Friends! I’m back with another advance review, this time for the undisputed queen of writing romances that make me laugh, fan myself and then ugly cry: Mazey Eddings.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and St Martins Press for the advance copy, thoughts below are my own, enjoy!

I loved Books 1 & 2 in this series so going into The Plus One I truly had some admittedly high expectations in place. Where Harper and Dan’s romance was light and a little fluffy (big booty judy not withstanding), and Lizzie and Rake’s was an OTT ride of a lifetime, Indira and Jude found their stride in deeply emotional and sometimes heavy moments. It’s been a joy to read these books and I have to say I loved this one JUST as much if not more than the previous two outings.

[Indira, kicks things off with a peanut butter covered bang, when she walks in on her partner cheating on her with another woman. They are both (for some reason we sadly never get to the bottom of) covered in peanut butter, which does become a deeply funny callback throughout. It also serves as a moment of respite as this one covers some heavy mental health stuff.

Jude, Indira’s childhood nemesis (and older brothers best friend) has come home to celebrate the wedding of Collin and Jeremy. He’s also on a break from his Doctors without Borders gig and is dealing with an extreme case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He’s seen and experienced prolonged humanitarian crises, lost patients, and worked in disaster and war-zones. He’s struggling so hard to keep it together. Indira, fresh off the worlds most confusing break-up is just wanting to lick her proverbial wounds at her brothers house, but of course, that becomes immediately complicated with Jude staying there.

The chemistry (antagonistic) is truly off the charts between these two, which does morph into chemistry (antagonistically sexual) over the course of the lead up to Collin an Jeremy’s wedding. And, your honor I did thoroughly enjoy myself. The banter was a delight. And the perverse glee I experienced watching these two idiots try to make the other smile and laugh, made me smile at my kindle, a lot.

This, though is a realistic look at struggling, and seeking help, and wanting to get better but sometimes not knowing exactly how. Coupled with falling in love it did make for an emotional (at times) read. Mazey always does an excellent job representing the realities of mental illness, and the complexities we all carry with us as very flawed (but trying hard) humans. I felt for both of them, and was deep in my feels when they just keep choosing each other.

I loved how Jude told Chris what was up, and how Indira wanted to stand up for Jude when they were all trying to go camping. And that birthday gift? Swoon-town, population me.

But there is also (always) a lot of joy and deeply funny humour in the way Eddings writes. Something about the references, wit and delightful way she has her MCs banter always makes her romances jump right off the page and burrow their way into my heart.

I think lots of folks will love this one (I know I did), and read with care some of the themes and experiences both characters have gone through may bring up big feelings. Check out her content warnings ahead of time and be gentle with yourself as you read.

I hope folks will absolutely pick up Indira and Jude’s romance, (not only because there are so many delightful cameo’s from Harper, Dan, Thu, Alex, Lizzie and Rake) when it hits retailers April 4th 2023!

xo Kels

𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨: '𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘴' 𝘣𝘺 𝘌𝘥 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘖𝘯𝘦 follows Indira and Jude - childhood frenemies, brother's best friend now working as a psychiatrist and a surgeon serving in crises affected areas. Both are dealing with their own monsters and battle scars but the comfort of each other's presence help them mend their broken hearts.

- ~ -

First of all, pause.
This was so much deeper and complex than I was expecting. I thought it'd be a fun, flirty, best friend's sister romance set over the course of wedding hijinks. But this took me through all stages of grief, in a totally good way.

This book reminds me an awfully lot of an Ed Sheeran song which I'll quote the lyrics to:

"𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴
"𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯?" 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘰𝘩, 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯
'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘯𝘰
𝘖𝘩, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, "𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘺." "

Now I'm no literature major and will not claim to understand what Ed means by penguins on ice but I'll interpret it to my own liking as we're not perfect but we can damn near try our best. And I think these lyrics are the essence of the story. Yes, what Jude went through was a real struggle but at the end of the day he's only human. He's tried his best and despite the outcome he deserves peace and some semblance of happiness.

On another happier note, Jude and Indira we so funny together and really brought the childhood enemies aspect to life even in their relationship but they were just enamored with each other and it was rather swoony.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦?"
"𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘐'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐'𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵."

So yeah, overall an intense but wholesome ending to a good series that I hope to return to someday!

- ~ -

3.94 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

"Was being roasted her love language?"

GIRL, SAME.

This book had my cheeks hurting from smiling. It also had me crying for like the last 25% of the book. And it was mostly like happy/sweet crying.

This is my first Mazey Eddings book, and I was pleasantly surprised with how she dealt with mental health issues in a real and believable way, and also had the romance aspect feel genuine and unforced. I liked how love didn't magically fix a character's problems. Truthfully, when I read the content letter she wrote at the beginning of the book, I was worried about how PTSD and abandonment issues would show up in the book, but I felt safe with how she portrayed them.

Overall, this book was so sweet. Indira and Jude were both were both great as main characters. Super believable as humans with their personalities and flaws. The way they handled each other was so lovely. The banter was so cute and laugh out loud funny. This book had more spice than expected, which I'm not complaining about-- I was just surprised by it (and it did get a little repetitive to me, at times)(but also I don't love super spicy books so maybe that's just me). It was a really enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC.

This was my first Mazey Eddings book - I loved it and will definitely look for all her future books. The Plus One employs a “fake dating…but wait, are these feelings real?!” trope similar to a number of other romances I’ve read recently, but a few things made it stand apart from the crowd. Jude and Indira are interesting, multi-faceted characters, mental health issues receive a thoughtful and nuanced portrayal, and the happy ending feels earned. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Oh. My. God. This was great! It gave me all the feels. I really didn’t think this could be as great as book two but I was so wrong. Mazey did an awesome job and I loved it. Intense moments with lovable fun and great kisses. **Sigh**
Things I loved:
• the romance and undeniable chemistry.
• enemies to lovers.
• The wedding.
• The writing.
• The steam
And all I want to do is think about this happy ending and hug this book!
Highly recommend this. And I almost forgot the narrators for the audiobook were amazing! Imani Jade Powers and Joe Arden were perfect and brought something extra special to this novel.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

The Plus One is equal parts charming, sweet, sexy, and endearing. The characters are dealing with real life issues while trying to navigate life, relationships, and their jobs. This is the third book in the "A Brush with Love" series, and it can easily be read as a stand-alone. I also appreciate how the author address mental health issues in her books. In this book a character has PTSD, and it is handled with care and grace.

Indira has a great job and apartment but has her life turned upside down when she comes home and catches her boyfriend cheating on her. She moves in with her brother before his wedding while looking for a new place to live.

Jude is a doctor who has traveled the world to treat humanitarian crisis. He has PTSD and has traveled back home to attend his best friend's wedding.

Indira and Jude bickered as kids but now find themselves pretending to be in a romance to get through the wedding festivities, but you guessed it, things are beginning to feel real.

It is all about the journey with romance books and this is quite the steamy, authentic and lovely journey. I love how the characters open up and communicate with each other.

This is a wonderful series, and this book was no exception. The characters are likeable, and their issues feel real and authentic. I had both the e-book and the audiobook and loved the narration of the audiobook. It is so well done and so enjoyable.

I highly recommend this series. All books in the series are fantastic, well written, endearing, and fast reads.


#ThePlusOne #MazeyEddings #NetGalley

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @stmartinspress and @smpromance for an early copy of The Plus One by Mazey Eddings. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

The Plus One is an enemies-to-lovers/fake dating romance between Jude and Indira. They have been bickering and at each other’s throats ever since they were young. Weeks prior to her brother, Collin’s wedding, Indira finds her boyfriend Chris cheating on her. She crashes at Collin’s house to find his best friend, Jude, also living there before he gets drafted off on assignment right after the wedding. Since they’ll still be seeing a lot more of Chris and his new woman during the pre-wedding activities, Jude and Indira decide to fake date each other, and their fake PDAs begin to feel real.

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

I don’t think I have ever read a fake dating romance novel that didn’t feel fake – Jude and Indira’s chemistry was crystal clear right from the beginning despite their bickering. Indira’s fiery and straightforward personality may have contributed a lot to their relationship, as she takes no bullsh*t and can see through Jude and his struggles. She doesn’t hesitate to be there for him and gives him the space he needs when he wants it, despite her own trauma and struggles. I love her character and the strength she embodies in the story. Both of them actually, are very strong characters and are not afraid to admit that they are broken and need to seek help; I love that they are each other’s ways to healing.

The Plus One is a very well-written novel and I am glad I was able to read this masterpiece.
Rating this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5. Releases April 4th, 2023!

This book had a hold on me. So much so that I messaged Mazey Eddings in the middle of the night while I was sobbing from making a connection to something she wrote about to thank her. Although this is technically book three in the series (A Brush with Love) you do not have to read them in any order or even all three to understand as they are stand alone characters with each intertwined. Each one is so very different, but you still get a good feel for the writing and connection the characters have to each other. This has to be my favorite (I’ve only read 2 and 3 of the series) as it was such a realistic storyline dealing with mental health struggles. If you suffer from anxiety, insecurities, depression etc this will probably be so relatable. There was one moment (the one I messaged the author for) that was such an “AH HA!” moment that summarized my feelings so well as I myself deal with anxiety. Saying all this, know it does have a lot of laughs, love, and the usual sexual moments to go along with the struggles each character faces. I very much enjoyed the stories of Indira and Jude and was sad to see them go when I finished. I’m giving this a high 4 stars and can’t wait to see what comes next!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity to read this early digital copy in exchange for my thoughts.

I didn't care for A Brush With Love, but adores Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake, so I had high hopes for The Plus One. Unfortunately it looks like I'm 1 for 3 with Mazey Eddings books and I think a lot of it comes down to the male narrator when listening to the audiobook. I just did not like the male narration in either A Brush With Love or The Plus One.

Also, PTSD and therapy are heavily featured. While I think the author handled it with gentleness yet realness, I felt at times it was a little too drawn out and repetitive.

Tropes: enemies to lovers, fake dating, brothers best friend

Steam level: HIGH

Currently working overseas as an emergency surgeon for places in crisis, Dr. Jude Bailey’s mental health is severely declining. The past 3 years he has seen hurt, death and devastation more than he ever imagined, leaving him with PTSD that he refuses to acknowledge. Dr. Indira Papadakis is a psychiatrist who has been carrying emotional trauma and fear of never being good enough since her father walked out when she was child.

Jude is Collin’s best friend. Indira is Collin’s little sister. While growing up, Jude and Indira never got along, always bickering and arguing with one another. Now all grown up, they’ll be living under the same roof for the time leading up to Collin’s wedding.

Jude shortly realizes that he feels safe with Indira, her presence making all the chaos in his head manageable. He proposes a deal to be each other’s fake dates to Collin’s wedding. It would benefit him so he doesn’t feel the overwhelming sense of dread, and would help Indira avoid awkwardness from her cheating ex and his new girlfriend.

-Dual POV
-Brothers Best Friend
-Childhood “Enemies”
-Fake Dating
-Forced Proximity
-One Tent
-Multiple Spicy Scenes
-No 3rd Act Breakup

I loved this book. It focuses on the effects PTSD can have on a person and how emotional trauma takes time to heal. Mental health isn’t black and white, anyone can be struggling silently. For the author to really make it a key point in this book was amazing. It shows readers how healing isn’t the same for everyone and the positive effects that therapy can provide. I found myself relating with Indira multiple times throughout the story and it made me feel seen and understood.

Indira was so caring and patient with Jude, never pushing or overstepping. Jude was precious, slowly allowing himself to feel happy and break down his walls throughout the book. The spice was an added bonus! My true rating is more like 4.75/5, as I wish the fake dating was introduced a little earlier in the book. However I would 100% recommend you to read this. Although I will never look at peanut butter the same after reading this LOL.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an e-book ARC in exchange for an honest review. You can also read my review on my Goodreads, posted 3/20/2023 or on my Instagram @bookish.k8, posting 3/22/2023.

*Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, as it focuses/mentions PTSD, emotional trauma, cheating on a partner and mental health struggles*

This is a fun enemy to fake dating to lovers read. It's a bit heavier than I had anticipated, but very entertaining nevertheless. Despite their resistance, Indira and Jude were meant to be together. I loved how good they were for each other and how they both blossomed through the story. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The main character starts off walking in on her then boyfriend with another woman. She packs her things and stays at her brother’s house. She figured since her brother is getting married soon he could use the help with wedding planning.

When she gets to her brother’s house she finds out her childhood enemy Jude is staying there as well. Jude is Indira’s brother's friend who was always around since they were kids.

Jude is a doctor traveling to different countries to help people during emergency situations. He has been through a lot. He was able to return home for several weeks to attend his best friend’s wedding. What he realized is that he is struggling with PTSD from the trauma he has been through.

Once Indira finds out that her ex will be at all of the events leading to the wedding, she asks Jude if he can be her fake wedding date to help her get through the wedding.

What started off as a harmless request blossomed into a great romance.

The way Indira would know just what Jude was going through and the way she helped him every chance she could was so nice to see. Even if it was the littlest thing like asking him to go outside with her for some fresh air.

I loved the way they made each other whole again after everything they had both gone through. They deserved to find happiness again.

This is a very cute romance that has some very real discussions about mental health, PTSD, and how to heal and cope with it each day.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book by this author, and I can't wait to go back and read the first two in this series.

First, thank you so much to this author for addressing mental health and mental illness in such a real way, for showing and encouraging help and therapy and that it is okay to be and feel broken and chose love.

Second, I love enemies to lovers, and while this was more childhood friend/nemesis to fake dating to lovers, I was here for all of it. Their banter and chemistry were so well done.

Third, the spice level was unexpected and enjoyed. With their chemistry and love/hate/nemesis relationship, I knew that the sexual tension would eventually explode, but I was not expecting how genuine and natural it was for the characters.

I HIGHLY recommend this author, this book, and this series!

This book and Mazey Eddings writing style are just not my cup of tea. The pacing was all off and the writing was very cringy.

I did not see the chemistry between Jude and Indira at all. By around 25% it felt like they had barely even interacted. And by halfway through they were not even fake dating yet. To call this a fake dating romance kind of felt like a lie. It felt like a secondary plot point and not central to the story.

I kept reading hoping something would have redeemed it, but I wish I had DNF’ed it

* childhood "enemies" to lovers
* brother's best friend
* fake dating
* forced proximity
* no 3rd act breakup

Oh, wow I really enjoyed this! It was definitely a bit heavier than I had anticipated - both of our characters are struggling with their mental health (our MMC is struggling with PTSD and our FMC is working through effects of abandonment), and I enjoyed how they both became each other's support system. It started with small acts of kindness which then blossomed into bold and outward support that was driven by love and protectiveness. And while it did cover some serious topics, it did have fun banter and great secondary characters.

3.5 stars [Liked it] - This book started so strong! I was hooked right from the first few chapters. Unfortunately my interest died down little by little throughout the book but it was still enjoyable. I loved the characters and the deeper topics that were woven into the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing free advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Mazey Eddings has a knack for writing romance stories that feature quite serious topics. The Plus One is the third and final book in a series but you can easily read this one without reading the others. You’ll miss the backstory of the secondary characters but it won’t affect the main story at all.

This one features some familiar romance tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and fake dating. But the underlying story of Indira and Jude is so much more than those tropes. Indira is a psychiatrist who still suffers from the feeling of abandonment she experienced as a child, when her father left her family. Jude is a surgeon who signed up for a stint with a humanitarian medical organization in exchange for paying his medical tuition, thus leaving him without a major debt burden, but his experiences in “trouble spots” around the world have seriously messed with his head, and he suffers from PTSD. They were childhood “frenemies”, as Jude was Indira’s brother’s best friend, and now her brother is getting married, which is why Judy is on the scene. In addition to the Indira-Judy story, we have some truly laugh-out-loud situations related to Collin and Jeremy's wedding plans. Having just participated in our son’s same-sex wedding process, this whole story arc really touched my heart.

Warning: there are some very graphic steamy encounters, so if you’re listening to the audiobook, I advise using headphones!

The audiobook featured two narrators, one for Indira’s chapters and one for Jude’s: Imani Jade Powers and Joe Arden. I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient and let me finish the book very quickly.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This book was really good, sweet, thoughtful, and has a lot of great mental health rep, but definitely check out those content warnings. Both characters are dealing with some pretty intense trauma. Indira and Jude are childhood enemies, since Jude tortured Indira as her brother's best friend. But as adults they reconnect when Indira’s brother Collin is getting married and Jude comes back from being a surgeon all over the world in war zones and developing nations. I liked a lot about this book: the banter, the mental health representation, and the sweet intimacy between Jude and Indira. My only issue with this book was that the ending felt a little rushed and the trauma that Jude is going through is hard to read about at times. But overall these hard topics are dealt with with grace and well done scenes, and I loved their happy endings and the sex scenes are very hot and sweet, a great combo. I recommend this book for fans of Eddings and this series, mental health representation, contemporary romantic comedy.

Indira and Jude have known each other most of their lives and actively hated each other for most of it. Indira’s brother is getting married and his best friend, Jude, happens to be in town for the main event. Can they set aside their differences for the wedding?

I love a good enemies-to-lovers romance and this one did not disappoint. The banter was exceptional and I liked how deep they got to understand each other as they hated each other less. I also liked that this book encourages therapy, especially as Jude is struggling with PTSD.

What I did not enjoy is how often they were walked in on every time they started to explore their physical attraction. I think it was to stress how much they were supposed to hate each other but it happens so many times that it feels like forced humor. This book juggled the enemies-to-lovers, best friend’s little sister, and fake dating tropes which was confusing at times. Additionally, there is a focus on specific details of the interactions of fellow couples in some of the scenes which I initially felt distracted from the plot. However, I then discovered that this is the third book in the series so I assume the previous and forthcoming books have to do with each of the partners. I did find it easy to read as a stand-alone.

Trigger Warnings: this book deals with parental abandonment, sexually explicit scenes, foul language, infidelity, and heavily deals with PTSD.

Thanks to St.Martin's Press for providing an electronic advanced reader copy through NetGalley for review. As of the date of this review, the book is currently set to be released on 04/04/2023.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

I would like to preface this review by stating that Mazey Eddings became one of my favourite authors last summer - I borrrowed a copy of A Brush with Love from the library and devoured it while on vacation. I immediately pre-ordered Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake and anxiously awaited its release.

What I love about her books is that she writes about "real" people; in one book we meet Harper who suffers from terrible anxiety: and then in the second Lizzie's adhd and rejection sensitivity dysphoria get discussed. Both books deal with loss and with estrangement. Mazey doesn't shy away from delving into issues that I am drawn too and seek to better understand. Because of this, Harper and Lizzie Blake have joined my list of favourite characters, and these are books that I recommend to EVERYONE.

I was REALLY looking forward to getting into Indira's story because she had been a solid secondary character (part of the "crew") in both Harper and Lizzie's stories - and I honestly just wanted to get back to Philadelphia and hang out with everyone.

The premise of the book is: Indira moves in with her brother and his fiancée following a break up. This is 5 weeks ahead of their wedding. So obviously, her brother's best friend (Jude) is also staying at their place - and to say that Indira and Jude dislike one another is putting it lightly ... also.... bring on the sexual tension.

What follows is the development of their relationship in the lead up to the wedding.

This book has some wonderful romance tropes:

* Brother's Best Friend
* Enemies to Lovers
* Fake Dating
* Dual POV

But it also examines feelings of worthiness, PTSD and MASSIVE trauma. It examines how a person can move on when they are not only lost, but also feel worthless, demoralized and can't see their value any longer. This was probably the heaviest book in the series - with light moments - but it felt darker than the first two books.

I'm going to be honest - with both Harper and Lizzie's stories - I was 100% in from the beginning. This one took me a little bit to "warm up to" - I don't know if it's because I was a little tired (recovering from a terrible cold that knocked me out, and then daylight savings) or if I just didn't relate to Jude and Indira's issues the same way I was able to latch on to Harper and Lizzie's issues. Whatever it was, this was harder for me to get into. BUT I did end up enjoying it and I LOVED how it ended.

This was a 3.8 star read for me -- the last 3rd of the book was more like a 4 star read, but I just wasn't as hooked as I was previously. A solid read with some really beautiful moments, and again, Mazey Eddings was able to treat her subject matter and her characters with kindness and respect.

side note: Jude reminded me a lot of Owen Hunt's character when he and Christina first hooked up on Grey's Anatomy.

Recommended read - if you are going to read the first two books in a series, you need to read the third one as well! And also - IT WAS GOOD. It just had some big shoes to fill and I really really really loved Lizzie's story.