Indira finds herself at her brother’s home, seeking refuge from her cheating boyfriend. However, when she gets to his house, she realizes she’s not the only houseguest- Jude, her brother’s best friend, is there too. Indira and Jude are childhood rivals and don’t exactly get along. Jude is home from working overseas as a doctor in war zones and suffering from ptsd as a result. Indira finds herself empathizing with Jude, wanting to help, and forming a friendship. They agree to fake date one another- but are their feelings not so fake after all?

This book is the third in a loosely connected series, but I hadn’t read the other books and it definitely works as a stand-alone too. It’s my first book from this author and I really enjoyed it! The characters were realistic and I appreciated the mental health representation with Jude’s character. Indira was funny, likable, and easy to relate to. There was more spice in the book than I expected- but I was here for it! If you enjoy a spicy, fun, romantic comedy with mental health representation, this book would be the perfect choice.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and Mazey Eddings for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, let me say how grateful I am to be given another Mazey Eddings novel to review and let me also say that SHE DID IT AGAIN! I LOVED The Plus One, Mazey is definitely a new auto buy author for me.

Everything about this book was well executed. The romance, the characters and their growth throughout the story, and the mental health representation. This book made me laugh, it made me honestly sob, and it gave me all of the love tingles. I loved the enemies to lovers, forced proximity story. Indira and Jude were magnetic and the book was a page turner.

Indira and Jude were childhood enemies and after finding her ex cheating (in the wildest way possible might I add), Indira is forced to go live with her brother. Indira finds herself struggling with the situation and her overall mental health during her stay but she also finds that Jude may not be doing so well either.

Jude is struggling with being a dr in a disaster zone on scholarship, he is trying his hardest to keep his cool but PTSD is ruling its ugly head. He finds the only time he feels any peace at all is with Indira which is baffling to him. He comes up with the idea to be pretend wedding dates and even though the fear sparks fly.

10 Out of 10, so so well done.

I love Mazey Eddings. Her mental health representation hits me right where it counts every single time. Jude's trauma was hard to stomach at times, but the relationship between him and Indira was so good and healing. These characters were great and I am excited what comes next for the author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this advanced readers copy. I had seen Ms Edding’s work on Instagram pop up a lot and was curious to read her work. The Plus One is an enemies to friends to lovers, best friend's little sister with a slight one bed or in this case, one tent trope.

Indira, one of our protagonists, needs a plus one for her brother Collin's upcoming wedding after her boyfriend who also happens to be in the wedding, is found in a rather sticky situation with someone else. Jude, who happens to be Collin's best friend and Indira’s longtime childhood rival, agrees to be indirás fake boyfriend/ date to the wedding. But both find that their enemy status is centrally hiding deep feelings of attraction.

Both Indira and Jude are dealing with deep emotional and traumatic issues that they both deal with when their fake dating turns a little more real. The story dealt with deep emotional issues and the support that is needed to help admit to those issues.

My only real issue with this book and why I rated it 4 stars was due to what I felt was an excessive amount of cursing. I know sometimes this stronger language is needed but it seemed like I had read 7 eff words in the first 3 chapters. I know that will not bother some people but it does distract from the enjoyment of reading for me when it feels like the placement of the worked was not necessary. But overall an enjoyable read with very enjoyable secondary characters as well.

The Plus One is hands down my favorite Mazey Edding’s book that I have read so far. Filled with heartwarming characters and swoony scenes, this book had me in all my feelings.

Indira and Jude: enemies since their young years. Indira seems to have her life together: fantastic boyfriend, amazing job as a therapist and fantastic friend group. Well, when she walks in on her boyfriend in a peanut filled situation, she quickly discovers not everything is what it seems. Now, she’s taken to living with her brother and his fiancée just months before their wedding, with roommate JUDE,

Jude is a beautiful spiral of help me I am drowning in my life character. Currently on leave from the NHS, Jude is praying his next assignment won’t be so bad. That he won’t ever have an emotional breakdown again. Then walks in Indira.

Both need to prove to oneself that they can overcome the upcoming wedding. Bring on the fake plus one.

Jude and Indira’s story had me smiling, laughing, crying and then showing the biggest smile again. Mazey Edding’s writes from her heart and soul and that shines in The Plus One. I immediately connected with Jude’s story and wanted to hug him and never let go. This book has the steam, has the fun cast of characters and has alll the vibes needed in a feel good romance.

Thank you St, Martin’s Press romance and Netgalley for my earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own,

The Plus One was such a satisfying ending to this delightful series from Mazey Eddings! It has so many great tropes. Brother's best friend, childhood nemesis, only one tent, fake dating for a wedding, broken hero--to name a few. There is great trauma and therapy representation that Eddings handled with the perfect care.

This book is Indira's story. The last of the friend set that included A Brush With Love (Harper's book) and Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake (Lizzie's book). Each one of these books focuses on some sort of mental health aspect. Indira begins the book with the shock of being cheated on by her long term boyfriend. Jude, her older brother's best friend, is a doctor who has been serving in war torn areas for the past three years. It has profoundly affected his mental health, and he is a very broken person. They reconnect with each other while staying with Collin, Indira's brother and Jude's best friend. Childhood animosity quickly turns to something more, but can they overcome all of the stress they are facing to be together?

I loved the dual perspective. Having Jude's point of view was key for this book to be a success. I also loved seeing Indira's thoughts as she healed herself and helped him. I think Mazey Eddings did a great job of balancing this book. Jude and Indira had great banter and chemistry that allowed the book to keep a lighthearted feel amidst all of the heavy topics discussed above. There were also lots of fun scenes based around Collin's wedding preparation and festivities. I'm glad the fake dating didn't drag on and they were upfront about it with their loved ones. The steam level was perfect, and I loved how comfortable they both were with expressing themselves when it came to their relationship.

I think each of these books is better than the last. This one definitely packed the most emotional punch. It's sweet, sexy, funny, and heartfelt. Mazey Eddings is a must read for me at this point.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced e-book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is an automatic new favorite for me. Mazey did an incredible job writing therapy scenes and the journey of healing from trauma. I was in awe of the love between the characters and the reminders that you don’t need to be “healed” in order to be worthy of love.
Indira and Jude were the perfect pair, childhood enemies to lovers, only one TENT (loved), brother’s best friend, and so many other goodies.
You’ll get lots of glimpse into the rest of the friend group from this series, and we get to know Indira’s brother Collin and his fiancé, Jeremy, through lots of wedding prep throughout the story.
There were so many elements that highlighted the struggles of PTSD and familial trauma in ways I’ve never seen before and felt incredible impressed by.
Truly, this book was everything I could have hoped for and much more, and I’m excited for it to be out in the world.

A good premise written in good style! I enjoyed the characters and their story and how they came together. This is my first time with this author and I enjoyed the writing style. There are some triggers that accompany the story but I am triggered about them, but be warned. All in all, I enjoyed it! X

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC of Mazey Eddings's next release!! Mazey Eddings has quickly become an instant buy author for me just because her writing is quick, easy, and swoonworthy. Her characters are not my favorite but Eddings's writing is just natural and her execution of A Brush with Love and Lizzie Blake were easy reads I would recommend to my more casual reader friends, knowing they'd enjoy it. The Plus One is no different and frankly, it's my favorite of her works so far! It had all my favorite tropes but instead of the tropes drowning out her characters, her story is driven through a force of its own and was so enjoyable. I love having been able to witness Eddings's growth as a writer across three books and I am SO excited for more!

This is the 3rd book in the series by Mazey Eddings, but I didn't read the other two books in the series. I didn't feel like I was lost or confused because I jumped in at the 3rd book. I loved this story, and I finished it in one day!

This book wasn't like a typical romance story because it also handle heavier topics, such as PTSD, mental health, and trauma. The heavier topics felt very realistic, and I felt like I could really connect to what the characters were feeling, even though I hadn't experienced their pain. Even though the book had heavy topics in it, there was still enough romance and fun to balance it out.

'The Plus One' centers around Indira, who has to pick up the pieces after she finds her boyfriend cheating on her. She goes to live with her brother, Collin, and his fiance, Jeremy. Also living at their house is Jude, who is Collin's best friend since they were in kindergarten. Jude and Indira grew up together, but they never got along. As children and now as adults, they love to annoy each other and get under each other's skin.

Indira and Jude start to reconnect as they work on activities and plans for Collin and Jeremy's upcoming wedding. They come up with a plan to pretend to date each other, as a way to get revenge against Indira's ex, who is also in the wedding party. The more time they spend together, they start to wonder what is real and what is fake about their interactions with each other.

Indira and Jude's relationship is one that I really enjoyed reading about because it wasn't a cookie cutter relationship. They had a great backstory and they also had things that they needed to overcome separately and together. I loved their interactions and how they were around each other.

For fans of the first two books, the other characters are about of this story, and they get a nice wrap up in the epilogue section of this book. I will probably go back and read the other two books in the series.

I loved that the book took place in Philadelphia because I am from there, and it was a nice surprise for me to see the city mentioned as the setting of the book.

I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.

This book was so good!! I'm an absolute sucker for the brother's best friend trope, but the way that Jude and Indira were such a big part of each other's lives ever since they were younger felt bigger than Jude just being Collin's best friend and I loved that. And I also really liked how the book doesn't shy away from some of the serious topics that appear like PTSD and mental health, but instead shows how Jude and Indira continue to work on those things and love each other through it. Indira was honestly so so relatable at times, and I highly recommend this book to everyone!!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

thank u netgalley + the publisher for this arc!

i knew this was going to be great the second i saw the mmc was named jude cause i love characters named jude <3 i did get a little bored at like the 3/4 mark, but i loved the dynamic between the two mcs + the way ptsd is portrayed in this book. also, i had no idea this is the third book in a series until i marked it as 'currently reading' but it seems like it works really well as a standalone😭

I’m very grateful to have received an ARC of this book.

This was a very cute read, with plenty of comedy and romance. There are also some trigger warnings on the book, so before reading check those. PTSD factors hugely into the plot of the story.

Jude is a doctor who signed a contract for 4 years working for a group that sends him abroad to places in great news for medical assistance, often places dealing with disaster or war or something similar. Nearly 3 years in, Jude has some leave for his best friends wedding, and is deeply emotionally scarred by the traumas he has experienced. Insert Indira, sister to Colin, Jude’s best friend. Despite her own struggles she is a beacon of light for Jude, letting him experience moments of levity he hasn’t been able to feel for years.

Indira is facing her own problems, such as a boyfriend who she walked in on cheating on her, and past abandonment issues created by an absentee father. Together they try to figure out how to overcome the things that haunt them, and discover things about one another that they never thought they would see.

I enjoyed seeing Jude and Indira’s relationship with one another grow throughout the course of the book, from childhood not-quite-friends to actually tolerating one another years later when they reconnect. However, I was expecting more of an enemies to lovers story going into this, and didn’t really feel like their relationship necessarily qualified. Although they didn’t get along as children, the actual story of this part of their relationship had nothing to do with the actual story, as it was really just last bygones and they moved right passed this from the start in my opinion. Indira quickly became the only thing that made Jude feel some happiness, and it really just skipped the enemies part of things.

Beyond this, I loved the banter between Jude and Indira, it was quite witty and showed a lot of chemistry between the two and I enjoyed seeing them grow closer as the story went. One other thing about the story though was that I found the conflict limited. Yes, there was some back and forth related to Jude’s trauma and his lack of coping effecting his happiness, but there was never really that moment of stress that left you wondering if they could make it through their issues. It always seemed to be resolved almost before it started.

All that said, it was a light, funny, cute read and I did enjoy it as a quick little mindless read and would definitely check this author out again in future. Very good book for the rom-com lover!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own.

Can you ever go wrong with Mazey Eddings???

The Plus One was the perfect final book to end this story of 3 friends.

Indira got her happy ending with the amazing Jude. As with all of her books, the characters are so relatable and well written.

This is a perfect contemporary rom-com that you do NOT want to miss. I absolutely LOVED it!

"Some facts are indisputable. The sun rises in the east, sets in the west. Gravity exits. 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?"

This novel about a pair of childhood enemies who agree to be each other's wedding date is sprinkled with both classic tropes and moments dealing with mental health issues (primarily PTSD).

While novels that shine a light on mental health concerns can be a good thing, the reader's relationship isn't cemented enough with a character before introducing it. We know that Jude has baggage, but the cause of it is kept too long. All of the scenes with him feel like when someone sits down next to you and sighs loudly, but refuses to explain.

"What's wrong?" you ask.
"Nothing . . ." *Cue bigger sigh*
"What's wrong?"
Sigh. "Oh . . . Nothing." Sigh.
"Fine. Don't tell me then."

The coyness around his PTSD just made me annoyed, and it made it hard to care when it finally was explained. It also didn't help that the characters felt very one dimensional, especially the secondary characters--a gaggle of sUpEr qUiRkY pals. I just couldn't make a connection with this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advance copy

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

I absolutely loved it! I thought it was cute and well-written. I flew through this in a day. It was a heartwarming, funny, and charming read. I love a good enemies to lovers trope!

loved this friends to lovers and it started as being a date. loved her friends and family. i loved that mental health was talked about and dealing with issues.

Thank you to Netgally for this ARC. This book is such a strong representation of the importance of mental health and the reality of trying to navigate life while going through a battle with your brain. Our main characters are experiencing a classic love story while also presenting very real and deep emotions and struggles. We see representation of self doubt, PTSD, therapy and counseling; as well as a cast of characters that support our main couple rather than create trials and conflicts for the sake of the plot. In most enemies to lovers/brothers best friend stories the conflicts of the book are usually overcoming opposition from close family members that often lead to a third act falling out. This books went beyond that and instead of focusing on external obstacles they instead have to overcome their own individual issues and doubts. I highly recommend this novel for anyone looking to find a story that they might relate too if going through mental health hardships and/or success of improving one’s own health. The love story is strong, the plot is realistic and I couldn’t put it down. You will root for Indira and Jude.

Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

Indira just discovered her boyfriend cheating on her while smeared with peanut butter of all things. She decides to stays with her brother and his fiance while they prepare to get married. What she finds there is her brothers best friend, Jude, her childhood nemesis.

I loved this book! Enemies to lovers, fantastic banter and sarcasm, laugh out loud funny, great mental health rep, and so much more. Mazey Eddings always does a great job with mental health rep and I have really enjoyed her previous books. BUT Jude and Indira's relationship is just top notch. This is her best book yet!!

I loved this book! I was given an ARC by Netgalley & St. Martins Press in exchange for an honest review!⁣
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Indira is a psychiatrist for children at a hospital. She also has just caught her boyfriend cheating on her with another woman and it involves peanut butter! Gross! Indira’s brother is getting married and she now has to be forced to spend time with the person she hates Jude! Jude is a doctor for the past three years treating humanitarian crises across the world! But what’s worse is she also has to see her ex make out with his new girlfriend the whole time. Jude offers to be Indira’s fake boyfriend to help her get through it all! But what if Jude and Indira actually don’t hate each other and years of childhood memories bring up hidden feelings the two didn’t know that we’re there. ⁣
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This book was an amazing own voices invisible illness rep! PTSD and therapy were heavy topics in this book but handled with grace and care! I loved Indira & Jude! I love a good fake dating trope! This did not disappoint! I loved the side characters just as much as I loved the main characters! The steam was top notch as well! ⁣
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Be sure to pick this up on April 4,23.