The first few chapters, I didn't think I was going to enjoy this. Time jumped without warning or context and that really bothered me. However, the way that Clare developed the characters of Love Interest and really showed us their lives, struggles and love develop, I absolutely fell in love with this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Casey Maitland finds comfort in the predictability of numbers. As a finance expert, she's all about the numbers until she considers that she could change her career path with a new and exciting position. She interviews for an open project management position within her company, Little Cooper. Still, her dream of a different career starts crashing down when the position is given to Alex Harrison. When Casey and Alex first meet in the elevator, she thinks he must be a model for one of the magazines at LC because of how handsome he is. Little does she know he was just given the position that she was hoping for. Casey is immediately suspicious since Alex is the board chairman's son and decides he is her number one enemy. When they are tasked to work together on the project, things start to change when Casey starts getting to know Alex better.

I loved this enemies-to-lovers workplace romance! I really enjoyed how much of the story took place in a work setting and I immediately loved both Casey and Alex from the start. I found myself cheering them on throughout the book. The development of their relationship was so well written and I loved their chemistry. This was such a cute read and I am excited to read more from this author in the future!

if ella maise and christina lauren books would have a child, it would be this one

I really enjoyed reading this romcom! It is a fun, cute, funny, steamy while still telling a story about finding yourself. The character’s banter was SO GOOD guys, I was obsessed with the mcs. I also adored the setting of the compagny in New York: it gave me the vibes of the sports magazine in the movie Set it Up!! While I had a great time reading this, I felt like there something missing but I can’t say what

(4.5 Stars) To put it simply, reading this book made me happy. It was cute. It was funny. It was cheesy in all the best ways. It even made me tear up a bit because I am going through a similar life experience to Casey at the moment.
I loved the dynamic between Casey and Alex. The tension was great. The progression was wonderful. I didn't even mind the minor miscommunications between them because I adored them so much. I also loved all the friendships that existed between the characters. The relationships felt so natural and realistic, which really made this book special.
Yes, there were some moments where the pacing was weird and the plot was slightly hard to follow (there is A LOT of work talk and A LOT of characters), but that didn't take away from how much of a feel-good romance this is.
This was my first workplace romance, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that trope before reading Love Interest. If they're all like this, I am definitely a fan.

This was a warm hug and I could not put it down. Clare really did a wonderful job capturing the vulnerability of the characters and I loved every word.

I really enjoyed this refreshing, no stupid sh*t, workplace romance. Alex is the perfect dreamy book boyfriend and I love him for it. Casey is so relatable, satisfied with herself but also still wanting more career wise. This was a great debut and I can’t wait to read more from this author! Happy pub day!!

I was so surprised and impressed by this debut—the writing was spectacular, the NYC setting so viscerally drawn, and the romance so deeply swoony. I loved loved it and can’t wait to see what GILMORE does next.

This was a workplace romance with the emphasis on work. Casey and Alex go from enemies to lovers in this debut by Gilmore. I love a book that revolves around the workplace dynamics, but not so much about the tedium of the work. I learned more than I wanted to about the innerworkings of a corporate buyout with this book.

I did love how competent Casey was in her finance role and how everyone depended on her, even if she didn’t fully realize her worth. I liked how supportive Alex was, even about her copious allergies, and always gave her credit at work. Even as Casey was mad about being passed over for Alex’s job, she could see how amazing he was at it.

Casey and Alex had terrific chemistry and I really enjoyed their romance. And while this is only single POV, there was never any doubt that Alex was the first to fall. This is an open door book, but had fade to black tendencies, so not super steamy.

Do you work in an office? If so, how do you feel about workplace romances?

Let me tell you, as someone who works in an office and has for many years, workplace romances are not my thing. Way too many complications and just ickiness!! But, that being said, Love Interest was just so cute. It is an enemies to lovers workplace romcom with all the feels. The characters were very likable and relatable, I loved a female in finance and I loved that it was full of witty banter and and the dork in me loved the corporate takeover drama. And there is a reference to my favorite One Direction song so that was a major plus.

I think this book is objectively good, and others will love it and should read it…but I couldn’t get into it. Perhaps it's right book wrong time, or right book wrong reader. I like that it is easily digestible and I learned a few new words. However, I feel like there were pacing issues throughout the book, but especially at the beginning. This is workplace enemies to lovers romance, where I adored Alex and Casey’s meet-cute, but was disappointed in the lack of animosity between Casey and Alex before they start to grow on each other.

Further, there was a lot of emphasis on the dozens of side characters and their love interests, which contributed to the overall superficial relationship between the protagonists. For example, I felt like I knew more about Casey’s parents relationship than the relationship between Casey and Alex. So this became a low-stakes romance, and I couldn’t root for them to succeed because their relationship lacked the depth I was looking for.

Overall, this is a solid debut and I look forward to reading another book by Clare in the future. Thank you Clare Gilmore, Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored this romantic debut by Clare Gilmore. A workplace romance filled with rivals to lovers, drunken cuddles and even more drunken karaoke nights, I had so much fun getting to know Casey and Alex.

I went into this book expecting more hating game but this really is so much more and I was so impressed with the feelings expressed in this book about legacy and knowing what you are worth, not compromising and knowing you can always come home.

I loved how passionate Casey was about finance and numbers and even though some of it went over my head I was so happy for her at her highs and felt for her at her lows. I loved her family both found and otherwise and the adorable and feisty relationship she had with Alex.

This is such an impressive debut and I can’t wait to see what Clare comes up with next.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

@ashleywinsteadbooks plugged this one so I knew I needed to check it out. It was a strong debut! A good rom com for me needs wonderful side characters and this one has many. There was strong character growth with both MCs becoming more themselves. Most of the story actually takes place in the office which I really enjoyed. I enjoyed the more realistic timeline (plays out over months) and found Gilmore’s writing to be a delight.

This romance felt like Sex and the City meets Gossip Girl with the New York setting, but with a more diverse and loving set of characters. These characters were fun and easy to love. Their deepest hidden characteristics come to light only with each other and seeing them fall in love was so heartwarming. I loved the banter in this romance and the chemistry was palpable. This was a fantastic debut!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

What a heartfelt, opposites-attract debut this is! Casey & Alex are thrown into a competitive workplace where along with tension, sparks fly too.

I enjoyed their banter so much, whether it be as enemies (which was way too short-lived) or lovers (loved how comfortable they were). I enjoyed their little texts with each other.

As much as I love a New York City, fast-paced romance, I felt that the real romance/connection was kind of undermined by the subplot of the book. A lot of office drama was going on that outshined the romance.
Overall, it was really cute, & I'm looking for what's to come next by the author.

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a standout enemies to lovers, millennial office romance debut set in NYC. Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren or Sally Thorne's The hating game. This story follows coworkers Alex and Casey as they compete for the same job then end up forced to work together to try to save their company only to have corporate political forces working against them.

Pick this up if you love tons of pop culture references, cute nick names, he falls first and harder, swoony, cinnamon roll MMCs, ADHD rep, complicated family dynamics and so much more. Good on audio too read by a new to me narrator, Hayden Bishop. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: technically open door but very mild details/not graphic at all

[4.5/5⭐️]
Such a fantastic debut with all the elements of a swoon worthy romcom!

Casey Maitland is a young finance expert living in Manhattan, and sees the perfect opportunity to pursue a more fulfilling job at her company, only to be passed over for the board chairman’s son. Alex Harrison is loved by everyone, except Casey who can’t help but hold it against him for snagging the position. The more time Alex and Casey spend together though, they realize the extent of what’s going on and that there’s so much more to see under the surface.

Alex and Casey were such excellent communicators and I loved their emotional intelligence and the maturity they showed in the work they did for their relationship. In addition to Alex and Casey’s romance, the storyline was well written and dropped just enough information along the way to make for a satisfying reveal when everything came to light.

You’ll Find —
Workplace Rivals to Lovers
Romcom
Mature Communication
Layers of Scandal

Thank you to NetGalley, Clare Gilmore, and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted digital review copy!

4.5 stars. This one hit a lot of the checkboxes for me, including the bonus of a shoutout to my alma mater (same as Alex’s high school). Casey Maitland has a brain for numbers and math is comfortable for her so she’s excellent at her job in finance. But figuring that she should push her boundaries and expand her skills, she applies for a job and doesn’t get it. Sure, she’s disappointed and takes it as a sign that maybe she ought to stick with monitoring the company’s budget. However, it really chafes when she finds out the job went to none other than Alex Harrison and he becomes enemy number one.

Alex is charismatic and full of ideas, always wanting to please other people and able to get results. He doesn’t know why Casey holds a grudge against him, but she intrigues him nonetheless. I loved their dynamic. It’s not exactly reverse grumpy/sunshine, but Casey is the more logical one and Alex is the misunderstood one. Their chemistry and dialogue pretty much scream that they are perfect for each other in the way they balance the other out and how easy it is for them to converse or argue. As they delve deeper into getting to know the other, I knew Casey wouldn’t be able to resist much longer because Alex becomes even more lovable when revealing his vulnerable side. These two make such a great team and couple. Definitely a solid debut with humor, heat and heart.

Love Interest simply one of the best workplace romances I’ve read. If this book is not on your radar, you are truly missing out on a fantastic read.

AppleBooks debut staff pick for October!

Majority of this story takes place in the office, and the other well let’s say they do need to explore their feelings. The emotional connection these characters forge is genuine, honest and lovable. I was charmed by this story!

Love Interest | OUT TODAY

While its a workplace romance, this couple starts as enemies then friends then lovers. What is your favorite romance genre?

Thank you St. Martins Press & SMP Romance for the complimentary copy.

Some opposites attract, enemies to lovers, workplace romance, and lots of banter. Casey was a little salty that she didn’t get the job she applied for. What adds insult to injury is that Alex gets the job. She assumes he got it because of his ties to the board chair. As they get to know each other, Casey realizes she misjudged Alex; there’ a lot more to him that meets the eye. These characters were fun and easy to love. Their deepest hidden characteristics come to light only with each other and seeing them fall (him first!!) was heartwarming.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

“...because home isn’t something you find. It’s something you build.”

"Love Interest" is the coziest of coworker adversaries-to-lovers stories in the sweetest and most relatable of ways.

Casey is a motivated financial analyst for a major magazine, Little Cooper Publications, in Manhattan who is passed over for an open project manager position by the chairman’s son, Alex. Although she can’t help not-so-discreetly resenting him for it, she’ll do whatever it takes to achieve her goals even if that means working with Alex on the same project.

Alex has a charming personality. People easily gravitate towards him and his ideas. Like Casey, he’s caring, ambitious, and self-reliant. But he’s also so much more than the sunny persona he exhibits once you get to know him, as Casey comes to learn.

Casey and Alex have something to prove and want to get by on their own merit. Their hope-filled hearts have yearned for something that has always seemed out of reach.

The more they work together the more they realize more about themselves, especially as they begin a time-sensitive, friends-with-benefits arrangement. I liked how laid-back and wholesome the romance was. Soft and sweet with just the right amount of spice. Their meet-cute moment was honestly one of my favorite parts.

Alex is surprisingly very forthcoming when talking about himself given his past and how he feels about Casey. But that’s what relatably resonates with Casey and the reader.

Alex has a need to be liked that comes from his poor relationship between him and his emotionally distant dad. Even though Casey loves numbers (they make sense to her), she feels like her career choice has been a disappointment to her parents. She worries about not leaving behind a legacy like her parents have.

So we have these incredible, raw moments of character development sprung from Alex and Casey trying to be enough and be their own person. All the while, Casey has been secretly tasked with uncovering the why of the current C-suite drama and possible acquisition as she and Alex fall deeper for each other.

"Love Interest" was a great debut novel about knowing your worth, taking risks, and being yourself. The story flowed well and I loved Casey and Alex. Being honest and vulnerable helped them build their relationship beautifully, come to terms with their pasts, and see the good part of themselves for the first time. The last quarter of the story was so sweet and had a satisfying conclusion.

I really enjoyed reading "Love Interest" and will be reading whatever Gilmore writes next.

Thanks again St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review!