When I picked out this book, I thought it would be fun. I love a good story about a lady in STEM, but I was very pleasantly surprised about the depth and complexity of the discussion surrounding mental health and generational trauma.

Dan and Harper's story was beautiful, a fun exploration of two people with this deep, inherent connection who were drawn together with their chemistry. But more than that, they both had their respective issues and traumas that kept them from being together in the capacity they wished to be. I felt like I related to the character of Harper so much with her need to self-sabotage, and as much as I struggled through that part, I recognized pieces of her in myself.

Truly, the representation was quite well done.

I don't think this is a new classic novel or the best thing I've ever read, but it was very enjoyable. I thought the author did a splendid job with ensuring that that characters and their motivations' rang true for the situations they were involved in. There was one part in particular where one of Harper's best friends talks about how seeking help and medication changed their life, and I thought that discussion was so poignant and well done.

Additionally, I loved the narration! The narrator did great with conveying the characters' unique voices and personalities without being over the top. I recommend the audiobook as the suggested medium if you do end up reading this book!

To my fellow romance fans, this book was a fun journey between two characters who broached some tough topics. And for my mental health friends, I really do think you may see yourself in Harper. And for anyone looking for an enjoyable read, I really do recommend this one.

This book is charming and adorable—I loved it. Eddings takes the reader on a fun journey of falling in love but not without its own set of mishaps. The characters are relatable, and you cannot help but be endeared to them, because Eddings does such a great job of depicting what goes through one’s mind when you like someone, and when you are going through graduate school. It was so fun to listen to on audiobook and I highly recommend it. Many thanks to NetGalley!

Harper is always in control. She has to be- that’s how she’s gotten this far in her career. When she literally runs into Dan, romance is the last thing on her mind. But as they get to know each other, she finds herself distracted by his companionship. To preserve her focus, she determines that there are rules they need to follow. As the school year goes on, what will she choose when those rules are broken?

A Brush With Love is a quirky, accepting, and joyful read. It had great anxiety representation. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed both of the narrators. I was simultaneously fascinated and blown away by the details about dentistry and what it takes to be a dentist. One of the scenes that stuck with me was where Harper has to deal with a sexist and angry patient. These scenes are all too common in the medical world, yet when was the last time a romance book highlighted these issues? I LOVE seeing more romance books include women in STEM and highlight their struggles and triumphs. The romance scenes were a bit of a miss for me, not exactly sure why, but I still found this to be a very solid read. I also enjoyed Harper’s friends a lot, I’m looking forward to Lizzie getting her own book!

Thank you so much to Mazey Eddings, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! The banter between the characters was good, some moments were laugh out loud funny, and the mental health representation was spot on.

Dan was the sweetest MMC and I felt for him every time Harper said, “we’re just friends.” I felt like Harpers anxiety was well represented and relatable too.

Read if you like:
- friends to lovers
- academic settings
-mental health representation
- fun side characters

I thought I would like this more since I have a dentist as a parent, but even though that was a cute twist to the story, the story was too predictable. It was a hard book to get through because I wanted to move on. It wasn’t terrible, just flat.

Thank you to the publisher and Mazey Eddings for the arc via Netgalley.

Thank You to Netgalley and Publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book was SO cute. I love romcoms that deal with real life issues and I think the author did an amazing job at writing about anxiety. I think this is a book that very one can relate too even in a milder form. If this book is on your TBR bring it to the top and read it because it’s so worth it
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Who would have thought that dental school could be so sweet!? I adored the realistic, emotional romance and the undeniable draw that pulled our cautious and dedicated heroine Harper to her struggling & charming classmate Dan. I've never read anything that takes place in dental school and I truly loved it! The pressure, the competition and dedication it requires to be successful felt so realistic. I also very much enjoyed the cultural aspects to their story; Harper is Jewish and Dan comes from a Muslim/ Irish Catholic family. We are able to explore how their cultural customs influence their lives and the responsibilities they feel towards themselves, their families and communities. Though their relationship slowly unfolds, I was rooting for them the entire time! I enjoyed the audio narration for both characters, thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!

This book was so fantastic! Never would I have thought I could get so wrapped up in a book in a dental school setting, but I am so glad I read this because it is so much more.

Harper and Dan are such spectacular characters. Dan is swoonworthy not just in description, but in his actions and devotion to Harper. And Harper is so relatable - I have anxiety, and while not necessarily to the same degree where I hold that terror in me daily, I have the same perfectionist tendencies that led me to cry about imperfect grades that caused classmates to make fun of me. I've had panic attacks, so to have a character in a book I'm reading to have the same, it means a lot in normalizing that these things happen.

I had a hard time putting this book down, listening to half of it in one day, and when obligations kept me from reading more, I kept thinking about A Brush with Love. I told my non-romance reading friend about it, hoping to convert another friend to read romance because I feel this is a perfect, all consuming romance to jump into.

I very much look forward to more books from Mazey Eddings and will recommend this book to many more friends.

It’s official, I was sleeping on this book! I wish I would have read it months ago because it was a DELIGHT!

Dan is absolutely the cinnamon roll hero of my dreams! Harper is strong and brave and I just wanted to give her a hug so many times while reading!

This book had me squealing and laughing out loud and tearing up - the emotions of the characters felt so real and relatable.

If you’re looking for a story of love, friendship, bravery..this is your book! The audio added so much to the characters and I loved both the narrators so much!

CW: anxiety/panic disorder, misogyny, death of a parent, mental illness

Initially I thought to book might end up being a cheesy read. However, it ended up being a very sweet read with a great look at the struggles of anxiety. Good female friendships and a good romantic lead. I did listen to the audiobook, and I did not care for the narrators, they were a little over the top at times. But overall I enjoyed the story. 3.5 stars.

I just finished the audiobook of a Brush with Love and I really enjoyed it. While this is a romance I found the mental health representation to be incredible. I loved the struggles that our main character went through and I found the burn out she was facing to be really believable. I thought the narrators of the audiobook also did a wonderful job!

Well written. I really liked how quickly the book moved along. The relationship between Dan and Harper felt natural. I liked that Harper's anciety was a part of the story. Gave her character depth, dimension, and realness. I loved the relationship between Harper and her girlfriends. It was heartwarming and supportive. Dan's protectiveness of Harper, although it was meant to be sweet, I thought it was a little much and annoying. Their attractiveness to each other was a little much. I rolled my eyes a lot. The lines between them and their own inner monologues were a but cheesy too. Also, there was quite a bit of repetiveness of the exact same details when situations arose. But overall a good enjoyable read. Like the skipping of point of views between Harper and Dan and that they each continued where the other left off. I thought the switch happened at perfect times. Enjoyed that there was a male and female narrator, although the male's Harper voice was really annoying.

This book was an adorable friends to lovers story with plot points I haven’t seen before in a romance book. I love that this book took place while the characters were in dental school and at different points in their journey. I also really liked that this book dealt with mental health and general anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and the debilitating impact that can have on a person. The author did a fantastic job of weaving it into the story without making the character’s entire personality centered on this aspect of their life. Overall the story was cute, different, and one I’ll be recommending in the future.

3.5 stars

I really have mixed feelings about this book. The narration was wonderful; the characters were likable (except Harper did get on my nerves a few times); but I feel like the book was too stretched out and it definitely had a depressing overtone.

Harper is in her last year of dental school while Dan is just starting his first year (although they are both 26). They fall for each other at first sight and it is cute watching them develop a relationship. But the drama from Harper of “I can’t be with Dan because it will take away my focus of graduating #1 in my class” got to be really annoying. I don’t know how Dan didn’t give up on her before the end.

There is also some anxiety issues that failed to get addressed until the end when she finally starts seeing a therapist. It all works out eventually, but it was a little painful getting there.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

I’d seen all the rave reviews, and this still surpassed my expectations! The female friendships in this book were so good and so real—equal parts supportive and willing to call each other out. The mental health themes were handled so well! It helped me grapple with the anxiety I face in my own life. And the gender swapped grand gesture! I literally yelled in excitement. The narration was also so well done. I will definitely recommend to friends and keep tabs on this author in the future! (By the way, please give Suh her own book!)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for access to the audiobook of A Brush with Love by Mazey Eddings in exchange for an honest review.

CW: panic attacks, high anxiety, mental illness, death of a parent, grief, sexism, classism, misogyny, ableism, cancer, terminal illness, gore, blood, medical content, see full list on StoryGraph.

Harper is a dedicated dental student awaiting placement in one of the nation's top oral surgery residencies. When fellow student Dan needs help completing a project, Harper generously helps him out and develops a heavy flirtation situationship. As Dan and Harper continue to get to know one another, their flaws and family histories start to show. Staying together would take overcoming duty, expectations, and distance, but their relationship just might be worth it.

Okay. This was SO stinking cute! This gave me Kiss Quotient vibes. So adorable, and some good spice to boot. We love seeing a representation of a strong woman in STEM. Harper was able to handle so much sexism and classism with grace and tact, on top of handling her own anxieties. The heavy theme of mental health was such an important topic to represent in fictional form, but I wish there was more of an emphasis on therapy and ongoing mental health care to mitigate the obvious impairment that Harper was experiencing. Definitely recommend this book to Helen Hoang and Ali Hazelwood fans!

This book starts off strong. It had me in stitches within the first ten minutes of reading. However I felt the plot moved a little too quickly for my taste. It is obvious that the author wanted to treat the subject matter of mental illness with care. I appreciated the content note at the beginning. Ultimately, this was a so-so read for me, but I would like to get to know the characters in this book’s universe more. I plan on reading the next book in the series which focuses on the character Lizzie and navigating ADHD.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kinda cheesy, a bit steamy, a tad bit funny, and oh so cute. This is a perfect summer read to get lost in.
I love a good Friend to Romance read every once in awhile. The characters are loveable and relatable. This was the perfect choice.

TW: Mental health, Death, Loss

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Thoughts: This is my second book by Mazey Eddings, and she is quickly becoming one of my must read authors! I didn’t love the first book I read by her (too much spice for me), so I was nervous that this one would be the same. I was surprised in the best way! While the romance was still there, it was less intense and more in my comfort level. I love that Mazey tends to focus her books around realistic, relatable, neurodiverse characters. As someone diagnosed with anxiety, I have never related to a character’s mindset more! Throughout this book I just kept thinking to myself “yep, exactly!” I couldn’t believe how many scenes overlapped perfectly with experiences from my own life. I also love when stand alone books include characters from other books by the author — which was done perfectly in this and her other book Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake. I would absolutely love to see two more books that focus on the other girls in this friend group!

A light and enjoyable book. I appreciated the Jewish representation, and once again Mazey Eddings writes another book I read in one sitting.