3.5 stars. This book didn’t really grab my attention until after about 30-35%, but after that, it was smooth sailing. I enjoyed the angst.

Book Rating: 5 stars, so good!

Overall Impression: Oh where do I start? This book is like a healing therapy session. But with romance and spice. This book will make you FEEL. You'll feel it all while reading Jude and Indira's story. You'll love every minute of it, even the parts that bring tears to your eyes. Mazey Eddings has this way of weaving important mental health conversations into a page turning book.

What I liked: Jude is one of my favorite male main characters of all time. We got to experience his complete journey through this story. It was intense at times and we really got to go inside his mind. The male friendship between Jude and Collin is one of the best I've read. Just constant unconditional love and emotion we don't get to often experience between men.

What I would change: Nothing. This story is perfect. Keep writing more Mazey Eddings!

Would I buy it? 100% I am buying this for me and everyone I know.

Would I tell a friend to buy it? I'm going to tell them all to pre-order!

1-5 Spice Scale: A solid 3, the spice scenes in this are so so so good. It's like so HOT but so loving and sweet at the same time.

Favorite quote: "But having someone around with the potential to love her had felt better than being alone. Being lonely. Indira so badly wanted to be loved."

I really, really liked The Plus One. The book follows Jude and Indira, two former childhood enemies. Jude is best friends with Indira’s older brother, Collin, and has recently returned home for Collin’s wedding. The Plus One portrays Jude’s struggles with PTSD in a poetic, heartbreaking, and brutally honest way. I felt very seen by so many of his thought processes. Since the author,
Mazey Eddings, has also struggled with PTSD, Jude’s journey was so authentic.
Beyond that, Indira and Jude’s friendship was one of the most endearing parts of this story. Their relationship developed really naturally, and it was so sweet to watch them fall in love.

My only complaint is that the first quarter of the book dragged a bit, so it was harder to get into, but then the last 3/4 being utterly fantastic made up for it.

I definitely recommend for anyone who has been a fan of Edding’s past work.

When Mazey Eddings wrote The Plus One, she really said let’s hit these readers with one emotional gut punch after another. I have never cried more.

Jude and Indira grew up together, despised one another, and are now forced to share the same living space and it starts off exactly how you’d expect with them taunting and teasing each other. But behind the humor and snark, these are two people who are deeply hurting and they can sense the other’s pain and it’s so nice to see them lay their proverbial weapons down to help the other person, eventually leading to them helping themselves too. The whole story is just heartbreaking and beautiful, full of hope and healing. Could not love it any harder.

There is one part in particular (the house analogy) that absolutely destroyed me, to the point where I had to set the book down and just lay in bed and sob because it was so well-written and relatable. Mazey writes about mental health with such care, in a way that’s raw and real and it’s my absolute favorite thing in the world. Will recommend this book a million times over.

Thank you so much for an arc of The Plus One by Mazey Eddings.

I am such a fan of Edding’s writing . I love the representation she includes with her characters and her writing is so heartfelt and meaningful. She can also bring the steam! I know I can always count of great Character development and I loved seeing Indira and Jude in this novel. They developed both individually and as a couple and it felt authentic. Eddings is definitely on my auto buy list! I highly recommend this book and series!

I received this book from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

I did enjoy this book! There were a few spots I thought were unnecessary but overall I enjoyed it and will be recommending

Great mental health representation and depiction of second chance romance. I love reading books where you are able to see the make character showcase vulnerability. I believe that there should be more books depicting men with mental health representation in order for it to be normalized—especially ptsd—which is a very common disorder.

however i will say, that this book didn’t capture my interest

What a gorgeous story! I love Mazey’s writing but what really stood out to me about this story was the unique representation of PTSD. I’ve read a lot of contemporary romance and I don’t think I’ve ever read a main character actively handling such acute PTSD. I legitimately wanted to reach through the pages and hug Jude, but let Indira do the job. I also loved Indira’s complexity, the intricacies of the sibling’s best friend trope and that such humor could be brought to a story featuring mental illness. Mazey has definitely found a space for herself in contemporary romance, a much needed voice writing about mental health, friendship and love. Looking forward to her next story and/or series!

5/5 starts

Thank you to St. Martin's, NetGalley, and the author for my early review copy.

Content warnings: Content notes: parental abandonment, strained family dynamics, medical care provider trauma, PTSD, panic attacks.

I absolutely adored this book! I have loved all of Mazey's books and I continue to learn so much about mental health from her books.

The first scene (although is not good with infidelity) is by far the funniest scene I've read in a long time. Peanut butter, the cat, the 'other women', I was laughing so hard!

This book is exactly what I love in romance books. Funny, emotional, amazing character development and depth in the characters, sweet side characters and steam!! Jude and Indira each carried their past mistakes and hurts with them into their 'fake' dating and I loved how they stepped up for each other.

This book is a stand alone from her other books but it was so fun to see the previous main characters become side characters in this book.

Overall, this book was incredible, one that I want on my shelf and I can't wait for other to read it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of The Plus One in exchange for my honest review!

I'd already read a previous contemporary romance by Mazey Eddings, A Brush with Love, and I remember liking it, but also finding some issues with it, particularly in regard to its depiction of mental health. As for its standalone sequel, Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake, I haven't read it yet, so I can't judge how that turned out, although I must say that I'm not a huge fan of the accidental pregnancy trope. But when it comes to the next book after that, The Plus One, I ended up being charmed by it. It takes fake dating, which I already adore, and combines it with the childhood rivals-to-lovers trope (I initially categorized it as enemies to lovers, but then realized rivals to lovers is much more suitable) in order to create a sweet and down-to-earth romance with plenty of lovable chemistry between Indira and Jude. I also appreciate the mental health rep that comes through Jude, which I found to be more sensitively written than what I'd read in A Brush with Love. I do think the ending gets wrapped up a bit too tidily, but all in all, The Plus One is worth checking out if you're looking for a contemporary romance that can be both lighthearted and serious.

Final rating: 3.75 stars rounded up to the full four

what an incredible novel. the mental health representation was amazing and well-written, all of the characters were incredible, the conflict between the main characters didn’t feel forced or placed there just to have it. i cried and laughed so much as i read. the spice was on page and not gratuitous at all. i also appreciated the content warnings in the beginning of the book letting us know what was to come without any spoilers. it really helped me to prepare to feel what jude and indira were going through. seriously wish i could explain how wonderful of a read this was.

thank you netgalley, St Martin, and Mazey Eddings for the ARC!

All I want to do is wrap Dira and Jude up and never let go. The banter, the support, the joy, and the love... ugh!!! It's such a tender, heartfelt romcom that had me crying and giggling on an airplane. The Plus One is spicy and emotional in all the best ways.

It's hard to believe that the trilogy is over! I have loved these characters and getting to read their love stories. Mazey Eddings did masterful work tackling delicate topics with care, love, and healing. This book in particular is heartwarming and lovely and made me feel all gooey inside. AND no third act breakup!!!!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the advanced copy!

I tried so hard to like this one. It didn’t capture my attention, even after the first 50 pages. I’ll more than likely try again, because the characters and storyline seemed so likeable.

After reading Lizzie Blake and being thrown with just how much I loved it, I went into The Plus One, hesitantly. And well, Mazey Eddings has delivered again!

Short Synopsis:
Our favorite friend group is back, and this time it’s Indira’s story. When she walks in on her boyfriend cheating on her, she packs her bags and shows up at her brothers house - only to find out his best friend/her childhood nemesis is also staying there.

My Thoughts:
This one opens with a bang…and peanut butter. 🫣 (Seriously I will never look at PB the same way.) But I was hooked immediately. And then entered Jude - my new book boyfriend. He’s tortured, and sad, and sweet and funny and adorable and him and Indira are the cutest together. I absolutely adored this one and Mazey Eddings is officially an auto-buy author for me.

Read if You Like:
💖 Childhood Enemies to Lovers
💖 Fake Dating
💖 Brother’s Best Friend
💖 “Good Girl” moments. 🫣😂
💖 Only one tent
💖 Funny Banter

ARC review for The Plus One by Mazey Eddings
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This book is going on my favorites shelf as soon as my physical copy gets here because OMG!!!
Childhood frenemies
Best friends little sister
Fake dating
This book dives into PTSD, mental health, and generational trauma, and I feel Mazey did an amazing job. She talks about how talking can help unpack trauma.
This book have me swooning one moment, laughing another and crying in the next oh my god this was amazing!
This books also has LQBTQ+ rep!
I will be buying more of her books and she’s now going to be one of my auto buy authors! I couldn’t get enough of this book and was so sad when I read the last page because I didn’t want it to be over!
🖤💀💀🖤

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🌟 4.5/5
🌶 3/5
📇 The final installment in her debut series was the closure we all needed. Indira’s story was both exhausting and rewarding, both for #womeninSTEM but also for those of us who have various mental struggles.
PUB DATE: 4 April 2023

The best things:
🔹I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: therapy 👏🏻 is 👏🏻 amazing 👏🏻. 12/10 recommend.
🔹dual POV, the LGBTQ representation, the older-brothers-best-friend trope
🔹the spice just kept ramping up, which is a definite plus in my book

The worst things:
🔹The dad, the ex, how this almost ruined peanut butter for me 😂

End notes:
🔹YES. You don’t have to read the prior books to understand this one, but I still recommend the entire series!

Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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This third installment in the series is just as excellent as the previous books. It beautifully balances humor and romance with heavy subjects. I loved everything about it!

The more romances I read like this, the more I love when the characters have known each other since childhood. This isn't a second chance, because they haven't been romantically involved before, in fact they've been kind of nemesis, but they've clearly had strong feelings for each other for years. It is fun to watch that finally come to fruition.

Indira is coming out of a relationship where she caught her boyfriend in the act of cheating, and she's staying with her brother for a while. Jude just so happens to be staying in the guest room next door because he's in town for her brother's wedding. What starts as the usual snark between them turns softer as Indira realizes Jude is suffering from PTSD after three years of working as a doctor in war torn and troubled parts of the world. This is handled gently and therapy is a huge part of the story for both characters.

This is a really wonderful book and while it works fine as a stand alone, if you haven't read the previous two books yet you're really missing out and should do so!

I want to start off by saying I really enjoyed this book. I loved the romance and the subjects it tackled. The relationships and character development felt organic and something that would actually happen in real life which made this story relatable. I loved the slow burn and the banter between the characters (especially between Jude and Indira). We got some crushing moments, some funny moment and some warm lovey moments too. My biggest takeaway from this books was how the author didn’t shy away from giving the cold truth about mental issues and how people deal with them or live with them. It’s also normalizing therapy and how healthy it can be. It’s being ok with not being ok and I have to say I am all here for it. This was my first Mazey Eddings book but it will not be the last.

“We honor the human body. Respect it. But we take the mind for granted. We ignore the invisible illnesses that plague countless people every single day.” (The Plus One)

“My hand was the one you reach for all throughout the Great War.” (Taylor Swift, The Great War)

“You said I have to trust more freely but diesel is desire, you were playin with fire.” (Taylor Swift, The Great War)

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is why Mazey Eddings is an auto buy author for me and will always be an auto buy author from me. This book was so emotional and beautiful that by the end of it, I was ugly crying (in a good way) and my husband was trying to figure out what the problem was! LOL While this book does discuss some pretty heavy topics (PTSD, an absent parent, cheating) she approaches these topics in the most sensitive way in order to help give the readers an understanding of what these characters have gone through. Eddings did such a great job at showing how trauma can impact a person’s life on so many different levels that most people don’t think about.

I will also never read a Mazey Eddings book and not think about Taylor Swift songs and I feel like that is one thing that just draws me into her books so much. The entire time I was reading this book I was thinking of Taylor Swifts new song “The Great War” as I just feel like it encompasses Indira and Jude’s relationship on another level. Overall, I give this book all the freaking stars. It will leave you feeling emotionally raw, but in the best way possible.
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This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!