Hey Everyone
Happy Friday! Back with another review. This review is for A Brush With Love by Mazey Eddings, which if you haven't guessed by the title of this post, is about two dental students. The book comes out in a few short weeks on March 1st and I'd say to check it out, not only for the puns but for the anxiety rep as well!
I thought this book was genuinely cute yet also important for its anxiety rep. And before I go any further I want to mention there is an author’s note at the beginning of the book that mentions potential triggers i.e. anxiety and sexism (i do also mention the sexism once in my review, fyi!). Especially as someone with anxiety, the warnings were much appreciated :)
I loved that it started with Harper quite literally crashing into Dan the first time they meet, such a wonderful meet-cute to start the book. The friends to lovers romance was very sweet and the way the last bit of the book played out made for a perfect ending. It was definitely a slow-burn romance, which I think was not only fitting but also important for this book. These characters did not need to rush into a relationship, but having a friendship and giving them something to focus on other than school was great. With both mc’s being dental students there were so many nerdy moments and tons of puns throughout the story that were beyond adorable. I honestly just had a fun time finding all of the puns. Another part of being a dental student is lots of work, and the focused and dedicated Harper was to school and her program was admirable. Also admirable was the way Harper stood up for herself when people were being sexist. She did not want to tolerate any bs from people who wanted to tell her that a women would never be as important as a man. I loved seeing Harper stand up for herself, I think Dan could’ve used an extra lesson in that.
Harper and Dan together were adorable especially with Dan being such a cinnamon roll hero. It was also admirable to see that Dan never pushed Harper when she said she didn’t want a relationship, despite being head over heels for her. He always seemed to treasure the moments he got with her and not take any of them for granted. He also never reacted poorly to Harper’s anxiety and always wanted to help her even if she wouldn’t always take the help. Seeing how much he was willing to do for her was incredibly sweet. Dan definitely had his own insecurities too, especially about letting down his mom when it came to school and his future career. I was glad he got the courage to stand up for himself and what he wanted by the end. Dan’s ending was wonderful and he truly deserved all the happiness.
The one thing I would’ve liked to see more of is Harper's focus on getting help for her mental health. It took Harper quite a while to accept that she needed help and as soon as she came to terms with that it kind of jumped to the end. There was mention of how she was doing with everything I just personally would’ve liked to see a bit more given how her anxiety had been a main focus throughout. Nonetheless I thought the anxiety rep was valuable and had a main focus in the story which I always like to see. I felt there having Harper be in denial about the severity of her mental health was substantial since it showed a side of anxiety that’s often overlooked in books. I was certainly glad to see how Harper’s story ended. She might’ve had a ways to go but she was in a better place for sure and had the happiness she deserved.
Overall for me the book was a 3.75⭐️ It was a cute read with a happy ending I quite enjoyed and I liked that it was something slightly different from most of the romances I read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the arc,
Emily Marie