Perfect Fit is a second chance romance that follows the story of Josephine “Josie” Davis, a CEO of a fashion company, who spent most of her twenties building her fashion company that she started out of her dorm room. An investor of hers pushes Josie to hire a consultant for her company, and the consultant she hires is her ex-high school best friend’s brother, Will. There’s something that happened between Josie and Will back in high school that hurt her friendship with her ex-high school best friend.

What I really liked about Perfect Fit the most was how much I related to Josie’s character and her growth from someone who is essentially a workaholic to realizing how much she deserves to find things that make her happy outside of work achievements. I also loved the fashion business aspects to Josie’s company that are talked about in the story.

While second chance is usually one of my favorite tropes, the romance in this one just did not work for me. To me, it just felt very rushed and the chemistry between Josie and Will felt a little flat and didn’t jump off the page. Another thing that I didn’t love was how Josie’s friendship ended with her ex-best friend, which was through basically a miscommunication which is my least favorite trope whether it be a romance or just a friendship.

It did take me a while to get through this one given I didn’t love the romance. However, if you like second chance and workplace romance tropes this may be worth a try!

Thanks to NetGalley and @stmartinspress for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Clare Gilmore has written an excellent book! If you see the hype online surrounding this book in the lead up to its publication, it is justified! Highly recommend this one!

First and foremost, Josie and Will have great chemistry. I was so invested in every interaction they had. Their story was everything you'd want in a contemporary romance: sweet, swoony, funny, and spicy without being gratuitous (although sometimes I like that in a book, too!) The tension and flirting as they're resisting the mutual attraction was so good. I couldn't put the book down. The author knows just how long to draw that tension out before the characters finally give in.

Despite those great aspects of the book, they weren't even my favorite part. The communication and honesty between these characters is so excellent. I find that the older I get, the less believable I find romance books with such unnecessary, often times high-school like drama between the leads. So many books just make the conflict between characters in a romance too contrived. Clare Gilmore does NOT do that here. Almost from the very start, Josie and Will are open with each other. There's just so much honesty between these two. It makes the book more enjoyable to read, and it makes the story that much more relatable. The foundation of the relationship being developed in this story is an honest and open attraction between two adults who are able and willing to tell each other about their doubts and their fears; and then they help each other through it.

I truly loved this book so much. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could. Read this book!

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

Will is Moody and Josie is shallow. Or are they? Will and Josie find themselves working together and eventually realize that they have feelings for each other. Except will is Josie’s ex best friends, twin brother and the two live across the country from each other. Is there anyway that will work out?

This is a fun and delightful read! I thoroughly enjoyed the characters' growth and the I need to better me for me attitude, not just for my significant other. I also loved the exploration of female friendships.

This was a sweet romcom with a side of mental health discussion! The MCs were great in their own but complimented each other well. And even for as long as they’ve known each other, they are really learning a lot about each other.

While I didn't like this quite as much as Clare's debut, it was a fun read! Read if you like:
-Second chance romance (though they barely had a first chance lol)
-Female CEO of a fashion brand
-Mid-twenties burnout
-Takes place in Austin, TX
Maybe my favorite part about this book was seeing Josephine as CEO. She's been in business for 9ish years so I liked that she's established but is still trying new things, like opening a retail store, that keep the plot moving along. The romance with Will, a guy she kissed in high school and hasn't seen since, was cute, too, but something about it felt off. I'm happy to report there was no third-act breakup, but the romance itself just seemed insta-lovey. They hadn't seen each other in literally 9 years, when they shared one. kiss., but he was still hung up over her?? Idk just seemed unrealistic. There were a few more instances of things like this that kept it from becoming a new favorite.

I couldn’t put this down and will be recommending it to all the hopeful romantics. This was such a swoon-worthy romance! Josie and Will’s moments were tender and full of love, making me cry the happiest of tears. This book left me with all the cozy, heartwarming feels. It’s a must-read, and I’ll definitely be re-reading it via audio soon!

This book is basically what happens when you throw a high-powered CEO, an emotionally unavailable consultant, and a heaping pile of unresolved drama into a blender and hit the “Rom-Com” button. You get Josie, who’s too busy building her fashion empire to sleep, and Will, who’s busy being, well, broody—and somehow, they’re perfect for each other. At least, once they get over that one kiss from senior year. You know, the one they’ve both definitely been pretending to forget for a decade.

So, what’s to love? First off, the banter. It’s fast, it’s snarky, and it feels like these two have been annoyed with each other for years—which, surprise, they have been. The story does have its cute moments. When Josie and Will aren’t talking about work or their personal baggage, they actually have some sweet, “aww” worthy scenes. There’s a satisfying build-up between Josie and Will that makes their eventual “oh, oops, guess we’re in love now” moment feel believable.

It’s got all the classic rom-com elements, but sometimes they come together in a way that feels a little too… expected. You’ve got the overworked boss babe who’s so busy being successful that she can’t see love standing right in front of her (cue dramatic sigh), the whole “we kissed once years ago and now it’s awkward” trope, and the big looming question of whether Josie will ever slow down enough to let herself be happy.

And let’s talk about Will’s sister—the ex-best friend Josie hasn’t spoken to in years. That subplot felt like it was supposed to add a juicy layer of tension, but instead, it felt like someone tossed in a side of drama that didn’t get enough seasoning. It’s there, but it never quite delivers the impact you’re expecting.

In the end, Perfect Fit is like that cozy, predictable movie you put on when you’re in the mood for something light and comforting. It’s fun, it’s sweet, but it won’t knock your socks off.

good romance and loved how they found love and each other. They survived their trials and found their way back to each other. another great romance.

Title: Perfect Fit
Author: Clare Gilmore
Length: 344 pages
Format: ebook arc
Pub Date: October 29, 2024
Genre: Romance
Rating Out of 5: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice Level: open door
Summary:
Perfect Fit is a romantic comedy novel that follows Josephine Davis, a fashion brand CEO in Austin, who unexpectedly reunites with Will Grant, the twin brother of her former best friend. Their professional collaboration rekindles past tensions and sparks a new romance.

Thoughts:
I loved this book! It had such well developed characters including our side characters as well. This book did such a great job of exploring love, friendship, personal growth, and the challenges of balancing a career and personal life. Rest assured there is no third act breakup, and the spice is very hot and tasteful! I highly recommend this book especially if you love a second chance romance, a girl boss, and a guy who falls first.

Side note: this is the 4th book I’ve read this year with a MMC chef. Is this a thing now??

Special thanks to the @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

My goodness gracious, I LOVED this book! Will has rocketed himself up to one of my favorite book boyfriends - he is so understanding, kind, and really just down so bad. He often knew what Josie needed but also listened to her when she needed to set boundaries.

The relationship between Will and Josephine just felt so realistic to me - this is a book that isn't trope heavy and is all the better for it. There's no fake dating or other unrealistic start to their relationship - they just used to know each other, reconnect through work and a traffic accident (lol) and slowly start to get to know each other again. It's a really normal progression that I appreciated so much. This is a book that's light on the drama and heavy on the banter and swoon. The third act conflict made sense for the characters and there was no miscommunication which is also a huge plus in my book!

Read this for:
- Workplace Romance
- Woman CEO on the brink of burnout
- Slow Burn
- Sick Comfort

I just simply cannot recommend this book enough - I loved Clare Gilmore's other book as well so this has solidified her as an auto buy/read author for me!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Spice: 🌶️.5


A heartfelt rom-com.
A second chance at love.
A second chance at
forgiveness.
A chance at finding and accepting your true self.


Josephine Davis (Josie): Girl boss, Founder and CEO of Revenant. Josie is a work-a-holic who does mot want to let her personal life interfere with what she has built. Josie is reluctant to date amongst other things. It isn’t until date brings her and Will together, that she allows her walls to come down, that she allows others to help her.


Will Grant: Is just perfection. He is the perfect book boyfriend. He is patient, he is understanding, he gives Josie her space when she needs it. He isn’t pushy, and everything he does, he does for Josie.


Quotes:

💗: “I want my existence to be meaningful” (J)

✨: “Everyone needs help sometimes” (W)

💗: “I wanted you months ago too” I gasp. “You reminded me what it was like.” “To want?”. he mumbles against my skin. “To feel greedy for something I shouldn’t have”. (J)

✨: “Will you please, please be my girlfriend?” (W)

💗: “I have felt like an imposter my whole life. I never believed about myself what other people made of me. My high school classmates thought I was inspirational, but really, I was an insecure wreck who found validation in the wrong places.” (J)


💗The Perfect Fit💗

✨(Ex) Best Friends Brother
✨ Second Chance Romance
✨ Workplace Romance
✨ Hate To Love You
✨ Childhood Friend Reunion
✨ New Old Flame
✨Single POV
✨ Slow Burn

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. The FMC and MMC were enjoyable. The themes were relatable. As I stated previously, a second chance at love, a second chance at forgiveness and a chance at finding and accepting your true self.


Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press and lastly, Clare Gilmore for a chance at a eARC in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts here are my own.

I have discovered Clare Girlmore and I'm not disappointed.

This was a lovely story about Josephine, the CEO of her own clothing company, who runs into her ex-best friend's twin brother, Will, with whom she shared a kiss when they were both eighteen and which marked the end of her friendship with her friend and his sister, Zoe.

Watching Will and Josie fall in love, even though they tried not to, was beautiful. They've been through a lot and have grown in the nine years since they saw last, and every little thing that happened to them, made them ready to start a relationship together. One of the more ready than the other, but still.

One of the many positive aspects of this book is that there's no third act break up, and Will's support to Josie, giving her time and everything she needed from behind the scenes is honestly refreshing to read in a book and I have loved it very much.

The only thing I can say I would have changed, was maybe having Will's povs since it would have been nice to sread what was going on in his mind in a couple of situations.

Thank NetGalley and publisher, I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

#arc #arcreader #arcreview #arcreviewer #perfectfit #claregilmore #netgalley #fashion #secondchance #spicy #slowburn #romance #contemporaryromance #officeromancenovel #romcom

Rating: 4.25/5

Thank you Clare Gilmore and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book via Netgalley!

Josie has racked up a list of accomplishments many of us could only dream of (or not, to each our own 😉) and despite it all, she read so relatable. Josie is all of us who hustles and pour ourselves into our work and passion and, at a deeper level, who push ourselves for fear of disappointing other people, esp the ones we care about. *minor spoiler alert* It's no surprise that she eventually hits burnout. I really appreciated seeing her journey bc we felt her determination, anxiety, exhaustion, and at the end of it all, finally relief. It served as a reminder that it's good to pause and reevaluate what we want *now.* Not yesterday, that's come and gone, but today, the present. Bc priorities change and our needs may no longer be what they used to be. And in any pursuit, accept help. Bc that burnout? That hits so much faster when we go at it alone.

And Will. While we don't get his POV, I soooo loved his role in Josie's journey. He reminded her that the present is not the sometimes painful past. He supported and loved her without condition. And beyond everything else, he was a safe place for her to fall apart. He respected her boundaries, didn't push, but still made sure she had what she needed to heal. Ugh, our soft boy truly made me melt so many times. And gah, when he revealed his own insecurity, it broke my heart. In those moments, I loved that Will *and* Josie could remind each other that acknowledging responsibility was one thing, but unnecessarily shouldering fault was another.

CN: open-door romance, bullying, infidelity (side characters)

There's nothing I love more than a romance novel that blows away my expectations. By the cover and description, I figured this would be a light, not-that-deep rom-com that would be entertaining while it lasted, but likely wouldn't leave much of an impression. I probably should have known better with a cover blurb from Tarah Dewitt, but I'm happy to report I was wrong. This book has pressed itself into my memory, and will not soon be forgotten.

Josephine is the CEO of her own fashion brand, Revenant, based in Austin, TX. For a side-gig she started as a hobby in college, it has grown into something she never expected: an online phenomenon with dozens of employees. In an effort to keep aligned with her values, she's after a new certification which will tell customers how dedicated the brand is to quality and sustainability. To that end, Revenant is hiring a consultant to help, and the man who wants the job happens to be a ghost from her past she's been afraid to run into in town. They did not part in high school on the best of terms, and she's not sure she wants to open the door back up on all the hurtful feelings from the past. But he's a skilled professional and has taken an interest in her business. A few months of working together should be tolerable, right? Especially if it pushes her company, which is everything to her, in the right direction.

So what do I love about this book? The romance felt realistic. These two didn't fall in love over the course of a hot weekend, or a single business trip, or basically just a big firework of an event that 'changed everything'. They build a genuine friendship. Yes, it might be colored by burning crushes on both sides, but over time and many interactions, the two of them form a genuine connection that is strong and true and flush with meaning. Not to mention Will Grant is a walking, talking green flag. Oh my gosh, the romance in this book is everything you could want. It reminded me of all my favorite summer romances that came out this year.

There were also deep themes of friendship woven into the fabric of the story. Josephine was best friends with Will's sister Zoey in high school, and they had a falling out way back when. It happens. It's happened to me. But it's about recognizing your mistakes, realizing there are sometimes greater things playing into things that happen that can exaggerate or cause hurtful things to happen, and that it's okay to forgive, and grow, and repair. The author balances these themes through several characters and really created a big impact for me.

This was my first Clare Gilmore book, but gosh dang it, she's going on my watch list cause this book was something special. I was provided an arc copy from netgalley and the publisher, and what do you know, I hit pre-order as soon as I was finished! I will be reading it again, and I think you should too!

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

This book was absolutely one of the most amazing stories I've read this year. You will not find another book that so thoroughly makes you fall in love with the characters and showcases how deeply they love and care for each other. Josie and Will are absolute perfection - the way that Josie just wants what's best for him, even when she feels selfish for not wanting to give him up, and the way that Will steps up continuously to demonstrate to her that he is not going anywhere, that she's stuck with him, even when they're faced with some of the toughest decisions they need to make about their own lives and career trajectories. This book has it all; a best friend's brother turned into an adult romance, the beautiful and torturous pining that only comes with the slowest of slow burns, an explosive relationship, but in the best way possible, and healing for both of the main characters in a way that makes sense and makes the reader love them even more.

This book is not to be missed. I loved everything about it.

In this book we explore themes of anxiety and burn out. Anxiety is invisible to most but very obvious to those who know us the best and I felt that she emulated this beautifully. She has a way of placing you in the characters thoughts and pulling you out of it along with her. I was fully immersed in this book and found myself laughing out loud multiple times throughout. I really loved the romance aspect as well, I found the characters endearing and was rooting for them the whole time.

The character growth really stood out to me as well, she has a very unique way of writing their development that felt extremely real to me. A lot of times I find that authors will write their characters to be very abstinent to change and that they don’t generally grow until the very end when they have some sort of realization and suddenly flip their entire life around. I really felt that these characters changed slowly throughout starting with their mindset and then it blossomed from there to transform their life. I felt that it really shows that you can change the outcome of your life at any stage.

I honestly really enjoyed reading this and thought this was going to be a six star book for me until about seventy percent of the way through. It was about this time when I felt that the chemistry slipped a little and a few scenes gave me the ick unfortunately. However this didn’t drop my rating drastically, it just didn’t meet my expectations towards the end. Overall, I gave it five stars and I look forward to reading more books from her!

DNF @40%

I’m shocked because I thought I would love this. The author’s previous novel was a smash for me. This missed on soooo many levels. The fmc was a pick me girl, the mmc had as much personality as a piece of white bread, their attraction was too much too fast, and then the author makes you wait foreverrrr (I skipped ahead some) & then it is cringe… yeah I can’t finish this. Sadness.

A sophomore novel from Clare Gilmore and I am still a fan of her writing style. Her characters are well thought out. The transparency in conversations makes you wish more people could express themselves so articulately in real life. The romance = frothy. Very cute book to cozy up with. A lot of tasty meals throughout the book so you may not want to read while hungry! Thanks to St. Martin’s for the arc.

Gilmore is back with another melt-your-heart, feel good rom com. It’s a sweet story about two people who literally collide into each other at the right moment in their lives. Where Josie is kind to a fault and wants the best for those in her life. It’s a story that shows the growth of an individual who needs to take a moment to figure out what’s best for her and Will is the perfect person to assist in that growth.

Another hit rom-com from author Clare Gilmore that you should absolutely add to your upcoming reading list this fall.