Plus One is a cute novella in the friends-to-lovers trope. Olivia Winters is 32, single, and attracts the less-desirables in the dating pool. Knowing she has over half-a-dozen weddings to attend, Olivia doesn’t want to attend them alone. When her latest date discusses cat pee at the dinner table, all bets are off. Fortunately, her bestie, Emma calls right in the middle of the date and at the best moment possible to get her off the hook. When her other bestie Ian’s deep, delicious voice is the one on the other end she takes it in stride. Then Ian proposes to be her plus-one to every wedding she needs to attend.

Ian Donnelly can’t wait to see Olivia. It’s been months and what better way to get close to his 20+ year crush than to attend a bunch of weddings with her. Only, the attraction between them is off the charts and Olivia doesn’t want to ruin the friendship they have. When Ian’s feelings are revealed, that leaves the ball in Olivia’s court. Will she or won’t she move Ian out of the friendzone and into a possible happily-ever-after?

I was impressed with Plus One. As short as the novella is, the author did a great job bringing to long-time friends into a comfortable, yet steamy relationship. This isn’t a love-at-first-sight romance, making it perfect for a 68-page story. The plot wasn’t rushed, there wasn’t insta-lust (which isn’t a problem for me, but can be for other readers), and the characters were pleasant and likable.

What a fun, sweet story! The characters in this story were fun and well developed despite it being a short novella. Oliva and Ian were great together, and I loved the banter between them. I definitely recommend this light, fun, sexy read!

Read this one back in 2013 and then forgot to come back to Netgalley to leave a full review. All I have is the brief comment left on my Goodreads page..."Loved it but wish it was a full length novel as it seemed a bit rushed."

Olivia, Emma and Ian have been best buddies for 20 years. They tell each other just about anything and get each other out of bad situations, like when one is on a blind date and having the worst time ever because their date is talking about cat pee. This was the case when Ian called Olivia and got her out of her blind date. Olivia was expecting a call from Emma, but apparently she was busy with her boyfriend so Ian called. They talk while Olivia is on her way home and one of the topics that comes up is weddings. Olivia has to either be in or go to nine weddings in the next six months. She was hoping one of her blind dates would be awesome and she could take him as her plus one, but no luck. Ian offers to be her plus one and while Olivia is hesitant at first she soon takes him up on his offer.

Ian has been in love with Olivia the entire time he’s known her. As he got older his puppy love turned into true love, but he was afraid to mess up their friendship. There was also the fact that Olivia didn’t see him as anything other than a friend. He even went so far as to move a couple of hours away from her to try and get her out of his system. While that worked in a way, he never stopped loving her. Now he’s torturing himself by seeing her on a regular basis for all of these weddings and he can’t help but dream of what it would be like with her.

During one of the wedding receptions Olivia drinks a bit and they come close to kissing but she pulls away. Ian thinks that he can never make Olivia see him as more than a friend, but she’s already undressing him in her mind. How can these two take the chance on love without ruining their friendship forever.

This was a short novella but it was good! I really liked both Ian and Olivia and thought they were adorable together. Their banter was cute and funny. Like I said, this was a short novella so there wasn’t a lot of plot development. Despite that, I thought the author did a good job of showing us each of the characters in a good light and making us understand their wants and hesitations over the relationship.

One part I thought was needlessly added was Olivia’s friend, and Ian’s sister, Emma. I’m not sure why she was written in. She really only served to make Olivia’s uncertainty about the relationship worse because Olivia didn’t want to betray her friend. I got Olivia’s thinking, but it really was just extra and the story definitely could have survived quite well without her involvement.

Overall I enjoyed this story and recommend it if you need a quick read or palate cleanser.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review posted on Dark Faerie Tales.

Plus One by Brighton Walsh is a sweet and delightful read. I was lucky enough to be given a chance to read this one early, and I couldn’t wait. I’ve heard from many friends that Walsh’s writing was realistic and familiar; easily allowing the reader to feel like the story belonged to a friend.

Plus One is about Olivia and the single dating scene. But during wedding season, being single isn’t always ideal. She has had her share of bad date and along them the interesting men they’re with. But when her best friend, Ian, offers to be her plus one, how could she pass up the chance? Ian has always been there for her, what more could she ask for? Ian’s innocent offer might backfire on him. He has had a long-time crush on Olivia, never acting for fear of possibly destroying the friendship. But the frequent wedding dates and the close proximities make it harder for him, as well as Olivia. Will their friendship grow into something more?

Olivia is someone that I quickly related to. She was a simple girl who had a romantic side to her. She’s like a lot of average women out there, looking for love when it just doesn’t want to be found. At least, it’s not anywhere she was likely to look. Olivia was someone I wanted to be friends with, and that is always a trait that I find to be good for a main character. I sympathized with her, and longed to find her a forever mate.

Ian is a familiar character to me. It’s like Walsh took him out of my memories and put him on the page. He was someone that I naturally gravitated towards. Not just by his personality and charm, but also for his actions. Ian is a gentleman, regardless of his affections for Olivia. His internal monologue was entertaining, and I want to think that that’s how it really is inside a man’s head.

Walsh’s writing comes out naturally, allowing humor to fill the pages. Her chosen words hook you into the story and her characters and plot allow you to stay. She fills the pages with meaningful content, never adding anything extra for any reason. When I read her words, I understood them and took them in, allowing me to enjoy the story even more.

Plus One is the perfect read to start your weekend or vacation. It will put you in the best mood for all the happy things to come. It has great characters and a wonderful story. It’s quick, which is sad, because I wanted to know more. But in theory, that’s awesome because Walsh is a talented writer.

I hope to read more of Walsh’s work in the near future. Plus One is a great read, and I think you will feel the same way also.

*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*