I hope this book is on your TBR list for 2022, and if not, consider this your gentle reminder to put it there because you will want this book! Trust me!

You know that feeling when you’re reading a book & you can tell it’s already going to be a favorite? I felt that way at 30% with this one. Mazey Eddings has delivered a heartfelt, swoon-worthy, realistic look at love told through the eyes of two young dental professionals as they meet and grow together. I was completely infatuated with both Harper and Dan. Their adventures, along with their struggles, rooted me to the story from the beginning. I was in awe of Mazey’s descriptive narrative & how alive, rich with emotion, her words made me feel. There’s something to be said about this author, especially with this being her debut novel. She’s a strong force in the romance world & I am 100% here for it.

If you love romance novels that can take your heart on a journey, this book is definitely for you. Plan on hearing me mention it several.. hundred.. more times. It’s that good & I want everyone to have the opportunity to read it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

A Brush with Love is quite honestly one of the best books I've read all year. Dan and Harper's story is just lovely, and the growth that each character exhibits throughout the novel is (*chef's kiss*) perfection.

While there are some fun, sexy times in this book, I do appreciate that Dan and Harper's connection is so much more than them just lusting after each other, and that their relationship is built on a solid foundation of vulnerability and trust. This kind of connection has been so rare in the novels I've been reading lately, and this story is all the better for it. You can tell that Mazey Eddings put so much care and thought into her characters and each of their backstories, which I just love, love, love.

Ugh, there are so many things I love about this book. The meddling friends, Dr. Ren's badassery, the grocery store date, Dan's kind heart and just DAN in general. But of course, I would be remiss if I didn't touch on the fact that one of the lead characters, Harper, suffers from anxiety, which in and of itself can be such a difficult subject to tackle and convey appropriately. Mazey handles it beautifully, and she approaches the topic of mental health with such incredible sensitivity and tact; it was just wonderfully, wonderfully done and I look forward to whatever Mazey Eddings writes next!

A Brush with Love is an adorable romantic comedy about two dental students who are dealing with stressful situations. Harper is anxiously awaiting the results of placement in an oral surgery dental program, and Dan is a first year dental student who is weighed down with his dad’s legacy.

The two are adorable together and I love the friends-to-lovers romance in this book. The anxiety rep was spot on and I appreciated how the author handled the discussion about mental health. The setting and scenario were unique, and I loved how both Harper and Dan complimented each other.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review..

Oh my gosh. What a phenomenal slow burn romance!! I adored A Brush With Love so much. I cried when I got my copy in the mail, and I smiled the entire way through to the last page.

Harper is relatable AF, Dental Dan is a giant, gooey cinnamon roll, and there’s a giant cat named a Big Booty Judy. What is there NOT to love?!

I don’t know diddly squat about dentistry but I live with an anxiety disorder and Mazey NAILS IT. She handles anxiety and mental health tenderly and with a deft hand. One of my biggest beefs with romance books is the conflict—every romance has one, but so many feel forced. Harper and Dan’s relational issues arose so naturally from their personal struggles that when the conflict reached its peak, it felt organic and unavoidable—just like their eventual reunion.

This book is a must read for anyone who struggles with anxiety or shame. Books like ABWL help lessen the stigma around mental health and mental illness. We need more of this!!!

Bravo, my friend!! ABWL has a permanent place of honor on my shelf.

4.5 stars!

content warnings: death of a parent, car accident, mental illness, panic attacks/disorder, psychiatric treatment

read if you liked: the academic setting of The Love Hypothesis and the mental health representation of The Charm Offensive

what i liked: I LOVED the PINING!!! This story is insta-love adjacent, with friends-to-lovers that leave you yelling at them to “just kiss already!!”. I can say it’s worth it.

I also love both Harper and Dan as characters. Harper has been through some shit (hence, content warnings), and I just want to give her a big hug. It gives this book such a deeper facet than your typical romance. Also, their friends / the side characters are so wonderful. i would 100% read follow-up novels starring these friends + their love stories.

If you’re an impatient person, know that this is the slow burn of slow burns. For my personal tastes, the sexy scenes could have been a little more ~descriptive~. Very good middle-ground on steam. I can promise that while the premise of dental students may sound nerdy, it is anything but. I cherish this book and hope you will too!

An amazing debut from Mazey Eddings. I will be back for more. Thank you St. Martin’s for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

oof ok. complicated feelings here.
pros:
-DAN DAN DAN DAN DAN
-setting was very unique and fun
-tension was A+
-story in general was good

cons:
-HARPER
-that's it. i just couldn't stand harper.

anyways i enjoyed most of this but couldn't give it more than 3 stars. i couldn't stand how harper led him on so much and her general vibes were absolutely rancid.

I feel like I have cavities after reading this one! Harper and Dan were just so chaotically sweet and I loved every minute of it. It’s also perfect for readers who loved books like The Kiss Quotient and Get a Life, Chloe Brown. This book is filled with so many great puns and bad oral jokes and it just made my heart so happy. A Brush With Love just felt like a warm hug with all it’s nervous rambling, drunken shenanigans, and let’s not forget terrifying monster-sized cats. Let’s just say Dental Dan can give me a filling any time…

This book is so cute and yet so raw. The depiction of Harpers anxiety was done so well and Dan felt like exactly the right person so be there with her. I just love everything about this book.

I received a copy through netgalley

A fun read with interesting main characters and sub-plots, A Brush with Love is great romantic fiction. I loved the chemistry and relationship of Hazel and Daniel and also the added complexity and personal issues they each faced. Mazey Eddings handles the relationship expertly, creating dialogue and reactions that seemed realistic for the characters. I appreciated that the main characters don't break up for some false and silly excuse but for reasons that could occur in life. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good romance with a little heat.

Such a cute book. I was grinning the whole way through and couldn’t stop! I loved all the jokes that comes with being in the dentist world. Besides that, there is so much depth in these characters. I loved working through their problems and I felt completely connected to Harper. So many instances in this book where she’s dealing with her anxiety that speak to me. Loved it.

Can I just say, WOW. This isn't just a romance, this is a true lesson on how hard it is to live with anxiety disorder, but written so well, it's laugh out loud funny at points. I

I appreciated the trigger warning at the beginning of the book, and figured it could go either way, a totally wrong impression of anxiety or spot on. It is definitely spot on.

Thanks to author for such a fun book, and the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

The perfect meet-cute, a dental grad-student who is so passionate about her profession, another first year student who is trying to meet familial expectations, great chemistry between the said characters, a grocery store date, let's be just friends but we cannot really stay friends because we are catching feelings trope, impressive anxiety representation and the list goes on. Mazey Eddings gave us all. I am so excited for this debut author. You can tell she fell hard for her characters.

I wasn't aware this was a New Adult romance so some parts felt immature at first. such as Harper keeping Dan at arms length in the beginning and then later breaking up with him because she could not focus on her studies. But after a second thought, considering the characters are in their mid 20's and this is a NA book, Harper's choices didn't bother me as much..

There are many scenes that I loved, I am not going to list them, obviously, but what impressed me here is although Dan was first attracted to Harper because he found her cute his attraction grew because he found her so competent in her work. That's not something I see in romance books this role reversal, the competent female MC and male MC admiring her because of it.

Harper has anxiety but she hides it from her closest friends. She is being crushed under all the pressure to be the best in the program so she can secure a spot for residency but she doesn't seek professional help. She puts too much pressure on herself then Dan comes into the picture and all of a sudden she cannot give all her attention to her work. Dan is just the perfect cinnamon hero. He is so patient with her, so supportive (as he should be) and tries to be what she needs.

Will I read rest of Harper's friend group's books? You bet, I will.

This was an adorable rom-com read! A Brush With Love gives a ton of romance laced with realism: dealing with anxiety, family pressures, grief, and learning to work on yourself before putting yourself in a relationship. I really appreciated the writing of Harper, who has anxiety and struggles with perfectionism while dealing with friends that don't necessarily get it but want to help. She could be easy to relate to! I also really liked Dan (everyone's next book boyfriend) who was understanding and caring even though he was dealing with his own issues.

I always feel so awkward and cringey when there is a big, royal goof-up, and yes, there is one in this book, and it is painful to watch play out. It was realistic though, and everything that happens afterward is excellent. Loved the aftermath.

Recommended for you if you like rom-coms, are in dental school, or need a book that you'll fly through because the pacing is great!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC.

A fun, exciting debut by Mazey Eddings, A Brush with Love takes a deep dive into familial obligation, the stress of creating your future, and what you might have to give up to be with someone you love. There are wonderful friendships and examples of boundary holding that make every character feel like someone you'd want to get to know (or know already).

A BRUSH WITH LOVE is about Harper, a high-achieving dental student with anxiety, and Dan, a man who doesn't want to be a dentist. It's very earnest and sweet and cheesy. Overall, it's an enjoyable, fun read.

One thing I want to mention is something I haven't seen anywhere else: Harper is Jewish! It surprises me that I haven't seen any other readers talking about this and that the book hasn't popped up in lists of upcoming romances with Jewish representation. Harper's Jewishness, while not essential to the plot, is explained early on in the book to be a pretty significant part of her character. I hope that as publication gets closer, the Jewish representation in this book is discussed and celebrated. As a Jewish reader with anxiety, I felt seen by Harper, and I appreciated that.

Harper also has anxiety, and it drives the major conflict in the book. The author has talked about how writing this book helped her through a difficult time with her own mental health, and that very much comes across on the page. My only qualm with this book is a personal one, and it's that the narrative style is so focused on the romance between the two characters that it sometimes felt suffocating. Since Harper's anxiety is the B plot and Dan's character growth is much less significant than hers, her anxiety can feel overwhelming as a reader.

Thank you to St. Martins and Netgalley for the ARC.

I will say that I usually enjoy a gimmicky book. I liked the title of this very much and was very curious to see dentistry become sexy. I didn't get what I wanted from this book.
This book has a bit of an identity crisis. I felt like it didn't balance well it's want to be both funny and light and also handle hard-hitting themes. The first third of the book gave me whiplash with how many things it tried to handle, I wasn't sure what the main plot obstacle was going to be because it seemed like there was a setup for many. It ended up not being any of these things.
The main couple was also an issue for me. I thought their "love" seemed very insta-love. None of the reasons why they fall for each other is on the page, and that's a big problem for me. I didn't get it, and had no emotional attachment to their relationship, so when obstacles appeared, I simply felt like they should move on.
The side characters also were a problem for me. They served 2 misguided purposes. 1. to facilitate exposition. This happened a lot, where a friend would show up only to have the lead explain what just happened to the reader. 2. Comic relief. Not good comedy, mind you, but the friend group is there to cut a tense scene or a sexy scene or to say some quippy quote. And, sure, that's worked before. I just didn't think it worked here. Sorry. Overall, disappointing.

I'm sure I will not be the first to say that my jaw dropped to the floor when I found out that this is a debut book by this author! Mazey Eddings, bravo! I nominate you as the debut queen of swoon-worthy romance and crafter of the 5 star book boyfriend!

This book starts off on the light and fun side, but dives extremely deep into mental health and relationship boundaries. I can't help it, by the end I just feel so proud of these characters and their journey. 

What to look forward to:
Meet cute with some instant chemistry
Longing and angst with the perfect amount of slow burn build up
Some laugh out loud funnies
Amazing side characters/supportive friend group (please tell me it's a series!)Big Booty Judy
Steamy, swoony, lovely open door romance

For me, this book really shines when it comes to how closely the author zoomed in on Harper and Dan's time falling in love. The combination of Harper's anxious resistance and Dan's patience made for a page-turning reading experience. I love that angst!!! The conflict was realistic and a lot of reader's will see themselves in these pages. I know that I was looking back to my time in school specifically, and the type of anxiety it brought out in myself. 

There's so much more I could say about how much I loved this book. I cannot wait for it to be out in the world and to begin pushing all my friends to request it at the library and pre-order. Truly, I am in love.

What a cute title! I didn’t even know Dentist puns could be that cute! I went into this book thinking it was going to be a pretty standard but cute modern romance. What surprised me was the really deep study of the role anxiety plays in our lives. Our main protagonist Harper is dealing with almost crippling anxiety as she completes dental school. She is ashamed of this fact which only makes it worse. When she meets Dan, her carefully planned existence is thrown into a world-wind. What I like most is that it was easy to sympathize with both of the main characters as they struggled in their mid-20s finding themselves and their careers. That’s a completely relatable scenario to everyone. I also really liked that the happy ending was deserved and not easy. I totally recommend this book to all my friends! Thank you so much #netgalley

A bright romantic book that fits perfectly in the Rom-Com genre. I loved the writing, characters, and plot of this book. The ending was expected but perfect. I’d read this again and again as a comfort book. Lovely!

This was a sweet, quick read. It didn't feel particularly special but achieved what it seemed to have set out to do. If you're looking for a cutesy, quick read this one might be a great choice