I am a sucker for a workplace romance and Clare Gilmore hit it out of the park on her debut novel. Managing family dynamics with career aspirations and love was central to the story in Love Interest and really differentiated itself from other workplace romances I've read as of late. I look forward to more from Gilmore in the future.

DNF at 30%

Way too much about the office and work culture. I'm here for the romance, and none of the characters (of which there are many) are very noteworthy.

I think the main couple showed a lot of promise and chemistry, but when they had to "fake kiss because the exes are around" scene came, I just had to give up. I love tropes, I love romance. I love cheese. In this book though, it didn't work. I wasn't convinced. It just sort of... happened.

I really enjoyed this one. Considering that women in STEM is currently a romance trend, I found this still felt new and fresh. I really loved all the characters. My only negative comment is that it was a BIT too much of a slow burn for my personal preference. That being said, i think that it could be the perfect speed for many.

A sweet workplace romance. While it did utilize the miscommunication trope AND third act break up (literally my two least favorite tropes), it was a good story with endearing characters. Casey and Alex truly saw each other and helped each other grow.

I really enjoyed this workplace romance book. It was entertaining and I really liked how our FMC had moments of "Oh maybe Im the problem right now" when it came to assuming things about our MMC. I really enjoyed how diverse the side characters were and how funny they could be. I also really enjoyed that they took time getting to know each other but the books pacing was really slow for me. I don’t know if it was because of some personal life factors or if the pacing was really slow but I wanted to be honest about how I was feeling. Take my opinions as a grain of salt. I am over all really happy with how this book ended. It will be a book I recommend to my friends who are looking for enemies to lovers in a work place setting. It is also an open door romance for my friends who are curious.

To start off with my slight qualms, the way race/sexuality is described by the author feels very off, like they’re trying too hard to set the character up in your mind. Almost feels like someone trying to show off how forward-thinking they are. I wish they hadn’t time-jumped so early on into the story, as it left me feeling a bit lost on the bad-blood chemistry we’re supposed to feel between Casey and Alex. Sadly, the side characters often felt like caricatures as opposed to real assists to the storyline. Besides those issues, the main characters did really have a good back-and-forth once everything actually got started! I enjoyed their relationship overall and the conflict didn't feel too unexpected.

Set in Manhattan at a magazine publishing firm, Clare Gilmore’s debut novel Love Interest follows Casey Maitland, a 24 year old finance expert who has decided to spread her wings and apply for a project manager position at her company. Her aspirations for this new career path are dashed, however, when she is passed over and the job is given to Alex Harrison, who happens to be the Chairman of the Board’s son and who also happens to be the mysterious hot guy Casey had an adorable meet cute with before she realized they were vying for the same position. Alex is well educated, charming, and is immediately well liked by everyone at the company, except for Casey, that is, who can’t stand him. Everything changes, however, when the two of them are forced to work on a project together.

I really enjoyed Love Interest. Gilmore’s writing is wonderful, and I especially enjoyed her character development as Casey and Alex slowly begin to open up to one another about their dreams and aspirations. I loved how open and trusting they became with one another, and I especially liked the growth we see in Casey as she realized she has unfairly misjudged Alex, who turns out to be serious book boyfriend material! Some of the workplace scenes weren’t the most entertaining, but the chemistry Gilmore creates between Casey and Alex nicely balances that out and keeps the story flowing smoothly.

Love Interest is a delightful workplace romance that is sure to please fans of the rivals-to-lovers and forced proximity tropes.

** Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC and chance to read and review **

Synopsis:
Casey is up for a promotion for a job she *thinks* she wants, when she finds out that the position went to Alex - the handsome stranger in the elevator who just flirted with her AND he’s the chairman’s son. When Casey is forced to work with him, she finds his charm (and their chemistry) hard to deny.

Review:
I loved this book and the characters so much. I loved the dynamic between Casey and Alex. There were so many moments that had me swooning but the New Year’s Eve scene was so good!

Read this if you like:
-Enemies to lovers / workplace romance
-He falls first
-WITTY BANTER
-ONLY ONE BED

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre/tropes: workplace romance
CW/TW: loss of parent at a young age

Casey and Alex start off as adversaries at the magazine company they work at. To be more accurate, Casey’s a bit standoff-ish with him because he got the job she was vying for. To rub it in, they’re tasked to work together on a project to launch a new magazine of which Alex is the project manager. Try as she might to hate him, Alex is a genuinely nice guy with good intentions. She’s a numbers girl, finding reliability in data and spreadsheets, so she’s in awe of Alex’s natural affability, and ability to go with the flow. But that only masks his struggles underneath. Things get tricky when her boss and mentor admits a secret to her, putting Casey in a difficult position with her colleagues. This could also spell trouble for her and Alex who are starting to get close.

I was struck by how mature this story felt. Casey and Alex have their own traumas to contend with, but their backstories inform us of who they are rather than overshadow them. Everything felt super relatable, and I felt the story was driven by the characters.

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 is a refreshing, and down to earth romance without relying heavily on the typical tropes to tell the story. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy most of those tropes, but this book felt like it was doing its own thing, and I liked it!

Thanks to @netgalley & @smpromance for my ARC.

Love Interest is an adorable workplace romance featuring Casey and Alex. They first meet in an elevator and later Casey discovers that Alex, who ended up being hired for the job she had recently interviewed for, is the board chairman of the company's son. Initially, she hates him, but after getting to know him, and they begin spending time together, it's the fast lane to romance.

I really liked watching Casey's character develop. She's great at her job, but she slowly discovers she wants more from life, the more she spends time with Alex and he encourages her to pursue her dreams. I also really enjoyed the other cast of characters who play influential roles in both Casey and Alex's lives.

While not a new trope, or unlike anything I've read before, I certainly enjoyed this sweet story. It's a feel-good for sure.

Thank you, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I enjoyed this workplace romance! The protagonists felt like real, complex people. I appreciated that the characters in this book felt real - had expectations they thought they should live up to, but forged their own path (especially liked that Casey bucked the creative trend and found a passion for…finance??!?). A touch of enemies to lovers, a smidge of forced proximity, a whiff of fake dating - this romance has a hint of all of these tropes while being something uniquely delightful.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a great office romance. It was well done with the balance of work and romance aspects. The writing style was also unique and a great debut addition to the romance genre. The descriptions felt fresh and new. I will definitely read more of her books when she writes them!

Love Interest by Clare Gilmore is a cute forced proximity workplace romance.

Casey is passed up for her dream job and instead the role goes to Alex Harrison, the chairman of the board’s son. They are then forced to work together.

I enjoyed the New York workplace timeline and I could feel the spark between Casey and Alex. This enemies to lovers debut is not to be missed! I can’t wait to read what Clare Gilmore does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book centered around work and included way too much mundane day to day work stuff. It took me out of the romance and left me bored.

Love Interest is peak workplace romance, and even better: workplace rivals! This book is swoonworthy, easy to read romance, while also tackling the characters' complex stories and emotions.

Casey is sure she is a shoo-in for a new position at the company she works for, until handsome, easily-likable, charismatic as hell Alex appears in the elevator and gives her a run for her money. When he's hired instead, she has a brand new workplace enemy. At the same time, Alex (whom everyone likes) has just met his match with the one person he can't win over.

Casey and Alex are so cute that I want to squeeze them, and we get to know them both very completely while they get to know one another.

This book was written for you if:
1) You love a workplace rivals to lovers romcom
2) You want to spend a day of your life in the office building in NYC
3) You are interested in a quick-to-read romantic comedy where you will fall in love with the characters

This book was a little bit heavy on the office and workplace details for me. And I needed a bit more at the end.

But the relationship? I loved it so much! There’s a hint of enemies to lovers and forced proximity, which I love. But what really got me was all of the sweet and swoony lines that melted me into a puddle. So dang romantic.

The main characters were perfectly flawed and cute and funny and so dang likable! Also.. the friend group. I want to read all of their stories!!

Thank you netgalley and St Martins for allowing me to read the book.
Omg omg I’m in love. What a wonderful loving story.
A workplace romance. Tell me more. The story revolves around Alex and Casey. And omg aren’t they just adorable. They first meet each other in an elevator. And you could say Alex fell for Casey first. I loved that it shows you could love someone while enjoying your job.

Love Interest by Claire Gilmore
Contemporary romance.
Casey Maitland feels there is truth in numbers. She is a finance professional at LC Publications and because of her creative fathers, thinks she may have missed the true direction in a career. She tries for a Project Manager transfer but loses out on the job to the board chairman’s son. Alex Harrison and Casey are tasked to work together on a project and she soon realizes he has a vision she totally missed. Worked hours turn into overtime and the team relaxing at the local bar. Which leads to more time together and sparks between the two. Corporate secrets and intrigue could cause a total overhaul and job loss so they need to figure out their own priorities.

Casey is adorable with her numbers but still wanting to honor her fathers. The group bar events are so true and amusing, all I could think was “those were the days”. Career concerns can really hit home too. Obviously there are deeper issues and concerns in this book that I thought were handled well. I loved the ending too.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

Cute story about workplace romance. It was nice to have a numbers-oriented introverted female MC who is ambitious and has goals up against a very social, always on-the-go male counterpart. The story itself dragged at times and had a lot of details about the inner workings of the company that seemed to bog the story done but on the whole, it was cute and entertaining.

I truly loved this work place rom com, it was such a fun and quick read! This was Clare Gilmore’s debut novel and I think she did amazing on this! I cannot wait to read more of Clare Gilmore in the future.

Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
He falls first
Single POV

Casey works for a large magazine company and is going to interview for a position that management has encouraged her to apply for. We quickly find out that she does not get the job and it was given to Alex who is the son of someone on the board. Casey is not happy one bit that he was chosen for the job over her.
Casey and Alex have started to work on projects together which forces them to spend a lot of time together and Casey might have miss judged her thoughts on what she thinks of Alex.
Alex has been captivated by her since the beginning, as for Casey this has taken much longer.. Alex just wants to figure out why Casey has such a problem with him..And how he can start to win her over.

The chemistry, spice, and tension throughout this book really kept me reading and captivated. I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good Rom Com!