I have found that I love childhood anything (friends, enemies, frenemies) to lovers. It is probably my favorite trope and Mazey does it beautifully in this last installment in the Brush With Love series.

Brief Synopsis: Indira is a psychiatrist who, after walking in on her live in boyfriend in an uncompromising situation, goes to stay with her brother and his fiancé. Little does she know her childhood nemeses and her brother's best friend Jude is also staying. Jude is on a leave from a doctors without borders type program to attend the wedding and wedding festivities of his best friend, but he also desperately needs a break from the traumas of his job. Indira and Jude move from frenemies to friends to then realizing their feeling are more than either of them anticipated.

As much as I really enjoyed this book, I will say that I found this book to be heavy. It handles very tough topics of PTSD, panic attacks, and parental abandonment. While I loved Jude and Indira as characters and their journey throughout this book I definitely missed the lighter banter and lightheartedness that was found in the first two books.

Jude and Indira are both complex characters that find ways to help each other during some very difficult times. In that they both grow and build a beautiful relationship with each other.

I really appreciated the author's note at the end of the book. This really is a beautiful story of two incredibly strong, smart people who are beautifully broken and helping each other pick up the pieces. Just please read the CW and know that this is a heavy read. If you are like me, you want the right mindset going into some a new book.

I have LOVED this Brush With Love universe and I will be so sad to leave it. I cannot wait to see what we get next from Mazey!

HUGE thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the EARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Mazey does it again! I absolutely love her writing and humor. She’s become auto buy for me for sure. The Plus One is the final book in this companion series and it was so so beautiful. I felt this book was definitely a bit more emotionally charged than her other works as Indira and Jude were both dealing with some very heavy traumas. Mazey navigated writing about PTSD experience beautifully and respectfully. But she also brought the humor as we have come to associate with her books. This book will make you feel it all from laughter, sexiness, heartache, and joy.

Rating: 5/5
Warnings: PTSD, parental abandonment, panic attacks, difficult family dynamics
Steam: 3.5/5
Tropes: Childhood frenemies to lovers, fake dating, brother's best friend, forced proximity, only one bed (tent)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I want a write a really beautiful review, because this is a really beautiful book. When I finished, I just sat there with it, sad that it was over and emotionally recovering from a whirlwind of feelings this stirred in me. The Plus One, like all of Mazey's books, has both heart and humor. Indira and Jude's journey is one filled with navigating grief, childhood trauma and PTSD. This is contemporary romance at it's best.

We had some humorous moments, one liners that lead to actual "laugh out louds" and fantastic banter. Solid steam including "only one tent" and some emotional 69ing (not something I ever thought I would put in a review). But this book, at it's heart is so much. It's two very broken souls find one another, supporting each other in their own unique journey's and never trying to "fix" one another. Please take care of yourself while reading and read the author's note at the end.

Note: I am friends with the author but all opinions on the book are my own.

"Just once, she wanted to be someone worth staying for."

"He glanced at her, and gave his most genuine attempt at a smile. It was slow and hesitant and probably looked more terrifying than anything, but he had to try. Indira’s eyes trailed to his mouth, tracing his lips. Then she smiled back, and it, ever so slightly, tipped Jude’s world upside down."

"He wanted to explain that he didn’t deserve sex and he was too broken for intimacy."

"Jude caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles before letting it go. “I think you should start having higher expectations from me,” he said with a rough laugh. “Because you deserve the world.”"

"He’d forgotten that happiness wasn’t a banging, violent emotion like all the others that bombarded him every moment. Happiness was soft. Uneventful. It was holding Indira’s hand. Sitting next to her on the couch and listening to her talk. It was a quiet cup of coffee with her next to him reading a magazine. It was teasing her, being goofy and pretending to pass out after sniffing her feet, making her shriek in outrage and giggle. Happiness was them."

"If heaven existed on earth, it was in a blanket fort with Indira Papadakis."


I broke my max 3 quote rule and I simply do not give a fuck.
(I left out my favorite quote that’s in Chapter 12 because it deserves to be read for the first time in context)

I loved A Brush with Love.
I made Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake my entire personality for WEEKS.
WHAT DO I DO WHEN THE PLUS ONE IS LITERALLY ME IN BOOK FORM?????
Like I am in these pages and these words (not the relationship ones my single ass wouldn’t know lol) and I have frankly never felt more seen and understood. Which is funny because I thought that was how I felt with Lizzie Blake.

This book is a masterclass on how to balance the kisses, the hugs, the cries, the sexy times and the funnies. I'll be thinking about this book till the day I die.

A journey to understanding your hurt, wanting to heal, and committing to wanting better for yourself. I love me some GOOD sexy and funny times but the EMOTIONS are what really get me and Mazey is always doing the most in her books.

I'll miss Harper and Dan and Alex and Thu and Lizzie and Rake and Indira and Jude. The Love on the Brain crew as I will always think of them as.

And that’s all the intelligible words that I can put together about this book. All my other thoughts are keyboard smashes, screaming into the void and giggling hysterically till someone snaps me out of it.

MVP: Mazey I LOVE YOU

(THANK YOU to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

Indira has just walked in on her boyfriend in a very compromising position with another woman (one that involves an upsetting amount of peanut butter). Jude is home for a few weeks, battling PTSD from his job. They're both in the wedding party for Indira's brother's wedding.
So when Indira needs an excuse to leave the room whenever her ex and his new girlfriend are getting a little too friendly, and Jude needs an excuse to leave the room whenever it gets a little too loud, they naturally decide to fake a relationship-- despite the fact that they've always butted heads.

The Plus One is a surprisingly funny look at trauma, burnout, and finding yourself after years of not always remembering who you are.
Mazey Eddings has, as usual, written a book that deals with pretty intense subject matter couched in a narrative voice that makes it clear, from the beginning, that everyone-- the characters, and the reader-- is going to be okay in the end.

3.5

deeply emotional. specific scenes were quite beautiful (indira’s house metaphor, for example). probably my favorite part was how indira’s love for jude and his love for her helped jude recognize that he deserved help. on par with the first two books in the series. tropes included enemies-to-lovers and brother’s best friend.

#netgalley

"The Plus One" is former childhood enemies Indira and Jude--she was his best friend's little sister--who reconnect when they're both in the same wedding. They're both in the medical community, but Jude is struggling with PTSD from working in disaster zones overseas. It's the third book in Eddings' "A Brush with Love" series and I loved it. I thought separately Indira and Jude were endearing, fully rounded characters and together their chemistry seemed very authentic. I also enjoyed the ridiculousness of the wedding events. This read as a very consistent entry to the series. (Shoutout to Netgalley for the advanced copy.)

Mazey's a phenomenal writer. Each book I've read from her has so much heart and humor and The Plus One is no exception! Indira and Jude roast each other constantly and I enjoyed every second of their banter. Like her other books, Mazey explores mental health here in such a beautiful and honest way and I'm always so appreciative of it. A wonderful book I'd recommend to any one! Thank you to Netgalley and SMP for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Indira and Jude are childhood frenemies that haven’t seen each other since college, until now. Indira’s brother Collin (aka Jude’s best friend) is getting married and both Indira and Jude are caught up in the pre-wedding chaos. When forced proximity begins to break down their emotional and traumatic barriers Jude and Indira discover how much of their past connects them, along with a new deeper relationship. Can both Indira and Jude work through their emotions and make this new relationship work for the wedding, or will everything implode? I adore Mazey Eddings and how emphasized mental health is in her books. I totally connected with Jude being overwhelmed in social situations with loud noises and close body proximity. I also wanted to shout how much I loved Indira going to counseling when she is a psychiatrist herself. Both characters are tormented in their own way but learn to support and love one another in the best, healthiest manner. This story has so much heart!

This book is about Indira and Jude who know each other from childhood. Jude is her brother's best friend, Collin, and Indira and Jude have never gotten along. Jude comes back to town for Collin's wedding after working overseas. He is suffering from PTSD. Indira has just had a breakup with her boyfriend who she caught cheating. They both decide to fake date for the wedding.
Mazey Eddings is very good at writing about feelings. What does PTSD feel like? This story will make you understand what PTSD feels like and how hard it is to heal from it. Jude and Indira see each other from a different perspective in the story which is interesting to read. There are trigger warnings with this book, but if you want to understand PTSD a little better this book will help. This is the second book I have read by Mazey Eddings and I have enjoyed both books and would like to read more.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #MazeyEddings, and #StMartinsGriffin for a copy of this book.

This book was perfect in all the right ways. The way that she writes about mental health is just beautiful and you really fall hard for these characters because you can really feel for them! Not only was the dialogue great, but the spicy scenes were 🥵🔥 there were moments I had to put the book down because I was blushing so hard! Also I feel like this book was so healing for my soul with all the great metaphors in it and just the overall dialogue between Indira and her therapist and Indira and Jude.

The girls friendship in this book is like sisterhood of the traveling pants and I am here for it! Also Indira reminds me of Lily from The Princess Diaries 🤗

This was such a fun book to read and I will be thinking about Indira and Jude for days! Thank you @stmartinspress and @mazeyeddings for letting me read this ARC

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book, provided by St Martin's Press by way of Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book. Let me start by saying that it was funny, charming, heartbreaking and beautiful. Dira and Jude just fit. Her unending patience with his anxiety and episodes was so sweet, and you could feel his love for her. Is this a "he fell first" book? Perhaps, but Dira is fooling herself, honestly. They acted like enemies from childhood, but they were never really enemies. It was like they hated each other to keep from liking each other.

This story kicked off when Dira catches her boyfriend cheating on her in the weirdest way I've read (thanks Mazey), and she literally just packs a bag and walks out. Luckily, her older brother has a place for her to stay, and as his wedding approaches, his best friend, which is Jude, needs a place to stay, too. FORCED PROXIMITY. Jude is a surgeon who has been stationed overseas in various war-torn countries, and he's suffering. Everything he's seen is wearing him down mentally, and he doesn't know if he can handle it anymore. My heart broke for Jude. My head hurt, my eyes leaked, and I seriously just wanted to give that man a hug.

This is the third book in a trilogy, and I honestly did not want to say goodbye to these characters. There is a nice "wrap-up" chapter to catch-up with the friends a ways down the road, and it was so nice to see them all happy and thriving. Mazey, thank you for these characters. I've laughed and cried and screamed and celebrated with this group of friends - and they've felt like family. Mazey is an automatic buy author for me, and I can't wait to see where she takes us and who she gives us next.

First off, the cast of characters in this series/universe feel like old friends and I can't get enough. Each book in this series is my favorite until I read the next. Mazey Eddings has a true talent for writing characters that feel REAL. Indira and Jude's story is no exception.

To put it simply, I loved this. The amount of notes and highlights I have after reading this is almost worrisome. This story had three things I absolutely love: brother's best friend, childhood enemies to lovers, and fake dating. However, it also had a lot of heart and character growth. Indira and Jude are two imperfect people wanting to be perfect together. I was rooting for them the whole time and couldn't keep a smile off of my face!

I look forward to reading more of Eddings' work in the future!

The Plus One is the best romance I've read in years. It's smart, funny, and oh so swoon worthy! Truly one of those books that reminded me why i love reading. The chemistry between our two leads is absolutely everything.
The book is fast paced, engaging, witty, and unexpectedly emotional at times.Overall, I think this book is outstanding.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Heartbreakingly beautiful. The emotions on the page, the deep soul searching, the love that Jude and Indira have. It was so beautiful. Mazey has seriously only gotten better with each book in this series.

I feel like Mazey was looking into my soul on so many things. While I do not suffer from PTSD or some of the deep issues discussed in this book, I felt such a powerful connection to these characters. Mazey draws you in and keeps you there. You will be laughing at Jude and Indira one minute and then feel so moved by things they say the next.

With enemies/rivals to lovers you tend to think that one of the characters is super gruff. Which I thought Jude would be. From the moment we were in his head you saw what a soft super broken cinnamon roll he was and I immediately loved him and wanted to give him a hug. Indira surprised me with her deep emotions for her own problems as well as how she handled Jude while not making him a patient.

I have so many quotes I can’t wait to go back and highlight because I will be buying my own copy as soon as it hits the shelves! Thank you to SMP for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: PTSD (from being a doctor in emergency medical situations around the world), panic attacks (on-page), parental abandonment (past), parental divorce (past), cheating (on-page, side character)

This is the third book in the Brush With Love universe but can be read as a standalone

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-childhood frenemies to lovers
-brother's best friend
-roommance
-forced proximity
-roasting you is my love language
-only one tent
-the one allergic to all the emotions and the one who feels everything

Mazey Eddings' brand shone in this one. A romance filled with humor, tender emotions, and a soft look at mental health. I love how therapy was integrated into this story, how love doesn't make everything goes away but gives you someone to hold your hand and be there for you.

Indira, darling Indira. I adore her. Her spark, her snark, how sensitive she feels everything, trying to take care of everyone. While we meet her at a low point she doesn't let it bring her down, she's always moving forward. I adore her friend group and will miss Harper, Lizzie and Thu so much and loved all of the glimpses with them. The secondary characters really shined including Collin and Jeremy. But Indira was the one who really struck me, softer, sensitive, and trying to figure out how to open her heart after so much heartache.

And sweet, sweet, trying to keep all emotion away Jude. While he may never look at a bumble bee costume again, his journey with PTSD and accidentally letting Indira in. He was just gone on her and had no idea what to do about it, realizing she was his soft place to land, without judgement or anything. I love how they kept their snark as they began a relationship and figured out how to be together. their sex and intimacy, how they communicated, was just so wonderful and cheering in with each other and making sure they gave what the other needed.

This book feels like a soft hug and has you cackling with laughter in the next moment. I adored every glimpse of Indira and Jude's past and how it lead to their future. Now I'm off to cry that these books are over.

Steam: 3.5

Disclaimer: I CPed this book and am friends with the author

The Plus One is such a fantastic read. Like all Eddings' other books, this novel provides plenty of humor and fun along with beautifully handled stories about mental health and self love. The mental health representation is nuanced, genuine, and heartfelt. The romance between the Jude and Indira is such a fun enemies to lovers with so much heart. Their chemistry is fantastic and their path to mutual healing is so beautiful to witness.

Thank you SMP Romance, Mazey Eddings, and NetGalley for this eARC.

It's offficial.
Mazey Eddings has my heart and will forever be an insta-buy.

This is the final book in the 'series' of four friends living in Philadelphia. The Plus One focuses on Indira, who we met in A Brush With Love and Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake, and Jude- Indira's older brother's best friend.

Indira and Jude grew up together- and bickered nearly every step of the way. It's been a few years since they've seen each other, though, as Jude has been overseas working as a doctor for an international organization that specializes in providing medical care in some of the most dangerous places in the world. They are pushed together as they both return to her brother's home in preparation for a month of wedding activities. While they start right where they left off (mutual dislike), Indira and Jude soon realize that they need to rely on each other to get through the entirety of this wedding celebration.

I just adored this book. Mazey does such an AMAZING job addressing mental health in different capacities. I especially love conversations that Indira (a psychiatrist) has with her own therapist. Stand out line- "We place these expectations that being aware of our brain or emotions lying to us means that we should automatically be able to get over it... That's simply not how it works." GAH. YES.
Jude coming to terms with his own needs regarding mental health (PTSD due to traumatic situations while serving as a doctor overseas) is also an incredible journey. I appreciate how it was explicitly stated that Indira didn't want to be his psychiatrist, and wasn't there to fix him. "I'm not looking to fix you... I'm here to love you."

The romance was spicy, of course- it's a Mazey Eddings book. It also has HANDS DOWN the FUNNIEST sex scene I have EVER ENCOUNTERED in my LIFE.... and I loved all of the call backs to its magnificence.
I laughed.
I cried.
I can't wait to reread this when I get my copy in April.

Mazey Eddings has done it again! The Plus One is such a great book! I devoured it. I loved Indira & Jude’s relationship, and also loved the small cameos of Lizzy (my fav) and Harper! I was happy to see the support that all the characters gave each other through different hardships. Mazey has a special way of writing about serious topics, that is so heartfelt. I enjoyed this book so so much. Mazey is quickly becoming my favorite rom com author!


📘: The Plus One by Mazey Eddings
🗓 Pub Date: April 4, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Mazey Eddings, & St.Martin’s Press for this ARC!

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads. Will review on retail once published!

This book has my heart. Mazey has so much talent and I cannot wait to see what she does next. This book and the whole series is such a warm hug.