Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore [St. Martin's Press #NetGalley]

I enjoyed reading Perfect Fit. I enjoyed the complications within the relationships in this one - but I'm not quite sure there's anything that stood out enough for me to remark more than saying - I enjoyed reading it.

I don't know what Clare Gilmore puts into her books, but seriously every moment has me kicking my feet and giggling. And I don't even really like second chance romance all that much, so that's saying something.

I loved "Perfect Fit" both as a romance novel and a reflection of being an over-achieving girl in a very hungry world and how that can sometimes become too much. I saw a lot of myself in Josephine, I think a lot of people will. I loved getting to experience her finding herself over the course of the novel.

While I loved how Will's development reflected Josie's by the end of the book, I would have liked to see a little more development from him overall. However, I do think the book was primarily about Josie. I say this same thing about many-a-romance novel, but I think the book being dual-POV may have helped here. However, I wasn't missing the second POV as much as I sometimes am in single-POV books. Without giving away too much, I really appreciated how the third act conflict was handled. It felt grounded and mature without sacrificing any of the high emotions.

Overall, this was so much fun and I can't wait to continue reading everything Gilmore writes in the future.

4 stars

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Perfect Fit is a workplace romance, with a wonderful hint of second chance romance. Josephine and Will knew each other in high school, shared one kiss that went very sideways, and spent their twenties chancing their dreams. Now chance has brought them back together with another chance to be friends and maybe more. This is a wonderful story where all the main characters, our romantic leads and their best friends, are caring and supportive of each other in the big life changes of late twenties. The romance is a perfect slow burn, where the reader sees the friendship grow along with the romance.

This book was SO GOOD!!! The author did such a fabulous job telling the story of Josephine. Of Will. Of love.

Running into someone from your past cam change your life. In ways you'd never imagine. I'm so glad Will LITERALLY ran into Josie.

Reading how their relationship blossomed was heart-warming and left me with a smile on my face. Will was too good to be true, but man, he wasn't too good for Josie. Nope, he was/is exactly what she deserved.

I appreciated the dive into a female-owned business, and all the "stuff" that comes along with that.

I highly recommend this book!!!


Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

While I loved the second chance romance between Will and Josie, I loved Josie's personal growth even more. Burnout is real and seeing it addressed was refreshing and felt authentic. I love the author's reflective writing style- it's thoughtful and relatable as Josie struggles with finding balance and prioritizing her own happiness.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thanks to the publisher for sharing a copy with me. All opinions are my own.

Such a cute read!!! I love that she has a real job and real aspirations and knows what she wants out of life. The kinda woman I look up to, a badass boss bitch.

Will is DREAMY and I cannot get over how considerate and swoony and thoughtful he is, i’m obsessed.

I’ve never read anything else by Clare Gilmore before but i’m gonna start!

This story was layered with so many different aspects and so well done. The growth of a healthy relationship between Josephine and Will, the strength of a friendship between Josephine and Camille, and a few other layers I won’t give too much away about 😉. But, I loved this story and being a part of the development of Josephine’s story that wrapped up beautifully. I would definitely recommend 💕

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This one is for the girlies who are out there identifying as super-independent, hit the grind, gotta be perfect in everything we do and have the “I can do it myself” mentality – heavens if I didn’t identify with Josie. Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore is her sophomore book, and let me just say she has grown as an author and I couldn’t put this one down. Will Grant was absolute perfection, and met Josie where she needed him (and lets just say it took her some time to realize she really could rely on him and need him) and they complemented each other perfectly – one might say they were a “Perfect Fit.” I really really enjoyed this one, and Clare Gilmore has become an auto-read for me for sure!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Clare Gilmore and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Clare Gilmore gave me another favorite book with Perfect Fit. I savored reading this, not wanting to rush through and miss any development. Clare has delightful descriptive analogies and I love the use of italics and parenthesis to really bring the voice through. I connected with Josie from the first page, and Will was the dreamiest. I loved how they supported each other in their goals and realized that the right partner makes things easier. The friends were great and fully fleshed out, and I wouldn't mind following them into their own stories.

You can expect -
Workplace Romance
Fashion CEO x Consultant
Ex-BFF’s Twin Brother
Forced Proximity
Care while Sick
No Third Act Breakup
Anxiety Rep
Austin, TX Food Scene
World Travels
Late20s MCs
Single, 1stP POV

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's for providing an eARC for my honest opinion.

Clare Gilmore's Perfect Fit is a delightful and heartwarming romance novel that will make your heart flutter. The story follows the adorable and quirky couple, Rosie and Jack, as they navigate the ups and downs of love and life.

Gilmore's writing style is light and breezy, perfect for a cozy read. The characters are endearing and relatable, and their chemistry is undeniable. The author expertly balances the sweet and the silly, creating a story that is both romantic and humorous.

If you're looking for a feel-good romance novel that will leave you smiling, Perfect Fit is the perfect choice.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC and finished copy!!!

This was such a sweet and heartwarming story! I loved the message of self care and the characters were fantastic! I loved that it was a love story but also about friendship and trusting yourself! This was my first book by this author but it definitely won’t be the last!

What a heart warming read. I love the way they addressed burnout and perfectionism and overwork. And I loved the communication between the characters - all of them not just the love interests. I simply adored this read.

This was a heartfelt and humorous second chance, opposites attract, forced proximity workplace romance that sees Josephine Davis, the hardworking CEO and founder of her own fashion brand, Revenant, working with her ex-best friend's twin brother, Will Grant, on a new marketing campaign.

Together the two have to fight to keep things strictly business as the chemistry between them grows the longer they spend together. However, Josephine lives in Austin and Will is a New Yorker, will anything real and lasting be possible between these two?? With some mild open door scenes, this was a fairly low heat romance perfect for fans books like The hating game by Sally Thorne and authors like Emily Henry.

Good on audio read by relatively new narrator, Katherine Leonard who does a pretty admirable job voicing both the male and female characters in a distinctive, emotional manner. The story tackles some heavy family drama on Will's part, to workplace burnout and the heavy expectations and betrayals faced by Josephine as a woman CEO who is always striving to do better and never seems to find a way to take time to relax and enjoy herself.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Swoon!

This book follows Josie and does a great job building her character.
The book is focused on her life, friendships, and her career, with romance being the secondary.
Josie's was refreshingly humble, especially as a CEO.

Will is the MMC. He is so precious.
He wants to be in Josie's life, no matter what it takes.
He tells her to "use me. Please" and it made my heart grow ten times in size lol
These characters and this story are genuine and I loved this book.

Josephine is dead set on making the clothing company she started with her best friend successful. She’s focused on getting B corp certified and expanding into brick and mortar, all while staying under the radar as Revenant’s CEO. She ends up hiring a consultant from a past life, and soon the lines of personal and professional are blurring- forcing her to take a look at how much her personality has become rooted in running her company. This was a great love story but also an empowering story of remembering what in life truly matters.

A second chance romance with an admirable FMC & a cinnamon roll green flag MMC! If you want just one reason to read this book, let it be for Will f*cking Grant!

Josie & Will were such great main characters. Josie is a CEO of her fashion company that she aspires and is working to take to the next level. She decides to bring on a strategy consultant to help her with this goal. It turns out that the consultant is nobody else but Will Grant, her ex-best friend’s twin brother. The same brother whom she kissed once & lost her best friend in the process. They sadly had parted ways on that unfortunate note. Now he’s back and is not only hotter but his professional excellence is attractive to the workaholic in Josie. Workplace romance/closed proximity is definitely in play.

What’s to love:
✨ The book is written in Josie’s POV only but it makes sense. It’s nice to see a female lead with focus and determination in a powerful position, workaholic but still is conscious of creating a safe and healthy work environment around her. We see her past experiences, her insecurities which shape her take on love and life, the reason why she is reluctant to let Will into her heart. By the end of the book, there is definitely a progress and realisation for Josie’s character, what she could have done better in her past friendships and how she can take a break when she hits burnout & it’s ok to lean onto a loved one.

✨Will Grant : I loved him from the first moment of the meet cute & with every passing chapter, he solidifies his place in your heart.😍 You may perceive him to be some silly guy who might have not cared for a young Josie, but you eventually will find out he was fighting his own battles as a young kid and he truly admires and believes in Josie. He is the perfect ‘person’ every girl needs - someone who adores her, supports her, can solve her problems but rather gives her space to work through because she is capable.

✨ The relationship : It is certainly a dream come true. How they open up to each other, how they talk through their feelings and concerns, how Will helps Josie to understand that being in a loving relationship is not an obstacle to her dreams, rather it’s having a partner always in your corner. ❤️ This warm fuzzy feeling will make you smile! Also, just wait to meet this sweet guy in the bedroom. He is naughty and hot. The spicy scenes were so good, and yes there is adjoining hotel rooms on a business trip, with sick/taking care trope! Go have fun with that 🔥🌶️

I loved the overall plot, and all the side characters like the current best friend and the ex-best friend, the cycling club. This was my first book by Clare and I am thankful to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the e-arc!

I will be posting to my instagram by next week, 10/11.

This was interesting. Clare's writing is similar to Love Interest (a book I LOVED!!) in that it is so engaging and the romantic/swoonworthy moments always hit. Unfortunately I wasn't super into this plot and I think it was how realistically rich everyone was. It doesn't feel like escapism billionaire romance in the slightest so when the FMC is grappling with being a young CEO, and yes acknowledges her privilege each step of the way I will credit to that, I just don't really care if she's going to step down or not because no matter what she'll be on the board still and find other ventures and just overall be fine. So I get the overarching lesson of being an overachiever workaholic has helped people feel seen this just wasn't my favorite way of telling it, she never really had to make any sacrifices.

The romance was great, the MMC is a total book boyfriend and I definitely fell in love with him right along with her. The added backstory of them knowing each other as teens was an interesting extra angsty layer at first.

I just overall could have done without some really random side tangents like the very beginning about how the FMC claims she was her high school It Girl- the way she self-describes she was absolutely the "all American" girl she was claiming NOT to be, it just did not make sense but luckily didn't come up again. Or like when her friends are calling her out for not showering and it was just such a long and unrealistic conversation. Just ignore those bits and this book is great.

Thank you to SMP for the eARC!

Perfect Fit is Clare Gilmore’s newest novel featuring a burnt-out career woman who discovers love in an unexpected place. This realistic story celebrates friendship, family love, and romantic love.
Josephine “Josie” Davis is a burnt-out career woman. She has built a fashion empire, Revenant, headquartered in downtown Austin. She is not happy when her biggest investor orders her to hire a consultant. She is shocked when the consultant is Will Grant, her ex-best friend’s twin brother. Although Josie and Will were never friends, they did share a kiss nine years ago. She remembers him as moody; he always thought of her as shallow. Josie hasn’t spoken to Will’s sister in years and has been so busy building her company that she hasn’t formed new relationships.
While Josie is attracted to Will, they have lots of obstacles on the road to romance. She’s married to her business and realizes that she will have to make many changes in order to have a real relationship. To complicate matters, they live seventeen hundred miles apart. There’s also family drama and old relationships to repair.
I really like stories which include strong, successful women who have their lives together. While Josie has a work/life imbalance, she’s not a hot mess. Will is the perfect male hero, and readers will fall in love with him. The writing is spectacular, and readers will absolutely love this realistic story. The behind-the-scenes look at the fashion and business worlds are a bonus. I highly recommend Perfect Fit.
I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I feel like if you're a girly with social anxiety brace yourself for how much you'll relate to Josephine in this book. Such a cutie love story. I found the banter pretty exceptional. Will is mega swoonworthy. I also love a girl with social anxiety who still succeeds professionally(relatable content). Another cutie Clare gilmore romance!

I really enjoyed this author's last novel and could not wait to dive into this one!

I loved watching Josie and Will reconnect as friends and fall in love. From literally running into each other (such a good meet cute) after a decade to working together and some forced proximity. There were so many heartwarming and meltworthy moments to choose a favorite. And y'all, Will is the most adorable nerdy cinnamon roll of an MMC I've read in a while. Oh my gosh. Their relationship was paced well throughout the story and for their history, and I loved how well they tackled the challenges being thrown at them in a way that didn't leave room for any grey area in their relationship, and that made me love them even more! I wanted a bit more in the epilogue (but that is my usual!) But otherwise this was one of my favorites for this year!! 🥰

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review!