It's a cute story! It did feel like it dragged a bit in the middle but I am glad I finished it. Casey and Alex were well thought out and were good characters (together and on their own). Overall, for a debut novel it was good and I'll read more from this author!

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Casey works in finance and applies for a job as a project manager which she knows is out of her comfort zone but she loses it to Alex. This is not exactly a hate-to-love scenario but Casey is wary of Alex. Both have complex paths but they work well together and, of course, sparks start to fly. I won't even to pretend I understood all the finance and business deals but I loved both Alex and Casey and thought it was sweet the way the relationship grew. Casey has a small group of friends, a diverse bunch, but united in their love for each other. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.

After a slow start, this story of Alex and Casey and their workplace romance was really cute. I struggled with them at first. I wasn't quite sure why I should care about her anger about not getting his job and about his over eagerness to be successful. But Gilmore left clues and hints to both of their inner struggles woven through the story in a way that kept me reading and needing more. As they both opened up to each other, we saw the walls go down as well. I felt like I was a part of this story and by the time it all came together in the end, I was fully invested.

It's a little bit enemies to lovers, a solid friend group romance, lots of great themes and fun banter. If you are in the mood for work place romance, this is your book.

I enjoyed this one for the most part, but found the pacing got too slow for my tastes around the 60% mark. Still, a great romcom, and I loved the workplace romance vibes, and the only one bed trope. Thank you Netgalley and St-Martin's Press for an arc in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

A sweet enemies (of sorts) to lovers romance about two young people in New York. Casey, who loves numbers, loses out on the job she wants to Alex, who she believes was given the job because of who he is. She slowly learns that's not the case, These two build a relationship on the shards of that misunderstanding, maturing as people along the way. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read with diverse characters and a positive spirit.

Casey's got a lot going on. She works in finance, and she enjoys it. Numbers are good, they're dependable and nice. But she decides maybe it's time to reach out, so she applies for a higher position as a project manager. On her way to figure out if she's got the job or not, she meets Elevator Boy who is so charming with that care-free smile and pretty eyes.
Well, Elevator Boy just got renamed Worst Enemy Number One.
Alex Harrison has got everything. With his father's name he could get any job he wants- but he's never cared for that. He's spent his life working HARD to get to where he is. Getting that job wasn't thanks to his dad's influence- it was because he was GOOD. Good and with a plan. Help launch the product, work out everything, and then find something new. Permanent was never a word he used.
That was before Casey happened anyway. Now with both of them stuck dealing with a collapsing company and a growing attraction, it's hard to decide what they each want in life- their original plans, or each other?

This book was EVERYTHING to me. I enjoyed myself wayyy too much while reading it. I was giggling and screaming through it all. Love Interest is such an easy read and so fun it breezed by quickly. I loved the business subplot and how it didn’t take away from the main point of the book. It really let me enjoy and explore these characters and their dynamics easily. I loved Berjish and Casey’s dynamics, I loved Freddy and his family, I adored Casey’s friends both out of work, and at work. I adored the environment built in Casey’s finance job, and how everyone in a way took care of one another. I LOVE how Clare Gilmore peels back the layers of her characters to show their depth. It was a really nice touch to get to slowly see the curtains being pulled back to reveal everything in a true light. The dynamics and interactions of the whole cast (ESPECIALLY Casey and Alex <3) were SO ADORABLE. Alex is my #1 I want him in a feral way. I loove the way Casey feels so real. It was such a love letter to me the way Casey was- how she loved romanticising her life and yet was still aware of the problems she faced. I loved how she knew what her dream was and yet she still struggled with accepting so much. Her struggles and her hopes and her fears were so fleshed out I felt like someone had walked into my mind and picked out every little bit.
Clare Gilmore has a brilliant way of weaving together this story of hope and dreams and insecurities and life problems and yet still making it feel all so magically realistic. The way she writes, how she’s built these characters is just breathtaking.
Maybe I’m bias, because everyone knows how much of a sucker I am for workplace frenemies to lovers, and because I really love a smart green flag MMC, and because Alex (And Freddy. And Brejish) were all sooo swoon worthy, and Casey felt like she was made for me- but maybe I’m not bias and that’s what everyone else likes too.
I’m telling you, if you’re looking for a head-empty, chill-reading-day book that you can just pick up and get lost in, Love Interest IS the book for you.

Oh, did I mention- it’s sooo Taylor Swift/Lana Del Rey coded.

Love Interest comes out October 10 and is Clare Gilmore’s debut romcom! Thanks again for giving me the chance to read this book and I’m soo excited for everyone to meet Alex and Casey.

Finance expert Casey is assigned to work with elusive Alex, the son of a company executive. Though their after-hours meetings spark an undeniable attraction, Casey seeks a London transfer while Alex longs to impress his distant father. But unraveling their company's secrets could upend Casey's travel dreams and Alex's bid to launch a new brand. Will corporate intrigue tear their tangled lives apart?

I loved this upbeat and emotional debut novel. A rivals-to-lovers rom com, it features a strong plot and vivid, likeable characters.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Cute romance that I really enjoyed.

Casey instantly hates Alex because he is brought into the company in the job that she wanted. Hate turns to friendship and then more!!!

I loved all of the side characters also like Casey’s dad and his partner and all of Casey’s friends. Highly recommend this cute read.

Oh my stars! What a lovely read!

Claire Gilmore's debut novel was an absolute joy to read. The lightness of love, family and friendship and the gravitation a lot of us feel to connect to our roots and also be our own person.

Trope: enemies-ish -lovers, meeting in an elevator ( is that a trope or a greys anatomy thing ?)

Setting: NYC🍎

MC: Casey is 25 born and Nashville. Her mother was an artist and passed away when she was younger. Casey was raised by Marty( quirky musician) and eventually his husband, Jerry. They are loving and wonderful secondary characters.

After graduating with a degree in finance, Casey and her childhood bestie and college roommate move to NYC to pursue their dreams

Casey feels a longing to connect with her artistic legacy and roots and the dissonance of her actual STEM love for numbers
When a position involving finance and creativity open up at her company she is up for the challenge
One elevator ride with a sexy stranger and an interview later, Casey is surprised as hell when she finds out Alex, the sexy guy from her elevator ride, was given the position and enraged when she learns he's a board members son . It doesn't help that he's charming and easy on the eye and a Harvard educated.

Is there more to Alex than meets the eye and her narrative about him?

This is a novel about love, family , finding yourself and friendship.

The secondary characters are well developed and dynamic and the main characters have more dimension than others I've seen in this trope

This is a must read for rom-com
You will be laughing and possibly tearing up and feeling all the angst in between.

A little spicy too!

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's press!

I cannot tell you enough how much I enjoyed this book. When i requested an arc for it, it was the one I was most excited for on my list and for the right reasons! It’s co-workers enemies to lovers where he falls first! (my favorite tropes) and it did not disappoint! It’s fun, lighthearted, funny, and and easy read! You will not get bored reading this and i highly recommend it!

Clare Gilmore's LOVE INTEREST is purported to be a love story between the woman who lost a plum position at work to nepotism in the person of an exceptionally attractive and qualified man who happens to be the son of the chairman of the board. There is much to attract interest in the story, from the work environment and view into the world of publications, but the writing style, dialogue, and long veers into backstory and internal agonizing dragged it to a non-finish status. Interesting premise, wonderful cover, but? Failed to work for me. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

A pleasant enough workplace romance. I enjoyed the first half that brings Casey and Alex together, and liked how Alex was similar to an onion, with many layers for Casey to discover as she slowly got to know him beyond the horrible first impression he made on her; his concern and consideration for her many allergies in particular is incredibly romantic. However, the second half is a bit laden by the plot concerning the future of the company, with too much shoptalk that occasionally made my eyes glaze over. There is also an abundance secondary and tertiary characters, and while having all of these people flitting in and out of the picture helped to capture the feeling of living and working within a big city, many of these individuals added little of value. Ultimately I didn't love this, but there is a lot to like about the story and Gilmore's writing.

This was such a fun read! The strength of this book, for me, lied within the main characters. They were both so likeable, they chemistry and banter were top-notch, and they both had satisfying character arcs. This was an extremely good debut that felt very modern and like a breath of fresh air. Will definitely be excited to read this author's work in the future!

it takes a lot to make me literally laugh out loud while reading and this one did just that. I loved it.

I thought this was hysterical, realistic and oh so charming.

Casey Maitland is a finance analyst trying to get a project manager job to prove she can do more than just numbers. However, she learns that she is not getting the job. Instead, they are giving it to the board chairman’s son. Casey, livid by the obvious nepotism, vows to hate Alex Harrison for a long time. This vow is put to the test when everyone loves Alex, and the two are put together on the same project. This project could mean big things for both Alex and Casey. For Alex, its proof that he belongs. For Casey, its being promoted to London.

As the two spend more and more time together, the chance for something more increases. However, neither can anticipate the corporate world and its politic mess. Will the job destroy any potential the two have, personally and professionally?

This is a workplace romance where the workplace is pretty much more important than the romance at times. The plot revolves around finance and workplace politics, but the author manages to make the dialogues and interactions feel witty and fluid and real. I actually felt like I was back in the Accounts Receivable department of the hospital. I read a few reviews that say this is an enemies-to-lovers trope, but it really doesn’t feel like that. It was more a one-sided grudge that was gone after 3 or 4 chapters.

I related to Casey, because I have quite a bit of anxiety. I also love numbers. I agree that numbers don’t let you down like art can. I didn’t feel as much for Alex because there wasn’t much in his POV. Which bothered me because quite a bit of the workplace politics involves him and his father. I did feel all of the things Casey did, in the order she felt them, because of the different conflict points.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

This was such a cute workplace romance. I’m such a sucker for “he falls first plot lines” and this one did not disappoint. I think the characters were really what made this story shine!

This rom-com truly shines with its character-driven charm. Casey's elevator encounter with Alex kickstarts their rollercoaster journey, fueled by her initial resentment as he nabs her job. However, working side by side reveals Alex's complexity and prompts a reconsideration of her snap judgment.

Warm and heartwarming, the book offers a delightful blend of sweetness. Casey and Alex's chemistry is irresistible, particularly during their playful squabbles in the "enemies" phase. Casey's relatable role as a 24-year-old financial analyst adds a relatable dimension, and their evolving relationship is handled with mature finesse.

Deepening their backgrounds adds layers to their growth, and their romance, while endearing, carries a subtle spark. The supporting characters, along with their close-knit group of friends, shine brightly. Although the mid-book workplace conflict didn't hold my interest as strongly, the overall experience was solid and engaging.

In its debut, the author crafts a promising narrative, deftly weaving workplace dynamics, relatable characters, and a heartwarming romance. For fans of rom-coms and workplace intrigue, this one's a definite recommendation.

⚠️ TW: misogyny, sexual harassment, infidelity, abandonment, death of parent

Enemies to lovers, work place romance, where he falls first…I mean what else do I have to say to convince you to read this? The banter and tension between Alex and Casey is well developed and swoony.

One Bed, Spicy, Single POV, Forced Proximity

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this spectacular debut by Clare Gilmore! This workplace romance grew on me and consumed my thoughts long after I finished it.

This workplace romance has an endearingly awkward meet-cute, and one bed, he falls first, rivals-to-lovers trope.

I related with Casey in feeling like a sort of outcast in her own family, but wanting desperately to make her parents proud and wishing she could carry out their legacy. But she hopes to do them proud by getting a job in London, where her mom was from, convinced that THERE is where she'll find herself. But things become a little less clear when she runs into Alex.

I loved the way Alex and Casey's relationship slowly built. Alex is perfect book boyfriend material -- patient, sweet, and knows the right thing to say. And Gilmore delivers on quite a bit of spice, which is deepened by the tender emotional relationship between Alex and Casey. I just want to squeal about his book because it's such a gem.

Love Interest by Clare Gilmore @momentofclarety gave me all the 90s romcom vibes and I was here for it. When Alex gets the job Casey applied for internally at the publishing company she is a financial analyst for, she still has to work with him but hating him gets harder as she gets to know him better. Alex is not the outgoing nepo-baby he projects to the world, and while his father was on board, there is a lot more going on behind the scenes that Casey is trying to get to the bottom of to save the company and help launch this new brand with Alex. They really are perfect for each other and help fill all the insecurities and holes in each others lives. While there is a third act conflict, it fit right into the plot and resolved beautifully.

I kept putting this ARC off because it wasn’t fitting the autumn vibes I was going for, but I added it in as a fluffy romance between heavy fantasy and am so glad I did. I laughed, I swooned, I sad cried, I happy cried. I am blown away that this was a debut novel, it was perfectly written and flowed so well I didn’t want to put it down. I fully related to Casey enjoying her job but also feeling like she should be wanting more. The side characters were so rich and well-developed, I loved them all and want to see a Miriam-Brijesh story next.

All the stars! Two peppers spicy. I immediately preordered the paperback of Love Interest because it deserves a spot on my shelf. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing this eARC for my honest opinion.