this was such an great audiobook. There was so many laughs and i loved the plot of the story. This book left me wanting more.

Indira’s life appears to be perfect - that is, until she wants in on her boyfriend with someone else. To make things worse, Indira and her ex are both in the same wedding party, so she is forced to be near him and his new girlfriend at all the wedding events. She strikes up a deal with Jude, another groomsman who is feeling lost and dealing with PTSD and anxiety from working as a traveling doctor, being deployed to emergencies around the world. Indira and Josh agree to pretend they are dating throughout the wedding festivities. But the more time they spend together, the more the relationship starts to feel real.

I love how beautifully Mazey Eddings incorporates mental health issues into her stories, and especially how her characters show an understanding of needing to work on themselves before being available to commit to a healthy relationship. I particularly loved Indira and Jude, and their relationship. The witty banter and chemistry was off the charts, and their transition from childhood enemies to kind of friends to lovers made sense to me - their shared history allowed for that transition to not feel so abrupt. This history allowed for a deeper level of vulnerability among the two characters. They were so kind and patient with each other, and I just adored their relationship.

Imani Jade Powers and Joe Arden did a phenomenal job bringing Indria and Jude to life in the audiobook. I loved their narration.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced copies.

The Plus One is the final book in A Brush with Love series about a group of friends set in Philadelphia. I truly enjoy reading Mazey Eddings books as they are compassionate, fun and easy to read. All her characters are quick witted and love with all their hearts; characters I tend to love the most.

Jude and Indira start as childhood enemies who become lovers as they plan to fake date for a Indira's brother's wedding. There are funny laugh out loud scenes and some spicy hot scenes, but all together, I smiled throughout the entire story.

Thank you for the audio version and the ebook version. The narrators were wonderful.

I LOVED this frenemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating rom-com. The characters were so relatable and had real life issues that we all deal with in some way or another. I felt like this was such a heartwarming read.

Although it felt a bit heavier than book one in the series, it had great moments of hilarity, witty banter, real life lessons, steaminess and more.
Tistened to the audiobook and I really liked the dual narration. The narrators did an amazing job of bringing this book to life and getting the feel of the emotions through. I felt like the pacing of this book was exactly right and I wanted to keep listening to it. This was an emotional book. Jude really goes through a hard time and I really just wanted to hold him tight and tell him it would all be okay.

I am reading this series out of qualify as being able to read them as a stand-alone. I will definitely be going back and reading the second book now. I did enjoy and feel like this one was better than the first one. But I still loved the first (A Brush with Love) and it will forever have one of my favorite book moments ever!

Indira's paper-perfect life is coming to a halt. Indira's brother is getting married. Indira and her boyfriend are part of the wedding activities that will be taking place the WHOLE MONTH of the wedding. But what happens when she returns home one day to find him cheating on her! She stays with her brother and his fiance, who just happens to already have another house guest staying as well... Her brothers friend Jude, who feels like he has nothing in his life together. Jude and Indira have had a mutual dislike for each other since they were kids. But they strike a deal to be each others plus-ones to all the wedding activities that have been planned. Meanwhile, they are both left realizing that maybe their hatred for each other wasn't what they thought!

The Plus One, by Mazey Eddings, is the story of psychiatrist Indira Papadakis and the time surrounding her brother Collin’s wedding. A few weeks before the wedding, Indira walks in on her boyfriend, Chris, to find him in quite a compromising position with Lauren. Indira packs and, having nowhere else to go, heads for the home Collin shares with his fiancé Jeremy, both of whom are anesthesiologists. While they do have a guest room for Indira, their other guest room is occupied by Collin’s best friend and Indira’s worst nightmare, Dr. Jude Bailey.

Jude joined an international medical team to serve those in need worldwide, but mostly to forgive the loans necessary to achieve his goal of physician. Emergency surgery is Jude’s forte, but it has sent him to the most awful assignments and this has taken a toll.

Since Chris is also a part of the wedding party, Indira is not happy in her role but Jude proposes they act as though they are together for the events leading to the wedding. As Indira has already picked up on the PTSD issues Jude is dealing with, she agrees. But what unravels from this agreement makes the story.

This story is written to showcase PTSD, an issue that is becoming more prevalent in life today. However, there is so much more to this book! I very much appreciated what I learned from this story and absolutely do recommend this book!

This book wasn't easy for me to get thru. As a person with anxiety and PTSD its was both a little to real and a little to not real. I loved it so much.

I was talking to a girl friend while i was listening to this book about how good and how bad it was. like it was 'to real' I'm not using bad as a derogatory term. like a 'to real' term. It was so good. I've already gone and reserved @mazeyeddings other books that were available on Libby. I'm obsessed!

Also @imanijadepowers, my dear! you completely crushed this book! thank you so much for encompassing the idea of being a boss woman but also having so much anxiety that you're trying to control at the same time.

Thank you to @therealjoearden for putting a voice to PTSD and what it feels like in my head. I know it wasn't your words. but it was your voice.

Thank you @netgalley & @macmillan.audio for the ARC

For whatever reason I just could not get into this book. It might be because I was consuming as an audiobook vs print. I really enjoyed the representation of PTSD through the parts of the book that I did read/listen to. I didn’t love the enemies/fake dating trope in this and didn’t really buy into the hatred between main characters. Maybe this would have been flushed out further into reading but it just seemed a bit odd.

This was a good romcom. I liked the main characters and the banter that was an essential spark to their relationship. It is was pushed the main characters from enemies to lovers. Also, brother’s best friend 🔥🔥🔥 there were some more serious issues addressed in this, focusing in on mental health. There was no real “third act break up or huge relationship hurdle” so it had my attention wandering just a bit. Spicy scenes were great. It is the third in a series, but can be read as a standalone. Overall a good book.

Indies needs out of her apartment. Now. So when she shows up to her big brothers house, she figured she could crash there for a bit, and help out with all the wedding emergencies that will inevitably pop up. But when the door opens, it’s not her loving, consoling face of her brother. It’s his best friend, Jude. The guy who tortured her all throughout school, who is always trading barbs, and he is staying there as well. On the same floor as her. The forced proximity will cause some explosions, but what kind?

Indira and Jude's story had a lot going for it: fake dating, enemies to lovers, childhood frienemy to lovers, all tied up in the context of Indira's brother's big wedding extravaganza. As an extra bonus we get to check back in with the couples from the first two books in the series and get to enjoy them as secondary characters. I enjoyed the balance of sweet and funny and serious, just like the characters did with their banter. Eddings always does a thoughtful job of writing neurodivergent characters or characters with mental health issues and this book is no exception, with Indira's anxiety and Jude's PTSD. I appreciate what the author is doing with Jude's work overseas with a Doctors Without Borders type organization, but I do think there were some problems with how it was presented. I understand the choice to not name specific areas, but it was both distracting and left me feeling uncomfortable.
That being said, the narrators did a great job with this one, particularly with brining both characters to life in the dual perspectives format.
I will definitely recommend this book to romance readers!

I am in love with Indira and Jude. Friends since childhood, their witty banter and genuine love and support for each other is refreshing.

As with her other books, Eddings does a great job with the representation of mental health. Jude is suffering from PTSD and I appreciate the sensitive yet real life depiction of this illness.

While this is book in the series, you can definitely read as a stand alone. And if you love this book as much as I do, definitely pick up the other books. They are all great!

The Plus One
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This is the third and final book in the A Brush With Love series. I fell in love with Mazey Eddings when I came across A Brush with Love and have extensively followed the series and the author since then. In this installment, both Indira and Jude are both doctors and high school friends. They are both staying with her brother while her brother getting ready to marry his soulmate. The two are thrusted together in a fake dating relationship so she can escape her ex, also part of the wedding festivities. The author does such an amazing job approaching mental health in all three books, she does it realistically with grace and inspires.

The story is narrated by both Indira and Jude in a dual POV. The tropes follow fake dating, forced proximity, enemies to friends to lovers, and even high school friends. Indira is fierce, intelligent, and wants everything to be perfect. Jude is suffering from what he has seen during his humanitarian efforts and Indira is so compassionate, warm, and kind to him, helping him. I love how the author weaves prior book characters into this book, however, this book can be read as a standalone. The characters were well developed, fleshed out well, had depth, witty banter, chemistry, and engaging. The author’s writing style was complex, humorous, thought provoking, creative, and just brilliant. I was so invested in these characters from the very first book, each one being better than the former, with this one being the best one yet.

I highly recommend the whole series, read them in order, if possible and save the final, the best, for last. They are all on audiobook as well. The narrator on this book was fantastic, really bringing the characters to life with brilliance and made me invested. The voice variation was fantastic. Go buy or borrow the series!!

Fantastic audiobook! Both narrators spiced up the story and the plot was hilarious while still covering a heavy topic like PTSD with grace.

5/5 stars

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy!

CW: PTSD/trauma, medical trauma, death

Indira and Jude have spent their entire lives not getting along. When Indira's relationship suddenly falls apart and she's forced to live under the same roof as Jude, old habits are put to the test. Now thrust into the planning and prep for Collin's, Indira's brother and Jude's best friend, wedding in a few weeks, Jude and Indira are forced to reconcile the fact that they might not hate each other as much as they thought. In fact, both are doctors working to solve a few problems of their own, and they might just be each other's missing piece.

I can't believe how much more I liked this one than the second in the series, LIZZIE BLAKE'S BEST MISTAKE (which, for whatever reason, just didn't work for me). Jude and Indira were both so loveable and sooo easy to root for. I just wanted to give Jude a hug! Beyond their adorable romance was a depth that I find is often missing from romance books. There was a great balance between love, spice and true healing and connection between Indira and Jude. I loved the depiction of PTSD and trauma, as well as the inclusion of some of Indira's therapy sessions. Jude and Indira healed each other in such a beautiful way, it was amazing to read. There were no annoying miscommunications or arguments, which can ruin a book for me. The supporting characters were loveable and fun, as well. I just couldn't stop listening to this truly beautiful story.

I love Mazey’s writing so much.

Besides the incredibly hot romance and chemistry between Indira and Jude, there’s also so much emphasis on mental health and how important it is to prioritize one’s mental health, which is the way to my heart these days. I loved watching these two be so vulnerable with one another and grow together.

I also really enjoyed the whole childhood rivals to lovers trope between Indira and Jude. They knew so much about each other as kids since Jude and Collin (Indira’s brother) were best friends, but we see both of their preconceived notions about each other crumble as they truly open up to one another. I honestly couldn’t get enough of these two.

One person I wanted to punch was Indira’s ex that she literally walked in on with another woman…also, I will always think twice when I see peanut butter now (thanks a lot Mazey).

I’m just going to end with, please read this book. It’s so worth it!

This was a second chance for this author and I’m so glad I read this one because I LOVED it! The basic premise is childhood enemies turned adult fake dating to make it through a wedding.

This book was equally funny and steamy while approaching a serious topic. Jude is experiencing PTSD. Indira works in the mental health field and she’s the only one who sees what’s going on with Jude. I loved seeing the representation, especially since men face such a huge stigma when dealing with mental health.

It is a dual POV so we get to hear Jude’s inner dialogue, which helps provide so much more insight to his struggles. I also loved hearing Indira go from hating him to caring for him to wanting him, like really wanting him 😏

I listened to the audio version and hearing two different voice actors made the experience even better. Again, that steam 🥵 And the ending was perfect!! Highly recommend

Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and this book was a perfect example. Mix in the fake dating and extra crisis that Jude has due to his job and this book is SO good!

Indira walks in on her "perfect" boyfriend cheating on her before her brothers wedding. Then, not only does she have to see her cheating ex in all the wedding festivities (because of course he's in the wedding), he brings along the girl he cheated on Indira with. Being the smart and savvy woman that she is, Indira enlists the help of her childhood enemy Jude (her brother's best friend and best man) to pretend they are dating to throw off her ex. Along the way they find friendship, love, and so much more. Plus, Jude shares his PTSD from being a doctor in active war zones with Indira and she helps him through that. Ends with an HEA!

Mazy Eddings books are auto-buys for me. I love the ways Eddings is able to describe the character dynamics and get us to fall in love with them. From the premise alone, The Plus One is an utter delight. Childhood rivals who kind of hate each other with a burning passion who are then forced to reconcile - temporarily - for her brother's wedding and fake date? Who else is smitten?

The Plus One is a dual perspective delight, allowing us to see not only through both of their perspectives, their vulnerabilities and fears, but also the way they see each other. Our misconceptions, barriers, and quick retorts. The character work is intricate and tender. How the relationship between Indira and her brother is charismatic and heartwarming. Or the ways in which Jude is wrapping his own head around his survivor's guilt and visions of the future.

Listening to this on audio book was not only some spicy fun, the narration brings Indira and Jude alive. The ways in which you can hear the wavering in their voices. The unspoken words in their silences. Imani Jade Powers & Joe Arden do such a fantastic job at bringing these characters alive and getting readers even more invested.

I love that this book talks about Jude's PTSD and how difficult it is to deal with and how understanding some people can be. I love that Indira and Jude went from enemies to lovers. The book is just the right amount of spicy and story. Hope there will be a book #4.

Imani Jade Powers and Joe Arden did a great job of narrating this novel, this isn't the first audiobook I have listened to that was narrated by Imani Jade Powers and it won't be the last.

I loved this book so much! I really didn’t know what it was about when I started reading it, but I quickly was obsessed! The characters are well developed, and I couldn’t help but love them all!

The Plus One will always be special to me, because it talks about mental health in such a real and relatable way. More often than not, you can tell that authors writing about mental health haven’t actually dealt with the topics they’re writing about. Mazey Eddings tackles Indira and Jude’s mental health perfectly while also showing their entertaining personalities and sweet, unexpected love story. They feel like real people dealing with real issues, and that’s what makes me love them so much! I wish I could read more about the lives of Indira, Jude, and their friends!!