I absolutely adored this romantic debut by Clare Gilmore. A workplace romance filled with rivals to lovers, drunken cuddles and even more drunken karaoke nights, I had so much fun getting to know Casey and Alex.

I went into this book expecting more hating game but this really is so much more and I was so impressed with the feelings expressed in this book about legacy and knowing what you are worth, not compromising and knowing you can always come home.

I loved how passionate Casey was about finance and numbers and even though some of it went over my head I was so happy for her at her highs and felt for her at her lows. I loved her family both found and otherwise and the adorable and feisty relationship she had with Alex.

This is such an impressive debut and I can’t wait to see what Clare comes up with next.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

@ashleywinsteadbooks plugged this one so I knew I needed to check it out. It was a strong debut! A good rom com for me needs wonderful side characters and this one has many. There was strong character growth with both MCs becoming more themselves. Most of the story actually takes place in the office which I really enjoyed. I enjoyed the more realistic timeline (plays out over months) and found Gilmore’s writing to be a delight.

This romance felt like Sex and the City meets Gossip Girl with the New York setting, but with a more diverse and loving set of characters. These characters were fun and easy to love. Their deepest hidden characteristics come to light only with each other and seeing them fall in love was so heartwarming. I loved the banter in this romance and the chemistry was palpable. This was a fantastic debut!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

What a heartfelt, opposites-attract debut this is! Casey & Alex are thrown into a competitive workplace where along with tension, sparks fly too.

I enjoyed their banter so much, whether it be as enemies (which was way too short-lived) or lovers (loved how comfortable they were). I enjoyed their little texts with each other.

As much as I love a New York City, fast-paced romance, I felt that the real romance/connection was kind of undermined by the subplot of the book. A lot of office drama was going on that outshined the romance.
Overall, it was really cute, & I'm looking for what's to come next by the author.

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a standout enemies to lovers, millennial office romance debut set in NYC. Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren or Sally Thorne's The hating game. This story follows coworkers Alex and Casey as they compete for the same job then end up forced to work together to try to save their company only to have corporate political forces working against them.

Pick this up if you love tons of pop culture references, cute nick names, he falls first and harder, swoony, cinnamon roll MMCs, ADHD rep, complicated family dynamics and so much more. Good on audio too read by a new to me narrator, Hayden Bishop. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: technically open door but very mild details/not graphic at all

[4.5/5⭐️]
Such a fantastic debut with all the elements of a swoon worthy romcom!

Casey Maitland is a young finance expert living in Manhattan, and sees the perfect opportunity to pursue a more fulfilling job at her company, only to be passed over for the board chairman’s son. Alex Harrison is loved by everyone, except Casey who can’t help but hold it against him for snagging the position. The more time Alex and Casey spend together though, they realize the extent of what’s going on and that there’s so much more to see under the surface.

Alex and Casey were such excellent communicators and I loved their emotional intelligence and the maturity they showed in the work they did for their relationship. In addition to Alex and Casey’s romance, the storyline was well written and dropped just enough information along the way to make for a satisfying reveal when everything came to light.

You’ll Find —
Workplace Rivals to Lovers
Romcom
Mature Communication
Layers of Scandal

Thank you to NetGalley, Clare Gilmore, and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted digital review copy!

4.5 stars. This one hit a lot of the checkboxes for me, including the bonus of a shoutout to my alma mater (same as Alex’s high school). Casey Maitland has a brain for numbers and math is comfortable for her so she’s excellent at her job in finance. But figuring that she should push her boundaries and expand her skills, she applies for a job and doesn’t get it. Sure, she’s disappointed and takes it as a sign that maybe she ought to stick with monitoring the company’s budget. However, it really chafes when she finds out the job went to none other than Alex Harrison and he becomes enemy number one.

Alex is charismatic and full of ideas, always wanting to please other people and able to get results. He doesn’t know why Casey holds a grudge against him, but she intrigues him nonetheless. I loved their dynamic. It’s not exactly reverse grumpy/sunshine, but Casey is the more logical one and Alex is the misunderstood one. Their chemistry and dialogue pretty much scream that they are perfect for each other in the way they balance the other out and how easy it is for them to converse or argue. As they delve deeper into getting to know the other, I knew Casey wouldn’t be able to resist much longer because Alex becomes even more lovable when revealing his vulnerable side. These two make such a great team and couple. Definitely a solid debut with humor, heat and heart.

Love Interest simply one of the best workplace romances I’ve read. If this book is not on your radar, you are truly missing out on a fantastic read.

AppleBooks debut staff pick for October!

Majority of this story takes place in the office, and the other well let’s say they do need to explore their feelings. The emotional connection these characters forge is genuine, honest and lovable. I was charmed by this story!

Love Interest | OUT TODAY

While its a workplace romance, this couple starts as enemies then friends then lovers. What is your favorite romance genre?

Thank you St. Martins Press & SMP Romance for the complimentary copy.

Some opposites attract, enemies to lovers, workplace romance, and lots of banter. Casey was a little salty that she didn’t get the job she applied for. What adds insult to injury is that Alex gets the job. She assumes he got it because of his ties to the board chair. As they get to know each other, Casey realizes she misjudged Alex; there’ a lot more to him that meets the eye. These characters were fun and easy to love. Their deepest hidden characteristics come to light only with each other and seeing them fall (him first!!) was heartwarming.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

“...because home isn’t something you find. It’s something you build.”

"Love Interest" is the coziest of coworker adversaries-to-lovers stories in the sweetest and most relatable of ways.

Casey is a motivated financial analyst for a major magazine, Little Cooper Publications, in Manhattan who is passed over for an open project manager position by the chairman’s son, Alex. Although she can’t help not-so-discreetly resenting him for it, she’ll do whatever it takes to achieve her goals even if that means working with Alex on the same project.

Alex has a charming personality. People easily gravitate towards him and his ideas. Like Casey, he’s caring, ambitious, and self-reliant. But he’s also so much more than the sunny persona he exhibits once you get to know him, as Casey comes to learn.

Casey and Alex have something to prove and want to get by on their own merit. Their hope-filled hearts have yearned for something that has always seemed out of reach.

The more they work together the more they realize more about themselves, especially as they begin a time-sensitive, friends-with-benefits arrangement. I liked how laid-back and wholesome the romance was. Soft and sweet with just the right amount of spice. Their meet-cute moment was honestly one of my favorite parts.

Alex is surprisingly very forthcoming when talking about himself given his past and how he feels about Casey. But that’s what relatably resonates with Casey and the reader.

Alex has a need to be liked that comes from his poor relationship between him and his emotionally distant dad. Even though Casey loves numbers (they make sense to her), she feels like her career choice has been a disappointment to her parents. She worries about not leaving behind a legacy like her parents have.

So we have these incredible, raw moments of character development sprung from Alex and Casey trying to be enough and be their own person. All the while, Casey has been secretly tasked with uncovering the why of the current C-suite drama and possible acquisition as she and Alex fall deeper for each other.

"Love Interest" was a great debut novel about knowing your worth, taking risks, and being yourself. The story flowed well and I loved Casey and Alex. Being honest and vulnerable helped them build their relationship beautifully, come to terms with their pasts, and see the good part of themselves for the first time. The last quarter of the story was so sweet and had a satisfying conclusion.

I really enjoyed reading "Love Interest" and will be reading whatever Gilmore writes next.

Thanks again St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review!

In the bustling world of Manhattan finance, twenty-four-year-old Casey Maitland, a numbers enthusiast, contemplates a career shift when an enticing opportunity arises at LC Publications. However, her aspirations take an unexpected turn when she's overlooked for the project manager role in favor of the chairman's charismatic son, Alex Harrison. Forced to collaborate, they unearth shocking truths about their company that could redefine their dreams and reveal an unexpected love interest.

I was pulled in right away! Sometimes a book hits you at just the right time and this book was that for me. Both Casey and Alex were charming and I was smitten by their journey together. The fall/holidays/Christmas references were so fun and I appreciated how they were not the main focus of the story. There were secrets, but the characters were still very lovable. Workplace tension, but not enough to overwhelm the brewing romance. And family dysfunction that bonds rather than tears them apart. I’m looking forward to the next book from Clare!

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. This was so good!

Perfect for you if you like:
Romance with workplace tension
Holidays as a secondary focus
Rivals to lovers where he falls first

Similar to:
A Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

⛔️chapters 18 & 21 contain explicit romance scenes (brief open door)
⚠️ explicit language, sexual content, previous death of parents

Love Interest was a great workplace/ enemies-to-lovers romance. Both Alex and Casey were great characters - Casey is adorable and quirky (her obsession with Excel I can totally relate to) and Alex is such a golden retriever boyfriend. They are not without their flaws, both keeping secrets from each other - but they truly bring out the best qualities in each other and are ready to support each other every step of the way as long as the other one lets them in. Once I dived into this book - I literally could not stop reading. Love Interest is a great debut novel from Clare Gilmore - I'm excited to see what this writer publishes next! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this novel.

Thank you so for Netgalley for approving this ARC.

It's so rare for me to get to the end of the book and be ready to move on by the time I hit the Epilogue, but with this book I did not feel this way at all. When I hit the 70% mark in this book I had a hard time finishing it because I was not ready to leave this story behind.

These characters did not just feel like two people on paper, they felt like raw fleshed out people that I was rooting for from the start. I wanted them to figure their problems out and work through it and be together from the start.

I went into this book thinking this was going to be hating games enemies to lovers scenario, and it wasn't. Normally I like a little bit of a build up before we get into the romance, but from the moment Alex quotes that famous scar line to Casey I was invested in these two.

The relationship between Alex and Casey was deeply romantic and sweet. The spice was sexy and tasteful at the same time.

The side characters were diverse and had their own stories and they all felt like they belonged and were necessary to the story. I especially loved the Casey's dads and their sweet love story, and how they balanced each other out. I loved how much Casey and Miriam were the kind of friends that were more like sisters and how healthy it was but they also realized they were a little codependent of each other. At the end of the day they supported each other and wanted the best for each other even if that meant being apart.

Alex was probably my favorite, he wanted to be enough for people and he tried to overcompensate with a big personality, never letting people in enough to know the real him until he met Casey. I related to the line of not being good enough for your the person who raised you and so you did not believe you deserved love. That was heartbreaking to read but also validating for me. At the end him and Casey both realize they are enough for themselves and that they both deserve happiness.

I thought it was great that this book talked about generational trauma and feeling like you have to live up to your families legacy and Casey realizing she could do what makes her happy and that was Ok and that she could take what she learned from her father and make her own choices.

I could go on and on about how much I loved this book, and if it I could give it 10 stars I would, because this book made me feel all the feelings in the best way.

This is a stunning debut and I for one Cannot wait to read what Claire publishes next, and I will definitely be picking up the psychical copy of this book to add my shelves.

Love Interest is a refreshing workplace romance with tropes including one bed, opposites attract, found family, and he falls first! The story follows Casey who has just missed out on a promotion at her work. When she meets Alex, the man who was hired for the position instead, and finds out he is related to the former CEO, she instantly takes a dislike to him. However, when the two are forced to work on a project together, Casey quickly realizes she may have misjudged him. As the two get closer while working, their apparent attraction ignites and they decide to explore their connection while they can, as Casey has plans to move to London and Alex doesn't like to be tethered to one place. However, their relationship rapidly evolves from temporary to something more as they both learn to trust in each other and open up.

Okay - so I was expecting to love this one but it fell short. There was too much happening outside of the romance and quite honestly I had a hard time finishing this one.

I didn't love it but I didn't hate it.

This is the most perfect work place romance that will have you laughing, crying, and smiling the whole way through. Love Interest is a single POV starring Casey, a financial analyst for LC who gets passed on for a promotion by the board chairman’s son, Alex. This enemies to lovers where he falls first romance was swoon worthy, the banter and chemistry was fantastic and also the side characters were so great that I would love to have them as my group of friends. Casey and Alex’s romance was very sweet with a little bit of spice along the way. The backstory of the MCs brought an emotional aspect to the book and I think it really helped in the development of their characters.

This debut book by Clare Gilmore was great and a five star read from read. If you love a good workplace romcom you should definitely read this book!

📚ℝ 𝔼 𝕍 𝕀 𝔼 𝕎📚…ᴀʀᴄ…
𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡
Author: 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝙶𝚒𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

This one is out tomorrow 10/10 and it was honestly super cute! It’s giving workplace rivals to lovers. Not to mention he gives her a cute nickname! There was just a enough tension and steam without being too spicy. I would definitely consider this a great palate cleanser and well worth the read.

Casey and Alex start as rivals and quickly become friends! Their personalities meshed so well. The way they were able to show vulnerability and at the same time roast each other was perfect. I also just automatically like when there are texts between characters, like it just makes it more inviting.

The one thing that made it a little difficult to follow, was the amount of supporting characters. I just kept forgetting who was who because there were just littlest things all over that made you go which friends or coworker was that?

Overall I still really liked it and would definitely recommend it! Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC! This super cute romcom releases 10/10!

•••••

#reviewswkrystleanne #booksbooksbooks #arcreview #bookreview #loveinterest #netgalley #loveinterestclaregilmore #romcombooks #workplaceromance #enemiestolovers #rivalstolovers

Love Interest by Clare Gilmore
Release Date: October 10th
4/5 Stars
Thank you to Clare Gilmore and St. Martin’s Griffin for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

I love a good romantic comedy book; they are a happy and fun escape for me. That said, two of my favorite tropes at enemies to lovers and workplace romance. Once I realized that Love Interest had both of those, I knew I was going to read it!

Casey has recently applied to a new job at her magazine, one different than the number crunching job she has now. Maybe this will give her life the pizazz she wonders it needs. Enter Alex, the board chairman’s son who get the job instead of her. Not only did he get it instead, but the company made it bigger and better for him. Alex is excited to get to know everyone and can’t figure out why Casey, as intriguing she is to him, doesn’t warm to him like everyone else. What will happen the two are forced to work together on a project? Will the sparks fly and will these two come together?

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the workplace setting as this isn’t one that I have read a lot. The magazine/online magazine environment was fun to get into, and it lent itself to the unique writing format (emails and messages). Also, I really enjoyed reading about Casey and her perspective, I thought she was unique and I identified with her since I also am not always what my family expected. This was Clare Gilmore’s debut and I will definitely be looking for her next one!

I truly cannot believe that this book is a debut! It was so good. A cozy romcom that absolutely tugged at my heartstrings but also glued my heart back together. .

I am a sucker for an enemies to lovers romance, and to be honest I thought Casey’s love interest was going to end up being her subway, granola-bar toting nemesis within the first chapter. Boy am I glad I was wrong! It was semi-enemies to lovers, he falls first perfection.

Alex and Casey made me laugh and they also made me want to give them a big hug. I found myself rooting for them the entire book.
The supporting characters were also perfectly written. I wanted to be friends with them all.

I know this might not hit the same way with most, but there is a scene where Casey meets someone from Birmingham, AL and asks them if the went to Alabama or Auburn. As a fellow Alabamian, and Auburn grad, the character’s answer made me cackle because it wasn’t expected at all.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Net Galley, and the author for this ARC in exchange for and honest review. You really hit it out of the park with this one, Clare!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

4.25 stars

This was a very enjoyable read. Both of the MC's were easy to like and to root for. This was advertised as enemies to lovers, but the enemies portion really doesn't last too long? Totally fine for the storyline, just thought that was odd. More like mild work adversaries which clears up in the first 20% to lovers.

At first, I thought we were going to have a progressive non-third act breakup (it was so close), but then it happened any way. But it was done fairly well and definitely made me a little emotional. Seemed pretty ridiculous that Alex has this pretty shit relationship with his father and he was still trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. Bro, what did he ever do to gain that loyalty from you?? Noooothing.

I did like the side characters, though sometimes some of her friends would blur together a bit; it helped that Alex only had one friend >D

Overall, would recommend for romance lovers out there.