Okay, I'm sorry, but this was just not good.

I've been seeing a lot of love for Mazey Eddings going around and a wedding-themed fake dating story seemed as good a time as any for me to see what all the fuss was about.

Spoiler: I still don't know.

I feel bad for saying this because The Plus One was apparently a very personal hard-to-write story for Eddings who explained at the end that she also struggled with PTSD. She obviously went into it with Intentions™ of making this meaningful book, and mental health was a big focus of the book. Unfortunately, wasn't done very well.

My biggest issue with The Plus One was the complete lack of a plot. The "elaborate (and ridiculously drawn out) wedding event" only popped up when convenient, the frequent run-ins with the ex and his new girlfriend seemed like a non-issue, and the fake dating was only relevant for like a handful of chapters. There was no story, no character development. Instead, there was a whole lot of sex. Like chapters upon chapters of it. If, like me, you're the type of reader who likes to skip the sex, you'll shave a good half hour off your reading time.

I honestly couldn't connect with either of the characters or the story as a whole. The third-person narrative certainly didn't help things. I'm normally a huge fan of third-person POV, but this is one of the few cases where I think a story would've been better served with a first-person narrative. Both Indira and Jude have their own emotional baggage they're lugging around but the narration choice put an unnecessary distance between the reader and the characters. It also didn't help that the writing was a bit stilted and awkward. The other issue was that neither Indria nor Jude were particularly developed as characters. I'm not sure well readers have gotten to know Indria from the other Brush with Love books (judging from the many appearances by Lizzie Blake and what's-her-name from the first book, I'm guessing she's fairly well-known to fans of the series,) but as a newbie to Mazey Eddings, I finished the book confused as to who Indria was. Cynical? Snarky? Caring? She was all of the above at different points in the story, but there was never any consistency. The one thing I do know is that she's got some abandonment issues thanks to her parents' divorce, but that's about it. Jude, on the other hand, seemed to be solely defined by his trauma. (and his lust for Indria, but more on that later.) There really was nothing particularly special about him other than the fact that he was the (allegedly) broody, broken love interest.

Now let's talk about the romance. It was...not there. We're told that Indria and Jude are childhood enemies who hate each other for no real reason, which was fine until we kept getting random sweet memories that seemed to contradict the fact. As adults, they "hate" each other which pretty much meant they insulted each other and told us how much the other person got on their nerves. I just wasn't convinced. Eddings seemed to play with the idea that they cared about the other person even while they were growing up but wasn't really willing to fully commit to it, so we ended up with this weird relationship that wasn't very consistent. In terms of the actual romance, it was a case of insta-lust at its finest. After a pretty early "opps I saw you naked" scene and a few "we need to engage in PDA for Fake Dating Reasons" moments, the two started getting physical and then told us they were falling in love with each other. The only interaction we saw between the two leading up to these epiphanies were literally either verbal sparring or some PG13 action, so you'll understand why I was skeptical this was True Love at its finest.

For the mental health parts of the book, all I can say is that Eddings really, really tried. Both Jude and Indira's struggles were mentioned a lot throughout the story but just kind of fell flat. There wasn't much of an emotional connection to the scenes when they grappled with their pasts, and the therapy sessions seemed more like excuses for Eddings to stand up on her soapbox rather than engage her readers in any meaningful way.

Judging from the fact that yours truly is the only one star review so far, Mazey Eddings did something right. Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me. Try as I might, it's hard for me to think of any major bright spots in The Plus One. The banter was fine but certainly not worth the hours I spent reading the book. And while I certainly appreciate Mazey Eddings' intent in writing a book that tackles some heavy issues related to mental illness, the storytelling-or lack of-didn't do her any favors. I appreciated the Taylor Swift reference, though?

I received an eARC from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes what you've been looking for the whole time is the most annoyingly frustrating human being you've ever met. And sure, he might be a little cute too. Indira has been anything but lucky in love and coasting along has not done her any favours. Follow her as she rediscovers herself and becomes more than just the kid sister.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I will begin by saying that I have not read the previous two novels, so this was my first by the author.
The story was fun, and included many bickering moments between the two main characters. A usual enemy to lovers trope with a touch of fake dating and a lot of spice.
I do feel like it began to drag in the middle, and then wrapped up quickly.
The novel includes a strong mental health story line, and I felt the author portrayed it in a realistic manner.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and I’d recommend for an easy weekend read.

Mazey Eddings makes you fall in love with each character, couple, and crotchety cat.

The Plus One is another visceral look into self and life and love and mental health and family and friend-family. Eddings writes romance, sure, but she never leaves out laughable, struggle ridden, messy real life. Sometimes its an inappropriate use of peanut butter kind of messy. (Read and find out how 😏)

You can read The Plus One as a standalone, but be prepared to want to stock up on all the rest of Mazey's works.

Highlights:
frenemies to lovers
dual pov
grumpy + sunshine
spicey
fake dating

Favourite quote: “The sun rose in the East and set in the West. Indira annoyed Jude. Jude annoyed her back.”

About the book:
Indira and Jude have known each other since childhood. Jude is best friends with Indira’s brother but they always have had a love-hate relationship. Indira has her life together, successful career as a psychiatrist, boyfriend and car but when her boyfriend cheats on her, everything starts to fall apart. Jude is a Dr overseas dealing with emergency situations every day. He is back in town to celebrate Indira’s brother’s wedding but unfortunately he is having a hard time adjusting. What happens when these childhood enemies find the only thing they can rely on is each other?

WOW! This book. It is sweet, emotional, funny and portrays mental health in such a realistic way. I immediately fell in love with Indira and related with her in more ways than one. Mazey does such an amazing job with the way she writes her characters and the connections that she is able to form between them. This book is the third in a series but each one can be read on their own. I had not read either of the first two and I didn’t feel confused or lost at all. I was super impressed with how realistic she wrote about mental health. Mazey normalized it in a way it should be and gave the reader a practical insider view. Not gonna lie, I have a crush on Jude and I just wanted to reach out and hug him on multiple occasions while reading this book. Both characters are completely vulnerable in this book but they end up relying on each other and it's beautiful what comes together.

Great rom com covering the very serious topic of mental health and PTSD. Childhood frenemies are reunited by an upcoming family wedding, but both of them have emotional trauma that connects them through their empathy and understanding. The fun characters balance out the weighty issues being dealt with.

Maizey Eddings writes very thoughtful novels that fictionally address psychological issues that plague ordinary people. In The Plus One the issue is PTSD and the doctor who suffers from it. Jude works for an organization that sends doctors to disaster areas to service the wounded. He was ill prepared for the horrors and losses of his stint. Indira is a long time frenemy of Jude. They form an uneasy pact for him to be her plus one at her brother’s wedding. The turns and twists of their relationship are beautiful and hard, each somehow muddling through it all.
An excellent, excellent novel.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I started this series with book 2, and book 3 did not disappoint. Going to circle back and read book 1 and cross my fingers that there will be a book 4!

Loved the Indira/Jude dynamic from the moment she knocked (kicked?) on Collin’s door, and appreciated the background of them growing up together that was sprinkled throughout the book.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore this book and it is one of my favorite romcoms of this year! I loved everything about this book! It had me giggling and kicking my feet and crying and laughing. It made me feel everything! I loved Indira and Jude (newest book bf) individually and together. Their banter at first was great and funny and continued throughout the book. Also the layer and history of them knowing each other since childhood made their connection so much better! They know each and are made for each other. If soulmates exist they are them! They also go through so much growth through this book that I just want to wrap them both up in a big hug, especially Jude!

Overall, I adore this book and highly recommend you read it when it comes out in April!

Read if you’re looking for…
•childhood hate to lovers
•fake dating
•brothers best friend
•forced proximity
•mental health rep
•🌶️🌶️

Books like these just completely captivate me. Rivals who become romantic interests? Yes, please. I genuinely appreciated the touch to PTSD as this hits close to home for me personally. Any book that has realistic notions towards mental health are a win. It definitely turned steamier than I was expecting. I really enjoyed this book.

I loved everything about this book. Mazey's junior novel-it centers around childhood nemesis who find out they're basically made for one another in a dual POV steamy rom com tackling tough subjects. There's fake dating, brother's best friend tropes, and so much to love about this novel. Mazey does an excellent job of having characters that feel human and make me feel for them. Jude's mental health journey was such a breath of fresh air because he felt like a real person with real struggles and while Indira couldn't fix him, she could help him and it made me just love them both so much more. Indira's own journey with her self worth was just as captivating and you spend the whole book rooting for both of them to jump their personal hurdles together. Finaly, I love how Mazey normalizes therapy! its human! its for everyone! and its great! 5/5, cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

P.S., I would do anything for Grammy the cat-shes my new favorite side character.

Thank you @negalley @stmartinspress and @mazeyeddings for my eARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

Indira’s life looked perfect on paper. That is until she caught her boyfriend in a compromising position. Now she’s stuck living with her brother and his partner and… her brother’s best friend. Better known as her biggest enemy, Jude. Since her brother’s upcoming nuptials mean an unreal amount of exposure to Indira’s ex and his new girlfriend - and Jude being placed in social situations that make him panic - the two decide to team up and fake date their way through the wedding events. But how long will they be able to keep up their act before it starts feeling a little too real?

Eddings has done it again! I fell in love with the characters of this book. She managed to shine light on PTSD while still writing a funny, sweet, and steamy rom-com that I’ll definitely be reading again in the future!

This one gets 4.5⭐️‘s from me!

This book in 3 words: Genuine. Hilarious. Sexy.

This is my third book by Mazey Eddings and her writing feels like such a bright spot, no matter the mood I'm in. Her writing is stellar with a carefully constructed plot and even better characters. She's quickly made it to the short list of authors that I'll literally read anything from.

I love Mazey's main characters. I want to just snuggle Dira and Jude up in a hug. The banter is rich, the quips are ACTUALLY funny, and the writing makes you feel like you're hanging out with your friend group. Each of the characters have a solid arc and we love to see the growth and change.

The Plus One is a contemporary romance, but with some curveballs, with a unique spin on tropes we know and love. While this is a contemporary romance, it delicately handles and works through tough and substantial themes. The characters and plot are rich with common issues which aren't talked, or written about, nearly enough.

I was gifted an early copy in exchange for an honest review. I will post on my social media platforms closer to the pub date.

When I opened this book the warning almost made me back away but I was intrigued and turned the page. I am glad I did. The author writes good characters and an interesting story. Not a beach read but still a good romance and surprisingly steamy when I didn't expect it. I do recommend this book with the caveat that it contains a serious subject matter to go along with the love story.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Interesting indeed, recommend reading it.

Mazey Eddings does it again! Eddings has once again shown how to intertwine real mental health issues with incredible romance. I loved Indira & Jude’s relationship and their enemies to lovers AND fake dating storyline so much. Plus the steam was A+++! Even more than that though, I loved being in Indira’s therapy sessions and how Eddings handled that topic so well. Eddings is 100% an auto-buy author for me & after The Plus Ones will continue to be!

I see so much love for this author and didn’t love her first book, so wanted to give her second book a fresh chance! Unfortunately i once again struggled with the writing style. I did not finish the book and just need to admit her style is not for me. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Plus One gives you a lot of great tropes with a lot of mental health rep. Indira and Jude have hated each other since youth. Jude, being the annoying friend of her brother, Indira and him always butted heads. When they reconnect before Colin's (the brother) wedding they realize they might have more that just hatred, but sparks.

I enjoyed this story. It was steamier than I expected but in a way that worked for me. There was a lot of mental health rep. At times it did feel a bit repetitive in the sense that yes Jude should 100% be in therapy, got it. But these two had fun banter and lots of chemistry. I loved the relationship between Indira and her brother too.

It had a fun setting and moved quickly. I did feel like the ending had a lot of time jumping forward but it didn't take away from liking the story.

I haven't read the other two books set in this universe so this could definitely be a stand alone novel despite being labeled as number three.

If you enjoy contemporary romance, brother's best friend and enemies to lovers then you'll like this one too!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Plus One is a sweet book about finding yourself and your person through the pain of PTSD and trauma. It is beautifully and respectfully covered the sensitive topics while giving the characters depth. I loved the emotions and the plot of this book, it is a definite must read!

LAUGH OUT LOUD FUNNY!!!! 5++ star read!

This is by far my favorite of the series - Kudos to Mazey Eddings for giving Indira her own novel that is both hysterical, serious, and touching all in one. Mazey knows how to delicately write about very serious topics (in this case anxiety) while keeping the readers engaged in characters lives - so much you feel you are right there with them.

I absolutely loved reading Indira’s story with childhood enemy Jude. The banter between Jude and Indira is spot on, their chemistry - off the charts, and their characters - flawed and raw.

Then throw in all the characters from the previous books in the series - and readers will be left so happy!

I will be first in line to read Mazey’s next novel - now all I have to do is be patient and wait.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Mazey Eddings for this ARC - all opinions are my own.