This is officially the summer of the romantic comedy for me, and I’m definitely not complaining—especially when there’s been such a strong showing from new writers or writers trying new genres. Love Interest (which will be in stores October 10; perfect for the holidays) is the debut novel by Clare Gilmore that takes place at a magazine company. It has my favourite enemies-to-lovers trope, a workplace romance, great friendships and a ton of heart. I highly recommend it.

Casey Maitland has always preferred the reliability of numbers, despite growing up the daughter of two artistic souls. Now a twenty-four-year-old finance expert working in Manhattan, Casey wonders if the project manager opening at her company—magazine powerhouse LC Publications—is a sign from the universe to pursue a career with a little more sparkle. That is, until she’s passed over for the job in favour of the board chairman’s son.

Alex Harrison is handsome, Harvard-educated, and enigmatic. Everybody loves him—except for Casey. But when the two are thrown on the same project, they both have something to prove. For Casey, it’s getting tapped for a transfer to the London office and fulfilling her dreams of travelling. For Alex, it’s successfully launching a brand that will impress his distant father.

As work meetings turn into after hours, Casey and Alex are drawn to each other again and again, but neither can avoid the messy secrets and corporate intrigue threatening to tear them apart. What they discover about their own company might change everything – including the dreams each of them is chasing.

I have been awake for days because I couldn’t put this book down. So excuse me while I give a sleep-deprived review of this book…that I loved!

What didn’t work for me

One POV: Listen, you know I always try to come up with something that doesn’t work, and honestly, the only thing I could think of was that I wished we got into Alex’s psyche a little more with his point of view. That being said, I’m perfectly content just staying with Casey.

What I liked

Everything else: I was going to try to break this down into a couple of things I especially liked, but I think I can cover more if I explain what I loved in general. As a person who works in the magazine industry, I always enjoy it when there’s a realistic depiction of it—and while I know nothing about finance, everything seemed to work here. And Casey and Alex’s coworkers and friends were great to get to know. The plot didn’t drag when the scenes weren’t focused on the main couple. The chemistry between Casey and Alex was off-the-charts, and I don’t want to be too spoilery here, but I was thrilled they got together quite quickly. Much of the book was about navigating what was happening with them together, which was refreshing. I could go on and on, but honestly, if you like enemies to lovers, if you like workplace romances, if you like stories that take place in New York, if you like complicated parental relationships (and also delightful parental relationships)…heck, if you even like country music, there’s something in here for you.

4.5 STARS

“A pit of despair wells up inside me, my chest tight with something sweet and lovely that wants to morph into anger. Because I have never loved like this, and it is entirely Alex’s fault. I think I might never forgive him.” —Clare Gilmore, Love Interest

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced book copy in exchange for my honest review.