This was a well-written sweet read but didn’t give me the feels I expect in my romance novels.
I liked Indira and Jude, there’s a bickering childhood enemies dynamic with forced proximity what I liked especially. I felt the story dragged just a bit in the middle and could have been shortened a little. In spite of that, I enjoyed The Plus One and I recommend it to fans of romance and if you love steamy book.

The Plus One by Mazey Eddings was phenomenal. I can’t think of a better book to follow Lizzie Blakes Best Mistake. If you’ve ready my reviews before, you know that I am a huge FAN of that book. I thought it was an accurate example of someone with ADHD and that’s what I love about Mazey’s books. I still need to read the first one. I know. I am slacking slightly but, it’s on my list. But, this last one deals with depression, PTSD, mental health, and just overall taking care of your brain before you get pushed over the edge.

This is one of the best Brothers Best Friend romance books I’ve read yet. I will continue to recommend this book and Mazey for her fantastic writing abilities when it comes to mental health.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. Would I buy this? Already preordered. Fantastic job, Mazey. I can’t wait until you release another book.

This is my first book by Mazey Eddings. Her novels are stand-alones, so by coming into the series on the third book- I feel like I haven’t missed anything. (Though I will go back through and read the others- so I am up to speed).

I loved the The Plus One. I really enjoy books that go deeper and are more true to real life romances. I loved the aspect of therapy throughout the book. Both Indira and Jude working on themselves and their relationship.

Jude was so brave being about to stand up and listen to his needs. Not always an easy task but when you have support around you, it makes you want to be a better version of yourself. I’m glad that Indira could be that for Jude.

Indira has to move in with her brother after breaking up with her boyfriend. Little does she know that her childhood nemesis (and her brothers best friend) is staying there for the weeks leading up to her brothers big wedding. She unexpectedly finds something comforting in tormenting him, but maybe he’s not quite the same?

Jude is struggling after some traumatic work assignments as an emergency doctor. The last thing he needs is to spend time with the one person who has always irritated him, Indira. But somehow she feels like the home he hasn’t had in a while.

This story was very cute. Both Indira and Jude are struggling to find stability in their life and somehow find it in each other. It was a nice addition to this group of friends, but I did find some of the return character situations a little forced.

Overall, I liked the story and their connection. Would definitely recommend this author.

The Plus One was the first book I've read by this author and it was really sweet. Overall, I really loved the protagonist, Indira. I think she was smart and witty and really interesting. I believe that both Indira and Jude paired nicely together, I am always a sucker for childhood friends/enemies to lovers and this book was a good example of that. However, it's a much heavier read than I expected it to be. It wasn't exactly what I was in the mood for when I picked it up but nevertheless I still enjoyed it. The characters were lovely and I think it was a humorous lovely read. Excited to see what else this author has written.

Absolutely fabulous book.
Characters are richly drawn and believable.
The author’s treatment of how to cope with PTSD is incredibly useful.
Brava, Ms Eddings!

Seriously good! This book was a fantastic romantic comedy. The characters were lovable, and I was so sad when it ended. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

Never before have I become so protective of two characters after reading one chapter. Mazey Eddings has given us two of the most soft, lovable characters in Indira and Jude. My heart just hurt for them and I was so invested in them getting their HEA.

Indira and Jude are childhood enemies forced to spend time together during the wedding celebration for Indira’s brother (and Jude’s best friend). Indira is trying to work through a difficult breakup and Jude is struggling with PTSD after working as a doctor traveling the world to treat humanitarian crises. The two find that, in adulthood, they have much more in common and decide to help each other out by being each other’s fake date to all of the wedding activities. THEN SPARKS FLY.

I read this while listening to Taylor Swift’s Midnights and this book is basically the lyric "To you I can admit that I'm just too soft for all of it” in book form. I just wanted to hug every person in this book. All of the issues the characters have are handled with care and I couldn’t have loved it more. So sweet. So steamy. So hilarious. So emotional. All the stars.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in a series but can be read as a stand alone novel (I know this because I read this first in spite of having the first two in my TBR pile). It is told in third person, alternating between the main characters – Indira and Jude. The story hits three major tropes – fake dating, enemies to lovers, grumpy + sunshine – without being over the top, because there is some serious depth to it. Without giving anything away that isn’t covered early in the book, it addresses PTSD, infidelity, and abandonment in a way that was far more substantial than is usual in a contemporary romance.

I loved the way they circled each other, discovered each other, and then supported each other. They accepted each other as they were and helped each other approach their emotional/mental health challenges. I also really appreciated that there was a very difficult choice made at the end of the book that had long-term consequences – no quick fix to wrap things up neatly! I can’t wait to read the first two in the series!

I received an ARC from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

There is a lot to unpack with this book, and its happy go lucky cover does not express that. Thankfully the ARC gave trigger warnings (hopefully the release will too). I liked it a lot but also I felt like sometimes there were too many issues tackled? I did feel like some of the meat could have been better fleshed out of so many issues weren't tracked. But it was sweet and good.

This book was so much more than I thought it would be! The title and synopsis had me feeling like I was going into your average every day zany wedding oriented romcom but this one had so much more heart and depth than that. I really appreciated Mazey Eddings’ depiction of mental health struggles and what it means to create a healthy foundation in a relationship without sacrificing all of the sweet swoonworthy romantic moments that we all love to see in a romcom. Indira was a loveable protagonist and it wasn’t hard to root for her and her chemistry with Jude was full of banter and history and I loved seeing them reconnect and build a new relationship as adults. The story itself was fun- the wedding provided a great frame to keep the momentum and I loved where it all wrapped up and landed!

what a sweet book! a solid 4!

it was heavier in topic compared to the 2 in the series but filled with the same humor, kindness and spice as the other two. mazey eddings is consistent in writing these characters in this little universe.

although it is a romance novel, it balances equally between romance and flaws/issues to face and i found it heavy but with a happy ending that was realistic and inspiring. it wasn’t too “love solves everything” because as much i love love, everyone needs therapy. because of the heavier/more detailed discussion around the topics of ptsd and anxiety, it took me a little longer to read (i also had a busy month 😭). but regardless, it was so much fun.

indira and jude’s quick banter and newfound calm with each other was so sweet to read. i found indira so kind and i was so happy to get to know her character more from the two precious books. i was also so happy to be introduced to jude who was so scared but thoughtful and willing especially when it came to indira. it warmed my heart!

i’m so sad to close this chapter of the brush with love universe but i am already so incredibly excited to see what else mazey eddings writes. she’s truly becoming one of my fave authors!

thank you as always to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!

The Plus One has some of the most heart of any of Mazey Eddings books so far. It takes a lot for a book to make me cry and this one had me getting tearful on more than one occasion.

The chemistry between the characters was perfect, and you rooted for both of them throughout the story, even when faced with their flaws which I feel is unique to romance books because a lot of the time you get really frustrated with one side of the couple due to the conflicts presented in the story. But Mazey Eddings is very talented in making her characters and their flaws be relatable and genuine.

Another big plus for me with this story was the focus on the MMC struggling with PTSD and anxiety. I feel like this is often watered down or stigmatized in stories, especially with male, or more masculine characters so I really appreciated that element of the story and found that the author handled it very well.

I can't wait to read more from this author! :)

Another exceptionally moving and engrossing book by Mazey Eddings.

The Plus One tells the story of Indira, who we know from the first two books in this series, and Jude, her brothers best friend forever.

Jude is trying to manage his mental health while working for a humanitarian doctor's group in war torn parts of the world. Indira is still working through her feelings of not being worthy that stem from her father leaving their family at a young age.

These two have never gotten along, have been enemies since childhood. Or have they???

Definitely a must read, you will not regret it. I do regret reading it while hungry, I miss Philadelphia foods and this author weaves them in just perfectly.

I really tried to like this book but I just couldn’t get into it. The two main characters Indria and Jude were characters I wanted to like but they were just too immature. I had a hard time believing they were actually working professionals and it annoyed me through the book.

Where to start? I absolutely loved this book. I loved getting a better picture of who Indira is. I was laughing out loud multiple times because of her quick wit and one liners. I also loved how Mazey Eddings was able to portray serious topics and give readers some insight or understanding into PTSD and feelings of abandonment. I would definitely recommend this book.

I'm having a hard time putting into words how special this book is.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩:
🧡 Dual POV (3rd person)
✨️ Brother's best friend
🧡 Childhood nemesis (frenemies to lovers!)
✨️ Fake dating
🧡 Forced proximity
✨️ Only one tent

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙:
🧡 A brave and nuanced depiction of mental health.
✨️ The Healing, forgiveness, kindness, acceptance, unconditional love, and trust. Seriously, this book is filled with SO much HEART. Tender. Raw. Sweet. Vulnerable.
🧡 And it's also hilarious, and smart, and witty. I loved Indira and Jude's banter, and just their overall dynamic. Roasting is their love language.
✨️ The sibling and friend group. I loved spending time with old friends again and getting to know new ones.

Such a beautiful beautiful story. Mazey's talents shine so brightly with this book. It really is contemporary romance at it's finest. My heart is full. I loved it. 🧡

CW: PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, parental abandonment, strained family dynamics, cheating

My absolute FAVORITE things about this book was the amazing mental health representation in it; YES I loved the enemies to lovers, the fake dating and the brothers best friends BUT the way Mazey focused so strongly on mental health issues and healing was so great! It added sooo much to my favorite tropes without me knowing I was missing it.

This was such a fun, quick and thought provoking read! The writing flowed so well and I found myself not wanting to put it down. This had me in my feels because the characters were written in a way that made them incredibly relatable and you felt what they felt. It really highlighted how ANYONE can struggle with crippling anxiety, hurt and even PTSD but there can't be healing without the work.

On top of that we get the preparations and events leading up to Indira's brothers wedding [who so happens to be Jude's best friend!] The friend circle and family dynamic was super fun to read as well. Even the sibling / friend banter was spot on. NOW...The spice was AMAZING and made this book that much more perfect because Jude and Indira were just PERFECT together. I swooned at how sweet Jude was without even realizing, the banter was fantastic and what made it even better was the flashbacks to them as kids - it made their relationship that much more adorable.

This was my first book by Mazey and it will not be my last! It had me hooked from the first page! Definitely recommend.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Enemies to lovers AND grumpy sunshine AND brother's best friend in one? At first I was worried this book was trying to be too many things, but was so pleasantly surprised to see that each trope was pulled off well!

This book was special in that it was a delightful and easy to read romance, but it also had significant depth. Mazey Eddings did not gloss over the difficulties of life here- but rather she leans in to them and explores them in a way that makes us love and root for Indira + Jude more than we would have already.

For the spicy scenes, there was a really lovely balance of physicality and emotionality.

All in all a really enjoyable easy to read and heartwarming story. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Pre-Read: Indira's book???

Post Read: ARC provided by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

TW/CW: PTSD (medical trauma), panic attacks (on page), anxiety, cheating, parental abandonment

I don't even think I ever read the synopsis for this book, I just thought OMG it's a new Mazey Eddings book I have to have it. Now after reading it I never would've guessed that this book would be about what it's about (does that make sense???). It was an amazing rollercoaster.

And once again, another book to add to my hug-in-a-book category.