Mazey Eddings is such a talented author, and I always look forward to reading her books.

While I really loved the premise of this book (who doesn't love a good forbidden romance with your brother's best friend?!), it wasn't my favorite. I adored getting to see other heroines from her previous novels (Harper and Lizzie) as well as their respective partners! It's a sweet, surprise epilogue of sorts.

I appreciate how sensitive Eddings is with the subjects of PTSD and trauma, but I wish that each character's traumas were discussed and explored more. I wanted to hear more about Jude's experiences working in war-torn areas and Indira's lasting trauma left by her father's abrupt disappearance from her life.

Though I do wish there was a bit more substance to these topics, I still really enjoyed this novel!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This had all of the basic tropes in it. Always love a friends to lovers & childhood sweethearts story. This book was emotional, sweet and steamy! This is definitely a must read book!! I highly recommend this book so if you like any of the above tropes this book is for you.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC.

I almost felt as though parts this story were written just for me. Usually I can find certain aspects of one character relatable but in The Plus One I saw myself in both Jude and Indira.

Childhood enemies-to-lovers might just be my new trope of choice, especially when it’s executed as well as this. Jude and Indira grew up together and they “hated” each other as kids. Now that Indira’s brother (aka Jude’s bff) is getting married, the dynamic duo is finally reunited.

Witty banter is my catnip, and the bickering and snappy one-liners in The Plus One were absolutely delicious. This story is very funny, but there is also so much depth and heart here as well. Reading this felt like going to the best therapy session of my life (this is a good thing!) and I kind of want to date Indira.

I saw a review that said the couple goes from hate to love so quickly, and while that is usually a pet peeve of mine I think it worked SO well here. These two crazy kids have known each other forever and as a result, they could be vulnerable and open in a way that only comes with time. They found each other again at exactly the right time and they were able to give and take just what they needed. I really respect the way Eddings writes about mental health and think she handled Jude and Indiria’s story with such care.

Let’s chat about this series for a moment: like a fine wine, it gets better with time.
I enjoyed A Brush with Love (book 1)
I really, really liked Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake (book 2)
I absolutely adored The Plus One (book 3)

You can 100% read this series in any order. Thankfully, Lizzie makes some hilarious cameos in both books but other than that, you’re not missing anything critical if you decide to bop around.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to be an early reader.

After catching her boyfriend in a sticky situation with another woman, India must move into her brother’s home, where he is preparing for his big wedding several weeks away. Unfortunately, the first person she sees is her brother’s best friend, Jude, who was also the childhood bane of her existence. Jude is on break from a medical humanitarian organization, where he has faced trauma after trauma, leaving him broken and feeling guilty. Indira quickly figures out that something is wrong with Jude and offers to help him cope with his PTSD and they agree to be each other’s plus one at so very many pre-wedding events. And then things get very, very steamy.

This is a fun conclusion to a very enjoyable series. Mazey’s characters are often facing major difficulties in their lives but they work though them in order to be better for themselves—meaning “true love” doesn’t magically fix everything. Indira and Jude were great together and I had an almost visceral reaction to everything Jude was facing with the knowledge that, after the wedding, he’d have to go right back into the trenches of a new assignment. This is a fun conclusion to a very enjoyable series. It was lovely seeing the couples from the other books once again being happy and in love. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC. Available 4/4/23.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this. The portrayal of anxiety and PTSD was so honest and clear, the romance was sweet and developed so well, the supporting characters were just well-developed enough. Jude and Indira were characters I'd root for in any setting, and their romance was lovely and did not feel forced or rushed.

I was happily surprised by the depth of this book. I haven't read anything by Mazey Eddings before, but I will certainly be reading more. 5/5, this book made me happy.

𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

Thank you to Mazey Eddings and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Plus One! I loved the previous installments in the series, and was so excited to get the chance to read this ARC.

𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺. 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.

Home of two of my favorite tropes (enemies to lovers/brother’s best friend), this delightful read has everything fans of Mazey Eddings are used to: it was sweet, sentimental, spicy, and absolutely heartwarming. It had me laughing, blushing, and crying throughout, and the warm hug of an epilogue sent my heart into outer space.

One of the things I loved most about this book was the absence of a third act breakup, a super popular plot device in romcoms. As much as I do enjoy a character groveling themselves back into their love’s good graces (if we’re staying in the Brush With Love Literature Universe, Lizzie and Rake’s reunion is a particular fave), it is so refreshing seeing two characters communicating openly and honestly with one another. That’s not to say there is no angst or drama - there definitely is - but it circles around another issue, one that Jude and Indira work through together and support each other during. The amount of open and honest communication between these two was a theme throughout the book as they learned to open their hearts to one another, and it was such a joy to see it working through to the last page!

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.

I also deeply appreciate its treatment of mental illness and trauma, and the benefits of therapy. These topics are handled with such care, while also not shying away from the lived experiences that millions of people deal with every day (including this reviewer!) Mental health treatment is not easy - it takes lots of work, and often a village of support, and this is so perfectly represented in The Plus One.

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.

This was an easy five star read for me, and one of my new favorites. I hope that everyone will pick up a copy when The Plus One publishes on April 4, 2023!

The Plus One | Mazey Eddings
A surprisingly tender frenemies to lovers with a fake wedding date

Indira and Jude have a long running history of hating each other. For Jude, Indira was his best friend’s pest of a little sister; Indira was just desperate to belong. With the inevitable transition to adulthood, Indira becomes an insightful psychiatrist in a hopeless on-again-off-again relationship that ends once and for all in a chaotic infidelity flash of limbs and peanut-butter [messy]. Jude, to escape the pressure of medical student loans, had recently completed three of a four-year assignment as a surgeon attending to humanitarian needs around the world. From the outside he is a lifesaving hero while on the inside he is crumbling, trying to process the trauma of years of facing hopeless situations. Where Indira has everything but her love life in order, Jude is completely falling apart. At the wedding event of the century for Indira’s brother Collin and his fiancée Jeremy, these childhood rivals decide to band together. Indira needs someone to hold her back from killing her peanut-butter covered ex (who is also in the wedding party), and Jude needs someone to keep him grounded while facing trigger after trigger at each loud and chaotic wedding event. It doesn’t take long for fake to become something real – but how could this possibly last when Jude is two weeks from heading back to the [literal] trenches?!

First, I love the representation here for PTSD, triggers, grounding elements – seeing the two of them connect and truly see each other in the crowd and chaos of each event was so sweet. The most surprising undercurrent was how tender they are with each other. So often the premise of a frenemies plot is OTT harsh and mean and the inevitable coupling takes a lot more convincing. This tenderness echoes back to their childhood with the masked notes and scribbles that made their connection clear, even from way back when. The mask is a powerful thing, and when the role has been played out for decades it can be tricky for everyone to understand when the mask finally comes off [“but wait, don’t you guys hate each other?!”]. I braced myself for the miracle band-aid that made everyone better and happy but was glad to see that it never came. Life may be messy, but love is there for everyone.

Overall, I loved the quick pace, the sweet and tender moments, and the generous helping of ghost-pepper spiciness. I didn’t realize that this was part of a series – and it definitely works as a stand-alone – but I’ll be adding the rest to my TBR, STAT  The way all of Indira’s friends popped up throughout the story left me wanting more which I’m pleased I’ll find with the earlier installments.

My first Mazey Eddings, though certainly not my last! 4/5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC for review!

THE GOOD:
- I love enemies-to-lovers and this one was done really well, since it was a childhood rivalry (and I'm a sucker for those), meaning they already had a connection... plus brother's-best-friend AND fake-dating tropes. She really crammed them all in LOL
- PTSD rep was so so well done. Major kudos. And I'm always a fan of therapy for both characters in a novel :)
- It read like fanfic but GOOD fanfic. So I did enjoy that.
- Great communication during spicy scenes!!!

THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
- The amount of smut at the end caught me off-guard, probably because I wasn't expecting it to be so frequent after they got together. Not necessarily a bad thing, since it was very well-written, but it seemed a bit like filler.
- The ending was a little corny, but I suppose it made sense for the characters.

OVERALL:
4 stars. Definitely recommend. BUT if you're not a fan of spice then skip this one, or just skim the ending!

This was a story about two broken people who found comfort in each other and supported each other in doing what was necessary to heal themselves. The story involved issues of PTSD and feelings of inadequacy from a parent walking out; I thought the author wrote about the issues realistically

The Plus One (ARC)
Mazey Eddings
4⭐️
Pub Day: 4/4/2023

⚠️ mental health topics

Indina, a psychiatrist, just went through a pretty messy break up. Jude, a "humanitarian" doctor, is struggling with his own demons. Jude gets his triggers and is extremely stressed out and Indina just can't deal with seeing her ex and his new beau during her brother's wedding. Indina and Jude grew up together, bickering and fighting the whole time. But now they have to rely on each other. They make up this ruse, "fake dating", to comfort each other throughout the festivities. But things started to feel kind of... real.

The cover is deceiving! I Thought this would be a light-hearted read. But there's so much trauma and psych issues within the first few chapters. It was heavy and it set the tone for the rest of the book-- somewhat melancholic. I can't get it to turn back to the cheery, charming and light vibe that I want it to be. I got a little bit emotionally confused reading this. It started out slow, but by 30% into the book, it starts picking up. I value the mental health issues here and that none of it was taken lightly. I appreciate the fact that it emphasized that none of these issues should be dealt with alone. The characters found comfort and safety with each other. "I'm not here to fix you... I'm here to love you."

I enjoyed the fake dating aspect, childhood friends, enemies to lovers tropes here. I love the subtle closeness and the vulnerability the character showed. Things shifted slowly and I just adored how it grew. It's not necessarily a slow burn. But it burned even more after their first intimate encounter. The spicy scenes are mostly tastefully written however some were outright crass. I had to skim through.

Okay, I just have to say this because it bothered me so much. So many f-bombs. Unnecessary ones. I don't mind a few especially if it's to emphasize something but this is too much. By the 2nd chapter, I'm already sick of it. It tapered down over the next chapters thankfully.

Albeit having an overall serious tone, there were snippets of lightness and laughter within the book. It was an unexpected but enjoyable read for me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5


Tropes/Topics:
Fake Dating ✔️
Brother's Best Friend✔️
Childhood Enemies to Lovers✔️
Forced Proximity✔️
Positive Mental Health Representation✔️
Rom Com✔️


❌Check TW's before Reading❌


Since they were children Indira and Jude have DESPISED each other and now that they're adults their dynamic hasn't changed but their lives have. Indira's 'perfect' life (only on paper) is crumbling before her eyes and Jude has NOTHING together (not even on paper).
Being around each other their entire lives have earned them both a spot in Collin's wedding, a wedding that is becoming more elaborate as times goes in. Indira HAS to be there, she's Collin's sister after all, and well.. so does Jude (best friend's duties and what not).
Jude is stressed and Indira does NOT want to see her ex. The plan that they come up with? Be each other's plus one. But what happens when the 'forced' proximity is no longer forced,& how to go about when the 'fake' P.D.A's, feel real?


I N D I R A_P A P A D A K I S :
this STRONG QUEEN brought SASSINESS, IMPECCABLE ✨VIBES✨, AND the HUMOR with a side of THERAPY. & let me just state that I LIVE AND STAN a self-reflecting QUEEN.


J U D E__B A I L E Y
Jude, baby... how I WISH I was able to hold you through the pages.This KING?! I applaud this fictional MAN for going through what he DID & realizing he needed someone to help him. Was his journey easy? FXCK NO! But we don't judge journeys here.
Also the way he fell for our girl?! SWOON🥰 & add in his dirty MOUTH?! 🥵! my gahhhh! LOVE YOU JUDE!

I& J
Indira and Jude are the DEFINITION of chemistry! 🧪
From their TEASING BANTER, to the casual TOUCHES, to the quick GLANCES. EVERY little small detail between the two, kept adding up, until THAT time came between the two. & when it did?! 🧨 EXPLOSIVE!!


Mazey Eddings... STAN👏🏽DING👏🏽 OHH👏🏽VAYYYYY👏🏽TIOOOOOOON!!!!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
It's hard to explain how The Plus One spoke to my ENTIRE SOUL but let me tell you what I FELT. Mazey Eddings made me SWOOOOON 🥰, made me UGLY CRY. 😭 . She made me LAUGH 😂 and ultimately, FALL IN LOVE.

The Plus one is more than just a book about 2 people falling in love. It's about 2 people learning to love THEMSELVES first (FLAWS AND ALL), ACCEPTING help, & going through life TOGETHER by being each other's person... each other's ANCHOR & for that.. THANK YOU, MAZEY! Thank you♥️

This is an enemies to lovers, brother's best friend with fake dating romance. Indira temporarily moves in with her brother after finding out her boyfriend is cheating on her. Her brother is about to get married, and she, her ex, and her brother's best friend are all in the wedding. She and Jude, the brother's best friend, decide to fake date to, in a way, get back at the ex-boyfriend. This novel to me felt a little bit slower-paced just because they talked a lot about Indira and Jude dealing with trauma. Jude works as a doctor overseas and has been in a lot of dangerous locations where he is performing emergency medicine and has a seen a lot of people die. Much of novel discusses him working through his PTSD, while Indira works through her feelings of abandonment. (Her father left them when she was a child.) I liked the way they approached mental health in this book and discussed therapy. It is a little bit of a heavier novel, so if you're looking for something very lighthearted, this might not be it. It does have a happy resolution as they work together to heal each other.

I enjoyed this book. I loved the connection between the love interests and seeing their points of view. It was occasionally hard for me to connect when the male love interest would pull away, but the author did a great job of brining it back together for the ending.

I have decided that Indira is the embodiment of whatever the opposite of Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’ is.

Mazey Eddings has done it again with The Plus One, a lovely romance with all the spice, emotions, and *gasp* no third-act breakup! What more could one want in a romance novel? I was enamored with Indira and Jude’s story from the moment we met them both. The portrayal of PTSD was done gracefully, and it highlighted the very real struggles many individuals go through dealing with an “invisible illness.”

The Plus One is certainly a romance must-read for 2023!

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for my Digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

i love love all of Mazey’s work. her books just keep getting better and better! i gave 5 stars to both a brush with love and lizzie blake’s best mistake and i feel like the plus one has snatched the throne!!!

this time around in the plus one, we follow Indira on her road of healing and love.
i really love and admire the author's commitment to eliminate stigma surrounding mental health issues and crafting love stories for every kind of person. so that nobody will feel left out.

despite having a harsher tone than the earlier books, this one is still a romance. Mazey was trying to convey and remind us that love is being someone's safe place for them to be themselves and being there to support them, instead of trying to fix them.
so inspiring. be sure to check the TWs!

interesting tropes:
👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻 fake dating
🧎🏻‍♀️brother's best friend
👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼 characters in therapy

it is a beautifully written book, and i would read anything by Mazey without a second thought.

thank you to @netgalley for this e-arc! looooved it xx

Can Mazey Eddings write my love story? I would trust her with my life.

This book was amazing but I'm not surprised. Mazey is a genius. The world she has created with these characters feels real and lived in. They are relatable and vulnerable and I would 110% believe you if you said she'd taken some pages out of my diary to use as plot because books shouldn't have me this emotionally destroyed.

It's:
- childhood enemies to lovers (a new trope for me).
- FAKE DATING
- brothers best friend (and best man)
- one tent? trope
- normalizing going to therapy and having a healthy relationship with it.

This book is for all of us who rewatched that one episode of Gilmore girls when Luke shows Lorelei the horoscope she gave him that he's been holding onto for years.

Buy this book. My staff pick sticker will be on every cover.

Thanks NetGalley!

I heard and read many people gush about this book and i was really excited about it, it sounded right up my alley and i was right! I fell in love with these characters. I related to many of them and i cried a few times because of it. I count that as a win. The chemistry was sizzling and they were meant for each other.
I honestly can’t think of anything I disliked, you should read it asap if you are looking for a swoon worthy romance book!

The banter between the two main characters was amazing! The character growth was fantastic. Plot flowed easily. Great read!

This book was so great! I really adore how the author portrayed mental health. This depiction can be so relatable to many people. It's nice to see! I also found the book funny, which is something that doesn't happen often for me. The banter was fantastic and the characters have depth! It was funny, steamy and really showcased all types of relationships! Such a good read!

I really liked this whole series. I do think that A Brush with Love was the best book in this series though. But I enjoyed all of the books. I love how Mazey Eddings makes her characters seem real. She shows that it is okay to struggle. I did enjoy this whole series and I think I would suggest it.