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taliabasma's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book made me feel so many feelings and I want to be mad at Mazey for creating such a lovely story that had me stressed, laughing, crying and everything in between. That being said, I learned so much and I feel like a better off person for having read this novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse and Ableism
utopiastateofmind's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: anxiety
A Brush with Love has been so hyped to me and I am glad I gave in. I was planning on just reading a chapter one night before bed, and then I ended up staying up till 1:30am to finish. A Brush with Love is a touching and emotional story about love, vulnerability, and confronting difficult truths about ourselves. I think what I loved was how much I adored Dan and Harper singularly as characters. This dual POV does not only allow us to see each other from their POV's, but also to appreciate them as separate characters.
I honestly couldn't pick a character I loved more. I adored Harper's spirit, her anxiety over her grades and the ways the people around her only see a piece of herself. How she feels like she cannot let herself be distracted. Her character growth may be my favorite of the two, mostly because I could deeply relate to some of her anxieties and the ways she tries to cope. Don't even get me started on the cinnamon roll of Dan. What a big softy!
TW: anxiety
A Brush with Love has been so hyped to me and I am glad I gave in. I was planning on just reading a chapter one night before bed, and then I ended up staying up till 1:30am to finish. A Brush with Love is a touching and emotional story about love, vulnerability, and confronting difficult truths about ourselves. I think what I loved was how much I adored Dan and Harper singularly as characters. This dual POV does not only allow us to see each other from their POV's, but also to appreciate them as separate characters.
I honestly couldn't pick a character I loved more. I adored Harper's spirit, her anxiety over her grades and the ways the people around her only see a piece of herself. How she feels like she cannot let herself be distracted. Her character growth may be my favorite of the two, mostly because I could deeply relate to some of her anxieties and the ways she tries to cope. Don't even get me started on the cinnamon roll of Dan. What a big softy!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Ableism
mandaraffe's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Toxic relationship
alenert's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Ableism, Medical content, and Sexism
Minor: Cancer
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The hype for this book was so real for me. Harper's a Jewish dental student with anxiety, weighed down by the lingering trauma and grief of losing her mother as a child when they were both in a car accident. Dan's in dental school at the insistence of his mother, trying to live up to his deceased father's legacy, even though he hated the man and hates returning to school for something he's not passionate about. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me in the romance department and a full raging mess in the friendship category.
Instalove vibes are pretty *shrug* to me as a general rule. In this case, it's at least instant infatuation. it reminds me of a teenage crush in timbre but with two adult people. I have great fondness for both teenagers and for occasionally acting like them. It's probably good for your health. But the overall lack of maturity from two 26-year olds, one of whom gets to be addressed as "Dr." was jarring. Even their language felt like a badly written teen drama at times. For example, who asks a friend if she "humped" last night? For that alone, I would kick a friend to the curb, and this group has worse to answer for.
This could have been friends-to-lovers except they go on a date before the whole friends thing comes about, which casts a weird vibe on the whole affair. I felt like it placed more emphasis on the very intense lust they were mutually ignoring rather than actually building a friendship. Also, after one month, she considers him her best friend, so sorry to the previous holders of that title. It's less surprising once you've met them. More on that later. Dan's solicitousness towards Harper could be charming at times and overbearing at others. Like it's good he respected her wishes and the degree of intimacy she's comfortable with to stay friends only, but it always felt like he's just in the wings, waiting for her to reverse her decision and date/be in love with/have sex with him as if it's a foregone conclusion.
In general, Dan's white knight complex was a bit much for me. He wants to fix Harper's problems, even when it's not appropriate, i.e. in a work setting where she is the higher ranking person in the room. He also beats up her academic rival/tormentor, who is the cartoonish face of misogyny. So tada! he saved her from all the other sexist micro-aggressions, as well. Miracles happen, as they often do for cishet white men. His possessive caveman behavior (his words) isn't any better because of his self-awareness on the matter. Dan also wants to save his mom, who is cast in a decidedly helpless yet somehow also domineering role for most of the book. Also, his dad is an emotionally manipulative POS end of story, but I can't be the only one amused slash perplexed that Dan's most subversive/slackerly decision was to seek a job in ~finance~, where he is impassioned to make money and (in his own words) climb the corporate ladder. The shame! The piles of money! How could he not have pursued the noble profession of dentistry?? Like I would be ashamed of that, but your typical upper middle class white dad probably wouldn't be.
Now for my complete meltdown about the friendships. Harper's relationship with her best friends feels very 3-vs-1 Mario Party mini-game, where her friends reinforce her feelings that she's odd or not making the right choices because they all side against her. And it's true that Harper isn't living her healthiest life. Her anxiety runs rampant through everything, and her laser focus on school leaves room for little else. But apparently instead of asking what do you need? or how can I help? these friends decide that for themselves. They don't know about Harper's struggles with mental health, but they've intuited some aspects of it and could be responsive. They are pushy to the point of manipulating her into a bikini wax so she can "feel sexy" and entice Dan. I can't fathom an argument where that's a healthy crossing of boundaries. She is pressured into attending a party even though they know she doesn't like them, and then they lose track of her when she has a panic attack due to the conditions they introduced her to. wtf. The next morning, they show up to ask her if she's ok before moving on to the "important" questions about if she had sex or not afterwards. Even hearing she had a panic attack, they persist in asking follow ups that completely ignore her mental health. Harper (rightfully) blows up at them for their priorities, and they bring up therapy (maybe not the right time) and her dead mother (probably never a good time) and then everyone pretends the conversation didn't happen as if no changes need to be made. "Strong female friendships" were part of the hype for this book, which left me especially disappointed. Dan's best friend is somehow worse because I never observed him to have a positive quality. He judges him loudly and for all to hear about how he ignores his mom's calls as if there aren't a million reasons somehow may have a less than positive relationship with a parent, all valid.
Humans, this anxiety representation in the genre (or anywhere) was meant to be so powerful. But I spent the whole time distracted by what a shit support system Harper had and wondering how her experience would have been different with friends and a love interest who worked with her instead of for her.
Instalove vibes are pretty *shrug* to me as a general rule. In this case, it's at least instant infatuation. it reminds me of a teenage crush in timbre but with two adult people. I have great fondness for both teenagers and for occasionally acting like them. It's probably good for your health. But the overall lack of maturity from two 26-year olds, one of whom gets to be addressed as "Dr." was jarring. Even their language felt like a badly written teen drama at times. For example, who asks a friend if she "humped" last night? For that alone, I would kick a friend to the curb, and this group has worse to answer for.
This could have been friends-to-lovers except they go on a date before the whole friends thing comes about, which casts a weird vibe on the whole affair. I felt like it placed more emphasis on the very intense lust they were mutually ignoring rather than actually building a friendship. Also, after one month, she considers him her best friend, so sorry to the previous holders of that title. It's less surprising once you've met them. More on that later. Dan's solicitousness towards Harper could be charming at times and overbearing at others. Like it's good he respected her wishes and the degree of intimacy she's comfortable with to stay friends only, but it always felt like he's just in the wings, waiting for her to reverse her decision and date/be in love with/have sex with him as if it's a foregone conclusion.
In general, Dan's white knight complex was a bit much for me. He wants to fix Harper's problems, even when it's not appropriate, i.e. in a work setting where she is the higher ranking person in the room. He also beats up her academic rival/tormentor, who is the cartoonish face of misogyny. So tada! he saved her from all the other sexist micro-aggressions, as well. Miracles happen, as they often do for cishet white men. His possessive caveman behavior (his words) isn't any better because of his self-awareness on the matter. Dan also wants to save his mom, who is cast in a decidedly helpless yet somehow also domineering role for most of the book. Also, his dad is an emotionally manipulative POS end of story, but I can't be the only one amused slash perplexed that Dan's most subversive/slackerly decision was to seek a job in ~finance~, where he is impassioned to make money and (in his own words) climb the corporate ladder. The shame! The piles of money! How could he not have pursued the noble profession of dentistry?? Like I would be ashamed of that, but your typical upper middle class white dad probably wouldn't be.
Now for my complete meltdown about the friendships. Harper's relationship with her best friends feels very 3-vs-1 Mario Party mini-game, where her friends reinforce her feelings that she's odd or not making the right choices because they all side against her. And it's true that Harper isn't living her healthiest life. Her anxiety runs rampant through everything, and her laser focus on school leaves room for little else. But apparently instead of asking what do you need? or how can I help? these friends decide that for themselves. They don't know about Harper's struggles with mental health, but they've intuited some aspects of it and could be responsive. They are pushy to the point of manipulating her into a bikini wax so she can "feel sexy" and entice Dan. I can't fathom an argument where that's a healthy crossing of boundaries. She is pressured into attending a party even though they know she doesn't like them, and then they lose track of her when she has a panic attack due to the conditions they introduced her to. wtf. The next morning, they show up to ask her if she's ok before moving on to the "important" questions about if she had sex or not afterwards. Even hearing she had a panic attack, they persist in asking follow ups that completely ignore her mental health. Harper (rightfully) blows up at them for their priorities, and they bring up therapy (maybe not the right time) and her dead mother (probably never a good time) and then everyone pretends the conversation didn't happen as if no changes need to be made. "Strong female friendships" were part of the hype for this book, which left me especially disappointed. Dan's best friend is somehow worse because I never observed him to have a positive quality. He judges him loudly and for all to hear about how he ignores his mom's calls as if there aren't a million reasons somehow may have a less than positive relationship with a parent, all valid.
Humans, this anxiety representation in the genre (or anywhere) was meant to be so powerful. But I spent the whole time distracted by what a shit support system Harper had and wondering how her experience would have been different with friends and a love interest who worked with her instead of for her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Ableism, Car accident, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Moderate: Grief, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Racism and Sexual harassment
gingersnap_reads's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Grief, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Ableism, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol
bookwormbullet's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, and Misogyny
laurrelise's review
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The perfect romcom— I loved this book! Dan and Harper can only be friends. Harper will not let anything distract her from finishing dentistry school, even though she really wants to let Dan. As he agrees to her “friendship only” rule, he can feel himself falling for her. Hard. As Harper’s feelings and anxiety take control, she worries that maybe her and Dan may be getting too close and she’ll lose control of her life.
The characters AND side characters were all so well rounded and written. I felt like I knew them all personally. I was rooting for the main characters to get together, and I was so happy with how the author handled all the complex mental health issues. Nothing was glossed over or ignored. Also, I liked that Harper had a Maine Coon because I do too :) I also really love reading a book written by someone who really knows what they’re talking about. While I don’t know a single thing about dentistry, it was super clear that Mazey Eddings does.
Book-a-like: The Love Hypothesis
POV: split (Harper & Dan)
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexism, Death of parent, Ableism, and Panic attacks/disorders
antonique_reads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Ableism
danimgill's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and Sexism
Minor: Ableism
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