Rating: 4.5

My 3 Things:
1. As a human who suffers from nearly crippling anxiety, I felt the portrayal of a character with anxiety/panic attacks was really well done. It’s a constant battle, with so many moving parts, and Mazey Eddings didn’t shy away from that. In the first part of the book I found Harper a little bit abrasive, but once you get to the heart of her personality, her story, and her struggle her “walls” make a lot of sense, and you understand why she is the way she is.
2. Dan was absolutely my favorite part of the book. His ability to deescalate Harper at the party is what every anxious person needs in their life. Dan wasn’t a stranger to emotional “baggage”, and I think the normalizing of characters (especially male) going to counseling/therapy is refreshing to see. He wasn’t written as this “savior”, but he was someone who was aware of their own situation, and had this boundless capacity to understand and love despite hurdles.
3. Anxiety, especially at the level that Harper (and honestly myself) deal with it, manifests different in every person. Harper was able to form close female friendships, and used it to fuel her academic achievement (even if the school aspect wasn’t always the most healthy). I related closely with her need to receive perfect grades, and honestly my time in college probably looked rather similar. It was harder for me to relate with her close female friendships though. It was really interesting to read the growth the people around her experienced – they learned to adapt to her comfort level, and figured out how to provide support. It was interesting to me that she had kept so many details from them for so long, but they were all still so close.

Funny story – I thought this was a book about painting, since I am awful at reading the synopsis before starting a book. Brush = tooth brush, not paint brush here folks. Whoops.

Overall I enjoyed this one! I thought this one was well written, cute, and worth checking out! I read the second half in one sitting – I felt like that’s when I really got invested, and was excited to see where the plot was taking us/how it was going to end.

TW: talk of death of a parent, anxiety/panic attacks.

I love stories that feature academic settings so I was drawn to Mazey Eddings new romance A Brush with Love because it’s set in a dental school. I thought this was an absolutely delightful read and found myself cheering for Harper and Dan from their first fateful meeting when Harper falls down the stairs, crashes into Dan and shatters the dental mold he has been slaving over for hours. I don’t usually do insta-love but something about their eyes meeting during this funny, clumsy meet cute just really appealed to me and I was hooked on seeing where this first meeting would take them.

Harper has no time for romance. She’s in her final year of school and is hoping to earn a placement in one of the top oral surgery residency programs in the country. She’s intense and driven and dedicates all her free time to studying. She also frequently experiences anxiety and feels like she has to be in control of all aspects of her life to keep that anxiety at bay. Harper feels bad about crushing Dan’s project though so she volunteers to help him recreate it, but that’s it, then it’s back to studying…even though she does think he’s cute. I really liked Harper a lot. I loved her determination and her passion for her career choice. I also felt that she could use a little more school/life balance though and that Dan might be exactly what she needs.

Dan is almost the opposite of Harper. Although he’s her age, 26, he’s just beginning dental school, and where she’s a superstar, Dan is struggling. He’s not doing well in his classes and he just doesn’t feel nearly as passionate as Harper does about going into this field. We learn that he has another passion but has given it up in order to help his mother with her dental practice, which she co-ran with Dan’s father until he passed away. I adored Dan. I loved that he was willing to make such a huge sacrifice for his mom, but at the same time, my heart broke for him since he was so clearly unhappy studying dentistry. Meeting Harper has clearly been the high point of his time at school and I loved him all the more for him understanding how important school is for her. Even though he really likes her, he respects her wishes to just be friends

I thought the author did a wonderful job of making their budding relationship feel very realistic, especially in terms of the ups and downs. Dan and Harper start spending a lot of time together and the more they bond, the harder it is to just stay friends. But there’s a lot of turmoil as they are both working through personal issues in addition to just the normal school stress. I loved how Dan was always so supportive of Harper and didn’t give up on her no matter how difficult she could sometimes make things. Dan was so good for her that I just kept hoping he would win her over for a more-than-friends relationship.

Aside from Harper and Dan, I also loved most of the side characters in this book, especially Harper’s friend group. Her squad is filled with vibrant personality; they’re both hilarious and also just such an awesome support system for Harper.

I highly recommend A Brush with Love to anyone who enjoys a sweet, realistic friends-to-lovers romance, an academic setting, and a cast of awesome secondary characters.

3 stars for this one! I did not feel the chemistry between Harper and Dan. The relationship felt awkward and super forced. The storyline didn’t feel very original or interesting to me and I found myself bored at some parts. Overall, I have to say this book was decent for a debut novel but there was nothing that was extra special or unforgettable about this book unfortunately. While this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me, I do look forward to giving the author another try in the future.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martins Press for an ARC in return for my honest review.

3.25/5

Although the Harper and Dan had chemistry, I wasn't invested in their story. Harper experiences social anxiety and is admirable of how the author handled this topic - I liked how Harper overcomes it with learning how to be more comfortable in certain situations and how Dan is very understanding with her. Meanwhile, Dan has family troubles that is also a highlight of the plot. Even listening to this on audiobook and reading the ebook, I had trouble connecting to the characters or having a great interest in their relationship. The dentistry school backdrop was a fun place to navigate while reading this book. I had hoped for more tension and buildup between Harper and Dan instead of insta-love. In the end, I was bored in some parts and wished for more!

Thanks NetGalley and Librofm for the review copies in exchange for an honest review.

How often do people actually trip and fall down the stairs before crashing into their soulmate, who then stays tangled on the floor with them for an uncomfortable amount of time? Asking for a friend.

TW: anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder, claustrophobia), panic attacks, loss of parent to car accident (recounted), loss of a parent to cancer (mostly off-page), toxic parent-child relationship, sexism/misogyny, internalized ableism, grief, perfectionism

This is arguably one of the most hyped romances of the year, and Mazey Eddings was a bookstagrammer before stumbling into the cutest cover ever for her debut. So obviously I had to join the bookstagram tour for this exciting release!

Also, this helped me with my dentist anxiety, no joke. I finished it the day of my appointment and had a pleasurable experience in the chair for the first time in my LIFE. Bless you Mazey.

I knew nothing about dentists prior to reading and enjoyed learning about dental school and the facets of dentistry that don't just involve saliva and hearing people lie about how often they floss. Then I learned days later that I have a friend who also wants to go into oral surgery, like Harper, which was a strange coincidence.

I have a good friend who really did not like this one, so I think going in with my slightly lowered expectations helped keep this at a four star. I really loved the mental health representation, and it felt so much like my own. Harper has Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and panic attacks, and both leads have lost a parent and were still grieving, and it felt authentically done. There's also a LOT of sexism and misogyny in this story that felt well executed.

I didn't love the love interest, Dan, though. I felt like his conflict had a such a simple solution and the more he refused to see the obvious answer to his problems, the more pushy he got, especially with Harper. Dan is really the only part of the book I didn't like at all, which is unfortunate for a romance. I also didn't love Harper's friends. I don't remember anymore why, but my best friend was on the receiving end of some screenshots of their dialogue and it wasn't very friendly. I do think they redeem themselves though?

Hoping I like the author's next release better!

Even though this won't be a new favorite, A BRUSH WITH LOVE had an impact on my actual life outside of reading, so it will be stuck around in my brain forever, along with obscure song lyrics and my childhood landline phone number.

Thank you to Turn the Page Tours and St. Martins Griffin for the early copy and tour invite. All opinions are my own.

One of my favorite books I've read in awhile. Please go out and support this book. Harper was such an amazing character and I truly loved all of her struggles. Dan and Harper were the cutest couple and made me so happy as a reader. I don't know much about denistry but I truly loved how Mazey explained everything so well. I cried, I laughed and fell in love and I think you will too.

I got this book courtesy of Netgalley. Unfortunately, this was just not my thing. The romance felt forced but also insta-love at the same time? The characters just seemed really tropey even though there was some great representation of a Jewish main character and mental health. I feel like I'm the odd one out with this but it just was not my thing and I forced my way through it.

Debut author Mazey Eddings will have a bestseller on her hands with A Brush with Love.

Harper is a senior dental student, five months away from residency, studying her "teeth" off to be the top of her class. Dan is a first year dental student who is only in dental school because his mom needs him to continue on with the family practice one day. A chance run in (literally) on campus one day leads Harper and Dan to work together on patients, dental impressions and during studying sessions. Both agree, through Harper's insistence, that they stay friends: no hooking up. Yet as sexual tension drills into Harper's mind, she realizes that her life may not be able to fit in a neat little, anxiety free checklist that she created as a young girl.
Handling patients and discovering breakthrough holistic techniques? That's her thing. Falling in love fast with the handsome, dental student? Harper better run.

Mazey Eddings's debut is filled with everything a reader may want in a romantic novel: sappy scenes, remarkable characters and hilarious one liners. But the best part of Eddings's story? The way she is able to tell Harper's anxiety; the scenes with Harper's spirals and reality checks had me in all the emotions. As a reader with high flung anxiety taking medications, this book spoke to me in a way that I needed at this time in my life. I found myself flipping pages and dreading the end of the tale. I truly recommend any reader who enjoys romance books and wants to support an author with her debut read this novel.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martins Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for feedback.

I love a good slow burn romance and this book delivered just that. The chemistry between Harper and Dan was so good and it gave me Adam and Olive vibes from “The Love Hypothesis”.

I can see this being a big hit on BookTok for the summer because it’s one of those books you just sink into.

I like that we are seeing romance books with strong female characters. Harper knows what she wants and will not let anything stop her when it comes to dentistry school and going after the career she wants. While I do not have anxiety and can not speak to the accuracy of the character, the author seemed to take into careful consideration how best to portray the character. I also appreciated the trigger warning at the beginning of the book for anxiety before anyone begins reading.

However, that came at the detriment of her possible relationship with Daniel. She pushed him away over and over.

This happened so many times, bordering on cruel and I really wanted Daniel to stand up for himself after a certain point or push back at Harper. We knew there would be a HEA but I wasn't very invested in it by the end.

Ahhhh!! My first 5 star read of 2022!!

It has been a hot minute since I’ve fallen so deeply, madly in love with absolutely everything about a book and it’s characters. Harper and Dan were EVERYTHING I’ve needed in my life right now, what with the world falling apart and all.

This book dove deep into Harper’s anxiety in a way that I don’t remember ever reading in romance before, or perhaps just not in a way that hit so personally. This wasn’t a “quirky” personality trait that Harper had, it was something she was dealing with on a daily basis that was debilitating at times and was, honestly, hard to read because it felt so honest.

How easily it would have been for Dan to be the miracle that “cured” Harper but I’m SO thankful that it didn’t go down this way. Did he help her feel a little more grounded during some of her toughest moments? Sure, but he didn’t make those moments disappear or suddenly make Harper’s life easier.

Besides, Dan was dealing with a lot of his own issues. It was tough to read about his relationship, or lack thereof, with his father and how he felt like he was letting his mother down and how unhappy he was trying to fulfill some stupid familial obligation. How he has such a huge heart and the ability to show such empathy and care for his friends and to Harper after the way his own family treated him only made him that much more perfect.

There came a certain point in the story, you’ll know the one, where I just couldn’t hold back my tears. My heart broke for both Harper and Dan. I can’t remember a scene in a book evoking such strong emotions in me in recent history.

Everything about this book was just so perfect. I laughed, I cried. My heart broke and was full all at the same time. If this is what we have to look forward to from Mazey Eddings in the future, count me in!!

*I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for voluntary review

I wanted so badly to love this book, but it really didn't work for me. Many others have loved it though, so I'm quite positive it is a me thing...but here are my thoughts.

1. I LOVED the meet cute. It was adorable and then she helped him fix his project and she was so patient and sweet and Dan was just adorable.

2. I didn't appreciate how one minute she didn't want Dan to stand up for her at the dental school but he could later in a social setting...

3. This book was incredibly crude/crass and it totally ruined it for me. Those parts were so frequent that they kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.

4. I did think the anxiety rep was decent. I like how it ended with some characters getting the professional help they needed.

But unfortunately the parts that didn't work for me far outweighed the good.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review

Oral surgery student Harper is focused on finishing her degree and getting into a residency program. Then she meets fellow student Dan, and she's distracted by how much she wants a romantic relationship with him. Can she keep him in the friend zone? Or will their growing romance interfere with her career plans?

I really loved these characters. Both Harper and Dan are well-developed and struggling with wounds that get in the way of making healthy decisions. I'm not a fan of physical humor, and this rom com has a few instances of it. Overall, I enjoyed the plot and thought the book was well paced. Harper and Dan are adorable and really earned their HEA. The narration added to the enjoyment of the book.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the audio ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

3.5 ⭐️

While I love the inclusion of a main character struggling with a panic disorder and extreme anxiety … I didn’t like the way she acted. It was frustrating to read even though I know it’s a reality for many people… it’s just not a favourite thing of mine to read about personally.

There were so many sweet romantic moments that had me gushing , and then that dream was immediately squashed with Harper closing that door as fast as it opened. I also wish she could see Dan’s predicament a bit better and support his happiness first and foremost before just assuming if he sticks it out with dentistry he will be fine . Knowing her passion for Dentistry and helping people I was shocked to see her support someone who was quite obviously lacking the same passion.

I liked the inclusion of Lizzie reaching out to her with her past without putting any pressure on Harper to act on it … I remember having a friend do something similar with me and it changed my life (seems to have changed Harpers too)

This was a quick read and a great option for anyone who likes a little “will they won’t they” lover drama. The dual POV also helped build the story and I was happy to have this end in a HEA.

However nothing was really ground breaking for me and I spent most of the book being frustrated for Dan so 3.5 ⭐️ from me !

Thank you St Martins Press and Net Galley for the e-arc !

Harper has put relationships on the back burner as she finishes her last year of dental school, waiting to be placed in a top surgical program. Dan, who is in his first year of dental school, hates every single second that he is forced to participate in anything dentistry related. When they meet, Dan immediately wants more, but Harper thinks there’s no point in it since she’ll be leaving town soon. As they get closer and face the fact that they both have strong feelings for each other, they also must deal with their personal lives before they can fully commit: Dan needs to confront family pressure, and Harper needs to finally address her anxiety and panic attacks.

This was the third book I’ve read recently, along with The Charm Offensive and Weather Girl, that really put mental and emotional health in the forefront. I must say, I’m pretty happy with this trend. I especially loved how much of a badass Harper was in all things school and work related, even through her struggles. I also really enjoy a great group of strong female friends, so I’m hoping we can see more of them in the future. This is a great debut novel and it’s available March 1st. Thanks to @Netgalley and @ for the eARC.

A Brush with Love is an honest look at what it's like to live with anxiety. I appreciated the care with which Mazey discussed anxiety and perfectionism, especially when it comes to graduate school. This was a fast-paced romance, full of sexual tension, and mistakes.

I absolutely adored this book! I think it was so cute and a definitely great rom com’! I didn’t want to stop to go to bed so I read it in one day! Highly recommend

This book is not for me. Too much language and obscene sexual references in the opening pages that made me DNF.

A rom com with dental students! But there's more to it than that. Harper struggles with anxiety and is driven to succeed. The ghost of her mother hovers over her (metaphorically- this isn't paranormal). Dan doesn't want to be a dentist at all but he agreed to attend dental school in honor of his deceased father. See where we're going? Well, it takes some turns. Harper and Dan meet cute and keep bumping up against each other until their friendship turns to love. They've got things to resolve though, and that's what makes this special. I was pleased to learn about dental school, liked Harper and Dan as well as their friends, and enjoyed the ride. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A nice debut and a good read.

I really enjoyed spending my day with Harper and Dan! So many things I enjoyed about this read - Harper and Dan felt like real people to me - with all the good and bad and mistakes and messy bits that come with being human. And like all the best romances - they found someone who loves them just exactly as they are and supports them as they need.

I’ve never read a romance between two student dentists before and I loved that the author used her real life experience to make that feel so genuine. I also really appreciated the way Harper’s experiences with anxiety were shown.

Thank you to St Martins Press, Netgalley and Librofm for the advance reading and listening copies.