🦷 A Brush With Love by Mazey Eddings Book Review 🦷
Out March 1, 2022
Preorder this thing N O W.

Cool cool cool. I finished A Brush With Love by Mazey Eddings, and HA OMG. She really got me with this one. First and foremost, I am so stinkin’ proud of Mazey. This book was freaking ADORABLE.

Dan and Harper are the cutest. They meet in Dental School, were Harper is somewhat of a legend. Super studious and wants to come out on top. Harper literally slams into Dan upon their first meeting (the cutest meetcute) Harper stutters her way through the conversation, like she’s 13 and Dan is the hot 14 year old in the grade above her. I loved them both from the moment I met them. Dan and his “shameless freaking dimple” were my absolute favorite.

I definitely related to Harper more. Harper is anxious. Her anxiety a living thing under her skin, vibrating and keeping her blood flowing. She compares her anxiety to a Honey Mushroom, which has a root system that spreads over three miles. If she’s not anxious she doesn’t feel alive. I feel that with the very depth of my soul.

Listen, do you love hotties? Cats? Cute lil romcoms by cute lil people? Crazy friend groups? A book that, if you deal with anxiety will literally SEE INTO YOUR SOUL? Then yeah baby, this is the book for you.

Loved this book! The anxiety representation in a romance novel was a breath of fresh air and felt very realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting as well, it felt unique being part of dentistry compared to other books I read. I wasn't 100% sure about some of the non-white cultural representations but hope it had a good sensitivity read. Fun, charming read.

I love the cute little cover art. I enjoyed the writing style of the author. The characters were easy to get into and fun to read along with.

Harper has been fixated on one goal for most of her life, get into the top oral surgery program. Everything was working out great and then in walks Dan, a first year legacy student, who does not share Harper’s passion for teeth but enjoys being in her presence. Harper is determined for her life to remain on track and for the two to remain as friends but the more she gets to know Dan she wonders if a relationship is possible.

I have a confession to make: I hate dentists… all of them. It’s nothing personal. I had an accident when I was four which resulted in major shifting of my jaw and then combine that with being born with too many teeth, let’s just say I’ve had enough dental work to last me this lifetime. So I’m not sure why this sounded like a good idea for me to read this, it was either catharsis or I was secretly issuing a challenge to the author to change my opinion.

Even though most of the book takes place in dental school I was so engrossed in Harper and Dan I forgot that was even a problem for me. They were so darn cute together! The meet cute was fantastic. Harper literally falls down a set of stairs and into Dan and when she realizes how good looking he is, she can barely get two words out. I can completely relate to Harper’s inability to lead a coherent conversation with other people on a good day.

Both characters are charming in their own ways. I really enjoyed how the book explored Harper’s anxiety and was not afraid to show the darker side of living with it. The descriptions of what Harper was feeling during a panic attack were insightful and well done. Dan was the supportive and understanding love interest who faced his own set of struggles. Sure their relationship was based on attraction but the friendship really developed and paved the way for the passion. It wasn’t the most spicy romance I ever read but that in no way lessened my enjoyment.

My only commentary was that I thought the scene when Lizzie visits Harper towards the end of the book felt kind of random and interrupted the flow.

The worst part of reading this was knowing it doesn’t come out until March 2022 and having no one to gush about it with. In the meantime, I eagerly wait whatever is next from this author!

My thanks to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful story.

I've been seeing this book around the bookstagram a lot recently and now that I've read it and witnessed it in all its glory, I completely understand why. I loved this story. It was a kind of love at first sight kind of relationship that I don't see much of anymore but desperately want to see because it's just so very cute! This whole book was just a ball of cuteness with the best humor and dentist puns! Also, Dan? Ultimate boyfriend material if you ask me!

I love seeing different representations in books, and this book featured Harper that was neurodiverse. In the dedication (that almost brought me to tears), the author spoke about how you're not alone and that your mental illness doesn't define you, and I thought that was beautiful. It's so important to have these kinds of representations, whether it be in a romance novel or any other genre, that getting help is ok and that you're not alone.

I love the whole dental school aspect of this book. You can see and feel the pressure students go through in university and college, how much disappointment can effect them and how important it is to them. Being in University right now, going into my last year of undergraduate, I feel the pressure. It's books like this that brighten up my day, put a smile on my face, and help me through the tough times.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the earc in return for an honest review.

After reading several intense thrillers in a row, A Brush with Love was just what I needed. I'm a pharmacist. No one writes romantic pharmacy stories. We are always perceived as being, well ,sort of boring. The same with dentists... until now. Harper and Dan, with all sorts of childhood baggage, fall in love while in dental school and have to pick and scrape their way despite their pasts to achieve the perfect smile of love they deserve.. Complete with snarky banter, steamy romance, and struggles with anxiety and grief, A Brush with Love with certifiably floss your heartstrings! Thank you NewGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Harper is in her last year of Callowhill University’s School of Dental Medicine and at the top of her class. She is in her element when she is with patients, in the lab or in the classroom. She is not comfortable out of those places and believes she should handle her anxiety and claustrophobia alone, keeping it from her three best friends. The day she falls down the steps and into Dan, her ability to stay focused on her studies falters. Dan is in his first year of dental school after being successful in finance. He loves numbers and never wanted to join his mother and dad in their dental practice but then his dad dies, and his mother insists she will lose the practice if he does not come with her. He is miserable. The attraction between Dan and Harper is endearing. His concern for her to continue her journey even though he wants to spend more time with her shows how much he cares. She fights the attraction, but he is persistent. I thought the descriptions of the painful claustrophobia and anxiety give the reader insights into those afflictions. Dan’s torment of giving up what he wants to do to please his mother, whom he loves, is something that all can relate. Great story, characters and lessons learned.

Oh boy! This is… this book… this…. Christ! I cannot gather my words… I’m an emotional mess! I felt like I am overwhelmed because of extremely intense feeling injection! I felt too much! I loved this book too much and it hurts!

I haven’t read something so true, so genuine, so sad, so heartfelt, so touchy, so beautiful! My emotions spinning around in everywhere! I cannot collect them!

Dan and Harper… Harper and Dan… you’re adorable! Those vivid, lovely, fragile, broken but still tough souls earned my entire love! They are not perfect! Both of them suffer from their pasts, burdens they carry. They were so merciless to themselves, hurting their souls by putting too much pressure.

Harper is so close to be placed into a top oral surgery program. She’s studying all night, getting straight As,perfect board scores: she’s OFMS ( Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery): her choice of specialty program. She seems like perfectionist, genius, intense: a kind of robot but you couldn’t get so wrong about her characteristics: she hurts so much from her loss of her only family, building walls around herself, suffering from anxiety disorder, trying to hard to be perfect.

She pushes herself so hard to be successful, to be on the top to be untouchable. In that way she thinks nobody hurts her when she suffers from loneliness at the top, all by herself.

Dan, first year dental student with famous father’s legacy, struggling to keep up and accidentally his path crosses with Harper.

He deals with his own traumatic issues and getting bullied by students who know his father’s talent: because his father’s sudden dying affected him so differently anyone can imagine.

First of all: his father was demanding, controlling who liked to humiliate and verbally abuse him for years. After his passing away, he is forced to help her father to run his father’s residency because his mother keeps making complaints how hard to run the business by herself. He rejects his mom’s calls not to hear her extra complaints and he already left his promising job at finance to become dental student.

As Harper suffers from self destruction, he struggles with duties, family baggages, guilt feeling gnawing him inside.

Both of them quickly form a unique, passionate bond. Harper doesn’t want to fall for him because she has to concentrate her career and bright future ahead of her: love attraction would be only a distraction for her, wouldn’t be? And she will eventually leave after 5 months as soon as she gets her acceptance from one of the residency programs.

But what if attraction is stronger to destroy the barriers she’s built? What if she cannot function properly without him by her side? Could she restrain her anxiety monster who tries to take control of her? Could she learn to open her heart?

Oh my goodness! This book is poetic, lyrical, soul healer! It was so much better from entire romance books I’ve lately read and I’m so sure it guaranteed its position at best 5 romance reads of 2022! ( I know it is too early to declare but I follow my heart and my heart follows this amazing book! )

Dear Mazey Eddings did amazing job by writing this debut! She already earned a great fan ( me! Me and me! ) I’m looking forward to read her future works!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This was such a fun romance. It was filled with all the feelings. Mazey did a fantastic job sharing such strong emotions and feelings. It was beautiful to read.

Loved the characters and their journey. Their connection is what dreams are made of!

A Brush with Love has been on my radar for a while after seeing the author’s posts/updates about it on bookstagram. So when the ARC popped up, I had to request it and immediately dive into reading it even though it isn’t out until March 2022. 😆 I have zero regrets of reading it early and had just a great time with this contemporary romance.

When the story begins, Harper is anxiously awaiting placement into an oral surgery dental program when she meets Dan, a first year family legacy dental student. These two form a really lovely friendship right from the start when Harper helps Dan out with some of his dental projects/assignments. Dan falls for Harper really quickly but Harper is determined to keep things “friends only” since she will be moving soon once she is placed in her oral surgery program.

This book was relatable and charming, I enjoyed all of Harper & Dan’s (and their friends) jokes, awkward moments, and banter. I found myself laughing-out-loud quite a few times really early on into the book, which is always a good sign. While this friends-to-lovers romance was sweet to see play out through the book, what I appreciated the most was the anxiety rep and mental health discussions. I really felt for Harper and the grief and anxiety she was dealing with. I think this was a really good debut and I’m excited to see everything else this author writes in the future.

Thank you to the publisher (St. Martin’s Press) for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts & review. A Brush with Love has a publish date of March 1, 2022.

Well, I certainly wasn't expecting a contemporary romance book about dental students to punch me directly in the face (and the feels) on a Sunday morning, but A Brush with Love did just that. I was happily going along, reading with a big ole' grin on my face at the romance and witty dialog, until Things Got Real and then all of a sudden I was just full on weeping, which has basically never happened to me before and says a ton about Mazey Eddings' writing skill. She got me to _feel_ what Harper was going through and I hated it and also loved it.
It also inspired me to finally make a dentist appointment, so thanks, I guess.

Easy 5 stars, take tissues along with you when reading. I'll certainly be recommending this to patrons.

Oof, I don't know if this was a situation of expectations just being too high -- and for a debut, no less -- but maybe my expectations were just too high. Even after all this time, I haven't learned.

I don't want to downplay all the good within these pages, the conversations around how grief changes you, the shocking way anxiety can control your life and how debilitating it is, even with coping and control methods, the importance and positivity around therapy.. and like, I did find the main characters cute.

But this book just didn't take over my mind or my thoughts. I obviously reached for it way early, because I was keen, but I wasn't bowled over by this. It's good, sometimes very good, sometimes very sweet, but overall? I don't think I'll remember it in a week.

I did like that this centered around dentists, I don't think I've ever read (or, now that I think about it, watched..) a story with this as the career or back drop and it was interesting to have that change in scenery.

I feel like a heel; I'm bummed to have read this so early and now won't be screaming and shouting and pushing this on everyone and anyone I know. I still think if you were interested, you should absolutely give it a shot. I think it's very possible I'm just the human embodiment of a wet blanket these days so this could totally just be a me thing. That said, I would read this author again, for sure.

3.5 stars

This book is a laugh-out-loud swoonfest featuring a lovable couple who grapple with real fears and concerns. Harper is a passionate dental student at the top of her class. She meets Dan who is the same age but is just starting dental school (reluctantly) as a legacy admit. With her residency quickly approaching, Harper doesn't want to jump into a relationship, despite her strong chemistry with cinnamon roll Dan. As they try to stay friends, they learn about each other's pasts and anxiety, and how it pushes and pulls at their growing relationship. It is big-hearted and written with such care and I can't wait for everyone to fall in love with Harper and Dental Dan.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's for the ARC!

Unfortunately, the link for this book doesn’t work, so I cannot read or review it. Apologies to Netgalley.

I loved A Brush With Love so much. It’s like Grey’s Anatomy but dentists and oral surgeons and an HEA. Right from the beginning, I was hooked, but for the first few pages I did keep saying, this book is great, but dentists? I’m glad I didn’t let my dentist aversion stop my from reading.
I have laughed so hard and cried and enjoyed the heck out of one of the best verbal admonishments of a person ever written.
The book is also an important work right now. It deals with mental health and anxiety in a real, raw, emotional look at how anxiety hurts and how to get help.
I was worried about that when I read the warning at the beginning of the book. I have anxiety, so I wasn’t sure I wanted to read a book that brings it front and center when one of the reasons I love romance so much is because it provides escape. But as I fell in love with Harper and Dan’s story and hurt with Harper as she struggled and cheered for them both, I lost the worry.
The author deals with real issues in a real way and delivers a strong romance the ends with one of the best big gestures ever.
I’m so glad I read A Brush With Love. It was AWESOME! Highly recommend.

3.5

i liked but didn’t love, which kinda disappointed me. that being said, i’m thinking that was just a me thing, so don’t let me stop you from reading this book! the love between dan and harper was so pure, and thu and the crew were too funny.

#netgalley

A Brush with Love simultaneously made me laugh, broke my heart, and taught me more than I ever imagined about dentistry. The characters are charming, the dialogue is great, and I really appreciated the perspective on mental health. I felt so seen by how the topic of anxiety was handled.

I really hope the author writes more books with Harper's friends as lead characters.

This book is actual perfection. Mazey has given us a real, honest and raw portrayal of what living with anxiety looks like. Harper navigates her life and relationships, while always living with crippling anxiety and debilitating panic attacks. When she meets Dan, all semblance of order flies right out the window.

This might just be the best book I’ve read so far this year. Mazey writes with so much heart, wit and care. Harper and Dan will rip your heart to pieces and then preform some dental surgery magic to put it back together again. I love them and this book so so much.

I ADORED this book!! And that's saying a lot because I have a MAJOR phobia of dentists - ha! Harper is in her last year of dental school preparing to become an oral surgeon. She is in the top of her class, but it hasn't come without a price. Dan is in his first year of dental school and is struggling. When Harper and Dan have a chance meeting, it is the start of a beautiful friendship. Harper and Dan both have family/personal issues they are dealing with which inevitably bleed into their relationships.

Mazey Eddings writes with an honest and authentic look at mental health. The way she describes the feelings of anxiety are amazingly accurate for someone who has felt that strangling pressure, and incredibly eye-opening for someone who hasn't. There were moments that I was frustrated with some of Harper and Dan's decisions and behaviors, but as Eddings reminds the readers - everyone's journey is different. I appreciated the fact that she wrote how there are people who can LOOK okay on the outside, but are crumbling on the inside. It's also important to note that she does offer her characters resolutions and opportunities to seek help.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is amazing on every level. It’s funny. It’s smart. It’s so so swoony. And also tear-inducing in the best possible way. Harper and Dan were such real people and I couldn’t help but root for them every step of the way and yes I was screaming KISS ALREADY!!

I especially found Harper's journey with anxiety and panic attacks moving. The scene in which she has a meltdown in the bathroom was intense and extremely relatable. I also enjoyed Dan's journey, finally learning to stand up for what he wanted in terms of career and in dealing with his family.

Highly HIGHLY recommend this fantastic book and look forward to reading everything Mazey Eddings in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins for the advanced read in exchange for an honest review.