While I enjoyed Mazeys first book this one didn't really do it for me. I found the characters unlikeable and just wasn't invested in them getting the HEA. I'll definitely read more from her in the future though!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy

There was moments in this story that I could see potential but a lot of the story fell flat for me as I just didn’t see the connection that the characters would have. The story didn’t flow well and was difficult to connect with. I wanted to like it more but just didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped.

Thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for providing this eArc in exchange for my honest review

I love Indira and Jude’s story. They have known each other since they were kids when Jude became best friends with Indira’s brother. The “annoying little sister” who always wanted to follow them around is now all grown up and just out of a long term relationship. Jude, a doctor, is home from overseas where he has been practicing medicine in underprivileged countries. Indira’s brother is getting married and the two decide to “fake date” so Indira can get back at her ex.

What develops is a renewed friendship where Indira and Jude get to know each other as adults. They have deep conversations about life, love, careers and family. Indira tells Jude how afraid she is to lose people after her father walked out on them so many years ago. Her self worth has been severely compromised. Jude tells Indira how difficult it has been for him to see the horrors of war, the suffering of the poor, and relive the deaths that haunt him. This issue of mental health plays an important role in this book.

As Indira and Jude keep up their charade, feelings deepen and a loving relationship emerges. It is quite obvious that no one is faking anymore. This book is emotional and heartwarming as both characters are struggling to navigate their past and take a leap of faith into the future. This story will make you laugh and cry, you will fall in love with all the characters, and Jude and Indira will steal a piece of your heart.

“We all hurtle through life, getting bumped and cracked and broken along the way, but we are solely responsible for our own healing.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of the Plus One was tropey as hell (brother’s best friend + fake dating + enemies to lovers) but the book wins points for the payoff being character development driven and not simply the two romantic leads getting together. Of all the books in the author’s BookTok acclaimed Brush With Love series, this was the one that sounded most up my alley. I can’t say I’m fully convinced to read the others after this as the supporting characters weren’t introduced in such a way that had me curious about their backstories but I had fun nonetheless.
TW: parental neglect, PTSD

Indira and Jude do not like each other AT ALL; this has been a firm fact since childhood. Now, as adults, they find themselves thrown together as they prepare for the wedding of two people they love. To help one another out, the two form a "plus one" pact through each stage of the process. What starts as a problematic relationship soon offers both protagonists a deeper look into what could be. Mazey Eddings, The Plus One, is a surprisingly unexpected twist on enemies to lovers' troupe. This book is worth adding to your shelf as a love story with depth and heart.

I really enjoyed this. It was deeply personal and emotional. i LOVED how supportive Indira was for Jude, this really avoided a lot of tropes that involve MC’s who are damaged. Indira would not give up on him and i loved their really healthy, supportive dynamic. I loved their childhood history and stories, they were really cute and funny. Overall i wish there was some for of the fake dating trope, but i did really love this.

Classic enemies to friends to lovers rom-com

Indira and Jude have know each other since they were kids and have never liked each other Never. Or so they think. As adults they find themselves in a situation where they must fake date each other and one thing leads to another and each finds out the other is not so bad. But how will they feel about each once the fake dating is over? That's where the book gets fun!

Let me start by saying a special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an ARC of Mazey Edding's new book, The Plus One. This book is actually my first time reading something by Mazey Eddings. And let me say that Edding's did a wonderful job. Getting to know Jude, our MMC who is a surgeon, and Indira, our MFC and a psychiatrist, was a beautiful experience. Jude and Indira struggle with hidden traumas that doesn't stop them from the need to help others, showing how complex people can be with their lives and still have the need to help fix others. This book is a dual pov mainly focusing on Jude and his struggles with PTSD from working in war/conflict zones. Jude and Indira have known one another since childhood due to Jude's friendship with Collin, Indira's brother, and have reunited as they prepare for Collin's wedding. And may I add that they highly dislike one another and have had an almost two-decade feud. What was so beautiful about this book is Eddings taking her time to develop both of the MCs and not pushing aside their struggles after their realizations of their feelings for one another. The chemistry and tension between Jude and Indira are undeniable and it only grows as the story goes on. Also if you are a fan of banter like me then this book will satisfy your needs in this new enemies-to-lovers book. Some of the most impactful scenes in the story were seeing the emotional and deep conversations between Jude and Indira as it allowed them both to finally open up to someone and make the essential healing they need to do. Some of the triggering topics in the book include PTSD, Mental Illness, Parental Abandonment, Cheating, Medical Details, and Traumatic Event details. This book will be released on April 4 of this year and you surely won't want to miss it. Once again I thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an early copy of the book.

Super cute book. Loved the smut! The story line was great and I love how two people find their way back to each other even through all their trumas!

After coming home and finding her boyfriend cheating on her, Indira needed another place to stay. Her only option was with her brother, Collin. When she arrived, the day took another downward turn. The door was answered by her childhood enemy and her brother's best friend, Jude. He was in town for Collin's upcoming wedding and was also staying at the house. The wedding was a little over a month away and Jude planned to stay with Collin to help with the preparations. Indira knew she would have to try and get along with Jude although she had years of experience with doing the opposite. To make matters worse, her ex was also part of the wedding party and would most likely bring his new girlfriend to any pre-wedding social events. Great, just great.

Jude was an emergency medicine doctor who worked for an organization that sent people all over the world to help in crisis situations. Jude promised four years of his services in exchange for them paying his med school tuition. Jude recently returned from an especially difficult assignment and was set to leave for his next position shortly after the wedding. He had a little over a year left on his contract and was having trouble handling the stress and trauma he had witnessed. Jude was often triggered by noises and crowds and would think he was back in the in the dangerous situations. Indira was a psychiatrist and noticed Jude's reactions. She tried to talk to him about it, but Jude was not interested. He noticed that she was uncomfortable at gatherings with her ex and his new girlfriend present. They agreed to pose as a couple until the wedding and be each other's plus one. Jude hoped he would help Indira get through the next couple of weeks around the ex and Indira hoped Jude would feel comfortable enough with her to talk about his job and how it was affecting him.

This was so much fun. I was cackling at parts of this book. Both Indira and Jude were great main characters. It had bits of several romantic tropes and it worked for me. The spice level was a 4/5. This was the third book in the Brush with Love series and we see past characters from previous novels in this story as well. I enjoyed the banter among all of the friends. You could feel the love they had for each other. I especially appreciated the note from the author at the beginning of the book about emotional topics discussed in the book. Readers definitely want this information. I had a big smile at the end of this book.

I received an e-ARC for The Plus One and want to thank Mazey Eddings, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to voluntarily read and give an honest review of this book.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 simply because I loved how this book handled so many tough topics!

I went into this hoping and expecting a sweet romantic comedy, and I got a book filled with that, AND some of the best, most wonderfully thought-out conversations/plotlines on mental health! I'm genuinely so happily surprised right now. This had so much good in it. I'm in awe of how Mazey Eddings handled such complex topics with honesty, tenderness, and intelligence. It felt authentic, never forced, and went along well with the plot. I love it when characters feel like real people, layered, multi-faceted, and like they're really working through their issues and growing. Jude and Indira didn't feel one-dimensional AT ALL. They were real people dealing with some very difficult things, and I really appreciate Mazey Edding's handling them with the care, justice, and attention they deserved.

I'm also thrilled that this story didn't feel like it was just using the fake dating or childhood enemies-to-lovers trope to be trendy or as an overused plot device like I've seen sooo many authors use it recently. It was so, so much more than that, and that's become incredibly rare. This was a fully formed book. Mazey Eddings took the time to create and write out characters that could be real, especially adult ones. I genuinely can't emphasize how relieved I am to see an author write characters, hardships, and mental illness so well!!

This was truly a great romance. I loved Jude and Indira's relationship. I loved their banter, chemistry, how they grew with one another, and how they supported each other. Ugh. I can’t even begin to say how much I loved how brilliantly they were written. And I loved how they were also individual people outside of each other. It was never about "fixing" the other, but just about helping the other person as best as they could. It was so healthy and wholesome. And, not to spoil anything, I absolutely LOVED how Jude's character was written. It's so rare to see a male character show his feelings and hurt in this way. It was so beautiful to see his character grow. My heart hurt so much for him, and I was rooting for him the whole time. I'm thrilled to see where Mazey Eddings took his character and that she was able to give him the character arc he deserved.

Safe to say, I loved this! Adored it! I loved how so many topics were handled. I loved Indira and Jude's relationship. I loved Mazey Eddings’s writing. Such a wonderful romance. This was brilliantly written, and I am now a devoted Mazey Eddings fan!!! I can’t wait for this to be out in the world and for people to see how you can write a romantic comedy while handling some tough topics properly.

Thank you so much to St. Martins Press/St. Martins Griffin and Netgalley, for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review! I absolutely loved it!

I really, really liked this romance novel. It started out a little rocky for me, but boy did it stick the landing. Indira is a wonderful character. She is thoughtful, she is working on herself, but she still knows enough to understand when she is at her weakest and where she needs to establish boundaries. I hate when romance dives into a dangerous zone of one person "fixing" the other, and this book seemed to understand the issues with that kind of trope and make sure it established itself as a different kind of love story. I loved that and appreciated it so much.

I also liked that this book seemed to show how two people may fall in love quickly if they had a long history together with one another. It wasn't an "always" thing, but it was a nice for knowing a person and then seeing them differently. I did get a little annoyed that this was advertised as an enemies to lovers when that wasn't really the case. It felt like they made too much of that when it was brought up and it was more friend's annoying kid sister and you all grown up. But other than that, it was well worth it.

Then there was Jude. Poor, Jude. I loved his character. He had a lot to get through, and his PTSD felt very real and visceral. I understood why he decided to take certain paths, and I loved that this book showed that you may not always get the perfect ending that has all the ends tied up neatly. Sometimes a struggle leads to the next struggle, and that just means you are preparing yourself to handle the next struggle in a better way. I did wish we had a resolution with him and his parents over what happened, but I understood why that wasn't the main focus.

Any small nits have more to do with the annoyance Indira's brother wasn't more involved. The author gave good reasons, but often it sounded like he was really coming down on Indira really harshly when, in all honesty, communicating with him would have made the situation much more manageable.

“whatever this is between us is real and it hurts and it’s beautiful and it matters“ 
 
• 
 
where do I even begin?!? this is quite possibly my favorite of all time. it made me feel so  

d 
e 
e 
p 
l 
y 

Mazey really knows how to write a banger. speaking of writing…I’m writing this review immediately after finishing the book, so there’s a strong chance that it will be all over the place and potentially incoherent. but I am so excited and so in love with this book that I don’t want to take the time to ponder and reflect and string together better sentences. my glee for The Plus One needs to be put in the world N O W, and everyone needs to add it to their tbr immediately! 
 
I’ve never read about two people that are more lovable than Indira and Jude. they are two precious, hilarious, sarcastic, incredible humans that deserve all the goodness and love.  
 
this story is so raw. it will put you through everything: you’ll laugh, cry, blush, cheer, sweat, and feel alllllll the thiiiiings. the pages are filled with a beautiful and realistic insight to mental health and the importance of caring for your mind and seeking help when you need it. they challenge you to sit with your feelings even (and especially) when it makes you uncomfortable.  
 
I am constantly in awe of Mazey’s ability to take such sensitive subject matter and create magic with her beautiful words, characters, and ideas. she’s continued her brilliance here.  
 
while this novel is filled with Jude and Indira’s personal journeys (solo and together), you’ll be hard-pressed not to turn an introspective lens on yourself and check on you own self-love and mental care. but underneath it all, this is a pure story about a boy and a girl that build on a lifetime of familiarity (and sarcasm, and bickering, and consistency) to find home in one another.  
 
and oh my god, I forgot to mention how sexy this book is. I mean sexxxxxxxy! 🥵 Indira and Jude’s chemistry is palpable, and we get lots of on-the-page spice. I’m not going to mention the peanut butter. 😂 
 
it’s been an honor (truly!) to go on the adventure that is this series. it holds such a special place in my heart. I honestly thought I couldn’t love a book more than A Brush with Love, but I was wrong! The Plus One is the one for me. don’t mistake me though, ABWL is still top-notch! read them all! then prepare your heart for the final book. it’s magic on a page.  
 
read with an open mind. read with an open heart. and read with caution…as I said earlier, Mazey writes about sensitive subject matter, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the content warnings.  
 
• 
 
read if you like: 
♡ frienemies to lovers 
♡ dual pov (both of which are incredibly strong) 
♡ brother’s best friend / best friend’s little sister 
♡ fake dating  
♡ general roasting of loved ones 
♡ hilarious campsite sports commentary  
♡ one tent  
♡ slow burn 
♡ bandaging their wounds  
♡ on page spice 
♡ tight knit friend/family groups  
♡ mountain weddings  
♡ the cheesecake factory 
♡ unconditional love 
♡ bumble bee costumes  
♡ unabashed declarations of care and love  
♡ horrendous pet names 
♡ sexually charged scooby do marathons  
♡ dancing in the moonlight 
♡ mental health / healthcare  
♡ h e a l i n g  
 
trigger warnings: 
☞ cheating partner  
☞ parental divorce 
☞ abandonment / fear of abandonment  
☞ severe PTSD from serving in the medical field (specifically in war-torn and humanitarian crises environments) 
 
The Plus One publishes in April 2023! thank you to St. Martin’s Press and SMP Romance for sending me an early copy!

I loved this!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Griffin for my advanced copy of The Plus One!

This is probably my favorite book in the whole series.

What I Enjoyed-

✨ The Writing- I didn't read this book in one go. There was a lot of picking it up and putting it down. This book was very easy to fall back into when I had the time to read.

✨ The Deeper Issues- Indira and Jude are both dealing with trauma and I appreciated the representation. These topics include - PTSD, Abandonment and being cheated on by a Significant Other.

✨ The Romance- The Plus One is a fake dating, brothers best friend, enemies to lovers Romance. I enjoyed every second of the romance. I really wanted this couple to be together.

✨ The Conflict- The conflict towards the end of this book didn't feel forced and was was realistic.

✨ The Ending- ❤

I cannot wait to read more books by this author.

Indira and Jude are my favorite childhood enemies to fake dating to lovers. They are both struggling in their lives and when Indira needs to show face in front of her cheating ex-boyfriend, they agree to be each other's fake dates to the wedding.

As per usual, Mazey wrote the most beautifully layered characters. Both Indira and Jude are struggling in their lives. Jude with his career path and the mental toll it has taken on him. Indira is a perfectionist who questions her own self-worth.

I loved how they cared for one another in the way they desperately needed. The book perfectly balances the characters dealing with real challenging issues and being lighthearted with their banter and obvious tension.

Bold claim but the series started out perfect and continues to exceed increasingly high expectations every single time. Many many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/ St.
Martin's Griffin for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Release Date: April 4, 2023

Tropes:
- childhood enemies
- brother best friend
- fake dating
- forced proximity

This was a cute childhood friends turned enemies turned lovers storyline between Jude and Indira.

The entire background of their relationship spanning decades and showing how and why things fell apart and how they came back together was really amazing. The author deals with issues of anxiety and PTSD very well and I love how pro therapy, pro medication, pro mental health this author is.

Mazey Eddings is an auto read author for me now, because she has experienced all the things she's written about neurodivergent characters she writes and it's refreshing to read.

What I loved is Indira's tenacity to support Jude and help him once she had made up her mind. The conflict and ending was different than a typical romcom and it was refreshing.

I didn't even mind the infidelity storyline, because it is secondary to the story of Indira becoming strong and determined and finding her place.

The second throughline with her terrible father starting a do over family and blatantly ignoring his kids from his first marriage is heart breaking and it really shows the cracks in Indira and her brother's self esteem and self worth and I loved what Indira did at the end to take back her power and her confidence.

Overall, this was a fantastic book and Indira and Jude are probably my favorite couple of this series.

This is not a floofy, comedic read. While I did laugh out loud more than once, I also teared up more than once. This book deals with pain experienced by both characters. Jude has deep internal wounds from his PTSD and Indira has some sizable abandonment issues. Did the weighty aspects of this book diminish my enjoyment of it? Not one iota. In fact, it is my favorite book by the author to date by a landslide. I do think that people need to be aware before going in though, that this is not a bubblebath book.

It also really isn't a fake dating, enemies to lovers story either. Those elements are there certainly but considering how quickly both become irrelevant I wouldn't want anyone to expect the teasing, will they or won't they that come with those tropes. This more about two people finding the one who gets them and becomes ether calm in the storm. It is also about prioritizing mental health. It could also be a book about the need to lock the door when hooking up in someone else's home.

There is some great banter, the most cantankerous cat to ever grace the page, and I did snort laugh more than once. This was a read in one sitting book for me and one I whole heartedly recommend.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

;;; book review;;;

I want to thank @netgalley & @mazeyeddings for sending me this ARC

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

childhood enemies/ brothers bestfriend/ fake dating

my review:: Okay first off this book was truly special the amount of mental health awareness in this book is truly amazing, as someone who struggles I truly related to the male character Jude, thank you @mazeyeddings for the amazing awareness in the book
Indira & Jude are childhood rivals who both end up staying with her brother before his wedding Jude brings up being her fake date since they are both single and Indira getting out of bad relationship, Indira is getting out a relationship after being cheated on, she her self is going threw her own personal struggles with her therapist, Jude is having PTSD and Indira knows something is off the way there love truly transforms is beautiful how they are there for each and how Indira truly helps Jude with his inner demons that are haunting him.

this is a truly beautifully written book with accurate mental health descriptions!
THE PLUS ONE
AVAILABLE APRIL 4th 2023!

*2.75 stars*

I so badly wanted to like this more than I did. I wasn't a huge fan of A Brush with Love but I wanted to give Mazey's writing another chance, and I'm sad that I still ended up in the same predicament: disappointed. Something I like about Mazey's books is the mental health representation. She does a good job of authentically incorporating mental health and conversations around it into her books. I admire that! And I liked getting to see Indira's conversations with her therapist as she unpacked her trauma. In the same vein though, the PTSD and trauma here (while handled very well) made the whole romance, fake-dating scenario feel secondary to the plot, which made the book sort of drag on for me because I had a different set of expectations of what the main focus was going into this book.

Other small things to note: I didn't feel connected to the characters or feel any real spark between Jude and Indira, aside from a couple of short scenes of banter. It was cute when they would bicker back and forth the first few times, but then it got old. I live for dual POV books, but I don't think it works well for my own reading experiences when coupled with third-person POV writing.

Though this wasn't the book for me, I think it will work for readers who don't mind a very slow-burn romance, and who love the fake-dating + dating my brother's best friend tropes. I appreciate how accurately portrayed PTSD is here, so if you're looking for a book with authentic mental health rep, I recommend this book!!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC and the opportunity to review it early!!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Mazey Eddings for this ARC

Although i have only read the first book in the series i was excited to read this one and I don't believe that missing the first one effected my reading of this one!

I belive this was a very different read than a brish with love. Indira and Jude both bring their past trauma and pain into a relationship that starts off with the fake dating trope and escalates from there. However, there is a huge focus on PTSD and how anxiety and depression and overall mental health is so important.

Indira and Jude forge a very healthy adult relationship and the reader gets to see and become invested in them through Eddings' profoundly affirming and real portrayal of adults learning to deal with their past trauma and fears and show vulnerability with another person.

Amazing read and highly recommended!! Pick it up on April 4, 2023!