Darker in tone, but no less charming, Mazey Eddings captivates while breaking hearts in The Plus One, offering a poignant glimpse into the reality of living with untreated PTSD amidst the backdrop of a wholesome frenemies-to-lovers romance.
When Indira Papadakis walks in on a peanut butter fiasco, her distant boyfriend front and center of a sticky and disturbing moment of infidelity, she is forced to uproot her life and move in with her older brother, Collin. Considering the fact that Collin is one of her best friends and closest confidants, the problem isn’t hitting rock bottom, questioning the use of peanut butter, or having her tires slashed at the worst time, but rather, that she walks straight into his best friend, Jude Bailey, when she lets herself into his home late at night.
Sassy, blunt, and quick to partake in a bit of bold, unabashed banter, Indira trades witty jabs with Jude – and it’s beautiful. Eddings truly is a master of quirky one-liners and banter, and it shows in these childhood enemies, both a little bit broken and lonely but neither willing to admit it. They immediately butt heads once they encounter each other after years apart to pursue medical school, followed by the beginning of their professional careers – Indira as a childhood psychologist, Jude as a traveling surgeon for the GHCO (not so much a dream, but a temporary means to an end when it comes to debt).
But nothing could ever be easy when it came to Dira and their animosity didn’t have a source so much as it was a fact of nature. The sun rose in the east. Set in the west. Indira annoyed Jude. Jude annoyed her back.
– excerpt from Mazey Eddngs’ The Plus One
And boy, does Eddings deliver, alternating between two very different, yet equally broken POVs in Jude and Indira as they navigate living together under Collin’s roof. Jude’s back in the States for Collin’s upcoming wedding to his long-time fiancé Jeremy. He wouldn’t miss the wedding for the world, even if his PTSD often leaves him disassociating from reality and has him going through the motions of life, avoiding conversations and friendships and emotions in a last-ditch attempt to keep himself sane and whole. Life is all about appearances, and Jude’s doing everything he can to appear put together, normal, in control as he battles with waking nightmares and paralysis that leave him wondering who and where he is. Sound is too much. Thoughts are too much. Feelings are too much. Even the most innocuous things set him off – Lizzie and Rake’s daughter yelling and banging things; the feedback of a microphone; the ringing of a doorbell – and Indira is the only one to notice, or, at the very least, the only one bold enough to pry.
Bold, brash, sassy banter turns into small moments of unexpected hurt and comfort, Jude dropping the aloof, tough guy act when Indira presses him, gently. She doesn’t pry, not per se, but she does offer gentle tenderness and an open mind. She’s willing to listen, or, at the very least, be a supportive presence in Jude’s life. She has an idea of what he is going through, recognizing the turmoil of his inner thoughts even if he won’t speak them aloud. Her understanding and gentle compassion push their relationship into reluctant friendship, wherein the duo use a fake dating ruse to guise moments of vulnerability. For Jude, it means getting the chance to step away from Collin and Jeremy’s boisterous pre-wedding activities – bar nights, couple’s trivia, wedding favor parties, not to mention numerous rehearsal dinners, just because – and for Indira, it means moving on, or at least, getting back at, her clueless, cheating ex, who just so happens to be in the wedding party alongside them.
Heated tension and animosity fall away easily in the wake of Jude’s trauma. He’s lonely and hurting and desperate to feel something – anything – other than numbness, even if he doesn’t realize it, Indira an unexpected balm to his weary soul, even if she does annoy him – just a bit. She always has to have the final say. Always has a biting, sassy quip or teasing comment. Always has to get the last word in. But she’s there. She’s familiar. And Jude needs the distraction. The more they talk, the easier things become. Jude may not be willing – or able – to talk about his work or his mental state, but Indira is the perfect distraction, their past a shared and constant comfort. It doesn’t help that they’ve both grown up – or that Jude accidentally walked in on Indira as she was getting out of the shower. Doesn’t help that she’s adorable and dorky and dresses up as a bee for Halloween, either.
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.
– excerpt from Mazey Eddings’ The Plus One
Indira may annoy Jude, but she has always been a constant in his life. As his best friend’s younger sister, Indira was there for all of the sleepovers and family meals. She was there through high school, and college, and internships. And Jude remembers. He remembers her favorite foods, including her cheesesteak order. He remembers her journal entries – about him. He even took a piece of one, a memento of Indira, and kept it in his pocket while he traveled. He remembers everything about her. Indira is the one thing he hasn’t been able to forget, and through her, he is able to feel again. It’s as beautiful as it is harmful, as it forces him to recognize just how broken he is.
While Jude is the vulnerable cinnamon roll of the novel and the star of the show, Eddings makes room for Indira, too, who struggles with her own mental health, a product of her father’s abandonment and continued emotional manipulation. It isn’t easy, but Indira is healing, and in helping Jude, she recognizes her own worth and ability – something that she has been seriously doubting, especially in regard to her ability to do her job properly.
She had a magnifying glass up to the most hidden parts of his soul and still smiled, happy to simply know him.
– excerpt from Mazey Eddings’ The Plus One
Eddings writes characters that are well-realized and hurting – and they jump off the page. They are real, raw, and emotional, but they experience so much growth. Her books are cathartic, well-written and character driven, with relationship dynamics that promote communication and trust. There is a strong sense of belonging, identity and hope that weaves the loose series together, and in that regard, they are a huge success. As far as the plot goes, The Plus One leaves just a bit to be desired, though.
For a novel that is centered around a wedding, there was great build-up, but perhaps not enough payoff. We watch as Jude and Indira skirt responsibilities leading up to the wedding day – for good reason! – but the wedding itself fades to black and is contained in a single chapter. Given the fact that even the cover – the primary source of the book’s marketing! – includes a scene that looks like it is straight out of a wedding reception – I was a little disappointed. Things feel a little rushed from then on out as a frazzled Jude considers his options with the GHCO. I did, however, appreciate that Eddings does not include a third act breakup, instead focusing on the importance of advocating for your own mental health, however messy things may become.
While I personally think that the novel could have benefitted from a bit more length, The Plus One was charming, poignant, and impactful. Eddings writes with vulnerability and hope, her characters – and stories – are refreshing and very, very real. They offer hope, support, and compassion for mental health and disability through sympathetic characters that are hurting themselves. I adore Eddings’ writing style, her attention to detail, and her advocacy for mental health, all of which solidify her place as one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. If you’re looking for a romance that will hurt as much as it comforts, I urge you to give The Plus One (or any of Eddings’ other books) a try.
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