While The Love Interest had a promising premise and the classic enemies-to-lovers setup I usually enjoy, it fell flat for me. The characters lacked depth, and the chemistry never quite sparked. I wanted to love it, but the pacing dragged and the emotional payoff just wasn’t there. Unfortunately, this one didn’t live up to the BookTok hype.

Pride and Prejudice meets modern day London!

The Love Interest is a very cute rom com adaptation of one of our most iconic romance movies. Liv is an aspiring author and Jane Austen fanatic who is forced to spend more time with her nemesis while trying to write her debut book.

This book is a super cute palette cleaner. Tons of Austen references, forced proximity, and plenty of banter. I thought the premise of our FMC writing a book impaired by her story, which was inspired by Pride and Prejudice was a fun and interesting setting to be in. I also really enjoyed getting to know our supporting cast, especially the romance between Dan and Theo.

Unfortunately, where this book fell flat was really the writing and references. I don't usually mind social media and current slang being used in books but this felt very frequent and in your face in a very inauthentic way that I didn't love. In addition, a lot of the writing generally felt unnatural and lacking chemistry and depth between characters. I think each person was interesting in their own right but the interactions never felt very organic.

I think if you are someone who absolutely loves Pride and Prejudice, modern adaptions, and loves an easy fun romance read- this book might just be for you!

Thanks to the publisher Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading an eARC. The thoughts and opinions expressed are completely my own.

I loved the premise of this one, but not so much the execution, unfortunately. I didn't feel the connection with the characters and their romance. Thank you so much to the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

"The Love Interest" erzählt die Geschichte von Liv Jones, einer Bibliothekarin mit dem Traum, einen eigenen Liebesroman zu schreiben. Ihr fehlt jedoch die Inspiration für den perfekten männlichen Protagonisten. Als ihr Bruder vorschlägt, dass sein bester Freund Aiden Rivers vorübergehend in ihrer gemeinsamen Wohnung einzieht, ist Liv wenig begeistert. Aiden, mit seinem charmanten Akzent und seiner Ähnlichkeit zu Mr. Darcy, bringt jedoch unerwartet frischen Wind in ihr Leben und dient ihr als Vorlage für ihren Romanhelden.​

Gut gefallen hat mir die humorvolle Darstellung der Beziehung zwischen Liv und Aiden. Auch die zahlreichen Anspielungen auf klassische Liebesgeschichten wie beispielsweise "Stolz und Vorurteil" waren sehr gelungen.

Das Buch ist eine süsse Lektüre für einen Wintertag mit einer Tasse Kaffee.

Main characters were honestly insufferable. Dialogue was lackluster and didn’t feel like the characters knew how to talk to each other at all. 1.5 stars

this book was enjoyable but not a memorable read for me! the main characters i found hard to relate to and i didn’t particularly enjoy their banter which is a trademark reason i absolutely love enemies to lovers so that was slightly disappointing for me. despite that i could see their chemistry and that helped me power through. it may have been a timing thing with this book as i had just read a 5 star, so my experience doesn’t put me off from recommending it to my friends who have similar tastes but personally not a favourite.

Thank you NetGalley. I really tried to finish this before publishing but I was such a drag. This was more like Frenemies to Lovers, brother's best friend and forced proximity. Full of clichés and absolutely predictable. Even the side characters were lackluster. I didn't hate it but I didn't enjoy this despite the fact that I am a sucker for romance novels. I could've skipped it but I felt bad for not finishing it after Netgalley gifted the arc. I seriously tried but I just kept eye-rolling. *sigh* Alas, if you just wanna read fluff this might be for you.

The Love Interest is a heartwarming and charming read that balances romance with themes of self-discovery. The story has its sweet moments, and the setting adds a cozy, comforting vibe. While the pacing was a bit uneven in places, the relatable characters and feel-good storyline kept me engaged.

It’s a great pick if you’re in the mood for a light, uplifting romance. I’d give it a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars—an enjoyable read with just a little room for more depth and impact.

3.5/5

This book was on my anticipated reads for 2024 and it definitely was a good read. It wasn’t unlike any other romance novel I’ve ever read but it delivered on being an engaging, sometimes funny romance story.

Plus, an Irish love interest always ticks the boxes.

I’m definitely interested to see what this author brings out next as a love a good love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I am always going to stan an enemies to lovers romance, and Victoria Walters delivers in The Love Interest. I've read her Regency romance works before, and I was glad to connect with her contemporary work as well.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Favorite Trope , enemies to lovers ✔️
Swoon worthy romance ✔️✔️
Book girl ✔️✔️✔️

The author combined the best of 3 and spun a story that had me smiling through most the book.
I was a little annoyed at the amount of miscommunication between the characters but I guess in real life this happens more than we realize

Another lovely romance novels to add to my have read. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

Enemies become lovers in this gorgeous romantic comedy from Victoria Walters: The Love Interest.

Librarian Liv Jones has always wanted to write a romance novel. However, inspiration for the perfect romantic hero is rather thin on ground – largely due to the fact that she’s met few Mr Darcys and far too many rogues, rascals and rats of the highest order. There is nobody in her life whom she can base her fictional hero on – until her brother invites his best friend Aiden to stay in their shared flat for a couple of weeks. Aiden is arrogant, irritating and also has the sexiest accent she has ever heard! Has Liv found the perfect hero – on and off the page?

As her writing begins to gather momentum, she is adamant that Aiden must never find out that she’s using him as inspiration for her fictional hero. However, as the two of them start getting closer and closer, will Liv work up to the courage to tell him how she really feels? Can the two of them ever have a chance at a future together? Or should Liv stick to fictional happy endings from now on?

Victoria Walters’ The Love Interest is a fun, funny and irresistible romantic comedy that deftly mixes wit, humour, mischief, emotion and Jane Austen. A feel-good romance that will make readers laugh out loud, Janeites and rom-com fans alike will fall in love with Victoria Walters’ latest novel, The Love Interest.

I read this via audiobook on everend.

Enemies to lovers, really this is all i need to say - there is nothing really out of the ordinary or new being done with this romance so as a trope i am not much interested in reading it was absolutely what it says on the tin!! cant complain but just middle of the road.

Fast paced and funny. Easy fun read to get through on audio book

3 stars

The Characters are extremely charming especially Aiden and Liv. You could smell the chemistry between them from a mile off and I lapped it up. The story encourages the readers to look beyond the outer appearances & first impressions to truly understand people. These two have some real pain and past trauma that has greatly impacted them. The book highlights the importance of communication and understanding in relationships. Highly recommended

This book was a solid 3.5 Stars for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I absolutely love a good enemies to lovers, brothers best friend trope, but this one did drag on a little for me.
The movie scene was also very cute.
I absolutely loved her relationship with her brother too!

Thank you for my earc of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t finish, I didn’t gel with the writing style or characters

This is a good book. The two main characters are Olivia and Aiden. They have known each other along time. Aiden is Olivia’s brother best friend. Every time they see each other, they bicker. Aiden gets a new job at the university that Olivia works at. He doesn’t have a place to live so he comes and lives in the apartment that Olivia and her brother live. One night when Olivia’s brother is away Aiden and Olivia kiss. Neither one of them can’t stop hinting about the kiss. Aiden ask her out on a date. He was fantastic. They fall in love.

Glad I got the chance to read this! It was a very cute read and I enjoyed reading it. Giving it a 3.8

Overall I really enjoyed this wonderfully romantic story. Liv and Aiden were great main characters, their chemistry leapt off the pages and the flirty banter was amazing throughout. The other characters throughout were wonderful additions, each adding their own different layer to the story, helping Liv on her journey with her book or her own love interest. I'd definitely be interested in reading a sequel set a few years later too!

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I unfortunately couldn’t connect with the characters and the story. It started off pretty well, but then I felt like the story went from 0-100 a little too quick and it didn’t feel believable to me. The characters never felt like enemies and I found myself enjoying the story more before they become “lovers”. Although this book didn’t work for me, it was still a super quick read that could work for someone else.