Casey Maitland is a numbers person. When she gets overlooked for a promotion in favor of the board chairman's son, she is ready to shake things up a bit. A great workplace enemies to lovers storyline that I couldn't help but cheer for. I will be waiting for upcoming books by this debut author.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! This was a cute and easy read. The banter was quick and witty, and there was a little bit of spice. Felt like anothern version of The Hating Game and I’m all for the enemies to lovers workplace romance.

Read if you like:
- Enemies to lovers
- Workplace romance
- Only one bed

Casey is a financial analyst for a magazine publisher, who is waiting to hear about a possible promotion. But the hot dude in the elevator is ACTUALLY the new hire that is taking on the job she was hoping for. Alex is a guy with quite the complicated past, and some serious daddy issues, who steps into his new position and infuriates Casey by being WAY BETTER at the job than she would have been. But as she learns more about Alex, Casey starts to realize how thin the line is between hatred, and that other thing...

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline is good, and it has a legit plot and bit of mystery dosed out between the bits of love story.

I will say that Casey seems a bit naive throughout. Also, I appreciate the fact that every sex act doesn't require every details throughout, which is sort of refreshing lately. There's some details, sure, but it's not all sex all the time.

I really appreciated the scene where Casey and Alex have it out and come clean. Most of the time, the person getting pissed about the other's betrayal almost always leads to the betrayed person to absolutely hate the other person. That's not what happened here. Feelings were hurt, but the couple ends the conversation well, and I'm so pleased to see something that has done this scene right.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

I couldn’t connect to this at all. There were so many side characters and I don’t even totally understand what the plot was supposed to be about? Like it’s fleshed out and very meaty, but it has more of a day in the life element to it than any driving conflict. Plus I didn’t like the characters at all, their romance felt random. Ultimately I think they were too young - I’m not buying Condé Nast is putting a 25 year old on charge of anything.

Very cute rom com workplace romance. Casey's love for her job and her work family drew me in from the start. She finds out she was passed over for a job opportunity for the bosses' son, it setups up for the perfect come together story which in the end turned out perfectly for this author.

This is a cute one! Lots of romance tropes but none in a frustrating way. The two characters are such loveable go getters. I really was rooting for every character throughout the book, except maybe the billionaire CEOs. Nothing that makes it exceptionally stand out among cutesy romances but not in a bad way. Just a perfect book to pick up to feel good things. Very quick read.

This coworker's enemies to lovers story was funny and romantic and such a good read! I found Casey relatable. Alex and Casey were drawn to each other despite Casey's reluctance to like him. Can't wait to read more books by Clare Gilmore.

This rollercoaster ride of a romance book has so many wonderful tropes. These include enemies to lovers, workplace romance, one bed, and a little dash of he falls first! With the enemies to lovers + workplace romance, I was worried this book would be too similar to The Hating Game (which wouldn't be a bad thing because it's one of my favorites) BUT Clare Gilmore created characters that had completely different plot lines, characteristics, and some different depths! I think that was a super unique thing about this contemporary romance: it's depth. I really enjoyed the fact that there was a bit more of a "literary" aspect to this book, where the characters encountered grief, handled not knowing their full selves, and maybe being scared to uncover all of themselves!

As someone who absolutely cannot deal with numbers, I did struggle a bit in the beginning to relate to Casey, but there were other aspects of her character that I was able to relate to her on! Like being from the South! The Alabama vs Auburn question peppered in the latter half of the book were epic! Also, as a person named Molly who is working towards an HR degree, having an HR employee named Molly on the FIRST PAGE was king of wild and I refuse to think that made me biased in any way...(👀😂)!

I love that this had some elements that differentiated it from other rom-coms and had a unique spin on an enemies to lovers + workplace romance! This was a fun read and I can't wait to see what else comes from the author!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Enemies to lovers, workplace trope. A favorite of mine, and Gilmore didn't disappoint.

A quick, fun read I really enjoyed.

This debut surprised me. Starting out I wasn’t getting into it. To be fair, I don’t usually latch my full attention on any book until around the 12% mark. At that point in Love Interest, I was fully engaged. I fell in love with all these characters. The banter was just right. The workplace scenario didn’t feel contrived, and the romance was hot but not overly spicy. I really enjoyed this enemies to lovers/workplace romance and look forward to more from Clare Gilmore.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin's Griffin for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Casey and Alex’s story was cute and fresh! It felt easy and natural which made it ten times worse during their struggles. Alex is jumpy and not very analytical like Casey very much is, balancing each other out. Their moments were funny and cozy making me fall in love with both characters quickly. Overall, I loved this read!

I do wish there wasn't as much time passing by without them seeing each other but I understand it's just Alex's character and lifestyle.

Thank you to @netgalley and publisher for the #advancereviewcopy

Release Date: Oct 2023

Genre: Romance

Summary: Financial Expert, Casey has worked hard to earn a promotion to a London office. In preparation, she applies for a new position with more Jazz. But when she loses to the Chairman’s son, Alex, she immediately jumps to conclusions about him.
Alex has lived his life not really knowing his father. When the two are thrown together on a work project , feelings change and the truth about big corporate decisions are brought to light.

My Thoughts: I loved it. With likeable characters, work-place romance, and enemies to lovers trope, I devoured this one. It kept me engaged from start to finish and wanting more. The ending was as perfect as a romance should be!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ADORABLE!! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

OH MY HEART💜!!!I can't even tell you how much I loved it!!! This is the perfect work place rom-com that will have you smiling, laughing and crying! It has your (semi) enemies to lovers trope, forced proximity and the guy falls first and filled with angst, tension, witty banter, amazing chemistry, spice, romance and strong quirky secondary characters. Once I started reading I could not put it down! I am just blown away that this is a debut novel!! I am super excited to read Clare Gilmore's future books!!

Casey is a hard working, intelligent and numbers focused finance analyst working for a huge magazine company. STEM for the win! She is trying to figure out what really makes her happy in life and how she can leave a legacy that matters. The idea to be more creative has her applying for a project manager position at her current company. After being encouraged by management to apply for the open position, Casey is shocked to learn that she didn't the job. When she finds out that Alex, the son of the board chairman, received the job instead of her all fury is unleashed! In her mind, this is nothing but nepotism and he is now her enemy! Casey is forced to work with Alex and gradually she gets to know him and her animosity toward him diminishes. Did Casey misjudge Alex or was she right about him? Alex is a handsome, rich, Harvard graduate that is loved by everyone. From the beginning, he was so taken with Casey and fell first for her. Talk about swoon worthy boyfriend!!🥰🥰 Will Alex figure out why Casey doesn't like him?

I loved that Alex and Casey communicated like mature adults. It was refreshing to see how they both saw the "true" each other and inspired each other to be their best self. The personal growth both of them went through was a sweet journey to love.

Overall, it was a delightful work place romance with richly developed characters that felt real and relatable. If you loved The Hating Game then you will enjoy this book. I was completely captivated from start to finish! I highly recommend this book and it deserves all the stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

Casey starts out hating Alex. After all, he got the job she desperately wanted. But they soon go from misunderstood enemies to short term lovers. Although the more time they spend together the more they dread their ending.
This is one of the best written workplace romances I’ve ever read. It is a little slow through the middle, but the last third is worth the wait. Almost all of the action takes place either in the workplace (a magazine conglomerate), at work functions, or outside of work but with other co-workers. Casey is a numbers nerd finance whiz, and I love seeing inside her brain. She has an amazing and diverse friend and family group. Her dads are parent goals, honestly. And I’m hoping some of her friends get their own romantic heas in future books. Alex is the newbie at the office, curious, creative, attentive, and kind. They finally admit to their attraction for one another, but then keep secrets- gasp! Workplace drama unfolds at its finest! Witty banter and a will-he-or-won’t-he ending bring Casey and Alex to their hea. I loved it and highly recommend! 4.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 5 ⭐️
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Love Interest was a book that just sucked me into its world. I thought it was fun, entertaining, and I got to care about the characters, Casey and Alex. I enjoyed reading about how their relationship shifted throughout the book, as it seemed more realistic to me than some other books I’ve read. This was a great debut novel and I’ll be adding the author Clare Gilmore to my to-read list for any future works she publishes. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I absolutely love workplace romances! This is such a fun book. Casey is fun and relatable. I absolutely loved the characters banter and thought it was really well done. I did have a hard time connecting with the workplace drama plot, but maybe that’s because I work in HR. Overall I really enjoyed this book!! I hope to read more by the author :)

Love Interest was a surprising delight that I struggled to put down!
4.5 stars rounded to 5

✅ Workplace Romance
✅ Enemies to Lovers
✅ Badass Finance Ladies
✅ One-Bed
✅ He Falls First

Synopsis:
After Casey loses out on a job to Alex, her prejudices and animosity grow when she finds out he’s also the son of the board chairman. But as they get to know each other, Casey finds out there’s a lot more to Alex than she originally believed.

This was so cute it made me PHYSICALLY ILL and grit my teeth. I am a sucker (a sucker I tell you) for banter and when the MCs can match each others zest. And then the moment the guard is let down and they’re soft SLAYS ME. This has it. Add it to your neverending TBR, folks.

Casey knows numbers. She trusts them, she knows them, and she’s good at them. An expert in her field, she feels she’s a good contender for a major new open position at the magazine publication she’s worked her tail off for. And she may be - but that doesn’t stop her from being forced to watch as the position is given to the son of the board chairman.

Alex is everything you’d expect him to be: well educated, gorgeous, and infuriatingly charming. But he can’t seem to gain a foothold with the one person he’s hoping to charm - the very woman he (unknowingly) swiped a job from.

When their meddling coworkers see their continuous bickering as the clever entertainment it is, they continue to push the two together. And the more time the two spend in each other’s presence, the more they learn - about each other, about the company they work for, and about what each of them is willing to sacrifice in the name of happiness.

Very cute work place romance! The premise of the book seems a bit over done, but it was still an enjoyable read!

Love Interest was surprisingly very good! I assumed it was going to be a typical enemies to lovers book, but it was not. There was definitely a struggle between the couple, but it was a lot more interesting with the modern day topics like YouTube and digital media. I’m not in the business world, but I got sucked into all the action of the work place business dealings that Casey and Alex were part of. Overall, it was very well-written and I enjoyed the book!