I liked the characters Casey and Alex, their love story and their family and friends.

I wasn’t as enamored with all the corporate intrigue.

All in all a good debut novel from Clare Gilmore.

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

DNF at 25%, as much as I wanted to love this read I just couldn't get into it. The writing for me personally get a little scattered and I found it hard to get through.

This debut book by Clare Gilmore was so fun to read!

I think the enemies to lovers was done pretty well and though it didn’t start off great it did progress and get more to my likings throughout the middle to end of the book.

I really enjoyed the characters in the books but did ultimately feel like there was something missing!

Overall this was an enjoyable book and I would recommend this to anyone who likes a light enemies to lovers romance!

*Thank you so much to NetGalley, Clare Gilmore and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! It is much appreciated!

*Spoilers Ahead*
Love Interest is a fantastic debut! This enemies to lovers romance has a weak start, but is absolutely absorbing by the end. It is a fast-paced read. There is a lot going on in this novel, including several subplots that I with could have been better detailed. (These include a widowed father who is suddenly gay?, a series of social media recordings that go nowhere, an ex that is introduced as significant but weirdly not detailed, etc. )

The protagonist is… plucky. I love that she makes tough decisions and does things that scare her. She has a cast of supporting characters that make the storyline rich. And she does some introspection and self-evaluation that lead to growth over the novel.

Overall, this is a solid 3 star read for me, and I will recommend it! Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Publishing Group, and the author for this e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

I think this book is good but not particularly great and didn’t bowl me over. It’s hard to put my finger on why that is though. I liked the setting of a magazine publisher and I really liked the love interest, Alex, but I was underwhelmed by Casey, the main character.

I’m not sure she felt very distinctive or interesting to me. I also think I expected something more like The Hating Game where it was a true enemies to lover sistuation. This was more of a one sided short term enemy sistuation so it felt like there was a lack of dramatic tension.

Having said that, it was a fast read and somewhat enjoyable, but I think overall I’d expected more.

I really liked this workplace romance. Casey was a great female lead. I loved that she embraced her quirkiness and her love of numbers (I loved the question about her favorite Excel formula!) I also really liked that she never changed her goal throughout.

On the male lead side, Alex's development was well written. I wanted to shout at him at times. You could tell something was going on and just wanted to point it out to him. But overall, a great lead. I really enjoyed his and Casey's relationship. The banter was great and it all felt very well done.

All in all, really enjoyed this cute, fun, number filled read.

Thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an ARC!

The blurb from the publisher of Love Interest by Clare Gilmore describes the novel as “sparkling” and that is not hyperbole. I was engaged at the first page when we meet Casey, a financial analyst at a large publishing company. She has applied for a job within her company and finds out she did not get it. The man who does will eventually become the love interest but not before she hates him for the perceived nepotism of his hiring.

Why I loved this book: sizzling and entertaining banter, but not overly cute.
Descriptions of the workplace that are interesting. The large publishing house has a variety of magazines, so we see restaurant reviews and food discussion, but even the financial work that Casey is involved in is made to be entertaining, often because of her very realistic but entertaining colleagues. Descriptions of places such as Nashville, New York, London, and Seoul are seamlessly integrated into the story. And, finally, the main characters have their own personal growth journeys throughout the book beyond their romance. Self-acceptance and seeing others as they are without hero worship are also themes.

This is the first published novel by Gilmore, but the writing is so good and polished that I would never have guessed. I look forward to future novels by this author.

Oh man did this book give me a rollercoaster of emotions but I enjoyed every single minute of them. I would love this as a movie to watch over and over. I loved the dynamics between all the characters and really enjoyed the dialogue.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early ARC. As I am my own person, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a great book by a debut author! Unique story with interesting characters. Very well written, I would definitely read another book by this author!

Absolutely loved following this love story as the two main characters grow into their own. They both face some challenging situations that they learn to deal with together.
Ideal for anyone who enjoys office romance or enemies to lovers

love this romance and finding oneself and trying to help others in the business and family issues . I loved that they slowly formed a relationship and had great friends and making videos

Love Interest follows a lead who works in the finance department of a media company. It follows the changes in her relationship with the guy who got the job she applied for who also is the former CEO's son.

I like love stories, because they're usually light and fun and have happy endings. This book felt much more in-depth than many are. The characters have layered histories that make them interesting and fun to read about. I also related to a lot of it.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good romance. I think you'll be pleased with the quality of this one.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

LOVE INTEREST is about Casey, finance whiz at a Buzzfeed-esque media company in New York. She loses a promotion to Alex, a charming newcomer, only to discover that he's also the board chairman's son. Things get heated, sparks fly, and hijinks ensue.

I almost dropped this book around the 15-20% mark because the opening just wasn't doing it for me, but I'm happy that I pushed past it and kept going, because I do think LOVE INTEREST does find its way after a clunky beginning.

At first, the writing style did more telling rather than showing, and I felt that it tried hard to be modern/quirky/relatable to a "millennial" audience. Right from the start we're introduced to a long lineup of co-workers, friends, etc., nearly all of whom are introduced as their [race] [sexuality] [Ivy League university they attended], which read like an oddly elitist diversity bingo. I also wasn't sold on Casey and Alex's early interactions (and this is as someone who *adores* enemies-to-lovers romances).

However, I really enjoyed the hidden depths in Casey and Alex's characters, and found them to be quite endearing both together and on their own. The pace also picked up and the stakes felt surprisingly high for a workplace rom-com, keeping me invested from the middle of the book onwards. I appreciated that the themes of the book were a bit more complex than I'd anticipated based on the opening, and similarly appreciated Casey's journey of finding herself and her place in the world over the course of the book.

Total delight - wonderful debut! Truly terrific characters, pacing, and plot. Looking 100% forward to Gilmore's next book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

I really enjoyed Casey’s and Alex’s love story. The tension in the beginning of the novel as both characters worked to figure each other out was excellent. I loved the whole cast of characters and appreciated the diversity. Can we have Miriam’s and Brijesh’s story next, please!? Well done first novel - look forward to reading more from Ms. Gilmore!

Love Interest by Clare Gilmore offers profound insights into the internal pressure we impose on ourselves to conform to certain expectations.

Casey, a skilled numbers enthusiast, finds herself working in finance at a prominent publishing company. With her parents being celebrated creatives, she wrestles with a sense of inadequacy for not possessing the same artistic inclination. Despite her affinity for numbers, she applies for a position at her company, hoping to contribute to the launch of an exciting new digital magazine.

While awaiting news about the job, Casey encounters an attractive stranger in an elevator. Initially perceiving him as affluent and entitled, she learns that his name is Alex and that he secured the position she coveted. This revelation doesn't alter her opinion of him.
Nonetheless, Casey acknowledges Alex's natural aptitude for the job and realizes that assisting him with the financial aspects of the online magazine could expedite her dream of securing a position in London.

However, when Casey is entrusted with the company's financial troubles and is sworn to secrecy, it strains her burgeoning connection with Alex. Can she save the publisher's future while also forging a future with Alex?

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I wholeheartedly recommend Love Interest.

Really enjoyed this! It felt like a “The Bold Type”-esque story with two leads who had some damn good chemistry

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a fairly strong debut novel that blends workplace romance with enemies to lovers. I really liked Alex and Casey, they just needed to get out of their own ways. There was a little too much workplace in the romance. I feel like I need an escape from it when I'm reading. Otherwise, I enjoyed the family subplots and secondary characters.

I loved this book so much that I almost don’t know what to say. A workplace enemies to lovers can be hit or miss for me, but this was a smashing success. I loved all the characters, especially Casey, Alex, and her parents. Casey and Alex are relatable, and the development of their relationship felt natural. They challenged and understood each other and seemed to really bring the best out in each other. Love Interest made me laugh out loud, and I think I might have shed a tear or two at one time… I absolutely love any book that can make me feel a wide range of emotions while reading. I definitely recommend this one!

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I loved how the MCs were each other’s biggest cheerleaders, personally and professionally. The FMC was a little overly quirky in the first chapter, but she quickly levels out to an average amount of quirk (I think her listening to Aaron Carter’s music could probably be left out). The side characters were interesting and well fleshed out. I especially loved her relationship with her step dads. There was one brief inconsistency there though — she FaceTimes them at one point in the book, then later on when they visit she says it’s the first time she’s seen them and remarks on physical changes that would have been easy to spot on FaceTime. I also stan a girl who gets excited about spreadsheets.