I wanted to love this book and it definitely had its funny scenes and romantic scenes but it was a super slow burn. Also, I thought it was a stand alone book but I guess you had to read the other books to understand some things (like why did this Greek/Italian woman have an Indian name?) it was ok. Readable if you have time.

Thank you to St Martins and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very moving enemies-to-lovers as well as fake-to-real-dating story as two people who have known and hated each other since childhood re-evaluate their feelings when thrust into close proximity.

Indira walked in on her boyfriend cheating on her and, in a righteous fury, grabbed her things and moved out to temporarily live with her brother, telling him 'no, it'll be great, I'll be right here to help with your wedding!'. Meanwhile, her brother had already invited his old friend Jude to stay while he was there for the upcoming wedding, before heading back to a Doctors Without Borrs-esque job that lets him forgo student loans in exchange for getting a massive case of PTSD from being the modern equilibrant of a WWI doctor and seeing equivalent horrors.

As the wedding gets closer, so too do Jude and Indira, and it's incredibly sweet to see how head on and open the story is to addressing mental health and how incredibly f*cked up the world is when it comes to health and wealth, but love can still find a way. :-)

Thanks so much for the ARC - I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK IT WAS A WARM HUG BUT ALSO REAL YOU KNOW. i can't stop rereading this - i think its my new comfort book. love love love these characters!
BEST BOOK OF THE SERIES - pls never stop writing @dr eddings

“A Plus One” by Mazey Eddings is the third book in the “A Brush with Love” series. As with all of the books in this series, this one, too, can be read as a stand alone book. For a romance book, this book was not a stereotypical romance book. The author began with a list of trigger warnings, including PTSD. I have to say that how Ms. Eddings covered PTSD was not only very realistic, but also with care. This is not your typical romance book and I have to give kudos to Ms. Eddings for that because this was different enough that, for the most part, I grew to like both main characters.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this ARC!

While this was definitely a cute romance between between two childhood rivals, Indira and Jude, it felt like the book just dragged a little bit, a lot of the material felt a little unecessary. Jude was slightly annoying by himself, I'm sorry! I liked that it touched on mental health, I liked that it gave real world scenarios, it was a relatable and well written book albeit a little slow.

I went in really excited for this but unfortunately it very much missed the mark for me. Perhaps it was when I read it or maybe it's just not for me but it took me weeks to finish and I didn't really enjoy the time spent reading it.

The plot was too fast and the characters love story felt contrived overall.

3.5, rounded up. The Plus One is a cute, steamy read with an added layer of depth, in the form of mental health. This book contains a lot of the standard tropes within the romcom genre and enemies to lovers sub-genre, but Eddings does a good job serving up readers what they want of these types of stories and doesn't try to be ironic/satirical or subvert expectations. It just is what it is. Contemporarily-set enemies-to-lovers stories always feel a bit forced to me, but I think the author did a good job making Indira and Jude "enemies" without forcing it too much, and the change to lovers didn't feel gratuitous. The thing that bumped me most was that the middle of the book is basically a string of spicy scenes and then the last quarter of the book abruptly shifts to focus entirely on mental health issues-- the sharp juxtaposition threw me, as they're so different in tone and content. But I did appreciate that a book could be both sexy and serious.

an achingly beautiful novel that explores grief and reconnected love. i adored the characters all the while being so sad to say goodbye to this found family that has been through so much together an amazing ending

i loved this book so much!

i didn't realize before i started reading this book that it was the third in a series, and while i do like to read series in order i don't think it took anything away from this book.

i read a lot of romance and it was refreshing to read one where the characters actually voiced what they were thinking about the relationship and there was no late stage break up or miscommunication.

i laughed and i cried and i'm not sure what else you could want from a book.

thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to love this book!!

As someone well-versed in romantic tropes, I found this book to be refreshing. I loved how the "secret dating" trope was immediately squashed when [SPOILERS] basically everyone that Indira was close to was almost immediately told that the two were pretending to date. [END SPOILERS]

That said, I think that the pacing was a bit off, but I know that there are only so many ways to write the whole "fake to real dating" trope. I do plan on purchasing this when it comes out. Loved it!

A really cute, thought provoking, sweet rom com.. One of the better ones I have read in a while.

Indira and Jude pretty much grow up together, since he is the best friend of her brother. However, Indira doesn’t like Jude. Jude doesn’t like Indira. But what happens when these childhood enemies find the only thing they can rely on is each other?

I LOVE how each one was flawed, but trying. i loved how they supported each other when needed. I even loved their "battles of hate" - the names they called each other, and the pranks they played were so funny! I loved these characters and was really bummed when this ended.

4.5 stars rounded to 5 just because its one of the better rom coms I have read in a long time.. Thank you for breaking my dry spell.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and to #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

This was Mazey Eddings’ best novel so far. Relating Indira and Jude’s story, this book was about war trauma and daddy issues. I loved that the characters were far from shy about their therapy session and seeking help. I think this story was more about finding someone to support you through hard times more than looking for love. The characters were well built and had deep personalities which made it easier for the reader to relate to. I have to say though that the ending was a bit rushed. Many years were skipped which gave the illusion that the reader was at the epilogue even though there were three chapters left. I would still recommend this book to anyone who wants a cute romance mixed with complex emotions.

Such a unique book, I loved the plot and oh my god the characters we're so amazing!! I definitely will be recommending it!!

Such a unique book, I loved the plot and oh my god the characters we're so amazing!! I definitely will be recommending it!!

Ahhhh I enjoyed reading this one so much! It was so cute and romantic! Not to mention it hooked me right away!

This was cute, but added nothing to the genre. I did enjoy the couple and I can totally see this one being a huge hit in the rom com community. I smiled several times reading this one!

I loved this book! The story was so cute and the writing was so good. I'll try to avoid spoilers so I won't say much, but I absolutely loved how this book touched on mental health, specifically anxiety and panic attacks because I could relate on such a personal level. Mazey Eddings is such a talented writer and the way she wrote these characters was just perfection. The story was so cute, too. Overall, this book was such a good read and I definitely recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

DNF @ 32%.

I'm not vibing with this one. It feels like a step back for Eddings. It's a bit flat, the characters a bit one-dimensional. It's hard to believe that a few months ago I gave the author's sophomore book 5 stars! I DNF'd the first book too, and unfortunately this has gone the same way. The writing feels clunky and awkward (and falls into my pet peeve of third person narrative - mentioning the protagonist's name every freaking paragraph and thus dragging me out of the story because it's already obvious who is talking).

This could do with another round of editing for sure, but that probably wouldn't help the fact that I just don't care about Indira or Jude.

I love Mazey Eddings' writing!! Her other books are just the cutest and this one was the same :) She creates complex characters with real-worth personalities and problems. She does great research beforehand and has such a smooth writing style. I will keep reading her books!

Thank you NetGalley and Mazey Eddings!

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Mazey literally cannot write a bad book.

Every single thing she puts out makes me feel related to and real. The research she puts in to make sure that all of the issues and characters are portrayed correctly is immaculate, and the story of Indira and Jude is no different.

10/10. 5 starts. Will recommend to everyone.