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!

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.