After reading the first two books in this series, The Plus One was a lot heavier than I anticipated. Jude and Indira have this enemies to lovers thing going on, as well as fake dating and brother’s best friend. I guess with these troupes I was expecting a bit of a rom com and even though I had a few chuckles, this is definitely not a light book.

I almost feel like there was too much going on. A book this heavy with emotion didn’t need all the extra troupes. I think the mental health rep was really well done, but the pacing felt a little off to me at times. Overall I enjoyed this more than the first book in the series, but the second is still my favorite.

The Plus One is the third book in A Brush with Love Series, but only the second I have read. I will be going back and reading the first one, A Brush With Love soon. Each book in the series has characters that are either not neurotypical or dealing with some sort of mental health issue, and I love how well they are written and developed. This book centers around Indira and Jude. Indira is coming home after a disastrous breakup and with nowhere to go, her brother offers his room in the apartment that he shares with his best friend, Jude. He goes to stay with his girlfriend. Now, Indira and Jude have a history. She was the annoying sister of his best friend growing up, who he secretly had a crush on, but you can't date your best friend's sister, or can you. Not only are they living together, but they are both standing up in the same wedding and the events leading up to it are going to throw them together in many ways and often. They decide to put on a brave face and a fake dating relationship to shut everyone up. This is a fun story with a very serious side dealing with PTSD that I enjoyed.

Jude was a doctor that worked for an organization that went into some of the worse areas to treat victims of war and other atrocities. He is home for a break and suffering from PTSD. He is worried about going back as his mental health is on edge. Indira is a psychologist who has demons of her own from her childhood and family situations and is also seeing a counselor which seems strange, but I love how it is dealt with and described in this story. The relationship between Indira and Jude is wonderful. Not only do they still have spats and their banter is fun, but they support one another in difficult situations. Although there are heavy topics in this book, it is written in a way that made it easy to listen to and love the characters. My emotions were all over, but again, that's a good thing. The way Mazey Eddings depicts mental health issues or neurotypical characters is amazing and I am definitely going to read more of her books. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Imani Jade Powers and Joe Arden. I enjoyed their voices, expression and emotion and definitely recommend the audiobook if that is a format you enjoy.

Prior to listening to the audio, I read the book The Plus One - here's my NetGalley review
"4.5 stars

There is so much I LOVED about this book! I really just enjoyed the way Mazey Eddings put words together - they were like poetry. I thought Indira and Jude's story was beautifully written. For all their childhood animosity, Indira was so gentle as she helped him work through his struggles. The treatment of mental illness was so respectful and enlightening.

The book could have been a tiny bit shorter, but that doesn't take away from my overall love of this book! I've read Mazey Eddings' other titles, and this one seemed so much more sophisticated than the others. Beautifully crafted with a touch (well more than a touch) of spice! Excellent!

Can't wait to listen to the audio next! "

Well, the audio did NOT disappoint! The narrators really brought the characters to life. I loved revisiting with Jude and Indira.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to the audio in return for an honest review.

The Plus One by Mazey Eddings is another win for me by this author. I think that Mazey has become an auto-buy author for me. This one is everything I expect from Mazey Eddings now: fun, flirtation, great backstory, and a page turner read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I WILL READ ANYTHING MAZEY WRITES! THIS DID NOT DISAPPOINT AND MAZEY HAD ME FULLY IN MY FEELS ON A FRIDAY NIGHT!!!

Okay, first of all, I love an enemies to lovers trope and even though I didn’t see the full extent of them being enemies/perpetually annoyed with each other as kids, I still loved this! Obviously they were not full-on enemies; as adults, enemies-to-lovers could be interpreted as “just not besties and throwing shade at each other once in a while” lol.

Next up is Indira — people joke about women having “daddy issues” but it’s like … isn’t the real joke that so many cis-het men have been absolute trash that this is now a universal cliche that so many people can relate to? Yeah, go ahead and stop with the nonsense of making fun of women for that. Look at the men in your life instead kthxbye. I read “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” by Lori Gottlieb and the entire premise was that she, as a therapist, detailed her own journeys with her therapist. I think people forget that therapists are real humans with complex feelings and mentalities that ebb and flow, just like the rest of us. I deeply appreciate seeing Indira the therapist so humanized and soft. Her realization at the end is EVERYTHING.

Last but not least, Jude is a sad boy who is trying his absolute best. I will never ever ever stop expressing my gratitude to the health care providers out there in all aspects — everyone who keeps a clinic, hospital, practice going… Y’all are proof that goodness in this dark, hard world exists. I appreciated that Mazey gave us a man who is navigating his feelings, because we need more representation of men openly discussing their mental health.

P.S. the epilogue was so sweet and perfectly ties things up for all our faves! Thank you Mazey for this stunning romance series <3

Mazey Eddings third book in the Brush with Love series was just as entertaining as books 1 and 2. With great narration, witty banter, and a few classic rom-com tropes, this book was a great way to unwind after a stressful day at work. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

I will read anything Mazey Eddings writes, but now I think I will also listen to anything Mazey Eddings writes as well. This story was beautiful. Jude and Indira tugged at my heartstrings and I was thinking of them long after I finished the book as well. The audiobook narrators captured them extremely well. I truly think this is Eddings' best work yet!

The Plus One by Mazey Eddings is full of a couple of my favorite tropes: Enemies to Lovers & Fake Dating. So what’s not to love, right?! Sadly this one was a miss for me.. bummer I know. Do not let this stop you from reading it. Did I enjoy it, yes however, just not as much as I would have liked. Already forgetting details. Nothing special about this one for me. Definitely would give this author another try in the future. Kudos to the author for the mental health rep.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for my honest review of this ALC. This slow burn made me smile and laugh at time with the beautiful writing style & narration. Overall, it’s 3 stars from me.

The Plus One is a well-written, sweet romance that made me laugh one moment, then wipe my eyes the next.

Without giving too much away- I appreciated the way Mazey portrayed a healthy, loving relationship with oneself as well as with another; especially while in the process of healing. You don’t need to forgo one to have the other and Indira and Jude are a shining example of that. It was endearing and heart-warming to watch the two learn to love and be loved in the way the deserve.

I’m a HUGE fan of enemies-to-lovers but I’d say this story feel a bit short in that department. We had some glimpses throughout of their shared past but it didn’t bleed too much into their present. It felt a bit glossed over.

With all that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed joining Jude and Indira on their journey. Theirs is a beautiful love story that feels so very real. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s publishing for the advanced copy.

This book was pretty good! Really loved the audio.

This was my first book from Mazey Eddings and I will be looking forward to me.

This was a very unexpectedly fun enemies to lovers with a twist of fake dating.

Amazing! This audiobook was a vibe to a T.. not only is Mazey Eddings an exceptional author, Joe Arden being one of the narrators made my week, I loved how complex the story was and I could not stop reading. Like download this audiobook book ASAP!

Loved this book and the mental health rep. This friend group is amazing and I’ve enjoyed reading about them! Can’t wait to read more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Back to Philly in this third book in the series, we get the story of Indira and her quest for love. Enter childhood nemesis, Jude. After a nasty breakup and the upcoming wedding of her brother, Indira and Jude agree to fake date each other. Well, that goes too well.

The Plus One is a nice story and is a great romance to pick up.

Themes: ❤️💔🌶️👩🏾‍⚕️👨‍⚕️🩺😵‍💫🥀

My feelings: 🙂😚🤪😳🫠😊

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This is my second book by Mazey Eddings and what I’m discovering I enjoy about her characters is their complexity. Her books are overall rom-coms, but her characters face very real, heavy struggles that I enjoy seeing represented. In this book, #3 of the #abrushwithlove series, there is a wonderful emphasis on the importance of mental health as one of the characters is struggling with PTSD. I also loved how therapy was suggested as something everyone can benefit from.

I enjoyed this enemies to lovers tale, but there are two things I would have liked more of: 1. the build up of the evolution of the romantic relationship between the two main character 2. a more dramatic problem in the plot and journey to the final destination of love. These two things are really my own preferences and I definitely recommend this if you enjoy this genre.

Read if you enjoy:
🌸 Enemies to lovers
🌸 Forced Proximity
🌸 Mental Health Representation
🌸 Painfully Awkward Pet Names
🌸 Peanut Butter…

I really really loved this book! It did have a fair amount of steamy scenes that I think took away from the story a little. A closed door romance would honestly have been just as good, however, even with these scenes the book was incredible. I appreciated the enemies to lovers dynamic, as well as the discussion about real life issues like PTSD. I also very much appreciated that the audio had a trigger warning from the get go. Thank you Mazey Eddings and NetGalley for this Audio ARC!

This was my first Mazey Eddings book, and it did not disappoint! The romance was sweet, the characters were interesting, and the storyline seemed very realistic. The banter between the two main characters created the perfect level of tension for a classic enemies-to-lovers situation. I love the de-stigmatization of therapy and mental health struggles as well as the lack of a third act breakup.

The narration was very well done by both actors! I will definitely be pursuing more of their work as well. They did a great job portraying the characters thoughts and emotions without being too over the top.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this advance listening copy! Mazey Eddings can do no wrong, and being 3/3 for her ARCs is a joy I did not know I needed in my life. I absolutely adored The Plus One and the experience of listening to it on audio was even better. The narrators captured Jude and Indira so well and you felt so in the moment with the more intimate scenes when you're in Jude's head about his PTSD and Indira's more vulnerable moments. Overall, I adored this book so much and the audiobook made it even better when I didn't think that was possible.

Normally I love stories about broken people finding closure as they reach for each other, I wanted so badly to love this book, but I didn't. I loved the main characters, so dynamic and deep. I loved the premise that people's pain, their trauma deserve equal care and attention even if they come from vastly different reasons. I loved the steps the couple took toward each other, looking past the surface to the person within.

However, instead of giving me hope that my broken self could find love, I found myself more dejected than ever. She was someone he could save. He was a therapy patient she could help untangle. I feel like after the book. When they were healed and life fell into steady day in and day out, these two would realize they loved each other's problems, not each other.

Indira has it all—great job, cute boyfriend, thriving social life. Until she walks in on her boyfriend and someone else. Jude is a doctor who travels around the world treating patients in dire situations. Indira and Jude are childhood friends who clearly hate each other. Indira’s brother is getting married and who else would be each others fake dates?! It’s got it all. Enemies to lovers…fake dating…adorable love story.

I love seeing discussions of mental health and therapy in books now. It’s an important topic that people shouldn’t be afraid to talk about.

Quick read and totally predictable in typical romcom fashion!

3.75/5 stars

I read A Brush with Love a while back, and was excited to have a chance to review The Plus One. Pitched as enemies to lovers, this book follows two childhood frenemies as they reunite at a wedding. They agree to be each other's plus ones, and I think we all know what happens from there.

I thought this book was going to be lighthearted and fun... but it definitely is heavier than the description makes it sound. If you have trauma from working in a medical field or disaster relief, just know there is some detailed descriptions that could be triggering. I do think Mazey Eddings addresses PTSD well but based on the description of the book, I was expecting something a lot more fun and a lot less heavy. (Note: I'm totally okay with this book addressing that topic, but I think the description needs to be less focused on the fake dating and more focused on this, as the fake dating piece really didn't strike me as the biggest plot point.)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book!