The blurb from the publisher of Love Interest by Clare Gilmore describes the novel as “sparkling” and that is not hyperbole. I was engaged at the first page when we meet Casey, a financial analyst at a large publishing company. She has applied for a job within her company and finds out she did not get it. The man who does will eventually become the love interest but not before she hates him for the perceived nepotism of his hiring.

Why I loved this book: sizzling and entertaining banter, but not overly cute.
Descriptions of the workplace that are interesting. The large publishing house has a variety of magazines, so we see restaurant reviews and food discussion, but even the financial work that Casey is involved in is made to be entertaining, often because of her very realistic but entertaining colleagues. Descriptions of places such as Nashville, New York, London, and Seoul are seamlessly integrated into the story. And, finally, the main characters have their own personal growth journeys throughout the book beyond their romance. Self-acceptance and seeing others as they are without hero worship are also themes.

This is the first published novel by Gilmore, but the writing is so good and polished that I would never have guessed. I look forward to future novels by this author.

Oh man did this book give me a rollercoaster of emotions but I enjoyed every single minute of them. I would love this as a movie to watch over and over. I loved the dynamics between all the characters and really enjoyed the dialogue.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early ARC. As I am my own person, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a great book by a debut author! Unique story with interesting characters. Very well written, I would definitely read another book by this author!

Absolutely loved following this love story as the two main characters grow into their own. They both face some challenging situations that they learn to deal with together.
Ideal for anyone who enjoys office romance or enemies to lovers

love this romance and finding oneself and trying to help others in the business and family issues . I loved that they slowly formed a relationship and had great friends and making videos

Love Interest follows a lead who works in the finance department of a media company. It follows the changes in her relationship with the guy who got the job she applied for who also is the former CEO's son.

I like love stories, because they're usually light and fun and have happy endings. This book felt much more in-depth than many are. The characters have layered histories that make them interesting and fun to read about. I also related to a lot of it.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good romance. I think you'll be pleased with the quality of this one.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

LOVE INTEREST is about Casey, finance whiz at a Buzzfeed-esque media company in New York. She loses a promotion to Alex, a charming newcomer, only to discover that he's also the board chairman's son. Things get heated, sparks fly, and hijinks ensue.

I almost dropped this book around the 15-20% mark because the opening just wasn't doing it for me, but I'm happy that I pushed past it and kept going, because I do think LOVE INTEREST does find its way after a clunky beginning.

At first, the writing style did more telling rather than showing, and I felt that it tried hard to be modern/quirky/relatable to a "millennial" audience. Right from the start we're introduced to a long lineup of co-workers, friends, etc., nearly all of whom are introduced as their [race] [sexuality] [Ivy League university they attended], which read like an oddly elitist diversity bingo. I also wasn't sold on Casey and Alex's early interactions (and this is as someone who *adores* enemies-to-lovers romances).

However, I really enjoyed the hidden depths in Casey and Alex's characters, and found them to be quite endearing both together and on their own. The pace also picked up and the stakes felt surprisingly high for a workplace rom-com, keeping me invested from the middle of the book onwards. I appreciated that the themes of the book were a bit more complex than I'd anticipated based on the opening, and similarly appreciated Casey's journey of finding herself and her place in the world over the course of the book.

Total delight - wonderful debut! Truly terrific characters, pacing, and plot. Looking 100% forward to Gilmore's next book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

I really enjoyed Casey’s and Alex’s love story. The tension in the beginning of the novel as both characters worked to figure each other out was excellent. I loved the whole cast of characters and appreciated the diversity. Can we have Miriam’s and Brijesh’s story next, please!? Well done first novel - look forward to reading more from Ms. Gilmore!

Love Interest by Clare Gilmore offers profound insights into the internal pressure we impose on ourselves to conform to certain expectations.

Casey, a skilled numbers enthusiast, finds herself working in finance at a prominent publishing company. With her parents being celebrated creatives, she wrestles with a sense of inadequacy for not possessing the same artistic inclination. Despite her affinity for numbers, she applies for a position at her company, hoping to contribute to the launch of an exciting new digital magazine.

While awaiting news about the job, Casey encounters an attractive stranger in an elevator. Initially perceiving him as affluent and entitled, she learns that his name is Alex and that he secured the position she coveted. This revelation doesn't alter her opinion of him.
Nonetheless, Casey acknowledges Alex's natural aptitude for the job and realizes that assisting him with the financial aspects of the online magazine could expedite her dream of securing a position in London.

However, when Casey is entrusted with the company's financial troubles and is sworn to secrecy, it strains her burgeoning connection with Alex. Can she save the publisher's future while also forging a future with Alex?

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I wholeheartedly recommend Love Interest.

Really enjoyed this! It felt like a “The Bold Type”-esque story with two leads who had some damn good chemistry

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a fairly strong debut novel that blends workplace romance with enemies to lovers. I really liked Alex and Casey, they just needed to get out of their own ways. There was a little too much workplace in the romance. I feel like I need an escape from it when I'm reading. Otherwise, I enjoyed the family subplots and secondary characters.

I loved this book so much that I almost don’t know what to say. A workplace enemies to lovers can be hit or miss for me, but this was a smashing success. I loved all the characters, especially Casey, Alex, and her parents. Casey and Alex are relatable, and the development of their relationship felt natural. They challenged and understood each other and seemed to really bring the best out in each other. Love Interest made me laugh out loud, and I think I might have shed a tear or two at one time… I absolutely love any book that can make me feel a wide range of emotions while reading. I definitely recommend this one!

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I loved how the MCs were each other’s biggest cheerleaders, personally and professionally. The FMC was a little overly quirky in the first chapter, but she quickly levels out to an average amount of quirk (I think her listening to Aaron Carter’s music could probably be left out). The side characters were interesting and well fleshed out. I especially loved her relationship with her step dads. There was one brief inconsistency there though — she FaceTimes them at one point in the book, then later on when they visit she says it’s the first time she’s seen them and remarks on physical changes that would have been easy to spot on FaceTime. I also stan a girl who gets excited about spreadsheets.

In her debut novel, Love Interest, author Clare Gilmore uses workplace romance and enemies-to-lovers literary tropes to create a charming and compelling read. Casey is a straight-forward and analytic finance expert, Alex is a sensitive and creative project manager. When Alex gets the job Casey had applied for, well I probably don’t need to tell you what happens. But this is a romance novel, after all, and it quickly becomes obvious that Casey and Alex are meant to be more than coworkers.

This novel was an excellent debut from Clare Gilmore. I personally could have used a bit more tension between Alex and Casey before they crossed the enemies to lovers line, but that is hardly a criticism of this book. The characters were all lovable and I appreciated that the side characters had a some depth. There was also a welcome diversity in the characters, although it may have been a bit overdone at times (Alex’s eyes were repeatedly referred to as “hooded”). Romance novels can often fall into the trap of the female character getting in her own way by imagining roadblocks that aren’t really there. There was an acceptable amount of this in Love Interest, but overall I really appreciated the arc that Casey took throughout the novel and that her story stood on its own outside of her and Alex’s relationship.

I really enjoyed Love Interest (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) and I eagerly await Clare Gilmore’s next novel! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted copy of this book.

I enjoyed Clare Gilmore's debut novel, Love Interest, though it wasn't as swoony as I had hoped. Our MC, Casey, has worked in finance at a publishing house for the past two years, right our of college. She applied for a more creative position as she feels like that is something she should do, even though she really loves numbers and excel spreadsheets. Her father and mother were both creative types. Her mother died when she was 11, and Casey feels like her mom would be proud of her if she was in a more creative industry. Unfortunately, she doesn't get the job as it goes to a new hire named Alex who happens to be the hot guy she shared an elevator with on his first day. She also finds out that Alex is the son of the company's chairman

So obviously she hates Alex.

And obviously they will work on a project together that will bring them together and fight their feelings etc.

Casey and Alex are cute, but I would have loved more banter and swoon.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing this ARC for my honest review.

Corporate enemies to lovers romance. Heavy on the workplace, Alex is the reason. Casey doesn’t get her new position. They have to work together on a project and sparks fly.

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

Love Interest is a solid debut novel by Clare Gilmore that features enemies to lovers and workplace romance tropes, which happen to be two of my favorites. Our main characters, Casey and Alex, are the strongest part of this story and I really enjoyed their romance. However, I felt that the actual workplace plot/setting took away from the story and was too much of the focus. This is still an adorable romantic comedy and I think it is an incredible debut!

Absolutely loved this story! I can’t wait to read more books by Clare. Alex and Casey’s tension filled moments gave me butterflies and I just knew their romantic moments were going to be filled with sparks. Can’t recommend this book enough.

Casey applies for her dream job but loses out to the board chairman’s son, Alex. She has no choice but to hate him… at first.

Casey loves numbers and her financial analyst role, but wonders if she should be doing something more because her parents have left legacies in the art and music world.

Alex has never really known his father well and has something - everything - to prove by succeeding in his new role at his father’s company.

They are thrown together on a work project and find out that their initial impressions of each other may have been wrong.

This was a delightful enemies to lovers story with good dialogue and banter.

I loved watching Alex and Casey grow personally and professionally through the story.

The supporting cast of characters is also instantly likable - from Casey’s dad and stepdad, to her co-workers, to her lifelong friends.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.