Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this ARC!

While this was definitely a cute romance between between two childhood rivals, Indira and Jude, it felt like the book just dragged a little bit, a lot of the material felt a little unecessary. Jude was slightly annoying by himself, I'm sorry! I liked that it touched on mental health, I liked that it gave real world scenarios, it was a relatable and well written book albeit a little slow.

I went in really excited for this but unfortunately it very much missed the mark for me. Perhaps it was when I read it or maybe it's just not for me but it took me weeks to finish and I didn't really enjoy the time spent reading it.

The plot was too fast and the characters love story felt contrived overall.

3.5, rounded up. The Plus One is a cute, steamy read with an added layer of depth, in the form of mental health. This book contains a lot of the standard tropes within the romcom genre and enemies to lovers sub-genre, but Eddings does a good job serving up readers what they want of these types of stories and doesn't try to be ironic/satirical or subvert expectations. It just is what it is. Contemporarily-set enemies-to-lovers stories always feel a bit forced to me, but I think the author did a good job making Indira and Jude "enemies" without forcing it too much, and the change to lovers didn't feel gratuitous. The thing that bumped me most was that the middle of the book is basically a string of spicy scenes and then the last quarter of the book abruptly shifts to focus entirely on mental health issues-- the sharp juxtaposition threw me, as they're so different in tone and content. But I did appreciate that a book could be both sexy and serious.

an achingly beautiful novel that explores grief and reconnected love. i adored the characters all the while being so sad to say goodbye to this found family that has been through so much together an amazing ending

i loved this book so much!

i didn't realize before i started reading this book that it was the third in a series, and while i do like to read series in order i don't think it took anything away from this book.

i read a lot of romance and it was refreshing to read one where the characters actually voiced what they were thinking about the relationship and there was no late stage break up or miscommunication.

i laughed and i cried and i'm not sure what else you could want from a book.

thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to love this book!!

As someone well-versed in romantic tropes, I found this book to be refreshing. I loved how the "secret dating" trope was immediately squashed when [SPOILERS] basically everyone that Indira was close to was almost immediately told that the two were pretending to date. [END SPOILERS]

That said, I think that the pacing was a bit off, but I know that there are only so many ways to write the whole "fake to real dating" trope. I do plan on purchasing this when it comes out. Loved it!

A really cute, thought provoking, sweet rom com.. One of the better ones I have read in a while.

Indira and Jude pretty much grow up together, since he is the best friend of her brother. However, Indira doesn’t like Jude. Jude doesn’t like Indira. But what happens when these childhood enemies find the only thing they can rely on is each other?

I LOVE how each one was flawed, but trying. i loved how they supported each other when needed. I even loved their "battles of hate" - the names they called each other, and the pranks they played were so funny! I loved these characters and was really bummed when this ended.

4.5 stars rounded to 5 just because its one of the better rom coms I have read in a long time.. Thank you for breaking my dry spell.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and to #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

This was Mazey Eddings’ best novel so far. Relating Indira and Jude’s story, this book was about war trauma and daddy issues. I loved that the characters were far from shy about their therapy session and seeking help. I think this story was more about finding someone to support you through hard times more than looking for love. The characters were well built and had deep personalities which made it easier for the reader to relate to. I have to say though that the ending was a bit rushed. Many years were skipped which gave the illusion that the reader was at the epilogue even though there were three chapters left. I would still recommend this book to anyone who wants a cute romance mixed with complex emotions.

Such a unique book, I loved the plot and oh my god the characters we're so amazing!! I definitely will be recommending it!!

Such a unique book, I loved the plot and oh my god the characters we're so amazing!! I definitely will be recommending it!!

Ahhhh I enjoyed reading this one so much! It was so cute and romantic! Not to mention it hooked me right away!

This was cute, but added nothing to the genre. I did enjoy the couple and I can totally see this one being a huge hit in the rom com community. I smiled several times reading this one!

I loved this book! The story was so cute and the writing was so good. I'll try to avoid spoilers so I won't say much, but I absolutely loved how this book touched on mental health, specifically anxiety and panic attacks because I could relate on such a personal level. Mazey Eddings is such a talented writer and the way she wrote these characters was just perfection. The story was so cute, too. Overall, this book was such a good read and I definitely recommend it.

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

DNF @ 32%.

I'm not vibing with this one. It feels like a step back for Eddings. It's a bit flat, the characters a bit one-dimensional. It's hard to believe that a few months ago I gave the author's sophomore book 5 stars! I DNF'd the first book too, and unfortunately this has gone the same way. The writing feels clunky and awkward (and falls into my pet peeve of third person narrative - mentioning the protagonist's name every freaking paragraph and thus dragging me out of the story because it's already obvious who is talking).

This could do with another round of editing for sure, but that probably wouldn't help the fact that I just don't care about Indira or Jude.

I love Mazey Eddings' writing!! Her other books are just the cutest and this one was the same :) She creates complex characters with real-worth personalities and problems. She does great research beforehand and has such a smooth writing style. I will keep reading her books!

Thank you NetGalley and Mazey Eddings!

Listen

Mazey literally cannot write a bad book.

Every single thing she puts out makes me feel related to and real. The research she puts in to make sure that all of the issues and characters are portrayed correctly is immaculate, and the story of Indira and Jude is no different.

10/10. 5 starts. Will recommend to everyone.

📚 The Plus One
✍ Mazy Eddings
📖 RomCom
⭐ 4.5/5
🌶️ 4/5

"Trauma and happy endings aren't mutually exclusive. They aren't even separate entities that have to be experienced at different seasons of life. You can hurt. You can struggle and suffer and learn to heal while doing it. You can stare into the face of your pain and also choose to love."
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If you've read the first two installments in Mazey Eddings' A Brush with Love series, you're in for a treat with Indira's story! Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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Fresh off a breakup that bizarrely involved peanut butter, Indira finds herself rooming at her brother's house just a few weeks away from his wedding. Upon her arrival, she comes face to face with her brother's best friend and her sworn childhood nemesis, Jude, who is also staying with her brother while on leave from his job at an international health organization to attend the wedding. Despite their differences, they find comfort in each other during the chaotic events leading up to the wedding and agree to fake date so Indira won't have to face her ex alone. The only problem is, their forced proximity and fake displays of affection are starting to feel a bit… real, and both are left grappling with the idea that a situation that couldn’t be worse, is made a little better with the other around.
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💭What I loved: The normalization of therapy and emotional self care played a huge role in The Plus One. There were a lot of deep conversations about guilt, abandonment and trauma that somehow fit in beautifully with the LOL moments I've come to cherish from everything Eddings writes. Indira and Jude had the sweetest shared history and love and laid on the spice too- packing way more heat than the first two books IMO. And of course, I loved getting snippets from Harper and Dan and Lizzie and Rake the series- it's always nice to get more closure for characters you love.
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TW: PTSD
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Read if you love:
*older brother's best friend tropes
*fake dating
*mental health rep
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See also: Life's Too Short, Ever After Always, Fix Her Up

The Plus One...what can I say about this book? I swear to God, Mazey has a window into my soul. Every book she writes, I relate to. A Brush with Love - anxiety. Lizzie Blake - anxiety. The Plus One - panic attacks.

In order to avoid spoilers I won't say too much, but I rooted for Indira and Jude the ENTIRE time. They were so freaking precious, and the evolution of their friendship into something more was so believable.

AND... holy crap... the spice in these books just gets BETTER and BETTER.

I don't just recommend this book. I DEMAND you read it.

Rating: 4
Laughing Score: 4
Heaviness Score: 2

I’m not sure how to start this review, but I feel like the top three things I should start with are:

Indira and Jude are two of the most beautifully complex characters I’ve read in a long time
Check the trigger warnings for this book & read the author's note at the end
Get ready for a lot - a lot of laughs, a lot of love, and a lot of emotions

The writing in this book is engaging, it’s binge-able but also kind of heavy, so maybe don’t binge it? I tried not to because although I’ve never suffered from PTSD, the elements of anxiety that were woven through the characters often left me feeling a little heavy, but then at the same time, I think there was an entire chapter where I was laughing out loud. I think the reason I couldn’t stay away was that I just thought their story was so dang beautiful.

Childhood frenemies to lovers/brother’s best friend, so you know with that, there is pining, there is banter and a whole lot of nostalgia. It’s also a slow burn, with a lot of steam, a one-tent situation, and a pretty great friend group. I really loved that we’re reading about two adults, successful in their careers yet a bit broken because of their life experiences. I loved that the main theme wasn’t about fixing each other but focusing on themselves and being a team.

I also really loved the Epilogue and getting to see how everyone else in this universe was doing. I think this is the last book in this universe, and I found it to be a sweet ending.

Thank you, SMP Romance & Netgalley, for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for my review. The Plus One comes out on 4/4/2023!

Childhood rivals turned fake dating frenemies turned friends turned lovers! When Indira's life is thrown into a tailspin, she has to move in with her brother, only to discover her childhood nemesis and brother's best friend Jude is already staying there. While there's a history of hate, they find the best solution for single wedding blues is each other, and find that the other can help with them a whole lot more than just being less lonely. Overall a fun romance with some very poignant insights about working through mental health issues. And if you've read the series, also very fun appearances by former book friends!