3.25-3.5 Stars.

This was an absolutely adorable romance featuring two lovely but somewhat broken characters finding each other and kind of piecing each other back together. It skews new adult-ish and a little wanting more maturity, even though the characters are in their mid-20. This could be because they’re students but I think it’s also because of the way they’re written and the sort of coming of age conflicts they face in the story. Despite the heavy mental health themes, it’s more light and bubbly than it is dark and hopeless.

The premise is that Harper is a high-achieving final year dental student struggling with an intense anxiety disorder, PTSD and a fear of failure who meets Dan, a former financial sector guru turned dental student bearing the crushing weight of expectation to carry on the family dental business. Sparks fly immediately and “Dental Dan” is all in till their unresolved issues get in the way of their happiness.

I think this was written with a lot of understanding and empathy for people with anxiety disorder. It dealt with themes of parental death and grief and anxiety and pressure really well and I think those parts of the book were dealt with the best. I really enjoyed the secondary characters (Thu, Indira, Lizzy, even Alex) but I felt like more could have been made of them to make a richer, more balanced story. Everytime they were on the page, they shone but I think sometimes they disappeared a lot. I also felt that for being so nosy, they kind of didn’t speak up to Harper in ways they could have before things got really bad. I couldn’t tell if this was because they didn’t know how bad her mental health was or if it was that they didn’t want to rock the boat, but there was some dissonance with how intrusive they otherwise were as a trait of their friendship. I think Alex could have been better utilized as a friend for Dan, giving him someone else to talk to and to develop as a character within his complex relationship with his mother rather than just Harper and internal monologues. I also think it would have been good to see that relationship in person especially since she wasn’t live particularly far away so that we could make our own judgements.

One thing I really liked about Harper and Dan was that they were (eventually) good commmunicators and the development of the friendship and transition to lovers was a delight to read. For an Instlove-based plot, their coupledom was very believable. I’m glad I read this and would read something else from this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publishers.

How dang sweet was this book?! Seriously, it is spicy when it needs to be, but what really calls to me, and most readers, is the vulnerability and honesty of these characters and their hardships. I could read about Harper and Dan forever-- so sweet, so funny. Loved every second.

This beautiful and well-written love story between Harper and Dan will captivate you from the first page to the last. Follow their journey as they each overcome personal obstacles to become better versions of themselves. Even though they may not think otherwise, they need each other more than they realize. This book examines the difficult subject of coming to terms with an invisible illness, juggling family expectations, and being true to oneself regardless.

Thank you to Mazey Eddings, the publisher, and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved this premise right off the bat. I thought it was cute. cheesy. lighthearted with realistic representation. everything you want and expect from this kind of story.

Philadelphia dentist and neurodiverse author Mazey Eddings’ debut novel is a humorous and touching romance about Harper Horowitz, a student working to get a residency in the top oral surgery program. She has terrible anxiety and deals with it by following a regimented schedule and focusing on her studies.

But her life is literally upended when she trips down stairs and crashes into fellow student Daniel Craige. She is stunned by her fall and by Daniel’s handsomeness. Daniel finds himself intrigued and smitten, and a friendship develops.

As they grow closer, the skittish Harper wants to remain just friends, despite being fiercely attracted to him. She knows that she is set to leave Philadelphia for her residency . And she is also desperately trying to hide her overwhelming anxiety from him and her friends.

But eventually all the stress gets to Harper and things come to a disastrous head. You root for Harper to pull her life back together and for Daniel to come to terms with his family problems. Spoiler alert: The climactic scene is just begging for a rom-com movie treatment.

An extra sweet adult romance that won’t give you cavities!
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Harper is a student hoping to get into the the oral surgery residency program when she quite literally runs into first year, Dan. He’s starting the program while she’s headed towards the finish line, but the difference is Harper loves it while Dan is forced into it by his mother. While they get to know one another each is dealing with their own issues from anxiety to guilt. Can they make a relationship work between the pressures of the future?
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This was an adorable romance. I’m excited that there’s going to be another book releasing in September. I loved the Jewish representation and character diversity. Dan and Harper were easy to love—much easier than a trip to the dentist!

CW: anxiety, sexism, panic attack
3.25 ⭐️ cute but nothing super special

This was such a great debut novel! This was one of my most anticipated reads and it totally lived up to all the hype. It was so good! I already can’t wait to read more by this author.

This is a story about two dental students that fall in love. I thought this was such a fun and unique plot for a book! I thought Harper and Dan were absolutely perfect for one another. They both dealt with anxiety, and the author did a wonderful job at handling it. I really loved the dental aspects to the book, I thought it made it so fun. If you’re looking for a romance book to read, I highly recommend this one!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this one a few weeks back, and oh man, it was so good. It was one of those audiobooks that had me coming up with excuses to drive places so I could find out what happened next!

Harper and Dan were just adorable. But what I really loved was the realisticness of the story. The push and pull, the honesty, and how the story embraces the characters complexities rather than shies away from them. There's so heavy stuff in here.

Highly recommend for anyone who likes to laugh out loud but also cry while reading their romances.

This is another tricky one to review for me. I love love LOVED everything about the romance in this book. Harper and Dan's chemistry leapt off the page and I adored how absolutely feral they were for each other, lmao. I also really loved how Harper had zero chill about her love of dentistry and how she wasn't afraid to completely nerd out over it at any given moment. With all that being said, this was not an easy book to read. The depictions of Harper's anxiety were extremely visceral and raw and at times (as someone who struggles with moderate anxiety on the daily), hard to get through . If you're someone who is sensitive to on page panic attacks or anxious thought spirals, I would maybe steer clear of this one. However, if you think if you can handle reading about that, I definitely recommend checking this out because Harper and Dan's romance was truly top notch. I also just adored the writing style as a whole and I look so forward to carrying on in this series and reading more from Mazey Eddings in the future.

CW: death of a parent, anxiety, panic attacks, depictions of claustrophobia, verbally abusive parents, car accidents, terminal illness

Harper's anxiety representation is so important. This book is a warm blanket in a snowy cottage on a winter's night. With hot cocoa. Simply delightful.

I’m sure I’m in the minority but this one wasn’t for me. I kept pushing through, but just wasn’t feeling any connection to the story or characters.
I think many will enjoy this one it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

Always happy to see books with Jewish characters, especially in romance. Due to no fault of the author, I've been struggling with my e-ARCs because I want to spend less time on my phone. Fortunately, the publisher approved my request for the audio version, which is how I read this book. I liked the female narrator better than the male narrator, but it felt like they were both doing A LOT, and I don't know how much of that is reflected in the text or if was capital-A acting. It felt very exaggerated and unfortunately wasn't my sense of humor. I was curious about the dental school/oral surgery setting. This book will appeal to fans of Ali Hazelwood.

As Harper anxiously awaits news of her oral surgery residency, falling for fellow dental student Dan was never part of her plan. Meanwhile, Dan wants nothing more than to go back to his career in finance and leave dental school in his rearview mirror, but family obligations keep him pushing forward. For Dan, it was love at first sight when he met Harper. For Harper, it was inconvenient feelings that threatened to deter her from her goal.

Who knew that a book set in a dental school could be so good?!?!?!? A Brush with Love is packed full of romance and humor and all the things that give you the feels.

The representation of anxiety is absolutely spot on and the on page panic attacks...yea, I felt those. Some parts of this book may be difficult to handle (see said panic attacks), but they make Harper and Dan feel so much more real. Some trigger warnings include: death of a parent, familial guilt, and anxiety and panic attacks.

I cannot recommend this book enough, however and definitely plan to reread multiple times!

I absolutely loved this book. I thought the romance was so sweet, I loved the representation of anxiety and mental health and the sex scenes were hot! The author is simply lovely and I hope her book gets all the love it deserves.

A Brush with Love ... I absolutely adored this book. Harper accidentally bumps into Dan while they’re in dental school. Harper is passionate about oral surgery, while Dan is not as into dentistry. But their connection is so fierce, as much as Harper tries to push him away.
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-Harper has crippling anxiety and the author handled it perfectly. I love seeing characters there are relatable. I loved how Dan took care of her and how much he obviously loves her. Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC. This one comes out March 1! Preorder it for sure!

Absolutely Jawdropping, the tension, the drama, the romance, I am a fan. Not only did it manage to keep me hooked from the first line, but I had to read it all in one sitting. It took a hold of me and did not let me go. Never thought I would be so impressed by this style of book but here we are.

I read a few chapters of this one... I had a hard time getting into the book. It just wasn't grabbing me at the time, so I did not finish... I appreciate the consideration!

A Brush with Love is a fabulous debut novel from Mazey Eddings!

Harper is a hardworking dental student in her final year of school. She is so close to graduation and has everything planned out. What she doesn't plan for or even see coming is Dan. He's a fellow dental student, but he doesn't love the work and is only there due to family pressure. They try to just be friends, but it doesn't take long before something more develops between them.

This was more emotional and heartbreaking at times than I expected. Harper and Dan have immense pressures they are dealing with, both self-imposed and from other sources. Though they have a wonderful connection it is easy to see how those pressures and their own struggles and fears could affect their relationship. There are also great moments of humor, romance, and friendship that are throughout the book as well.

Mazey Eddings did a wonderful job with the character development. I really became invested in both Dan and Harper and wanted to see them find their happiness both individually and together. There were also some great secondary characters, especially Harper's friend group. I can't wait to read the next book!

This was one of my most anticipated romance reads of 2022 and it did not disappoint. I really liked both of the main characters and loved reading about their individual journeys and what they were dealing with in their own personal lives. In addition to the fantastic romance, I thought the book also brought important conversations about mental health, grief, and complicated family dynamics. Overall, this is such a strong debut.

I can't say I've ever read a book with quite this much dental focus before... Dan and Harper were an unlikely match, but, even though they had very different reasons to be in dental school and different dreams for the future, they had one thing in common - their relationship with each other.