The spice was basically closed door without being closed door, and this was very confusing and unexpected. I was okay with it.

The ending fell really flat for me. Overall, it was a cute story, and I believe in the happily ever after.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Loved this book!! It made me feel like I was reading about the private lives of people working for Bon appétit and somehow it worked? Alex was a lovely chilled LI and I loved the MC. Her dads, her insecurities, her pals. It all felt very relatable. Would highly recommend!

This is another book that I almost stopped reading because it was slow to get moving. I did enjoy it after the story finally got going. One thing I kept wanting to scream at the author is that roses do NOT have bulbs. They grow from a crown. There is also no such thing as a "root bulb". The correct term is a "root ball". As a master gardener, I could not ignore this.

⭐4/5
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

🙏 Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy of Love Interest in exchange for an honest review.
◾
🎯 What I loved: What a fabulous debut for Gilmore! With dynamic characters, quirky and hilarious banter and a fantastic setting, this was a total hit for me. Alex and Casey felt relatable (they worked at a magazine publishing house struggling to transition to digital media), had individual ambitious goals and their friends were fun side characters. I don't read about a lot of heroines in finance and it made me like Casey even more. There was great diverse representation where the array of character identities felt authentic and truly integrated into the story vs. just called out once and not a part of the story. I felt like the both Alex and Casey evolved well as they opened up to each other and the ending was totally swoonworthy.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: Some of the side story with the acquisition scandal was a little confusing to me and it was difficult to follow what was happening during the third act break-up. But all was redeemed at the end.
◾
Read if you love:
*enemies to lovers
*workplace romance
*hook-up with an end date to more?
◾
See also: Just My Type, The Hating Game, Lovelight Farms

I wasn't enthralled with this book as I have been with others, but it was a great read!

Very character/plot focused. Casey is a 24 year old female working in finance in NYC. She had applied for a project manager position that she really hoped for but later found out she did not get. She stumbled upon Alex in an elevator who she thought was cute, but later finds out got the position she applied for. This quickly becomes an enemies to lovers story.

I enjoyed the mature way that Casey learned Alex was not who she thought he was and reading about them falling for each other. I wish we got Alex's POV (but that's just how I like stories).

Overall this was a cute debut rom/com, workplace romance. I really enjoyed the the book!

- lot a whole lot of spice (mild)
- workplace romance
- only one bed
- enemies to lovers

Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this Arc!

If you're looking for a sweet office romance with a HEA - this is your book! A fast-paced, easy read. I love that it was not only a romance, but a lesson in staying true to yourself and finding your own passion - no matter what others think. A great summer read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Love Interest by Clare Gilmore is about a work place romance between Casey and Alex. I liked both the characters but found the plot very slow moving - I almost DNF a few times because I felt the plot was dragging along. I found myself more interested in the office politics of the “company” than the love connection.


Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for the ARC.

An amazing workplace romance. Casey's love for her job and her work family. So when she finds out she was passed over for an amazing job opportunity for the bosses son, Alex, it becomes the perfect rom-com set up.

I genuinely can not say enough good things about this book. It’s very rare that I read a romance where I can read each and every page without skimming and moving on during some chapters. I found both characters to be lovable and relatable. It’s refreshing to have main characters with average, everyday type, jobs. I found myself blushing along with our main character and having butterfly’s in my stomach while reading through the moments leading up to their relationship. There’s something about a (mildly) enemies to lovers, work place, and one-bed trope romances that just have my heart.

Thank you so much to SMP and Netgally for the chance to read this book ahead of release in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

Love Interest is an excellent enemies to lovers, workplace romance full of complex characters and sparkling dialogue. Casey is a financial expert at a magazine powerhouse, but worries that she isn’t making a mark on the world. She goes for a promotion, but is passed over in favor of a board chairman’s son, Alex. Casey and Alex clash as they work together, but the he-falls-first trope is alive and well.

I LOVED this romance. The characters were so real and layered. The dialogue was quick and snappy. The romance was perfectly paced. I loved every page. I am so excited to see what Clare Gilmore writes next!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good. The characters were completely endearing and it was so well-written it's hard to believe it was a debut. The story focuses on a young woman, Casey, who's going up for a different job at her company to try and be more adventurous. We (very quickly) learn that she didn't get the job, and she clashes with the person who did. Along the way their fighting turns into banter, and he's clearly in love with her from the start. Casey's friend group is well fleshed-out (I'm desperate for a sequel featuring them) and supportive, and all their relationships are realistic and soft. Highly recommend this one.

This is a cute workplace rom-com. A fun read with great dialogue and fantastic chemierty between Casey and Alex. :)
I enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading future books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Do you like your stories with an incredibly hot man as the love interest, because I love them! Ms. Gilmore delivers a decidedly dishy, delicious devil of a man in, LOVE INTEREST. It stars a nerdy, pretty lady, Casey Maitland, who works as a financial expert at a company in Manhattan. She aspires to the manager position where she works, only to find out that the board chairman’s son, Alex, is awarded the position instead. Just great!

Alex Harrison is extremely handsome, debonair and irresistible. Casey doesn't fall for his charming act. Although, when they are thrust together on a project, her opinion of Alex changes. Casey discovers there is more to Alex than just his good looks. Alex and Casey uncover some shady secret stuff about the organization. Sparks sizzle between them, while working together. Will romance wiggle it's way in? What do they find out about the company?

LOVE INTEREST is fast-paced, seductive and satisfying. This is a fantastic enemies-to-lovers romance that delivers. It's an ironic, intellectual, intriguing plot with wonderful characters and a refreshing romance. Casey and Alex delve into some really dramatic stuff about themselves and the company. The author blends a likable combination of office gossip, workplace politics, steamy situations, and a powerful plot. I loved the interactions between Alex and Casey, their dream aspirations and blossoming romance. I wondered if they would ever find a balance between them. This is an evocative, enigmatic, entertaining story!

super fun read!!! a total rom com book that has very well developed characters with interesting personal arcs, i think one of the most interesting workplace romance books i’ve read lately, i liked learning about their jobs and the main conflict with alex’s dad made it also very moving
i think alex was so charming and casey was so relatable as a fellow mid 20s girlie starting my career

3.5 stars
I loved parts of this book, others not so much. The chemistry between Alex & Casey was great. The work place drama felt lacking, like it needed some more... drama? Overall, I would pick up the author's next book for another try!

Love Interest is a quick and cute read. I was rooting for Casey and Alex. I do wish the pacing was a bit different: I would’ve preferred more tension at the start, while some other passages seemed too long. I still enjoyed this book. I wouldn’t mind reading about some of the side characters in a future book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I tried to get into this, but in the end, it was a DNF for me. Maybe it’s just not the right time, and I’ll try again later.

Love Interest by Clare Gilmore is an excellent enemies-to-lovers, workplace romcom! I love a redemption arc in a book and this one really surprised me in the best of ways! I suppose it's one of those books where you learn not to immediately judge someone when you really don't know what's going on in their lives. Solid debut! I can't wait to read more from the author!

I really enjoyed this author's debut novel. The heroine was super good at her job, trusted by her boss (a powerful female CFO) and had ambitions - she wasn't looking for romance. The hero was charismatic, handsome (of course), attracted to the heroine at first meet (of course). I enjoyed the female friendships. I couldn't follow all of the goings on with the company and the acquisition and CEO and board dynamics, but who cares. I was rooting for them to get together because I liked them both.

I had a hard time getting into this one and sometimes the workplace talk got boring to me. I definitely skimmed more than I usually do in a romance book - I think it was just too wordy, too detailed, too much tell rather than show. I liked the characters, but I wanted a little more enemies-to-lovers and tension in the beginning before they got together. I would have been interested to have some of Alex's POV as well, as I think that would have helped feel the romantic feelings between them.

It was well-written and by the end I would say I did enjoy it enough (just didn't love it). I think there was just too much focus on workplace and problems there vs. the romance between Casey and Alex.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! Review live now on GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5616088645 - and StoryGraph