When I started reading the first chapter I was all “Wow the way this author writes sounds exactly like my inner dialogue. I am about to eat👏 this👏 up.” And I was soooo right.

In Perfect Fit, Josephine, our resident It Girl while simultaneously being a relatable queen, has spent her twenties building a fashion brand and needs to hire a consultant to help her take her company to the next level. In crashes (iykyk) Will Grant, her ex-best friend’s twin brother that she kissed nine years ago.

What a stellar read! The girl-bossing, the side characters, the giggles, the tension, the internal and external conflict!

Sometimes I can have a hard time understanding the male love interest’s feelings when it’s single pov. BUT NOT WITH WILL MF GRANT. That ✨MAN✨ was an acts of service/caretaking king and a stellar communicator, giving us all his thoughts and feelings so we (and Josephine) never had to question his love for her.

“‘NORMALIZE MALE YEARNING’” - Brittany Broski” - me after meeting Will Grant

✨Read if you love
- second chance
- men that yearn
- communication
- workplace
- caretaking
- she’s a ceo
- he cooks for her
- banter/lol moments
- laugh out loud re-meet cute
- single pov
- female friendships
- world travel
- no third act breakup
- slow burn
- seeing characters struggle with career burnout (because we’ve all hit that point, right?!)

If you’re looking for books similar to my faves Tarah DeWitt, Hannah Bonam-Young and Jessica Joyce, you absolutely need to read Perfect Fit!

I adored this book!! It was such a heartwarming read and really made me some in on the character development! The main character was realistic and hardworking, but also humble about her lifestyle! Showed the true aspects of stress and overworking yourself, all while having a life outside of work! Cute simple read for anyone! Highly recommend.

After reading (and loving!) Clare's first book, I was excited to dive into this one. A heartwarming second chance romance with a strong female lead- whats not to love!

3.5 stars... I have to say this book could easily be one that I found myself kind of rolling my eyes at. Its def sickly sweet at times which can but a turnoff for me.... but, I really bought into the romance! Will and Josephine were so great together and when they finally admitted their feelings for each other, I genuinely felt their connection. Will was so encouraging with her, I really appreciated how he let her shine. I really enjoyed Josephine as well, her work ethic and drive were so admirable to me and I related so much with how she viewed herself and her job. I'm actually pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this one! Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Perfect Fit, set against the vibrant backdrop of Austin, Texas, chronicles the life of Josie, a young CEO navigating the challenges of running her clothing company while juggling personal commitments. Despite her passion for her work, Josie teeters on the edge of burnout. Enter Will, Josie's love interest and her ex-best friend's twin brother, a brilliant consultant whose expertise not only salvages Josie's company but also makes her feel truly valued through countless acts of service.

While both Josie and Will are flawed individuals, their relationship stands out as one of the most authentic and healthy portrayals in contemporary fiction. Their bond is built on a foundation of open communication and unwavering honesty, offering readers a refreshing departure from typical romantic tropes.

Perfect Fit is a must-read for enthusiasts of women's fiction-leaning romance that doesn't shy away from substantial character growth. The novel expertly weaves in elements of travel and culinary exploration, while delving deep into themes of friendship, personal development, and the real-world challenges faced by young businesswomen. It's a compelling exploration of balancing professional ambition with personal fulfillment in the modern world.

Perfect Fit is a charming romance with a relatable main character. One of my favorite tropes is a second chance romance and this one did not disappoint. Clare Gilmore has a talent of weaving together complex stories and characters with a palpable connection and chemistry.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like this one more than I did and really thought for the first half I would rate it higher. The last quarter though for me fell flat became repetitive and found myself skimming through, just didn't really find the conflict that came up to be that much of an issue and didn't think that many people would be so concerned with the MMC personal life. I thought this was well written and will continue to read more from this author this one was just a miss for me. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this one and almost talked myself into rounding up to 4 stars multiple times. Will just felt too... fantastical to me? He is a golden retriever boyfriend to a T and, while I love a man who shows up and shows up and shows up... I couldn't help but echo the FMC's thoughts at times that she didn't deserve him. Josie is a perfectly fine FMC - CEO entrepreneur girl boss burning out in her mid-to-late twenties who doesn't have the time or desire to date... at least until Will reappears in her life. I don't have any concrete feedback on how I would have changed things. This wasn't the perfect book for me, but I know there will be those who love this!
 
Also, since I know this is a hard trope to find, NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!

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

Oh my gosh, if this isn’t just the most heartwarming story! I truly loved it.

Josie and Will are absolutely the most lovable
characters who feel like they could be your friends. Their story of reconnection is both endearing and aww-worthy!


Thank you to SMP, NetGalley, and Clare Gilmore for the wonderful Arc!

4.5 ⭐️
I could tell I was going to absolutely love this book starting right off with the dedication!
Clare's writing was so good, I found myself swooning over Will and Josie one chapter and then crying during the next! The romance between Josie and Will was fantastic. Will is the definition of a man who’s love language is acts of service! Everything he does for Josie from getting her the table for her bff's bachelorette to taking care of her when she is sick was sooooo swoon worthy omg! I love how the book tackles the idea of burning out and losing passion for the things we once loved but how we can still always find new passions and revitalize old ones! Something that really stuck out was the friendship between Josie and Camilla. Their relationship was such a beautiful part of the book.

Tropes
-workplace romance
-ex best friend's brother
-no third act breakup
-he falls first/harder
-mental health rep
-slow burn
-forced proximity

👗Single POV
👗Ex-Best Friend’s Brother
👗She’s the CEO x He’s the Consultant
👗He Falls First
👗Mental Health Struggles

This was a sweet and cozy book. There was angst in this book but it was on the lighter side with the pining and fighting of feelings. This being a single POV story, Josie’s struggle with career burnout and identity and self worth being a direct result of her and her company’s success was big part of this story. We see her attraction and feelings grow for Will but I would have loved Will’s POV, he falls first and hard for Josie and I would have squealing and kicking my feet if I had his thoughts! I was happy with Josie’s HEA because she had to put in work on herself but she still had Will and her friends’ support all while getting to enjoy life and her new direction.

Josie is the founder of a startup clothing brand called Revenant. In an attempt to become a B Corp company she was advised by her biggest investor to hire a consultant. In comes Will, her ex best friends twin brother, who she has previously kissed.
A very sweet novel, but felt it would have been better to read Will's point of view as well. I liked how not only was the book a romance novel, but also heavily showed Josie's workplace struggles.
I did find the story slow at the beginning, but it definitely picks up around 40% in.
I enjoyed this book and would read more from the author.
Thank you to St Martin's Press, Clare Gilmore and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Perfect Fit publishes on October 29, 2024

●I found a new-to-me author that is sure be an auto-buy the next time!!
●A delightful rom-com that masterfully blends humor and heart.
●The story follows Josephine Davis, a driven CEO of a fashion brand, who is forced to collaborate with Will Grant, the twin brother of her estranged best friend. ●Despite their rocky past and initial reluctance, sparks fly as they navigate professional challenges and personal growth. 
●Gilmore’s writing shines with witty dialogue and well-developed characters, making this a charming read about finding love in unexpected places and learning to balance ambition with personal happiness.
●Overall, just a perfect feel-good contemporary romance that was a pleasure to read.

Somehow, Clare Gilmore has figured out the recipe for my perfect book, and she's done it twice.

This is one of those books where you can't pinpoint exactly what made you love it. You just do. I think Josie and Will are very relatable characters; however, they each have very unique experiences that not many people in their late twenties can relate to. When I think of Josie, all I can think of is the "I'm just a girl" quote because, yes, while she is the CEO of a large fashion brand at just 27 years old, she still struggles with her self-worth and separating that from her job. Will is a genuine hero for Josie. He helps her see her worth beyond her CEO title and fully embraces who she is outside of that.

I love how the elements of their past together rounded everything out in the story. It helped to show how much each of them had grown in the nine years since high school and how much more growing they still had to do. Will is so self-aware!! We stan. It was honestly refreshing to see such a mature relationship play out on the page.

While the romantic love story was a large part of this book I think the platonic love stories also played such a big role! It all starts with the fallout from Josie's friendship with Zoe, Will's twin sister. This obviously affects how Josie views female friendships going forward in life, which makes Camila and Josie's relationship all the more remarkable because it demonstrates how important it is to have friends you can grow and change with throughout all the phases of life. And Will moving into the picture helps Josie reflect on the way things worked out with Zoe and understand where things could have gone differently. 10/10 for character growth!

I also just truly loved the setting being Austin! As a Texan, it was so fun to picture some of the places described!

Perfect Fit was a perfect fit for me. I loved this book a lot but I'm so greedy I now need another Clare Gilmore novel!

“𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓮𝓬𝓽 𝓯𝓲𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓮𝓬𝓽. 𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼."

✂️ P L O T L I N E
“A hilarious and heartfelt rom-com about having it all, slowing down to see the big picture, and finding out that the person you least expect could be your perfect fit.”

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
If you need another book boyfriend in your life, then you must meet Will Grant! He is perfect in every aspect (except for one little thing that would not fly for me….you will have to read the book and then let me know if it would be a deal breaker for you too😴).There was a whole lot to love about this book! I was swooning so hard at Josie and Wills relationship and there were so many quotes that I highlighted because they made my heart flutter. I really appreciated the depiction of a healthy romantic relationship in this book. The way they communicated and supported one another was truly commendable. Clare Gilmore shows us that a third act breakup is absolutely not needed to still fit the formula of a great romcom! The more serious topics about workplace burnout and the roll of a female CEO in the workplace were very relatable and well written. I loved the female friendship aspect and the food and travel talk was a bonus!
But….I’m a girl who needs answers, so I’m hoping that the ending was left intentionally ambiguous to perfectly provide room for book number two??? Please say it’s so Clare Gilmore!

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
🩷Workplace romance
💙Ex best friends brother
👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏻Forced proximity
🥰Swoon worthy
🤝Female friendships
💡Self Discovery
🗣️Communication
🌶️A little bit spice
😋Food and travel talk
🙌🏼No third act break up
1️⃣Single POV

👗𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾👗
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E: “𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓃 𝓂𝓎 𝒶𝓇𝓂𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓅𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝓉𝓌𝑜 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓉 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒷𝓊𝒾𝓁𝒹 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓁𝑜𝓊𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓊𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝒹. 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝓁𝒶𝓅 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓋𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻*𝒸𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉𝓁𝓎, 𝒥𝑜𝓈𝒾𝑒, 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒶 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑜𝓃 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝐵𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓂𝑒 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓂𝓎𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻, 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝓎 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊."


🙏 Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Pess, and Clare Gilmore for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

5 out of 5 stars!

If I get told now what book would I choose to tightly hug and not easily let go of, it would be this book 'Perfect Fit'.

This book caught my attention ever since I saw the cover reveal and just then I decided to read the blurb as well and at that precise moment I knew I would fall deeply in love with this book. Turns out, I was right. From the first chapter I was a goner for 'Perfect Fit'.

I'd wanted to read this author's debut novel since it came out, but unfortunately never found the right time to do so. But, I was also very fortunate to receive an arc for this, because I was already too excited for this book and had no idea how I was going to wait a but longer till its release.

The quotes! *SIGHS DREAMILY* Too many quotes in this book that made my heart flutter.
You know a book is GOOD when you find yourself highlighting many many lines in every few page.

''I know your fever's about to hit. I can wrap you up in my arms. Get under the covers with you. Keep you warm. Make you feel not alone. I can let your head rest against my chest and that way, you'll feel another person's heartbeat, in sync with yours. That's the kind of help I can be. Even though I can't take away your... physical pain, I can make you feel good in a different way.''

Will Grant, you have my heart, it is yours. It had been a hot second for me to find a (new) book boyfriend, but the way we got introduced to our main male character/love interest I knew he would find his place in my heart.
Where the heck is my cheesiness and the hopeless romanticness coming from. *tsk*

''You should have me. You do have me. I think, from now on, forevermore, you will probably always have me.''

The friendships and the relationships in this book were everything I could ask for and more! Josie being an IT GIRL and a BOSS BITCH while being extremely kind, loving and down to earth, and of course, her wanting to make everyone in her surroundings happy and being emotional and vulnerable is something that spoke to me the most. I related to her character immensely.

''I want to be there while you test each one and pick your favorites. I want to carry you around in my arms and then put you down and let you stand on your own two feet while you build something out loud that used to live inside your head. I want to stand on the sidelines and clap for you and then take you somewhere private and (....) you. But mostly, Josie, I want to be a good person with you. Because you make me feel better about myself, just by being you.''

The female friendships and the friendships, in general. Josie's relationship with Camila, and how mature and communicative they were towards one another, all because of Josie's past friendship with her former best friend. Then, we have her ex bff Zoe (who happens to be her high-school bestfriend and also her her new consultant's twin sister), with whom she hasn't spoken a single word for almost a decade. Even her relationship with her now bff's fiancé was incredible adorable, though we haven't seen too much of it. But, still.

''I want to make you a deal.''
''What deal?''
''If you wake up one morning and decide you want to try out soft living. We do it together. Even if it's only for a little while. If you want to drop everything, then I will, too.''

Overall, a fantastic book and hands down one of my FAVORITE books that I have read this year. I will think about this book for a while, I just know it.

I couldn’t put this book down! I finished it in two sittings over 14 hours. I was completely sucked into the story within the first chapter.

This is a second chance/forbidden romance between Josie and Will, who is the twin brother to Josie’s ex-best friend. She hasn’t seen him in 9 years since they shared a forbidden kiss that blew up Josie’s friendship. They run into each other in Austin, she is a successful clothing brand owner/CEO and he works as a consultant to start ups. They have incredible chemistry off the bat.

This book has fully fleshed out characters, and great side characters that add to the story. It gave me butterflies, and had incredible tension. They also deal with real life problems that felt relatable, and you can’t help but root for these two.

Clare Gilmore's Perfect Fit absolutely stole my heart! This book is a masterclass in character development, with complex, well-rounded characters that feel so real. Watching them grow—both individually and together—was a beautiful journey.

The slow-burn, second-chance romance is perfection! The chemistry between the leads is palpable, building tension in all the right ways. And I must say, Will Grant is everything; I'm obsessed! He's the perfect blend of swoon-worthy charm and emotional depth, making him a standout love interest who leaves a lasting impression.

If you love well-crafted romances with deep emotional layers and a deliciously slow build, Perfect Fit is a must-read!

Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore is such a delightful read! Featuring Josie, an over-worked, stressed business owner who’s also trying to plan her best friend’s bachelorette party. She doesn’t have time for love – especially not time to navigate old feelings that resurface as a blast-from-her-past Will comes back into her life.

Josie was such a relatable character! The life challenges she faced and her battle with self-worth resonated deeply with me as a woman in today’s society. The author did a great job crafting characters that truly felt real. It was so easy to picture the story as I read, which is a unique talent not all authors accomplish.

If you’re in the mood for a charming romance that also includes real life, meaningful storylines - I highly recommend Perfect Fit!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I don’t typically love a best friend’s brother trope but this one was written so well!