I love a good enemies-to-lovers rom com. In my experience, there is a lot of great banter and that always leads to laughs. I liked the Casey, but it took me time to soften for Alex. I'm not sure he ever rose to book boyfriend level for me. Part of the book did remind me of "The Hating Game" with a twist - which may be because I'd just watched the movie. I don't know. This was enjoyable, but it wasn't something that I would read a second time.

I love a good workplace romance, and Love Interest is such a good one! The meet-cute is so fun (who doesn't love a good elevator moment), the chemistry is excellent and there's only one bed! A great debut!

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down and couldn't stop smiling.

Clare Gilmore did such an incredible job of bringing Alex and Casey’s characters to life and taking me along on their journey. I felt a range of emotions while reading and felt connected to the characters. This workplace romance had me laughing out loud, swooning and adding a new book boyfriend to the list! The way Alex and Casey shared all the little pieces of themselves it is just so darn perfect!

Things I loved: The Lion King Reference, alley plants the one bed trope, Tide Free and Gentle, the fog reference and the banter. The little references in this book were perfect and helped bring the charachters to life and made them relateable.

My favourite quote was “You finally let yourself come home.”

When Casey is introduced to us, she’s aiming to switch careers from a finance analyst to a project manager because it aligns with her desire to be more creative in her work.

What she doesn’t know is that Alex, the guy she just met in the elevator, was the one who was actually hired for her “dream role”. As soon as she finds out, she starts hating him because she thinks he got his job via nepotism. What she learns down the road is that things aren’t always as they seem….

The story itself was ok - very very heavy on the work stuff and internal woes so it’s more of an office story with some romance vs a romance story with some office stuff as the backdrop. if you’re here for the plot, then I’d say 3.5 / 5. If you’re here wanting a good balance, 2 stars.

I appreciate what Gilmore tried to do, but it needed to be pared down. There was a lot going on and too much telling vs showing.

This book was okay. It was a cute break from the thrillers I typically read. At times it was slow and I had to convince myself to continue. I’m glad I did because it was a quick, cute book.

Casey and Alex are each a bit broken, in different ways, but when they're shoved together in a work environment, they need to find a way to co-exist. At first, that's not all that easy, especially since newcomer Alex got the job that Casey thought she wanted. So there's reason for them not to get along from the very start, but there's something deeper that keeps drawing them together. And we get the privilege of riding along with them as they figure it all out.

While they seem to be the opposite of one another in so many ways, they are alike in many others. And the more they see themselves in the other, the closer they become.

This was a fun enemies-to-lovers story that kept a brisk pace. But I felt like there was too much effort put into creating diverse characters. While I'm sure that's suitable for a big city environment, such as this is set in, in the end, I didn't really recognize anyone who reminded me of people I know, and that was a bit of a turn-off for me.

Thank you to Claire Gilmore, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book. I enjoyed it a lot!

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC.
This was cute. I am finding that my taste in romance is changing and I’m still trying to figure that out. This is a workplace romance between two characters in their mid-20s I found there to be good character development, rich depth, and great friendships. I’m not sure if the romance worked for me, but it was sweet and believable. I think for readers that love these types of stories, this will be a huge hit, and I’ve already seen that looking through Goodreads and I’m so glad it’s found its readers. I’ll be recommending to those that love this type of romance, too.

Super cute read, we love a good workplace romance! 😍 I just needed a good simple romance book to read and this was perfect for me. Loved the characters and how they were written and how they interacted with each other! Definitely a cute romantic little read ❤️

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a debute book for this author. This is a workplace romance, one side enemy to lovers. Casey applies for a job and doesn't get it, and feels she was passed over because of Alex's connections. I found this to be a cute book. The people seemed real with real issues. I liked Casey as she was a nerd about numbers. 3.5 stars

I am a sucker for a workplace romance and Clare Gilmore hit it out of the park on her debut novel. Managing family dynamics with career aspirations and love was central to the story in Love Interest and really differentiated itself from other workplace romances I've read as of late. I look forward to more from Gilmore in the future.

DNF at 30%

Way too much about the office and work culture. I'm here for the romance, and none of the characters (of which there are many) are very noteworthy.

I think the main couple showed a lot of promise and chemistry, but when they had to "fake kiss because the exes are around" scene came, I just had to give up. I love tropes, I love romance. I love cheese. In this book though, it didn't work. I wasn't convinced. It just sort of... happened.

I really enjoyed this one. Considering that women in STEM is currently a romance trend, I found this still felt new and fresh. I really loved all the characters. My only negative comment is that it was a BIT too much of a slow burn for my personal preference. That being said, i think that it could be the perfect speed for many.

A sweet workplace romance. While it did utilize the miscommunication trope AND third act break up (literally my two least favorite tropes), it was a good story with endearing characters. Casey and Alex truly saw each other and helped each other grow.

I really enjoyed this workplace romance book. It was entertaining and I really liked how our FMC had moments of "Oh maybe Im the problem right now" when it came to assuming things about our MMC. I really enjoyed how diverse the side characters were and how funny they could be. I also really enjoyed that they took time getting to know each other but the books pacing was really slow for me. I don’t know if it was because of some personal life factors or if the pacing was really slow but I wanted to be honest about how I was feeling. Take my opinions as a grain of salt. I am over all really happy with how this book ended. It will be a book I recommend to my friends who are looking for enemies to lovers in a work place setting. It is also an open door romance for my friends who are curious.

To start off with my slight qualms, the way race/sexuality is described by the author feels very off, like they’re trying too hard to set the character up in your mind. Almost feels like someone trying to show off how forward-thinking they are. I wish they hadn’t time-jumped so early on into the story, as it left me feeling a bit lost on the bad-blood chemistry we’re supposed to feel between Casey and Alex. Sadly, the side characters often felt like caricatures as opposed to real assists to the storyline. Besides those issues, the main characters did really have a good back-and-forth once everything actually got started! I enjoyed their relationship overall and the conflict didn't feel too unexpected.

Set in Manhattan at a magazine publishing firm, Clare Gilmore’s debut novel Love Interest follows Casey Maitland, a 24 year old finance expert who has decided to spread her wings and apply for a project manager position at her company. Her aspirations for this new career path are dashed, however, when she is passed over and the job is given to Alex Harrison, who happens to be the Chairman of the Board’s son and who also happens to be the mysterious hot guy Casey had an adorable meet cute with before she realized they were vying for the same position. Alex is well educated, charming, and is immediately well liked by everyone at the company, except for Casey, that is, who can’t stand him. Everything changes, however, when the two of them are forced to work on a project together.

I really enjoyed Love Interest. Gilmore’s writing is wonderful, and I especially enjoyed her character development as Casey and Alex slowly begin to open up to one another about their dreams and aspirations. I loved how open and trusting they became with one another, and I especially liked the growth we see in Casey as she realized she has unfairly misjudged Alex, who turns out to be serious book boyfriend material! Some of the workplace scenes weren’t the most entertaining, but the chemistry Gilmore creates between Casey and Alex nicely balances that out and keeps the story flowing smoothly.

Love Interest is a delightful workplace romance that is sure to please fans of the rivals-to-lovers and forced proximity tropes.

** Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC and chance to read and review **

Synopsis:
Casey is up for a promotion for a job she *thinks* she wants, when she finds out that the position went to Alex - the handsome stranger in the elevator who just flirted with her AND he’s the chairman’s son. When Casey is forced to work with him, she finds his charm (and their chemistry) hard to deny.

Review:
I loved this book and the characters so much. I loved the dynamic between Casey and Alex. There were so many moments that had me swooning but the New Year’s Eve scene was so good!

Read this if you like:
-Enemies to lovers / workplace romance
-He falls first
-WITTY BANTER
-ONLY ONE BED

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre/tropes: workplace romance
CW/TW: loss of parent at a young age

Casey and Alex start off as adversaries at the magazine company they work at. To be more accurate, Casey’s a bit standoff-ish with him because he got the job she was vying for. To rub it in, they’re tasked to work together on a project to launch a new magazine of which Alex is the project manager. Try as she might to hate him, Alex is a genuinely nice guy with good intentions. She’s a numbers girl, finding reliability in data and spreadsheets, so she’s in awe of Alex’s natural affability, and ability to go with the flow. But that only masks his struggles underneath. Things get tricky when her boss and mentor admits a secret to her, putting Casey in a difficult position with her colleagues. This could also spell trouble for her and Alex who are starting to get close.

I was struck by how mature this story felt. Casey and Alex have their own traumas to contend with, but their backstories inform us of who they are rather than overshadow them. Everything felt super relatable, and I felt the story was driven by the characters.

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 is a refreshing, and down to earth romance without relying heavily on the typical tropes to tell the story. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy most of those tropes, but this book felt like it was doing its own thing, and I liked it!

Thanks to @netgalley & @smpromance for my ARC.

Love Interest is an adorable workplace romance featuring Casey and Alex. They first meet in an elevator and later Casey discovers that Alex, who ended up being hired for the job she had recently interviewed for, is the board chairman of the company's son. Initially, she hates him, but after getting to know him, and they begin spending time together, it's the fast lane to romance.

I really liked watching Casey's character develop. She's great at her job, but she slowly discovers she wants more from life, the more she spends time with Alex and he encourages her to pursue her dreams. I also really enjoyed the other cast of characters who play influential roles in both Casey and Alex's lives.

While not a new trope, or unlike anything I've read before, I certainly enjoyed this sweet story. It's a feel-good for sure.

Thank you, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!