💖 Review

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

*Disclaimer: I’ve been booksta friends with the author for a while now.* does that make me famous 🤔😆?

It’s quite the thing for a MC’s experience with anxiety to remind you of some of the aspects of your own journey…it’s both heavy & affirming.

Mazey Eddings’s A Brush with Love lovingly & fiercely shows that people with mental health challenges are loved & deserved to be loved, by others & themselves.

I know I’ve said this before but I’m (really) happy to be with someone who’s loved me when my anxiety was at its most debilitating & scary. I’m also happy to read books where characters find the same 🧠 💜.

It’s not always easy to read Harper—the heroine—struggle, especially when to her, succeeding in school & in life seems predicated on control.

It’s also not always easy to see the hero, Dan, figure out how he can be happy under the weight of familial obligation.

But I love the journey they go on, how they both realize the strength they have & the life they could have.

There’s so much I really enjoyed about this book & how much it seems to pulse with empathy & heart.

If you like insta-feelings, “real” portrayals of friendship (including a toilet scene between friends 😅), a hero who’s pretty gone for the heroine from the beginning, a moment of support during a panic attack, & a sweet epilogue, this one might be for you. It’s very emotional & earnest; it’s about messy people (as in, humans in general are messy & also beloved) & hope & love, & I’ll celebrate those all day long.

4.5 ⭐️. Release date: 03/01

CW: chauvinism, sexism Harper faces in the workplace. Previous parental deaths. Emotional abuse by Dan’s dad. Panic attack. Shame about mental illness.


[ID: an ebook rests on a blue skirt with gold designs. Off to the side is a pink orchid.]

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book my thoughts are my own.
TW: Anxiety

Romance between at a dentist office sort of or at least what I knew about it picking it up, also students. I was like "sign me up !".
This was a wonderful debut romance novel, I really enjoyed the slow burn and the chemistry between them felt real, I enjoyed how enamored Dan was and how driven our MC was.
Harper was relatable, sometimes a bit too much for me as she has anxiety and her thoughts spiral into self doubt, imposter syndrome and more, she works hard to keep her head in the game and I loved her for it.
As someone with anxiety, I would've probably not picked up that book by myself as, in dark periods, it can be detrimental to my own mental health.
Moving over that, the pacing was done really nicely and made it extremely enjoyable. It was a cute and heartwarming romantic comedy that left me rooting for them.
They were so supportive of one another.
Lovely romance, while a bit triggering for me, I will definitely be on the lookout for what Mazey Eddings writes next !
3.75 / 5 stars
Bookarina

Looking for a new book boyfriend? Dan Craige is it.

Harper is an extremely driven, top of her class, dental student who has an anxiety disorder and suffers from panic attacks. She has built up walls to keep her anxiety at bay. When she meets and falls for Dan, a first year dental student dealing with his own issues, those walls begin to come down and she has no choice but to confront her emotional trauma.

While this book has some heavy topics, it is the sweetest romance book. Mazey Eddings has an amazing ability to put anxiety and panic attacks into words that feel so real, so accurate. And oh, sweet Dan. He is so wonderful. I know it’s not a very good review to just say to buy it and read it March 1st but here I am. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Harper and Dan’s romance is a slow-burn with witty banter and the perfect amount of spice and will have you rooting for their happy ending. Just amazing writing and dialogue. I cannot wait for the next book! The narration was absolutely perfect. All of the stars and all of the tabs! ✨

Thank you to @mazeyeddings @smpromance @harperaudio for advanced and gifted copy. All opinions are my own

Harper is in her final year of dental school and is hyper-focused on graduating and landing the perfect residency.

Dan is a first-year dental student who has been guilted into leaving his job in finance to continue running his parents’ dental practice.

There is an instant chemistry between the pair. Harper is lighter around Dan which terrifies her. Her priorities lie in getting her degree, and she doesn’t have time to invest in a relationship. Plus, she’s moving after graduation.

Dan is patient with Harper - willing to wait until she is ready. Harper pushes him away over and over again until Dan simply cannot put himself through the heartbreak any longer.

In the end, Harper finally realizes what she’s lost with Dan and the pair reunite with the help of Harper’s friends.

I really wanted to love this book, but sadly it just didn’t hit that mark for me. While I appreciated the raw, honest depiction of anxiety I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. The pacing toward the end of the book seemed rushed, and I didn’t find myself rooting for Harper and Dan throughout the book. Overall, this was an okay read for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC. All opinions are gladly my own! It comes out March 1st and I'd recommend you run, not walk, to your nearest bookstore to put in a preorder request for this gem!

#ABrushWithLove by @mazeyeddings was amazing. I understand that I've been rating a fair number of books here in February as 5 stars and they have all deserved that, as does this one.

I have to admit that I was a little bit concerned when I first heard about this book as I have always hated my teeth. As a 35 year old with a mouth full of braces currently, that dynamic has not changed. I really didn't know how I'd feel about reading a romance that centers around something I'm so uncomfortable with. If this is the position you might find yourself in, I recommend that you push ahead and read it anyways. I truly don't think that dentistry itself is necessarily key to this story. I would have to say that Harper dealing with being a woman in STEM and dealing with the rigors of difficult schooling that just happens to be dentistry is much more key to the story.

Harper and Dan are dental students, Harper a fourth year and Dan a first. Harper is dealing with a great deal of anxiety and control issues stemming from her mother passing away in a car accident when she was young and Dan dealing with not really wanting to be in dental school, there out of familial duty rather than desire to be a dentist. The way all of these things intertwine definitely leaves me calling it a win for #smutwithsubstance!

I absolutely loved Dan and Harper's meetcute as I could totally see myself being the one to biff it and wreck someone else's hard work completely by accident. I loved how hard Harper tries to friend zone Dan and how Dan works within those confines to make Harper feel safe. He is definitely my newest book boyfriend. (I love how I'm now collecting a harem!) I absolutely adored Harper's girlfriends and found myself actually laughing out loud a number of times.

I am blown away that this is a debut novel and cannot wait for more. Might have to go get some teeth whitening done over the smiles from this incredible 5 star read!

Harper Horowitz is in her last year of dental school and is anxious about her future placement into an oral surgery residency program. In truth though, Harper is anxious about a lot of things. She has an anxiety disorder and sometimes finds it a struggle to keep herself focused and negative repetitive thoughts at bay. In spite of her challenges, however, Harper excels as a student and takes it very seriously.

Heading to class one day, Harper, distracted and in a rush, crashes into a jaw-droppingly cute boy named, Dan. Her literal wrecking ball force of a crash destroys a project he had been working on. Harper, remembering how difficult that portion of first year had been, guiltily offers to help him repair it.

Working together on the project, the two hit it off. They feel comfortable with one another and the banter back in forth is flirty and fun. Dan finds himself quickly falling for Harper, but she is pretty clear with him, she doesn't want any distractions. She can't afford it at this point in her life. They have to stay just friends.

Lines get blurred though and the 'just friends' mandate becomes more and more difficult to maintain. Harper feels out of control. This whole Dan debacle is overwhelming. She needs her life to return to the way it was before the infamous crash, but is that what she truly wants?

A Brush with Love is such a smart, witty and romantic comedy. I fell in love with Harper from the very first chapter. I feel like she came to life on the page, and don't even get me started on Dan. Swooning from the start!

Even though this is cute and funny though, that's not all it is. Both Harper and Dan had great depth of character with some hard-hitting story lines in their past. Both of them were struggling to move past self-doubt, guilt and fear. I loved watching them open up with one another about their pasts and really support each other through those moments. Their vulnerability was beautiful.

Eddings did a great job balancing the humor with serious, real-life issues that many Readers will be able to relate to. One of my favorite aspects was the incredibly fun dialogue. Harper had a great friend group and the dynamics between them all was fantastic. If you are a Reader who loves hilarious dialogue, you have to read this.

The one, very small critique I have with this story, is that I didn't feel any real conflict in the plot until about the 70% mark. Then it felt like that wrapped up too quickly after it presented itself. That's extremely minor though and completely personal taste. You may read this and feel that it is perfectly paced. It is super fun the whole way through, I just could have enjoyed a bit more time with the resolution to the conflict.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I did listen to the audiobook and it was absolutely fantastic. I definitely recommend that format to Readers who enjoy audiobooks. Also, I was super stoked to see that this is the first book in a companion series by Eddings. This makes me so happy. I cannot wait for the next book!!

I need everyone to go ahead and add “A Brush With Love” by Mazey Eddings to your TBR, if you haven’t already. It had everything I love in a romance book, the meet cute, the romantic grand gesture, and a HEA — they were all perfection!

Harper is in her last year of dental school, awaiting to hear back from oral surgery residency programs when she quite literally crashes into Dan, who is in his first year of dental school out of familial obligations and would rather be doing the actual thing he loves (finance) and not struggling through classes he hates and impossible practicums – side note: Who knew taking dental impressions could be so sexy? Lol!

There were so many things that I loved about this book, it’s just so hard to limit them and not give away the plot, but here goes:

- I am here for an Author’s Note prior to reading a book to help you avoid triggers — I wish this was more popular in publishing because it gives the reader the opportunity to make sure they’re in the right headspace and doesn’t spoil the book at all!
- I 100% died of mortification for Harper when she “ran into” Dan — absolute great meet cute!
- The friendships (Harper, Lizzie, Indira, and of course Thu)!!!! I loved their overall vibe, and it made me want to call up all my besties while reading because I felt like I was reading conversations we’ve had
- Dan and his VERY distracting ways. Poor Harper – who is very goal oriented and focused — she never stood a chance and it just made me swoon. He’s a total cinnamon roll :)
- Harper allowing Dan to see her vulnerabilities — the sweetest! — but also him seeing them and appreciating them without asking for more from her until she was ready to discuss her anxiety and true self with him
- My fluctuation between sympathizing with Harper over her anxiety and feeling like she had to be “perfect” and wanting to shake and yell at her “JUST LET DAN LOVE YOU!”

Overall (if you can’t tell), I really enjoyed this book and will be adding Mazey Eddings to my list of authors I will instantly purchase their books.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author (Mazey Eddings) and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

I LOVE this book!

I was not expecting the emotional journey that I went on with Harper and Dan, but now being on the other side I can tell you I feel euphoric that we made it through.

This one starts out with a meet cute (they literally run into each other) and initially I wasn’t expecting the depth of character and deep emotional pull I felt reading.

Harper is dedicated to her studies and determined to get into a great Residency. Dan is doing Dentistry because he feels he has to. On paper, these two are polar opposites… but they’re not.

As a person who has dealt with anxiety disorder for my whole life I loved the attention placed here on Harper and her dealings with her own anxiety. I am very familiar with the battle between wanting to be “me” even if that means being anxious rather than changing myself with medication. I have also dealt with the thoughts of separating myself from my anxiety and I loved the thoughtful focus placed in this book on Harper’s struggle with it.

There is a stigma to mental illness of any kind and this book truly touches on so many aspects of it that it felt real, and my stomach was in knots as I read.

Dan was a sweet guy, and he would do anything for Harper. I loved the attention he put towards constantly confirming everything was what Harper wanted and he never forced anything on her which I loved.

Also, who knew Dentistry could be so hot?

I recommend this one to anyone who loves some depth to their romance/rom-coms. There are some important things touched on here and the story itself felt real and powerful and I loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and the Saint Martin’s Griffin for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this one just missed the mark for me. The writing style was really strange because at times it felt like it was written for YA, then they would randomly say cock or ass out of nowhere.

Pros:
-friendships and banter between characters was believable

-openly talked about mental health, faith, etc.

Cons:
-I felt the characters were really one dimensional and “woe is me.” (Also please don’t praise consent as if it’s revolutionary instead of human decency.)

-extremely cliche, the worst kinda trope where “two broken people come together to make a whole person”.

-MC Harper was extremely annoying because she constantly felt like everyone and everything was against her, when she had literally everything in front of her. I don’t like how she talked about anxiety and I felt she was full of herself. She had a full on melt down and Dan just goes “you’re right!”


Overall, this book was just way too predictable, lacked character development but sprinkled in dad jokes or sexual innuendos about dental anatomy. 1.5

I’d like to say that I really enjoyed A Brush With Love but I can’t. In fact, I struggled to get through it in a fashion similar to a mammoth trying to cross La Brea – can you picture it? One foot in the pit. Bad idea. I really don’t want to end up deeper in this mess. Oh god, I’m being dragged down into a sticky morass. Maybe I can get some leverage by stepping on the edge. Nope. Crap. Now I’m well and truly stuck. The only way out is through? Not when you’re stuck in La Brea. Guess I’ll just die here, covered in tar.

Harsh? Well, maybe. But this was a particularly frustrating read. The writing isn’t terrible, though it’s not exactly polished and includes some, IMO unforgivable, grammatical errors, e.g., him and I. (Him and I wouldn’t be correct in any situation – it’s either “he and I” or it’s “him and me/me and him.”) If speaking ungrammatically were part of the character’s aesthetic, it might be a defensible decision at least but the character doesn’t speak like this. And that’s what makes mixing parts of speech a writing felony for which the grammar police will definitely issue a warrant.)

As a writer who has taught, mentored, and employed writers for more years than sliced bread has existed, I have always counseled them to read their work aloud. Doing so flags overused words, highlights difficult passages and weak language, and helps to identify grammatical errors that aren’t apparent in writing (but sound funny to the ear). This book desperately needed a read-aloud session. There is a lot that could and should have been caught.

There’s also a pacing issue. The first day – that’s right, the day Harper and Dan meet – lasts eight chapters, nearly a quarter of the book. That’s putting a lot of weight on day 1 and results in a sprint through the back half of the story. In addition, some of the pacing problems could have been fixed by addressing the fact that there’s just too damn much going on in this story.

For example, on the day that they meet (a Monday), the protagonist, Harper, and her love interest, Dan, have an extremely personal discussion of religion. She talks about how important Shabbat is to her, how it centers everything in her life and provides balance. That Friday, Harper attends Shabbat with her friends and then, religion in any form disappears entirely from the story. Either Shabbat is important to our understanding of her and to her understanding of herself or it isn’t. And since we never hear about it again, it isn’t important to her growth, in which case, why is it part of the story?

Disappointingly, the wonderful Martin’s deli, which plays a key role on day one, also disappears entirely from the story, even though it is Harper’s favorite restaurant. Why spend so much time on, IMHO, the most intriguing character in the story if we’re never going to meet him (Martin) again?

To be fair, the friends might have been great characters too but they get little attention. And mysteriously, at the very end of the story, all of the friends are abandoned – literally – in the middle of a quiet side street in NYC. Just completely abandoned, without thought or explanation. It’s like when you watch a movie and the main character drops their jacket or shoe and just leaves it. It’s an obviously unresolved plot point which draws the reader’s attention and then leaves said reader dangling, like spiderman – upside down but with no weirdly passionate kiss from Mary Jane.

And now, I have to admit that I’ve been dragging my feet, delaying the inevitable. We really need to talk about Bruno … yes, that’s right, I mean mental illness. As the adult child of a mentally ill, often suicidal mother, I feel very qualified to discuss Harper’s untreated grief, panic attacks, social anxiety, claustrophobia, etc., and the way the author handled it.

Harper’s mental illness appears as obsessive studying, off-the-charts negative self-talk, severe PTSD, panic attacks, and more, lots and lots more. The author describes Harper’s panic attacks in lengthy – very, very lengthy – detail. Unbelievably, our protagonist has kept these frequent panic attacks a secret from her friends, her professors, her patients, other students, etc., which I don’t buy for a second. If you read all the way to the prom pre-game, you’ll see what I mean.

While I need to acknowledge that the author discusses mental illness a bit in the afterword, I remain deeply troubled by the negativity of her portrayal of mental illness in the story itself. Possibly due to pacing problems within the story, the author furthers her flawed treatment of the protagonist’s defining characteristic (her mental illness) by magically resolving it at the very end of the story, robbing us of the opportunity to see Harper grow.

Literally, to resolve the mental illness, a friend brings Harper cake and talks to her about treatment. Harper eats cake and magically decides – right then – that all the crap she’s previously said about mental health treatment is past history. Time to heal. Yay.

I won’t argue against the healing power of cake – there’s no more powerful pastry in the baker’s handbook of medical treatment. I’m pretty sure there’s scientific evidence that chocolate cake, in particular, can cure anything … but imagine how powerful it would have been to see Harper take responsibility for avoiding treatment, for punishing her friends for her illness, for her growth and healing. Imagine allowing the reader to see Harper experience the difficult journey that is therapy. That would have been a powerful story.

This review is also available at bookbuzzblog.com

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t know if Ive ever related to a main character more. Harper is a 4th year dental student and suffers from anxiety. One day she falls for (literally falls for) Dan, a first year dental student. Harper is scared about letting someone in, scared to get hurt and scared to disappoint everyone. Dan is patient and loving and kind. this love warmed my heart and broke my heart and put it back together.

A side-splitting, heart-wrenching, swoon-worthy ride to an expertly crafted and wholly satisfying HEA! With beautiful anxiety rep, feminist icons, and turns of phrase that will burrow into your heart right alongside Harper and Dan, Eddings is an auto-buy!

This book was so adorable! I enjoyed the college setting and the banter between Harper and Dan. I thought each of the characters were well developed. Harper and Dan come from different backgrounds but I feel like that really helps to balance each other out. Harper is an overachiever who deals with anxiety when she's unable to control things and Dan is in dental school out of obligation rather than actually wanting to be there.

This was a light read but also touches on complex family dynamics and mental health. I thought the author did a good job of portraying anxiety in a very realistic way. The pressures and expectations Harper places on herself start to come to the surface and she's forced to see things from a different perspective. Dan on the other hand is avoiding his mother at all costs because the pressures of having to run his father's dental practice is just too much for him to deal with while also trying to get through classes.

I thought the audiobook was really well done. I would recommend this book overall.

The mental health representation in this book was very well done and it was so emotional to see a heroine on page that has to work through her trauma, and the stigma society has thrust upon her on what getting help means. I loved the relationship that formed on page and appreciated that they both realized they had to work out their issues to be able to work together as a couple. I thought the author's writing was great and she did a great job building the angst and tension between them,

This debut book by Mazey Eddings was the perfect blend of romance and determination.

This is the story of Harper and Dan. Harper and Dan literally fall over each other down the stairs in the first scene of the book. While Harper, an anxious 26 year old, is in her last year of dentistry school and trying to get into a residency program, Dan is just starting out in the program. While they are both falling for each other, Harper just wants to keep it friendly. But are they able to stay within the lines of friendships?

What I loved:
🪥 Harper and Dan’s history defined their purpose while they were in dental school.
🪥 The chemistry and love they showed each other throughout the book.
🪥 Mental health is talked about in great detail. Mazey does a wonderful job of describing trying to be a professional while fighting anxiety.
🪥 The author’s note at the beginning. Sometimes as readers we go in blind to books. The author wanted the reader to be aware of trigger warnings the book may cause so they could make a decision about reading.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

QOTD: Have you read any books that have discussed mental health within the story?

A big thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Holy WOW! I have never read through a romance the way I read through this one. I absolutely ADORE Harper and Dan! This is easily one of my favorite book couples ever. I don't know how Mazey did it, but they flossed their way into my heart. The beautiful prose and spicy connection between these two really was incredible. I couldn't put it down! Immediately upon finishing, I wanted to read it again.

I really felt connected with Harper. Mazey does an incredible job depicting anxiety disorder and I saw parts of myself in Harper. It was so well done and made me feel seen in a way I hadn't experienced before. I can't get over it.

If you're a romance fan, this is a book you will be raving about long after you've finished. You can't go wrong picking up A BRUSH WITH LOVE!

A BRUSH WITH LOVE
It's a bit heavy book as opposed to the cover...there are quite a bit of T/Ws - chronic anxiety, panic attacks, grief, parental pressure and so on.
The mental health representation along with the friends support which Harper got was so well portrayed and esp important in today's time.
It has dual PoV , friends to lovers , slow burn leading to steamy romance.
I only disliked Harper's attitude towards the end..felt it a bit too much for me.
But overall I quite enjoyed it and recommend it!!

A Brush with Love is easily one of my top ten favorite books ever. Mazey Eddings has written such an excellent, delightful, charming, witty, (insert all the other good adjectives here) story. First, I loved the lovely trigger warning note at the beginning; it's very thoughtful in the way it's worded.

Harper is in her last year of dental school when she meets Dan, who's in his first. The last thing she wants is any kind of distraction. All of her time, energy, and focus need to be on landing a residency. Despite doing his best Dan's just barely scraping by at school out of a sense of duty to his mom. Harper's perfect to help get him through.

The mental health representation is perfection. Harper's description of anxiety and all of the emotions that go with it are excellent. Dan's patient, soft, approach is one thousand percent the type of person you need to ground you and remind you that despite what your brain is telling you, you're not going to die at that moment. I adore all of the dynamics of their relationship, it's sweet and messy and lovely and real. This book honestly has everything, it's hilarious, has a great slow burn, neurodiverse mc, excellent banter, it's just fantastic.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
A Brush With Love caught my attention thanks to its cute, punny title and cover, but with little else in the way of expectations. Upon finishing it, I find myself amused and impressed. This book doesn’t fall into the trap with many a “romcom” of baiting you with cute branding, only to surprise you with traumatic topics, but nor does it refrain from delving into serious territory, with a balance of well-placed humor to lighten the mood.
Harper and Dan are both wonderful characters. Harper deals with an anxiety disorder, and while my own anxiety manifests differently from hers, I couldn’t help but feel some kinship with her as a result, especially as she’s navigating that and her drive to succeed in dentistry and coping with her mother’s death. Dan, meanwhile, is dealing with the pressure of the family legacy in dentistry: struggling to measure up, coping with his father’s death, facing comparisons and even outright bullying from his peers. Not to mention his complex, sometimes toxic relationship with his father when he was alive. Both of them are struggling, and I loved how compassionate they were to each other with regards to each other’s personal issues.
I did feel like the second half of the book stagnated a bit as the timeline skipped around more. And the way their issues are resolved ultimately occur separately from their relationship, as if they had to take time apart to address their issues independently before making things official. It’s not necessarily a bad thing from my perspective, but it is an interesting choice from a creative perspective.
This is a heartwarming debut romance from a promising new author who I’m excited to read more from. I would recommend it if you like contemporary romances.

I am no stranger to adding books to my TBR and then immediately forgetting what they are about. It's pretty rare that I actually remember synopses and I'll pick up a book randomly without really knowing. I'm a sucker for these adult rom-com cartoon covers and when I need me a quick but fun read, I'll choose one at random. For some reason, this cover in the small icon made me think it was an artist, but this story follows a dental student, Harper, who is vying for a spot in a surgical residency. Her life is consumed by excelling in school. She has a meet cute with Dan, a fellow dental student, but after it's clear there is chemistry between them, she puts up a wall because she doesn't want anything to get in her way and she knows she will be moving for her residency.

This story has wonderful anxiety/panic rep. I adore Harper's friend group and I believe the follow up books will follow some of them. Book 2 follows Lizzie. Dan is an adorable, cinnamon roll and one of my favorite love interests I think I've ever read. He's patient, persistent, but completely respectful. Lots of angsty build up (which is a lot like the last book I read - guess I'm in an angsty mood)!