This book is irresistible!! The tension between Will Grant and Josie is intense and obviously the “nothing can happen between us” fails so hard. The characters the writing were perfectly executed, the exploration of social media with going viral and mental health issues were represented in a tender manner. Is it a second chance if they only kissed when they were younger? The present romance was flirty and sweaty with the amount of effort Josie put in to make her unappealing for Will Grant.

As soon as I got okayed for the e-ARC for this one, I leapt on it because A: it’s about a woman who has 4 sewing machines in her home (not at all relatable since I recently loaned my 4th machine to a friend) and B: Clare Gilmore wrote it, so I knew I’d be invited into a world of characters who care about each other, who struggle with realistic workplace, family, and friendship challenges, and who build romantic relationships based not just on attraction or instant sparks, but on showing up for each other time and again with support, selflessness, and deep affection. I love the depth Gilmore gives her love stories, the capability and ambition she gives her heroines, and the kindness and perceptiveness she gives her heroes. I love her friend groups and workplace colleagues. I love her use of setting, both the spaces and the cities. This is also a brilliantly structured story, wherein every subplot ties together and supports the central journey, examining deeper themes about perception, self-worth, success, and adaptability to change, without ever taking its eyes off the leads and their romance. It’s warm from first page to last, as well as sexy, smart, and funny, while Gilmore lets her couple be perfect for each other throughout, placing the conflict outside the relationship and not within it, so all those readers who complain about the third act break up, or characters who don’t always have mature conversations when conflict hits, here you go. Spend some glorious hours with Gilmore’s warm and witty prose, and with a relationship so consistently candid, confident, loving, sexy, and supportive, you’ll want to start at the beginning again the moment you finish the epilogue.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Rally the girl bosses in your life to read this sophomore novel by Clare Gilmore. Josephine “Josie” Davis is the ultimate girl boss (just don’t call her that to her face). Like, big time - Forbes 30 under 30 list! Josie has spent most of her 20s building her clothing business from the ground up… to the point of burning out. When she looks for a consultant to help her get B Corp Certified, she never imagined the consultant would be her high school best friend’s twin brother, Will Grant. The history between Josie and Will stalls them until they decide a partnership might be what they both need.

Can I just say, this is the year of comfortable men - those who support, cheer on and are not threatened or phased by strong, successful, independent women. Will Grant is that man. The chemistry between these two is amazing and I was pulled in from the beginning.

Gilmore’s storytelling is like listening to a best friend tell you a story over drinks. The characters came to life and I enjoyed reading this story. I personally like endings that are tied up so wasn’t a fan of the “what if” question at the end. Otherwise, a great, fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This is such a special book, wow! I felt so seen.
It was just really beautiful and inspiring to see the fmc work through her problems which are so darn familiar to me, and come to love herself and value herself. And the mmc is so effing perfect book boyfriend material like goals

I enjoyed this one! There's so much in this book to unpack. Loved the representation of burn out, rebellion against the grind, and girl UNboss theme. Really enjoyed the representation of female friendships. My favorite thing about this book was probably that there wasn't a third act break up. My least favorite part was probably the ambiguous ending because I just want to know!

I absolutely adored this book and Clare Gilmore is an auto-buy author for me. There’s nothing I inhale faster than a funny second chance, friends to lovers romance with *adult communication* and Perfect Fit hit all those notes perfectly. I really enjoyed the fact that the MC’s were a little bit older with more lived life under their belts so they had a better understanding of what they wanted from a relationship. Highly recommend this book!!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of perfect fit.

I really enjoyed this book!

Josie was a very nuanced character. I like that her work life was just as explored as her love life.

I thought her reconnecting with Will was very lovely. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to The Perfect Fit.

I became a fan of Clare Gilmore after her first novel, Love Interest, debuted last year. I admit I was drawn to her initially because we both lived in Nashville but her writing and characters hooked me from the start. The Perfect Fit was no different. This novel tells the story of burnt out fashion designer/CEO, Josephine, and how reconnecting/falling in love with her high school best friend's brother helps her find the balance she's long been needing. This story gave me butterflies and made me blush in a way that I now call the Gilmore way. This is an auto buy author for me now and I highly recommend this story to any romance fan! Loved it, just loved it!

Gilmore, you've done it again! Another stunning workplace romance with ridiculously great banter and a VERY swoon MMC. Like - new book boyfriend material.

genre: romance
format: digital
my rating: 4.50 ⭐️
spice: open door (but tasteful)
release date: October 29, 2024

First off, just let me say, this whole business model reminded me of About the Fit in the movie The Intern - so I was DEFINITELY waiting for a huge dose of betrayal to be served up to Josie at some point (no spoilers on whether or not that actually happens). But her character embodied the female CEO that Hathaway portrayed in that film - dedicated (maybe a little too much), focused (on the wrong thing), and working herself to the bone...but also somehow kind of happy?

I really loved watching Josie and Will fall for each other...but I also loved watching Josie re-fall in love with herself and her life. Will brings out a fun and easygoing side to her that I think was just...really amazing to watch as that side battled with the driven Josie she'd been for years.

Which side wins? Guess you'll have to read to find out.

From the meet cute of Josie and Will, to their working relationship, to a new (but old) blossoming friendship, their travels, and everything in between - I was rooting for them until the very end. And there was NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP. That's right, romance fans. No ridiculous miscommunication or freakout here!

I highly recommend this if you enjoyed Gilmore's first novel, LOVE INTEREST, Fallon Ballard's JUST MY TYPE, or Lauren Forsythe's DEALBREAKERS.

Read if you like:
Workplace Romance
The Intern (Anne Hathaway movie)
Second Chance Romance
Witty, Fun Banter

The story was rather quiet, very calm, and overall lacking in tension, which was actually rather lovely. 3-4 stars for the target audience and 5 for the right readers.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

What a wonderful book! I could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone.

Wow. All the applause for this book. I don't know if I've ever loved a story this much? Will and Josephine's growth and romance was just so beautifully done. I didn't expect to love this as much as I did. I loved the mental talks, the growth, the communication! It was done so well. I can't find to see this in stores.

This is a good follow up to her first book. The spice is low, and the banter is high, and I couldn't put this book down I finished in it like a day and half because I work but you will love it

10* stars.
One of the best romances ever.
It was raw and it was real. The characters were simply perfect. I highlighted so many things in it. I can't say much more so I don't ruin it for anyone. It's a must read book for a true romance book lover.

Thank you to St Martins and Netgalley for the ARC!

Clare Gilmore might be the queen of workplace romances. This book is a different sort of romcom, where the romance starts out loving and it remains loving, with the climax not affecting the lovers or the friendships, but our main character herself. Once they admit their feelings, those feelings never falter. The friendships are sincere and the re-connection of old friends who have had falling outs is remarkable.

It was an honor to read this books so early and I will be reading everything Clare Gilmore releases next.

Josie accidentally started a clothing brand her senior year of college, and it has taken off in the past 10 years. She hasn't had time for a personal life, other than her sweet best friend, who works for her in marketing. However, an accident brings Will, a crush from high school and her high school best friends' brother, back to her door, and it causes her to rethink her priorities. This is a fabulous slow burn with lots of interesting supporting characters and an inspiring depth to it. Love Clare Gilmore, and absolutely loved this story!

With an exceptional cast of characters and a love story that is so raw and tender, ‘Perfect Fit’ by Clare Gilmore is an absolute delight of a story and will touch your heart over and over again. We follow Josie, 27-year old CEO and founder of clothing-brand Revenant, as she slowly discovers love, life, and herself. ‘Perfect Fit’ highlights the importance of recognizing when change is needed and accepting that life may look different to anything you could have ever imagined. I absolutely loved this book and the refreshing, healthy relationship between Josie and Will that had me rooting for them from page one! Clare Gilmore is an incredible author, and I cannot recommend ‘Perfect Fit’ enough!

I’m so glad that these two got the HEA they deserve. It felt earned and sweet. I seriously couldn’t put this down and definitely would be recommending to all the hopeful romantics out there.

I enjoyed the premise, the characters, the friendships, and the relationship between Will and Josie.

It was a very light read for me despite the many issues discussed throughout the book- mainly insecurities, self-doubt, anxiety, stress. I appreciated the author's attempt to make Josie more relatable through her history and personal struggles: however, I just couldn't connect with Josie. It might have been easier had she not be from a rich family and made it plain that her family money helped support her career. Her life and her very privileged lifestyle made her harder for me to connect with.

Overall, the storyline was well executed, the characters, especially the supporting characters, were very likeable. Overall, a fun, light read!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this.
I LOVE Clare Gilmore. Just love. Should be considered a masterclass in banter. There is just something about her dialogue that is JUST pure perfection. I also am a huge fan of romances that have a really solid emphasis on career, and this was swimming in it. Josie, our female lead, is the CEO of a clothing company and feeling every impact of the burnout and overwhelm of being a "Girl Boss". Will is an old flame hired to be a consultant, and they must grapple with their feelings for each other very quickly. This story was as much about finding love as it was loving yourself and I connected heavily with that.
What I loved about this is threefold (ignoring the career aspect, cause that's also humongous):
1) this focused heavily on female friendship, and what it means to have varying levels of friends and how friendships grow over time. Josie's supporting cast was top notch.
2) I love that the ONLY thing in Will/Josie's past is a kiss. They were 17 when their last interaction happened and I love that the 'gravity' of it, while maybe not large scale in their adult life, would have been in their younger years. I think its proportional and SO many romances recently I think have the stakes almost unrealistic? This was not.
3) MOST importantly, I LOVE that there was NOT a huge 3rd act breakup for some reason that's just filler for a sudden realization. Will is a top notch male lead in this for the way he handles the 3rd act drama and other authors should take note. This was believable and really gave Josie the opportunity to grow as a character by herself AND with Will.
LOVE this. Adored it. Will continue to read everything she writes.