"The Plus One" is the third novel in Mazey Eddings' "A Brush With Love" series. I really enjoyed the two previous books, so I was very excited to see the newest novel. "The Plus One" centers around Indira, who came home to find her boyfriend cheating on her. After losing her boyfriend and her place to live, she goes to her brother's house, only to find her nemesis, Jude, is living there too. While Indira and Jude grew up together, they weren't friends by any means, but rather rivals. However, they both need a fake date for Indira's brother's wedding, and so they agree to help each other.

I enjoyed the sweet romance and quick chemistry between Jude and Indira. I also liked that Eddings was not shy to share Jude's PTSD difficulties and the care with which she handled this sensitive topic. This was a great ending to Edding's series! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Wow, I honestly loved this book so much. This has such an amazing portrayal of mental health. It was beautifully written and I cannot wait for readers to also get to experience this book. These are characters you can feel a profound connection with and feel every emotion on the page.

This was truly a story of two broken souls finding (or well being forced into proximity with) each other when they needed each other most. Their love story is beautiful and heartbreaking and healing.

This has been one of my absolute favorite enemies to lovers stories. I absolutely loved Jude’s character and how raw and real he was written, I just wanted to jump through the pages and hug him. I also love Indira and how fiery she is, while also battling with her own inner demons. I adore how they heal each other and support one another.

This is for sure one of the best books I’ve read and definitely a favorite. I cannot wait to buy a copy when it’s released. 5/5 stars ⭐️

Many many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for sharing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so cute, and it was so refreshing to have a sort of “enemies to lovers” romance that didn’t revolve around them having poor communication skills! That’s definitely one thing Indira and Jude do not fail at - their communication is excellent and so great to see.

This was a “light” read in that it was easy to get into and enjoy, but it also covered a lot of really traumatic subjects in a very well-written way. PTSD, abandonment, anxiety, etc. were all written about openly and without judgment, and it made the characters that much more endearing and lovable.

Having read three of Mazey Eddings' romance novels thus far, I really appreciate how honest she gets about serious topics such as mental health and disabilities even with the novel being a rom-com. The Plus One carries the same level of seriousness about mental health needs as A Brush With Love, in my opinion. Jude's PTSD and Indira's feelings of neglect take center stage in this novel, and it was refreshing to see a romance novel love interest be in tune with his emotions rather than being a typical ruthless, stoic, grumpy alpha hero.

That being said, I did feel like both Indira and Jude's individual arcs about their mental health needs overshadowed the romance in the novel. It got to the point where I felt like the two got together so quickly and didn't have much development between them before they started having romantic feelings for each other. In the novel, we're told that Indira and Jude have been childhood enemies forever, but there was barely a few sentences of playful banter--most of their enemy status is explained through Indira and Jude reflecting on their shared memories as kids. Thus, it was hard to believe the childhood enemies aspect of their romance. The fake dating aspect was also barely included (with just 1 or 2 scenes in which Indira pretends Jude is her boyfriend in front of her ex).

Because of these reasons, I don't think I enjoyed the romantic aspects of The Plus One as much I thought I would after reading the premise. Forbidden love with older brother's best friend is one of my favorite romance tropes, and unfortunately, it didn't deliver for me. I'm curious to know if Mazey Eddings has more novels planned in this universe with this group of friends, but if not, I look forward to her next YA novel and the neurodivergent representation included it!

Wow. Such a great depiction of how mental health crises can coexist with love and moments of fulfillment in relationships. I loved the authentic connection between the two main characters and how they each had to come to terms with their own trauma in order to move forward together.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from St. Martin’s Press and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A romcom novel that gives you all the feels.

The beginning was a little rough for me. There’s a lot of emotional baggage to unpack with Indira and Jude that made it hard to feel like this would end happily. There are a lot of heavy topics and life experiences that made this more of a somber book than I was expecting. Though the fake dating trope helped alleviate bleak tone, it wasn’t enough for me to feel the chemistry between Jude and Indira.

I do appreciate the author's diligence in creating a book that was well written to show the importance of addressing mental health insurance in a respectful and compassionate way. But in a way, it seemed like that was the main focus of this book, rather than what I thought it was going to be, which was a RomCom. I think this book is for the readers who do enjoy complex characters whose growth is the main focus of the story, rather than the romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC

Once again Mazey writes a romance book that makes me cry with laughter AND catharsis. I have never read a book where I have felt so seen in my experience with anxiety and trauma. It is almost eerie at how well Mazey captured the true feelings of those painful emotions. Her writing is a true gift and oftentimes puts words to feelings I’ve always thought indescribable. Mazey is my new favorite author and I will continue to be one of her biggest supporters. I cannot wait to read what she writes next!

*ARC Review*

Mazey's best yet!

Oh how I love this friend group. Each character was so different from the next, and Eddings did an incredible job in giving each one a chance to shine.

The Plus One was not just Indira's moment, but also our new boy Jude's. The TLDR version of the plot is that childhood enemies come together to fake date for a wedding, but it is so much more than that. This book is filled with emotion surrounding mental health, specifically PTSD. It is deep, heavy, and so incredibly touching. This book shows that it is ok to not be ok and that everyone deserves unconditional love and the chance to sit with the heavy emotions of life. It was heartwarming to see Indira love Jude so hard, and to see his walls fall down in front of her eyes. I felt really seen reading this book, and as someone in the counseling field I felt very inspired.

On top of the deep stuff, the book is FUNNY. Indira and Jude's banter could smack you in the face they are so feisty. I also love Collin and Jeremy and am glad we get to see the rest of the crew throughout as well. The characters are perfect.

Finally, the epilogue was so lovely. It was the perfect sendoff for this wonderful group.

Read this book and thank Mazey later.

Eddings has become known for writing quirky, sexy romances that feature the characters overcoming mental hurdles at the core of the story, and this one was no different. Indira and Jude had major chemistry - on top of me seriously believing that they did not get along at the beginning of the story - and they both dealt with their respective mental illnesses that left the writing raw and heart-wrenching.

Overall - loved this!

I absolutely adore this book. Mazey Eddings writes characters with mental health struggles so beautifully. She is caring in her delivery and every character is realistic and genuine. Jude and Indira's story is charming, hilarious at times, real, hard, and beautiful. I was already a huge fan of her work, but this title solidifies her as one of my favorite authors writing now.

3.75/5 Stars

This was an emotional, funny and sexy story that you will want to make you keep reading. Indira was such a good character, she’s strong and funny, a memorable one for sure. And sweet Jude, it is so refreshing to finally have a male love interest not be one of those broody macho men. He was vulnerable and was not afraid to admit to himself that he actually loves Indira. Take note authors of romance, we need more men like Jude (well fictional ones)

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Trigger warning: PTSD, Panic Attacks

I was so excited to get this copy of The Plus One by Mazey Eddings!!
Jude and Indira, childhood frenemies turned confidants, navigate the harsh realities of living life but through their relationship with each other they find chosen family and friends are always there to love you.
Jude and Indira’s relationship was so pure and kind, it’s exactly the kind of partner everyone wishes to find. When the whole friend group got together, it was magic. I love these characters and how they interact with one another!
You can tell Eddings was delicate with the fact her book centered around struggling mental health and the turmoil it causes in your life. I thought how she went about it was very special.
This book and series as a whole is definitely a reread!!

Mazey Eddings does it again! Great book to add to this series. Childhood frenemies and fake dating tropes, with fun and flirty banter along the way.

Indira and Jude grew up together, because Jude was best friends with Indira’s brother, Collin. Reconnecting years later for Collin’s wedding, they are able to build a friendship and help each other through some tough situations. There are some heavier storylines with parent abandonment and PTSD discussed. But I think the topics are discussed in a healthy way, and therapy is a large part of the book, since Indira is also a psychiatrist.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for The Plus One to come out April 4, 2023.

Updated Review :

I posted my original version right after finishing it and totally forgot to mention some things.

I was sent this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Mazey Eddings for letting me read this book.

5/5 stars

3.5/5 Spice

TW : PTSD (from being a doctor in dangerous medical situations around the world), panic attacks, toxic family dynamics, cheating (on page, side character), parental abandonment, parental divorce (past)

Rep : Neurodiversity (PTSD)

I got Lizzie Blake as an ARC and it became my whole personality after I finished it as it was the first book I had read that really clicked with how my ADHD presents itself. This book is no different, just like all of Mazey Edding’s previous books this has amazing mental health rep in the form of ADHD and childhood trauma from parental abandonment and how it’s written feels so insanely realistic and I so strongly related to the PTSD rep. PTSD is something I rarely talk about as I’ve always felt like while I had some symptoms and I have a diagnosis, it never felt like it was enough to fully claim the label, but seeing this book and especially with medical related trauma I felt so seen and finally felt like maybe my symptoms were enough. This book is the best of the series, but they are all amazing, it gives you all of the feels, Mazey has you crying on one page and then 2 pages later blushing from the romance she provides or smiling because the characters are finally getting to a place where they can feel happy again.

While preparing for her brother’s wedding, Indira walks in on her boyfriend cheating on her and she finds safety with her brother but it just so happens her life long “enemy” is also staying with her brother. Jude has finally been given time off from his job with the GHCO, and is a traveling surgeon to world crisis. He decided to stay with his best friend to help him prepare for the wedding when all of a sudden, Indira shows up to also stay there and they have to figure out how to not hate each other. Slowly both start realizing they find comfort in each other without reason and decide to team up and fake date during the wedding events to get Indira’s ex to back off and allow Jude an easy way out of events. What will happen when they both realize maybe they like each other more than they thought?

The character development in this book was some of the best I’ve ever seen. You fully understand the journey of both Indira and Jude from the start where Indira has just been cheated on and Jude is struggling with his PTSD finally showing its head. Indira is a psychiatrist and has been working through her trauma for years when everything gets worse again after she finds her boyfriend cheating on her causing her to need to go back to basics. Jude doesn’t want to accept that he has been changed by joining the GHCO as it would possibly mean he couldn’t finish out his term which he has to or he owes them money for all of his medical loans and more which he doesn’t want to do. They both grow so much separately but also grow well together and they bring each other hope and understand while not trying to fix each other but instead give the other support turning their journey.

This book talks a lot about how PTSD can present itself and from my own experiences it felt so realistic and honestly made me feel very seen just like Mazey’s past books. Jude experiences flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks, sensory attacks, and more and he always tries to hide it but he eventually hits a point where Indira notices and tries to help him which was wonderful to see that someone saw him. Jude’s journey is on of the best mental health journeys I’ve seen in the media as it goes through everything of him accepting he’s not okay to him trying to get treatment to help himself.

If you have read the previous books in this series you get to see everyone you already have fallen in love with in this book. My favorite part, of course, was seeing Lizzie and Rake again and seeing how their family has grown and changed, Evie was absolutely adorable and makes me want to like kids in real life but for now I'll stick will just like kids in books. This book wraps up the series so well, you get to see a glimpse into everyones life even if it isn't their pov, they still feel like they get their moment to shine and inform the reader than they are having a happy life.

I highly recommend this book and every book in this series. They are all standalone romances that are interconnected via the friendship the main female characters have and each talks about a different mental health struggle in depth. I recommend this book if you want to cry happy and sad tears, mixed with romance and comedy, and a cute fake dating plot with spice.

Okay I’ll just say it: this is my favorite book of this series!!

Mazey Edding does it again! This installment follows Indira and Jude’s love story. Indira is a child psychiatrist who just got out of a pretty bad relationship and Jude is a surgeon who is on leave from treating patients in different parts of the world…and he happens to be her brother’s best friend.

I love the depth that both of these characters have and the journey’s they go on to heal their broken souls. Edding has a real talent for touching on sensitive topics and addressing real life mental health struggles.

If you like childhood enemies to lovers, brothers best friend trope, great banter, or emotional yet humorous romcoms then this is the book for you!

Thank you so so much to NetGalley, St. Martins press and Mazey for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this absolute gem!

Thank you for providing me with an ARC. 

This is the third book that I have read by Mazey Edding, and once again I have enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others.  It's actually the first series that I have read of romcoms where the characters are intertwined between the books.  This book focuses on Indira's life.  She is a children psychiatrist who has just broken up with her live-in boyfriend and ends up staying at her brother's (Collin) place while she works out getting her personal life sorted out and finds herself a new apartment to live in.  Timing couldn't be worse because her brother is planning his wedding which is coming up very soon and her brother's best friend Jude is staying at Collin's as well.  Jude and Indira have never gotten along and have had an ongoing feud throughout their lives.  There has never been a time when they have been civil to each other.

This book is a bit spicy and racey, and is a quick read once you start reading it you will get through it quickly.  The book deals with some heavy topics, this one has a strong focus on Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and abandonment by a father. You can read this as a standalone, if you want to read the other books in the series I would suggest starting with A Brush with Love.  The second and third books in the series have been my favourite and I am hoping there will be a fourth in the series.  

I am grateful I received an advanced copy and now I have to wait for her next book.

I so enjoy Mazey Eddings writing. Her characters are rich and multifaceted. Jude and Indiria are no exception. They both have "stuff" and the way they approach it and do or don't deal with it is so very real. I also appreciate the courage Ms. Eddings displays in tackling real life mental health issues. It is such a breath of fresh air to read about (and care for) characters who struggle with and face that which is a daily part of their lives. I'm sad to say good-bye to this group of friends. I look forward to the next cast of characters Ms. Eddings will introduce.

The Plus One is a love letter to fans of frenemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and fake dating plot lines.

Jude is a doctor trying to save lives with emergency surgeries in fragile and conflict-affected areas. The work is incredibly taxing and Jude is feeling useless and exhausted. His best friend (Collin) is getting married is in a few weeks and Jude has been granted an extended leave so he can relax and attend the wedding in Philadelphia. Collin’s little sister, Indira, is a psychiatrist. She is also going through some things in both her professional and personal life. Jude and Indira have known each other since childhood. They cannot stand each other. Or can they? In the long and elaborate lead-up to Collin’s wedding, Jude and Indira spend a lot of time together and are surprised to discover they just might be perfect for one another.

This was great! Jude and Indira are both lovable characters and they have great chemistry with one another. All I hope for in a romance, really. Their teasing banter was both funny and adorable. We get the story from Jude’s and Indira’s perspectives. There is plenty of steam, drama, humor, and heartache. We also get to check in on Indira’s friends featured in the previous two novels, Harper, Lizzie, and Thu. I think this can be enjoyed as a stand-alone but the other two novels are very enjoyable so I recommend reading them all! I do wish we had a longer epilogue but, all in all, The Plus One is a wonderful conclusion to the “A Brush with Love” series. 4.5 stars.

Thank you very much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Childhood enemies must pretend to be each other's fake dates at a wedding. Lots of LOL scenes and dialogues. A terrific cast of characters. Other characters from previous books make cameo here too. Lots of sweet scenes and some spicy ones too. An enjoyable book!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.