Brush with Love

Who would have thought a love story about dental students would be amazing?!… I never thought in my wildest dreams to think of this kind of story, but it was truly sweet and romantic. As a child, I hated going to the Dentist, but after reading this book, I have a higher appreciation and respect to Dental professionals everywhere. From now on, I will always imagine Harper Horowitz when I go to the dentist haha.If I could summarize key words that reflect this book I would say, heartfelt, sweet, romantic, and deep. While this story was filled with cute romantic moments between Harper and Dan, the story dealt with some heavy topics such as, the loss of a loved one, and anxiety. The author was kind enough to also mention before the beginning of the story the topics that were mentioned in the story as a heads up. Anyways, I felt like by reading how Harper tried to deal with her anxiety was eye opening because, from the way she would get anxious over different things like big crowds, opening herself up to Dan, or other things that triggered her anxiety. Harper was a flawed character in that she was dealing with her anxiety behind closed doors. While Harper was the top student in her class, and striving for success, she was the “perfect” image that most people assumed to believe because, behind closed doors (Metaphorical speaking) Harper was trying to control her anxiety as to not lose control, but also not wanting to subject herself to things that would cause her to feel overwhelmed. While Dan wasn’t aware in the beginning of Harper’s anxiety, he was quick to notice the subtle changes in her behavior and helped her to become more comfortable such as, engaging in conversations that sparked her interests, or making her laugh, etc. Dan was the man coming through for Harper time and time again, and it was one of the things I admired about him.There was also a lot of depth and emotional moments that really spoke to the nature of Harper’s struggles. Harper was someone who always dealt with her anxiety behind closed doors, she never wanted others to see as vulnerable or weak. Towards the middle/ ending of the story, seeing just how much Harper’s anxiety affected her day to day life was really intense for her, but also as a reader I knew realized just how much anxiety could affect someone so strongly. Harper being the type of person who needed to maintain a schedule, control over all aspects of her life and decisions was something she relied on, but it was also a bit of an unhealthy habit because, she didn’t have an equal balance from her studies and personal life. While I could understand Harper’s intentions to wanting to do the best in order to secure a position for her career as a dentist, I also agreed with her friends and Dan that she needed to get help in order to help herself. Seeing Harper become defensive and angry towards the people in life pointing out their concerns over her well-being was shocking because, for the most part Harper was usually a positive person, but even the most positive people have their darkest moments. Mazey Eddings, the author did a good job illustrating Harper’s struggles with her anxiety and the reality of it. As someone who tends to get a anxious, even over the smallest things, I could somewhat empathize with Harper. Obviously I couldn’t fully comprehend the level of anxiety Harper dealt with, but reading about her experiences made it more eye opening, and made me aware of the how anxiety and mental health isn’t something to just brush off.Harper and Dan were both sweet, lovable, precious, and funny. I loved their interactions, and how they were both obviously drawn to one another. Dan definitely didn’t hold back in letting Harper know his intentions towards her and while he was always hoping for more with Harper, he was always respectful of her boundaries. WE LOVE A UNDERSTANDABLE MAN! In addition, Dan was an absolute softie and kind of “golden retriever boyfriend” type of vibe (in my opinion). The way Dan would always check his phone to see if Harper texted him, or him wanting so badly to hold Harper’s hand or even simply resisting the urge to kiss her endlessly, (sigh) Dan had me swooning and smiling over his actions and words towards Harper. Harper was indeed lucky to have met Dan, they were adorable together.This was such a cute and sweet story with heartfelt and emotional moments that highlighted heavy topics. Mazey Eddings really did a great job weaving together Harper’s narrative and the reality of anxiety. This story had a good balance of absolute delight with lighthearted energy while still maintaining depth to the inner struggles both Dan and Harper were faced with. Would recommend reading this story!

There's a lot to love about this unique, swoony debut, and if it wasn't plagued by some major pacing issues, then it probably would've been an easy 5-star rating for me. First and foremost, I LOVED the hero. He's a cinnamon roll sweetheart who is too adorable and patient for his own good - literally. He puts up with a lot from our anxiety-ridden heroine, even when she got on my nerves. Their meet cute is the thing rom com dreams are made of, and it took very little time for me to realize that I was going to love the writing. I loved the distinct, layered storyline, and how this felt so fresh and different. It pains me that I can't give this a 5-star rating, but there were just a few too many fumbles along the way.The story follows Harper, a dental student who is at the top of her class. She loves what she does, and can't wait to graduate soon. When she meets Dan, they're both immediately smitten. He's also a dental student, but one who is still struggling to find his footing. As the two spend time together, they are forced to acknowledge their mutual attraction. Dan is ready for more, but Harper will be moving soon - and she can't have any distractions in the meantime. They agree to become friends, but it's tough to remember all of the reasons they should stay apart when they just want to be together.If this is the author's debut, then I'm definitely excited to check out more from her. Dan is one of the sweetest heroes I've read about in a long time, and I loved the richness of the storyline. Dan struggles with family expectations while Harper tries to manage her anxiety, and the complexities added that special something to the story. It was easy to feel the connection between them, and the friends to lovers vibes worked here. Unfortunately, it's almost instalove for these two, so obstacle after obstacle was required to keep them apart. That kind of pacing meant that Harper pushed Dan away again and again and again. It was too much. I wanted to bask in the super swoony vibes and not let the story get bogged down by unnecessary roadblocks. It was enough to put a damper on this otherwise delightful read, but I still enjoyed it as a whole.

Mazey Eddings' debut novel A Brush with Love was surprisingly charming and heartfelt for a story about dentists.I really enjoyed Harper and Dan's story; both have suffered losses in their lives which have led to subsequent emotional issues that have defined their lives. I loved Dan beyond words, especially because he very honestly and openly adored Harper. He was extremely patient with her and I appreciated that he allowed Harper to move at her own pace. Dan has his own stressors including, his resentment toward his late father and the pressure he feels to live up to his legacy and help his mother with their family dental practice, but in Harper he found a source of happiness and comfort.Harper suffers from debilitating anxiety and finds it nearly impossible to open herself up to anything that may lead to potential heartbreak. She is laser focused on becoming an oral surgeon and that means not allowing anything or anyone to distract her form her life plan; she has no time for feelings. I have to admit that at times I wanted to shake her. I realize that my frustrations with Harper were because I have not dealt with crippling anxiety and mental illness in the same manner in which she has. Therefore, I could not understand why she couldn't just "shake it off" and learn to fully trust in Dan and his love for her.I am glad that Harper's character was able to seek professional help for the sake of her mental health, which allowed her to finally love Dan in the way he deserved to be loved and more importantly, allowed herself to stop living in a constant state of pain.A Brush with Love was a lovely story about love, grief, mental health and healing. I very much hope Harper's wonderful friends get their own stories soon

I’m not into rom con but I am a RDA and it definitely is cute book.

I had some troubles getting into this book since it's written in 3rd pov. I had this throughout the whole book and even though I don't like it, I won't judge the book for it in my rating, my rating is solely for the content of the book.That being said, I had some troubles with Harper. I mean, I was glad her anxiety and panic attacks or mental health issues were getting some attention because a lot of people are dealing with them –including myself, but her lashing out to her friends and also to the hero were way too much. Also her being so selfish and not able to see how much she was hurting those people around her –or not caring, not really my kind of style. For the rest she was a really relatable character I think.Dan however, I loved him so much. The way he always had Harper's back, even though he had a hard time himself, yes. That's what's love is all about. Were Harper just has some relatable parts, Dan was really realistically and relatable from beginning to end. His feelings were the way you'd expect them to be in his situation and he was just a great hero.I did like the book, it was good and definitely had hilarious moments, it has a lot of cute and romantic moments as well, but for me it's a bit overshadowed by Harper's behaviour. I won't reread it anytime soon, but I'll definitely read Lizzie's book!3,5/5 stars.

I bought it because I had read and heard great reviews and even some comparing it to some of my favourite romance books of the past couple of years so, stakes were high. The fmc was a little too annoying sometimes. The mmc was sweet and amazing and cute. Its a cute story, fast, light read.

I was very disappointed as this book got so many raving reviews from people I trust. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what bothered me, but the more I read, the more I wondered why I kept reading it. I liked the storyline but couldn't get attached to any characters. I empathized with Dan's and Harper's history, though, and could relate to Dan's family's pressure, but it didn't help to gain pleasure in reading it.

Perhaps I liked this book because I relate to it on so many levels. I loved how realistic Harper was portrayed as a dental student unlike some books which portrayed grad/uni students as horny star struck lovers who don’t get anything done at all. I loved to see Harper’s passion for dentistry described in great detail.In this book, I think Harper’s worries about how hard she worked so far and not wanting any distractions and her anxiety were all valid. It was described in a perfect amount of detail and I found the pace was good too.Although the climax of the story would have some of you questioning Harper’s decision, I see where she’s coming from. The ending sounds a tiny bit cliché but I think we can all admit that’s what we’re hoping for.The book held my attention enough that I finished the entire book within a 14 hour flight (and still had hours to spare!!!)