The Plus One

This is an enemies to lovers, brother's best friend with fake dating romance with a lot of trauma weaved in.

Indira temporarily moves in with her brother after finding out her boyfriend is cheating on her. Her brother is about to get married, and she, her ex, and her brother's best friend are all in the wedding. She and Jude, her brother's best friend, decide to fake date to, in a way, get back at the ex-boyfriend, despite being childhood enemies.

This novel to me felt a little bit slower-paced just because they talked a lot about Indira and Jude dealing with trauma. Jude works as a doctor overseas and has been in a lot of dangerous locations where he is performing emergency medicine and has a seen a lot of people die. Much of novel discusses him working through his PTSD, while Indira works through her feelings of abandonment. (Her father left them when she was a child.)

I liked the way they approached mental health in this book and discussed therapy. It is a little bit of a heavier novel, so if you're looking for something very lighthearted, this might not be it. There are funny moments weaved in, but I still felt like the overall tone was very heavy. It does have a happy resolution as they work together to heal each other.

This book is expected to release April 4, 2023, so add it to your TBR.

Rating: 4/5 stars