“Everything I think about is in reference to you”

I love Josie and I love Will and I love them together!!

This slow burning workplace (second chance*) romance is fun, flirty, and filled with passion. Josie is passionate about her job, and Will. Will is passionate about food and Josie. They try so hard to combat the building attraction between them that when they finally give in it’s delicious to read.

That ending though!!!

*if you can count it as second chance since the past was just a kiss*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

Loved this book! Set in Austin and so fun to read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

4.25⭐️

Perfect Fit was such a cute and amazing rom-com. This is the second book I’ve read by Clare Gilmore and I enjoy her writing style. The story follows Josie, a ceo of a fashion brand, who is requested by her investors to hire a consultant for her company. She ends up partnering with Will Grant, her ex best friends brother. As they spend more time together they get to know one another better and feelings grow.

Will is SO cute!! I adore him. He can cook, is gentle, and thoughtful. There were so many times where he had me swooning. He cares so much about Josie and shows it through his actions and words. I also liked Josie’s character. She puts a lot of thought, effort, and care into what she does. I felt like she was relatable in some aspects. Both her and Will compliment one another perfectly. The chemistry between them felt real and they felt comfortable with each other.

a couple of my favorite quotes:

“And if you fall apart again, you’ll put yourself back together again. Because you’re strong. The only difference is from now on, I’ll be there, if you want me to, to hold your broken pieces”

“Use me. Please. It would be an honor. I can only exist for you in moments like this one.”


Overall an enjoyable read! Highly recommend adding to your tbr.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Griffin for the Arc!

“You were the first person to see every messy part of who I am and believe in me anyway.” 💜 💜
“But I was never meant to be your hero. I honestly think you were meant to be mine.”

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a wholesome love story. Josie and Will have a history, tangled with Zoe, Will’s twin and Josie’s ex-best friend. They meet when Will literally runs into Josie’s car, on his bike. Will forces his way into Josie’s life and career and does everything he can to wipe their history and start over.

Josie has this overwhelming need to be perceived as perfect. She runs herself dry with her clothing company she started 6 years ago, on accident. Will has the overwhelming need to be there to support Josie. He is absolutely incredible with her. He knows when to push her and when to back off and give her space.

Josie runs her company with her best friend Camilla, and Derrick (main investor) who ends up being my all time favorite. I loved how he stepped up for Josie and supported her finding herself and helped her cling to her dreams while doing it.

I loved watching Josie grow and let up on herself. I relate all too well in being your own worst critic. And Josie was absolutely her worst critic. With love and support from her friends, she was able to be more forgiving and accepting of herself.

This book was incredible. I can’t wait to see if we get Revenant answers in the next books 😊

** Review posted to Goodreads and will be posted to Amazon on release**

When Josie quite literally bumps into Will, she feels like she has seen a ghost from her past. It’s been years since she ended things with her best friend’s twin brother, and now she owns her own clothing company and Will wants to be a consultant for her business. They quickly realize that despite the distance and differences, they can’t seem to stay apart. Josie has to decide what is really important in her life.

I really enjoyed this sophomore book from Clare Gilmore even more than her debut! The characters were so likable and relatable. The tension was built up perfectly and when the romance hit, it was (literally) steamy. I loved how Will embraced Josie for who she was without trying to change her, while also allowing her space to grow and realize her own potential. I’m also a sucker for the “he cares for her when sick” micro trope and this was so swoon-worthy. If you enjoy strong FMCs, caring MMCS, female friendship side stories, and workplace romances, you should definitely give this book a read!

Thank you so much to Clare Gilmore and St. Martin’s Press/St Martin’s Griffin for the ARC and opportunity to be an early reader.

I enjoyed this story! It was a little difficult to see such a successful woman so hard on herself, but it was real life! Will is clearly book boyfriend material and I wish there were men like him in real life as well.

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

Here are the things that made this a win for me:

- maturing characters who demonstrate personal growth
- Austin, TX setting
- strong, independent main character who's the CEO of her own company
- the slow burn nature of J + Ws relationship
- there is no third act break-up!!!! Yay!
- an incredibly supportive, patient and respectful romantic interest that isn't threatened by Js work
- the scene where they take care of each other while sick with the flu ❤️

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC!

Josie is the CEO of her fashion company, Revenant, which she has been running for over a decade. Running late one morning, a cyclist rams into her car, causing her to become even more late. The problem gets worse for her as she knows the cyclist — Will Grant — a ghost of her past.

The story follows as Josie struggles with burnout, reconnecting with herself and her past, and her blossoming relationship with Will.

There were quite a few things about this book that I enjoyed. I loved the friend dynamic with Josie and Camila. Will is a patient, caring, and I found it refreshing that he would give up everything for her. I enjoyed that there was no third act breakup. Josie is not insufferable as a main character. In fact, she is relatable, even though she is a rich CEO. She is stressed, anxiety-riddled, and struggles with social media just like the rest of us. She hates the term girl boss. This story had a lot of depth apart from the romance and that was also a nice change.

Where this book lost a star for me was in it’s pacing. I felt, at times, like it was too slow, and yet the ending was too fast. It felt like not much happened until more that 50% of the way through the book. The internal dialogue went on for ages sometimes and I found myself skimming some of the things in Josie’s head. Additionally, I found some of the dialogue to be cheesy and I think some of these scenes could benefit from dialogue cutting or reduction.

Overall, I found this an easy read (despite some of the more heavy topics like infidelity, loss, etc). I often thought it would be a good beach read.

I read this book in 4 hours. 4 HOURS. it is now 2 am and I need to tell the internet my thoughts.

Working in retail does cause you to girl boss a little to close to the sun, and being a retail manager makes me appreciate Josephine so much more. She’s a CEO that just really likes making clothes and simultaneously cares way too much about what everyone thinks.

Enter (or shall we say re enter) Will. An old flame that helps Josephine re write who she is or who she has been all along. All while helping her as a consultant at her brand.

I laughed, I sobbed a little too hard, I blew through this book. Omg. Go pick it up.

I’ve never read a Clare Gilmore book, but now that I have I will be reading the books she has/ will publish.

This second chance romance was so cute. I love how they were always there for each other no matter what. They know how to communicate with each other. There is no doubt that they would last forever.

Josephine was such a girl boss, working hard for everything even as a CEO. Will was also so supportive and he was amazing.

Solid 4.5/5 stars


***THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR THIS FREE ARC. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN***

A great second-chance rom-com. When Josie and Will's fates finally collide after years of fallout, they are both at the peak of their careers. With Josie's dedication running to the point of burnout, she finds support in the least like place, Will. This was such a feel-good read that had me longing to start my summer vacation!

Clare Gilmore does it again! As a woman in a male dominated field I’m a sucker for a book with a strong confident woman in business. Josie is a CEO whose entire worth is tied up in her jobs and Will is a consultant that she knew in high school who is she runs into (quite literally). Together they form a tentative friendship which (spoiler alert!) grows into something more.

I loved the way these characters were written because it is so easy to see yourself in them. Josie is long past burn out struggling to meet the demands she places on herself. Will is yearning to be more but afraid of taking that leap from his safe career. Together they come together and learn about each other and themselves. Also a little bonus is that there isn’t a 3rd act breakup! We must stan a healthy relationship with communication. Overall, I highly recommend especially if you’ve ever been tired of the corporate rat race. I think you’ll see a lot of what you feel validated in these character.

This story was very cute, sad and funny, we go through all the emotions. I loved Will's character, he is patient, kind, supportive and so much more. For Josie (Josephine), I love her strong and inspiring female character. I also really like the side character, they added something really interesting to the story, and all their chemistry was so good. I also loved that the author talked about Josie's insecurities and that it was relatable. But I think the book could have been shorter, I feel like there are so many things that are repeated, I can understand repeating something to tease the reader, but there is still a limit.

This is THE corporate girlies romance read of 2024. I've never felt represented or read a book that portrayed the reality of dating while trying to achieve your girl boss dreams. Gilmore created the most addictive love story I've read all year. I am so sad that I've finished this book and can't spend the rest of my days with Josie, Will, Camilla and the biker gang. Definitely pick this one up once it is released - you will not regret it!

This is one of the best romance books I have read in a long time. You follow self created brand CEO, Josie as she tries to find some balance in her life. Add in Will, a blast from the past that may have inadvertently ended her relationship with her best friend/his twin sister. This book gets a chefs kiss.

This book has some serious undertones. Josie struggles a lot with her self worth. It’s so tied with her brand that she feels like if she doesn’t have her company she has nothing. Will struggles with thinking he brings chaos to relationships around him regardless of the situations behind the splitting.

Pick this one up when you get the chance. There’s no dual POV, so no misunderstanding trope. It’s a slow but satisfying burn. Their chemistry will have you giddy. I 100% recommend!

First off Love Interest was my 2023 fav romance and after reading Claire’s sophomore novel I’ve come to realize she writes careers beautifully… which on my romance journey I have figured out I need a good career heavy story line. Which is odd because I don’t work 😂 but besides that I loved our main gal Josephine and he passion for her fashion brand… as someone who is into fashion I gobbled up this bit!

I also enjoyed the honesty and communication between her and Will their relationship throughout time. Friendship a major theme throughout this book and I really appreciated the lovely portrayal of the topic and not just in a romantic sense.

This one compared to LI felt more serious to me. LI was packed with humor and I really didn’t get that from PF, which isn’t a bad thing but I was hoping to read some hilarious one liners. I did highlight a moment…. DEVILED EGGS AND KEEP THEM COMING! 😂

Thank you St. Martins Griffin
Releases 10/29
4.5 ⭐️
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.Andthebookshelf/

Josephine is a CEO in her late twenties in Austin - she has designed and curated a fashion brand called Revenant and spends all of her time devoted to furthering it. When her ex-best friend’s twin shows up and literally runs into her car, her entire life changes. She is suddenly aware of past wrongs, the approval of the public and everyone around her, and how little time she has for herself - or someone special.

I thought this book was a unique look at work-life balance and righting past wrongs. I think this book is hip, timely, and an engaging read. Will and Josephine have chemistry and readers will enjoy their second chance at romance. The main takeaway from this book is really not about romance, but about how much we care about others’ opinions of us. I was pretty surprised at how “good” both characters were. Even with their lists of “terrible things” about themselves, their self-awareness is off the charts. It’s pretty unbelievable, honestly. I thought that their love and their level of communication is something that most people strive for, but we rarely see at this level. Overall, a fun read with extremely likable characters and a plot that leaves the reader with a message we may all need to hear.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This one was not for me. I found the romance fell a bit flat and I didn't love the main characters. I didn't really find the characters' connections to be so believable but I did love the strong female leads and the business plotline of the book.

Thank you St Martin’s Press and Net Galley for an eARC for this really cute second chance romance.

Josie is a 27 CEO of a fashion company who identifies as an accidental girl boss who’s trying to do it all. As an overachieving millennial I could totally relate to her journey trying to navigate a career, friendships and love.

Will is the MMC love interest, also her former best friend’s twin brother. There was an unfortunate separation over a decade ago and fate has brought them back together in the workplace.

I really enjoyed the writing. There were a lot of millennial pop culture references. The characters were cute.

You’ll love this if you like
— mutual pining
— slow burns
— rekindled friendships
— sweet romance with a little bit of spice

Got to read the ARC for this one and let me tell you, it was adorable!! Start to finish I was interested. Rom-Com just doesn't feel like enough to describe it... it had LOL moments, tear jerking moment, relatable moments.
This author definitely made a new follower. I loved her writing style and I will be reading any and all other books by her.
This book is scheduled to release in October of this year
(2024) go ahead and preorder it, add to your TBR, plan on reading it!!