This was a good palette cleanser. It did a good job of removing all the excesses of the emotional reads I have been doing this year.

The enemies to lovers vibe is very ‘pungent’. The angst and banter between these two was fun and their chemistry when they got together was explosive.

The sassiness of the FMC made up for the slow start/pace of the plot. The grand romantic gesture was the best highlight.

I love the characters and their development was wonderful. I would love to read Stevie’s story.

If you love brother’s best friend, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, office romance tropes then you will enjoy this.

"You had to admire Jane Austen. Not only had she created a character that women were still swooning over in a completely different century to the one she'd written him in, but she'd done so never having found a real-life love interest herself."

3.5 ⭐s

This was really adorable romance about learning to open up and communicate with those who show you they care about you and knowing that everyone deserves to be loved like people are in the movies and books. Liv has always dreamed of writing her own romance novel one day, the only problem is that she has never been in love and never really experienced romance, so she's worried how she'll write a believable love interest in her book. Thankfully her real life antagonistic relationship with her brother's best friend, Aiden, can provide her with some good inspiration for an enemies to lovers trope for her writing, especially when he moves in with her and her brother after getting a new job at Liv's university in London. Will she be able to stand living in close proximity with the last man on earth she'd ever want to kiss, or will she realise her reality is starting to mimic the storyline in the book she's writing.

I really loved the idea for this book and the inspiration that the author took from Pride and Prejudice and Mr Darcy. It's always fun to read a book where the two main characters don't get along but you can just tell that everything is not as it seems and there are hidden feelings beneath their cold exteriors towards each other. I thought Liv and Aiden were a lot of fun to read about, their teasing banter at the beginning was quite funny and silly, although there were moments where Aiden was incredibly annoying during this time and I wondered how Liv would ever see him as a love interest. When the romance starts to unfold this book is very sweet and touching, there are a lot of grand gestures, romance and proclamations of love and a good amount of angst and longing between the two main characters that you couldn't help but root for them. There is a scene where they are switching between antagonistic banter and flirtation, it was very entertaining to read and the tension of knowing they were about to make a move was really good.

I found the second half of this book was a bit tougher to get through unfortunately, after the initial build up and climax of their romance the rest of the plot is a little bit lacklustre, there isn't enough happening in the story outside of their relationship to really keep me connected to the story and I think it dragged a bit here, sadly. The third act break up wasn't really based on something I could genuinely believe, and their miscommunication at this point was starting to get really frustrating because every time one of them started to explain the other would interrupt and not let them finish their sentence. Thankfully the ending wrapped it all up very nicely but I do think it stalled a bit around the 75% mark. The writing in this book was really easy reading, but I did find that often we were told a lot of information rather than being shown it through the story, there were a lot of internal monologues where Liv was repeating the same worries multiple times. I think perhaps this book could've benefitted from an alternating of timelines - showing them meeting 10 years ago in one chapter and then showing them now in the next, I know some people dislike this format but I think it would've worked for this story.

Overall, this was a really adorable and fun read, it was a very cosy slice of life type book with lots of references to other romantic books and movies which made it very relatable. I would say it's not a very unique idea, it's definitely story with characters and a plot line that has been done many times before so it doesn't really stand out to me as anything particularly special but it is definitely worth the read if you are wanting a low stakes, heart warming love story about two people who really should've been together since they were teenagers but are too stubborn and blinded to realise how they really feel. A big thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this story for a honest review.

"You look at every man you as meet as either the Darcy to your Elizabeth or someone who's not even worth getting a coffee with. There is some grey in between."

Easiest 5 stars I have ever given to a book, I absolutely adored Aiden and Olivia and even though there was a bit of miscommunication I felt that it was all very believable and handled really well . It's so hard to put yourself out there and put your feelings on the line, so the reason that Olivia disliked him so much was definitely how it would probably be dealt with in real life.

The banter in this book is top tier and Aiden is absolutely hilarious with his quips, Give it a go if you like brothers best friend and enemies to lovers!

I love books about people who love books but also make me want to read more in the process. This book with a librarian and a professor who prefers movies gave a lovely back and forth and great conversation. The story has great call backs and clap backs, some crazy loving family drama but also the love of a crazy family. All the different ways that love impacts the way we love others. It was a great read.

#arc
#netgalley
#theloveinterest

The Love Interest was a little bit predictable. It’s your typical enemies turn lovers story and was a little hard to get into at first. I always give it to page 100 though and by then the story had progressed enough that I was drawn in! Quick read. Would be great for a day at the beach!

This is an entertaining and fun read. It was lighthearted and easy to read.
I enjoyed reading about the various bookshops as well as the library. I also liked the Mr. Darcy references.
Overall this was a nice enjoyable read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for my ARC.

The Love Interest is a delightful love letter to any romance bookworm.

This book was surprisingly addictive. It was easy to sink into the story and connect to its characters. I love a romance book that celebrates romance as a genre, and this book does that in spades. Liv loves romances, whether in book or movie form, and her passion for this genre just leaps from the pages. Victoria understands what a story needs to be a great romance, and she knows what her readers want. I enjoyed everything about this book. The flow was perfect. There was enough drama, humour, and spice to keep me entertained. I loved how Victoria blended multiple tropes to create something magical. I really loved the relationship between Live and her brother. It was sweet and fun and added charm to the story.

Liv is a great character. She knows she wants to become a romance author but is stuck when it comes to creating that leading man for her book. This is because she hasn't been in a serious relationship and hasn't met a man who ignites that passion in her. That is until she is forced to spend more time with Aiden, her brother's best friend. After a misunderstanding many years ago, Liv and Aiden have this hate/hate relationship with each other. I love a good enemies-to-lovers romance, and the tension between Liv and Aiden is delicious. I could see the sparks flying between these two right from the beginning and loved the sharp banter between them. The transition from enemies to lovers was perfect and believable. They didn't jump into bed with each other until they cleared up past misunderstandings, which I loved.
The Love Interest is a fun and fabulous romance and the perfect way to escape those winter blues.
Thank you, Boldwood

Very cute brother’s best friend, enemies to lovers Darcy filled romance. They go from annoying each other to Aiden being jealous Olivia is dating another guy. Really enjoyed the journey they go on, the banter at the beginning was cute and funny.

DNFed due to the immature dialogue and the blocky text (nothing flowed). I made it to 57% but just couldn't read on.

didn't had anything interesting going on, it was quite predictable from the start.... why are both the mcs so obsessed with repeating each other's words????

My only experience of reading books by Victoria Walters is her cosy crime series, The Dedley End Mysteries, which I loved so was keen to read my first romance novel by her. I was not disappointed, with the same ease to her writing I really enjoyed this one too.

Liv is living in London, sharing a flat with her brother and working as a librarian at the local university. She has dreamed of writing a romance novel but has been uninspired for her leading man that is until Aiden Rivers turns up, her brother’s best friend, and she ends up living and working with him. The character in her book then bears an uncanny resemblance to him.

The characters in this book were great, they were likable and had great chemistry, which you could feel through the pages as soon as they were reunited. They both went on a self-discovery journey throughout the book, especially Liv, where you could see her confidence grow as she started to push herself to make her dreams come true.

There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments as well as ones that leave you swooning.

The writing style makes this so easy to read and get lost in. I found myself whizzing through it, with a smile on my face throughout.

A feel-good easy read and perfect for Valentine’s Day.

I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more by Victoria Walters.

The perfect enemies-to-lovers romance and perfect for anyone who is a diehard romantic. The Love Interest just oozes romance from beginning to end, whether within the pages of the novel Liv is writing or on her perfect date - which has yet to happen!

The Love Interest is another brilliant novel by Victoria Walters and as soon as I got wind of it, I knew I had to read it.

Liv is working in the university library and to her horror, her brother’s best friend and her arch-enemy, is coming to work at the university too, and even worse, he’s moving in with her and her brother, albeit temporarily.

Any book that has books as one of its subject matters is always a win for me and this doesn’t disappoint. With lots of Mr Darcy and Pride and Prejudice references, The Love Interest kept me entertained during the first drab few days of February.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review The Love Interest by Victoria Walters.

This was an enjoyable read! I loved the enemies to lovers, forced proximity, brother's best friend! Liv and Aidan's journey had me hooked from the beginning. I love reading books that involve characters becoming authors. The beginning was hard to get through with their dialogue and predictable emotions but by the end I liked it.

Thank you NetGalley, Victoria Walters and Boldwood Books for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. Thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this book, but I find myself having a good time with it! It was definitely a fun read and I enjoyed seeing how everything developed between Liv and Aiden. Definitely recommend giving this one a chance, and I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this for a review!

We follow Olivia, an aspiring author and Aiden, her nemesis, in this beyond cute enemies to lovers novel

This was a great palette cleanser, after reading mainly fantasy, and I enjoyed every minute of this.

There is enemies to lovers, lovable side characters, lgbtq+ representation and a tall, dark and handsome love interest (with an Irish accent). Highly recommend

This is a fun, sweet read with a female main character who aspires to be an author and a Mr. Darcy-inspired male main character. I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Liv and Aiden. I also appreciated the supportive, kind side characters- it would be a perfect read for someone looking for a light, low-drama book!

Tropes: Some mild spice, a mix of enemies/friends to lovers, forced proximity

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books. I absolutely demolished this book in a matter of days. Olivia is a romantic and fell in love with her brothers best friend 10 years ago but when he moves in with her and her brother do things change. Definitely has a fair few steamy chapters.

ARC REVIEW

My Star Rating: 3.75/5 ⭐
My Spice Rating: 3/5 🌶️
Favorite Characters: Liv, Aiden, Stevie

What you’ll find:
🩷Single POV (FMC)
🩷Enemies to Lovers
🩷Brother’s Best Friend
🩷Witty/Flirty Banter
🩷Forced Proximity
🩷References to Mr. Darcy

Liv is a hopeless romantic, avid reader, and aspiring writer. She lives with her brother in London while writing her novel and working as a part-time librarian at a large university. Liv is having a hard time writing her book because she can’t figure out a love interest and lacks a romantic partner of her own. To her, no man compares to Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Her world is turned upside down when Aiden, her brother’s best friend, lands a job at the same university where she works.

While looking for his own flat in London, Aiden moves in with Liv and her brother. Things didn’t go well at Liv and Aiden’s first meeting ten years ago, and they have been enemies since. As Liv spends more time with Aiden and focuses on creating a love interest for her romance novel, she realizes there may be more to her relationship with Aiden. There is a thin line between love and hate.

There are things to love about this story – Aiden has a sexy Irish accent and is Liv’s real-life Mr. Darcy, the witty/flirty banter is perfect, references to great romantic movies/books, grand romantic gestures, and even a spicy library scene. There are some super sweet moments and some laugh-out-loud moments. The descriptive writing kept me wanting to read to the end. I loved the dynamics of the relationships in the story: Liv and Aiden, Liv and Dan, Dan and Theo, and Liv and Stevie.

Like most romance books, the story was predictable at times. There were also times when I felt the dialogue could have been more realistic. There could have been more character development, and it would have been fantastic for this to be written in dual POVs to give readers more from Aiden. Overall, this was a nice, light, heartwarming, and easy read. If you love witty banter and Pride and Prejudice, this is the perfect story for you.

Thank you to Victoria Walters, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was an adorable and hilarious enemies-to-lovers romance with all the swoonworthyness you'd hope for from this trope. Great tension, sizzling chemistry, witty banter, and an Irish accent!

WHAT I LOVED MOST:
Banter! Delicous, heat filled banter!
Jealousy... who doesn't love a bit of a jealousy in their enemies-to-lovers?
Bookstores and (wink, wink) libraries! A bookworms dream setting!
Mr. Darcy Moments-IYKYK (PS-Y wanna K)

MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
"This is why I don’t tell men I’m writing romance.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Straight men,’ I corrected. ‘They just don’t get it."
"Books are my favorite backdrop."
"Aiden cocked an eyebrow. I wish I knew how to do that. He made it look cool. I looked like I had a nervous twitch when I tried it."
"‘God. Don’t quote Pride and Prejudice at me. I will never get over you otherwise..."

Overall, this book was a delightful weekend read for me. It made me laugh out loud and awwww out loud too. If you're in the mood for a romcom with a little spice, check this out!

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is a perfect read for fans of enemies to lovers. The book follows a librarian Liv who for the longest has been trying to write a romance novel. Her luck might change when her brother’s best friend moves in .Aiden and Liv don’t get along but he could be the muse she is looking for.Lovable characters, a great plot, page turner and great one liners -this is the enemies to lovers book we needed .