Well we know that Mazey Eddings completely blew me away last year when I read the first two books in the Brush with Love series. I even had Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake in my top books of 2022! So I was so excited when @NetGalley and @smpromance gave me the opportunity to read/listen to this ahead of time!!

This book has a little bit of ALL my favorite tropes and let’s shout them out: brother’s best friend, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, one bed, friends to lovers, fake dating… I mean COME ON!!! Does it get any better than this?!

Jude and Indira were childhood enemies based out of the fact that Indira was the little sister of his best friend who always annoyed him. Now he’s back in her life for her brother’s wedding and the story unfolds in such a fun but also heartfelt way.

You feel for both of these main characters right away. Eddings does such a great job of giving you a window into their trauma while still keeping it light and fun and fast paced. As the reader you truly want the best for both of these two and you are rooting for them to find a way to make it work. They are truly the sweetest pair. And also can get spicy!

I highly recommend this book! It’s such a fantastic read!

5 STARS!

Mazey Eddings can do no wrong, and "The Plus One" might be her best yet. What a book! It's a childhood frenemies-to-lovers, fake dating, brother's best friend, forced proximity romance (some of my favorite tropes!!) with a ton of humor. Don't go into this book thinking it's going to be *all* fluff and lightness because it also gives an honest, authentic look at mental health, PTSD, and trauma. I fell in love with the main character, Indira and Jude, both together and separately from the very first chapter. Indira is strong but fragile. Jude is grumpy but adoring. Both of them have a lot of baggage to work through from the things they experienced in the past. This book revolves heavily around therapy, which plays a central character in both Indira and Jude's lives. This book might be *the thing* that gets me to see a therapist because Indira and I have such similar stories. It's as if Mazey Eddings grabbed some of my own lived experiences and turned them into an incredibly heartfelt, raw story. It's okay to work through your issues with somebody, even if you are a therapist (Indira). Apart from the heavier topics, "The Plus One" doesn't shy away from showcasing the sillier side of love (which is most definitely my bag, baby). Between the dog poop jokes and the stinky feet fake-outs, I found myself laughing on more than one occasion at Indira and Jude's whimsy and intimate vulnerability with one another. As the kids say: they are relationship goals. And the SPICE. DEAR GOD, THE SPICE. My jaw was on the floor multiple times, too! Have a fan nearby! Let's just say: this book will soon be tabbed for future readings (if you catch my drift)!

Jade Powers & Joe Arden both do a terrific job bringing Indira and Jude to life. They act their hearts out with this audiobook!

Mazey Eddings has taken such a different approach with each of the books in this series. Heck, she even made me a fan of the accidental pregnancy trope with "Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake." I cannot fathom anyone thinking that the romance genre is only full of false expectations and bad writing because Mazey Eddings's books are some of the most substantive books I've ever read. Please do yourself a favor and read this one!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Mazey Eddings, and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a honest review from netgalley.

This book gave me the feels. Both the warm and fuzzy kinds and the hard and teary kinds. These two are perfect for each other and probably always have been if they could get over there shared animosity. Jude is having a hard time adjusting to "normal" life after working in the field for a medical rescue organization. So he defiantly has PTSD and isn't working though it in the beginning. This could be a trigger for some people. Indira is in therapy and is a therapist herself. She's dealing with the abandonment of her father.

I'm so glad I've gotten to listen to this authors works. Mazey Eddings is so good at showing real people with real problems getting help for those issues and finding love. I can't wait until her next book!

I’m.so excited that I received an audio version this highly-anticipated book!

The Plus One follows childhood enemies Indira and Jude who are reunited for a wedding. It was full of funny banter and I found myself chuckling out loud several times. But it also covered serious topics like PTSD and anxiety, giving it a lot of depth. I can’t wait to read the first two books in the series now!

This has been my favorite of the 'A brush of love' series. The story begins with Indira getting cheated on (which is kind of shown in the caption warning section) and overall having a crummy day. She is forced to move in with her brother and his partner (as they plan their wedding) and realizes that there is now a force proximity of her living his nemesis since childhood Jude! The book moves from forced proximity (in true enemies to lover form) to fake dating to something more.

This book engages with concepts of mental health in both Indira and Jude's life, Jude specifically focusing on his experience as a doctor in places of war and destruction and the author does an amazing job in writing this. Jude comes back from his work to be there for his best friend for his wedding but everyone can tell that he is not the same, in particular Indira with her psychiatrist experience and helps him ground himself when he begins to spiral.

This can be a stand alone book but it is beautiful how the author wove in the rest of the characters in the series, particularly in the end. It was a beautiful way to end it and I hope others enjoy it as much as I did.

The Plus One was an impeccably layered romcom. There were great moments of laughter, and beautiful moments with tears. The author impressively integrated mental health, discussing a topic that’s so often avoided. This helped to make the topic more accessible to so many who are terrified to breach the difficulties they face hopefully feel less alone and more willing to reach out and find support.

The love story was fantastic, with enemies to lovers of childhood friends. I loved both the characters, and loved them even more together.

The audiobook was well done, with two narrators who brought the story to life and meshed well with delivering the story in a believable way. Excellent job.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audio copy.

Mazey Eddings knocked one out of the park with her latest release! This novel had so many yummy tropes wrapped into one delightful book. It had enemies to lovers, close proximity, brother’s best friend, and fake dating. All of my favorite themes were intertwined in Indira and Jude’s love story. While the beginning of the book was a slow burn, the end was steamy hot. I adored the dynamic and snarky banter between the characters, and their attraction sizzled off the pages. I found myself rooting for Indira and Jude from the very beginning. These flawed and broken characters deserved to find love, happiness, and the support they needed. Mazey’s excellent incorporation of mental issues created complex, authentic, and relatable characters. The PTSD and anxiety representation was well written and on point. I love that her stories highlight the importance of seeking help when needed. Indira’s psychiatric background was portrayed perfectly as she helped Jude on his journey to a better mental place in his life. This audiobook was a delight; listening to this story only added to its beauty. The narrators brought the characters to life. Both narrators were exceptional! Imani Jade’s beautiful voice was the perfect choice for Indira. Joe Arden was fantastic as he captured Jude’s every emotion. This is an audiobook I highly recommend.

Thank you to the author, Mazey Eddings, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with a gifted copy of The Plus One!

I know it is only April, but this is without a doubt going to the top of my list of favorite books of the year.

Indira and Jude are absolutely everything. What started out as frenemies turned into a beautiful, supportive, encouraging love story. This book broke my heart over and over again with the depictions of anxiety, trauma, and PTSD, but it pieced it back together throughout their story.

"I'm really f*cking broken," he admitted, the words ripped from his chest."
"I'm not looking to fix you," she said, staring straight into his eyes. "I'm here to love you."

I cried several times throughout this book. Both Indira and Jude have struggles, but they helped each other through it all. I just loved the whole dynamic between the two of them - they respected boundaries, gave space when it was needed, and talked things out. They were there for each other, through the good and the bad.

The epilogue wrapped everything up beautifully. I cried happy tears while getting updates about the other couples in the previous books and getting to see how things turned out for everyone. These characters are going to be with me in my heart for a very long time!

Imani Jade Powers did a wonderful job with her portrayal of Indira in the audiobook. My favorite part of this audiobook was Joe's portrayal of Jude though. The emotion in his voice when Jude was voicing his struggles and trauma had me absolutely sobbing. I can't imagine anyone else doing the performance for these characters. Imani and Joe nailed it!

What a cute palate cleanser. This is #3 in a series, but I read it as a stand-alone, which worked well. That is, until I realized I read number 2 in the series but didn’t know that until I was done with the book and looked up the author. This was another charming read by Eddings. Brothers’ best friend, and fake dating troupe? Sign me up! This was a romcom with substance that touched on mental health, anxiety, and PTSD. The characters felt real with real emotions and real problems. The story line was easy to follow which led to a quick read. Sometimes romcoms are exactly what is needed, and this one fits the bill perfectly. I listened to the audiobook version of this and thought the narrators did a fantastic job. I am looking forward to the next Eddings book!

I’ve loved the previous books in Mazey Eddings’ A Brush With Love series, but I do have to say… this one didn’t grab me in the same way. Once I read her author’s note at the end, I understood better that the whole PTSD storyline was very much about her own experiences, and wish that had been at the beginning so I knew going into the book it was more of a journey of herself, and the character was very much based around her own story and struggles.

It is still a very strong 4-star rating, but I don’t think I can get to the 5-stars I gave her other books. I didn’t feel the same connection to the storyline or characters. This one was completely about Jude and his struggles overcoming what he experienced while doing his (basically a Doctor’s Without Borders) doctors abroad program, and Indira was getting through the enemies to lovers, brothers best friend plot one-sided. I felt the disconnect the whole way through.

I know that this book has a very important place in many readers hearts who will struggle with the stress from past trauma, like the author, and that she needed to write it to work through her past pain as a way to heal and get through a lot of that pain, so there are many who will adore it. If others go in knowing that it’s so focused on Jude dealing with his struggles of the trauma he experienced in these awful, war torn and traumatic locations, hopefully they will have a better experience than me!

The audio version was narrated by two long-time favourites, who did help with making it better to get through - Joe Arden and Imani Jade Powers. Great performances from each - very beautiful and emotional!

I received an advance review and advance listen copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin), and Macmillan Audio, and this is my honest feedback.

I will tell you 1 thing, @mazeyeddings is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me! If she writes it, I will read it!

The Plus One is the 3rd book in a series of interconnected stand alones. Do you need to read the first two to enjoy this one? No. But having read the others, I loved catching up with the previous characters as they do come up in this one as well.

I liked book 1 (A Brush With Love), I laughed out loud with book 2 (Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake) and now, The Plus One gave me all the feels.

Don’t get me wrong, it still brought the laughs and the spice but I felt such a connection to be Indira and Jude in this story. It features some of my favourite tropes of enemies to lovers and forced proximity so you know it can’t go wrong. Once I started this story I could not put it down and really loved the mental health representation.

If you made it this far, give yourself a big pat on the back and then rush out to grab this book!!

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for my advanced copy!

The Plus One is available today!

This book had a promising start and held my attention for the most part. While I was initially hooked within the first few chapters, I found myself losing interest in the middle. That being said, it didn't last long before it picked up again.

I still found it to be a good read overall. The author did touch upon some deeper topics that aren't often explored in this genre, and I appreciate that they didn't shy away from them.

All in all, I would recommend this book as it was very enjoyable.

Happy Pub Day!

Did I just read what will most likely be my favorite book of the year in March? Yes, I think I did!

Indira has her life together… until she walks in on her boyfriend and another woman (I don’t think I’ll ever want peanut butter again!). Jude has been traveling the world as a doctor, going where he is most needed. When Indira’s bother (Jude’s best friend) is getting married to the love of his life, they agree to fake date to make all of the wedding events a little more bearable. Can they put aside their childhood differences and find happiness together?

I love Mary Eddings’ writing style- the way she can get me laughing and crying within a few pages is truly amazing. The Plus One deals with mental health in an authentic, respectful way that showcases the importance of prioritizing one’s mental health.

The Plus One can be read as a standalone, but features fun glimpses into the lives of Mazey Eddings’ other beloved characters.

I loved this book so much and highly recommend it!

"𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒽𝓊𝓇𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒶𝓁𝓈𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁 𝓈𝒶𝒹𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒶𝓁𝓈𝑜 𝓁𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁 𝒿𝑜𝓎. 𝒢𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒸𝑜𝑒𝓍𝒾𝓈𝓉 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝓊𝑔𝑔𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝓊𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓁 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓁𝓈𝑜 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒."

𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Indira’s life is turned upside down. Jude’s life is a constant struggle. Coming together for a wedding, Indira and Jude begin to question if their childhood bickering could turn into something more as adults…

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:
I LOVED IT!! I’ll admit this is my first book by Mazey Eddings but it definitely won’t be my last! I loved her careful weaving of a romcom with heavier topics of PTSD and anxiety. She created depth in the story and brought to life two characters that brought out the best in each other while helping each other navigate in this thing we call life. I loved the dual pov as we got to see Indira’s and Jude’s emotions and inner thoughts, bringing depth to the story. Such beautiful imagery (peanut butter and bees)! It was fantastic. I laughed, cried, got frustrated and breathed relief.

As much as I loved the novel, I highly recommend the audiobook. Joe Arden was magnificent. He captured Jude’s every emotion and brought it to life. Such a beautiful narration and Imani Jade Powers simply completed this audiobook with her interpretation of Indira.

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀:
- Fake Daring
- Forced Proximity
- Frenemies to Lovers
- Brother’s Best Friend
- Open Door Romance
- PTSD & Anxiety Representation

𝑨 𝑩𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆
- A Brush with Love
- Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake
- The Plus One

𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲: Special thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of The Plus One to share my honest review.

Thank you @smpromance @macmillan.audio @netgalley for a copy of this. This is part of A Brush series with this one focusing on Indira who moves in with her brother when she discovers her boyfriend in a compromising position with someone else. She is forced to be with Jude who also is staging with her brother. I love how their enemy to lovers story. What I appreciate is that both Jude and Indira both have issues and needed personal growth. The journey was realistic and the fake dating creating such great tension between them.

The narrators were great and brought the characters to life.

The Plus One by Mazey Eddings was a fun romance filled with just enough spice to keep me wanting more. This is a series of stand-alone romances. I would be interested in reading some of the other stories over time.

First I want to start off by saying that I will never be able to look at peanut butter the same after this!! iykyk

The tropes in this story are Brother’s Best Friend, Enemies to Lovers (but I don’t think they are really enemies), and my absolute favorite Fake Dating.

This story not only follows the love story between Jude and Indira, but also talking about serious topics such as PTSD, trauma, anxiety, and cheating.

Jude got the opportunity to take some time off from work to be there for his best friend’s wedding and does his best to act ‘normal’ and ignore his PTSD triggers and struggles. Indira ends up walking in on her boyfriend cheating on her and needing to stay with her brother while she finds a new apartment leading up to the wedding. Jude and Indira are not fond of each other and have had this battle since they were kids. Because Indira’s ex-boyfriend is also part of the wedding party and Jude’s PTSD episodes they decide to help each other out by Fake Dating and be each others wedding dates.
Indira is there for Jude and sees right through his mask and his “I’m fine” attitude because she is part of the mental health field. She helps Jude throughout the book with his PTSD, stress and anxiety as much as he will let her without acting like his therapist.
Indira has some struggles and trauma from her childhood that Jude tries to help her with also.
I read in another persons review that they don’t like how Jude isn’t as helpful when it comes to Indira’s issues. I don’t agree with this person. Indira has experience and education to help others who are dealing with different mental health trials, while Jude does not. He is helping her in the best way he can and I believe Indira appreciates that.

This book talks about these hard topics in a way that brings up some serious points, helpful tips and talks about the importance of therapy during these mental health struggles while still being filled with fun banter between the two main characters.

Jude and Indira are the cutest little couple. I would recommend this to someone who is okay with talking about some serious topics in the middle of a romance for a fun read. I personally don’t think I would read it again which is why it doesn’t quite make it to 4 stars.

“well he needed to fuck in a JIF-fy” -my boyfriend after he listened to the beginning with me 😅😅

Imani Jade Powers and Joe Arden did a great job with the narration and I would love to hear more from them.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin (Publishing), Macmillin Audio, and the author Mazey Edding for the opportunity to listen to this book!
ARC received in exchange for an honest review

3.5/4 stars

I loved A Brush With Love and so I knew I was going to love this book too. I was not disappointed. It was so funny and just a great time all around.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 (0-5)

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Such a gorgeous, irresistible cover.
🤩 I’ve been wanting to read a Mazey Eddings and was so glad when I saw this audiobook on NetGalley.
🤩 The narrators fit the characters so well, put on a great show, and performed masterfully on all the emotional ups and downs, hots and colds.
🤩 Tropes: childhood nemesis—her brother’s best friend, his best friend’s sister. Pretend boyfriend gets me every time AND he stands up to her ex.
🤩 It jumps right in with Indira’s bad breakup—very engaging.
🤩 So much mental health awareness and counseling/therapy representation. Indira is a psychiatrist who admittedly struggles with her own childhood trauma. Jude is currently in the midst of trauma, PTSD, and panic attacks from his experiences as a doctor in third-world countries.
🤩 Couch cuddles and being exactly what the other person needs. Jude and Indira are total book girlfriend and boy-friend material. I adore them as humans and love them as a couple. They are the perfect example of true love—somebody loving you when you’re needy & a mess.
🤩 I 100% appreciate the cute, fun, and steamy moments in all the right places when the topics are heavy and intense. I don’t think I can handle it otherwise. I need romcom in my life.
🤩 I could say so much more that I loved but want to leave surprises . . . I think I was more thankful than Indira for her birthday present.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 Nothing, absolutely nothing, about the book. But, wow, I’m so thankful I live in a time where mental illness, mental health, ptsd, etc are becoming more understood and talked about in real life. I truly hate the ignorant humans in this beautiful story. But, that’s good writing.

3.5/5

My thoughts:
In a wild turn of events I was given this book as an ARC. Listen, I am just as shocked as you. Not only is it one of the bigger releases this year and who the eff am I? But given my, ahem, less that pumped reviews of the two books that proceeded this one I would never have guessed I’d be sent this to review. Well plop one more surprise onto this heap because I liked it! I know!

I have a theory that Mazey’s team are marketing geniuses and thought, ‘Who would be the best people to write reviews about this upcoming book? Ah, yes, the previous haters; cause if we can turn them, we can win over anyone.’ And hats off to ya, ya did it.

The things I took issue with in book 1 and 2 felt more developed, thought through, or just weren’t an issue at all. There were still some things that kept this from being a knockout but I think those things ultimately come down to personal taste. Over all, this is a great read and I was engaged the whole time. It’s definitely spicier than the first two and provided a more nuanced view of the struggles each character was going through - both great things!

If you weren’t a fan of A Brush With Love or Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake, and I was not, I encourage you to read this one. I - a certified hater-ass-bitch - declare this book, good. If that’s not enough, I actually shed a real human tear at one point. I know.

What to expect:
- Childhood enemies to lovers
- Wedding adjacent festivities
- Therapy - we love it
- Shoving our feelings deep down inside - we also love it
- PTSD representation
- Fake dating… I mean kinda? Eh, it qualifies
- Will they, won’t they tension
- Pretend it never happened tension

You should read this if:
- You loved A Brush With Love and Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake
- You did not love A Brush With Love and Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake
- You love the scene in Bridesmaids where Kristen Wiig says to the teenager at the counter, ‘Well you’re a little c-.’
- You really like the phenomenon where a professional does the opposite of their profession - think chefs that eat only TV diners, etc.
- You’ve fantasize about your older brother’s best friend who was always mean to you finally realizing that you’re a woman now

You should not read this if:
- You’re currently in love with your older brother’s best friend who was always mean to you and reading this would only give you false hope and then crush your heart when it doesn’t happen
- You think love and relationships should be easy and simple and everyone is nice always - eh, sounds boring
- You are a board member for an organization that makes people sign their life away at 22 and then treat them like trash

Read if you’re in the mood for:
A romance that is a solid couple steps above low-risk but not intense enough to leave you reeling.

If you like _ you’ll like this:
- Peace by Taylor Swift - cue ugly cry
- Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter
- Bob’s Burgers, but only the Thanksgiving episodes

More from this author:
- A Brush With Love
- Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake
- Tilly in Technicolor - Out Aug 23’

I had tried the first one in the series and DNF because I just felt the sexual content was gratuitous. I thought this one was very cute! I love that the author write a chick lit book but wove in some serious themes that need more attention. I would recommend this book!