The Girl Boss romance.

<b<For the triers, for the tired ones,
and for anyone who ever thought:
If I don't have the right outfit I'm not going.</b>

Josie is a young CEO trying to juggle her clothing company, her best friend's bachelorette, and her business’s future. When she goes looking for a consultant, she is hesitant to find it is Will Grant – the twin and reason she ruined her friendship with her ex best friend.

Obviously, the more Josie and Will hang out, the more they are attracted to each other. But Josie is too busy with managing her company and Josie’s not convinced she has time for a relationship.

The friendships in the book was sooo good! The support and encouragement and network Josie has is heartwarming. The shenanigans and enforced fun and relaxation shows that working for your career must be balanced with sociality and downtime.
Josie managing burnout and fallout was a key theme.

Will is also very patient and knows that Josie needs to make her own decisions and gives her the space to do so, whilst reminding her work shouldn’t be your whole life.
The communication and understanding was *chef’s kiss*.

The first 65% was definitely the strongest - more focused on girl bossing and managing your life, friendships, aspirations, and expectations. After that, there is just a lot of spicy scenes and yearning.

The second chance romance plot line felt weak to me - the misunderstanding felt stupid and small and I couldn’t understand why such a big deal was made of it.

There is also a lot of pop culture references, so if that annoys you be forewarned! I personally enjoyed it!

Thank you to RBmedia for sending me the audiobook arc in exchange for a review!

Josie is a overworked CEO at a fashion company and Will is a consultant hired to help. But he is also her ex best friend’s brother that she kissed 9 years ago.

They need to travel a lot together and the proximity make them realize that they have feelings for each other. But Josie is not convinced that she has time for a relationship.

I liked Will very much. He wanted to help Josie and made her realize that there is more than work. The relationship developed slowly and their banter and overall interaction between then was very cute.

I listened to the audiobook narated by Katharine Leonard and she did a good job getting me involved in the story.

This is my first book by Claire Gilmore and it convinced me to read more.

I received an advanced audio copy of the book from Netgalley and RBmedia. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

the most perfect audiobook to EVER. i want her to narrate my life. i have never heard such an expressive voice and every character was so distinct and fleshed out due to her work, im absolutely obsessed. this was perfection in every way and their story was only heightened by the narration, i highly recommend!!

What an absolutely stunning love story between Will and Josephine that I could not get enough of!! I smiled the entire time I was listening and was enamored by the narration.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for this eARC!

I loved this book, it was just what I needed to read. I enjoyed how Josie’s & Will’s story developed. Josie created a start up clothing business & is a workaholic. Will is her ex best friend’s twin brother. It all starts with a bicycle accident to bring back a night from nine years ago.

Will is the perfect guy! Loyal, secure, smart, and totally supportive of Josie. They are both big on communication & it was entertaining to see them work through the last 9 years that they missed in each other’s lives.

The audio narrator was perfect for this book!

Overall would recommend this cute romance book!

Thank you, NetGalley, for a copy of Perfect Fit in exchange for my honest opinion.

I simply loved this book! We have complex and tridimensional characters all around with their own struggles, shortcomings, and motivations that make this story relatable!

Josie and Will get reacquainted, and they work together to help her start-up business. They have some history, but they will try to put it aside to have a work relationship, so her company gets the assistance it needs to get a sustainable certification Josie is duty-bound to have.
I particularly loved Josie's character. She is a full adult who makes rational choices and is not stubborn for the sake of plot beats. All her actions make sense with her story and character, and I will say that was refreshing to read.
Same for Will!! He is the sweetest!!! It's so good to read about a man who respects boundaries but still shows clear interest in the FMC and WANTS to clearly communicate with her. My heart!!

I listened to the audiobook and I will say the voice narrators did a fantastical job! The interpretation (and even tone of voice) was perfect for the characters and I felt fully immersed in the story that ended up finishing in one day!!

This sounds like a great book. I will say that the narrator did a great job with girls voices. But when it came to guy voices...it sounded like a softer girls voice....so that made the love scenes kind of awkward to listen to.

As for the book, I have mixed feelings. There are things I enjoyed but lots I did not. There is quite a bit of swearing and an open door love scene. I am tired of kissed bruised or swollen lips. I get the social meeting anxiety; I wouldn't want to be a kid in this day and age. Is there really a guy that only wants to cater to a women with no grumbles?? If he was real, I wish there were more of them.

I was hesitant going into this one because I couldn't get into a Love Intrests, but I actually really enjoyed Perfect Fit. Josie is such a realistic character to connect to. She's quirky, but so driven at what she does. I loved how they wound up back in each other's lives. My only complaint is maybe it was a little long.

Okay, I think I’m in love with Josie and Will. They are so sweet together and Will shows up for Josie in every way she needs. I also love Josie’s friendships especially her friendship with Camila. They’re the definition of perfect adult friends. Understanding and compassionate at every turn with each other.

But that epilogue, ah! I just need any answer, but I have my own guess.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBMedia for the ALC!

Charming contemporary romance 💕 There's so much fun here - both Josie and Will are delightful - Josie is girly and insecure and driven. As CEO of her clothing label she's very ambitious, and a bit overwhelmed. Will is a consultant she hires to help with B Corp certification. Calm and steady, he's a caregiver and falls quickly for Josie. They shared a kiss in high school at a time when both their lives were a mess and they've carried the impact of that into their twenties - Josie more than Will as she was also connected to his sister Zoe.

All that aside, this is a light hearted, easy going aspirational romance. Everyone is lovely, the work challenges are so unrealistic and Josie is so needy it's hard to believe she'd be the CEO of anything. It's long and circular, so a slow burn and luckily for us, Will and Josie have lots of chemistry. I loved their banter, the Austin setting, food trucks, the interns, their travel adventures, and the fairy tale of it all.

Loved the audio by Katherine Leonard. She does a fabulous job with both Will and Josie and all the side characters. She has a great squeal and captures the Elle Woods vibe for Josie. An easy listen!

Thank you Clare Gilmore, RB Media and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Thanks to Recorded Books for the gifted copy!

About the book: Josephine Davis spent all of her twenties working her butt off to build Revenant, a fashion brand in Austin. Her biggest investor orders her to hire a consultant, who just so happens to be her ex best friend's twin brother Will, who she kissed ONE time on spring break nine years ago.

My review: The conversation surrounding burnout and slowing down is so, so needed, and something that's not really covered in the romance genre. I loved that this was a big focus here, especially as our FMC is such a go-getter perfectionist -- it's just so relevant to all of us firstborn women. Her dynamic with Will was great, and I loved that he was also her ex best friend's twin brother. I love that it was an unexpected romance for them that blossoms as Josie learns to reorder her priorities. It was really well done!

I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed the narration from Katharine Leonard.

PERFECT FIT
by Clare Gilmore
Narrated by Katharine Leonard
If you're looking for a nice and happy, but still book with depth in it, this is book for you. Fashion world is not familiar for me so it was nice bonus too.

I couldn't stop listening this one. The chemistry between main characters were so good. From the long time I haven't read so mature characters in romance book, loved that!

Thank you @netgalley for this advanced copy of the book.

4⭐, 2🌶️

This was a really cute second chance-ish best friends brother romance. I loved how much this book really was heartfelt between Josephine and Will addressing heir past but more about her growth and strength while dealing with managing her own clothing company. Both characters were loveable but WHAT THE HECK was that "cliffhanger: of an epilogue - not a cliffhanger but still what happened with the company?! Where's my wrapped up with a ribbon ending?! Then the unnecessary drama of Will's sister effecting their current day relationship was frustrating (but maybe thats my own bitterness over a childhood friendship ending showing up 😅)

Overall a sweet and cute romance that I definitely recommend for any contemporary romance lovers!

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

𝟏 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 .𐦍༘⋆

idk if I was expecting something more or something just better based on the book’s write up.

this book is a quick read but it also just felt like nothing important really happened plot wise. this book felt like the author really wanted to write a romance book but wasn’t sure how to go about it plot wise because the characters and everything had things about them that felt more real but the situations and plot points just seem like such a weird choice. i mean some of the conflict is over a situation (miscommunication) that happened in HIGH SCHOOL and yet it’s somehow not water under the bridge until the characters are almost in their 30’s? weird choice. the idea of the magazine slamming her and all that was also really unnecessary in my opinion i feel like the fmc didn’t need that as a sign to make changes in her life but i digress.

i also usually like books that are a bit more slice of life feeling but this book was just a bit boring outside of what the author has as the main plot which was the romance, and even that wasn’t very interesting. the book just felt really outdated, like something you’d pick up in a bookstore in the 2000’s or 2010’s.

For reasons that I can't really remember, I did not like Clare Gilmore's first book, Love Interest. All I can recall is that the humor did not work for me personally, and I called it a millennial's wet dream (derogatory), and because of that, I was hesitant to request this one. However, after reading the synopsis, it sounded like exactly the kind of story for which I spend hours scouring bookstore shelves and blogs and Goodreads and TikTok. I love not-quite-second-chance tropes, successful women who know exactly what they want, and the beautiful state of Texas.

I'm really glad I gave this a chance. Will Grant is an absolute dreamboat and pretty much my ideal man. I love how supportive he is of Josie and that he's not scared of her drive, ambition, and success. Josie's flaws were a bit too relatable for my comfort at times, but she was also resilient, and thoughtful, and kind, and the kind of woman Jo March would be proud of.

With all of that said, the last line made me angry beyond belief, so I had to take off a star lol.

Thank you Clare Gilmore, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced audiobook!!!!!

I loved this story, it was an absolute swoon-fest! Ever since Josie was cancelled in high school for being accused of stealing someone's boyfriend, and betraying her best friend , she has thrown herself into building a fashion brand. At 27 she is CEO of Revenant a fashion label she built by channeling all of her energy into it. One day her past (Will Grant) literally crashes back into her life. He ends up consulting for her business and together they deal with the past. Josie and Will are such wonderful characters, they are thoughtful and honest, and this made me really cheer for them.

Thank-you to NetGalley and RB Media for the advanced listener copy. Katherine Leonard was an amazing narrator, and I listened to whole audiobook in one day. I highly recommend this audiobook, it will make you laugh and cry. Will Grant is on track to be my favorite book boyfriend for 2024.

Audiobook Version
•
NARRATION LOVES
❤️❤️❤️❤️.25
(rounded)
•
STORY LOVES
❤️❤️❤️❤️.5
(rounded)
•
Avg. Rating:</B> 4.25+4.50 = 8.75/2= 4.37 (rounded)
•
SPICE
🌶️ mild
•
RECOMMEND
💳 yes
•
→Performance: Katharine Leonard is a new-to-me narrator and I enjoyed her voice acting. She did a nice job conveying Josephine's inner monologues as wells as voicing the all the characters. If there is one thing I would change about her performance, it would be the differentiating between the characters a bit more.

→Story: Josephine and Will's story is an ex-best friend's brother, second chance(ish), workplace romance set in Austin, Texas without a third-act break up and a cute (re)meet.

After a kiss in high school, Josephine and Will went their separate ways, especially when Will's sister, Zoe, ended her friendship with Josephine. About 10 years later, Josephine, now a CEO of her own fashion brand, is on her way to meet with a consulting group when a cyclist runs into the back of her car. The cyclist is Will, a consultant with a highly respected firm, on his way to meet with the CEO of a fashion brand. After some convincing, Josephine takes a chance on Will and they both realize fairly quickly they have lingering feelings.

"Perfect Fit" by Clare Gilmore, also a new-to-me author, is a sweet romance with an underlying message that's fitting for our current social media environment -- cancel culture, the toxicity, and how social media affects your day-to-day life becoming dependent on follows, likes, the algorithm, and your relevancy.

If you want a sweet story about two people reconnecting and figuring out what their future will look like, I think you should give this one a read or listen.

Thank you, NetGalley and RB Media for the opportunity to listen to the "Perfect Fit."

This story is a cute and slightly spice novel. I love the slow progression of love but also finding your true self! Girl power mixed with doing what is best for you makes a great novel!

A Perfect Gift by Clare Gilmore is a contemporary romance that combines an enemies-to-lovers and second chance trope. The story follows Josie Davis, a CEO building her fashion brand in Austin, Texas. When her investor insists on bringing in a business consultant, a biking accident reunites her with Will Grant, a former friend and now the consultant on her team. As they work together, traveling to expand the business, their chemistry rekindles and grows into something more.

Josie and Will’s connection is laced with witty banter, emotional depth, and incredible chemistry. Josie is a refreshingly strong and independent lead who is driven in her career while still allowing room for vulnerability. Will, on the other hand, complements her strength with genuine acts of support and respect, never feeling threatened by her ambition. Their dynamic is both heartfelt and sweet.

While there’s a bit of angst over Josie’s hesitation about relationships due to her responsibilities, the story balances romance, humor, and personal growth, making it very relatable. This is def for fans of Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez - you'll appreciate the depth of character and emotional resonance in Josie and Will’s journey.

With fun banter and great character development, A Perfect Gift was such a cute, realistic romance. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

I listened to a chapter of this and struggled with the narrator. I felt she sounded a bit older than 28 and just didn't match the voice of the main character for me. I also think her masculine voice could have been a bit deeper as it was hard to differentiate at times.