I unfortunately felt like I did not connect with the characters and writing style. The story started fast, moved slowly through the middle and ended fast and some issues the characters were having felt contradictory. I did like that there was no third act breakup!

Excuse me while I gush about this book. I absolutely loved it. Will and Josie are perfectly imperfect. This book has everything from romance to friendships, rebuilding of relationships, separating the work from the person, social media and the expectations and judgement of others, and so much more that Clare writes expertly and beautifully. Perfect Fit is the perfect blend of accepting flaws, honest truths, unconditional love, and learning how to be your best self. “Everything I think about is in reference to you.”-me to this book

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read Perfect Fit. I read the entire book in one day! The title fits the story perfectly. Josie and Will are the perfect fit. However, it took Josie most of the book to allow herself to relax and live a happy life with the man she loves. This romance book was different than most other romance books because the couple never really fell apart or had major problems. I actually really enjoyed this different book.

Rounded up to 3.5 Stars!

Josie is a successful career woman, having created a fashion line/company. She needs a consultant to help her with a new goal she has. Here is where Will enters. He is the brother of her ex-best friend in high school. ok- here we go!

I liked the character of Josie. She was intelligent, focused, caring to her friends. She always thought about others, and wanted to make sure that they were happy. She goes through a crisis because she has been so career focused- wanting to achieve each of her goals, that she does not know how to relax, and has lost touch of what she really wants to be doing. And speaking of friends, I absolutely LOVED the character of Chloe- her best friend in the present. She was such a vibrant, encouraging character. And the scenes written about the interaction between she and her fiance? Sublime! Although there were only a couple, you could feel the chemistry, tenderness, and connection with these two. I want to see a book about them!

The character of Will. He is always supportive, always there, and asks for nothing for himself. And while this is a very attractive character, towards the middle and the end I wanted to yell at him! Come on- it is ok to get frustrated and angry, and desire a little respect/consideration for your own pain! His patience was inhuman. At one point Josie is confused- admitting she cares about him, but not sure if it is long term. Will's reply, "Just use me!". Umm, ok. I started to feel a little uncomfortable with the ever giving, always patient Will.

The thing that set this story in motion? A kiss! A kiss in their senior year, when they were both having a bad day. Will's twin sister (Josie's BFF), saw the kiss, and that was it for their friendship. And Will and Josie never spoke again, because Will and Zoe's family moved. Will has always felt bad about this, and has never connected romantically with any of his former girlfriends- because of Josie, and this kiss they shared in high school. This seems a little trivial to springboard the story off of, and that is why I am detracting one star.

Overall, this is cute, and I stayed engaged through most of it. I am going to try her other novel!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC. This is my honest, voluntary review.

After absolutely loving my last Clare Gilmore read, I couldn’t wait to pick up Perfect Fit. And no surprise, it was a pure delight.

During her senior year of highschool, Josie made a mistake. Truly, it wasn’t a big deal, but like all teenage drama, it spiralled, and Josie has been impacted by it ever since. But that one mistake, which happened to be a kiss with her best friend’s twin brother, cost her that friendship, and taught her that social media can be vicious. But when Will literally runs into her years later, the sparks are still there and Josie can’t deny them.

Josie is a flawed character – which makes her real. She struggles with her work/life balance, and has moments of hypocrisy (she gives others grace, but not herself). And like all great romance leads, Will is patient, loving, and tender. Also, smart and financially sound. Their romance is pure and sweet, and supportive of each other.

Loved this. Loved them. Love anything Clare Gilmore writes.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I requested a bunch of romance on here because I wanted to try it out. However, romance is just not working for me at the moment. I think its more me than the books themselves so I will be giving this one a neutral rating.

I just couldn't get into the story and felt bored. I know many others who have loved this one so I think it is more a me problem than anything.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. Clare Gilmore did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

Josie works hard in her twenties to build up a fashion brand when her biggest investor has her hire a consultant she ends up with Will the twin brother of her ex-best friend.

Will and Josie definitely have a history and you do throughout the course of the book. Find out exactly what went down between them as well as why Josie is no longer friends with Will's sister. Ultimately everybody in this book did some bad and horrible things. Will and Josie have to decide if they can overcome their past and distance in order to really make a relationship.

Whereas this was a very enjoyable book. I can't give it a full five stars because it did feel long. I did find myself sort of skimming a few scenes just because they felt unnecessary and didn't really seem like they added to the plot. Other than that, it is a very enjoyable book and I recommend if you're at all interested in a sort of enemies to lovers office romance with a lot of drama.

Enemies to lovers?! Second chances? A rom com set in Austin? This was so up my alley, it was like it was written for me. I loved this book so much and cannot wait to read more!

DID NOT FINISH.

I really think this book has some excellent characters and sweet moments. However, I never got all the way into it. Picking it up and setting it back down became the norm, and I think I lost a lot of momentum because of that. I'll have to try again in a few months.

When I read the blurb for Perfect Fit, I was immediately interested. From what I read in the blurb, this book hit all my wants for a romance. So, I accepted the widget and jumped into reading. I am happy to say that this book was a great read.

The main storyline of Perfect Fit is centered on Josie. Josie is a twentysomething fashion designer who has built her brand up on social media and is looking to open a brick-and-mortar store. When her leading investor hires a consulting firm, Josie is all for it until she realizes who she will work with – Will Grant, the twin brother of her high school ex-best friend Zoe. Still hurting from how her friendship with Zoe ended, Josie keeps him at arm’s length. But that lasts all of a minute because everything Josie has worked so hard for is about to go up in flames. Through it all, Will is at her side. Can Josie see what she has before her, or will she let it go?

I liked Josie. To this day, she remains one of the realest characters that I have read. Take, for instance, her battle with social media. Josie put herself in exile from all sites because of the cyberbullying she endured in the early years of her business and the impact it had on her mental health. I also like that she wasn’t made out to be a superwoman CEO. Instead, as the book went on, she got progressively more and more burnt out, and I liked how the author chose to have her remedy it.

I liked Will and thought he was perfect for Josie. Initially, I thought he would be a Finance Bro (and wasn’t surprised when he admitted that he was), but that assumption was thrown out the window shortly after the book began. Will went above and beyond for Josie, both personally and professionally. He even began to mend the friendship between Josie and Zoe.

The friendship between Josie and Zoe and how it ended are a vast part of the book. The author didn’t come right out and say what happened that night at the beach. Instead, she teased it, and I was stunned when the whole story came out. That night had so much trauma, assumptions, and communication issues and it broke my heart.

The storyline with the business was interesting, but it didn’t hold my attention. I was more interested in Josie, Will, and their slow-burn romance than reading about investors and opening stores. I liked the trip that Will and Josie took to Peru and Spain. The Peru trip (and the stomach bug they both caught) broke down the last walls between Will and Josie.

There was a secondary storyline involving Josie and her current best friend. It was the only time I didn’t like Josie. Instead of confronting her best friend over something that was said while drunk, Josie stewed on it. And when everything (including the news that her best friend was supposed to tell her in private) exploded, it wasn’t very good. Thankfully, Josie’s current best friend didn’t do her dirty like Zoe and instead talked to Josie about what was happening.

The romance between Will and Josie was a slow burn, and I loved it. There was a lot of sighing, looking at lips, and sexual chemistry that was through the roof. So, when they finally had sex, I was like, “Finally.” And then, it was a wait for Josie to realize her feelings for Will (his feelings were very apparent from the get-go).

The end of Perfect Fit was perfect. I liked how the author wrapped everything up and gave Josie the closure she needed with Zoe and the HEA she deserved with Will.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Clare Gilmore for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Perfect Fit. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

I'd like to give a big thank to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Clare Gilmore's writing style. The premise of this book was cute. The characters were charming and easy to follow along.
I would've enjoyed the book more if we had spent more time on the plot but I think that's more of a me thing then a problem with the book. All in a all it was a quick enjoyable read!

My Thoughts

As a teenager Josephine Davis found passion in creating one-of-a-kind clothing and that expanded into a full-blown fashion business that she obsesses over pretty much 24 hours a day.

Now in her late twenties Josie is overworked and on the fast track to a personal crisis if she refuses to slow down.

Enter center stage Will Grant, twin brother of her once best friend Zoe.

Now a business consultant Will signs on with her company and soon the two are mixing business and pleasure as their personal connection grows.

The story has a set of quirky characters who perfectly personify people who are true Austinites.

Josephine and Will as the leads take readers to some places familiar to me and some in the city I am totally unfamiliar with but sound pretty interesting.

I enjoyed the dialog between everyone as the characters interacted with each other, especially the conversations exploring their feelings between Josie and Will.

Billed as a rom-com you will find that this is true but also there is a depth to the story that sets it apart and makes readers take into consideration there is more to life than working oneself ragged.

[EArc from Netgalley]


On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

This was my first Clare Gilmore novel, and I will surely be back for more! I really enjoyed Perfect Fit and the multi-dimensional characters she wrote. Maybe an over-generalization, but rom-com characters often fall flat and appear one-dimensional to me. That's not the case with Josie and Will Grant! I fell for them the minute Will crashed his bike into Josie's car. I loved how their history was woven into the fabric of the story in a very organic way. Would have loved some chapters from Will's perspective! And I love how these two got their happy ending after a slowwwwwww burn romance.

Note to editors (if it's not too late) - please cut down on the number of Will Grant references using his full name. It was a bit juvenile. And his use of calling Josie "sweetheart." Just didn't fit with the character.

This was one of my favorite reads this year! I loved the atmosphere of the book including the plot and the setting. Josie loved her job and that passion was felt as I was reading. She was my favorite character in this book, especially because I related to her feelings of burnout as she navigated being a CEO. Will was such a golden-retriever man with a sense of humor. They have great communication throughout the book leading to an amazing relationship professionally and romantically.

The man in this book is to die for. He's everything I want in a male love interest. I loved the circumstance of which they were connected. I also love the ceo dynamic for the female main character because she is experiencing such real life problems such as burnout. I also truly felt like these two characters were made perfectly for each other!

Overall I really enjoyed this read. It was mostly light and an easy to read romance but had some meaningful bits as well. Loved the characters and their relationships, but I do think some of the things seemed out of proportion (I.e. what caused the initial friend falling out, how much of an interest story some of the later drama would have been in the real world) but none of that stopped me from devouring the book in less than 24 hours. Sometimes this is a perfect fit for what you are looking for and helps you reflect on what is important.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! Love second chance romances (and friendships)? Then you might want to pick up this one! Josie is the CEO of her own clothing brand, Revenant, and she hopes to have her company B-Corp Certified. So when she starts looking for a consultant, she does not expect to hire Will - the twin brother of Josie’s ex best friend.
I liked the journey that each of them goes through - it was complex, yet realistic. Even though Josie is a workaholic CEO type, she is kind, thoughtful, and makes sure her friends and employees are cared for. Will is the ultimate acts of service guy, which was sweet, and supported Josie all throughout the book. The work trip scenes were one of my favorites in the book (though I have a lot of favorite scenes). I wished that Josie and Zoe (her ex best friend) could have squashed all of the misunderstandings and doubts earlier though, but I’m, glad it ended the way it did. This was a fun, sweet, and romantic read, even though it touches on topics like working in the corporate world, burnout, and the fear of not being enough.

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for access to this E-ARC! Really enjoyed this one. Cute characters & concept. Will definitely read more from this author.

This was a easy, light read. I thought the plot was good, but I didn't find I connected too much to the main characters. I liked Josie and Will, but I wanted to connect to them on a much deeper level. Loved Cami and Josie's friendship. All the supporting characters were also good and it was overall a sweet book.