This is a super cute enemies to lovers story and I enjoyed reading it. Liv and Aiden made me smile and I thought their banter was pretty funny. Of course, communication was an issue, but as romance readers we know this to be part of the deal. I enjoyed the secondary characters as well, they broke up the strife within the story in a way that added to it and I loved how everyone got their own versions of a HEA.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood books. I like this book but I was not all into it. It was more of a read but not something I always wanted to pick up. I think it is worth the read but I was not all deeply interested but the author has something going for them and I would be willing to read more from them.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/5

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵.”

I've always loved Victoria Walters' Glendale Hall Series, so when I began reading The Love Interest, I had to pause to check if I was actually reading the same author. This one has such a different vibe, and I'm completely here for it. The interactions are absolutely hilarious; I cracked a lot. In addition, this has most of the tropes that I like: Enemies to lovers, close proximity, miscommunication, Witty Banter, and, of course, book & movie talks. The level of angst and chemistry are also totally on point. Anyhow, if you're a fan of Jane Austen's BBC Pride & Prejudice, particularly Mr. Darcy's lake scene, I'm sure you’ll like this one too.

I was sorely missing a lighthearted romantic comedy after consuming books that were emotionally intense; fortunately, this one met my needs on both counts.

Consider adding it to your TBR for this year's Valentine's Day must-read! Many thanks to the author Victoria Walters, the publisher Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for the privilege of reading an eARC of The Love Interest. The opinions expressed are completely my own.

I really loved reading this book, it was the perfect book to pick up on the run-up to Valentine's Day. It's got two of my favourite troupes in it the enemies to lovers and the brothers best friend/ little sister and I love it when I get them both together, don't ask me why because I can't tell you but I just do. I loved Liv, her style was epic I could never pull anything she put on off but the outfits all sounded amazing and I just really liked her, she just sounded like a really nice person to be around. I loved getting glimpses into her book and watching her hidden feelings for Aiden come out in it and her gradually figure out that she did really fancy him. Aiden was a perfect leading man, I so enjoyed watching the ways he tried to show Liv he actually liked her before they actually talked about it, they were so sweet if sometimes irritating to her.
I loved the little side story romance of her brother Dan and his boyfriend Theo, they were so cute together and I loved how their ending went( no spoilers from me)
I really don't want to say much more about the story because I don't want to do any spoilers but one of my favourite scenes was near the end and let's just say any Mr Darcey fans will love it.
I found this such a lovely easy book to read it flowed so well and Victoria Walter's writing style is perfect for this kind of romance, i can't wait to read more by her so I'm eagerly awaiting her next book.

The Love Interest by Victoria Walters

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

No man can be as good as the one in your imagination... Librarian Liv Thomas has always dreamed of writing a romance novel. But she’s stuck when it comes to creating a romantic hero – sadly – lacking anyone in real life to base him on.

When her brother suggests his best friend stay in their shared flat for a few weeks, she can’t believe her bad luck. Aiden Rivers is irritating and pushes all her buttons. Worst of all, he’s gorgeous, has a sexy accent and reminds her of her all-time favourite character Mr Darcy.

Liv finds herself unexpectedly inspired and the leading man in her novel begins to bear an uncanny resemblance to Aiden. He can never find out she’d never live it down. Because Aiden can only ever be her love interest in the pages of her book – and definitely not in real life… right?!

A sexy enemies-to-lovers rom com, perfect for those who spend far too much time thinking about Mr Darcy coming out of the lake!

My Opinion

I read this book over the course of a day, I put it down for a few hours and just wanted to get straight back into it. For me Victoria did a great job with these characters and I liked the character development. I found this to be a great book to read on a weekend and I would highly recommend this book. If you have read a Victoria Walters book then you will know what to expect from this.

Rating 4/5

I don’t like giving negative reviews and honestly I rarely do. I picked this book up because I love the concept and the cover art is so cute. However, this book was very hard for me to get into and never really caught my attention. I had a very difficult time enjoying interactions between characters and found this book very cheesy and overly relying on the ideas of the tropes with poor execution. Very little made sense in the way of character development in the shifting of relationships between the love interests. For such a short book, it took me far too long to get through it.

Absolutely excellent romance. This is the ideal “enemies to lover” set in a bookshop. It is utter perfection. Loved the characters and the literary references. Will recommend to everyone.

Gosh i tried so hard to read and finish this
Besides the fact that in the first 40% somthing nothing of a big deal happens, the rest is even worse

Thank you netgalley for the arc tho, really appreciate it

I really had to read this book after I read the book blurb! I’m a huge fan of the Mr Darcy coming out of the lake scene and so I was utterly sold on that concept alone!
I loved the enemies to lovers trope, it was wonderful to see them banter with each other throughout the story.
Aiden was a gorgeous character, and I could see why Liv had focused her writing based on a character like him!
It was fun to see them becoming drawn to each other, and to watch the love develop in real life too. It was a clever concept having Liv writing a romance whilst living it out at the same time.
A lovely romance that was filled with fun moments and a great amount of interesting characters.

I loved this book! Everything I love in a rom-com, especially a good enemies-to-lovers storyline. Liv and Aiden are hilarious and I loved watching the relationship change from frenemies to so much more. Will definitely be reading more by Victoria Walters.

Victoria Walters has written some wonderful books, creating series’ I’ve really enjoyed with characters I’ve grown fond of. I was eager to read this latest, standalone book and it did not disappoint in the slightest. Who doesn’t love an enemies to lovers story arc?
I’ve seen reviews that found Aiden annoying at first; I didn’t at all – I thought he was funny, sounded dreamy and was bouncing off the energy Olivia gave to him. Olivia’s brothers best friends has been part of her life for so long and he annoys her, she finds herself frustrated over the smallest thing he does. At first, we don’t understand why, but as the story unfolds we get to learn why Aiden pushes her buttons in all the wrong ways. I like Olivia’s character but boy has she held on to that for a long long time! Maybe it’s just me that could clearly tell he was into her from the start and that teasing, being a bit mean was just his way of showing it?
Olivia is trying to write her first romantic novel, needing something to influence her story she starts to see those around her in new ways, emotions are stirred and perhaps that annoying pain in the bum best friend of her brothers is not as bad as she thought. With life throwing them together in more ways than one, she slowly starts to think of Aiden in a completely new, sexy, way.
This book does play on the romantic cliches that we love, the Mr Darcy-esq moments, the will they/ wont they, the decoy love interest that doesn’t amount to anything (they are definitely not suited at all anyway).
I really enjoyed reading this one, funny with romance and passion oozing from every chapter. An easy read that was entertaining from start to finish.
Another brilliant read from Victoria Walters.

"The Love Interest", by Victoria Walters, is composed around one of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers. Liv is a university librarian who dreams of writing her own romance novel. Aiden is her brother's best friend and her own mortal enemy. The two of them can't stand each other and hate being in the same room -- or do they? Liv is a hopeless romantic with high expectations that love will be just like the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, and Aiden is desperate for her to see him as a viable match. The two will butt heads and sparks will fly as they learn that romance can come in unexpected ways.

I enjoyed the romantic elements of this book -- the Mr. Darcy references, the romance book tropes Liv is adding to her own novel, etc. However, the storyline felt a little too formulaic and the chemistry felt forced. I also thought that Aiden getting so upset over the novel Liv was writing was a little ridiculous. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

It was a good book and I would recommend this to anyone who likes the enemies to lovers book ! Although I felt like it was quite basic and did not stand out too much but other than that it a good book for those who wants a light read .

Liv works at a university library and lives with her brother. His best friend, Aiden, interviews for a job as head of film studies at her university. Liv and Aiden have always had a tendency to bicker so the last thing she wants is him around more.
Liv – who believes Mr Darcy is the perfect hero - is trying to write a romantic novel, but doesn’t have a lot of relationship experience to draw upon. So somehow Aiden pops up in her mind as inspiration for her love interest.
This enemy-to-lovers rom-com dragged in the second half, particularly as there wasn’t much of a secondary plot thread beyond the romance to keep things interesting. The literary and movie mentions were fun and I love the idea of a film festival with “kissing in the rain” as a theme.

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Liv is an aspiring romance writer who moves to London to live with her brother to pursue her dream. She gets a job at a University library and soon after her brother’s best friend Aiden, whom she hates, joins the University as faculty. Aiden moves in with Liv and her brother temporarily while he finds a place and while they are forced to live together they realize they might’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.

The idea was good, I think the plot sounded interesting, especially as an admirer of Mr. Darcy myself, however I found the story lacked depth and I DNF’d at 55%. Everything is being told to you instead of bringing you into the story with the characters. There was no room for the little things, instead of setting the scene and letting it play out, there’s a time jump to get to the next scene faster, this happened frequently. They start a movie and then the movie is over and they leave. What was the point of the movie if it wasn’t going to play a part in the story? Liv pours a glass of wine and the next sentence she notices it’s gone and she’s drunk. I want to know how she got there, what happened up to get to that point, those little details flesh out the story. Conversation doesn’t flow naturally and feels superficial, it read like someone writing a story instead of interactions that might actually take place.

Unfortunately by the halfway point, Aiden still didn’t have a discernible personality outside of a few quips and Liv’s constant complaints about his existence. What is supposed to be charged banter just comes off as juvenile and petty, especially from Liv.

“You deserve love that people write stories about.”

Blurb:
Olivia ‘Liv’ is a librarian that has always dreamed of writing her own romance novel but is lacking inspiration for the male lead. When her brother’s best friend, Aiden, temporarily moves in with them, she might have just found the perfect man to base the love interest in her book on.

I really enjoyed this one! It has so many good tropes! The Love Interest is a super quick and steamy enemies to lovers romcom! The banter in this was great and made it super entertaining and fun. There was so much tension and chemistry between Liv and Aiden, that it kept things interesting and intense to the point that I couldn’t put this book down! I also really loved the pride & prejudice references! 😍

Aiden was swoon worthy and charming with a sexy Irish accent. Liv is brilliant and fun! I can definitely relate to her love of books and her fear of rejection. I really enjoyed seeing the process of her writing her novel.

Overall, this book was fun, sexy, and definitely a must read for romance book lovers, especially those who are fans of Mr Darcy! I really hope the author does a book 2 because I would love to see Liv’s best friend, Stevie get her happily ever after!

“Because life is not about the happy ending, it’s about being happy as much as you can be while you’re in the middle of it.”

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

⭐️/5 🌶️/3 ❤️/5

I loved this book by Victoria Walters! The moment I read the name Mr. Darcy (swoon!) & the title of the book Pride & Prejudice (my FAVORITE book!) I was hooked on this book! In addition to all this the book is filled with hilarious, laugh out loud banter between the characters.

The Love Interest appeals to all the things I love about romance books - enemies to lovers, two perfectly suited characters coming together at last, the grand gesture & a happily ever after. Olivia finds Aiden absolutely irradiating yet somehow he becomes the inspiration for her male character in her novel. She doesn’t see how that is possible until her best friend points out that Aiden & Olivia are the characters. As the novel progresses and changes Olivia finds herself writing & using her book to understand all the feelings she is now enveloped in from all her interactions with Aiden. All they need now is to navigate this new territory together and see the puzzle pieces coming together.

the is a MUST read from me!!! and to all the romantics : read The Love Interest & fall in love with Olivia & Aiden (it’s easy to do). And then afterwards, read Pride & Prejudice, watch the movie & fall in love with Mr. Darcy & Elizabeth 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing the ARC.

I'm going to start off by saying that I struggled a lot with this book.

At first it was the writing - I was having a hard time getting into Walters' prose. At times it felt very forced, somewhat rudimentary, and just kind of flat. I had a hard time enjoying the story because the writing, to me, was incredibly lackluster. There was no spark, no warmth.

And Aiden and Liv. There was obviously something that happened in the past that was the impetus for their hostile relationship. They have spent years ragging on each other. Some of what they said to each other was really not kind. Like bad enough where I was finding it hard to want to root for either of them to get together.

Overall, this was not a good book for me.

Everyone wants to find their Mr. Darcy. The handsome gentleman whose bluntness induces Elizabeth's anger, but his sweet heart would melt anyone's walls and beg for romance. Walters' protagonist, Liv, is no different. Striving to complete her book, her lack of a love interest infuriates her, but when an old acquaintance reappears in her life and takes the spare bedroom in her shared flat, Liv may have just found the inspiration she needs (not that she would admit it).

The Love Interest was a fun, cute book; a perfect read for Valentine's Day. The humour and hijinks reads as your typical Rom-Com but Walters adds a hint of irony, for what can Pride and Prejudice be other than Romance's most beloved enemies-to-lover novel? Liv has to see beneath Aiden Rivers's veneer to find her Mr. Darcy and it was well worth reading.

Overall, The Love Interest brings the Romance of Jane Austen into the 21st Century (something that isn't new, but fresh to read as its own story rather than a retelling) in a charming, fun Rom-Com where not everything goes the way you think it will.

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ah, a rom-com following someone who wants to become a romance author. Books like that are always such fun. Though I hadn’t heard about this one before seeing it on NetGalley, I knew I had to check it out. Books, movies, roommates and enemies to lovers? Yeah, that sounds pretty damn good to me.

In this book, we follow Liv, a librarian who has been dreaming of writing her romance novel for years. She just doesn’t have the inspiration for a love interest as good as Mr Darcy. As she finally decides to sit down and try to write, her brother’s best friend, Aiden, moves into the flat she shares with her brother for a bit. The two of them don’t get along, but he begins to inspire her romantic hero, and Liv decides to just go along with it. Especially, when she figures out that she is still attracted to him.
I will note this review will have spoilers as I wanna rant.

This did sound like a lot of fun, and it had its good moments. I loved that everyone was encouraging Liv to write her book, and I loved that both she and Aiden were so passionate about specific forms of media. But that was…kind of it? I thought I’d have more thoughts as I gave this book 3 stars when I finished it, but a few days have passed, and I just feel meh about it now.

I struggled with suspending my disbelief in parts. Especially, related to publishing. When we get to the end of this book, what Liv’s best friend and LI do to ‘support’ her would kind of have me screeching no. I get it was supposed to be supportive, but ooof? Also, how’d it go well so quickly when this was her first novel? I just can’t believe that.

Plus, I just didn’t care about the romance. I wanted to, and I thought I would. I managed to make my way through the book, but I just didn’t care in the end, unfortunately. I wish I had more to say about this one, but sadly just didn’t wind up with many thoughts.