Casey Maitland is a financial analyst at a Manhattan magazine publishing house, who was passed over for the out of her wheelhouse project manager position for a new brand in favor of the Chairman of the Board's son, Alex Harrison. Everyone loves the charming, handsome Alex, except for Casey, who is bitter about losing the chance at a new position to a nepo-baby. She is then asked to work alongside Alex to help launch the brand, and in forced proximity she does an about face on her position on him, even though she doesn't fully trust that he is not feeding information to his father. The corporate game threatens their fledgling relationship, but eventually Alex does the right thing.

Unfortunately this one was a huge swing and a miss for me. I wasn't able to connect with the young, privileged Gen Z characters, the finance talk and shady corporate dealings, and felt that the romance was extremely forced and there was no real chemistry between the main characters. All of this combined with long chapters made it very hard for me to get through this book and I'm definitely feeling the slump right now. I would only recommend this one if you're a big fan of workplace romances, which I am beginning to realize is not one of my favorite tropes.

I really enjoyed this debut novel about a work place romance! It includes some of my favorite tropes like enemies to lovers, forced proximity, one bed, and he falls first so topping that off with witty banter and chemistry and you have a lovely romcom.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I usually enjoy office romances, but this one just didn’t work for me. It was slow and there were a LOT of internal monologues from Casey. As a single POV her thoughts seemed to go on and on ad nauseam. The worst examples were during conversations when Casey would have a page long diatribe about herself in her head before responding to who she was talking to. I think it would have been so much better as a dual POV. I really liked Alex and wanted to get inside his head more. He was very honest and transparent most of the time, but there were times his thoughts would have greatly added to the story.

Thank you netgalley for this arc! I had high hopes for this one since it had some of my favorite tropes: workplace romance and rivals to lovers. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. It was hard for me to feel the chemistry between the two main characters and the relationship felt a little forced to me. There were a few plotlines going on at once which made it difficult for the story to flow. This one had a lot of potential but unfortunately, it missed the mark.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. This book too me so long to read because I didn’t want it to end. It was so so good. I will for sure read more from this author. I love a workplace romance and it was well written.

4 stars!

Oh, how I love a book set in New York City!

I had DNF'd a couple of books and needed something to get me back on track! This fit the bill perfectly! This enemies-to-lovers workplace romance fit the bill perfectly! Easy read with the right amount of spice. Thank you to St Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

I really loved this! A workplace romance with only a one-bed trope?? I loved it. So fun! We all hate nepo babies but I'll make an exception for bb Alex.

Love Interest was a great debut! I really enjoyed Casey as the main character as she felt relatable to me as a twenty something Financial Analyst trying to figure things out. Alex was swoony and sweet, and I absolutely loved their chemistry. My favourite aspect of the book was hands down their banter, as well as their text messages between each other. There were so many great tropes in this one that I love including adversaries to lovers, only one bed, and workplace romance! While I enjoy reading the workplace romance trope, I did find there to be a lot of focus on the work aspect and maybe would have liked a little more of the romance through this one. 

Overall, I enjoyed this one and rated it 4 stars! If you are looking for an adversaries to lovers, workplace romance set in NYC with great banter and characters, check out Love Interest! This was a great debut and I can’t wait to see what the author does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Clare Gilmore, St. Martin's press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Love Interest is a workplace romance with most of the book taking place in the office. There is some spice between Alex and Casey, but Love Interest is an endearing romance full of emotion and great characters.

I'm absolutely obsessed with Clare Gilmore's debut novel "Love Interest." It's a delightful workplace romance filled with witty banter, charming characters, and a swoon-worthy romance where HE FALLS FIRST that will make you believe in love all over again. I adore this novel so much, and finishing it took me only one sitting. It gave me all those good New York vibes of falling in love with one of your office mates. I am looking forward to what Clare has in store for us next.


-Forced Proximity
-Workplace Romance
-He Falls First
-Enemies to Lovers (kind of)

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love Interest was a cute enemy to lover and workplace romance. It doesn’t have the banter that most enemies to lovers has but I absolutely loved Alex and Casey. They built each other up and helped each other heal their past wounds.

The story made me laugh, smile, cheer on Alex and Casey. Also, the side characters are great!

I definitely recommend Love Interest!

Thanks to Netgalley and Griffin for a copy of Love Interest in exchange of an honest review.

my feelings are a bit conflicted on this one. while i did enjoy the romance between our two main characters, casey and alex, i found their banter to be a bit cringe at times and casey was annoying around 80% of the time. my dislike of her made a good portion of this book not enjoyable for me because we’re stuck with her POV the whole way through. alex on the other hand, is actually likable and has a very complicated relationship with his dad, which is a pretty substantial plot point in this book so i think it really would have benefited from being a dual POV. this was also a workplace romance, and while the relationship starts off with a workplace forced proximity trope (which i loved), their work/workplace ends up becoming a really big plot point to this story and i didn’t really care for it much. overall the book was okay, but nothing i would die over unfortunately.

pretty solid debut! there was heavy emphasis on the work stuff and office culture, which felt overwhelming at times. due to that, the romance was more of a subplot, but still enjoyable enough. thank you to netgalley & st martin’s press for this arc!

A Gen Z romance that was a bit hard for a Gen Xer. An amazing workplace romance. Casey's love for her job and her work family. So when she finds out she was passed over for an amazing job opportunity for the bosses son, Alex, it becomes the perfect rom-com set up.

I found this book to be highly entertaining (if a bit longer than necessary) and very authentic. The characters and author are in their mid-20s and I think this book will resonate especially with people that age. I enjoyed it even in my 30s and I think people of other ages will, too, but it was refreshing reading a book where the characters acted and spoke their age.
Alex was a refreshing male lead and Casey was a strong female lead. I liked their chemistry from the start.
There was nothing groundbreaking here but I really enjoyed it. I think the plot grew a little repetitive in places but overall didn't detract from the reading experience. I look forward to reading any future works by this author as I believe this was her debut.

Oh how I adore a well done enemies-to-lovers romance plot!

I loved this book for its workplace setting and true enemies-to-lovers storyline. Casey really really hates Alex and it takes a lot to break through the haze to realize he is nice guy after all.

I recommend you give this sparkling and fun debut a try!

This was a first time read for me by this author and it definitely won't be my last. It was a cute, and sweet work place romance with lovely characters. Casey is a financial analyst for a large magazine company. She's always been more of a numbers girl, but in an effort to be just a bit more creative, she decides to apply for the project manger position that recently opened up. Imagine her shock when she learns she was passed over for the board chairman's son, Alex. Talk about nepotism! To add insult to injury, she now has to work with him on a project. She thinks him to be nothing more than a privileged jerk who is her enemy. Alex, however, is quite taken with Casey, and falls for her from the start. He can't figure out why she dislikes him so much. But as Casey and Alex spend more time together, she begins to see him in a new light and realizes she may have seriously misjudged him. The storyline was well-written and kept my interest from start to finish. The characters were well-developed and I enjoyed following them on their journey of self growth and continue on to a HEA.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC.
This story surprised me in a really good way! Usually with corporate storylines tied in to love stories I get a bit bored or stop caring but the author did a fantastic job really rounding out Casey, Alex, coworkers and their friends lives. I genuinely enjoyed the side characters, & really was concerned for them when their jobs became at stake. I enjoyed the banter, the love and the care between friends.
For the love story I absolutely love when the characters feel like they really authentically fell in love. From being coworkers, Casey disliking him at first to forming a real genuine connection, to friendship that turned to love even if they knew it had an end date. I really felt the love between them.
Alex was just 100% a perfect male lead baby girl haha. No notes because here is nothing wrong with him (he just wanted to be accepted by his dad is all!!) And yes, the email to his dad was a huge misstep and I don’t believe his character would have been that naiive, but I get the author needed to give him one flaw. His story really broke my heart though and how he always expected everyone to leave him eventually. Ughhh my heart. How many times can I say he was perfect? Haha
Casey had me really liking her. I loved her confidence, & intelligence. How she was brave to always go for what she wanted. I started scolding her in my head though once she started to hide things from Alex about work and what Tracy wanted her to hide though because he did not deserve any of it. Their communication through out the book was so refreshing and sweet so when she began hiding such a big secret as he was opening himself up to her felt cruel towards him.

These four snippets from the book made me tear up and clutch my chest with how much I loved them and should convince you to read this book!:

“When the song ends, Alex doesn’t applaud. He comes over to the settee and kneels in front of me, like I knelt in front of him last night in my apartment. When I finally let myself look at him, his eyes are twinkling back at me. His hand brushes my cheek and comes away wet with tears. “You have literally brought me to my knees,” he jokes. I laugh snottily. “I don’t know why I’m crying.” “I do,” Alex murmurs. “You finally let yourself come home.””

“… countdown of Ten! Nine! Eight! ringing out with the power of a thousand drunken voices, Alex takes my face in his hands, and I know he’s in love with me when we get to five. He’s so gorgeous right now, the neon lights of the bar across the street painting him an inky blue. He looks almost like fiction. Like he can’t be real. But he’s also looking at me like that. Like I can’t be real, either. When we get to four, he says it, his eyes on mine, and in them, I see a million colors inside of one. “I love you.” I can’t hear his voice, but I’ve already memorized the shape of his lips. On three, I say, “I love you, too,” positive he can’t hear me, either. We kiss on two, letting those extra few seconds go fuck themselves.”

“Alex.” I grasp at his hair. “What the actual fuck are we doing?” He shakes his head, forehead rocking against mine, his fingers bunching into my coat like the grip will hold me there forever. “I don’t know. Casey, I would . . . I would follow you there. I think I would follow you anywhere.”

“That’s the best part. It doesn’t feel like a tether, it feels like a choice, because the stars in your eyes are fucking why I fell in love with you.”

I really highly recommend this book!

Love Interest
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Clare Gilmore

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Casey Maitland has always preferred the reliability of numbers, despite growing up the daughter of two artistic souls. Now a twenty-four-year-old finance expert working in Manhattan, Casey wonders if the project manager opening at her company – magazine powerhouse LC Publications – is a sign from the universe to pursue a career with a little more sparkle. That is, until she’s passed over for the job in favor of the board chairman’s son.

Alex Harrison is handsome, Harvard-educated, and enigmatic. Everybody loves him – except for Casey. But when the two are thrown on the same project, they both have something to prove. For Casey, it’s getting tapped for a transfer to the London office and fulfilling her dreams of travelling. For Alex, it’s successfully launching a brand that will impress his distant father.

As work meetings turn into after hours, Casey and Alex are drawn to each other again and again, but neither can avoid the messy secrets and corporate intrigue threatening to tear them apart. What they discover about their workplace might change everything – including the dreams each of them is chasing.

My Thoughts: This was an adorable Rom-Com!! This is such an adorable read. This is a first Gilmore book for me and I will definitely read others. Casey is an intelligent woman working in the finance department of a huge magazine and shines with numbers. She is struggling to find her place in the world, where she can be happy, and make a difference. When she did not get the project manager job and finds out that it was given to Alex, her now arch enemy, fury boils to the top. Now Casey is forced to work with Alex, and as her anger diminishes, and truly gets to know him, she finds a different side of him. Now on the other side, Alex is taken with Casey as soon as he meets her and cannot understand her anger towards him initially. This follows the tropes of enemies (kind of) to lovers, forced proximity, opposites attract, office romance, and the guy falls first.

The majority of the story takes place in the workplace, making this a true work place romance story. The story is narrated by Casey, in her POV. Casey is independent, fierce, and x. Alex is loved by everyone, well except Casey, is charming, and loyal to a fault. The evolution of their love story and honest communication with one another was a breath of fresh air. The character development was fleshed out really well, they had depth, witty banter, chemistry, and was really done well. The author’s writing style was complex, swoon-perfect, spicy, and really, just beautiful. The attention to detail that the author put in this book was truly amazing and really brought you into the story, as if you were there. The personal growth of Casey and Alex throughout the story was amazing and felt realistic. Their journey to each other was heartfelt and authentic. The supporting characters really upheld the MCs and brought the story to another level. The author really handles some sensitive topics well with grace and authenticity.

For a debut story, this was fantastically written, so beautiful, and heartfelt. This story made me laugh, cry, and smile. It is filled with swoon and spice with the perfect amount of angst and tension with truly amazing witty banter. This book reminded me of The Hating Game, if you enjoyed that one, you will love this one. I was truly captivated by this story. I would highly recommend to other readers.

Super cute, definitely worth the read. I hadn't read anything by this author before and will be putting her on my to-read list in the future.