Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Plus One features psychiatrist Indira and her brother's best friend (from childhood) Jude as they navigate Jude's return from practicing medicine internationally to attend his best friend's wedding. While there Indira breaks up with her long time boyfriend and stays with her brother and his soon to be husband while Jude is also staying there. Jude experiences some difficult things while back as a result of his time working in unstable countries. Indira is also experiencing some difficulties having to see her recent ex and his new partner while at wedding events so they make a pact to be each other's emotional support. Even though they had a more rival relationship when younger.


Oh how I loved this book. I had read Lizzie Blake and it was good but I think Mazey was maybe still working out her writing style or something because The Plus One was perfect.

I love when an author is able to create conflict and plot without using the characters being idiots to do so. I've noticed that this rarely happens and I usually end up really mad at one of the characters wanting to jump into the page and shake them but there was absolutely none of that here. Both characters had real emotional issues to overcome but at no point did they use that as a reason to be cruel or some dramatized version of something realistic.

This book had the perfect balance of very serious emotional issues, romance, and laughter and I've found that really is my happy place in a romcom. I get very strong Abby Jimenez vibes from Mazey and if you like Abby I strongly suggest this book.

Watching both of these characters grow and learn and heal was a pleasure.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I am convinced Mazey puts something in her books because I am addicted! They’re just so good! I flew through this and I can’t even get over how good it was! Another phenomenal book from Mazey!

A very huge thank you to MacMillan Audio for granting me access to this title. I am unsure if I would have finished the novel in hard copy. The Plus One by Mazey Eddings, in truth, is not my favorite of her books, but I still very much enjoyed it.

Indira and Jude are both thrown together when Indira's brother decides to marry the love of his life. Jude is home from his most recent deployment and while. he's glad to be back spending time with his bestie, anxiety is bubbling in him at what feels to him the most random/inconvenient times. Indira has just caught her boyfriend cheating on her (this scene actually cracked me up thanks to my book chat squad) and now she's crashing at her brother's. Soon to be married, Indira's brother has a less than ideal packed household, worse, Indira and Jude are like oil and water, they don't mix. Their playful/legitimate dislike is intense from the start, but with a little forced proximity and mutual beneficial needs for assistance and these two cook up a plan to survive the wedding together.

I want to warn that this book covers PTSD a lot. While the overall gist of the story is light, the ongoing struggles for Jude are very real. He experiences debilitating anxiety and panic attacks.

I have very little patience for redundant vocabulary and Eddings falls into this trap a lot in this book. I thought I was being overly critical, until I noticed my book group mentioning similar things.

What impressed me was that Mazey Eddings didn't end the book where most authors would. She followed through to give us full closure for both of our main characters. .

I loved reading A brush with love but I struggled with The Plus one. I picked it up a few times but I feel like I missed the connection with the romance. The plus one didn't work for me because it didn't click like the other one did but I know others will still like it.

Loved this one- have loved the whole series! Jude and Indira are the best for the back and forth banter. I love the long history that comes with them and that they have been in each others lives for forever yet get thrown together and realize that love is coming there way.

This was a charming, highly entertaining story. I loved Jude and Indira and cheered them on.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s publishing for an e-arc copy of Plus One.

This is my 4th five star read of 2023! If you love enemies to lovers with a twist of brothers best friend, you will enjoy this book. I was laughing, relating and even crying throughout the book.

All I have to say is Indira!!! It is so seldom that a FMC resonates with me, but something about Indira.. I could see parts of myself in her character which made me love the book even more.

This book was like therapy for me (spoiler: there’s a lot of therapy representation in this book which I loved). I loved the humanizing of our two doctor main characters and the mental health struggles they face. Going on the journey with Indira and Jude of taking care of your mental health and falling in love with your brothers best friend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️🌶️
The Plus One (Book 3 but a Standalone)

I loved this book. It was deep. It was funny. It was spicy. Did I mention it was deep already? Trigger warnings were announced at the beginning of the read/audiobook and the toppings were really handled well. No spoilers but Chapter 12 hit me HARD. I’d literally be laughing one moment during the Cheesecake Factory scene and then on the verge of heartbreak. But it added so much to the characters!

You’ll see lots of the characters from her first books A Brush with Love and Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake throughout the story along with Indira’s brother getting married 🏳️‍🌈.

This has so many tropes like brothers best friend, close proximity, fake dating, and childhood frienemies. But also heavier things like mental health, PTSD, divorced childhood.

The audiobook was fantastically narrated and I highly recommend pairing it.

This was my favorite in the series and I really enjoyed the first two so I clearly loved this one a lot! Mazey always surprises me with the emotional depth in her books! The mental health rep is so good and I really appreciated how Indira wanted to help Jude but didn’t want to act like his psychiatrist even though she is one. The balance between wanting to help each other but not trying to “fix” one another was done super well! I loved Jude and Indira’s banter and the childhood frenemies to lovers relationship. I also really enjoyed Collin and Jeremy as side characters.

This book is so moving, emotional and funny, so beautiful, I loved the romance and the way the author develops the romance, but what I loved the most is that both Jude and Indira grow emotionally, how they help each other to become a. better version of themselves, I loved the pull and push between them, the banter and the emotion that pours from the pages.

This author has a special ability to make you feel so much, it felt like a rainy afternoon on the sofa with a blanket and a cup of coffee, it warmed my heart and also made me laugh a lot, perfect for fans of
enemies to lovers
forced proximity
fake dating
emotional

4.5 stars

There is so much I LOVED about this book! I really just enjoyed the way Mazey Eddings put words together - they were like poetry. I thought Indira and Jude's story was beautifully written. For all their childhood animosity, Indira was so gentle as she helped him work through his struggles. The treatment of mental illness was so respectful and enlightening.

The book could have been a tiny bit shorter, but that doesn't take away from my overall love of this book! I've read Mazey Eddings' other titles, and this one seemed so much more sophisticated than the others. Beautifully crafted with a touch (well more than a touch) of spice! Excellent!

Can't wait to listen to the audio next!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Indira had it all. Until she walked in on her boyfriend covered in peanut butter with another woman that is. She immediately ends it because of the cheating, but also, who uses peanut butter in the bedroom? Unfortunately for her, when she arrives at her brothers house to stay for a bit, her arch nemesis from childhood Jude is also staying there. Her brothers wedding is fast approaching, so when Jude offers to be her fake boyfriend from the wedding, she can’t say no.

One thing I truly love about Mazy Eddings books is that she does not shy away from discussing mental health. I think it’s so important for that to be shown in the books we read, because that is a very common part of most peoples lives. I just loved Jude and Indira, and how much they truly loved and cared for each other, even when they pretended the hate ran deep. This book contained all the tropes, and I couldn’t have asked for more. It was a fantastic rom com!

This book has so many things I love . . . fake dating, enemies to lovers (since childhood), best friend’s sister and forced proximity.

Indira catches her boyfriend in a compromising position on her couch and heads to her brother Collin's house as a refuge. Little does she know, her childhood enemy, and Collin's best friend, Jude is home for Collin's wedding and staying at Collin's place. Jude is on an extended leave from his humanitarian doctor job.

Collin and Jeremy's wedding is quite the to-do with many activities and events leading up to their wedding day. Indira's ex is a relative of Jeremy's and will be at the wedding. Jude is dealing with some PTSD from the things he has experienced in his job. Indira and Jude decide to "fake date" at the wedding to support each other, despite their "enemy" status.

I loved Indira and Jude. When they reminisce about childhood, you see they didnt' really ever hate each other. And watching them catch feelings was fun.

The author dealt well with Jude’s trauma and mental health. Indira being a psychiatrist who works with children dealing with their own PTSD, and having her own trauma from her parents' divorce, allowed her to not only support Jude, but realize she needs to confront her own trauma and deal with it. Jude’s and Indira both grew so much during this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press (for the ARC) and MacMillan Audio (for the ALC) in exchange for my honest review.

Final Rating: 4.5 stars
CW: PTSD, panic attacks, emotional abuse, medical trauma, cheating

The Plus One by Mazey Eddings is the latest in the 'A Brush with Love' series following Indira and Jude. Indira is a psychiatrist that loves her job and her life, up until she finds her boyfriend cheating on her and everything starts crumbling. Jude is a doctor that has spent a few years traveling with a team of medical professionals aiding communities in crisis. They both reunite for Indira's brother's wedding, and what begins
as a fake relationship to get her ex away from her, blooms into a transformational relationship for Indira and Jude.

Mazey did a great job of showing what therapy looks like in practice. There is no timeline for working through your issues/concerns with a professional and it's illustrated beautifully through her portrayal of the leads. the writing is very easy to follow and I found myself getting drawn into their story very quickly. This is my favorite in the series and I'm looking forward to what Mazey writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I ADORED A Brush with Love and Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake, but The Plus One missed the mark for me a bit. Nothing was "bad" about the book, it just wasn't what I look for in a romance. I know a lot of other people will still enjoy this one. The writing was great, the banter was there, it was easy to read, and I was having a good enough time to keep reading so it earned the 3 stars. The synopsis promised fake dating and enemies to lovers, but it didn't deliver on either. The fakeness of the fake dating was minimal and annoying each other as children didn't scream enemies to me, they had no specific conflict in their past to move on from/figure out the miscommunication. I also struggled with buying into their relationship. I didn't feel the spark. Indira and Jude were very sweet and patient with each other which felt refreshing but also led to almost no conflict within their relationship, which apparently I want. The focus of the book was on the mental health of the characters, which will work for many readers, I just prefer the conflict of romance to be within the romance itself.

I loved this book and must now go back and read Mazey Eddings entire catalog. Indira is a psychiatrist who has just been cheated on. She retreats to her brother's house to get away from her ex, only to find that her brothers bff and her childhood nemesis Jude, a trauma surgeon with a Doctors Without Borders-esque organization has returned on leave for her brother's upcoming wedding. The two butt heads, but settle into a rhythm as they realize they're stuck for the moment staying in the house together. Jude is silently suffering from PTSD from the horror's he's witnessed as a trauma surgeon and only Indira really picks up on it. She very kindly rescues him from a panic attack at a pre wedding event. After some bonding, the two strike a deal - they will pretend to date until Indira's brother's wedding. This serves Jude because Indira helps him through his PTSD and serves Indira because her ex, and the woman he cheated on her with, are in the wedding party. As these things have a way of doing, fake dating turns to real feelings. But what happens when Jude's leave is up?

Things I loved: really excellent depiction of PTSD and neurodivergence, lovely representation of how to care for another person when they are deeply hurt, lack of cheap miscommunication plot points, a good dose of spice.

Would recommend to anyone and will definitely go back and read the rest of the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“𝘐’𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵.” 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘳. 𝘒𝘰𝘩’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.”

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 🎭: romcom
𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙚 🏃🏼‍♀️: fast
𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙚: 🌶️🌶️
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 🖤: sappy romance
𝙏𝙒 ⚠️: PTSD/panic attacks

This book has sooo many tropes (brothers best friend is my FAVE!)

💕childhood friends
💕brothers best friend
💕enemies to lovers
💕fake dating
💕one tent trope

I haven’t read A Brush With Love or Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake. This book is third in the series but can be read as a standalone (same universe of characters). I will definitely be reading the other two!

This book was a little heavier than I expected for a romcom. Jude’s survivors guilt is palpable - he is a surgeon in areas of humanitarian crisis and experiences significant PTSD. Indira is a psychiatrist and naturally finds herself soothing him. She’s almost too patient and mature at times- which made me mildly irritated- girl, you’re allowed to be pissed if a guy is being an ass!

Indira was so funny- the first third of the book had me howling at her commentary - especially on her therapists couch. And the peanut butter scene ☠️ (IYKYK)

Personal preference- I generally enjoy longer periods of hatred in the enemies to lovers/fake dating trope but that is not a dealbreaker for me. I can see a lot of people absolutely loving their love story.

Overall this was a very cute and funny read. The writing was clever, the book was well-paced, and I loved the tension at the beginning, and I loved the mental illness representation: it is rare to see this so well done in a romcom.

👏🏼👏🏼 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙 to readers who enjoy romcoms with a heavier subplot.

I adore this romance series. This is the third and final (I assume) book in the A Brush with Love series. Each romance has dealt very realistically with some aspect of mental health. The first book had a dental student experiencing high anxiety, the second included an FMC who is very ADHD and facing an unexpected pregnancy. I’ve been looking forward to Indira’s story and am not disappointed.

Indira Papadakis walks in on her boyfriend of two years cheating with another woman. She packs her stuff and moves in with her brother Colin and his fiancé. Much to her surprise Jude Bailey, her brothers best friend, is also staying at the house. Jude was her childhood nemesis as she tried to tag along with he and her brother when they were young. Indira and Jude are fun together as they turn their teasing onto Colin and his groom to be as they prepare for their wedding.

Indira is still dealing with the childhood trauma of a father leaving and starting new families. He was never dependable. That pain is what made her choose to be a psychiatrist and she especially enjoys helping children. Her work is fulfilling. She sees what everyone else in the friendgroup is missing. Jude is suffering PTSD. He is a surgeon and took a scholarship with a fictional doctors without borders type of organization. He has one year left of his five year commitment. But he clearly has symptoms and she can’t see how he can return to war zones. She doesn’t want to be his therapist but talks with him and helps ground him. Years or knowing each other adds to their connection and makes it easy to switch from friends to something more.

I love Indira and Jude together. They are hot and steamy one minutes, sarcastic and laugh out loud funny the next. And both their stories snagged my emotions just like the other books in the series. Jude’s explanation of his thoughts are raw and it is frustrating that his health organization is not more helpful or understanding. Eddings writes in a way that normalizes counseling and therapy. It makes me wish it was easily available to everyone. I love that there isn’t an angst moment between the MCs but it is more trying to figure their path forward.

I highly recommend this book and series. They are not as cutesy as the darling covers suggest. There is real depth, pain and emotion in these stories. Extra kudos for including positive LGBTQ representation with brother Colin. I was given the ARC from St. Martin’s Press and also the audio book from Macmillan Audio and alternated between the two. I especially loved the gravely voice of Imani Jade Powers as Indira. Joe Arden did well as Jude too. I’ve listened to all the audio books in the series and they used different narrators. I’m leaving this review voluntarily. (4.5 Stars)

Ugh I loved this one. I love romance novels that have some depth to them. Trigger warning in this book regarding PTSD, but from my opinion she wrote it really well. The novel includes an enemies to lovers trope, which who doesn't love. The novel is also inclusive which representation of LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse characters. The only down side for me was, I didn't realize this was a part of a series. Go back and read the rest before this one, because it wraps up the others quite well!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are entirely my own.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I am a Mazey Eddings fan for life. She wrote Jude’s PTSD so well. Indira was such a good character, I love the growth she went through. 10/10 would recommend. The audiobook is really well done as well!