I adored The Plus One. It's much deeper and darker than a lot of romcoms, but that's all in its favor in my opinion. Check out full trigger warnings, but a heads up that The Plus One deals heavily with PTSD, war, and divorce. I loved Indira and Jude. They both felt very real and I loved the childhood frenemies to lovers dynamic. They had a beautiful friendship. Speaking of - the friendships in this book were so lovely, especially for the guys. Guys who talk about their feelings, are willing to actually talk through issues, and aren't afraid to say I love you to their friends: so wholesome and much needed! I also think Act 3 was dealt with very well and was very believable.

If I have any gripes, it is that I had a little bit of trouble with some of Judy's attitutdes/actions but I think this is likely just my experience of PTSD being a little different from his. And I found the steam (gets fairly steamy) to be a little over the top tonally. We have a very wholesome sassy relationship and I expected some spice but to me it felt like there was too much and the story would have felt just slightly more cohesive tonally had the spice been toned down a bit. But that is also just my personal preference.

Overall, I highly recommend The Plus One and would encourage people who want their romcoms with some depth and therapy to check this one out. It was seriously so good!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think Mazey Eddings does a nice job in the beginning listing out the potential triggers but it’s worth nothing them again: PTSD from losing patients as a medical provider in emergency situations, emotional repercussions from growing up with divorced parents and being cheated on.

Yep, it’s an heavy as it sounds.

You would think all of these tropes would be a ton of fun - brother’s best friend, enemies to lovers, fake dating, but this book is a lot more serious that I thought it would be. And it’s not the books fault but I’ve just read a lot of MMC has an issue and FMC is there to solve it. In this case Jude is an ER doctor for a fictional group that treats war zone and high risk locations. He’s back in town for his best friend Collin’s wedding. Indira is Collin’s younger sister, the three of them grew up together. She’s a psychologist who is going through some of her own stuff and shows up for Jude in the most massive way possible.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Indira and Jude have been at odds for a long time, their common denominator being Indira's brother Collin, who is also Jude's best friend. They are also doctors, too. While Indira is a psychiatrist, Jude opted to work overseas in indigenous areas with the level of work taking a toll on him due to the heavy burden of unfair tragedy. There's a raw and palpable vibe in this story starting with Indira's woes and then following up with Jude's personal traumas. It really hits a chord and shows a more sensitive side to the characters than the previous books and addresses more serious issues. I enjoyed the antagonism between Indira and Jude which eventually gave way to a truce as allies and then eventually more. I also have to hand it to Indira for being so astute and perceptive in recognizing Jude's facade and conflict and rather than ignoring him, she went out of her way to help him in a way that he couldn't reject. The slow burn chemistry was very well done in how two people who have always hated each other matured into two adults with their own broken stories who could provide solace to the other. It was perfect in the way that it made their relationship development more honest and vulnerable while building the tension and rapport. The side characters were all fantastic and I enjoyed all the love and support that both Jude and Indira received. This is the best book of the series, hands down.

This book seemed to suffer from too many tropes giving none of them enough attention to make an impact. Brothers best friend under the same roof should have brought tension and there was none of that. Actually conflict was almost non existent for the main characters. Speaking of, how can you have any form of enemies to lovers without conflict? I would have enjoyed the story more if Eddings leaned into one more than the other.
I did find the writing to be very funny and there are ALOT of spicy scenes if that is what you are looking for!

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Who is the LAST person you want to see after you walk in on your boyfriend of over a year licking peanut butter off of another woman? For Indira, it's her brother's best friend and her own childhood frenemy who is now super hot: Jude. ⁠
⁠
Sadly for Indira, when she moves out of her shared apartment and into her brother's house, she also has to be roommates with Jude. He is in town for the month leading up to his best friend Collin's wedding, and he's not thrilled about living with Indira, either. In his case, he's dealing with major trauma from his job with the Global Healthcare Organization, and having his safe space with Collin interrupted by loud, traditional sibling bickering isn't helping. Only, as it turns out, Indira and Jude are able to strike up a friendship of their own as they navigate the emotions that Collin's wedding is provoking.

Mazey Eddings's romances always include characters who are dealing with their own psychological issues. On the one hand, it's refreshing to read about characters who understand that they have to work on their own mental health before they can truly commit to a healthy relationship. The issue with this in a romance novel is that often, the resolution of the conflict is an almost too-pat "I'm going to therapy now so everything is fixed!" Here, Indira's character is especially compelling: at the beginning of the book, we learn that she attends therapy regularly to maintain her equilibrium. Although she is a psychiatrist herself, she also doesn't act as Jude's healthcare provider, instead providing an example for him to follow.

Eddings has found her stride: The Plus One is a great addition to the series!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

This was a really cute second-chance romance. I really enjoyed reading about Jude and Indira’s history with growing up together and the relationship they had together before.
This book was a mess of tropes but they all ended up working well together and made the book very different and distinct from other books that could be similar to it.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Griffin for an eARC of this book.

Disclaimer - I didn't realize this book was in a series when i requested it, so my review is for the book as a standalone. Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC! I'm so glad I got to read it.

Indira is a therapist who struggles with her own abandonment issues as a child of divorce and after (spoiler alert?) finding her boyfriend in bed with someone else, she moves in with her brother and his fiance – only to find her childhood enemy also crashing there before the wedding. Jude (said enemy) is a trauma doctor working overseas on-site at many humanitarian crises which have left him numb/struggling with PTSD.

The believability of their chemistry, the writing, the lovable side characters – I loved this book so much and couldn't put it down. It was equally wholesome/sweet romance with the right amounts of emotional gravity. I found myself resonating with both main characters and loved watching them on their healing journeys, individually and together. I just wish the epilogue was longer/more about them!

This book stood up really well as a standalone, but I'm excited to go back and read books 1 + 2 and anything else from Mazey Eddings!

4.5 Stars!

Absolutely loved. Perfect hate to love, it’s always been you vibes. Fantastic mental health rep. Mazey is such a talented writer, and I love her stories so much.

The Plus One by Mazey Eddings
Length: 320 Pages
Pub Date: 4/4/23
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Mazey Eddings did it again!! This romcom is equal parts mental health representation, humor, & chemistry. I absolutely loved Indira & Jude’s story and cannot recommend this book enough.

On the surface, we have a childhood nemesis-to-lovers story where she is his best friends younger sister. When we did deeper though, we get a real look into the vulnerability it takes to have any kind of relationship (romantic or platonic) when you have PTSD, trauma, or a history that leads to feelings around mental health but really balances it out beautifully with humor & adorable moments. And the chemistry between these two is amazing! Added bonus is it takes place in Philly which made my heart so happy 🖤

Pub day is coming up so if you like a romantic comedy with depth and realness definitely add this one to your tbr!

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the gifted arc in return for my honest opinion.

This is a lovely romance- but enemies to lovers is always a favorite of mine. Although- in this case it's childhood rivals to lovers. It's humorous, yet also deals with discussion of serious issues (PTSD). This is my first time reading anything by this author - and I read it without reading the prior two books. I enjoyed it greatly!

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. I pushed myself to finish, but debated several times on not finishing it.

This is the third book in the Brush With Love series. I enjoyed the second book, but didn't enjoy the first in this series. I was really hoping this one would be like the second book for me, but, sadly, it was not. I had a hard time becoming attached to the characters and I found myself bored while reading it. It felt very one dimensional and at times juvenile. I did appreciate the author shining a light on mental health, advocating for therapy and showing aspects of PTSD. But I'm afraid reading this book right after Doller's latest didn't help, because I was made more aware of how this book was lacking in so many ways.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

A beautiful, smart, sexy, romantic, and mental health focused romance. It still manages to give rom-com vibes with the enemies to lovers sparring and friendly characters. BUT it’s also deeply, personally, emotional and meaningful. Issues of PTSD, anxiety, abandonment, career insecurity, and financial stress, and it’s all handled with sincerity. Nothing is heavy-handed. And through it all, Indira and Jude just feel right together.

There were just a couple quibbles here and there, and it’s not a true fake-dating trope. It’s a half-assed charade for the benefit of only two characters, out of many that know the truth, that’s pretty much over before it begins and didn’t really feel necessary. But the good far outweighs that hiccup.

Overall, I loved it and highly recommend.

This book was so good! I'm always a sucker for fake dating and enemies to lovers (childhood nemesis/older brother's best friend), so I really loved reading Indira and Jude's story. But this book was so much more than a care free romance. Yes it had great laugh out loud banter and swoon worthy declarations, but it also deals which much more serious topics. It focuses a lot on PTSD, abandonment, and the importance of going to therapy. I think Eddings did an excellent job handling these topics with care.

I haven't read any of the other books by this author, but I'm hoping to remedy that soon.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Plus One releases April 4, 2023

This story starts out with Indira walking in on her boyfriend cheating on her. He just so happens to also be the cousin of her brother’s fiancé.

After this incident, Indira chooses to crash with her brother and his fiancé, which lands her under the same roof as her childhood "enemy" and brother’s best friend, Jude, as it’s five weeks out until her brother’s wedding.

Unable to avoid the uncomfortability of being around her ex and his new girlfriend at all of the pre-wedding events, Jude and Indira agree to fake date.

This is not a fully light and fluffy read. Often deep and melancholic as Indira works through some of her emotions and inner turmoil with her therapist about happiness and abandonment issues as a byproduct of being a child of divorced parents, and as Jude navigates having ptsd and sensory overload from being an emergency medical doctor in war torn environments.

The fake dating was a good catalyst for tension and breaking down those barriers of physical touch, but the progression at first was a little bit silly and unnatural since all of their friends and family were already so familiar with their established dynamic of being less-than-friendly towards each other and it was really only a show for her ex, Chris, which did he even care? Not all that much.
It makes me question whether this still would have happened the same way if Indira’s therapist never suggested to try being friends with Jude.

It’s quite interesting to read about the affects of ptsd, although it did come across pretty heavy handed in the beginning and could have been toned down ever so slightly as Jude was on the verge of a mental breakdown nearly every other sentence and we were immediately thrown into his unstable headspace with not much character background.
Despite this rocky beginning for me, the camping trip and Halloween night were such large turning points and I really started to fall in love with these two characters as a couple.
They were so tender with each other and their relationship was really healthy.

Jude had a lot of potential for being a soft cinnamon roll mmc. It makes me so curious to know what he was like before his job with the GHCO.
It’s not often that we get to embrace a man in a romance novel be so vulnerable, breakdown, cry, openly work through his struggles and seek help. The development was amazing, therapy is normalized, and the metaphor of a mind as a house was ingenious.

You think you’re getting a surface level, fake dating, fun frenemies wedding, but it is so much more than that underneath. (also a forewarning: the wedding doesn’t happen until nearly 80% and it’s a very small part to a grander story)

What I appreciated most of all was the fact that them getting into a relationship did not mean suddenly absolving their problems or brushing them under the rug, as if loving someone else could fix everything in the second it takes to snap your fingers. These are flawed characters who openly acknowledge that and are okay with growth and the non-linear process of healing.

<i>“Living—fully, unabashedly, fearlessly living—isn’t the easy way out, Jude. It’s the hardest thing you’ll ever fucking do. Numbing yourself is the easy part […] Choose your health. It’s okay to let go of something that’s hurting you. That won’t ever change the love you had for it. If anything, it will let you preserve that love. But you can move away from something that doesn’t serve you. That doesn’t make you weak, that makes you brave.”</i>

Another small thing I really appreciated here was during the topic of consent and being tested — using the words “I’m negative” instead of “I’m clean”.

Out of context things I loved:
- the framed piece of paper they doodled on that he kept for 20 years (!!!)
- his parents placing a bet on them
- the jar of peanut butter 1.5 years later LMAO

I don’t know how I feel knowing that we won’t get a book for Thu/Alex, but I guess the large time jump in the epilogue wrapped things up as best as it could.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The characters in this book were well developed and likable. I appreciated that they didn't frustrate me to the point of wanting to throw my phone across the room. The chemistry and moments shared between the love interests were enjoyable, and their banter was fun.

The book explored the topic of living with PTSD, which I found interesting and informative. The writing was engaging and thought-provoking. The plot flowed seamlessly and kept my attention throughout the book. The story was unique compared to other romance books I've read. I have no criticisms to make of this book and thoroughly enjoyed reading every minute of this book.

I recommend this book to fans of Emily Henry.

I absolutely adore Mazey Eddings and her amazing characters. I felt such a connection with the Indira. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes. I adored the banter! 5 amazing stars for the 3rd book in the A Brush With Love series!

I really enjoyed this book. The tropes were some of my favorites! Fake dating, brother's best friend, known each other since childhood, are all tropes that will keep me reading a book.

I was laughing out loud during the first chapter and was excited to keep reading. I thought the characters were funny and it was sweet to see Jude and Indira finally get their happy ending. I think this was better than some of the other wedding date trope books I've read recently and that was a refreshing surprise.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for my advance copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy of The Plus One by Mazey Eddings.

Returning to the Brush with Love friend group, The Plus One is Indira's story. A wedding, a break-up, and a jar of peanut butter bring Indira into her brother's home and in proximity with Jude, her brother's best friend. He's in town for the wedding after serving as a doctor in dangerous situations abroad, and is set to return to a life that's giving him nightmares...and more.

Indira and Jude's relationship has always been a bit contentious, but wedding festivities and Indira's current housing situation keep them close. Soon, they come to a mutually beneficial agreement to be each other's dates through all the events. But once walls come down, they fall in love. Any hope for a long term relationship is not only strained by Jude returning to his war-torn career, but also the scars left on his psyche. Now, they need to lean on each other more as they face an uncertain and scary future.

The Plus One is my favorite book by Mazey Eddings. It's filled with her trademark zany antics, but the deep portrayals of mental health in this book really hit a resonant note. There was such a deep level of caring between Indira and Jude. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it, but be prepared for the feelings to strike.

CW: On page depictions of panic attacks, descriptions of medical procedures and trauma, parental abandonment

I ADORE MAZEY EDDINGS. She is slowly becoming an auto buy (or get on Netgalley :)) author! I would probably read her grocery list! The banter and the tropes! I'm here for it! Full review to come!

...
I am starting to feel like Mazey Eddings lives in my brain. I related so much to Harper and Lizzie, but Indira might take the cake. She’s a child of divorce who feels all her emotions and and never enough. It’s me! Hi! Im the problem!

I feel like this has a very underrated trope—frenemies to lovers. The banter is so good! On par with Emily Henry tbh who I think as the queen of banter lol.

All the books in this series heavily featured therapy and getting help for your mental health. Jude has severe PTSD and I felt it was addressed beautifully. That being said, make sure you post trigger warnings.

The epilogue was everything! Loved seeing all our fav couples living life!

Tropes- Brother’s best friend, Fake Dating, Forced Proximity
Rep-PTSD
Thoughts- This author has a way of blending mental health, love, humor, friendship and spice that truly blows me away every time. I think this may have been my favorite of the trilogy. I loved the playfulness of Indira and Jude’s relationship. The conversations about therapy and working through their trauma were amazing. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Griffin for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review