The Plus One by Maze Eddings

This review was held to better match the time of year that the book took place. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and it thrilled me that Indira and Jude finally got together on Halloween. The story follows the normal rom-com pattern for the most part, and in fact there are many things that were different that were enjoyable, but the style of the author’s writing is probably not going to make me go out and find every book she has written to buy and read. This was a great beach read, but it did not pull me in and make me not want to put the book down, it was enjoyable and I would recommend this book for anyone considering it and probably even for those who just want a happy romantic book to read. Indira and Jude have always disliked each other (as least they think they dislike each other) and have bickered back and forth since they were as young as they could remember. However, now that they are older and Indira’s brother, Collin, who is also Jude’s best friend, is getting married and Indira has broken up with her boyfriend the two are now staying at Collin’s house for the couple of weeks leading up to the wedding. Of course these two, as do Collin and Jeremy, get their happily ever after, and best of all there is no misunderstanding that leads to them breaking up! Why can’t other authors figure out how to do this? They over came challenges, but they did so together and in doing that stayed together to get their happily ever after.  Indira dressed as a bee on Halloween, protecting Jude from the doorbell ringing and triggering his PTSD, and them ending up having sex and Collin’s house getting trashed was probably the funniest get together scene ever. Seriously, great story, and you may like the author’s style or may not want to put the book down.

Character List Book Summary:

Indira Papadakis – a psychiatrist at a children’s out patient center, has a cat Gammy. Moved out of her house and into her brother’s home when she came home to find her boyfriend, Chris, making out with Lauren. While giving Jude a hard time, she also realizes he is struggling with some of the things he has seen while being a doctor in disaster areas. In offering to help him try and avoid triggers during pre-wedding activities she realizes she never disliked him their bickering back and forth was their way of flirting. Halloween is when Jude and her really start dating and she helps Jude while he decides what to do about his next tour.

Jude Bailey – spent the last few years as a doctor in disaster areas for a Global Health Care organization that would pay off his medical school debt.  Emergency medicine doctor but he feels useless at his job lately and freezes when doing a simulation for his next deployment. Paid off his parent’s mortgage with his salary and low living expenses to thank them for the good job they did raising him. Offer to be Indira’s fake date for wedding so she has a buffer between her and Chris, and also so he has an excuse to disappear if it starts to become to much during the wedding ceremony and festivities leading up to it. Realizes he never disliked Indira, and is happy to help her move her stuff out of Chris’s apartment and into her new apartment when she finds one. Does open up about what he is feeling about going to another disaster area, and he is not sure he can be a doctor in an ER in general because of what he has experienced the last few years.

Collin – Indira’s older brother, a doctor, and is getting married to Jeremy in a few weeks. Realizes something is bothering Jude but does not know what it is. Has hope that is father will be there at his wedding to walk him down the aisle, is devastated when his father bails on him at the last minute.

Jeremy – doctor, engaged to Collin and Chris is his cousin. When he gets home the morning after Halloween, he tells Jude and Indira that he will not tell Collin about seeing them together but they will have to. And they have to clean up the yard and the house.

Lizzie Blake – Indira’s friend from high school, there for the pre-wedding festivities. Her daughter Evie has Indira wrapped around her finger.

Thu – not part of the wedding party, but there for the pre-wedding activities, does not like Chris and makes snide comments about him.