Mazey Eddings continues to deliver! I really loved this book too. Such a sweet and hilarious romance with tropes that will such you in and not allow you to put your book down! I love how she beautifully portrays different types of mental health issues in all of her latest books. In The Plus One, Mazey Eddings introduces us to someone dealing with PTSD and she brilliantly portrays this issue and how one (and their significant other) copes with it through her raw and emotional characters. I was really invested in this story and I was attached to every character. I can’t wait to see what she give us next.

Mazey Eddings is such an exciting voice to have as a writer. She clearly cares about her characters and the things she is writing about. I enjoy her ability to make a swoon worthy romance that also touches deeper, this time with PTSD. The couple was so sweet together and I loved that there was not any sort of crazy conflict or miscommunication. I loved how sensitive Eddings was to PTSD and mental health while also not making it the only thing about the main character because real people are multifaceted and so should the characters.

A very steamy enemies to lovers trope with forced proximity and fake dating. Some heavy topics are covered with an intro and trigger warning by the author. There were some moving and thought provoking moments that were overshadowed by the fast progression of steamy scenes and excessive use of repittion and expletives. The book is not what I consider a rom com and could have been shorter.

i loved this one. Personally, I think it's Mazey Eddings' strongest work and I was cracking up on one page then bawling my eyes out the next. I love seeing actual comedy in a rom-com

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for an ARC of this book! I’ve willingly read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.

THE PLUS ONE by Mazey Eddings is the third installment in the A Brush with Love series and, just like the novels that came before it, involves characters coping with mental health struggles while falling in love.

Mazey Eddings has absolutely crushed it with each of these books, so skillful in portraying different types of mental health issues caused by a myriad of outside (and often internal) forces that I’ve been able to find tiny pieces of myself in all of her characters, making them widely relatable to any reader.

THE PLUS ONE follows Indira, a psychiatrist, who has moved in with her brother and his fiancé after catching her boyfriend cheating on her—the boyfriend who will also be in her brother’s wedding because he is the other groom’s cousin. However, her brother’s lifelong best friend and Indira’s “nemesis,” Jude, is also staying with the couple, on leave from his job as an emergency medicine surgeon who is posted in war-torn countries where he has seen too much trauma and is struggling with his mental health while trying to hide it from his friends and family.

There were so many other things to love about THE PLUS ONE in addition to the focus on mental health: a fake dating plot that turns into much more, one tent to be shared by two people with simmering tension between them, reuniting with characters from previous books, and, perhaps the most exciting, no third act break up! And while the resolution to Jude’s work situation was definitely bittersweet, it was a good reminder that life sometimes changes in ways that are necessary and for the best.

I am in love with Mazey Eddings and her characters. This was incredible. We've got brothers best friend, childhood frienemies, one bed while camping, a halloween fiasco, an over the top wedding, family drama, forced proximity, fake dating, incredible back stories. I doesn't get any better. I thought the mental health rep in her was great and how it was handled was great. I couldn't put this down because I needed the two characters to just shut up and kiss eachother already. Their support of one another was perfection.

Childhood enemies reunite years later only to discover that there just might be something between them. Indira has a perfect life on paper: an amazing job, a boyfriend, and a car... except she’s just walked into said boyfriend hooking up with a stranger in their place and he locked up her cat? Yeah relationship over. In order to recoup, she decides to stay with her brother and his fiancee for a while... but what she doesn’t expect is to run into her childhood enemy who just happens to be back in town for her brother’s wedding. Jude is a doctor, he’s spent the last three years traveling the world to treat emergencies and humanitarian crises and made a trip back home for his best friend’s wedding... except he’s barely hiding the fact that he is most definitely not okay. Jude is cracking under the pressure of his job, he suffers from extreme PTSD, has sensory overloads, and is riddled with guilt, anxiety, and trauma. He’s not okay and the only person who seems to notice and actually see him is the one person he least expected, his best friend’s little sister, Indira. Indira and Jude can barely be in a room together without bickering and fighting... yet underneath the arguing is something more, something safe and soft. Both Jude and Indira are now living in the same space and when Jude notices that Indira’s cheating ex... who just happens to be the fiancee’s cousin is also attending the wedding with the woman he cheated on her with he offers her a bargain: they pretend to be each other’s fake dates to the wedding and in exchange Indira will help him because for some reason she’s the only thing that’s been helping him feel grounded lately. Both Indira and Jude are dealing with heavy baggages and they both know that there is something between them, but can they overcome their pains and differences to embrace the affection that started off fake but has grown to be something more between them? This was an absolute gem of a book, filled with cute rom com moments as well as angst and such heart breaking moments. I cried, I’m gonna be honest, I cried while reading this because it was just so deep and wonderful and heart wrenching. I’m gonna say it, Jude and Indira are my favorite couple from this series, and while we get cameos of the other couples and friends from the previous books, it was such an amazing read. I adored the way Jude and Indira constantly fought for each other, they fought for their love and their relationship, and it was glorious. Please add this to your tbr immediately!!!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Mazey Eddings has done it again!
Firstly, let me tell you how shocked/amazed/thrilled I was to receive an ARC for the highly anticipated third novel in this series. (I’m still kind of pinching myself.) Secondly, let me tell you how invested I became in the characters in The Plus One. Beautifully flawed and complex and not the least bit formulaic, these characters endeared themselves to me right from the start. They’re relatable and realistic and the character arc that Mazey Eddings takes them through - particularly our beautiful boy Jude - was just a wonderful story to read. Thank you Mazey for not breaking our hearts but giving the reader just enough building anticipation to keep the pages turning.
Mazey Eddings has become an auto buy author for me. I can’t recommend these novels enough, and The Plus One lives up to her already high standard for character chemistry and spice. Oh yes, I haven’t mentioned the spice yet, have I? Chef’s kiss (insert satisfying sigh here…)
Can’t wait to see what Mazey Eddings comes up with next.

this book was outrageously hilarious and so adorable!! it’s no secret that i’m an major @mazeyeddings fan and obsessed with a brush with love & lizzie blake’s best mistake and the plus one lived up to the hype!
i loved Indira and Jude’s banter and the friendship between indira, lizzie, harper, and thu!
jude and his mental health was a highlight of the book for me and it was so well written.

do yourself a favour and pick this book up when it comes out! super quick, funny and cute 🥰

The Plus One by Mazey Eddings focuses on Indira and her brother’s best friend Jude, childhood enemies each with their own reasons for needing someone by their side during the numerous events of Indira’s brother’s wedding. Naturally, this means they enter into a fake relationship.

The Plus One is a fake dating story like none I’ve ever read before. While learning about the characters in the opening chapters, and seeing their pain, I couldn’t wait for them to fully experience love. I am honored to have had the privilege to witness their story.

*Truly endless thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Mazey Eddings for this ARC!

The Plus One by @mazeyeddings was an amazing and beautifully written story about Jude and Indira.

Jude had spent the past three years working in war torn areas as a surgeon and is stateside to celebrate his best friend, since elementary school, Collin’s wedding. Indira is Collin’s little sister and Jude nemesis for the same amount of time that Jude has known Collin. They always bickered growing up and not much has changed when they both land themselves staying with Collin and his Fiancé.

However one thing that did change was Jude’s mental health from his 3 years spent away for work. He is suffering from severe PTSD. Indira is a psychiatrist and can notice immediately that something is wrong. The two of them agree to help each other during the wedding festivities by being each other’s plus one with a side of fake dating.

I instantly feel for Jude. He was just simply perfect with all of his imperfections. My heart broke for him countless times when a loud noise would go off or he was startled. Indira was everything that Jude needed and I loved how supportive she was without being pushy. I could write for hours about how much I loved this and still not say enough. However, I’m going to go read Harper’s and then Lizzie’s love stories now.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC and providing me a chance to discover Mazey!
Release Date: April 4, 2023
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥 Scene: Halloween

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Such a good read and Mazey Eddings delivers very single time. With every book in this trilogy, I love the characters more and more. Jude is the sweetest tortured soul that you can't help but root for. Indira is your fiesty but slightly insecure because she's type A. The combo of the two is just endearing. It's such a relatable dynamic because we all know that couple where one is a broody person and the other overthinks everything because of their insecurities.

Tropes: fake dating, enemies to lovers, forced proximity - pretty much the most elite tropes in romance books.

The overall feel is a very realist, emotional and funny, and endearing because you can't help but root for Indira after being cheated on.

The one thing I really appreciate from the author is she always does such an amazing job portraying characters with mental health needs and showing the supportive characters around them.

Highly, highly recommend! 10/10

Thank you Netgally, St. Martin's, and Mazey Edding for this wonderful read.

This was the third Mazey Eddings book I have read and I started this book right after reading “Lizzie Blakes Best Mistake” which helped me get pulled into this story right away as I feel like Indira was a fully formed character to me after her being in the two previous stories. Steadfast, reliable, caring, loyal. She seemed like an old friend already.
What makes Mazey’s stories so unique is that they grapple with such dark and deep mental health issues, but she does a masterful job at wrapping them into such beautiful, cohesive love stories. She always begins her books with a content warning, outlining the issues the characters are facing, and any triggers that may come to the reader while reading. In this story, Jude faces PTSD from being a medical provider in Emergency situations. The authors note at the end made me cry as it was so brave of her to talk about her own history with PTSD. As someone who also suffered from PTSD, I really truly appreciated her bringing a character so lovely and deep suffering from PTSD into a love story. Really so heartwarming, so well done.
I found Colin & Jeremy so fun! I would love a spinoff book with them. Maybe how they got together!?
I also really enjoyed getting a glimpse back into characters from the first & second books. It was just nice to have a continuation of those characters a tiny bit. I may have enjoyed this story the most out of the three in the series. I cannot wait to read more Mazey Eddings books in the future and want to thank St. Martin's Press so very much for this ARC. I am truly grateful!

<b> <I> Thank you so much to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of “The Plus One” by Mazey Eddings in exchange for an honest review. All of the following opinions are formulated on my own. Any quotes in this review should be cross-referenced with the final copy for any possible edits.</I> </b>

<b> Overall rating: </b> 4 out of 5 stars

<b> Do you need to read the series this spinoff is based on?: </b> I would say it is not necessary. I had not read them. It may help though!

<b> My review: </b> The Plus One was an alluring combination of emotional, steamy, and exciting enemies to lovers set during the weeks leading up to Dira's brother's wedding. The only issue? Her brother's best man drives her insane. Top tier bickering!


<b> If you liked the following, you will probably like this book: </b>
<I> - The Spanish Love Deception
- Unhoneymooners </i>

<b> Will I finish the series? </b> I am unsure of this currently.

<b> Themes/Tropes: </b>
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Childhood Enemies
- Enemies to Lovers
- Brother's Best Friend
- Fake Dating
- Mental Health/Trauma Awareness

The Plus One - Mazey Eddings

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“… but he was learning it was okay to let go of things you love if they no longer serve you.”

Indira and Jude have despised one another since they were kids. So when the two of them decide to be each other’s (fake) wedding date, their friends and family are left confused and wondering what suddenly changed between them. The thing is, Indira and Jude aren’t even sure what changed between them. All they know is that their problems become more manageable when the other is around and things don’t seem so bad. But their fake displays of affection, trips down memory lane, and moments of shared vulnerability have them questioning their entire relationship. Is it possible to have feelings for your childhood nemesis and want the best for them after all?

-

Shoutout to Mazey Eddings for writing a hilariously brilliant rom-com that isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. These characters have experienced such hardships and, as the reader, we get to see them work through those struggles in search of the light. This book explored mental illness, normalized therapy, and was simply raw and vulnerable.

Don’t let this cute cover fool you, though. This book was steamy 🥵. The banter between these characters was everything and kept me laughing and smiling. Mazey gave us childhood enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, brother’s best friend, fake dating, and more.

The Plus One comes out in April 2023 and is available for pre-order now!

Thank you to Netgalley, Mazey Eddings, and St. Martin’s Press for this early copy of The Plus One. All opinions are honest and my own.

Mazey Eddings is easily becoming one of my favorite romance authors, seriously I cannot get enough. I love Indira so much. I appreciate Mazey writing about very real things that happen when you have PTSD and/or trauma from serious life events (like Indiras dad leaving them and starting a new life with a different family as if he didn't already have one). I am sad that the Brush with Love series is ending :( I think there is a perfect amount of spice, serious conversations, and watching their relationship develop. A perfect trope of my best friends sibling/brother best friend.

THE PLUS ONE by Mazey Eddings 💕

If you like novels with enemies to frenemies to lovers, brother’s best friends, and mental health discussion, you’ll love this book.


I loved Mazey Eddings’ first two books, and I couldn’t wait to read her new book. The Plus One is funny, full of dirty talk and sexy scenes, but at the same time heavy and heart-rending. In this story, Mazey describes the difficult subject of mental health issues/PTSD in a brilliant and raw way, and through her vulnerable characters, Jude and Indira, she shows the importance of seeking support from mental health professionals and people you trust and feel most safe.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and Mazey Eddings for an ARC.

Mazey Eddings is one of my top 5 authors and I will scream that until I die!!!!! This book was emotional, raw, funny, and everything I wanted it to be and more. I love this friend group and I already miss it so much. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The fake dating trope is one of my favorites, so I knew this was going to be a hit for me! I was right and I absolutely devoured this and even laughed out loud while reading. I can't wait until this is released to share with my book club!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

This was such a good book - a genuinely unexpected gem of a romance! It avoids the worst of the cliches in the romance genre, while still putting the main characters through their paces to get to the payoff at the end. Also, the spicy bits made me blush (in a very good way). Highly recommended.