When Indira walks into her boyfriend cheating she finds herself crashing at her brother’s house while she decides her next move. Little did she know Jude, her childhood nemesis, is also staying there to help get ready for his best friend’s wedding.

Although they haven’t seen each other in years their bickering picks up right where they left off. And as wedding festivities ensue they find themselves spending a lot of time together. Indira tired of having to see her ex and his new girlfriend at every event and Jude feeling increasingly anxious they strike a deal to be each other’s fake date. But soon they are both left wondering if maybe it wasn’t hate they’ve felt towards each other all these years.

Oh.my.goodness! I don’t even know where to start, I just loved this book so much! For me it was the perfect balance of spicy and sweet, serious and funny.

From the writing style to the characters to the tropes it was all just amazing! Childhood enemies to lovers isn’t a trope we see a lot but I absolutely love it. And I love Indira and Jude, they’re both so sweet and passionate and strong. The banter and chemistry between them was my favorite part, it was just *chef kiss*

There are some TW listed at the beginning of the book so definitely check those out or message me if have questions about it. Because this is a rom com but it’s not light and fluffy, it has some serious components to it. Some tough topics were discussed but I felt they were handled with care and done well.

This is the first I’ve read from Mazey Eddings but it will not be the last!

The Plus One is the third installment in the A Brush With Love series by Mazey Eddings, focusing now on Indira and Jude’s relationship, two childhood enemies that are thrown in close quarters as each other's fake dates to a wedding. I really loved this book and I will try my best to put my love into words since it’s always so difficult for me to express how much I liked a book. I can assuredly say that I liked everything that was encompassed in this book, the author truly winning me over with this title.

First of all, I liked that the author was original in the way that this was a wedding-focused book in some ways and most of the time the main characters have a one night stand and they deal with their feelings after. But, this time the book went on before, during and after the wedding took place, which I loved since it gave more depth to the character’s feelings.

Another aspect that I really appreciated was the introduction of the importance of mental health and therapy. I have to be honest with you, in the beginning I thought that what Jude was going through was so hard to read about but the author managed to explain everything in such a detail-oriented way that as you go through the book you get used to it.

Indira and Jude were absolutely PERFECT. I loved their shared animosity from the very first page, I loved seeing them grow close and open up to each other, and of course I loved how they ended up together and managed their feelings. It was refreshing to see a couple deal with their difficulties as a couple, but also as separate people, talking through things instead of making them fight with each other as shock value.

Content warning: mentions and descriptions of PTSD, parental abandonment, and cheating.

*ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not going to lie, this book really took me by surprise, but in the best ways!

Just based on the cover (and admittedly not having really read the blurb, much less any reviews), I was expecting a light hearted rom-com, and this isn't that. Jude and Indira's journey is undeniably messy. They've disliked each other since childhood, Indira comes home to find her boyfriend cheating on her, Jude struggles with his mental health after several years as an emergency surgeon in war-torn and disaster areas, Indira has her own struggles with feelings of inadequacy and abandonment, and they're stuck living under the same roof and working together to prepare for Indira's brother (who is Jude's BFF)'s wedding. Like I said, messy.

While there is definitely a lot of heavy stuff here with the mental health struggles and other aspects of the story, the author does do a great job of injecting humor and levity into the story. Jude and Indira are relatable, likeable characters, and their story/struggles felt genuine and real.

I was caught off guard by how much I genuinely enjoyed this book. I have a bad habit of requesting books on NetGalley on a whim, then wondering what I was thinking when I receive the approval. This was honestly one of those situations, if for no other reason than it's the 3rd book in a series I haven't read. I'm so glad I gave this a chance though, and I'm putting the first two books on my TBR!

Let me start this off by saying, I had absolutely no idea this was the 3rd book in a serious until just this moment haha. It did not alter my enjoyment of the story whatsoever. With that said though, I'm for sure going back and reading the others because I loved it so much!

Childhood enemies to fake dating to lovers?? Yes please. Add in the extra drama of it being her brother's best friend? Even better.

All of the characters felt so realistic and were going through realistic problems which made the story that much more enjoyable. I love Jude and Indira so much, flaws and all.

I also LOVED the message that we are allowed to be broken as that's okay. Some wounds need time to heal and that's okay too, you can't always be back to normal overnight. I think this book was a great representation of that and I loved it.

Long story short, if you're looking for a quick read that leaving you laughing and loving the characters with the addition of a great underlying message, this if for you. Now go read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Mazey!! What a delight to read another title by her. I am such a champion of Jewish voices and really loved this title. It's a great read.

Mazey Eddings never ceases to amaze me with her ability to write romantic comedies that are both hilarious and heartwarming, while still managing to so authentically represent the realities and importance of mental health.
We met Indira in previous books, as the friend of Harper and Lizzie, and now she’s front and center getting her own happy ending. After walking in on her boyfriend getting down and dirty (in peanut butter of all things) with another woman, she flees to her brother Collin and future brother-in-law Jeremy’s house to lick her wounds… where she runs into Jude, her brother’s best friend and her nemesis. Growing up, Indira and Jude were like oil and water, never getting along and endlessly tormenting one another. Now Jude’s home for Collin and Jeremy’s wedding in a few weeks, taking some time off from his overseas emergency physician program, where he gets stationed in combat and natural disaster zones. The years of working in these conditions, combined with the sheer number of patients he’s lost under these circumstances, has left Jude with PTSD, and he’s struggling to pretend he’s ok. The one person who can see right through Jude is Indira, who is herself a psychiatrist and therapy patient. When he can no longer pretend to Indira that he’s fine, the pair decide to team up for all the upcoming wedding events as each other’s plus one – Jude will serve as a buffer between Indira and her ex, and Indira will be the balm to Jude’s overstimulation and reaction to triggers. But all that animosity as children has turned into mutual attraction as adults and as each other break down the other’s barriers, they can’t resist the inevitable. But with Jude’s upcoming new assignment lingering over his head and his struggles to deal with his trauma, they need to find a way to navigate it together.
Overall, this book was perfection. The brother’s best friend trope – perfection. The sensitivity in which Jude’s trauma and PTSD was handled – perfection. Indira’s own ability to both address her own mental health while also trying to help her own patients – perfection. Finding the humorous moments amongst everything else – perfection. Also, seeing Harper, Dan, Lizzie, and Rake – perfection.

This was my first by this author, but it will not be my last!

Child Psychiatrist Indira catches her boyfriend cheating on her in their apartment. Jude is a doctor who has traveled the world, practicing medicine in war-torn regions and areas with humanitarian crises. The two hated each other as kids but strike a deal to fake date, as Indira's brother (who happens to be Jude's best friend) has an elaborate wedding coming up. Indira is seeing her ex too much, and the wedding is stressing Jude out

Childhood enemies to lovers, brother's best friend, fake dating, forced proximity, this had several familiar romance tropes, and those were all done well, but what strikes me as most impressive was how well the mental health rep was handled in the book. Jude's PTSD was written with sensitivity and respect, as was the importance of getting help. The characters had such vulnerability and openness and accepted and supported each other so beautifully that it was refreshing. I enjoyed the author's writing style, which drew me in from the start. The banter was witty and a lot of fun. Hopeful with a lot of heart, I recommend this to anyone looking for a spicy romance with insight and depth.

This is book 3 of a loosely connected series, but works as a stand-alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this ARC. I enjoyed it!

The Plus One by Mazey Eddings
“I’ve always said mac’n’cheese is the world’s most potent aphrodisiac.”
~~~
Ya’ll, it’s happening. I’m starting to fall for a little bit of the romcom side. But, I’m still picky on them. It’s gotta really snag me. Like this one, it had multiple tropes in one. We talked about childhood nemesis, best friends brother, fake dating, one bed. Then there were some real heavy topics in here as well: PTSD, divorced parents, absent parents.
Yet the overall plot was great. I loved the chemistry between the FMC and MC, especially the endless banter. It was *chefs kiss* for me anyways. Then for this type of book, the perfect dash of spice, that finally hit at a perfect timing and broke the tension. It was also hilarious to me at that time, once again I may have laughed in the breakroom at work. Causing my coworkers to think me insane.
Thank you Mazey Eddings, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the eARC. Preorder now! Available April 4, 2023!

The Plus One is the third book in Mazey Eddings’ A Brush with Love series and like its predecessors, this book features complex, well drawn characters who are dealing with relatable real life issues, working on their mental health, and who just happen to stumble upon love when they least expect it.

When we meet Indira, she has just caught her boyfriend in a sticky situation involving another woman and a jar of peanut butter. Disgusted, Indira grabs her stuff and storms out. She decides to move in with her brother Colin, who is busy planning his wedding. Indira figures she can help him with the planning while she regroups and starts looking for a place of her own. She doesn’t realize until she arrives on Colin’s doorstep that Colin’s best friend, and Indira’s arch-nemesis, Jude is also in town and is staying there. Needless to say, Indira is not very excited. At first anyway…

I love a good enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity story so I was practically giddy as Indira and Jude were forced to awkwardly interact on a regular basis. I also immediately became invested in both characters finding their way to some kind of happy ending since it’s obvious that both of them are dealing with some heavy stuff. Indira is a psychiatrist who is questioning her ability to effectively help her patients, while her own mental health isn’t where she thinks it should be, thanks to her cheating ex. Jude is a doctor who has spent the past several years traveling the globe to treat patients in need in war torn areas that are facing humanitarian crises. When Jude and Indira reunite, Jude is practically a shell of himself and is clearly suffering from PTSD because of all that he has seen on the job. I loved that their shared history, even if they were sworn enemies in the past, gave them both the comfort they needed to cope while all of the pre-wedding shenanigans were taking place. They even agree to fake date so people will leave them alone, which I particularly enjoyed since it gave them even more time to get reacquainted and realize their feelings for one another go well beyond hate at this point.

While The Plus One is the third book in the A Brush With Love series, it will definitely work as a standalone, although I personally recommend reading the other two books since we reunite with beloved characters since they’re all part of the same friend group. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys heartfelt romances that feature tropes like friends to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating, and brother’s best friend and I also recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories that normalize people seeking help when they are struggling with their mental health.

Not your average rom com. Much of the book centers around PTSD and how it affects Jude who has spent the past 3 years working as a humanitarian aid doctor around the world. His childhood nemesis Indira becomes his fake date for a wedding and eventually he can’t hide his symptoms from her. Much of the book is light-hearted and funny but the issues Jude is dealing with are anything but. A really good book that I was sorry to see end.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-book ❤️

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, brother's best friend, fake dating, enemies to lovers, opposites-attract, mental health representation (PTSD, anxiety), spicy 🔥

I love this book. Firstly, it is not a sweet lovey-dovey, two perfectly happy characters falling in love type book. Both have a lot of trauma and past issues to work through. This is so much more than a love story. The build-up to them falling in love is realistic. The characters themselves are very well-written. The side characters are just as engaging. This book made me laugh, cry, and swoon. I highly recommend this book!

Indira and Jude have been enemies since childhood. They can barely stand to be in the same room but they soon find themselves living in the same house when they both end up moving in with Indira’s brother. To make things even more stressful, Indira’s recent ex is heavily involved with her brother’s wedding. Although Jude, her brother’s best friend, is also struggling with his personal life, he offers Indira a truce and suggests they fake a relationship to get through the arduous family event.

The Plus One is the third book in the A Brush With Love Series. It can be read as a stand-alone but the MCs from the other books in the series do appear in this book. This open-door romance has just the right amount of sweet and spicy scenes. The MCs are just as much fun as they are feisty with each other. Although there is hesitation due to their past, the tension between the MCs is palpable. The bickering and banter almost seems like a game to them.

The author continues to show that she can write about mental health issues in a realistic and thoughtful way. The characters are so well developed that watching them struggle is heartbreaking. Even with their triumphs some tears were shed, especially listening to the audio.

I read the book first then went months later to listen to the audiobook. The book was already a five star but the audio and the excellent choice in narrators really pushes it over the edge. Imani Jade Powers and Joe Arden did a fantastic job with this book. I highly recommend the audio if you are a lover of audiobooks.

Mazey Eddings continues to impress me with each book she writes. While this series has come to an end, I look forward to her YA book that also comes out this year and anything else she may write in the future.

I voluntarily read, listened to and reviewed advanced copies of this book and audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press (St. Martin’s Griffin), and Macmillan Audio!

Title: The Plus One (A Brush With Love #3)

Author: Mazey Eddings

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

Publisher: St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin

Suggested Reader Age: R (Restricted) Contains profanity, sex, alcohol, and nudity.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Mental Health (PTSD)

Pages: 320

Content Warnings: Mental illness (PTSD), panic attacks, medical trauma, sexual content, infidelity, grief, cursing, alcohol
› Indira is a psychiatrist and her brother Collin is a doctor. He's getting married to Jeremy (also a doctor) in five weeks. Indira is frustrated because the men in her life keep leaving. Her father left their family and started a new family, barely paying any attention to Indira or Collin. She badly wants to give her heart to a man who will stay. She is heartbroken when she walks in on her boyfriend, Chris, cheating with a woman they know.

After catching Chris cheating Indira goes to her brother's house thinking she'll crash there. The only problem is her childhood nemesis (and Collin's best friend) Jude is also staying at Collin's house until the wedding. He is a doctor and was working overseas helping to treat victims of war. He was given an extended leave after working for three years straight. Jude has PTSD from his work and is not talking to a professional about it. He suffers many terrifying panic attacks throughout the story.

Indira and Jude make a pact to help each other. She'll help him through his panic attacks while at the pre-wedding events and wedding, while Jude will pretend they are dating to make her ex jealous. I think you can guess where this leads.

› I rate reviews based on my own little tweak of the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 9
The Plus One has strong character development and a diverse cast. The main characters have goals, strengths, flaws, conflicts, backstories, and characteristics. It was nice seeing characters from the other books. Some other reviewers found Indira annoying, and yes she has a strong personality, but I found her relatable. She reminded me of the female psychiatrist on that Apple TV show "Shrinking". I love some of her sayings. For example, she doesn't like to "yuck anyone's yum".

› Atmosphere: 6
I felt all the appropriate emotions. I like the balance between sadness and happiness, however, I wanted more description and world-building.

› Writing Style: 7
I hope the repetition was fixed before publication.

› Plot: 5
There's not much of a plot and the pacing is off. The pre-wedding events felt rushed. There is a 300-page buildup to the wedding and then we spend barely any time at the wedding. There is a lot of "fluff": words that aren't moving the plot forward.

› Intrigue: 4
I didn't feel invested and didn't feel the urge to pick this up.

› Logic: 4
I can't explain it because it's a spoiler but there's something a character does that just did not make sense to me at all.

› Enjoyment: 5
The Plus One made me laugh and cry.

Average

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating 5.7 ★★★

A Brush With Love ★★★★
Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake ★★★★
The Plus One ★★★

› Final Thoughts
• The Plus One by Mazey Eddings is an emotional, funny, sexy, character-driven novel about hope, mental health, friendship, and love. Although this was my least favourite of the series, I will continue reading everything Eddings publishes. I'm looking forward to her YA book coming out in August called Tilly in Technicolor.

The Plus One by Mazey Eddings is the third book in the Brush with Love series. This book can be read as a stand alone, I haven’t read the first two books but I plan to now.

The story starts when Indira comes home to find her boyfriend, Chris, in the act of cheating on her. She promptly leaves and heads to her brother, Collin’s place where she runs in to his best friend and her childhood nemesis, Jude. Jude is a doctor that works overseas on humanitarian missions and is back home for Collin’s wedding. Jude is also suffering from PTSD.

They decided to start fake dating because Chris is attending the wedding - he is the cousin of Collin’s fiancé - and because it gives Indira and Jude an excuse to ‘sneak away’ when Jude finds himself in a stressful situation. I really enjoyed watching them go from hating each other to friends and eventually lovers. The peek back to their childhood interactions was so sweet, that you could see that they were drawn to each other but didn’t know what to do with that when they were younger.

Don’t let this cover fool you, there are some heavy issues in this book. Our main characters are dealing with parental abandonment and PSTD. Even with the heavy subject matter, this book was hard to put down and it was a fast read. And I liked how they both leaned on each other as they were working on their issues and problems without trying to fix each other.

Read this if you enjoy books with:
❤️ Brother’s best friend
❤️ Fake Dating
❤️ Enemies to Lovers
❤️ Open door romance
❤️ Dual POV

DNF @31%

It makes me incredibly sad to write this. I absolutely LOVED A Brush with Love and it was one of my top reads of 2022. I tried reading Lizzie Blakes Best Mistake and just couldn't connect with the characters so I DNF'd that with high hopes that I would love Indira and Judes story and that book #2 was just a fluke. Unfortunately, I'm still struggling to connect with them in a way that makes we want to keep reading. I just don't have any interest in continuing and I'm afraid that maybe this author just isn't for me. The writing is good but the characters are somehow too mature and too immature at the same time? I can't even figure out how to explain what makes me not want to keep reading and it seems like I might be in the minority here so maybe I'm the problem?

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

I enjoyed this story from beginning to end. Childhood enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend, fake dating, and so much mental health rep!

This book was so well done when it came to Jude’s PTSD. As the reader you could feel his panic attacks and get lost in his disassociations. It was absolutely heartbreaking, and you too were screaming for him to reach out and get help.

I loved that Eddings had both Indira and Jude draw a line that they weren’t going to fix each other. They found healthy communication between each other and outside sources.

Sure, the romance wasn’t necessarily completely at the forefront, but it didn’t bother me whatsoever. Their relationship slowly blossomed and once they were in it, they were perfect together.

Lastly, this book was so incredibly funny. I was cracking up throughout the book, which gave a nice break from the heaviness of our character’s baggage.

I have read the other books in this series by Mazey Eddings, and I think this one just may be my favorite! I loved Indira and Jude SO much. There was something about them from the beginning that made me completely invested in their stories. There are some of my favorite tropes in this book: childhood enemies, best friend's little sister, and fake dating. Indira was dealing with her own issues from the beginning: walking in on her boyfriend having sex with another woman. Like any self-respecting woman would, she immediately packs up and leaves, and heads to her older brother's house. For Indira, this is the same old story. She feels like every man she has ever loved, including her own father, has abandoned her. When she gets there, she is surprised to see her brother's best friend and childhood enemy, Jude, is also staying with her brother. Jude is dealing with his own demons and struggles: PTSD from his time as a doctor overseas in war and poverty stricken places. Jude has seen some things most of us can't even imagine, and when he comes home for a brief period of time for Collin's wedding, all of the emotional and mental turmoil he has been desperately trying to suppress starts to surface. Especially because Indira knows Jude well enough to see right through the facade and know when something is truly wrong with him. One of the things that I love about Mazey's books are the way she handles these types of topics with sensitivity, which allows the reader to say, "Me too. I thought I was the only one." I found myself saying these things several times throughout the book. I also loved that Indira communicated with Jude and wasn't afraid to tell him how she was feeling. She pushed him outside of his comfort zone, and pushed him to take control of his mental health. Like Mazey writes in the book, we are so quick to treat someone if they have a broken bone or heart condition, but when it comes to the mind, there is a lot more stigma and whatnot surrounding it, and mental problems often take longer to diagnose. There were plenty of romantic and steamy moments in the book, and I couldn't help but fall in love with Indira and Jude. It was nice to see what Harper and Ben and Lizzie and Rake were up to since their books, and we got to catch up with Thu, Alex, and others. The emotional moments between Indira and Jude were so genuine and vulnerable that I couldn't help but be fully invested in their story. There truly is something miraculous about another person knowing every thing about you, including all of your flaws, mental struggles, emotional baggage, and more and saying, "I will love you anyways. I will choose you every time." I'm glad Indira and Jude got their happily ever after. Thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to read an early copy of this book!

arc review!!!

the plus one by Mazey Eddings

Uh what did i just read? i don’t think this cover can be more misleading like don’t get me wrong i absolutely love this book and i also absolutely love the cover but when i first looked at this cover i 10000% would have not expected this book to be the way it was

like in the begging there was this one part that pissed me off sm just the fact that she was the one who left instead of him because like it was their shared apartment not just his i’m pretty sure so it annoyed me that she was the one to leave but in all i’m glad she didn’t bc that where we got to meet jude also i absolutely love everything about indira like i mean everything literally so hot

jude i wasn’t exactly sure how i felt about him in the beginning only because you could tell when he first saw indira that they were enemies but the more i got to know him the more i really and i mean really started to like him like jude druring the smut scenes ONFG NO COMMENT like i swear it two different character but the whole trauma thing also really gave you a deeper feel of his character and the whole abandonment thing with indira you get to know their character so much better

i think this would be the perfect read like for me it was short (in a good way or at least it felt like that i couldn’t stop reading it went by so fast) i didn’t get bored at any of the scene and the smut as well as the whole plot

definitely recommend this book

I loved this book! Indira and Jude rollercoaster of a relationship kept me hooked and the tension really came through the page. A lot of issues to deal with for the both of them but I knew they would make it out.

🌸🌿 The Plus One by Mazey Eddings 🌿🌸

H’s Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

👉🏼 PUBLISHES TOMORROW, 4/4/23!

Genre: RomCom
Tropes: Childhood friends to lovers, brother’s best friend, fake dating, forced proximity
⚠️ TWs: PTSD (healthcare worker working in war zones), difficult relationship with a father, cheating

📖 Read if you like 📖
🧠 Mental health rep
🚫 No miscommunication or 3rd act break-up (honestly thank GOD)
🗣️ Therapy positive
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ+ rep in side characters
⛺️ Only one tent
👧🏽👦🏻 Childhood rivals
❤️‍🩹 Finding love while healing
✌🏼 Dual POV
🌶️ Steamy scenes + praise

💭 Thoughts:
It’s Eddings’ writing 📝 for me!!!! She is an auto-buy author for me, and I loved this book! The mental health rep is too notch, 🏆 as it is in all of her books. I love how she delicately represents and navigates tough topics in her writing whole weaving in hilarious banter with a side of steam. I loved A Brush with Love + Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake, and Eddings delivered again in The Plus One! This can be read as a stand alone and the characters are interconnected with the other two books since the FMCs are part of a badass friend group. I HIGHLY recommend you add this to the tippy top of your TBR! 📚-H

Thank you to @netgalley and @smpromance for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

*Note: This review will be shared on Instagram @therapist.book.swap on 4/3/23. I will edit this review to add the link to it once it is posted.