This book was so good I kept forgetting it was a debut. The build of the relationship between Casey and Alex in the classic enemies to lovers trope is so good! Not only is it enemies to lovers but it’s also a workplace romance. Both characters were so likable it made for a very quick and easy read.

I think Clare Gilmore has boundless potential in the romance space and I absolutely adore her writing style.

However, this book did make me realize that I do not enjoy office romances and I probably never will! That’s not her fault, it was just a wrong trope wrong time. I unfortunately dnf’d shortly after receiving the ARC through NetGalley and forgot about posting a review.

But a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a review copy!

Little disappointed. DNF’d at 70 percent.

This book’s writing and premise are A+ but the pacing was super off.

The characters get together kind of early and that creates a dilemma about what to do with them. I felt like the “drama” or separating indecent wasn’t getting built up enough so I ended up feeling frustrated that nothing was happening - including the final HEA.

Not bad, just not enough to keep my interest

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I loved how relatable both these characters are. So often we find coming-of-age stories that only relate to teen or early 20s characters so seeing characters in their late 20s still grappling with how they were raised and what that means about who they are in turn because that’s such a real part of humanity. And their romance? So full of tension and heat *chef’s kiss*
I seriously laughed out loud multiple times which I love. Towards the end, I was wondering why my eyes were wet. It’s so rare that a book forces me to express emotion outward so any author that can do that for me is a winner in my book.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I haven’t read a book this quickly in a long time. I seriously could not put this book down. The writing style is amazing! The author clearly loves NYC but not in an obvious way, more of a subtle love its flaws as well type of way that was just heart-warming to read. I also pictured this happening in an office similar to bon-appetite which made this book a little more fun in my mind. I just always end up loving books that take place in publishing or fun and enjoyable but also realistic work places, which this book 100% did.

But onto the characters1 The chemistry right off the bat was so attractive. I loved both characters as soon as we met them. I loved their banter, their conversations and their personalities. It was so fun to watch them fall in love. I was rooting for them the entire time. The plot itself was also really fun. I love the friendships, both in the workplace and outside of it. Watching Casey come into her own was so enjoyable. This book was just so well-rounded and wholesome. I don’t have a single complain and I seriously read the book in two days which is a rave review in itself.

Workplace romance is always a hit or miss for me, but I think this is one of the better ones! Alex is a nepo baby, and Casey is hardworking and of course she loses the job she wants to Alex. They both were great to each other throughout the book, and I felt like we really got to know them as characters. There was just something about this book that didn't fully pull me in!

Love Interest is a light and entertaining novel about a workplace romance. The story follows Casey, a woman who is stuck in a dead-end job and Alex, the son of the company's chairman. Despite their initial dislike for each other, they are forced to work together on a project and eventually develop feelings for each other. However, their relationship is complicated by the fact that they work for the same company.

The novel is a quick and easy read, and it is perfect for fans of contemporary romance. The characters are well-developed and likable, and the story is both heartwarming and humorous. However, some readers may find the plot to be predictable.

Overall, "Love Interest" is a charming and enjoyable novel that is sure to please fans of workplace romance.

This was such a cute read! I really enjoy a good friends to lovers romcom and this fit the bill!! Definitely recommend if you are looking for a quick, cute read!

*Thank you @smpromance for the #gifted egalley.*

I loved this book. I could not put it down once I started it. This book even had me highlighting lines, which I rarely ever do.

I wouldn’t really classify it as enemies to lovers as the couple stops hating each other pretty quickly. I would instead call this a work place romance. The tension that really runs through the book between the main characters is more related to issues at work and within themselves versus and rivalry between the FMC and MMC.

The FMC, Casey, is such a wonderful pov to be in. Her struggles with figuring out who she is and what she wants felt very believable. The same can be said with the MMC, Alex, he felt so real and the issues he had were very understandable. I loved how much both characters communicated with each other about there issues and anything. This communication made the tiny bit of miscommunication that occurs actually be believable.

This was an easy 5 star read. And I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun romance, with good mild spice and a truly believable couple.

The only thing I love more than a good enemies-to-lovers romance, is a workplace romance that I can relate to. And Clare Gilmore’s debut romance, Love Interest, (which is set to be released on October 10th) definitely fits the bill!

This debut romance was really cute! As a native New Yorker, I loved the setting of a NYC corporation for this workplace romance. Plus having a nerdy finance girl be the main character was super fun and different. I also loved the way both Casey and Alex grow into their relationship and also try to get to the root of why their ambitions are the way they are.

Additionally, having such descriptive settings of Manhattan, Nashville, and London really helped the novel come to life.
If you love workplace romances and want to feel like you’re experiencing a NYC 9-5 job and all of the antics that come along with it, then this book is for you!

*I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press in exchange from my honest opinion.

this was so cute! a really solid romance in which i enjoyed both characters. i am excited to read other books by this author

yeah im sorry i couldn't even finish this its just S O B O R I N G ! ! ! on the bright side i managed to at least get to the 50% mark? but by then they were already in bed together so uhhh where's my tension?? on top of that the rivalry thing lasted like 20 pages (no im not exaggerating) they were suddenly besties and then she had a crush on him and yeah nope not for me sorry

Thank you for the eArc for this book! this is a very cute story i just don't think it was for me but I definitely would recommend to others if this is their type of story!

It is not live at first sight for casey.
Especially it when Alex first thing is a lion king joke.
And when she finds out he got the job because his dad is CEO....or ex CEO
It's actually not that cheesy.

Until the following items are met by the SMP team, I will be withholding any promotion or review of any St. Martin's Press titles (including SMP Romance and Wednesday Book titles):

1. Address and denounce the Islamophobia/racism from your employee.
2. Offer tangible steps for how you're going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.
3. Address how moving forward, you will support and protect your Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab readers, influencers, and authors in addition to your BIPOC readers, influencers, and authors.

First off, I wish I didn’t keep putting this book off and that I just read it sooner. It was seriously so good! I am a sucker for a workplace romance book. This book is super spicy, and the chemistry was off the charts. Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down! I cannot believe this was a debut novel, I cannot wait to read more by this author. I highly recommend checking this book out!

Review.

Love Interest
By: Clare Gilmore

Casey works in finance for a magazine publisher in NYC. She recently interviewed for a new position within the company as a project manager to challenge herself. Unfortunately, she is passed over for a guy who turns out to be a board members son. His name is Alex. What’s worse, is that Casey is still asked to work on the new project- which means she’ll be working very closely with Alex. As you can expect, the two get off to a rocky start. But as they work together, Casey starts to realize that maybe it wasn’t nepotism that got Alex the job. I really loved these characters. Their connection felt tangible. I was was grinning to myself most of the time I was reading.

I stayed up until 1am this morning finishing this book. Kinda mad at myself for not picking it up sooner. This is probably going to be one of my favorite romances of the year. ♥️

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

This was such a cute enemies to lovers and workplace romance book! I loved the romance and how engaging the book was! The banter kept me interested and I loved getting to know the characters throughout the story! I loved to see how the characters grew throughout the book and overall this was such a good debut novel! I cannot wait to see what Gilmore has in store for us in the future!