The Book:
The Plus One by Mazey Eddings (A Brush With Love #3)
Published December 6, 2022 by Berkley
Date read: February 27, 2023
The Characters:
Indira and Jude
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The Plot (from Goodreads):
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?
On paper, Indira has everything together. An amazing job, a boyfriend, and a car. What more could a late twenty-something ask for? But when she walks in on her boyfriend in an amorous embrace with a stranger, that perfect on paper image goes up in flames.
Jude has nothing together. A doctor that’s spent the last three years traveling the world to treat emergencies and humanitarian crises, a quick trip home for his best friend’s wedding has him struggling to readjust.
Thrust into an elaborate (and ridiculously drawn out) wedding event that’s stressing Jude beyond belief and has Indira seeing her ex and his new girlfriend far more frequently than any human should endure, the duo strike a bargain to be each other’s fake dates to this wedding from hell. The only problem is, their forced proximity and fake displays of affection are starting to feel a bit… real, and both are left grappling with the idea that a situation that couldn’t be worse, is made a little better with the other around.
The Review:
The Plus One felt a little heavier than Mazey’s past books, but I enjoyed it just as much. All of her books confront mental health, but The Plus One took a close look at anxiety and PTSD. It felt very relatable and meaningful, compared to the more lighthearted feel of the previous books in the series. I love that Mazey’s writing talent is so expansive!
I found myself just wanting to hug both of these characters. I loved their childhood backstory–frenemies doesn’t feel like quite the right word for their relationship, but they certainly loved to hate each other. You can feel the care beneath their sniping, though, and I couldn’t wait for it to blossom into a romance. And best of all, there was no third-act breakup!
Fans of Mazey Eddings will not be disappointed, and if you haven’t read something by her yet, you should change that.
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