What is your favorite trope? The third book in this series is a women's fiction, modern romance, enemy to lovers, brother's best friend, pretend boyfriend, RomCom.

The book starts with a cliche. Psychiatrist Indira walks into her apartment to find her boyfriend, Craig, having sex on their couch with another woman- both smeared with peanut butter. Ick. She moves in with her brother, Collin, and his fiancee, Jeremy, who are counting down weeks to their wedding. Also staying at their home is Collin's best child hood friend and Indira's nemesis, Jude. They are all doctors, but only Collin and Jeremy are in a lucrative field, anesthesiology. Indira works for a clinic and Jude is an emergency room surgeon, but had signed 4 years of his life to the Global Health Care Organization in exchange for all the tuition and living expenses. He was able to get a leave to come to the wedding, but he is also suffering from PTSD. The only one to recognize that something is wrong with Jude is Indira. Craig is Jeremy's cousin and is invited to all the festivities with his plus one, new girlfriend. Awkward. So Jude steps up to be Indira's plus one. Indira has her own issues of abandonment and not been good enough to be loved, because of her father. As they spend more time together they recognize they they had always been attracted to each other and when they take the leap to trust they find what they were both looking for.

A wonderfully written, emotional story, with interesting characters. I read an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

I do remember reading Mazey Edding's, A Brush With Love, but did not know it became a series and this was book 3. I definitely felt this book had more depth and complexity because the two main characters had real issues, struggles and acceptance. I like when frienimies find commonground because of a tragedy and they learn from each other.

This book was so emotional and easy to read because of the connection betwen Jude and Indira. I look forward to reading more this author in the future if the next book is as good as this one. Recommended read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Mazey Eddings and St Martin's Press Griffin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available.

Woooooooooow wowowowowow this was something I am so so glad I got to read. It shines a light on mental health struggles that many of us face every day and nobody would ever know. It was childhood frenemies to lovers, but it was also so much more than that. It is in no way a light read, so don’t let the fluffy cute cover fool you (even though it is ADORABLE)… it dealt with PTSD, childhood trauma, abandonment issues, coping strategies, etc. My heart absolutely ached for Jude struggling to put his feelings into words and ask for help, but not wanting to burden those around him. And Indira, sweet Indira… she grounded Jude and made him feel seen and made his struggles a priority when others brushed him off. Isn’t that all we want in life? For someone to see us? For someone to reallllly see us and recognize our cues of when we’re happy or when we need a shoulder to cry on? To me, love is being seen for exactly who we are and not being judged for it. Not being judged for having bad days and not knowing what to do when life gets really heavy and really loud. Now I’m rambling, but you get the gist. This was 100% a hard read, but it was so loving and tender and HOT? God the 🌶️ scenes were H O T. Jude sure does like to give…. Praise. And Indira suuuure does like to receive…. Praise 😏🥵 yeah just read this. It was super romantic and also so so realistic. 5 stars ⭐️ thank you to Netgalley for the arc!

I love this author!!! Book 2 for me blew book 1 out of the water but this is my favorite yet. I have loved this trio of friends and their love stories. Highly recommend

Unfortunately, this one was a disappointment. I really like A Brush with Love #1, but it's gone downhill. Indira wasn't my favorite female lead. She was a weird mixture of mature and immature. Perhaps this was meant to make her more relatable but it left me confused. Jude had a little too much baggage and not enough specific backstory or examples were given so it was hard to relate and be empathetic. I totally think mental health should be a huge part of our lives (work and personal), but it felt a little forced and unbelievable that he would question and potentially give up all his years of service with a federal/humanitarian program right at the very end, with no real solution in place.
Add the haphazard fake dating trope, and it just didn't all come together for me.

Thank you to @netgalley @smpromance and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am just in love with Mazey Eddings books and this book focusing on Indira. Indira and her mutual hate for Jude since childhood. They couldn’t be more opposite, but at the same time, couldn’t need each other more. I enjoyed this love story of enemies.

The tender moments of this book moved right in to the spicy ones. It was a perfect balance!

5 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #ltbreaderteam #theplusone #mazeyeddings #smpinfluencers

This book was such a great read! The interactions between Jude and Indira jumped off the page and the chemistry that was built between them kept me reading!

Mazy does such a great job at character development, especially within neurodivergent characters and I wanted to reach in through this book and comfort them both.

Highly recommend this entire series.

4.5!

Beautiful, sweet, emotional, heartwarming!

Loved all of the mental health / therapy representation.

Really did not like this, I didn’t feel a big connection between the two protagonists. I think it was more serious of a book than I was expecting which is no fault of the author but just wasn’t what I was expecting

I loved the mental health rep/ the funny book and the enemies to lovers aspect of this book. I feel that it mixed together really well and the spicy scenes were well written.

I should have stopped myself from reading this book with all of the trigger warnings at the beginning. Personally I don't like trigger warnings. I find that they spoil the plot for me, however I understand that many people need them. I found this book to be more about PTSD then romance and I am just not into that in a book that is being sold as a rom com. I didn't like the characters. None of them felt real to me.

"The Plus One" by Mazey Eddings is a charming and heartwarming romantic novel that embraces the magic of unexpected connections. Eddings' storytelling prowess shines as she weaves a tale of love, friendship, and personal growth. The book's relatable characters and engaging plot create an immersive reading experience that resonates with readers. Eddings skillfully captures the essence of romantic tension and emotional vulnerability, adding depth to the narrative. "The Plus One" is a delightful reminder that sometimes, love can enter our lives when we least expect it, leaving readers with a warm and satisfied feeling that lingers long after the final page.

This book was entertaining and a delight from the first chapter. A joy to read! Great characters. Actually caught myself (or more accurately my husband caught me) guffawing out loud several times. So much fun!

This was a lot heavier than the previous books in the series. At times it felt like there was too much going on in regards to tropes. The author does a good representation of mental health.

The Plus One takes the reader though a roller-coaster ride of emotions. From comedic moments inducing hysterical laughter to heartfelt moments that could lead to you shedding a tear or two, this book has it all. On the surface, it may seem like your run-of-the-mill romcom, but it soon takes a deep dive into the world of mental health.

Mazey Eddings does a great job in weaving in romance with the real-world effects of mental illness. We get to follow the two main characters in their journey of not only finding each other, but also of self-healing.

As this is my first book by Mazey Eddings, and I found it quite enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it to readers who are looking for a more heavy-hearted romcom that is grounded on more serious topics.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The last few years have been a real whirlwind, am I right? While there have been a lot of not-so-great events one after another, there is one positive that stands out to me, shining through the darkness: mental health awareness and self-care are having their moment in the sun. During the pandemic, it was important for all of us to participate in self-care to keep our spirits up. It’s the little things, too, like putting on jeans so the extra banana bread pounds didn’t sneak up on you too quickly, or going for walks to soak up some Vitamin D.

Authors are just like us, and their characters, too. It was only a matter of time before these ideas and habits bled into the fictional worlds we would utilize for escape. Mazey Eddings, author of A Brush with Love and Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake, delivers her third published novel “The Plus One” that is half a delightful enemies-to-lovers romance combined with what feels like a love letter to therapy, mental health, and self-care.

Enemies-to-Lovers Romance
He is her brother’s best friend. She is the bratty little sister that the boys didn’t want around. Sounds like the makings of a perfect love story, wouldn’t you think?


Was being roasted her love language?

Jude and Indira don’t like each other. They haven’t for years, since they were kids. When pushed together for the sake of Indira’s brother’s wedding, these two make a deal to be each other’s fake wedding dates. Fake dating + forced proximity = delightful disaster of a fake relationship. (There is even an ‘only one bed’ scenario! Jackpot!)

Life wasn’t perfect for any of them, and it never would be. But this moment? Well, it felt pretty damn close.

Mental Health Awareness
Indira struggles with a form of imposture syndrome – she’s a therapist whose life is sort of falling apart. Jude is suffering from PTSD after working in war-zones and facing some of the worst conditions around the world. Both keep their mental health issues close to the chest, not wanting to lay a heavy burden on their loved ones. Through the story we learn more about their coping skills and witness the beauty of letting another person in to see our scars and scary parts.

“We place these expectations that being aware of our brain or emotions lying to us means that we should automatically be able to get over it,” Dr. Koh said, eyes locked on Indira. “That’s simply not how it works. We wouldn’t expect someone with asthma to recognize that they have asthma and then be able to go and spring a mile without needing an inhaler. Healing from those internal wounds takes time. Sometimes a lifetime. But it’s the willingness to work on it that matters.”

There are so many great passages in this book about taking care of ourselves, and I don’t have enough room in this post to share them all. If I need a pick-me-up or a reminder that my mental health is just as important as my physical health, I’m going to turn to “The Plus One”.

Please do your brains and hearts a favor and choose this book, too.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy!

The fake dating trope will always be one of my favorites, so I was sold on this book from just the synopsis, yet what sets it apart is Mazey Edding's ability to write a story filled with tropes (enemies to lovers, brother's best friend, forced proximity, on bed/tend ) that all make sense and feel good. I was also sold on how well mental health and therapy for women AND men is portrayed in this story. While this very much is a romance, I found myself rooting for both Indira and Jude to just be okay more than anything and cheering as they both eventually learn who they are, and that what they perceive to be a failure isn't actually one.

It was such a sweet book that I couldn't put down, and definitely one I'll revisit in the future.

This book blew me away. The characters are so real and earnest and the storyline was touching and so sincere with true life issues. I fell in love with the characters and want them as my friends.

Mazey Eddings did it again.

She won me with Harper and Dan, delighted me with Lizzie and Rake, and now Indira and Jude have sealed the deal!

It's a heavier book than the other two, showcasing Edding's range. The mental health rep was on point, but also there was a lot of light moments that made the book not TOO heavy for those looking for an escape.

Two words: Peanut Butter

I love how relatable this whole series was. This one covered PTSD, Anxiety, therapy, and overcoming life long thoughts. This one was beautiful. The two characters were able to lean on each other after years of not getting along. Both were suffering in different ways and both were able to help each other get the help they needed to move forward in life in a more positive way. I wasn’t clicking with this at first because of the romance I think, but reflecting on it now, I really do think it was a solid 4 star read. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review.