Very good romance book, but heavy-ish. It deals extensively with the PTSD of a Doctors Without Borders type doctor (Jude). Jude is back in town for his best friend's wedding (Colin), whose younger sister Indira was their constant nuisance growing up. Indira is a psychologist who quickly recognizes what Jude is struggling with, as they attend multiple pre-wedding events. The two of them agree to fake date as a means of getting through the coming weeks, and fall in love with maturity, and real emotional connection (plus some sexy spicy time).

I loved the therapy sessions between Indira and her therapist, literally talking out her past traumas with her father abandoning the family. The dialogue felt so genuine, truly what could transpire between a psychologist patient and her doctor. The supporting cast of friends is sweet and obviously a few of them star in previous books in the collection - you can certainly read this book as a standalone, but now I'm interested to go back and read the other books as well. I also loved how Indira stood up for her brother (in relation to their estranged father bailing on attending the wedding) and set her own boundaries for how she was going to deal with the father.

There were similarities in this book to Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez (doctor characters, MMC with mental health struggles, fake dating), which is ironic since both books release on the same day.

Other key tropes and aspects of the book include:

- no third act breakup
- fake dating
- dual POV from both main characters
- brother's best friend
- tons of mental health rep
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- open door scenes

Thank you to St. Martins Press and author Mazey Eddings for the advanced reading copy & Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

The Plus One is book three in Mazey’s A Brush with Love series, but it can read as a complete standalone, too. Indira and Jude have been ‘enemies’ since childhood and Jude is Indira’s brother’s best friend. Indira’s brother is getting married and Jude is back in town in the weeks leading up to the wedding. They both work in the medical field; Jude has been working overseas as an emergency medicine physician and Indira is a pediatric psychiatrist.

The more time they spend together, they realize that hate may be not what they are feeling. This roommates/forced proximity book was a spicy and fun read, that still touched on heavier topics. Mazey weaves in relatable mental health struggles into her books, and this one was no different - PTSD and lots and lots of positive talk about therapy.

I enjoyed this one so much, but Jude and Indira cannot take out Harper and Dan as the number one couple from the series in my heart.

The audiobook was narrated by Imani Jade Powers and Joe Arden, who added even more depth and care to the story. Excellent work from these two talented individuals!

Indira experiences a (rather humorous in hindsight) implosion of her relationship and decides to pursue a fake relationship with her brother's best friend and her childhood enemy, Jude, to endure the festivities for her brother's upcoming wedding in which her ex is also a part of the wedding party. Surely, nothing will go wrong, right?

After enjoying A Brush with Love and Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake, I was excited to read The Plus One. However, this series was quite inconsistent. I found myself comparing the latest story to the previous ones, and where Lizzie Blake was sunshine and chaos, The Plus One is melancholy and platonic. Therein lies my biggest issue with this story... the romance just lacked swoon. I appreciated the mental health representation and as general fiction it would have been fantastic, but as a romance, it left me unsatisfied. It was nice to revisit other characters' progress in the Epilogue though!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for gifting me with an audio ARC to review! I enjoyed it, just not as much as the previous books in the series.

Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!.

Sigh. This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2023 and I am not sure if this one was for me. I am the exception as a lot of my reader friends absolutely adored this one so please don't take in consideration this review. And perhaps I just wasn't in the right headspace to read this as it was heavy in topics and I was hoping for more of a fun, spicy rom com.

Quick Recap: Indira walks in on her boyfriend in bed with another woman which prompts her to stay with her brother Colin, his fiancee Jeremy and Colin's childhood friend Jude. Jude and Indira were frenemies growing up and just never grew out of their "hate" towards each other. It's already enough that Indira and Jude have to share space but Colin & Jeremy's wedding is approaching quickly and she is forced to be around her ex as he is a groomsmen. Indira and Jude decide to fake date to help make Chris jealous and just so that they each have a friend through these events.

"How am I supposed to live with myself when my shortcomings could be the reason people no longer exist?"

I think for me what I wish was addressed was Jude's mental illness right away. Yes, it was talked about but we as the reader to to infer what exactly it was. It wasn't until about half way through where it was really discussed and even further when it was labeled. I didn't want to have to guess I knew what was on and make assumptions about the character. With that being said, once the item was addressed and Jude discussed with Indria his feelings and what has been going on with him, it all was beautiful. I thought Mazey brought Jude's pain to life and made it really believable. It also tackles a career that we do not normally see depicted in books and even in movies.

"Memories of you are inevitable."

One thing I really liked that is different than other fake dating tropes I have read was that they told people that this was a plan and why. Fake dating was one of my favorite tropes because we always know what ends up happening and the build up is always so good. I really liked how Indira stuck by Jude through his difficult days and inner thoughts. I think her being a therapist helped her without being *too* therapisty.

One thing that I have noticed thinking back is that I feel like the male main character stood out more than the female main character which is not often the case especially in a series that it switches like that.

I love that we got to catch up with other characters that we have grown to love over the course of this series. And I will miss them especially my girl Lizzie and Australian hunk Rake.

The narrators of this were perfect for the characters! Popular romance male narrator Joe Arden does Jude's voice and thought he brought the vulnerableness to him that was needed in those darker moments. Also for Indira, I thought Imani Jade Powers was perfect! She could bring the anger that Indira needed towards her father but also knew when to be soft when talking with Jude.

I am a massive Mazey fan as an author and just as a person and this will absolutely not deter me from reading her future work as I do love her writing style. I am looking forward to her YA debut later this year.

3.5

The Plus One is a great, quick story. I really appreciated the trigger warnings at the start of the book, I don't know that I have heard a trigger warning in an audiobook before.
The characters are well-developed and I enjoy how they transition from hating each other to blooming into more.
The PTSD journey is well thought out and delivered with care.
The narrator was okay, not my favorite, but I didn't hate them. Overall, this is a decent story if given a choice I would give it 3.5 - 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of The Plus One.

I’ve already reviewed The Plus One as just a novel- basically I adore it and Mazey Eddings deserves all of the good things.

I have a love/hate relationship with audiobooks. There have been times where the narrators put me off of the story completely- but luckily that is FAR from the case here! They are both expressive without seeming melodramatic. They truly capture the various emotions in each scene, and I loved listening to it.

The Plus One (eARC) — 5 ⭐️

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: April 4th

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: “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?”

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: This book surprised me in the best way! I flew through the story as it had a good mix of hilarious scenes, serious chats, and some of my favorite tropes. Don’t let the beautiful, cute cover deceive you though… it’s so much more than a typical rom-com. Also, even though it’s the third book in the series, it can be an amazing stand-alone book as well.

I thought the narrators were perfect for the story, and they easily brought the story to life! I’m fully convinced the narrators’ real-life personalities embody Indira and Jude’s characters.

I adored the mental health representation throughout the whole story. Indira was such a relatable main female character, and you couldn’t help but want to pull Jude into a big bear hug while reading about everything he has witnessed. While it wasn’t a lighthearted tale, I’m a sucker for feeling a character’s pain and seeing them overcome tough situations. I cannot recommend this book enough!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 —
🛏 One Bed Trope
💒 Wedding Related
✊ Overcoming Tough Situations
👀 Multiple POVs
🔓 Open Door Romance
😏 Witty Banter
🧠 Mental Health Rep
🥸 Fake Dating
💘 Childhood Friends to Lovers

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 —
🏕️ Camping is not your idea of a good time
💍 You’ve done your fair share of wedding prep
👻 You enjoy dressing up for Halloween
🛋️ Counseling/Therapy is the highlight of your week
🥜 You think peanut butter is more trouble than it’s worth

𝐓𝐖: medical trauma, mental illness, infidelity, panic attacks, PTSD, war, abandonment

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio, for providing me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ALC (Advanced Listener Copy) of this audiobook from NetGalley.

The blurb is what got me wanting to listen to this book. I didn’t know of the author before this. I am glad I do now.

The story is incredibly real, you feel the characters pain and struggles and you want to help or get them help. It’s deep and emotional but also with that feeling of hope.

I did not read the other books in this series and I am confident in saying this can be read as a standalone.

Now even though we are dealing with some heavy topics the author gives us levity.
Jude is struggling with some pretty severe PTSD. Indira is just coming off a pretty hard breakup. But they both have to put on a face for her brother aka Jude’s best friend because he is getting married and they want to make this the happiest time for him.

The best part of the book for me is how Jude and Indira learn to trust in each other, how they start to fall for each other. But how they don’t want to fix each other they just want to be there for them in any way they can. It really is an incredible story of finding out just how strong you can be, but also asking for help when you need it.

I want more books like this, you feel everything and you can’t help but root for your favourites. The narration really is top notch. Joe can be hit or miss for me but he was incredible in this book. I have the utmost respect for both narrators because they gave these characters so much depth.

3.5 stars

This book had an amazing premise and so many tropes that I love! Jude is everything, and I thought the mental health representation and their connection was so sweet. Unfortunately, the book just seemed to continue to slow down as it went and I lost a bit of interest towards the end.

The Plus One
By Mazey Eddings
Narrated by Imani Jade Powers and Joe Arden
MacMillan Audio

On the surface this book may appear to be typical troupe filled romance - bad breakup, enemies to lovers via fake dating, a wedding - but The Plus One was SO MUCH MORE!

“She thought of all the things she would rather do than go camping. 1. Lick the needles off a cactus. 2. Cut her own bangs… 3. Listen to a boomer talk about student loans 4. Eat cigarette butts…5. Sit through a man playing devil's advocate on almost any topic.”

Mazey Eddings is a new-to-me author and I went into this book blind. The Plus One happens to be the third of a series but it was AWESOME on its own. The story was filled with laugh out loud humor and witty banter that just kept coming. I look forward to meeting the rest of Indira and Jude’s quirky, imperfect friends when I dive into the 2 preceding books.

“How do you get past the broken pieces?”

What set this book apart was that the author did a HEROIC job addressing mental health issues - child of divorce, PTSD. Indira and Jude have to face challenges, hurt and heavy weight of different kinds, and feeling like they’re just not good enough to welcome happiness into their lives. Mazey Eddings pulled back the curtain to show how this emotional baggage and mental unrest can affect our relationships, and did so without this feeling like a self-help book.

In addition to the humor and multi-dimensional characters, this book brought the ROMANCE and SPICE. I mean seriously…mattress spelunking at its finest!

The voice of Imani Jade Powers was perfect for the narration. Her smooth and airy voice shifts seamlessly from caring therapist mode to sassy banter. And Joe Arden…well, if you like romance audiobooks you have likely heard his sweet and seductive narration.

The Plus One had the perfect blend of everything I love in romance books - and then some!
.

This book healed my inner child and did just as much work for my mental health as my therapist does!

I've been really lucky and picked up a few 5-star reads in a row, but this one is absolutely up there with my favorites of the year. I was lucky enough to have this ARC as both an ebook and an audiobook, and I'm so glad! This is how a contemporary romance should be done! There was just the right balance of humor, spice, and tackling of serious topics. I know it might feel overwhelming to some readers, but as someone who's in therapy, I really appreciated how normalized it was. Mental health still has a lot of stigma surrounding it, and this story made it feel approachable and integrated into day-to-day life in a way that felt really genuine and showed just how important it is to talk about.

I couldn't stop reading this book and devoured it within a 24-hour period! I loved the banter, all the tropes (brothers-best-friend, childhood frienemies-to-lovers, forced proximity), and especially the fact there was no third-act breakup! This book really felt like a soft, warm hug. It's so comforting, I know I'm going to keep coming back to it. I feel like any review I write won't do it justice, but it made me feel so deeply, and I already can't wait to reread it. I feel like it's going to be one of those books that I annotate and keep coming back to certain scenes as well as doing full rereads, too, so that should tell you enough. So if you're debating picking this up, just trust me and read it!

The audio for this book was also incredibly well done. I loved both narrators, but honestly, Joe Arden really made this audiobook for me. Yes, his handling of the spicy scenes is always top-tier, but it really felt like he was Jude, and some of the emotional moments felt almost visceral. I was so impressed, and I was almost sad each time it switched back to Indira's POV because I was going to miss Joe's storytelling.

I can't recommend this book enough, and I feel like I'll be telling people to read it all year long!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Especially the audiobook version. It is SO well done. Everything I love and want to see in a romance audiobook- all emotion is passionately expressed but not overdone and perfect impressions of the opposite perspective allowing the dual POV to be seamless.

I also read this with my eyeballs and loved it, but there’s some kind of magic with this one in audiobook form. The slow-ish burn does not feel as slow and I felt even more connected to the characters. That’s to say the writing itself is incredible, to be expected with Mazey at this point. These characters are grown ass adults (therefore the “enemies” in their enemies to lovers isn’t overly done, they respect each other) BUT they are still vibrant and funny/fun.

I loved living in their world and the love story is beautiful. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Mazey Eddings for this ALC. It was a lovely companion to listen throughout my day.

The author does a fantastic job of creating characters that are sensitive to to the needs of the others, especially PTSD, and handles their needs with compassion. I appreciate Mazey bringing light to complex issues that need a voice. The chemistry can be felt immediately and their journey is one of support and love. The audiobook is fabulous and I recommend listening to this one.

This was my first book by this author but I can promise it won't be my last! I love romcoms that don't shy away from talking about the hard things in life so don't mind me while I now go on a side quest to read Eddings' entire backlist LOL.

I loved the tropes in this book! Brother's best friend, enemies to lovers, fake dating... This led to an amazing dynamic between the two MCs - I laughed so much at their banter both before and after they got together (my favourite part was when she called him a "Panty Pirate''!!), their chemistry is great. I also really enjoyed having Indira's brother and his fiancé in this one! They were so sweet, love how they were both tied into the story and I love how Indira and her brother are there for each other through thick and thin! That being said this book was also refreshing in that Indira's brother, Colin, and Jude have an amazing relationship as well and I love that we saw them talking about the hard things, their hopes and dreams and them just being there for each other as best friends should!

I also found this book refreshing because, while both MCs suffer from trauma, this is one of the only romcoms I've read where there is as much focus on the MMC and his struggles. I couldn't help but celebrate Jude's progress throughout the book! Indira and Colin's situation also pulled at my heart strings a ton! I rather feel like my heart was broken but then put back together by this book.

All in all, definitely recommend this one. This book has a cute cover but don't let it fool you, it also 100% kicked me in the feels haha. Also, make peace with the fact you're not going to look at peanut butter the same ever again after reading this book. LOL... IYKYK. I listened to the audiobook and I feel like the narrators were excellent.

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Content warnings: mental illness, panic attacks/disorders, sexual content, infidelity, abandonment, war, PTSD, medical trauma, violence.

A huge thanks to MacMillan audio and Netgalley for the ARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Audio note: The audio is excellent! Both Joe Arden and Imani Jade Powers give fantastic, emotive performances, which gives the story even more impact. It's dual narration, which works for the third person POV. Their voices are both easy to listen to, and reflected the characters' personalities well. It's a semi-slow burn with a significant amount of spice towards the end, so maybe not the best workday listen. The runtime is also a little longer than I can get through in a single day, but not overly long. The audio definitely helped spark my enjoyment of the book, and I wholeheartedly recommend the format.

With a strong focus on mental health and a romance that feels rich in its history, this quiet, contemplative love story surprised me - and I'm okay with that. I enjoyed Eddings' debut, A Brush With Love, and remember thinking that there was a ton of potential in her writing. While I'm not the biggest fan of third person POV, it's easy to ignore when I'm immersed in a story. And Eddings' books always have a distinctive feel, which adds a level of unpredictability that keeps me engaged. This plays up familiar tropes (brother's best friend, fake relationship), while also feeling entirely like it's own thing. I loved the foundation that these former frenemies built their relationship on - they've been in each other's lives for twenty years, and that history allows them to see past the surface. While both of their lives are feeling overwhelming when they reconnect, they find comfort their connection. And that's where this really shines.

The story follows Indira, a woman who moves in with her brother 5 weeks before his wedding. After her relationship came to an unexpected (but not overly surprising) end, Indira just wants a quiet place to stay. Unfortunately, she soon discovers that her brother's best friend - and the bane of her childhood existence - is also staying with him. Jude has been a part of Indira's life for over twenty years, but they have never gotten along. He's been working in a Doctors Without Borders-like program for the last few years, and it doesn't take long for Indira to realize that he's come back with some emotional scars. Indira may not get along with Jude, but she doesn't want to see him hurting. And Jude may not always agree with Indira, but her support means a lot. As the two grow closer, their tangled history proves to be a stronger foundation than either would've anticipated.

While A Brush With Love had a focus on mental health, this story takes it to another level. It's the driving factor of Jude and Indira connecting in present day, and it's as much a part of the story as the romance. Maybe more. It's an interesting spin on the brother's best friend trope, and one that I found I really enjoyed. Though Indira and Jude have always bickered in the past and never would've considered themselves friends, they know each other in a way that few others do. They recognize when the other is hurting. And I loved that. They were able to set aside their differences and simply have compassion for each other, which soon transitioned into a romantic connection. Yeah, the transitioned happened rather quickly, but it didn't feel like too much given their past. They know each other so well. I also kinda adored that they found each other's flaws to be endearing - not just their personalities, but Jude smiles at Indira's "too big" feet and Indira says Jude's limbs are "gawky" and his body is "like a rubber band." It all just felt so down to earth and authentic, which was a major win for me. I do think that a first person POV would've helped me connect to the story better, but that would really be my only (personal) complaint. This was a strong 4/low 5-star read for me the whole way through, and a very memorable read.

I received this book for free from netgalley for an honest opinion.
Oh wow this was sweet and a quick romantic read I needed. Great character development and plotline.

I wanted to enjoy this so much more than I did. The concept was good but the execution fell short. The chemistry between the 2 main characters felt forced. It felt as though we were being told they were into each other rather than being able feel that they were. I also found that when it was Jude’s chapter the male narrator voicing what Indira would say was cringy.

Loved the option of audio so I could listen at work! Thought I’d share some thoughts.

Pros: the author is a very good writer. The characters have depth and she does a very good job at setting the scene so the reader feels like they’re there and understands the motivations and feelings behind each narrator.
Also loved the MMCs attention brought to his mental health and the way he got there.

My cons: while the female character was dimensional and well thought out, my issue was very very much not with the writing however, I just didn’t like the character? In a way like, if we met at a bar I don’t think I’d be like “hey she was someone I want to hang out with again”. Haha and while she is a physiatrist I feel like she babies the male MC a lot and I don’t know that I love howwwww about mushy feelings she is.


So the 4 stars is because it was a well written book and I’m sure some people are really really going to like it, I just didn’t connect with the character on a personal level.

The Plus One by Mazey Eddings

Mazey Eddings stories are exactly what I look for in an audiobook. Entertaining, thoughtful, unexpected and spicy!

I really enjoyed Indira and Jude’s story. I love the depth of emotions she gives her characters and appreciated the honesty between them. As far as the storyline goes, (spoiler alert!) some huge applause from me for 1 - getting right into the plot from chapter 1, and 2 - no silly misunderstanding/break up!

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the audiobook! Kept me entertained through a significant portion of a huge road trip.

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This book was a fun read as wedding season hits and spring is in the air. I enjoyed the fake dating and how both characters grew a lot throughout their journey together. Eddings did a great job with positively promoting therapy and how this is “a radical form of self love.” This one definitely has some spice to it as well. I recommend it if you like fake dating tropes and happy endings.