✨ Review ✨ The Plus One by Mazey Eddings; Narrated by Imani Jade Powers; Joe Arden

Despite discussing really serious topics like PTSD, cheating and abandonment, and mental health more broadly, this book was an absolute delight to read.

Indira catches her bf cheating on her (and there's peanut butter involved...) and she flocks to stay with her brother, who's preparing to get married in a few weeks. The brother's best friend Jude (and Indira's childhood nemesis) is staying with her brother, because he's home for a few weeks from his grueling international aid medical position to help his friend prepare to get married.

Indira and Jude pretend to start dating to get back at PB boyfriend, and their banter built on years of childhood shenanigans was just so much fun. I loved all their goofy jokes and playfulness, and even as they grappled with their own mental health issues, this was a fun read.

This is the second book of Eddings' that I've read, and I'll be back for more. Great engaging audio narration as well!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Genre: contemporary f/m romance
Location: Philadelphia
Reminds me of: the other books in this series b/c characters keep popping up :)
Pub Date: April 4, 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ earnest mental health discussions paired with goofy banter
⭕️ fake dating
⭕️ childhood friends getting together
⭕️ cheesesteak

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

Jude’s best friend Collin is getting married and he has taken time away from his international medical service to attend the wedding. One thing he didn’t count on was Collin’s sister Indira moving into the house he was staying in.

Indira just caught her boyfriend in a compromising position with a blond woman on her couch. She moves out and into her brothers house. What she didn’t know is that her childhood nemesis, Jude, was staying there too.
Slowly Jude and Indira move from enemies to lovers, while Indira helps Jude overcome some traumatic events he has encountered during his medical service.

I loved that the author listed possible trigger warning at the beginning of the book. This is the second book I’ve read in this series. The opening scene with peanut butter had me thinking way too much about the why, but it is a memorable scene. What stuck with me the most is Jude and his PTSD and how hard it took for him to come to grips with it. Mental health is as important as physical health. The writing was easy to follow and created realistic events and dialog. This is a hot romance with multiple sex scenes.
I started listening at normal speed to get a sense of the authors cadence and tone then sped it up to 2.0. I loved the emotion that was conveyed for Jude, you could feel the anguish. Indira was self-assured yet wanted to be loved.

I really enjoyed Mazey’s first 2 books, so I was excited to get an advance audio copy of this one! Great narration, especially from Joe Arden for Jude.

I really loved Jude & Indira. The build of chemistry was masterfully done and I was giddy reading their banter.

It was so fun to see all the characters from previous books that we know and love in this story too.

There was a lot of heavy stuff in this one too, but handled sensitively. Lots of mental health and therapy discussion. (See TW below).

No third act breakup 🎉🎉🎉

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to review this audio.










Spoilers- TW warnings below- only scroll down if you need TW, contains spoilers.









TW:
-Cheating (on page, past relationship -not between MCs)
-PTSD
-Divorce, Parental abandonment

Mazzy’s writing keeps getting better with every book published and this is one to not skip!!

Synopsis: When Indira breaks up with her boyfriend, she crashes at her brother’s house, unaware that her brother’s best friend, Jude, is staying there as well until her brother’s wedding festivities are over. While Indira and Jude have always fought and bickered, the two make a plan to fake date to comfort each other through all the upcoming events. Of course, with all the forced proximity, the two start to realize that maybe they don’t hate each other after all.

Thoughts: This story had me feeling everything! I was smiling, laughing, crying and swooning. Indari and June had the best chemistry with the perfect balance between emotional moments and laugh-out-loud banter. I truly loved Mazzy’s message that you do not have to be strong all the time (especially if you are a guy), and how it is okay to rely on someone else for support. And while they were each struggling with their own traumas, they way they looked out for and supported the other unconditionally was so special to witness. I also appreciated how the conflict was realistic and not a break up for the sake of it!

Read if you like:
-Brother’s best friend
-Forced proximity
-Childhood enemies to lovers
-Open door romance
-Therapy positive books
-Fake dating
-Wedding festivities
-Funny banter
-Cameos from Mazzy’s previous books

I adored this book. It’s refreshing when the female MC makes the first move and the initiative. Everything felt very real and could all happen in real life. And it even featured one of my favorite tropes, one bed (in this case tent).

Thank you NetGalley for eALC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Mazey Eddings book continue to get better and better.

The third book in this series, which could technically be read as a standalone, focuses on Indira and Jude and is definitely my favorite one yet. The mental health representation in this book is easily some of the best out there. Although each character has their emotional baggage, there are plenty of lighthearted moments that balance it out. The romance and banter between these two characters as fantastic and included all of my favorite tropes (enemies to lovers, one bed/forced proximity, fake dating, brother's best friend). I will never look at peanut butter the same after this book! I listened to this one and highly recommend the audiobook. It’s excellent!

Absolutely perfect. So happy to have this on audio for all the rereading!! You will feel seen reading this book whether from the pov of Indira and/or Jude. Just perfect

Indira has a pretty sweet life, job, and boyfriend - that is, until she finds him cheating in the apartment they share. Now, she’ll be staying at her brother’s house in his peak wedding prep time, and dealing with his best friend, Jude. But when her ex(also part of the wedding party) keeps bringing his new flame around, Jude and Indira agree to put aside their childhood animosity and fake date to save face. When fake dating turns to real feelings, they’re in for quite the ride.

The focus on mental health in this book was so beautiful. Indira’s profession as a psychiatrist and the emphasis that seeking help, while uncomfortable, is accessible to everyone.

I thought Jude’s PTSD was really impactful, especially because he couldn’t imagine not continuing on with his commitment partly for his family and their financial situation, nor the people who needed him for emergency medical care. The fact that it wasn’t a simple decision for him no matter what he chose added to the anxiety and trauma he was experiencing.

Even with the heavier subjects, this still managed to be such a fun and sweet romance. Something small that made me so happy was the characters saying “I’m negative” instead of “I’m clean” in regards to STI testing and IT’S THAT EASY. We don’t need to make it “clean vs. dirty” and give those who contract STIs such a negative connotation.

The narrators did a great job capturing all the emotions of the characters and the building tension of Jude’s PTSD. I love dual POV books with two narrators, and this one was a treat.

What an incredible end to this trio of stories - I loved that we got glimpses at each of the previous books’ characters, and selfishly, I can’t wait to see what amazes does next!

Mortified to admit that I left this review sitting for so long that I basically forgot what happened.

What I do know is that this was my least favourite of the three books in the series. Not by much. Don't get me wrong, I still greatly enjoyed it and Eddings' signature dry humour and banter. Her books haven't failed to make me laugh out loud yet, and for that alone I will read anything she writes. This just didn't quite give me what I wanted. Really needed more wedding and fake dating shenanigans, not going to lie. Indira and Jude were perfect to really pull one over on their friends ... and themselves.

As with her previous books, Eddings writes a heartwarming story with genuine mental health rep. In this case, PTSD, and it's tough to get through sometimes. Jude really was struggling to keep himself calm in the most common of situations, and it's impossible not to feel what he's experiencing. In his job as a humanitarian doctor, he's seen too many hopeless things that keep him up at night. Bro needed a hug so bad. I found Indira to be a good counterbalance for him. Being a therapist, she was able to recognize that something was off with him and begin to help him, all while the pair of them fall in love. I'm usually not a fan of childhood friends/enemies to lovers, but this was so cute!

I'm always calling for romance novel conflicts that aren't fights ... but not like this. Which makes me feel like an ass. This conflict was centred more on Jude's PTSD and how he's struggling to cope with what is going on, and while I have absolutely no issues with that, that big relationship climax felt like a blip. I kept waiting for something to happen between Indira and Jude, expecting the other shoe to fall. And honestly, that's what made this my least favourite. I just needed more from the last 25%.

I wasn't sure if we were going to get a fourth book for Thu, but from the way this wrapped up it is clear that the series is done. And I'm okay with that. Everyone got their happy ending and I thought it was very sweet and quite satisfying to see where each couple ended up a few years down the road.

Another wonderful romance from Mazey Eddings!

Like the other books in the Brush with love series that follows four close women friends, this story has excellent mental health and therapy rep!
It's honestly one of the best books I've read that normalizes therapy and expounds on how it's such an individual journey. It can be scary as well as rewarding but ultimately can be so worth doing, especially with so many people out there struggling!

In this book we get to know Indira who ends up fake dating her brother's best friend, Jude - a doctor who's been working overseas in war-torn countries and is suffering from severe PTSD. While Indira is in therapy herself for anxiety she recognizes the signs that Jude is struggling and does her best to be there for him.

Steamy but so heartfelt and emotional! My favorite romances have great emotional depth and don't shy away from hard topics and this book is on par with some of the best. Recommended for fans of authors like Abby Jimenez or Dylan Newton. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital copies in exchange for my honest review! This was also great on audio narrated by Imani Jade Powers and Joe Arden and has wonderful cameos from the other characters in the series!