Perfect Fit- a standalone

By: Clare Gilmore- read Love Interest and gave it 4⭐

Publication: 10-29-24, Read 8-15-24

Setting: Nashville (their hometown) and Austin, TX and Manhattan

🙏🏽Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC🧡! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: Adult Fic, Contemporary Romance/Rom-Com

Tropes: workplace romance, 2nd chance romance, enemies to lovers, friendship

💭Summary: Josephine "Josie" Davis (27) is a workaholic trying to open her own clothing store based on her fashion brand "Revenant." Her biggest investor makes her hire a consultant who happens to be Will Grant (27). He is the twin brother of her former BFF Zoe who Josie kissed in high school nine years ago. Josie and her former BFF Zoe had a falling out years ago and haven't spoken since.

🤔My Thoughts: This was a very adult relationship with Josie working her heart out as CEO and having Will as her support. He was a dreamy hero with a great heart who cared for others and wasn't threatened by josie's success. Josie had to deal with burnout and workplace drama and made a decision to have both love and career.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

LITERALLY GIRLBOSS DREAMS! I love Josie so much and can identify with her internal turmoil and anxiety, even though I am the furthest from a female CEO. Having a healthy, male romantic partner portrayed was such a relief almost. Instead of waiting for the shoe to drop of Will and Josie’s relationship, I felt a peacefulness that both partners were at a point of healthy change.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and I will gladly read anything by Clare Gilmore anytime, day or night!

Thank you, Clare Gilmore, St Martin's Press, and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Josephine is a CEO with no time for anything not work related, but when she runs into Will, her ex-best friend's brother, she starts to reconsider how she runs her life. She ends up hiring Will as a consultant, making their relationship even more forbidden.
I really loved this book. The tension between the two MCs was amazing. I loved all the pining. I also really liked seeing how both Will and Josie evolve throughout the book. I highly recommend this book, literally so good.

Clare wrote a near perfect book! Such a good emotional journey. She understands the small moments of romance and how they need to land. No notes, just love!

This might be one of the healthiest representations of a relationship I have read about in a very long time. This was a beautiful story, not just about love, but also about friendships, personal growth, and navigating life as a young woman. Set in the heart of Austin, Texas, the story follows Josie, a young CEO trying to juggle her clothing company, her best friend’s bachelorette party, and the launch of her first physical clothing store. Oh, and she's also trying (and failing) not to fall for her ex-best friend's twin brother, Will.

I loved everything about this book so much. The characters were so lovable! Josie’s a total girl-boss, but she’s also dealing with burnout and putting way too much pressure on herself. And Will? He’s just the sweetest, a guy who’s secure in himself and totally supportive of Josie’s ambitions. Together, they navigate their conflict with open communication, which is such a breath of fresh air—so thankful for the lack of dramatic third-act breakups!

I read Clare Gilmore’s debut novel “Love Interest” last year and absolutely loved it. Her sophomore novel is no different; it truly did not disappoint! “Perfect Fit” comes out in October, and I highly, highly recommend checking it out! A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC fr my honest review. Perfect Fit is a sold 3 star romance. There was nothing detestable nor remarkable about it. No angst, but also I didn't get swoony over it.

Clare Gilmore writes the most lovely stories! Josie is such a hardworking character who needs the gentle but firm reminder that her worth is not tied to her grind, and she deserves all the love and peace. Will is adorable, definitely making me swoon throughout the whole story. Will is able to love Josie in the most special way she needs, giving her space but being consistent in showing his intentions. I love the way these two have a second chance at meeting each other, at actually knowing the other despite years old misconceptions.
they truly are the perfect fit and I was touched at the beautiful, honest, gentle way they showed it throughout this whole story. thank you for the arc :)

This book was an absolute joy to read from the very first page to the very ending. When I cracked open this story I wasn’t sure what to expect as this is a new author to me and immediately I found myself sucked into Josie and the meet cute of her and Will Grant.

This author had the best way of immediately catching your attention and immersing you into her world. This book had made me laugh more times than I can count, cry with the slow moments, and feel the love from each individual character pouring from the pages.

Josephine and Will have something special between the two of them. They have a shared past that the two of them seem to struggle with at the beginning. I love getting to dig deep and watch these two figure out how they can fit into each other future. I love how scared Josephine is to start up and how patient Will is. He sees Josephine for everything she is and everything she sees as a flaw in herself and wants to be around her in any capacity he can. I love the little moments between them and the way they open up to each other throughout this book.

The side characters deliver such an extra edge to this book that makes me want to dive into this world and be their friend. They’re welcoming, supportive, funny but also know when to tell each other that enough is enough and have each others back when things go wrong.

While I hate the third act conflict I love the way the FMC was written to handle it and I think the execution of it was a perfect example of the authors brilliance in this story.

All over such an enjoyable read and an author I can see becoming one of the top authors to watch.

Perfect Fit is not only a great title for this book, but a great message and idea for readers to think about as they enjoy this novel. What does it mean to be a "perfect fit" at work, in friendship, in relationships, etc. And what are we willing to sacrifice in life to attain that perfection.

This book doesn't have to hook you up that deep of a level though, You can enjoy the girl boss that is Josie, the fun friendship that is her and Camila, and the love story that is her and Will,

I'm such a sucker for a workplace romance and second chance romance, and Perfect Fit really delivered. Josie is the CEO of her fashion brand, Revenant, that she started with her best friend. She is feeling the effects of corporate burnout. She works all the time, and she doesn't have much time for her herself or a relationship. When she is going to work one day, she literally runs into someone from her past (she crashes her car into his bike). She knew Will when she was in high school. She was best friend's with his twin sister. When they kissed in their senior year, things changed- Josie lost her best friend and she was left all alone.

Because of her past, she has avoided social media and she hasn't really dated. When Will comes into her life, he starts to work with her as a consultant for her company. As they spend time together, they start to see the possibility of something more between them. Things really change when they come on a work trip together.

This is a slow burn romance, and there are so spicy scenes. I really enjoyed the exploration of the effects of social media and corporate burnout. I think these are such important topics, and they were handled with care.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

"Perfect Fit" by Clare Gilmore is an engaging contemporary romance that explores the theme of finding one's true match. The story follows a protagonist on a journey of self-discovery and love, navigating both personal and romantic obstacles. Gilmore’s writing is heartfelt and lively, with well-drawn characters and a compelling plot that keeps readers invested. The novel blends humor and emotion effectively, making it a satisfying read for those who enjoy romance with depth and charm.

I enjoyed the story of second chances.
I loved witnessing their growth and transformation. The way the narrative explored their struggles made the journey inspiring. The story is a reminder that everyone deserves a chance to correct their mistakes and strive for better.

"I didn't think this would ever happen to me."
"Being this much in love?"
"Being at peace. That's why I get to love you. You helped me find it."

Starting with the positives, I really liked the main characters. Josie's workaholic and perfectionist nature was very relatable, and Will had the patience of a saint. He became her safe space, always there for her when she needed him. Plus, acts of service are his love language.

But I actually think this is more women's fiction than romance, as their relationship isn't a prominent part of the plot. Instead, it's seemingly pushed to the background and not developed enough.

I also thought it was too long, and an editor could've easily removed words and whole scenes without impacting the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher and the author for an eARC.

This is not a romance book, it’s a romance book with a back story!🏃🏻‍♀️

I am so glad I decided to read this book, perfect fit is not only a romance book it’s so much more than that. It was a great reminder for me in so many ways. You don’t have to tie your self worth with achievements or disasters, it’s okay to allow yourself some time to just live. No matter how hard life gets, it will all be okay eventually. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and that everyone deserves to be loved respectfully.

Will is my absolute favourite, everyone deserves a secure man life that. Especially someone who doesn’t get emasculated around powerful women. If will was a real person I would’ve emailed him to set up some classes to help men be secure in themselves😭

Josie was such a sweetheart, absolute queen and a boss. I am so glad they both ended up together. AND THEY COMMUNICATED. that was such a big green flag. No matter the situation they were always willing to talk through it. God I see what you’ve done for others.

This book was everything I needed rn. Brilliantly done.

Perfect Fit tells the story of Josephine, who founded a clothing line in college and has spent most of her 20s developing it. When her major investor forces her to hire a consultant, she ends up with Will, the twin brother of Zoe, her ex-best friend from high school who she had a falling out with after she and Will kissed their senior year. That incident resulted in her being “canceled” by her classmates for the final months of the school year and seriously impacted her. The two are immediately drawn together but both have their issues that they have to work through and Josephine is worried what Zoe will think. This was a super cute book that I really enjoyed. I did think her being canceled in high school didn’t come off as completely realistic — it seemed like a minor incident that caused it. While the book does have a happy ending, it also ends on a dot dot dot that I felt could have changed with a few sentences and I would have preferred to see it given a solid conclusion but that’s just personal preference.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story of second chances. The theme of redemption really resonated with me, especially seeing the characters get their well-deserved opportunities to make things right. It was heartwarming to witness their growth and transformation. The way the narrative explored their struggles and triumphs made the journey feel authentic and inspiring. Each character's path to redemption was portrayed with such depth and nuance, reminding me of the power of forgiveness and perseverance. It’s a compelling reminder that everyone deserves a chance to correct their mistakes and strive for better.

I liked Clare Gilmore’s other book, “Love Interest” and this one is just as good. Josie is the CEO of a clothing company she founded when she was still in college, Will is a consultant who is helping her. Josie is a bit all over the place and overwhelmed and stressed out. Will is a sweet, patient, thoughtful, great MMC. This is second chance romance since the two knew each other in highschool and haven’t seen each other in 10 years. I just finished reading “The Breakup Pact” by Emma Lord with a similar highschool/10 year falling out/communication gap. They have this past while getting to know each other in the present. Josie’s work obsession can be a bit much at times, but I understand it for the storyline. The side characters are enjoyable and I do like how the story played out.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced digital copy of this book

Another wonderful work romance from a very talented author. Most of the first half is spent getting to know the characters and backstory. There is a bit of miscommunication, which isn’t my favorite plot device, but it was addressed and recognized by the characters. This made it more believable. The second half picked up and I flew through it. Will is boyfriend goals, and Josie is believable and lovable. They really had to work on themselves and with each other to find their happy ending. I love these kinds of romance books, even though I still don’t know what “b corp” means. Ha! I’ll have to ask my business minded book besties. All the best to the author on the release!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

All I want is to smell warm cinnamon on a man. What a lovely story about personal growth, ups and downs and how to regain passion. A very smooth story which did get confusing.