Cute story was a quick entertaining read. Characters were ok I didn't really connect to either of the main characters as much I would like to. Overall a good read and would recommend. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

One of my top books of 2023! I'm normally pretty cynical and hard to please with book reviews, but thisbook swept me away! Normally I have to ease into loving a book, connecting to it at maybe 10-15%? But this book had me HOOKED after the first chapter. The writing is so gorgeous, along with artfully crafted descriptions. And the banter between Casey and all of her friends?!? Love it.

Reasons I tried not to be obsessed with this book: it's not as spicy as I normally read, it's set in a big city (your girl loves small town romance), and it's not dual POV.

Reasons I couldn't help myself: her badass bitch female (and BIPOC) mentor, her friends undying love for her and complicated love for each other, Alex's hotness, Alex's keen knowledge of Casey, and Alex's complete emotional availability.

Thus concludes my infatuated ramblings, please buy this book!

Love Interest by Clare Gilmore is a captivating enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy set in a workplace, showcasing the inherent risks and rewards of falling in love. The novel introduces a couple of endearing characters, each with a well-crafted and intriguing backstory. Their sizzling chemistry and clever repartee will undoubtedly leave readers rooting for their ultimate happily ever after.

In this delightful tale, Gilmore skillfully weaves a narrative that explores the complexities of relationships within a professional setting. The story unfolds as two co-workers, initially at odds with each other, gradually discover a deep connection that transcends their initial animosity. As the plot thickens, the characters' personal histories are unveiled, adding depth and authenticity to their journey.

The undeniable allure between the protagonists is palpable, igniting a passionate and electric atmosphere throughout the book. Their exchanges are laced with witty banter, creating moments of both amusement and anticipation. As readers delve into their blossoming romance, they will find themselves irresistibly drawn into the narrative, eagerly awaiting the couple's ultimate union.

Gilmore's writing style is both engaging and polished, effortlessly immersing readers in the story. Her meticulous attention to detail ensures that the characters come to life, making them relatable and endearing. Moreover, the author's ability to strike a balance between humor and heartfelt emotions adds depth and resonance to the overall narrative.

Love Interest is a testament to Gilmore's talent for crafting a compelling and enjoyable romantic comedy. With its well-developed characters, captivating chemistry, and skillful storytelling, this novel is a must-read for fans of the genre. Prepare to be swept away by a tale that reminds us all of the risks and rewards that come with falling in love.

While I could see what the author had intended for this novel, and the effort that was put into executing that idea, so much of this book fell flat for me. By the last half, I didn't mind it quite as much, and I think the writing style grew on me, but it still did not diminish my dislike for the first half, which I found tough to get through. There were many moments where I could see how the dialogue, or interactions were meant to come across as funny, sweet, or swoony, but for myself, it didn't come across that way and pushed the line of cheesy too far into cringe territory. This book overall felt like it needed some good editing and revamping. The idea and intentions had potential, it was just the execution and the details that really made it feel lacking for me.

For me, a romance novel is all about the characters, and these characters felt not flat, and their interactions with one another felt so stilted and slightly uncanny at times. I never felt like I really understood their mindset and motives, or what they were going to do next, and the way they interacted felt so far from usual interactions. Sometimes it's nice to read an unrealistic romcom, but this was unrealistic in a bad way. Combine this with my other gripe, the unnecessary amount of side characters, now not only do I struggle to care about these characters, but I can't remember who any of the side characters are. I appreciated that some of the characters were there to give a sense of the office work life, but naming and describing all the major staff in the multiple departments, and then the heads as well just became confusing so fast. And then on top of that family from both main characters, and their friends, and their friends partners, it just got a bit much. I do agree with what another reviewer mentioned, sometimes it felt like having all these side characters of different minorities felt like token diversity after a while, especially with many of the characters being even more one-dimensional than the leads.

I don't read romance for the plot, but I do appreciate a good story and the art that comes with making it flow seamlessly. The prose and the plot overall felt very jumbled and like it jumped around a lot. There were a lot of lore flashbacks in the middle of conversations that went on for multiple paragraphs, and I found it really confusing to then jump back into the middle of the conversation. These extra details often felt unnecessary, and it didn't really build up the characters, and really stilted the impact of the interactions. Add this to the fact that there were so many characters, and many of them getting paragraphs of explanations of their relation to the main character, it got bothersome very quickly. Backstory is important to build characters sure, but this could have been done much more subtle and smooth way, and it would have helped the story immensely (see show not tell, or in natural dialogue).

🩵💜 Love Interest ARC Review 💜🩵

Thank you so much to Clare Gilmore, St Martin’s Press and netGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

Love Interest is a contemporary standalone romance. Casey loves numbers and has a successful career in finance for a magazine. When she loses out on a job she really wants, she can’t help but feel resentment towards the man who got the job. But as she gets to know him, she realizes there might be more to Alex than she first realized

This was a wonderful romantic read. I loved the mental health rep (ADHD) and how it was positively depicted - it wasn’t the entire character’s personality…just a part of who they are. Casey was a fun character, but I felt like she was stuck on what her “plan” was and it took her a while to figure things out. Alex was a wonderful character that just needs all the love. I enjoyed their relationship together and how they evolved from rivals to friends to lovers in this story

Overall this was a solid 4 star read for me. An enjoyable read but I found myself wanting chapters from Alex’s PoV throughout the story. This book did have a few spicy scenes throughout but they weren’t super detailed so three flames for spice

If you’re a fan of rivals to friends to lovers, workplace romance, and all the New York City vibes, then definitely pick this one up!

Please note: review will be posted on Amazon upon publication

Love Interest by Clare Gilmore is a fun rom com that uses the enemies to lovers trope. This trope happens to be a favorite of mine. This book is quirky, fun, and unexpected at times. It literally made me laugh out loud at times, and that rarely happens. This book is an absolute delight and I highly recommend it to readers of this genre. It is so much fun! I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This book ended up being pretty cute, but it did take me a while to get into it. I think the ages/maturity level of the main characters was a slight barrier for me.

Casey, a financial analyst living and working in Manhattan, has goals for her life. She is attempting to move up the ladder in her magazine publishing industry, but when the boss's son gets the job she wants, she has to rethink her plans. Alex, the aforementioned boss's son, is creative and fun, and he also has big dreams. Casey and Alex clash at work, but when a project throws them together they find that they might both be more than meets the eye.

This book went in waves for me. The beginning had tension and a fun enemy/coworker vibe, but they too quickly got past it. By 35% these two were basically together and it left the rest of the book with tons of external issues instead of the romance turmoil that I was expecting. As stated above, I did end up liking this book a lot. It was heartwarming to see these two grow up and be confident with their life choices. The friend group was great and added depth to the story. I would definitely read more from the author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the free e-book in exchange for my honest review.

An enormous thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and of course, Claire Gilmore for providing me with an eARC of this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review, all opinions are my own.

Oh my gosh I absolutely adored this book. I think I read it in maybe 3 or 4 sittings and it would've been less if I weren't currently sick in bed. I adored Casey and Alex and loved watching them both grow so much over the course of this book. I loved their story so much.

The side characters were wonderful too and definitely more fleshed out than so many other romance books. This was a beautiful story and I loved every moment of it.

Overall this was a fun read. I enjoyed the characters (mostly) and liked that it focused around a woman in finance and her mathematical talents. Alex was great - he had so much more depth than I initially anticipated. The chemistry between Casey and Alex was strong. What I was missing was a bit more around the story in the workplace. It felt a little cobbled together to create tension but I found myself wanting more from that storyline as well.

I absolutely loved this debut book by Clare Gilmore! I rounded up from 4.5 stars because the FMC is from TN and a graduate of UT (just like me)! I loved the main characters and the other characters as well. The love story seemed more real and relatable and they actually grow together and separately. It had a touch of “enemies to lovers” feel but maybe more along the line of misunderstandings to friendship then love.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this electronic ARC!

Loved the banter and I would love to have the friend group from the birthday party. I don't love stories that start with deceit, and there was a lot of finance talk for me, but this was a great debut and I will definitely check out her books in the future.

3.5/5

Really cute story.
I felt that at times the story got slow and it was hard to keep going. I’m glad I finished the book because overall it was really cute and I did enjoy it. Casey is a good main character and it’s great to watch her dreams come true. Alex is like an onion with a lot of layers you get to read about.

This was a solid debut for Clare Gilmore!! I love myself a workplace romance and this definitely delivered, the relationship was definitely adorable and sweet!! It did take me a little to get into and the pacing was a little off for me, I think it was just her writing style that I didn’t particularly love but that’s 100% subjective and people may love it!!! Overall I enjoyed Love Interest and I would recommend it!!

A sweet, witty, and feel good read. All the things a romance should be. Alex and Casey's chemistry literally gave me all the feels. I think the thing I loved most about this book was it didn't have the typical miscommunication trope that sends almost every romance book couple back into a junior high style fight where it could have all been avoided if they just adulted and talked to each other. That was very refreshing.

I loved this book. It was such a great romance. It had little to no miscommunication, characters called each other out, there were compelling side characters and so much more. I loved the way the characters were able to grow separately and together. I found the romance compelling and I was rooting for the main characters even throughout their initial closed-mindedness which is rare for me. All in all, this is definitely a romance book that is worth picking up if you love a little office romance and rivals to lovers which corporate politics.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Casey Maitland has always loved the reliability of numbers, despite both her parents being artistic people. Now 24 and working in Manhattan, Casey applies for a project manager opening at her company. Unfortunately, the job ends up going to Alex Harrison. He's smart and everyone loves him, but he only got the job because he's the board chairman's son! As the two work together on the same project, they both have something to prove. Their late nights at work end up with them being drawn to each other.

OMG. I loved this. The writing is beautiful, the characters are so well written. I love how Alex falls first, and hard! Tons of laughter, wonderfully quirky secondary characters, wonderful evolution of Casey and Alex's relationship. I love workplace romances. This is one of the best I've read in a long time! ❤️❤️❤️

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

"Love Interest" by Clare Gilmore is a heartfelt novel that delves into the complexities of love, relationships, and the paths we choose. The story follows the intertwining lives of the characters as they navigate the intricate web of emotions and decisions.

The characters in the novel are relatable and well-developed, each facing their own dilemmas and challenges in matters of the heart. Gilmore's portrayal of their thoughts and feelings adds authenticity to their experiences, making their journeys engaging and emotionally resonant.

The narrative touches upon themes of timing, fate, and the impact of choices on our lives. The exploration of different types of love and the connections between characters bring depth to the story, prompting readers to reflect on their own relationships and experiences.

Gilmore's writing style is evocative and immersive, drawing readers into the emotions and conflicts of the characters. The pacing of the novel allows for moments of introspection and moments of tension, creating a well-balanced reading experience.

While "Love Interest" is successful in capturing the intricacies of human emotions, there were instances where the plot could have delved deeper into certain character dynamics. However, these moments did not detract significantly from the overall impact of the story.

In summary, "Love Interest" is a touching novel that skillfully navigates the terrain of love, choices, and the connections that shape our lives. If you're looking for a thoughtful and emotionally charged read that resonates long after the final page, this book offers a compelling exploration of the human heart.

Casey Maitland is a successful financial analyst at a world renowned magazine publishing company, but growing up with creative, artistic parents has left her feeling like she isn’t measuring up. She decides to push herself out of her comfort zone and applies to a project manager role for a new digital brand, but ultimately ends up being passed over for the son of the chairman of the board, Alex Harrison. Absolutely infuriated, Casey swears to hate Alex and it works for awhile…until they’re partnered together on launching the new brand and sparks start to fly!

Love Interest was such a delightful read that sucked me in from the first page; I honestly can’t believe this is a debut! Casey was quirky and funny, and was the perfect foil to Alex’s happy go lucky personality. I absolutely loved how much diversity was in this book too, it felt very representative of New York City. Overall this was a really solid romcom with a bit of a different spin on the workplace enemies to lovers trope.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review.
Super cute workplace romance! But it did feel like some parts of it dragged on a little bit. Love the Georgia State reference though.

Wow this is a debut!? I am so impressed, such a funny, smart and deeply romantic romance. This may be the best romance I’ve read this year!