Plus One

Thank you for this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for this book, The Plus One by Mazey Eddings. However, I was immediately disconnected due to the plot. It just didn’t engage me.

What a great and deeper romance book. Loved that it tackled PTSD and therapy. Wish Jude was a little more fleshed out like Indira was but it was a great read.

A BIG thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sending me this ARC in advance of the publish date! RATING: 4/5 stars GENRE: Fiction/Romance PUBLISHER: @stmartinspress PUB DATE: 4/4/23 THANK YOUs: Many thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for gifting me this sweet love story! SYNOPSIS: “He’d been writing love on every inch of her heart since they were kids, and he’d found the most beautiful, messy, ridiculous reminder of that and put it in a frame.” Indira and Jude have been rivals since childhood. But Jude has always been her older brother Collin’s best friend, so the three of them all grew up together. And ever since, Indira and Jude have always given each other a hard time. The story begins with Indira walking in on her boyfriend cheating on her. She quickly hightails it to her brother’s house to stay until she can find a place of her own, and who opens the door? None other than Jude, who has just returned from serving a global organization similar to Doctors Without Borders. Jude is also staying with Collin and his fiancée’, Jeremy. Indira and Jude are forced to live in the same house and prepare for Collin’s wedding, all while reminiscing about their pasts. And then they decide to make a pact and become each other’s “plus one” at Collin’s wedding. REVIEW: Mazey Eddings has written a sweet enemies-to-lovers love story. This story delicately addressed PTSD and abandonment, and I was touched by how both were handled throughout. This is a slow burn, and a sweet enemies-to-lovers story that you won’t want to miss.

Forced proximity, brother’s best friend, fake dating, and childhood enemies-to-lovers combine in this third book in the A Brush With Love series from Mazey Eddings. And, in my opinion, this is her best adult romance yet. After Indira’s relationship messily implodes weeks before her brother’s wedding, she seeks refuge at her brother’s home with his fiancé, but when she arrives at their door, Indira unexpectedly finds her childhood enemy, Jude, staying there as well. As the best man, he has taken leave from the global health organization that employs him in order to assist with and participate in all of the pre-wedding activities. But, as Indira quickly ascertains, this version of Jude—the one that has been amidst conflicts around the globe for the past few years—is not the Jude she grew up with. They are prickly to each other—a carryover from childhood, of course—but begin to realize that perhaps they can help each other. Her now ex—being related to the other groom—is also part of the wedding party, and Jude? He needs an excuse to escape when the activities become too much. A fake relationship seems like the perfect way for them to shield and protect each other throughout all of the festivities. Mazey Eddings is not afraid to take on mental health, and she handles both Jude’s trauma and Indira’s ongoing anxiety with such care here. So, while this is a love story filled with tender moments and comedic moments and steamy moments, it is also a story of finding, accepting, and claiming what you need. It is about healing. And it’s about finding and embracing the person that truly sees you. It’s my favorite book from her yet. I received an advance copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.