Mazey Eddings has a knack for writing romance stories that feature quite serious topics. The Plus One is the third and final book in a series but you can easily read this one without reading the others. You’ll miss the backstory of the secondary characters but it won’t affect the main story at all.

This one features some familiar romance tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and fake dating. But the underlying story of Indira and Jude is so much more than those tropes. Indira is a psychiatrist who still suffers from the feeling of abandonment she experienced as a child, when her father left her family. Jude is a surgeon who signed up for a stint with a humanitarian medical organization in exchange for paying his medical tuition, thus leaving him without a major debt burden, but his experiences in “trouble spots” around the world have seriously messed with his head, and he suffers from PTSD. They were childhood “frenemies”, as Jude was Indira’s brother’s best friend, and now her brother is getting married, which is why Judy is on the scene. In addition to the Indira-Judy story, we have some truly laugh-out-loud situations related to Collin and Jeremy's wedding plans. Having just participated in our son’s same-sex wedding process, this whole story arc really touched my heart.

Warning: there are some very graphic steamy encounters, so if you’re listening to the audiobook, I advise using headphones!

The audiobook featured two narrators, one for Indira’s chapters and one for Jude’s: Imani Jade Powers and Joe Arden. I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient and let me finish the book very quickly.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Although I listened to this book fairly quickly I was not completely enthralled by the plot. I did not feel there was enough sexual tension built up before the two main characters got together. It was okay overall in the rom-com category.

I loved this next book in the A Brushed with Love series.

We are now following Jude and Indira’s story. They both have gone through so much and must deal with past issues as well as current issues. The biggest thing to overcome …they can’t stand each other.

This book deals with some real issues in the best way. The characters are well developed and will make you feel with them. They are also hilarious and have many good moments also.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book.

The Plus One is the third book of the A Brush with Love series. Jude, a combat zone surgeon, and Indira, a psychiatrist, were childhood nemeses who are thrown together again for Indira's brother's wedding. Indira has just suffered heartbreak at the hands of Chris, and decides that fake dating Jude would be the best course of action to show Chris what he is missing.

This book is your typical fake dating/enemies to lovers story. The first half was definitely more interesting to me than the second. Once the big reveal happens, it got slow. I enjoyed the character arcs, but thought that they waited way too long to address Jude's obvious PTSD.

I would recommend this to those who enjoy the fake dating/enemies to lovers trope and are looking for a quick read. I didn't read the first two books of the series and that didn't seem to cause any issues with this one. The main characters from those two stories were only very minor characters who show up at the wedding.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARL.

The Plus One is a cute, witty enemies-to-lovers rom-com. I really enjoyed the salty banter and laughed out loud quite a few times. I appreciated the attempt to de-stigmatize mental health struggles and to address them head on.

Really great audio narration.

This had all of the basic tropes in it. Always love a friends to lovers & childhood sweethearts story. This book was emotional, sweet and steamy! This is definitely a must read book!! I highly recommend this book so if you like any of the above tropes this book is for you. The narrator were amazing. I had such an easy time listening to their voices .

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC audiobook. This book was Soo perfect. I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers and this was everything I love in that troupe. There was so much depth to each character that all I wanted for each of them was to find healing and happiness. I thought the audio narration was amazing. My only feedback was the chapter breaks were uncomfortably long that I would check my phone or headphone to check if the book stopped.

This book seemed to suffer from too many tropes giving none of them enough attention to make an impact. Brothers best friend under the same roof should have brought tension and there was none of that. Actually conflict was almost non existent for the main characters. Speaking of, how can you have any form of enemies to lovers without conflict? I would have enjoyed the story more if Eddings leaned into one more than the other.
I did find the writing to be very funny and there are ALOT of spicy scenes if that is what you are looking for!
Both narrators were fantastic and highly recommend listening to this on audiobook.

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.

There are so many books out there that make light of trauma and mental illness, but this is most definitely not one of those! This book was so beautiful in the way that the issues were discussed and worked on in such a real way rather than dancing around them or suddenly everything is all better. Indira and Jude may have thought they always hated each other, but very quickly, the reader realizes that’s just not true. I loved everything about this story!

'The Plus One' is my favorite book in Mazey Eddings' 'A Brush with Love' Series. I read the other two books this week, and I loved them too. This can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the other two books to get a full picture of the group of friends. The four friends from the book series (Harper, Lizzie, Thu, and Indira) had their happily ever afters, and I loved revisiting them and their friendship. These characters feel so real, and I was so happy to get an update on all of them.

The narrators did an awesome job with the audiobook. They conveyed so much emotion in their reading, and they made me feel everything while I was listening. I cried at several points in the book, and the narrators added so much to the story.

One of the main reasons that I love this series is become of the setting. I'm from Philadelphia, and this entire series shows Philadelphia in such a great way. I wish that I could meet these friends in real life and hang out with them. I love reading stories about my hometown!

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 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.


I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC.

I loved this book when I read it, but unfortunately the audiobook was not a hit for me. Female narrator is pretty good but I did not enjoy the male narrator. Pick up a hard copy of the book, much better.

There were a few things I loved about this story, but also a lot that I didn’t.

I’m not sure if it was the narrator or the actual story, but I was pretty bored and kept getting distracted listening to the first half of this book. I didn’t love Indira’s brother. He almost seemed out of touch with reality and the moment that Indira finds her boyfriend cheating? That was… i don’t even know how to explain that. I almost DNFd at around 50%, but I am glad I didn’t because it started to get better.

I love how the author portrayed Jude and how intense and hard it can be to deal with PTSD and balance a life. I think it’s so important for people to realize that just because you can’t see a problem, does not mean there is one. Jude was such a strong character and the way he and Indira work together to manage his symptoms and panic attacks really shows the heartache that so many people have to face everyday in our world.

If nothing else, I hope you read or listen to this book just to better understand that.

I’m not sure if this would fall into enemies to lovers being that it feels like they always had feelings for each other but they would share it because they were kids. Either way, I love a good long love story- when they meet when they were young and it ends up working out later in life. It’s honestly one of my favorite things

🌀Synopsis
Jude and Indria are reunited when Indria’s brother is getting married. Just is struggling with PTSD and a decision to return to his old job. Indria just walked in on her boyfriend having sex with someone else. Safe to say, both of them are a bit of a mess.
Which is why it’s no surprise that when the subject of a fake relationship comes up they both think it’s a pretty good idea. They agree to act like a couple in front of Indria’s ex to make her feel better. Only, the acting starts to feel more real as time goes on. It seems odd to both of them since they didn’t like each other through childhood but they find a way past that. They even find a way to help each other through their trauma and make a better future for each other.

Listen if you like:
🧠 Mental Health Rep
🤺 Enemies to Lovers
🧍Brother’s Best Friend
🌶️ Spice
🗣️ Two Narrators
6️⃣9️⃣

Mazey has done it again! I was so excited for this one but also so sad it was the last of the series as I grew to love this friend group!

I loved that this book brought Harper and Lizzie in and kept the gang together.

I really enjoyed the spice in this book and one thing I can’t stop thinking about is that dang 69 scene 🥵

The mental health rep in this one was phenomenal and so well done! I truly couldn’t have asked for a better finale for this series and can’t wait for whatever Mazey writes next!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for my ALC of this one in exchange for my honest review!

This is book 3 of the series and I think it is my least fav of them. To be fair, the fake dating trope is not my fav, so that doesn’t help, but not actual fake dating takes place until like way into the story. Like, let’s get something happening already!! Then once they started dating they went from nothing to whammo in the blink of an eye.
There are some heavy issues like past trauma and PTSD that are handles in the story and while the author does a good job of keeping this a romance, these topics are woven heavily into the story and may be hard for some to read, especially because it makes Indira run very hot and cold. While it was good that she made sure to see her therapy regularly, I think she could have benefited from even more visits-she was often very childish.
When Indira catches her boyfriend cheating, she flees to her brother’s apartment to hide out and get herself together only to find herself face to face with her childhood frenemy Jude, who is on leave from working in war torn countries around the world and struggling with severe PTSD.
Indira tries to get him to let his guard down but all she is successful in doing is getting a whole lot of sex. There just wasn’t a lot of romance. Or story.
Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

💐Fake Dating
💐Brother’s Best Friend
💐Grumpy/Sunshine
💐Frenemies to Lovers
💐Forced Proximity
💐Mental Health

I absolutely devoured this book! I fell in love with Indira and Jude and their story. It is funny, sweet, heartbreaking and an emotional roller coaster. I felt an instant connection with Indira and her relationship with her father. Been there, done that…100% don’t recommend! Even with everything she is going through she was there for Jude and the trauma he was going through. Jude completely broke my heart. I cried so much reading what he had been through! And yet, he was still such a sweetheart with Indira. The connect between these two was something that I love reading. They always knew when the other wasn’t okay and was there for them. And the chemistry…holy hotness! The sparks were flying from the beginning and I wasn’t expecting that mouth on Jude! Pure fire! Overall, I loved this book and can’t recommend it enough! From Jude and Indira, seeing our favorite characters from previous books in the series, and the relationships with their families…it is pure perfection!

I also listened to this book on audio and let’s just say Imani Jade Powers as Indira and Joe Arden as Jude was perfect! They brought out emotions in me that I don’t think would have come out if I hadn’t been listening as well.

Thank you to Netgalley, Mazey Eddings, St. Martin’s Griffin and Macmillan Audio for this early eARC/ALC and for allowing me to read/listen to this amazing book!

Full review of the book itself posted on the book page and Goodreads. I gave it 4 out of 5 Stars.

The audiobook? FIVE STARS! I absolutely LOVED Imani Jade Powers and would listen to her read the back of a shampoo bottle. Really well-done narration. Joe Arden was great too, but I always struggle with men narrating female characters and he was no different. Kind of makes me cringe.

That said, really fun listen. I'm glad I requested the book and audiobook.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the audiobook!

I received an ARC from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Imani Jade Power and Joe Arden narrated it.

Book 3 to a series “A brush with Love.”

Trigger warning for parent abandonment, medical care provider trauma, PTSD, and panic attacks.

I had a surprise with this read. I have not read the first two books of the series. This book was well written and truly put light on mental health issues. It was a very realistic depiction of hiding anxiety in a crowd.

The romance was also lovely. The story of two people who grew up together yet hasn’t been involved in each other's lives coming together. Sometimes you need to be understood in times of great stress, and a person from your past can do that. There is a sweetness in the heartache.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Plus One features psychiatrist Indira and her brother's best friend (from childhood) Jude as they navigate Jude's return from practicing medicine internationally to attend his best friend's wedding. While there Indira breaks up with her long time boyfriend and stays with her brother and his soon to be husband while Jude is also staying there. Jude experiences some difficult things while back as a result of his time working in unstable countries. Indira is also experiencing some difficulties having to see her recent ex and his new partner while at wedding events so they make a pact to be each other's emotional support. Even though they had a more rival relationship when younger.


Oh how I loved this book. I had read Lizzie Blake and it was good but I think Mazey was maybe still working out her writing style or something because The Plus One was perfect.

I love when an author is able to create conflict and plot without using the characters being idiots to do so. I've noticed that this rarely happens and I usually end up really mad at one of the characters wanting to jump into the page and shake them but there was absolutely none of that here. Both characters had real emotional issues to overcome but at no point did they use that as a reason to be cruel or some dramatized version of something realistic.

This book had the perfect balance of very serious emotional issues, romance, and laughter and I've found that really is my happy place in a romcom. I get very strong Abby Jimenez vibes from Mazey and if you like Abby I strongly suggest this book.

Watching both of these characters grow and learn and heal was a pleasure.

and of course because this book was in audio format- I cannot stress who well these narrators fit with the characters. Jude's emphasis showed that the narrator understood the emotional weight of what the dialog said and time and time again I was impressed.

4.5 ⭐️
Full review to come but I really enjoyed it and I think it’s my favourite from the series so far