3.5 stars

Very lighthearted and fun with 0.5/5 spice level. This would be a PERFECT summer read while at the beach or at the lake. A small part of slow living

I really enjoyed the story of second chance lovers rekindling and falling in love. A big miss for me was the amount of pop culture references that I think will feel dated in a few years. Also, I feel that when they got together on her birthday in Barcelona, you blinked and they were kissing and then the rest of the story they were in love. I wish there was a bit more of a lead up of small moments, but that is definitely reader preference. My favorite part of the book was Will and how he cared so so much for Josie. He loved her out loud and he was well written. I’m going to miss these characters.

I’m catching up on NetGalley reads, so thanks to whoever for providing this book through NG in exchange for an honest review.

This was honestly, terrible. It’s an ARC. I can only hope the final product is better, but I doubt it.

Josie (Josephine, Jo, JoJo, J) was so annoying. I hated her from the first page. We’re told she’s so strong and smart and girlbossy and she’s absolutely none of those things. She cries more than anything in the entire book.

Will. The love interest was boring. And confusing. He says he’s a fixer but then is upset that he keeps ruining everything.

There are going to be unmarked spoilers from this point on so read at your own risk.

It took forever for me to get through this book. Days worth of reading because I just didn’t care. We know from pretty much page one that Josie thinks Will is hot. We know from somewhere within the first few chapters that Will thinks Josie is hot. But Josie tells us over and over again that they just can’t be together. The flimsy excuse is he’s been hired as a consultant for her company. The real excuse is so the author could pad out this book. There is ZERO reason these two can’t be together.

And the author makes you wait and wait and wait and then the first kiss is confusing at best. The actions around the first kiss were weird. They’re standing there and then they’re just kissing. For no reason. There’s no build up. There’s no tension. They’re just standing in a doorway and then he says her name or something (I really don’t remember) and then they’re kissing.

My husband and I had a conversation about this book. He was playing some computer game and I would dramatically read lines to him. And he summed up the problem with the book better than I could. There is no tension in this book. There’s no push and pull between the characters. There’s no longing. There’s nothing that makes me want them to be together. They’re letting petty miscommunication and nonsense get in the way of real conversation. And then they’re just together and all that stuff keeping them from being together is still there but they don’t care. So why should I?

I really don’t want to spend much more time on this stupid book.

A fun drinking game is to take a shot every time Josie mentions the color of Will’s eyes. I hope you have good insurance. I’m pretty sure his eye color is mentioned at least once in every chapter. And it’s not just blue. It’s ocean blue. And Blue Ridge Mountains blue. And Sapphire blue. And blue with silver flakes. And on and on. I’m not sure he ever just had boring blue eyes.

I just asked my husband if I can say this is a NG book from last year that I forgot to read and should have kept that way. He hesitated and then laughed. So I’m taking that as permission.

Cute, light-hearted read.

The Perfect Fit is a witty and heartwarming rom-com that perfectly balances ambition, romance, and self-discovery.

Josie and Will’s fiery, unexpected chemistry add to the fun as they navigate old grudges, undeniable attraction, and the chaos of career and love. With sharp banter, emotional depth, and a swoony slow-burn romance, this story explores what it truly means to "have it all."

Perfect for reader who love enemies-to-lovers, second chances, and love that finds you when you least expect it.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Second chance rom com that I didn’t really love. But if you like the genre I think your will like it.

This story of love and burnout hit close to home. Having a partner who supports you through burnout is so important, and I loved how Josephine and Will's relationship grew and strengthened during this tumultuous time in her life. I found this book very real and very relatable (shoutout to my own love-of-my-life-named-Will for helping me through my burnout!)

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

"And if you fall apart again, you'll put yourself back together again. Because you're strong. The only difference is from now on, I'll be there, if you want me to, to hold your broken pieces." ❤❤❤❤
Perfect Fit truly lives up to it's title. I absolutely love Gilmore's writing since discovering her debut novel, Love Interest, and her newest one takes the cake!
I loved Josie's character and how much I saw myself in her. The pride she takes in her job, yet the guilt that she's not enough and her sense of worth that tied to her work. Ugh, I relate sister!
Also WILL GRANT!?! NO WORDS!


Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Well that was adorable. This was the first book I’ve read by this author but I already grabbed another. I loved the growth of the characters as they discovered themselves and each other. My only qualm is the ending, but I understand why it was left ambiguous.

I loved every character from page 1. This was funny, and introspective and I wanted Josie and Will to get married ASAP. Clare is becoming my new go-to for workplace romances

This book was a little harder for me to get into and I had A little bit of a hard time finishing it. I almost dnf because the pace just felt off. I completely forgot about it and then it released and I got The audio and that was done so well that it made it easier to finish and I ended Up liking the book. I dont Know if I would Classify it more of a romance or more of a women’s lit because it had so much character development for the fmc. Either way it ended up being such a good read, I laughed I cried I felt Seen as a women just trying to figure it out!

Clare Gilmore has become a must read author with another fun novel. Josie was so relatable and you cannot help but root for her. Will was such a breath of fresh air - I always love finding a compassionate MMC. The side characters were strong (a must for a good rom com) and I could see Gilmore expanding this universe if she wanted to. And if you haven’t read Love Interest, her debut, I highly recommend it!

This book is one of my most favorite romances that I have read over the past few months. It was SO DANG good and I have recommended it to quite a few friends. It truly is hard to impress me these days with a romance, but the banter was pure perfection. I wanted to be on a double date with these two main characters by the end because they are so much fun together and I am glad they finally realized it! Also, a billion thumbs up for writing adults who actually act like adults and solve their day to day problems. All the stars! Thank you so much for the advanced copy.

📣 a second chance-ish contemporary featuring a stressed out, pushing herself to the max CEO heroine

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 if your day was a color, what color would it be? I’d say mine is a subtle blue or green—I’m slowly waking up this morning & my body is feeling better but still recuperating from whatever virus my kids have had 🤣.

Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore has been in my NG queue for ages, & for no discernible reason other than mood. But I kinda blazed through this one once I got started, discovering a story with two nice hotties who are just trying to figure it out & be their best, happiest selves.

Josephine & Will were once in each other’s orbit thanks to Will’s twin, Zoe, who was Josephine’s best friend. But after Josephine & Zoe’s best friendship imploded, Josephine & Will don’t see each other again for 9 years.

When they are reunited, it’s through a literal crash that turns into Will being Josephine’s business consultant.

Will is a recovering finance bro-ish (he was never a total jerk!), who wants to make up to Josephine. He respects her boundaries while also being as devastatingly attractive as possible. Josephine is a business & creative force who’s overworked & overwhelmed & has to figure out more of those boundaries for herself.

With so much sweetness & respect, Perfect Fit shows how lovers can be there for each other, through physical & emotional distress. Will is a patient mountain & Josephine is killing at life, & when they come together it’s a mutual appreciation-fest of the emotional & physical variety.

4.5 ⭐️, out now.

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: Jess holds the ebook over a meadow with orange flowers.]

This is my second Care Gilmore novel and I loved it just as much as the first one. Rom-coms are sacred because they remind you of the love that we deserve and of the love that should exist in this world. It is an amazing genre that is usually looked down on but what a lot of people overlook is the lessons we can learn from them. Josie and Will together learn they are meant to be but separately they learn of their worth.

One thing that will stick with me for a long time will be how much of my worth should never be tied down to our accomplishments. Just like in Love Interest, the main characters teach us the joy of doing things for ourselves. The joy of loving the simplicity of life like "soft life aesthetics." Nonetheless, we should always aim to be a good and ethical person.

Another thing that will stick with me is how much we need to forgive ourselves for our past mistakes. We are simply just humans and we go through phases of our lives that can make or break us. Hence, learn to laugh it off and rekindle friendships but most importantly, learn from the past mistakes and do better.

Like I said, rom coms can teach us more than we think. I love Gilmore's writing and I know she's going to continue getting better.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I had read Gilmore's first novel but did not recall until after I had finished this one. This was well written and good for me as a book to read on a longer plane ride. I enjoyed the evolution of the relationship as well as the fact that they did not break up and have the big moment. To be honest, they still HAVE a big moment but it only required time and patience and understanding to get through the bad stuff rather than a huge fight. The characters acted like adults which is really all I could ask for. 3.75 stars.

I really enjoyed this delightful romcom set in Austin especially as it hit on its current popularity in the food and music scene.

Josie started a clothing line in college and has made it extremely successful to the point a possible investor asks her to bring in a consultant to take advantage of its positive momentum.

Welcome Will Grant - the consultant. And the reason Josie fell out with her high school best friend nine years earlier. In a time of sorrow, Josie kissed Will - the twin of her high school best friend.

Working in close proximity again, Josie is surprised when she finds herself having feelings toward Will she hasn’t felt toward any man in over four years. But Josie is a stressed out workaholic who is not only the head of a successful business but is also planning her best friend’s bachelorette party and juggling her maid of honor duties.

Feeling overwhelmed, Josie realizes something has to give. Perhaps Will might be the perfect remedy for that. Or perhaps his presence will add even more stress since he’s her business consultant.

Again, I really enjoyed this and gave this four stars. The book has already released meaning it’s available now!

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for the ARC in return for an honest review!

"Perfect Fit" by Clare Gilmore was such a refreshing romantic read for me! The character's careers were different and fun and I enjoyed their personalities. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing a review copy of this title.

I fell in love with this novel roughly five pages in! I don't normally gravitate towards romance books but the writing made me laugh out loud and the protagonist's thought process resounded with me right from the get go. One thing I might note, the colloquial language Gilmore uses is very 2025 and may not translate past its current pop culture moment, however for readers today, the conversations between characters are on point.

I will absolutely be looking up Clare Gilmore's previous novels immediately. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to review this novel.

This book was very very cute! I loved the overall premise of this book, it felt very unique and fresh. Josie and Will's characters were extremely fleshed out and I enjoyed how mature they were as characters. They were able to communication clearly with each other which I really appreciated, it felt very mature. As someone who doesn't follow fashion that much, it was really interesting to learn the inner workings of the industry, especially in the role of a CEO!

A fantastic and heartfelt second chance romance with a healthy dose of humor for good measure. I thoroughly enjoyed this rom com by Clare Gilmore and am excited to read more of her catalog. I particularly loved the pacing and burn build up of the romance. She also excels at bringing the comedic foibles to life, without being too over the top.

Great for fans of Emily Henry and Sophie Sullivan.
4 🌟