Every once in. a while a book comes along featuring a main character so relatable that I can't help but fully invest in them from the very first chapter. Love Interest is one of those books. So much more than just a corporate rivals-to-lovers rom-com, this story perfectly captures the experience of working as a creative in corporate America, struggling to separate your dreams from expectations, and so much more. Casey Maitland is a heroine you can't help but root for. And though the writing and structure of this story have room for improvement, this is a remarkable debut and a sign that Clare Gilmore has a long, exciting career ahead of her.

This is a cute contemporary look at mid-twenties life, love and work in New York City. Casey works at a magazine conglomerate in the finance department who puts herself out there by applying for a new position in the company. She does not get the job when the son of an important board member, Alex, also applies. Slowly, she figures out that Alex isn’t quite who she thought he was and she has to figure out how he fits into her life of independence. This was a sweet book and I liked Casey a lot. I thought it was well written but the romance felt a bit distant. There were weeks when the two main characters didn’t interact and Alex just seemed like the male version of the “manic pixie dream girl” that used to be so popular. In my opinion, the book could have really benefitted from Alex’s point of view to give him more dimension. I did like the book, overall, but I don’t think the romance was my favorite part.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

I've been on a roll with debut novels lately and wow this was so heartfelt and endearing. I will admit that the business aspect of the story kind of lost me, but the characters definitely made up for it. I love how fleshed out casey and alex were, their upbringings and loves and fears and I loved that they conquered those together. Alex was the standout of the novel to me because I saw so much of myself in him, his feeling of abandonment and thinking that he's not good enough for anyone to stay. I loved how Casey loved herself enough to fight for her own dreams and that Alex could help her with that. I will definitely look forward to Claire Gilmore's future releases!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much! I'll be honest - the title, in all its plainness, kind-of threw me off at first, but I've since come to find that it's always books with these kinds of titles that are some of the best hidden gems (for me, personally, anyway). Regardless of that though, I'm a big fan of the workplace rivals/enemies-to-lovers trope(s), so this read was definitely going to be right up my alley. The story isn't anything new or groundbreaking and yet it still feels very fresh, exciting, and fun. And the writing here is aces – this book truly is very readable and easily engaging/accessible in my opinion; the dialogue and narration flows smoothly and reads as being timely without feeling or sounding too dated with its slang or pop culture references (as in, there's *just enough* to give you an idea of how old our characters are/what year it is, but not so much that it feels oversaturated or corny). The ✨New York City✨ vibes featured here were also immaculate, and I thought all of the side characters were unique & engaging in their own individual ways. I laughed out loud multiple times and highlighted so much. Plot-wise, I would say this is a very character-driven story & I loved that. I thought Casey and Alex were both very well-developed characters and found their love story to be very believable; despite only being a singular POV story, I still felt like I really connected with Alex as the MMC (just as much as Casey). I could definitely see this being optioned as a movie or TV show, similar to the book "The Hating Game" or the film "Set It Up" (just without the obvious "setting up" part for the latter, haha). I

Amazing book, interesting and relatable , really enjoyed the banter and characters . This rom com is perfect if you like laughing, crying and smiling all at once. Enemies to love chef kiss.

After meeting a hot, charming stranger in the elevator on her way to find out if she was chosen for an exciting new job, finance girly, Casey Maitland, learns that she didn't. But guess who did? Obviously it was hot stranger, Alex Harrison.

Casey decides she hates Alex… until she doesn't.

With a fun cast of secondary characters and an interesting plot to carry it through, this is an absolutely adorable rom-com that does NOT read like a debut novel. It's got a little rivals to lovers (at least in Casey's eyes), a found family aspect, a teensy bit of fake dating, and even a little one bed situation.

There is spice, but it's more of a tell don't show. The characters explicitly talk about it (and engage in it), but the author isn't really painting the picture for you.

Honestly, I devoured this in a day and would highly recommend it for a light summer beach read!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️

This one was okay, I guess. I’m not really sure how to feel about it honestly. The beginning was slow, the middle was okay, I saw the conflict coming from a mile away, and overall it felt like it wrapped up super fast, but at the same time left me feeling unsatisfied.

There were moments interspersed that gave me a hint of butterfly flutters, but nowhere near the amount an amazing romance story often gives me. I just was never that invested in the story or the characters.

Honestly, I think the amount of detail given for innocuous things is what weighed this read down for me. Like I said there were little moments here or there that I think were good and if Gilmore can capitalize on those moments with her next novel I think I’ll like it better.

Also please note, despite it being marketed as an enemies to lovers book it is in fact not an enemies to lovers book. It is more of a misunderstanding (that gets resolved within 15%) to friends with benefits to lovers book.

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the early copy in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏻

Read if you like:
💼 workplace romance
💜 friends with benefits
🪴 plants
📊 finance
☝🏻 single pov

Thank you to Netgalley and @stmartinspress for an ARC of Clare Gilmore’s debut novel, Love Interest, in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I rated this story 3.5 stars. Because there were so many characters and lots of different problems in the plot, it made it a little difficult to follow at times. However, Casey and her relationship with Alex made me want to keep reading. This was such a good workplace romance, and I would for sure recommend if you’re looking to explore that trope more. I loved getting to see their relationship grow, and I really enjoyed Casey’s character overall. I will definitely be reading any of Gilmore’s future novels.

Sweet little romance, about growing and finding yourself.
It felt a little young to me.
That might just be because I am getting older :)
I liked the growing into more of yourself that both of the main characters experienced.

Casey is a young finance expert who works in Manhattan when she applies for a Project Manager Position at the company she works at, LC Publications. She does not get the job which is given to the board chairman's son, Alex. Everyone seems to love Alex except for Casey, and then she gets put on the project with him and realizes that he is not that bad.

This was such a cute debut novel by Clare! The workplace romance trope is on of my favorites and the start of enemies to lovers that changes was adorable. I think there were a few slower parts, but I loved their hatred to friendship to lovers storyline and seeing them grow together. I forgot at times that they were only 24 years old and I do think they should have been a little older for what they were doing work wise, but I loved the workplace drama as well. There is a little spice, but not too much!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

This is a very cute debut novel by Clare Gilmore! I love a good enemies to lovers in the work place trope and this certainly delivered. I rounded down from 4 stars because it had a little too much info thrown at the reader, which made parts hard to follow. It dragged a little in the middle and about 50 pages could have probably been cut out. I also would have liked to have seen a bit more chemistry and tension between the MCs. Regardless, it is great for a debut and I will be on the lookout for Gilmore's future books!

This book was cute but fell a little flat for me.

I thought overall, the premise and relationship were well done. It felt like it developed organically, and it was intriguing that it was all taking place within the workplace. I also really liked all the side characters and thought they were an interesting addition.

However, the writing style was a little difficult to get through at times. This author fell victim to over describing everything. It made many scenes feel clunky and took me out of the book. I also didn't enjoy the over reverse on the not pleasing my parents with the main character choosing finance over the arts. It just felt a bit ridiculous, and it was super repetitive throughout the book.

Overall, it was nice but definitely needs some more work unfortunately.

ARC REVIEW

LOVE INTEREST by Clare Gilmore
Pub date: October 10, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5

This was such a sweet and cute enemies-to-lovers workplace rom-com!

Casey Maitland is a highly ambitious Gen Z finance expert working for a large publication company. When a project manager position opens up, Casey applies, only for it to get filled by Alex Harrison…son of the board chairman.

Regardless of his Harvard education and accomplished resume, Casey is certain Alex obtained the position based on his familial relations.

Once they are assigned to work on the same project, Casey realizes there may be more to Alex than what she initially assumed.

The characters in this book were very relatable and I loved the personal development in both Casey and Alex.

Read this if you like⬇️:

•Workplace romance
•Women in STEM rep
•Enemies to lovers
•He falls first
•Grumpy x sunshine
•Funny banter
•Endearing characters

Thank you to Clare Gilmore, @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

🏷️: #claregilmore #loveinterest #arcreview #netgalley #bookworm #bookish #booknerd #bibliophile #bookrec #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booktok #igreads #goodreads

Love Interest by Claire Gilmore is a sweet story. The main characters Alex and Casey meet at work and are eventually smitten with one another. Together they embark on what Casey knows is an impossible task but has a job in London that she is gunning for. Overall this book was good but felt slow at points during the story that made it hard to want to keep reading. I did love the variety of characters that made appearances throughout the book and made the story seem real. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the digital advance reader copy.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up
1.5 🌶️

Love Interest was a very sweet and fun read. It is a rivals to lovers workplace romance following Casey and Alex. They definitely have a grumpy sunshine thing going for them as well.

I really liked that Casey and Alex both had complex backgrounds that shaped them as well as added to their character development throughout the story. All of the side characters are diverse and interesting as well.

Casey and Alex both go through a lot of development as professionals and people in relationships in their mid-20s. On top of the romance there was a theme about finding and believing in yourself, learning to trust your own voice, and choosing the right thing, even when it’s hard.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

Casey Maitland is a young and motivated financial analyst for Little Cooper Publications. She thinks she's ready for more professionally so when a higher position opens up, she applies. Unfortunately the spot goes to Alex Harrison, the board chairman's son. Alex is a confident Harvard graduate and ends up being highly qualified for the job but Casey is still not a fan. She's sure he had the job and everything else in his life handed to him on a silver platter. It's not until they are forced to work closer together that she starts to realize there may be more to Alex than she first assumed. Will Alex be able to win Casey over at the office - and maybe beyond?

Enemies-to-lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes and I loved how this one took place in the workplace. Working together professionally is a whole different dynamic and I enjoyed it here. But this one involved so much more than just the romance. Casey had a great character development both in her work life and emotionally. I loved how much more mature and confident she was by the end. She also has a really heartwarming relationship with her dads. I would actually love a prequel of their own relationship.

Overall, an impressive debut romance from the author and I'm excited to see what she does next. It's actually not very often that I truly care about both main characters but in this case I did and was really rooting for them by the end.

If "The Hating Game" was a cinnamon roll. That's the flavor of rivals-to-lovers you get in "Love Interest."

Casey appreciates the consistency of numbers. A job in finance is both her safe and happy place. She has a long-term goal to work and live in London, her mother's birthplace. Her next step is to land the position of Project Manager at her publishing company. The job though goes to Alex, an outside hire who also happens to be her boss's boss's son.

What should be an elevator meet cute ends up being a "My name is Casey Maitland, you took my new job prepare to have me rake your financial hopes and wishes through the coals."

The forced proximity of office life gives these rivals ample time to butt heads. While they have very different strategies when it comes to finances, they find common ground in inspiration and creativity. When they start meeting after business hours though, thats when they really get to set aside professional personas and maybe fall in love.

The office romance is perfection in "Love Interest." Every moment Casey and Alex collaborate gives us character development and insight into them as a couple.

I appreciate also the passage of time written so well. This romance isn't packed into a week's worth of instalove. There is ample time mentioned where they are physically apart because - yes, hello, realness - they have things to do. Well timed text messages and pining spice up the time apart.

Spice? I was sweating for the sensuality of the kisses between Casey and Alex. The smut is not be the most detailed smut on page. But you know the hesitation before a kiss? That shared breath gap? That's the vibe here. Its so steamy.

"Love Interest" exceeds expectations in utilizing the office setting for a rivals-to-lovers romance. It has a lovely cast of supporting characters. You'll feel the chemistry between Casey and Alex. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪

Thank you @smpromance @stmartinspress for my #gifted copies and for partnering with me on this #travelingarc campaign. 💕 #LoveInterestTravelingARC

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁
𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗶𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 @momentofclarety
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝟭𝟬/𝟭𝟬/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Love Interest is a mature, moderately steamy, enemies-to-lovers, workplace romcom, and it was just delightful! It's a single POV (from her perspective) starring Casey, a financial analyst who gets passed over for a promotion for the board chairman's son, Alex. There's a great workplace conflict at the center here, and it gave this so much depth and drama. The romance was swoony, the banter was fantastic, the dialogue was authentic, and the characters felt like old friends by the time I finished.🥰 Can you tell how much I loved it!?

About the writing....
Are you ever reading a book and pause just to appreciate the writing? I do it all the time. I cannot express how much I appreciate intelligent writing. Clever turns of phrase, witty humor, astute observations, or things that make me say "Ahh I see what you did there!" 💡When this happens, I feel so much more connected to the author, and more appreciative of their writing.

Anyway, I'm rambling. My point is, Gilmore's novel made me pause to appreciate her prose more times than I can count. And this woman has an impressive vocabulary. 🔥I mean any author who uses zany and amalgamation in the same paragraph has my number. 🤣

Did I mention that this is a DEBUT!? Gilmore is a rising star, and I am ecstatic to have a front row seat of the amazing career she has in store. Clare... please tell me you're already working on your sophomore novel? 😉

You're going to want to pre-order this one friends!

**Review as posted to my Instagram and Goodreads**

Picture me giggling, swooning, squealing, and kicking my feet... and you might just be able to imagine how I looked while reading this book. Love Interest is officially on my Top Romances of 2023 list and Alex Harrison is firmly entrenched in my Top Book Boyfriends list, as well.

Alex and Casey are both fully-formed characters with very interesting character arcs, both separate and together. I loved their banter as they got to know one another and I loved how openly they communicated with one another. Love Interest is an open-door romance, but isn't overly descriptive so I feel like it would appeal to a wide range of romance readers.

I always struggle to put my feelings into words when I love a book as much as I love Love Interest, and I'll probably come back once I've sat with the story a little bit longer, but just know that I adored this book, this story, and these characters.

I couldn’t get into this for the first 30% of the book. But after that, I couldn’t put it down.

This novel is sweet, sweet, sweet! Love Interest is beautifully written with layered MCs and even side characters. It feels relatable with many a pun for all of us corporate business folk. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would recommend to anyone. The pacing is quick and the content is digestible. I would love to read this for the first time again.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.