I love a second chance where the MMC comes back and works hard to win the FMC and that is exactly what we got from Will. Josephine and his sister were best friends until one night things all changed. She lost her best friend and he knew he couldn't be with her. Fast foward to years later, Jo is the CEO of a fashion company that is in need of a consultant to further it's business and Will is just that consultant. When they run into each other, literally, he knows that he can't leave her alone.
Jo doesn't want her heart broken again. She lost her best friend in a matter of minutes and she doens't want to get caught up in the web of him again. Will just wants to be near her, and she hasn't wanted to be near anyone in so long... that this feels different. Their connection is still forbidden, now he works for her. Everything she has worked so hard for could go up in flames if she takes a chance on him again, or it could be just what she needs.
I really loved Josephine even if she was a people pleaser and tried to take on the world.. almost to a fault. I could connect with her. Things with Will just felt odd from the beginning to me though. Like, he dated around all this time and kept talking about it yet was ALL IN immediately with her. It felt forced and some of the spicy scenes were.. well, they were interesting. I really did enjoy their banter and love though. He really was sweet.
Thanks to St. Martins, Clare Gilmore and Netgalley for an early copy.

A kiss changed the trajectory of her life and Josie has spent her twenties building a business and fashion brand. Keeping herself and her image impeccable to a fault. So when her inventor insists she get a consultant she is flummoxed when none other than Will Grant shows up splattered on the front end of her car. He is the last person she expected, and since their kiss that night so long ago she hasn’t seen him since. So when he insists he be her consultant she is confused. He hates her, right?

Will is everything she needs and everything she didn’t know she needed. Showing up in unexpected places, his calming presence helps her through stumbles with her business.

While I loved to see their friendship bloom and then their connection grow it was also her friendship with Camilla that shined. She girl bossed hard and lead with kindness. Wanting everyone around her to be happy and fulfilled.

I could help but feel the tug of the underlining message of burnout. Of pushing to succeed too much that you forget what makes you happy, and why you’re doing it. That sometimes it is ok to walk away and figure out what your purpose is again.

Truly a wonderful read, and so many heartfelt moments.

This was such a sweet romance! I loved the workplace vibes, perhaps even more than her previous book! My only complaint is that the characters seem much older than they are (both in terms of their career advancement/life experience, and also insight and responses) and I think the book would have been stronger if the characters were in their early 30s rather than late 20s. Still a really solid feel-good well written romance and loved the use of common tropes, and less common (love a good caretaking when sick vibe). Will definitely always read her books!

👗 Book Review 👗

Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore
👗
This is a very cute, super sweet, quick easy read. It’s more women’s fiction than romance, since the majority of the book focuses on Josie’s career, the company she created and is CEO of, and how all of that is impacting her life. She is unapologetically THE BOSS (which I love), but she’s also kind, caring, and vulnerable. The female friendships in this book are absolute goals, and I loved the focus on them. When the romance did arrive, it came in the form of Will Grant, who is the new standard for book boyfriends. He wants Josie so badly, and is so in love with her, and is willing to take whatever parts of her she can give. He supports her, takes care of her when she’s sick, and gives her space when she needs it. Let me just drop a quick quote from him, in case you need more convincing. “I can take it. Use me. Please”. He is perfect. This book was absolutely delightful, and I had a great time reading it.
👗
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️
👗
Read if you like:
▫️he falls first and harder
▫️ex-best friend’s brother
▫️forced proximity
▫️work romance
▫️slow burn
▫️found family
👗
Thank you to SMP Romance, St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Clare Gilmore for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

More so than the romance, I was really swept away by the friendships in this novel. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the relationship and Will was a new book boyfriend, but I think Gilmore really nailed it with female friendships and friendships in general. I wish I could have more of everyone as a group! Overall, it was funny and cute and I think a lot of people will enjoy it and they’re romcom collections.

👗Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore 👗

Josie Davis has been building her clothing brand, Revenant, since her senior year of college. As a female CEO in her 20s, Josie is used to having to work harder and prove herself more. When she sets her sights on getting B Corp certified, she has to hire a consulting firm to help. She never expected the consultant to be Will Grant, her former best friend’s twin brother. Will and Josie shared one kiss in high school that caused her friendship with his twin Zoe to completely implode. Being near Will again makes Josie wary for all of the reasons, but especially because it makes her wonder if there’s a way for her to actually have it all.

There is so much in this book to love, but by far the best thing is Will Grant. Will falls hard and fast for Josie but never pushes her when she expresses boundaries around personal relationships. Will was patient, understanding, and downright super hot in the way he cared for Josie first as friends and later as lovers.

I found the commentary on women in business and workplace burnout to be super interesting. I liked that the author really highlighted all of the ways that being a female CEO was harder for Josie than it would’ve been for a man, especially in the press. I really emphasized with her struggles to be the best without having to completely sacrifice everything else in her life.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this copy to read and review. All opinions are my own. Perfect Fit is out now.

I loved this book! If you want a book that’s low drama, but that still has tension, this is it. There’s a lot of internal conflict, especially on Josie’s part as she’s trying to reconcile her new found feelings for Will and how that fits into her ability to be a CEO. She’s extremely hard on herself and finds her value and self-worth in her career. Through her relationship with Will, she starts to open up to the possibility that she can find fulfillment in life that is not connected to her career.

Will is the sweetest, swooniest MMC I’ve come across lately. His care and steadfastness towards Josie was so touching. I gave tabbing a try since they were provided. Probably 80% of my tabs are when Will said or did something that had me swooning. Their relationship grew organically and despite trying to resist their attraction to each other, it becomes clear that they’re perfect for one another. And while I felt like most of their interactions were on a deeper, emotional level, there were also fun, flirty moments too.

This is also a love story of friendship. Camila, Josie’s right hand woman, is also her best friend and together they have made it into the successful business it is today. After struggling with friendship in the past, Josie finds in Camila someone with whom she can truly be herself and rely on, which is difficult for her. I related to Josie’s reluctance to show weakness as well as her desire to appear presentable and put together.

I can’t recommend this enough if you’re looking for a tender, swoony love story with an emphasis on friendship and personal growth.

Workplace romance
Former BFFs twin brother
Great communication
My favorite nickname
No third act break-up
Spice 🌶️🌶️

This started off very cute (albeit a little slow)! I adored Will even though I would have liked his character to have been fleshed out a bit more. I was a pleasantly surprised, though, because this was a bit insta-lovey, but I was able to look past it because I did like Will.

However, I really wanted to love this one more than I did. The pacing kind of caused the story to fall off a bit for me, and I found myself picking it up solely for the sake of picking it up and wanting to enjoy it. In the end, I decided to DNF at the 80% mark. I just didn't feel invested in the story and am trying to be more selective with what books I choose to spend time on so I don't get into a slump. I'm not one to usually give up on a story due to an MC being unrelatable to me, but I couldn't connect with Josie. I think if you're looking for a lighthearted, rom com with not a lot of drama, this would be one to pick up!

✨PUB DAY REVIEW✨

Perfect Fit
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a cute workplace rom-com!
Josephine has spent her twenties pouring her life and soul into her successful company Revenant. She is hiring a consultant and doesn’t expect to see Will Grant. Will was her high school best friend’s twin brother.
I’m a sucker for brother’s best friend and second chance romance 🥰 This is definitely more like a Hallmark movie. Will is the ultimate book boyfriend….almost too perfect! This was funny and had a little bit of spice! This is my second book by this author and I definitely can’t wait for more!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Perfect Fit is a rom com set in world of fashion with a female CEO and the consultant hired to help optimize her brand. This is a second chance romance, best friends brother, workplace romance - some of my favorite tropes, but @claregilmorewrites absolutely nails the execution, the banter and the realism. Don’t miss this one!

Perfect Fit is a perfect comfort read for anyone drawn to heartfelt romantic comedy. Relatable characters and perfectly paced slice of life. Just a sweet story that was well written and engaging

This was my first Clare Gilmore book and I loved it. It’s rare for a rom com to be a 5 star read, but Will was a perfect book boyfriend and it was just a good story.

I really enjoyed this book. I love Claire Gilmore’s writing. Josie is one of my favorite characters that I’ve read this year. And the communication between Josie and will? To die for!!! Perfect!
Also love the emphasis on female friendships in this book. So love to see well developed, supportive female friendships represented in books.

Another cute story from Gilmore - I really enjoyed this book!

I wasn’t sure how her sophomore release would be, since often a second book can be iffy, but this was great! It was interesting, characters had really good depth, and it kept me invested throughout. Chemistry was really good too, between Josie and Will, who have a second chance after messing up in high school. They never seeing each other again after an accidental kiss, which ruins her best friendship with his twin sister, and he leaves town straight after… the twins even have a strained relationship because it wasn’t the first time a friend came between them.

Josie and Will reconnect a decade later after he becomes a consultant for her fashion company, returning to Austin from the Big Apple, when they literally crash into each other. They have a wild ride which is all over the map, emotionally, but I loved the whole thing. I definitely recommend this book! Many great tropes and unexpected things with each page flip.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin), and this is my honest feedback.

Wow such an incredible book. Clares writing just keeps getting better!

You’re introduced to Josephine in the most hilarious and traditional damsel in distress romance way, but Clare puts a spin on it making Josie the CEO and the one who has her faults but in no way shape or form a damsel. Throughout the books she opens herself up to love and removes the fear element from that compartment of her life. Enter Will. Potentially one of my favorite book boyfriends of 2025. His love language is 100% acts of service and he is such a well thought and competent man.

This is one of those stories that reels you in from the first page and doesn't let go. I loved the way it brought us into the main character, Josie's, mind and life, showing us her insecurities as well as her successes. I loved Josie herself: smart and successful, in no need of a man to complete her life, but also deeply vulnerable. I loved her friends and coworkers, who felt multi-dimensional even if they only appeared for a few pages. And I loved the Austin setting, which was drawn so well that I suddenly want to move there and made everything feel more real.

The one thing I did not love was the male lead, Will, who - although an interesting character - was just too much of a cinnamon roll for my taste.

Josephine has spent her entire twenties building Revenant: a fashion brand. When her biggest investor orders Josie to hire a consultant, the last person she expects to be working with is Will Grant – the twin brother of Josie’s ex best friend.

"You & I are going to have an adult conversation about this.. and at the end of that conversation, we will not have broken up. Agree?"

This book deserves the award for the healthiest communication ever!! The way the MCs handled conflict(s) was phenomenal & pretentious, to be honest. I mean... setting the bar so high for all.

When Josephine runs into (literally) Will, she doesn't expect her life to change drastically. An ambitious, hardworking woman like her was on the verge of burnout when she met Will & glad she got the clarity of what she wanted from life.

I loved how both the MCs were so passionate about their jobs & open about communication. Having so much history, I felt this was so necessary. So many aspects reminded me ONE LAST SUMMER vy Carley Fortune but I was glad that there weren't any unnecessary conflicts.

The romance was slowburn & satisfying as hell. One could absolutely tell how genuine their feelings were. I never understood the reason behind not dating a person just because he/she is the best friend's sibling, but this book did a great job of explaining why. I loved Josephine & Will & could feel their emotions deeply.

<i>Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.<i>

Josie has to figure out if Will is her perfect fit!

Josephine (Josie) Davis has lived in Austin since she went to college and built her fashion business there but she never expected to see Will Grant when her biggest investor wanted her to hire a consultant to help grow the company. Will was the twin of her high school best friend Zoe but they ended being friends after Josie and Will had a drunken kiss when everything went wrong for them.

But everything is still wrong because she hasn’t talked to Zoe, she’s trying to plan for her company’s certification while still running Revenant and Will lives in New York City. So Josie has to make a decision about her personal life and her company.

You will love Perfect Fit because Josie and Will have to figure out what they want for their personal and business’ future with a little (a lot) of help from their friends.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a cute romance with a well deserved HEA! I really liked Clare Gilmore's last work, Love Interest, and I think I like this one even better. Despite her unique work situation, it was easy to relate to the main character, Josie. Josie and Will's romance is hard fought and makes for such a swoony story.

Perfect Fit was PERFECT. It was beautiful and heartwarming!

I definitely shed a few tears near the end, it had such a powerful message!

I am OBSESSED with Will Grant! He was such a patient and kind MMC. I loved how he was there to remind Josie that there's more to life than work, while at the same time, fully supportive and proud of her.

I also loved that a 3rd-act break up wasn't needed for the characters to grow! They had an healthy conversation like adults and figured out what they each needed from the other. This book could teach a class on how to avoid unnecessary 3rd-act break ups!

I can't recommend this book enough! It was a sweet, heartfelt and emotional read with great female friendships and important lessons about mental health and setting boundaries.

I also definitely recommend the author's debut novel, Love Interest, which was a favorite of mine last year!