- Title: A Brush with Love
- Author: Mazey Eddings
- Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
- Release Date: 3/1/22
- Genre: Contemporary Romance
- Age Range: Adult
- Rating: ★★★★
- Publisher’s Summary: Harper is anxiously awaiting placement into a top oral surgery residency program when she crashes (literally) into Dan. Harper would rather endure a Novocaine-free root canal than face any distractions, even one this adorable. A first-year dental student with a family legacy to contend with, Dan doesn’t have the same passion for pulling teeth that Harper does. Though he finds himself falling for her, he is willing to play by Harper’s rules. So with the greatest of intentions and the poorest of follow-throughs, the two set out to be “just friends.” But as they get to know each other better, Harper fears that trading fillings for feelings may make her lose control and can’t risk her carefully ordered life coming undone, no matter how drool-worthy Dan is. Blood, gore, and extra-long roots? No problem. The idea of falling in love? Torture.
This book was recommended to me by Rachel Lynn Solomon, and we all know how much I love her work, so I was pretty sure I would love this book before I even started reading. I was thrilled when I got approved for an ARC of A Brush with Love on NetGalley.
I love finding books with main characters who are Jewish and discovering how that indentity plays into their story. Harper Horowitz is Jewish, and she tells Dan that she tries to go with her friends to Shabbat dinner at the Jewish Student Center. She also takes Dan to visit a Jewish deli and describes her relationship to her faith,
Obviously, no group of people is perfect, but I’m privileged enough to feel I belong to something greater than myself.
Harper’s words struck a cord with me because my favorite part of being Jewish is feeling connected to a greater community.
Harper, like me, also struggles with anxiety. Eddings describes Harper’s anxiety throughout the novel. Harper is concerned that she will be unable to find love because of it and even describes her anxiety as her “chaotic ugliness.” I was moved by Dan’s compassion when he witnesses Harper having a panic attack. He stays with her as she asks, removes her from the situation, and makes sure she gets home safe.
I love a romance novel that switches points of view between the love interests, and A Brush with Love is no exception. I enjoyed watching the dramatic irony unfold as the chapters alternated between Harper and Dan’s perspectives. This way, the reader gets to watch both Harper fall in love with Dan and Dan fall in love with Harper. At the same time, the reader is also falling in love with each of them.
I have never read a book about the dental field, and I loved getting a glimpse into what it takes to be a dentist or an oral surgeon. Harper’s passion for dentistry is so evident from the beginning of the story, and I admired her comittment to working towards her goals and her willingness to put her entire self into becoming an oral surgeon.
A Brush with Love also addresses the sexism present in the medical field. One of Harper’s patients tells her repeatedly that he wants a male dentist rather than allow Harper to perform the dental work he desperately needs. Harper handles it calmly and cooly, but ensures the patient is not welcome to receive care in that student clinic.
A Brush with Love is Mazey Eddings’ first book, and I cannot wait to read her next one.
Bubbling up with Helena 