I really enjoyed this debut novel!

Casey loses out on a job she really wants to to Alex - the swoon-worthy guy she just connected with in the elevator. While she tries to hate him, she quickly realizes she can't ignore the obvious spark between them.

This is a fun workplace comedy (mostly at work/about work) with some serious tones. There was a big misunderstanding that led to some heartbreak that could have been resolved with words, but these characters were actually in their young/mid twenties, so it made sense they acted the way they did.

I look forward to more from Claire Gilmore!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

Thank you so much @StMartinsPress for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 10 October 2023)

SYNOPSIS | Casey works in finance for a large newspaper publication, but she is considering taking a new opportunity as a project manager, until she is passed over for the job in favor of the board chairman's son (Alex).

WHAT I LIKED:
- the whole awkward line in an elevator initial interaction

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- didn't really see their connection (it truly felt kind of random?) so I found it difficult to root for their romance
- the writing pushed past cheesy & toppled into cringey on a few occasions
- too many side characters that didn't really add any value other than flushing out the work team
- the backstory was plopped in randomly throughout the chapters & just didn't feel very smooth
- time jumps were used way too often to push the story forward

In this smart, sweet workplace-rivals-to-lovers story, financial analyst Casey and biz expert Alex clash over their different approaches to managing a project. But when they get to know each other, they realize that beneath their superficially different backgrounds, they share the pain of losing their mothers as children, and the struggle to build adult relationships with their fathers that reflect both their different personalities and their desire for connection.

I loved everything about this story. Alex and Casey had both physical and emotional chemistry in addition to being compatible in a way that romance novels often don't concern themselves with - if they were a real couple, they might actually last. Casey's friends and family were interesting and diverse, and their stories were entertaining without being distracting.

Best of all, the issues that threatened Alex and Casey's relationship were, in addition to corporate machinations, the same big life questions that drew them together: Casey's desire to simultaneously explore and be safe, Alex's longing for love from an unyielding source, and the difficulty of balancing freedom and connection, love and space, in any relationship.

Clare Gilmore blew me away with her debut novel! This book is perfect for the mid 20's corporate gal, who loves to explore new cities, but also loves where she grew up. This book is perfect for people like me!!! Going through Casey's journey to love but also corporate journey was beautiful. She truly became stronger in every part of the story. I cannot wait for Clare's next!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this arc in exchange for an honest review. This was such a cute story! Casey and Alex were both so likable, and I liked both of their individual journeys as well as their journey together. I'm a big fan of workplace romances in books and this one didnt a miss a beat!

Congratulations to the author on a fabulous debut novel! Love Interest is a romance novel that features complex, multi-layered characters. This story is more than a meet cute and an evolving love story (although it IS that!). It is also about finding home, finding the person who will keep your heart safe. This sparkling novel is witty and heartfelt, sad at times, but oh so wonderful.

When I started this book and got to about 30% in I was unsure if I was going to finish this book or not. Then I hit 50% and I just could not put it down! This became such a fun romance to read. Casey and Alex really grew on me and their story was just too good. A lovely enemies to lovers romance. Excellent debut novel from Clare Gilmore! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely LOVED this book! The main characters, Casey and Alex, made me so happy and I just fell in love with them. I also thoroughly enjoyed several of the “side” characters and wouldn’t mind a spin off with some of them! (Cough -Miriam and Brijesh -cough)! I loved the banter and friendship shown in the book just as much as the love story. I highly suggest adding this book to your TBR for the October 10, 2023 publication day!

Full of hilariously funny moments and witty banter (I’m looking at you Disney references!), I loved everything about this story! With themes of friendship, self discovery, love, and acceptance, the writing is beautiful, engaging, entertaining, heartfelt, and a little spicy. It is everything you want from a great rom-com. I’m amazed that this is her first published novel, and just know that there will be more great ones to follow. I am here for them all! Thank you so much to Clare Gilmore, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

“Love Interest” by Clare Gilmore
Despise, Tolerate, Romance, Love
Yes I thoroughly enjoyed my time in this story. The book description was barely a teaser as there is so much more to happen within the covers of this story. I was captivated by the positive impact the characters had upon one another; the positive changes were a treat to view. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I dd. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.

I love enemy to lovers and work place romances so when I saw this had both, I knew I had to request a copy; I wasn’t disappointed. I loved Alex. I loved his willingness to be open and vulnerable and have the girl be the one slower to trust instead. This had the perfect blend of witty banter and depth. Highly recommend this debut rom-com.

⭐️ ARC Review ⭐️

Love Interest
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Single POV featuring Casey, a finance analyst, and Alex, a new project manager who got a job Casey was hoping for. They start as workplace enemies, with Casey blaming nepotism for Alex’s career success, but become friends and eventually more.

I liked this book but did find that it seemed to drag a lot. While it was filled with fun little sidebars and references, it’s the type of thing that will feel dated when fads change. That said, while I didn’t really relate to the characters (which made it hard for me to lose myself in the story) I get the feeling that they ARE very relatable and well-written, and I’m just not the target demographic.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and the writing style. I’ll definitely look for more from this author in the future!

Thank you to @netgalley , @stmartinspress, and @momentofclarety for a chance to read this cute and fun office rom-com

📖 I received a gifted e-book copy in exchange for an honest review ✍🏻

Read dates: 09/06/2023- 09/10/2023
Goodreads review: 09/10/2023
Instagram review: 09/10/2023
Blog review: 10/10/2023

The perfect workplace rom com! I swooned so many times during this, Alex was an amazing MMC and I couldn't get enough of him. Read through this in one sitting and it have me giggling and kicking my feet in the air lol

This was such a cute story. I loved Alex and Casey so much. Clare did such a good job telling their story and I would love to see maybe a continuation with Miriam and Brijesh's story. I enjoyed reading about Casey coming out of her shell and figuring out her purpose.

Also, thank you to Clare for the Legally Blonde Reference, it made me laugh.

Put down Casey Maitland as one of the best and most memorable romcom heroines - she is endlessly relatable, takes us on an emotionally compelling personal journey, and I love her relationship with her family and friends. She completely stole the show for me, and with such excellent characterization, I am excited to see what else Clare writes in the future. I will be reading it for sure!

Ps, I love Casey's outfit on the cover.

Thank you to NetGalley, Clare, and SMP for the eARC in exchange for my review.

This was a great workplace romance with great friends to lovers and forced proximity tropes that felt fresh and new. I loved the main characters, Alex and Casey. Casey is a numbers girl who decides to apply for a project manager job at the publishing company she works for. She's passed over for the job by the board chairman's son. I loved Alex and Casey's relationship. Alex has boundless ideas for the company, which Casey tries to reign in as the financial expert at the company. I loved their banter as they grew closer and closer. Soon they are drawn into some corporate intrigue that could threaten their happiness. It was a fun workplace romance with great main characters., supporting characters, and some corporate intrigue as well.

This was a sparkling debut by Clare Gilmore and I can't wait to read more from her. Perhaps a sequel to this story?

Thanks, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the early access to this book!

Love Interest
Claire Gilmore

Pub date: Oct, 10.

Casey and Alex were everything I could have asked for in a rom-com workplace story. The autumn city vibes, the character development and the supporting characters created a beautiful story that had me wishing I had all the time in the world to keep reading.

Casey and Alex felt SO authentic, and I found myself relating to different aspects of their personalities. As individuals I adored them, and as they began seeing each other I felt obsessed and in love with them. An aspect I really loved about the dynamics of Casey and Alex’s relationship was how they felt so genuine, like they weren’t with each other and talking 24/7 but they both showed effort with communication and came back together easily. I loved that and it felt so real for these 20 something old adults who work genuine grown up jobs in a big city.

Casey was extremely relatable through her shy personality, her want for guaranteed things, and insecurities. Plus, representation of a woman in STEM? I’m sold. Alex was practically her opposite, but he was so sweet and understanding that she enjoys and needs alone-time to recharge. The banter between them was immaculate, and I felt myself wanting to yell at them to kiss already but there were some anti-commitment issues involved with them both. However, they saw each other’s true selves and wanted to support each other’s personal growth no matter what which made me love them more.

The corporate workplace and finance jargon did lose me a little bit, but I still adored reading about Casey, Alex, and all their friends/colleagues. Each character’s quirks and personalities made this book into a captivating and cute read that I feel like anyone who reads romance will admire. This was a beautiful debut of a book by Claire Gilmore and I’m beyond excited to see what she writes in the future. I highly recommend adding Love Interest to your TBR’s!

4/5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I picked this book up just needing a change from other books and wasn't sure how much I would like it. I liked the description so why not!
I loved this book and already recommended it to so many people. It feels like the hating game meets how to lose a guy in 10 days but so much more. I loved the representation,the reflection, the nuance, the fun, the swoony. It wasn't particularly spicy but that was okay! I cherished this book and binged it in less than two days. I can't wait for more from.the author!!!
Only thing I didn't like tbh was the title!

There is a lot to like about Love Interest. The main character is very relatable and the love interest, Alex, is extremely likable. Both have unconventional family backgrounds that were interesting to read about. There was a lot of good diversity and representation among the characters too which is important to me. The business related subplot was a little hard to follow for me- not sure if that’s a me thing- and their work life confused me. She loved finance, but never seemed to be doing finance related work. Mostly, I enjoyed it. It’s a cute debut. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this story because I wasn’t bought in in the beginning. I’m happy that I continued on with this because it turned out to be really good. I thought the relationship between Alex and Casey seemed genuine and normal. Nothing seemed super over the top and as a reader you could completely see this happening in real life. All of the characters had their relatable moments and you were able to feel for the situations that are happening to them. I did really like that when the problem happened at work they seemed to handle it like adults instead of having a yelling match with each other. I would have loved if it was dual pov. I think it could have helped to understand Alex more then what we do when he interacts with Casey.