DNF at ch. 10

I tried several times, but this one for some reason has just been hard for me to get into. I'm not anxious about going to the dentist--I had a messed up mouth as a kid so for a while there I had a long history with dentists. But I just found myself entirely uninterested in the dentist aspect of this book. I didn't click with Harper, she just seems really generic, and I didn't really feel the sparks between her and Daniel. I just got bored. Maybe I'll come back to it at some point.

It's probably good to start this review with a quick disclaimer: I think this is primarily a case of "it's not you, it's me," and I am someone who has been fairly mentally ill her entire life, including dealing with an anxiety disorder like Harper does.

This book sets out to do something really tough - make dentists sexy. For me, it doesn't really succeed. There's no graphic dental work here, but there's still a lot of dentistry going on. Lots of studying, lots of explaining how to make molds, lots of thinking about facial bones and muscles. Just not my cup of tea.

I would also say that this book is aggressively straight. It's absolutely not homophobic, but two characters who claim to be feminists are... not really? Dan is glad when he meets a vaguely paternal (and I mean vague) that this man doesn't have a rack of guns on his wall. No thanks! And while Harper verbalizes her irritation with Dan when he undermines her authority with a patient they see in clinic in a misguided attempt to support her, she doesn't care at all when he punches an academic rival of hers in an effort to do the same thing. Call me odd, but I would much rather a man accidentally undermine me verbally than punch someone for me. Let's not normalize violence like this??

My other biggest qualm with this book is the resolution. Harper says some things to Dan in a state of panic that, to me, are unforgivable. I would not forgive someone who spoke to me like that, nor would I expect to be forgiven if I said those things in a similar position, which is a totally viable possibility for me. Somehow, Dan seems to accept the responsibility for having put her in a position where she emotionally exploded and her anxiety manifested in some pretty horrible words toward him. There's some time that passes between this and their resolution, which was 100% necessary, but Harper needed a much more intense grovel. Being mentally ill does not excuse you acting like a jerk, and she's absolved of this behavior much too quickly.

Like I said, this is really a case of this book just not being my thing. I'd be careful recommending it to people with anxiety issues, but otherwise don't have a ton of concerns with it.

Harper is the classic high-achieving student who puts her head down while not letting anything or anyone stand in the way of her success. That is, until Dan literally gets in the way. From some perspectives, Harper and Dan couldn't be more different: Harper has spent her whole life working for her role in dental school while simultaneously combatting anxiety, whereas Dan is the son of a well-known dentist who finds himself in dentistry just to appease his father's legacy. Dan is exactly the distraction that Harper doesn't want, but actually needs. The problem is, life seems to have a way of throwing wrenches into the best laid plans.

***

I feel like I'm actively trying not to be petty in a review because I strongly dislike Harper. As someone who also describes herself a school-focused and whose anxiety also limits her, WOW was she annoying. Thank goodness for Dan because his patience and honest admiration for Harper carried me through the book. I will say, Harper's friends are quite hilarious and positive characters in the book. Thu is so unique, honest, and loyal and I enjoyed having her in the scenes. One observation is that while I think it's important for books to stand out and be unique, this one faces the challenge of being potentially too niche. I didn't really care for the dentistry.

A cute friends to lovers romance for new adults (18+)
Harper is a hyper focused final year student in her dentistry program. Dan is a first year legacy who doesn't really want to be there.
Harper can’t have any distractions when she’s this close to achieving her dreams so Dan entering her life could not happen at a worse time, but he welcomes being a part of her world however he can, even if it means just as friends.
Both deal with expectations from themselves and others, past trauma, mental illness, and real world decisions that make the story Harper and Dan feel like real.
There were some small editing details and pacing I would revise but overall a lovely romance.
This author is one to watch in the romance genre and does an excellent job representing neurdivergency.
4/5

A Brush with Love by Mazey Eddings is an adorable love story that blends sweetness, breathless romance, and moments of striking vulnerability.

I absolutely loved this book! I was so engrossed by the characters right off the bat. Mazey Eddings's writing is out of this world, if you've been in a reading slump this is a great place to start, it absolutely blew me away!

Sweet, swoony, and laugh-out-loud!

I absolutely adored this Romance! While Dan and Harper seem to connect right off the bat, they both have a habit of getting in their own way. Dan is enrolled in dentist school (is that what you call it?) out of guilt and obligation when his father passes in the hopes of taking over the family's practice, despite the fact that it's the last thing he wants to do. Harper, on the other hand, is passionate about becoming an oral surgeon but refuses to admit her anxiety is taking a toll on her. Their chemistry together was off the charts, and the push and pull between them was fantastic!

While the tone of this book overall is lighthearted and sweet, there are also hard-hitting moments from both leads. I loved seeing Harper's progression in realizing she needs help (though she does fight it a lot at first) and her grand gesture at the end to get Dan back after she messes up.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it!

A Brush with Love by Mazey Eddings is such a quintessential rom-com. But with a decidedly modern edge. It is at times frothy and light, so cliche and cheesy, but then heartbreakingly real and raw. Hannah is in the last year of dental school when she literally falls into the man of her dreams. Hot, dreamy, smart, funny, kind Dan. But Hannah has her life planned, and falling for a first year student was definitely not a part of those plans. Hannah and Dan quickly become friends that obviously both want more, but Hannah is desperate for control in her life. Can she risk her future on uncertainty? The novel is a typical romance with all of the “will they/ won’t they?”, missed communication, pushing away and then getting back together, meddling friends, running through the streets of New York. It could have ended up being sickly sweet, but in the end it delivers just the right amount of fumbling sex, trembling tender kisses, and rooting for the two to get it right. Eddings does a great job tackling serious issues such as sexism and anxiety- giving a unique voice to Hannah and helping the reader understand the reality of both. The approach isn’t heavy-handed, rather it adds to the characters’ journeys. A Brush with Love was the perfect book to read on a chilly, rainy Sunday. Random rating 4/5 Look out for this one in March 2022. Thanks to @NetGalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC.

I'm going to get a bit spolier-y so proceed with caution. I feel like I don't know where to begin in describing all the feelings I had while reading this book. I can start by telling you I was incredibly intrigued when I read the description and discovered this was a romance book about dental students, which in hindsight for some people is probably weird, but for me, that's the kind of "slice of life" I'm into. I like unique things.

This book deals with a lot of grief, and in my opinion, it does it well. Grief is incredibly complex and at many times the people that are going through their grieving process can be incredibly selfish unintentionally and as we way to protect themselves. I saw a lot of that in Harper's character. Although at times I was frustrated with her, I really just wanted to take the Dan role here and fix things for her.

Counter to this, Dan's grief is displayed in a different way. We see him trying to be something he is not in order to make the bad go away. I related a lot to Dan's character, his fixer attitude, his anger towards his dad, among other things.

The way that anxiety is portrayed in this book was also incredibly well done. The multitude of scenes we saw anxiety seeping through really showed a lot about the struggles of people going through this, but I do want to say that for anyone thinking "this isn't how anxiety is," it is for some people and seeing it in this lens in this narrative was a good addition.

I dig this romance!!!! I was wary at first. I'm not the insta-love fan, but this really wasn't insta-love. Insta-attraction maybe, but insta-love no. There were more layers to it in my opinion and I liked how hard the characters had to fight to get to where they needed to end up.

Overall, this book ended up surprising me quite a bit. I wasn't sure if I was going to get into it as much as I did, but I ended up enjoying it a lot by the end.

This book was super cute! A little slow to start but the spice level *chefs kiss*. The characters were relatable and Dan of course too good to be true

I enjoyed reading this book. I was intrigued by the concept of a main character with extreme anxiety. The subject was treated very well for the most part. And it was still a great romance despite this heavy subject matter. The one thing I will say is that I think the author made it a little too easy. I have to think that it is honestly and in reality often a lot harder to be in love with and in a relationship with someone with extreme anxiety than it was for Dan to be in love with and in a relationship with Harper.

so cute and everything i hope for!!!!!!!!!!! almost want to re read it right now lolol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was a super cute romance and strong debut. I really enjoyed how diverse this book was and the love interest was super likeable. That, in combination with all the pining made it really easy to root for the romance. I did find the romance to develop really quickly at times, and the final conflict felt a bit forced, but overall I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it.

A slow burn love story, a cinnamon roll hero, and a cat named Big Booty Judy. Honestly, what more could you want from a romance novel? Needless to say, when I got the opportunity to read A Brush with Love (thank you @mazeyeddings and @smpromance) I jumped all over it.

Did this book make me swoon? Yes. Did it also make me cry at 3AM? Yes. Going in I don’t think I was quite prepared for how emotionally charged this book would be. It tackled matters of grief, anxiety, sexism in the workplace, while still being able to maintain levity, romance and humor at the appropriate times. That’s one hell of a balancing act to pull off – and it made this book all the better. Seriously though, I could not put it down (and I’ll definitely be rereading it sooner than later).

I freaking loved Harper. As a person with anxiety, it was really refreshing to have an accurate portrayal of what it’s like to live with anxiety in a romance novel. I also really loved how Harper took shit from no one (especially no man) and was so passionate about her career/ education. Career driven women are among my favorite romance leads, but I really appreciated that this book explored the idea of taking career driven to the extremes – where one’s life lacks balance between work and a social life. Reading about Harper and how she tried to internalize her anxiety and not let anyone see she was struggling was devastating – but when she started trusting her friends with what was going on in her life, that’s when she really grew as a character.

Harper and Dan are perfect for each other, and I won’t be accepting any arguments about it. Their chemistry was immaculate, and the slow burn build up to their relationship was so rife with tension and good banter that I could barely stand it at times. He was a total cinnamon roll and she was dorky and clumsy in love, and they were way too damn cute together. I really, really liked that this book had dual POV – it really made me connect with both Dan and Harper individually, which helped me root for their happily ever after.

A Brush with Love has flown into my personal top five reads of the year – it’s lovely and emotional and just so good. Between the heartwarming love story, the career driven leading lady, and the excellent friendships, there is just so much to love about this book. I can’t wait to read whatever Mazey writes next – I know it’ll be great. 5/5

Okay this was too cute, which I didn't expect. I don't have a whole lot of thoughts on it because it didn't wow my socks off or anything, but I did enjoy it.

This should have been a 5 star read for me, but Harper… Ughhh 😩

A Brush with Love is a super cute quick read, that sucked me and made me laugh. I pretty much loved every character—especially Dan because *swoon* , EXCEPT for Harper… Which sucks because she’s the FMC and kind of ruined the whole vibe.

It literally took 95% of the book for Harper to actually take responsibility for her actions and mental health instead of just using it as an excuse to be an asshole and push everyone away. As someone who also has anxiety, I get it, but it would have been nice to see Harper get help earlier on instead of rushing her character growth and happy ending at the end.

I wasn't sure what to expect with A Brush with Love, but thank goodness for that. Having almost no expectations sent me in with a wide open mind and the ability to totally love it. This is the story of Harper and Dan. Both are in a highly intense and competitive school for vastly different reasons. Her focus and drive and goal of oral surgery put them together on a project that leads to friendship. Best friendship and proximity that leads to all of the best tension and romance. Dan was the actual best hero. The actual best. He was so supportive and fun and encouraging of Harper. Harper has such a good anxiety rep that as a person with threads of this in her life, I felt incredibly seen. (maybe a little too clearly. lol). From the romance to the friend group, Maezy E provided fun and heat and all the things we crave in a great rom com with all of the real life emotion that we need.

A Brush with Love started out strong for me, and has so many elements I love in a romcom: STEM heroine/setting, realistic mental health struggles, witty banter. But around the halfway mark it petered out, and months later, I am forced to admit I probably won't pick it back up.

What worked for me: this is a legit, feminist contemporary romance and does a great job depicting what it's like to be a woman in a STEM (or any) profession, all the tiny little things that can get exhausting. I don't even like teeth (ew) and all the dental/teeth jokes and puns were hilarious. There wasn't an age difference so much as a *slight* power differential, with the male MC being earlier in his education and training (and not as good at what they do) compared to the female MC, which I dug. There were also so many pop culture references that hit right, and fleshed out secondary characters who I mostly adored.

So what didn't? I think the reason I ended up putting this down is that I didn't really buy the central conceit--the "why we can't be together even though we're madly attracted to each other and enjoy each other's company and are compatible" argument just felt structurally weak. And like, as a person who reads a ton of romance, I think I am a very easy sell!!! I don't need the reasons to be ironclad or 100% logical (because humans aren't 100% logical). But they've gotta at least remotely make sense, and when it came to these two characters in this story, they felt really flimsy. And once I stopped buying the bit, I lost interest in their interactions, which had previously had a lot of sparky verve for me.

I'm leaving open the possibility that it was "wrong book, wrong time," and maybe I'll return to this one. But for the moment, it's a DNF, though I'll definitely be interested to see what Mazey Eddings does next.

The author's own description of this book is spot on - slow burn horny pining! The author's writing is beautiful and the anxiety rep is really detailed and admirably draws attention to something that is not talked about nearly enough. This couple was absolutely adorable. I particularly liked Harper's friends who so patiently allowed Harper to lose it on them, knowing it was her issue and not theirs. I always appreciate friends who accept each other even when they are at their worst. I had no idea that Harper was Jewish and it was a pleasant surprise for this Jewish reader! Although there were a lot of funny awkward moments and humorous banter, I would not call this a romcom as much as a contemporary romance.

I devoured 𝐀 𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 𝗪𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 (Pub 3.1.22) in a matter of hours. I started reading it in the school pick up line and couldn't go to bed until I finished. The next morning I re-read my favorite bits again. I absolutely loved it.

WHAT I LOVED:
- Funny and full of sharp dialogue.
- Swoony, slow-burn tension.
- Feminism in the workplace.
- Dan: my new book boyfriend. Not sharing.
- Harper: whip smart, witty and unapologetically real.
- Characters that were layered and authentic.
- Neurodiversity and Jewish representation.
- Tender, honest and vulnerable conversations.
- Judy the Cat.


I've read other books with neurodiverse characters, but this is the first book that gave me a giant light bulb moment. I don't live with anxiety. But I love people who do. The way that Harper compared her anxiety to the honey mushroom was enlightening "𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘐𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘱 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦." . . . "𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵-𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘦- 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 ... 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥." This passage stopped me in my tracks and completely reframed my understanding of what it's like to live with anxiety. It's helped me be a better source of support for those people I love.

A fabulous debut novel. I can't wait to read what Mazey Eddings writes next.