I received an arc for an honest review

This was a great read. It was much more emotional and gut wrenching than I anticipated. This book handles the topics of PTSD in a way that is compelling and thoughtful. I really enjoyed the romance, the tension and build up was amazing. I definitely recommend giving this a read if you are in a stable head space.

Thank you Netgallery and St Martins Press for this ARC.
4/5 stars!
This books tropes are only one bed, fake dating and so much more!!!

The plot was amazing and the spice wow was soooo good!

I didn’t know it was part of a series but could’ve been read as a stand alone!!

Overall a fantastic read. I can't wait to read more from this author and the others books previously to this one.

Mazey Eddings books are sweet and spicy crack and the tropes in this book alone are god tier: childhood rivals, fake dating, only one bed, older brother's best friend, etc. If there's one thing I know about her books, is that I'm going to be laughing, blushing, and crying within the span of a few chapters. I love that Indira finally got her own story and I think this book might be Eddings' best yet.

This is the first book I've read by Mazey Eddings, and it definitely won't be the last.

Indira thought she had her life together until she found her boyfriend cheating. And now she will have to endure her ex through her brother's drawn-out wedding festivities.

Jude's life is anything but together. For the last three years, he's been working as a doctor dealing with humanitarian crises around the world. And now he's coming home for his best friend's wedding, but adjusting has been difficult.

Indira and Jude hate each other, but they might just be what the other one needs to make it through the never-ending festivities.

I really enjoyed Jude and Indira's dynamics. I loved their banter, it is roasting that can only come from growing up together, and it makes their relationship so light among the heaviness of their trauma and mental health. There were also so many sweet childhood moments that they had held on to that made their relationship feel meant to be. Holding on to notes from 20 years ago!! I was obsessed!! Jude was so thoughtful and endearing. Indira is a shit-disturber like any good sister, and it was hilarious. Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this.

Even though the themes the characters were dealing with were heavy, their relationship made it easy to read. The author handled the characters' mental health and trauma in a way that was raw and real but also delicate and didn't make me feel like I needed to take breaks.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

2.5 stars / 3 spicy stars

Enemies turned fake dating turned lovers. I had such high hopes for this book, but unfortunately I was disappointed with this one.

Indira gets dumped and cheated by her boyfriend so she moves in with her brother and his fiancé right before their wedding. Little does she know her childhood friend/enemy is also staying with her brother. Jude and Indira are forced to spend time together, and the two of them come up with a fake dating plot for Indira’s brother’s wedding. They will fake date so 1) Indira doesn’t have to worry about her cheating ex 2) So Jude has an excuse to not be super social . Of course the fake dating starts to turn into something real, but, will Indira and Jude’s personal struggles get in the way of their HEA?

Let's start with the things I did enjoy.
- I liked the plot and the premise of the book
- The spicy scenes were PHENOMENAL
- Getting to see cameos from all the other couples in the books was SO fun

Now onto the things I did not like.
- I could not connect with the characters?
- I could care less about the characters
- I disliked Indirias family and thought she deserved WAY better.

A lot of the things I did enjoy were overpowered by the things I did not like unfortunately. I do think that this will be loved by a lot of people, and I wish that I was one of them, but it was not for me.

Thank you SO. much NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Of all of the books the A Brush with Love series, this is the one that worked best for me. I liked both Indira and Jude and felt their connection. Both of the enemies-to-lovers and brother's-best-friend tropes were well done. I appreciated the depiction of Indira in her therapy sessions. I liked how supportive Indira was of Jude. I struggled a bit with Jude's backstory of working in low/middle income countries. I think the complexities of a white person from the US working in non-white, low/middle income countries should have been explored more. Still, I was really engaged with this book and look forward to what Mazey writes next.

Such a cute idea, but sloppy writing. I feel like the male perspective wasn’t as strong as it could have been. I liked the incorporation of PTSD, but it just wasn’t strong.

Mazey Eddings does a wonderful job building characters who you love and root for. I did miss the tension that normally accompanies a third act breakup, and I wished Indira's background played more of a role in her relationship. Indira and Jude's relationship felt surprisingly easy once they got together despite years of not being around each other and I expected more problems to overcome within the relationship. Overall, I think this book is a great option for somebody who's looking for a great book with limited tension.

Mazey Eddings, I owe you my firstborn and my life. This was one of the best romance books I've ever read & I'll die on this hill. I have to admit, I did not know this was a part of MECU until I started reading it, and it's MY FAULT. Because now I will be going back & reading the other 2 books.

I loved this so much that I have no idea where to start this review. This was magic. The book touches on topics such as:
✨Childhood enemies-to-lovers
✨Importance of mental health
✨Family bonds
✨Children of a single parent
✨Therapy! Does! Not! Make! You! Weak!
✨PTSD

Our main characters, Indira and Jude have known each other for years and years and have always had an "I hate you" relationship. And now, right before Collin's (Indira's brother) wedding, their paths cross again. And since Indira's relationship just got destroyed by her cheating ex-boyfriend, she now has to walk down the aisle with Jude.

There's no miscommunication trope. I repeat. There's no miscommunication trope. I despised that trope with my whole heart and was SO glad this story didn't have that. Instead, you get Indira, one of the best FMC I have ever read about. She's not only funny and sassy, she's also gentle and kind. She's understanding and caring. That makes her a great psychiatrist because she sees the struggles of others and is able to articulate what she thinks well.

And you get Jude, who is a doctor who has seen the worst of humanity. And he has to go back to finish his contract. But he suffers greatly from PTSD and finds solace in his enemy, Indira. Who gets him, who sees right through him & who wants to help him as long as he lets her.

Their relationship blossoms as the wedding (and departure date for Jude) approaches. They face hardships but their willingness to open up, talk issues out and listen to each other pays off and strengthens their bond. I really loved how much they communicated - about what they love, their concerns, pains, and more.

We also get to see the way Indira deals with her cheating ex, how she has to work through her issues with a therapist and that focusing on yourself is not selfish. Collin and Indira are also dealing with their father abandoning them at a young age and their different ways of coping.

This is a beautiful and FUN story about love and loss and growth and how important it is to get help even if you feel like you don't deserve but. Because you deserve it, you deserve to be happy and healed. You are not your trauma.

5/5

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Harper. I adored Lizzie. But, Indira? At a loss for words. Mazey Eddings has hit her stride - this book is a triumph of love and reality and messy feelings and one I will/would read again and again.

This book was super cute. I liked how the characters and relationship evolved. I thought it was also a nice way to shine a light on mental illness and how anybody, of any gender, is at risk if they don’t practice self care.

Mazey Eddings is now an instant read author for me. I loved this so much. Jude and Indira’s story is so raw and so real and so beautiful. I loved revisiting Dan and Harper, Lizzie and Rake, Alex and Thu.

I recently finished Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake and was excited to read the next book in the series. Happy to say that I was not let down.

I really enjoyed this "enemies" to lovers trope and I think it was because there was so much more to the story than just not getting along and then falling in love. Eddings did another great job of tackling the impacts of mental illness/disorders on those experiencing it and on those connected with it. In this novel, we saw this from both characters perspectives. I also appreciate how she normed the importance of being aware of one's mental health and not being afraid to ask for help.

While you can read this novel and enjoy the simple romance, I think it hits even harder when you let yourself fall into the pain and healing of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital advanced copy.

Thank you to the publisher, net galley, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was not expecting to go into this read to read about PTSD and mental health issues. I think the author did a good job incorporating them into the overall romance story. I overall enjoyed the story but wasn’t my favorite writing style- I felt it was rushed and included a lot of extra pieces that weren’t needed to the story and just stretched it out.

I was so excited to read the third book in this series, and it did not disappoint! Each book in this series has dealt with a different, very important, mental health theme. The first book was anxiety disorder, the second book was adult ADHD and the third book dealt with PTSD and imposter syndrome. Whether you struggle with these specific diagnoses or not, there is something for absolutely everyone to relate to in each of these books, while also keeping you entertained with hilarious dialogue, an adorable friendship group that you want to be a part of yourself and believable love stories between characters that so clearly belong together.

In The Plus One we get to see Indira and Jude's story. Indira has always been portrayed as the friend "who has it all together" in the previous books in the series, but once we get to know her more we learn that she is struggling with her own silent burdens, dealing with fears of abandonment and imposter syndrome. Jude has been working as a surgeon in war-torn countries and has been left with PTSD from the experiences and situations that he has been in through his work.

Indira and Jude lean on each other for support and comfort, both growing to love each other while learning how to love themselves, flaws and all. This book brought me to tears multiple times and I cannot count how many quotes I highlighted because I resonated with them so deeply. Mazey Eddings does an incredible job of placing common, relatable struggles into her beautiful characters, and then bringing you along on their healing journey, making you truly feel a part of it. This book has both adorable and gut wrenching moments, the ending was absolutely perfect and I could not have imagined a better way to wrap up this incredible series. I will miss these characters so much!!

Ya'll, this is smut covered in PTSD and therapy.

In a nutshell…
-The PTSD/mental health representation was awesome.
-There were some touching moments that almost made me cry.
-The overall plot had great potential and was intriguing.
-The overall writing style was good.

THESE QUOTES were awesome:
“I’m not looking to fix you… I’m here to love you.”
“I can attest to the torture that we inflict on people when we minimize the impact of a hurting mind.”

I DIDN'T CARE FOR:
-The messages became repetitive at the end.
-At least 5 chapters, including the epilogue didn’t need to be there.
-The rushed romance gets in the way. I love that they got together but did they really have to “get it on” so quickly?
-I would have preferred a slower burn with less dirty and more flirty.
-The pacing and organization of the plot after 60% was done poorly.
-The graphic sexy scenes happened at the wrong times.
-There was no comedy in this romcom. I think I laughed twice?
-The romantic conflict wasn’t really there. It was resolved quickly and too easily.
-The extreme use of F bombs. roughly 200+ was too much.... I would expect this in an adult thriller, but it threw me to have SO many in a romcom. Maybe it's just the style of the author? Either way, it distracted me from the plot, and I was exhausted in the end.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:
This would be perfect for someone who loves spicy books with an attempt at deep character exploration and doesn't mind that every character only knows one expletive.
With all my critiques, why is this not lower than 3 stars? The PTSD representation was too good and the lovely moments that moved me, gave it a higher rating than I'd normally do.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m a huge fan of A Brush With Love and was so excited to read this. I didn’t really get into the story or our main characters until about the 25% mark but after that I was hooked. There were so many cute moments between Jude and Indira. Loved all the positive therapy representation and how it was very clear that this was a story about two people wanting to help each other on their healing journeys simply because they loved each other and it was NOT about trying to “fix” someone. It felt very healing being able to read about these people so freely express their thoughts and feelings with each other and find ways to try to heal. Also loved that their was no 3rd act breakup and that the slight miscommunication that happened was all solved within the next page. It all felt very true to the characters and their relationship.

I have to give this book 4 stars.
While I enjoyed the story, I'm not a fan of the writing style. A well written book, just not my favorite writing style.

So, first off, I was not expecting this story to be as heavy as it was. I thought it was just gonna be a light rom-com. Turns out, there was a much more important and strong message that was shared and I really enjoyed it. That said, it doesn’t take away from the funny/cute moments shared by the cast of characters. Speaking of, I absolutely loved how everyone interacted with each other, such a relatable group. Also, thank goodness for the lack of the third act breakup. Like, can we make this more of a thing? All in all, this was a solid read that I really enjoyed.

I was excited to get a chance to read this before release because I love a good rom com with the tropes this book features. What I didn’t expect was so much great detail on mental health issues, ptsd awareness and getting to read about it being healthily handled in the book- a refreshing thing to read for sure. This has the brothers best friend trope, a hilarious camping one tent situation, enemies to lovers vibe and best of all diversity, inclusion and representation to those of us who struggle with mental health issues:) I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read more from the author. Oh and for a fun bonus, our mmc dirty talks his woman and loves her as she deserves! We love to see it!