The last time I read a novel by Clare Gilmore, I gushed about it. Love Interest was one of my favourite reads of 2023. The characters were great, and the side characters added richness to the story and weren’t distracting. It really gave me The Hating Game vibes, which is always a win. The follow-up novel Perfect Fit sounds like it will have the same kind of idea, but this time, it’s a second-chance romance with a high school crush, and it takes place in the world of fashion versus publishing…sign me up!

Josephine Davis has spent her entire twenties building Revenant, a fashion brand headquartered in downtown Austin. When her biggest investor orders Josie to hire a consultant, the last person she expects to work with is Will Grant, the twin brother of her ex-best friend.

Sure, Will and Josie may have shared one mistake of a kiss during senior spring break nine years ago, but they’ve never been friends. She remembers him as moody; he always thought of her as shallow. Romance isn’t on the table for either of them until they blink and realize there’s a reason they can’t stay away from each other.

But there’s Will’s sister to consider, whom Josie hasn’t spoken with since their falling out. Not to mention, Will and Josie live seventeen hundred miles apart. And it’s not like she has time for a boyfriend anyway when she’s an overworked CEO. As Josie’s burnout looms while she falls deeper and harder for Will, she contends with the fact that eventually, she’ll have to make a choice: stay alone to be productive or slow down to be in love.

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: This was my same critique with Love Interest and it really is just being nit-picky, but I would have loved to have gotten a bit more of Will’s POV to understand why he was saying the things he was saying and why he was coming on a little strong. I feel like we would have got more Zoe and more of his family too, which would have been enjoyable.

What I liked

Everything else: I say everything else because I liked it so much. The characters are nicely developed and believable and have realistic problems and fights. I loved her best friend and chef fiancé, her cycling friends and even the parts of the business that we were exposed to seemed real. Will is swoon-worthy (seriously, I gushed at a few of the things he said), and Josie seemed mature and grounded, which is something that is usually not the case for rom-com FMCs. Whether you’re into fashion or not truly doesn’t matter. This book is all about relationships—and it’s a good one!

4.5 STARS

“’What if you took from me wha tyou wanted and left the rest? I can take it.’ His voice is deep in his throat, breath warm on my skin. ‘Use me. Please. It would be an honor. I can only exist for you in moments like this one. I can be scarce when you need me not to exist.’” —Clare Gilmore, Perfect Fit

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