has truly wonderful, beautifully written life lessons. For someone who personally struggles with depression and anxiety. Someone who is in therapy. I felt this in all of my feels and it almost gave me this sense of peace and calm. ⁣
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This quote, was so accurate and hit so close to home for me. I have reread it so many times because I never viewed therapy this way and now, I always will. “ You show up for an hour, maybe two, and you have no other responsibility in the world than to focus on yourself. Your feelings. Your thoughts. It’s dedicated time to find yourself fully and deeply, with another person there to help when needed. Therapy is scary because it requires you to be brave. It’s one of the most radical forms of self-love.”⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Very solid romance with a lot of emotional depth and serious topics discussed with care! I was impressed by Indira and Jude's story after struggling with Lizzie and Rake's story. Mazey Eddings' writing is easy and naturally humorous, flows well, and lends itself well to a quick read with plenty of antics. Although I did have a hard time relating to and getting emotional invested in Indira and Jude, I really liked them both as characters and how gentle and caring they were towards each other once they got past their animosity from the past. I really liked the backdrop of the wedding to the whole story and the forced proximity of living in the same house - you could definitely pull out the tropes in the story but it didn't feel like the story relied on them too much. The timeline of the ending tripped me up a bit and I thought messed with the pacing of the story but I understand why it was like that and it was needed to wrap up the storyline in that way.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the early copy!

When I first requested this I didn’t realize it was third in a series. Although I haven’t read the first two I do think I didn’t miss anything pertaining to this story. I loved the mental health aspect to the romance in this. It felt so real and genuine and really captured the connection between two people.

I am one of the few who adored A Brush With Love but didn't connect with Lizzie Blake as much. Mazey won me over again with The Plus One. I loved Jude's vulnerability and his raw authenticity. Mazey has such a skilled hand at portraying mental health challenges - for men and women - and Jude was her best character yet. I love a fake dating trope and this delivers the fun antics and built-up tension that usually comes with it, while also delving into serious topics with the perfect touch. Definitely a must-read.

Hands down this is one of the easiest 5 stars I’ve ever given + I’m starting a Mazey Eddings fan club 🥲😭🥹🫶

This series (can be read as stand-alones but as always I recommend reading them all for the full experience) is one of the BEST I’ve ever read. The mental health representation? The overarching themes of still being worthy of love just as you are?! I CANNOT 😭👏

With Jude and Indira you get :

✨childhood enemies to lovers
✨brothers best friend
✨fake dating
✨friendship goals
✨steaaammmm + chemistry
✨laugh out loud moments
✨UTTER PERFECTION

Preorder your copy now. Read the first 2 now. JOIN ME ON THIS JOURNEY 🫶💖

This was my first Mazey Eddings book and it is safe to say it will not be my last. With a solid childhood enemies to lovers there is plenty of tension building and emotions. Indira and Jude’s story places an important emphasis on mental health and advocating for yourself as Jude silently struggles with PTSD and eventually confides in Indira.
This book is full of sweet, steamy, and emotional moments and would be great for anyone looking for a romance full of growing together.

This is book # 3 in the series, but can be read as a standalone.

Do not get fooled by the colorful, cute cover. This one is heavy.

It tells the story between Indira and her childhood nemesis Jude, who also happens to be her older brother's best friend. They agree to fake date to get through the chaos of her brother's wedding.

Jude is an emergency medicine physician serving in war-torn and calamity-stricken areas, struggling to adjust with being home, and scarred by everything he had to witness. Indira is a psychiatrist with her own abandonment issues. These were portrayed real and raw on the pages - physician burnout, imposter syndrome, childhood trauma, PTSD. Hence the need for trigger warnings (which the author rightfully gave on the first page!)

Despite that, the author managed to deliver a story of hope and healing, love and sacrifice. The story centered on fake-dating, but their connection didn't feel fake at all. I feel like it even took a backseat to everything they had to deal with. I love how Jude and Indira pushed each other to be better, and were better together. They complemented each other so well without being co-dependent.

I especially liked the message about there being different ways to serve others without taking too much from yourself. I think we all need that reminder every once in a while.

At this point I think it’s save to say that I’m a Mazey Eddings stan!! I really love and appreciate her storytelling and feel very seen in her depictions of mental health. Mazey does an incredible job of giving us a story that is light, funny, and heartwarming while also being heartbreaking and meaningful in a very profound way.

The characters have depth and I really appreciate the self awareness of their own weaknesses and needs for help when it came to therapy and PTSD. Mazey writes them in a way that lets the reader know it is okay if you yourself are struggling with these issues, that you are not alone. She’s helping in normalizing all of these things and I’m proud to be one of her readers. I will always recommend her books to very one!

Lately I have been really loving these series that can be read as standalones and the characters intertwine. This series is a great example of that and so I was super pumped to pick up this one.

I think that what made this book the most special for me was that I related the most to these characters. This book deals with subjects of anxiety, self esteem, and more. It felt so real and honest, and definitely relatable. It was so refreshing to read about Jude's predicaments, inner thoughts, fears, and feelings. It felt like the typical roles you read about in rom-coms was reversed and it was refreshing to see. Indra was great as well and I really liked the two of them together. The way that she stood by him and supported him was so sweet.

Overall, this is everything I want in a book when I pick up a rom-com. It had a bit of cheese, a bit of spice, lots of kindness, and a whole bunch of authenticity. While these books can be read out of order, I think I want to recommend reading this one last/reading them in order. This book was a great way to wrap up this series, and I cannot wait to see what Mazey Eddings has in store next.

Hmmm. I want so badly to love Mazey Eddings' work because I love her as a person and I so strongly believe in what she's trying to do, but this one just didn't knock it out of the park for me. I found myself really dissatisfied with the romantic arc of this book and not particularly compelled by the speedy switch from "hate" to "love." At times it felt like Indira was just a mouthpiece for "positive mental health talk" as opposed to a person and a partner, and I just didn't find a lot of the comedic parts very funny?

All that said, the prose is strong and the whole cast of characters are delightful.

Definitely worth a try, it just didn't hit the spot for me.

Thanks to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the ARC.