This was so good! So cute, warm, and satisfying, with lots of character growth. I really loved that there wasn't a third act breakup, but rather two people working together to overcome challenges while also consciously maintaining their relationship. I also loved seeing the development between characters who knew each other as a past version of themselves - that really made me happy, and spoke to my mid-thirties heart.

This swoony book is the perfect love story. From the moment Will Grant, stepped on the page, he completely had my heart. Josie is such a relatable, flawed character who goes on an incredible journey of self-discovery throughout the book. I loved it from the first page, and Clare has become an auto-buy author for me.

i enjoyed this: the characters, the friendships, the relationship between will and josie. personally enjoyed the characters more than the plot and storyline.

I really wanted to like this book but my god did it put me in the worst reading slump. The book starts to pick up around the 80% mark which is just too far into the story for me.

For the record, this isn’t a bad book, it’s well written and Clare is clearly a talented author. I think this book’s biggest issue is the way it is marketed. I wouldn’t consider this book a romcom as much as as a women’s fiction book about finding what you want from your life in your 20s when your planned path doesn’t feel the way you expected.

Josephine is a compelling character. She has strong female friendships and a robust social life. She comes from a well-off family and doesn’t want to be celebrity CEO. She wants to feel productive and like her work has meaning but it entirely consumes her life to the point that she struggles to date. Josephine’s main issue is that she has a compulsive need to work. She clearly needs therapy not a relationship but Will enters the chat to help her.

Will is well… he’s sweet and caring but he doesn’t really have a character arc. He’s fine. I thought the way he showed his love through acts of service was sweet but I didn’t understand his motivations. He moved to New York to start over after his parent’s divorce but he isn’t tied to living there until one chapter where he is then he changes his mind again. He says he stays for his sister then later monologues about how she’s fine on her own but also NYC is more than finance bros and he wants Josephine to love it. He doesn’t really seem to care for his work outside of supporting Josephine. His life moulds to Josephine’s to the point he doesn’t feel like his own person. He feels like a plot device.

Nothing about Will and Josephine’s relationship really drew me in. They’re wasn’t really any pining between them from their childhood, they did not have a relationship outside of a single, forbidden kiss, nor did they seem to have a strong connection in the present outside of an inherent attraction. The spicy scenes were cringey and written in a very inexperienced way. (Respectfully, no woman is orgasming from being penetrated for the first time. Most women can’t even orgasm from penetration alone.) The conflict keeping them apart, namely their different home states and the fact that he’s a contracted worker for her business, were identified but didn’t seem to have any impact on the story and were all to quickly resolved. They just made it work, which good for them but it makes for a slightly boring story.

When I read a romcom, I want to feel something and love the characters and kick my feet and giggle at the characters but this book didn’t do that for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I LOVED this book. 🩷🩷 It was lovely, touching, moving, engaging and fun. It is just the female’s POV which is a change from the dual POV’s I usually read. And it’s an angsty, slow burn….but oh so worth it.
Josephine is a workaholic CEO who reconnects with her ex best friend’s twin brother, Will. And goodness, Will is EVERYTHING. Handsome, swoony, witty, understanding and just plain wonderful.
The relationship that forms ever so slowly between Will and Josie is fun to witness and root for. The plot about social media and its ability to really wreak havoc on a person’s life, is timely, important and addressed really well. I was so sad when the book ended - I could hang out with Will and Josephine forever. 🫶🏻🫶🏻

✅ Josie, 28, CEO of a startup clothing company & Will Grant, 28, consultant
✅ estranged best friend’s brother
✅ second chance romance
✅ he falls first and harder
🌶️: SLOW burn, and yes-ish. It happens on page but not in detail.
✅ no 3rd act breakup

A+ banter & chemistry, characters that are real and flawed - I really enjoyed this

This book was great!! Full of all things you love in a romance- strong female lead, lots of banter and pining. I loved the relationships and friendships in this novel!

3.5 ⭐️

This one is for all the work romance and second chance romance readers out there🙌🏼

Tbh high school to adult second chance romances are not my favorite, but I still enjoyed many parts of this book. Josephine was such an uptight but hilarious girl boss to read about. She was very complex and had many layers to her as a fashion CEO, which I really enjoyed. Will was your typical swoony book boyfriend who said all the right things. He was almost too perfect though, and some of what he said didn’t feel like dialogue an actual person would use 😂

With second chance romance comes miscommunication. I wish Josie would have given Will the chance to talk things out when they were younger. I get that he was her best friend’s older brother and it ruined her friendship, but home girl didn’t try to fix either of the relationships that were ruined 🥲

Also side note, can we talk about how cute her bestie Camilla was? I enjoyed this side character and how supportive she was of Josie. I will say I googled more than twice to see if Camilla had a previous book about her. The way this book was written, really had me thinking there was a sequel I had missed that was about Camila and David 😂

The main issue I had with this book (besides having not my fav trope) is that it felt long between the 30-60% mark. The story started focusing so much on the logistics of running her business, that I began skimming the pages. Once we got to Will and Josie’s forced proximity while traveling and one of them getting sick… I mean, I just read the second half of the book in one sitting 😂

Thank you Net Galley for letting me read this one early!

I enjoyed the Perfect Fit. The book was an easy fun read following two high school acquaintances who hadn’t seen each other in ten years.

I didn’t feel like the first chapter about the “It Girl” and the “All American Girl” really made sense. I’m actually glad I kept reading because the book got better but I just didn’t think those descriptions accurately described the character well. I liked Josie creating and running her own company and Will Grant’s career path and how that brought them together.

I really liked the characters and thought they really portrayed real people with real problems/issues but that first chapter and references to it kind of made me confused. I think it needs to be re-worked to make the book more cohesive - if so, I’’d definitely rate it higher.

Thanks for the free ARC!

Loved this book so much! Josie really reminds me of myself and I found it very easy to relate to her issues. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

I loved Josie and Will! Josephine's path with Revenant was captivating to follow. I loved her relationship with her best friend and how they grow together. This book was well thought out and well written - it was a great read. Perfect for summer on the beach!


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

Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore is a delightful romantic comedy that explores the themes of balancing success with personal fulfillment, gaining perspective on life, and discovering unexpected connections. This charming novel captures the essence of love and friendship and the struggles of navigating one's identity in a complex world. Its heartwarming narrative reminds readers of the importance of authenticity and staying true to oneself.

I will honestly read anything that Clare Gilmore writes. This was so much fun, I absolutely loved Will and Josie's relationship and honestly couldn't put this down. There were really fun and funny moments, quite poignant moments, steamy spicy moments and while the evolution of their relationship might have been a little fantastical I loved every bit of it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc, all opinions are my own!

Okay, I loved this book and practically couldn't put it down. I have already put her other book on hold at the library.

I liked this book as there was some complex character development and growth, as well as a slow burn romance. I am afraid to type more without including spoilers. Josie and Will are a fabulous couple and I just couldn't wait to see how their story unfolded.

Thanks for the ARC! I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved Clare Gilmore’s debut novel and this one didn’t disappoint either! I love a good slow burn romance with closed doors so this was right up my alley.

“Perfect Fit” written by Clare Gilmore follows Josephine Davis, a young CEO of her very own clothing company on her journey between chapters. There’s a time for everyone where one chapter closes and another opens. This novel perfectly stitches together the positive and negative effects of these enormous life changes. Josie struggles immensely with letting others in and her own self image, but with the help of her best friends, love interest, her mentor, and her ex best friend with whom she reconnected with. There are so many themes within this novel but my favourite is the healing aspect. Clare provides accurate representations of several different issues young woman deal with in todays society. I think more of these stories need to be written, even though the romance seemed to be the main point I think the most important point was Josie entering her healing era and we doing see that as often as we should.

I was a huge fan of Clare Gilmore’s first novel, and her sophomore did not disappointment. I adore Josie and Will, and the addition of Josie’s ex-best friend creates such perfect tension between the two of them and Josie herself. I loved this book so, so much.

Josie’s grandmother taught her to sew and after she died, Josie’s main comfort came from sewing original items. The sewing consumed her life and eventually she needed investors and consultants to help with her company. The consultant ended up being Will Grant, the twin brother of her high school friend, Zoe. Zoe saw Josie kiss Will on their senior trip and believed their friendship was just so Josie could be with Will. Josie, Zoe, and Will had not spoken since that event 9 years ago. Will professed he would do whatever Josie needed to be successful, hoping to make up for the kiss and the separation. This book is wonderful, all about forgiveness, hard work, and re-evaluating what is important in life.

Get excited for this Fall 2024 romcom release! I loved this light-hearted, meet cute that starts with a bike crash. I also loved the Austin setting. Outdoor recreation, bars, and food are all central to this story. Josie’s character and the Revenant brand felt referential to the story of the young female founder and CEO of Outdoor Voices. I thought the background behind Josie and Will and their respective friendships, family and coworkers all helped move the story forward. As someone who spent 20+ working in corporate retail who has definitely burned out more than once, this one hit home for me personally. Maybe I just needed validation that we should all be doing what we love, but sometimes you need a break. Thank you to St. Martin Press and NetGalley for my ARC. Add this to your fall TBR list now!

This is the first book I have read by this author and she did not disappoint. This book is my favorite genre of book to read and this one was delightful. Will and Josie are so lovable and their story and personal growth were perfect. I will definitely recommend this book to others and read more by this author. I love the ending too. :)