Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely loved this book! I am a sucker for enemies/friends to lovers and this hit the spot. I loved every single character in this book, aside from a few, and felt a connection with each one. The two main characters, Indira and Jude, were amazing and so sweet. Their personalities were perfect and matched each other very well. Their connection was so refreshing to read and their commitment to each other really showed. They were mature and honest with their feelings and weren't afraid to share their darkest thoughts with one another. It was so refreshing to have a main couple who stood up for each other and themselves as Indira and Jude did. They were so solid in their relationship and I loved reading that.

The overall structure of the book flowed very well and nothing felt rushed or drawn out. It was a lovely romance that I would absolutely recommend everyone read.

✨The Plus One by Mazey Eddings✨

The third book in the A Brush with Love series, this book follows Indira and Jude, childhood frenemies who are brought together staying at Indira’s brother’s for his upcoming wedding. A great balance of funny and emotional. Yet again, @mazeyeddings does an amazing job with the mental health representation. This does a great job of representing the struggles that can come from having divorced parents.

✨ Dual POV
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ childhood friends/brothers best friend
✨ funny
✨spicy 🌶️
✨ 4.5 ⭐️

Trigger Warning: PTSD (full trigger warning is also included in the beginning of the book)

Release date: April 4, 2023

Thank you @netgalley and @smpromance for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is an interconnected stand-alone. The characters in the other Brush with Love series are in this book but you do not have to read them to understand the plot of this story.

Tropes: PTSD, Brothers best friend, Childhood nemesis, working on oneself, Enemies to Lovers, Cheating, Learning to Love Yourself


Indira walks in on her boyfriend and another women, slathered in peanut butter. After she leaves Chris she moves in with her brother until she can find a place to live. Her brother and his fiance are in the middle of finalizing and preparing for their wedding. She is happy to help but is shocked when she finds out that Jude, her nemesis and brothers best friend from childhood, is also staying with them until his next assignment.

Dira is a psychiatrist that works with children and loves helping others. Jude is a doctor and works for a program that is helping him back back his college loans if he works for them a certain amount of time. The only problem is that due to his career he has severe PTSD. Large crowds leave him spiraling and unable to focus. When the first pre-wedding event and Jude gets over stimulated- Dira has an awkward run in with her ex, Chris who happens to be in the wedding. The pair decide that they will pretend to be in a relationship to help both of them.

Dira can help keep Jude calm and it gives him an excuse to leave large groups, and Dira isn't the single one at the wedding while Chris is there with his new girlfriend.

Thoughts:

This book was deep and though I have only read one of her other books, I feel like this will always be a common theme among Mazey's stories. She does a great job of explaining difficult mental health topics but still adds some humor to the story. The spice was good and the honeybee/ Halloween scene was wonderful. I highlighted so many quotes in this book. I personally connected with Dira's plot point of not feeling worthy of love. That is something that I have discussed with my therapist many times. I also think the author did a great job of portraying how some people feel unworthy due to their mental health disorder/diseases.

This was a five star and Mazey is quickly becoming an instant buy author for me.

Five freaking gold stars to this beautiful masterpiece! If I was a teacher I swear Mazey would just get every sheet of golden star stickers I have.

I don’t know how every time I read a Mazey Eddings book it comes at just the right time. But this one’s message was truly needed. In fact I think everyone needs the message from this book, that therapy is for everyone and can make huge impact to our lives.

While that may have been a main message, I will say the romance in this book is everything. Childhood enemies and brothers best friend and fake dating?! Seriously could you ask for more, because I don’t think so.

Indira and Jude were perfect little baby angels and I will not listen to any other opinions. What I loved about them is they both brought out the good parts of them and made them strive to be better people. Indira made Jude want to face his demons and trauma and not by pushing him but by being there for him. And then Jude was there to comfort Indira when she needed it and was struggling with her own problems. Overall they are a perfect duo who also loved to tease and poke each other and that’s my favorite romance.

I’d also like to note that Indira is the queen of pet names and it made me love the book even more.

Also I implore you to read the author’s note and acknowledgments because they are as beautiful as the book itself.

This was such a pleasant and fast paced read. I read during a 4 hour plane ride and was smiling through the trip, getting some looks from the flight attendants.
The book is quite funny. What I love about it is the way it addresses imposter syndrome in the healthcare field. I don’t think people realize how common it is until they enter therapy or similar treatment environment. The other topic is PTSD that doesn’t arise from direct combat but rather from the caregivers end.
The book had an interesting twist on the trope of enemies to lovers and pretend dates so don’t worry about being bored.. It also had a moderate spice level. This was an ARC from @netgalley. An overall great read! 5 stars!

I really loved the entire A Brush with Love series. My favorite would either be this one or Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake but they are very close in ranking.

This was really sweet and emotional. The childhood enemies part of the story added a lot of humor and really acted as a grounding element to Indira and Jude’s relationship. I also thing the themes of mental health were well done and very respectful, it really focused on the importance of self care and that it’s okay to not be okay which is something I really loved.

Jude and Indira’s relationship growth felt very real and nothing felt like it moved too fast. There were definitely moments in the book that I could tell were used to speed up the romantic feelings but it didn’t feel manufactured or fake. By the end of the book I felt Jude and Indira’s relationship had a healthy progression and I was really rooting for them.

This was definitely the least light hearted of the three books but that is not a bad thing and is definitely one the book’s strengths.

This is definitely a book that I will need a finished copy of once it is released. I think fans of Emily Henry or Denise Williams would really enjoy this.

Indira and Jude have known and battled each other their entire lives, as Jude is best friends with Dira’s older brother Collin. Collin is now getting married, and Jude and Dira decide to put aside their differences and help each other get through the wedding events and the wedding itself. What sounds like an enemies to lovers, fake dating, brother’s best friend trope is quickly turned into something much more meaningful.

This is an incredibly special, powerful book that touches on mental health in a way that isn’t often seen in books. Jude and Dira each have something in their past that has led them to need to seek therapy, and the ongoing discussion of mental health throughout the book is dealt with in a beautiful, positive way. Dira herself is a psychiatrist, and her gentle words and the power of her touch were so moving to me. The book is so many things- heartbreaking, emotional, and uplifting to name just a few. The deep, soul searching connection between Jude and Dira is plainly shown as we see and hear their bond grow through trust and understanding.
There was a conversation between the two of them when Jude finally opened up to Indira that brought tears to my eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press- St Martins Griffin for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5*
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 🌶🌶🌶️/5

💙 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲:
• Childhood nemeses to friends to lovers
• PTSD/mental health rep and acceptance
• Fake dating
• Brother’s best friend
• Slow burn
• Laugh out loud humor/banter

💭 𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: Yet another fabulous book to add to Mazey’s series of standalones! This story had me teary-eyed and LAUGHING so many times throughout. It’s a poignant telling of two people who struggle to find love and acceptance, making the characters extremely relatable. Jude and Indira were so well-developed and I enjoyed reading their story. I will be immediately pre-ordering a copy for my shelves!

Huge thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Mazey Eddings for the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for my honest review!

*Rating rounded down for platform rating purposes

The Plus One is the third book in the A Brush With Love series by Mazey Eddings. I read the first book, A Brush With Love, last year and enjoyed it. I didn't finish the second book in the series, Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake, as I wasn't feeling that one. Maybe I will revisit it later.

I really liked The Plus One and Mazey's writing style really came alive with great banter that popped off the page. This book has all the tropes: brothers best friend, childhood enemies turned to adult friends, fake dating for a wedding, forced proximity, and grump+sunshine. For the most part, they worked. Though I'm not a huge fan of books where they center around a friend's wedding, especially if it's six weeks of pre-wedding activities.

Our MCs are Indira and Jude. Jude has been best friends with Indira's brother since they were kids, and Jude and Indira were notorious for teasing and being terrible to each other. For the past few years Jude has been practicing medicine overseas in war-torn countries. He has an 8-week break between his next assignment and stays with Indira's brother to be there for all of the wedding activities. Indira caught her boyfriend cheating on her and promptly went to her brother's house to stay while she finds a new place, not realizing her sworn enemy has one of the guest rooms already. She is not thrilled with her new roommate.

Except Indira senses Jude has lost some of his spark, loud noises and crowds agitate him greatly. Indira, a child psychologist, has a comforting presence for him and he confides that he has seen some really terrible things trying to save patients. Indira's ex boyfriend keeps popping up at the pre-wedding activities (I told you, there are A LOT of them), so the two strike up a deal: pretend to be a couple so Indira's ex will stop pestering her, and Jude can have the comfort and support of Indira in public events.

What I really loved and appreciated about this story was how the author handled mental illness. Indira, a mental health professional who also is in therapy herself, treats Jude so gently and lovingly, always reminding him that you can have experienced trauma and you can also be happy. There was a beautiful metaphor about the mind being like a house that really resonated with me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

4.5/5 stars! I have been a big fan of the two Mazel Eddings books prior to “The Plus One”, and she didn’t disappoint with this one. This book follows Indira and Jude as reconnect, once childhood enemies now find themselves sharing a house helping prepare for Indira’s brother’s wedding (Jude’s best friend). Both Indira and Jude are learning how to open themselves up to love and happiness again. This book has great mental health representation and you can’t help but root for Indira and Jude. I very much enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a thought provoking and heart warming enemies to lovers book!

Mazey Eddings is such a talented author, and I always look forward to reading her books.

While I really loved the premise of this book (who doesn't love a good forbidden romance with your brother's best friend?!), it wasn't my favorite. I adored getting to see other heroines from her previous novels (Harper and Lizzie) as well as their respective partners! It's a sweet, surprise epilogue of sorts.

I appreciate how sensitive Eddings is with the subjects of PTSD and trauma, but I wish that each character's traumas were discussed and explored more. I wanted to hear more about Jude's experiences working in war-torn areas and Indira's lasting trauma left by her father's abrupt disappearance from her life.

Though I do wish there was a bit more substance to these topics, I still really enjoyed this novel!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This had all of the basic tropes in it. Always love a friends to lovers & childhood sweethearts story. This book was emotional, sweet and steamy! This is definitely a must read book!! I highly recommend this book so if you like any of the above tropes this book is for you.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC.

I almost felt as though parts this story were written just for me. Usually I can find certain aspects of one character relatable but in The Plus One I saw myself in both Jude and Indira.

Childhood enemies-to-lovers might just be my new trope of choice, especially when it’s executed as well as this. Jude and Indira grew up together and they “hated” each other as kids. Now that Indira’s brother (aka Jude’s bff) is getting married, the dynamic duo is finally reunited.

Witty banter is my catnip, and the bickering and snappy one-liners in The Plus One were absolutely delicious. This story is very funny, but there is also so much depth and heart here as well. Reading this felt like going to the best therapy session of my life (this is a good thing!) and I kind of want to date Indira.

I saw a review that said the couple goes from hate to love so quickly, and while that is usually a pet peeve of mine I think it worked SO well here. These two crazy kids have known each other forever and as a result, they could be vulnerable and open in a way that only comes with time. They found each other again at exactly the right time and they were able to give and take just what they needed. I really respect the way Eddings writes about mental health and think she handled Jude and Indiria’s story with such care.

Let’s chat about this series for a moment: like a fine wine, it gets better with time.
I enjoyed A Brush with Love (book 1)
I really, really liked Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake (book 2)
I absolutely adored The Plus One (book 3)

You can 100% read this series in any order. Thankfully, Lizzie makes some hilarious cameos in both books but other than that, you’re not missing anything critical if you decide to bop around.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to be an early reader.

After catching her boyfriend in a sticky situation with another woman, India must move into her brother’s home, where he is preparing for his big wedding several weeks away. Unfortunately, the first person she sees is her brother’s best friend, Jude, who was also the childhood bane of her existence. Jude is on break from a medical humanitarian organization, where he has faced trauma after trauma, leaving him broken and feeling guilty. Indira quickly figures out that something is wrong with Jude and offers to help him cope with his PTSD and they agree to be each other’s plus one at so very many pre-wedding events. And then things get very, very steamy.

This is a fun conclusion to a very enjoyable series. Mazey’s characters are often facing major difficulties in their lives but they work though them in order to be better for themselves—meaning “true love” doesn’t magically fix everything. Indira and Jude were great together and I had an almost visceral reaction to everything Jude was facing with the knowledge that, after the wedding, he’d have to go right back into the trenches of a new assignment. This is a fun conclusion to a very enjoyable series. It was lovely seeing the couples from the other books once again being happy and in love. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC. Available 4/4/23.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this. The portrayal of anxiety and PTSD was so honest and clear, the romance was sweet and developed so well, the supporting characters were just well-developed enough. Jude and Indira were characters I'd root for in any setting, and their romance was lovely and did not feel forced or rushed.

I was happily surprised by the depth of this book. I haven't read anything by Mazey Eddings before, but I will certainly be reading more. 5/5, this book made me happy.

𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

Thank you to Mazey Eddings and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Plus One! I loved the previous installments in the series, and was so excited to get the chance to read this ARC.

𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺. 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.

Home of two of my favorite tropes (enemies to lovers/brother’s best friend), this delightful read has everything fans of Mazey Eddings are used to: it was sweet, sentimental, spicy, and absolutely heartwarming. It had me laughing, blushing, and crying throughout, and the warm hug of an epilogue sent my heart into outer space.

One of the things I loved most about this book was the absence of a third act breakup, a super popular plot device in romcoms. As much as I do enjoy a character groveling themselves back into their love’s good graces (if we’re staying in the Brush With Love Literature Universe, Lizzie and Rake’s reunion is a particular fave), it is so refreshing seeing two characters communicating openly and honestly with one another. That’s not to say there is no angst or drama - there definitely is - but it circles around another issue, one that Jude and Indira work through together and support each other during. The amount of open and honest communication between these two was a theme throughout the book as they learned to open their hearts to one another, and it was such a joy to see it working through to the last page!

𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺. 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘞𝘦 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺.

I also deeply appreciate its treatment of mental illness and trauma, and the benefits of therapy. These topics are handled with such care, while also not shying away from the lived experiences that millions of people deal with every day (including this reviewer!) Mental health treatment is not easy - it takes lots of work, and often a village of support, and this is so perfectly represented in The Plus One.

𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦.

This was an easy five star read for me, and one of my new favorites. I hope that everyone will pick up a copy when The Plus One publishes on April 4, 2023!

The Plus One | Mazey Eddings
A surprisingly tender frenemies to lovers with a fake wedding date

Indira and Jude have a long running history of hating each other. For Jude, Indira was his best friend’s pest of a little sister; Indira was just desperate to belong. With the inevitable transition to adulthood, Indira becomes an insightful psychiatrist in a hopeless on-again-off-again relationship that ends once and for all in a chaotic infidelity flash of limbs and peanut-butter [messy]. Jude, to escape the pressure of medical student loans, had recently completed three of a four-year assignment as a surgeon attending to humanitarian needs around the world. From the outside he is a lifesaving hero while on the inside he is crumbling, trying to process the trauma of years of facing hopeless situations. Where Indira has everything but her love life in order, Jude is completely falling apart. At the wedding event of the century for Indira’s brother Collin and his fiancée Jeremy, these childhood rivals decide to band together. Indira needs someone to hold her back from killing her peanut-butter covered ex (who is also in the wedding party), and Jude needs someone to keep him grounded while facing trigger after trigger at each loud and chaotic wedding event. It doesn’t take long for fake to become something real – but how could this possibly last when Jude is two weeks from heading back to the [literal] trenches?!

First, I love the representation here for PTSD, triggers, grounding elements – seeing the two of them connect and truly see each other in the crowd and chaos of each event was so sweet. The most surprising undercurrent was how tender they are with each other. So often the premise of a frenemies plot is OTT harsh and mean and the inevitable coupling takes a lot more convincing. This tenderness echoes back to their childhood with the masked notes and scribbles that made their connection clear, even from way back when. The mask is a powerful thing, and when the role has been played out for decades it can be tricky for everyone to understand when the mask finally comes off [“but wait, don’t you guys hate each other?!”]. I braced myself for the miracle band-aid that made everyone better and happy but was glad to see that it never came. Life may be messy, but love is there for everyone.

Overall, I loved the quick pace, the sweet and tender moments, and the generous helping of ghost-pepper spiciness. I didn’t realize that this was part of a series – and it definitely works as a stand-alone – but I’ll be adding the rest to my TBR, STAT  The way all of Indira’s friends popped up throughout the story left me wanting more which I’m pleased I’ll find with the earlier installments.

My first Mazey Eddings, though certainly not my last! 4/5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC for review!

THE GOOD:
- I love enemies-to-lovers and this one was done really well, since it was a childhood rivalry (and I'm a sucker for those), meaning they already had a connection... plus brother's-best-friend AND fake-dating tropes. She really crammed them all in LOL
- PTSD rep was so so well done. Major kudos. And I'm always a fan of therapy for both characters in a novel :)
- It read like fanfic but GOOD fanfic. So I did enjoy that.
- Great communication during spicy scenes!!!

THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
- The amount of smut at the end caught me off-guard, probably because I wasn't expecting it to be so frequent after they got together. Not necessarily a bad thing, since it was very well-written, but it seemed a bit like filler.
- The ending was a little corny, but I suppose it made sense for the characters.

OVERALL:
4 stars. Definitely recommend. BUT if you're not a fan of spice then skip this one, or just skim the ending!

This was a story about two broken people who found comfort in each other and supported each other in doing what was necessary to heal themselves. The story involved issues of PTSD and feelings of inadequacy from a parent walking out; I thought the author wrote about the issues realistically

The Plus One (ARC)
Mazey Eddings
4⭐️
Pub Day: 4/4/2023

⚠️ mental health topics

Indina, a psychiatrist, just went through a pretty messy break up. Jude, a "humanitarian" doctor, is struggling with his own demons. Jude gets his triggers and is extremely stressed out and Indina just can't deal with seeing her ex and his new beau during her brother's wedding. Indina and Jude grew up together, bickering and fighting the whole time. But now they have to rely on each other. They make up this ruse, "fake dating", to comfort each other throughout the festivities. But things started to feel kind of... real.

The cover is deceiving! I Thought this would be a light-hearted read. But there's so much trauma and psych issues within the first few chapters. It was heavy and it set the tone for the rest of the book-- somewhat melancholic. I can't get it to turn back to the cheery, charming and light vibe that I want it to be. I got a little bit emotionally confused reading this. It started out slow, but by 30% into the book, it starts picking up. I value the mental health issues here and that none of it was taken lightly. I appreciate the fact that it emphasized that none of these issues should be dealt with alone. The characters found comfort and safety with each other. "I'm not here to fix you... I'm here to love you."

I enjoyed the fake dating aspect, childhood friends, enemies to lovers tropes here. I love the subtle closeness and the vulnerability the character showed. Things shifted slowly and I just adored how it grew. It's not necessarily a slow burn. But it burned even more after their first intimate encounter. The spicy scenes are mostly tastefully written however some were outright crass. I had to skim through.

Okay, I just have to say this because it bothered me so much. So many f-bombs. Unnecessary ones. I don't mind a few especially if it's to emphasize something but this is too much. By the 2nd chapter, I'm already sick of it. It tapered down over the next chapters thankfully.

Albeit having an overall serious tone, there were snippets of lightness and laughter within the book. It was an unexpected but enjoyable read for me.