The Love Interest is a story about overcoming self doubt and taking a chance on love. Liv, an aspiring romance author, is attempting to write her first novel but can’t get inspired. It isn’t until her sworn enemy (and brother’s best friend!) comes to live with her that inspiration strikes and the words begin to flow, but how much does the story mimic her real life? Is there more to Aidan than someone to antagonize?

I loved the premise of the book and the backdrop of a local London university. I do wish the characters had been a bit more developed. I found myself wanting to know more about Stevie and Dan. Liv and Aidan come across as deeply insecure but the root of those insecurities is never explored.

The Love Interest is definitely an easy and comforting read and I found myself able to read it in one sitting. If you love grand gestures, Mr. Darcy, and a little spice, give this book a read.

cringey dialogue, not a lot going on at all, with main characters who need to mature quickly. i don't understand the "grand gesture for a man's attention" still being a model for a way of relationships.

The Love Interest had such a good plot! I could not put the book down once I began reading it. I cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

This book features two of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers and brother's best friend. It's also set in London (yay!) and has an Irish male lead (double yay!). I loved the supporting cast of the brother and his boyfriend and that subplot was really strong. However, miscommunication is a main driver of the plot. At first, it's okay because the characters were teenagers and teenagers can be forgiven their idiocies. But then, as adults, it quickly becomes frustrating. Beyond the miscommunications, there really wasn't anything keeping the main characters apart and I started to lose interest.

I liked that Liv is a budding romance novelist and bases the characters in her book off of her and Aiden. I thought that was a really cute idea. I think this book has a ton of promise and ton of things that readers will really enjoy. It wasn't my favorite, but I enjoyed it and can imagine re-reading it at some point.

This was unexpectedly cute!! I was smiling throughout reading The Love Interest . I think Victoria Walters has done a fantastic job at capturing how a hopeless romantic and a fangirl views her own love life (I say this as a fellow hopeless romantic fangirl myself). At first the dialogue felt rather stilted and clunky, but things improved as the book went on. The dialogue flowed much better as the book went on and especially when Liv and Aiden were bantering. To be really honest, I actually found myself squealing a little at certain points in the book. There were moments in there that made my little romantic heart scream.

All in all, The Love Interest is one book that I definitely see myself reading again and again when time comes!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for early access to The Love Interest!

Liv has wanted to be write a novel for her whole life but as she starts finally drafting and writing, she struggles to create a love interest on par with her dream guy, Mr. Darcy. After her brother's best friend, Aiden, who she always bickers with, gets a job as a professor at the university she works at and moves in with her and her brother temporarily, she gets an idea to use him as the love interest in her novel. As she gets to spend more time with Aiden, she realizes she might have had him wrong all along and he might be her perfect love interest in real life.

This story was sweet and a quick read but overall was a like not a love. Some of the writing felt unedited and the slow burn switch flipped too quickly in my opinion. I'm off to watch Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth now with all the mentions of the lake scene in this book!

What a wonderful feel good read.
I am always a fan of enemies to lovers, but it was adorable how the enemies element of this made the miscommunication trope work so well!
Having a book lover (and librarian) as our FMC is always a hit and I loved how her love of books was juxtaposed with our MMCs love of films. The pacing worked well and whilst you know you're heading for a happy ending, the will they're won't they throughout seemed genuine and natural. I enjoyed the side character stories too and felt they made for a really well written storyline. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

so i started this book, read about 70 percent of it and then had to skim the rest. it was just slightly too cringey for me. i didn't mesh with any of the characters and i just felt bored. this may be attributed to the fact that i am getting bored of reading books where the man is supposedly obsessed, and has been the whole time, but we just don't get his pov. romances that aren't dual pov should be banned... there i said it. this may work for someone else, maybe i just wasn't in the mood for it.

I had to DNF this book at the 50% mark. The writing was slightly robotic to me and the main character, whose name I can't remember for the life of me, was pretty annoying. It's an interesting premise, that I just wish had been better for me.

A light hearted read about a part time librarian name Oliva who is trying to write a romance novel, but it is difficult to write a romance, when you never felt that intense love before.
The first half of the book had me intrigued, because the banter between the two main characters Olivia and Aiden was hilarious!
The only reason this was not a five star book for me, because I became more intrigued and invested by the side characters verses the main female character. I really enjoyed the main male character Aiden, but as much as I like Olivia, I just couldn't connect with her.
If your looking for a funny light hearted read about enemies to lovers give this book a shot!

The Love Interest was a cute read! This follows a librarian/aspiring romance author, Liv Thomas and her brother's best friend, the enemy, Aiden Rivers. After mixed feelings float around, situations lead them to where they are now, Liv and Aiden have come to a realization. I think it was super cute to see how their relationship progressed because of an incident. To see them go from bantering enemies, to bantering I-don't-know-what-we-are-but-I-like-you.
Thank you so much NetGallery for providing me with an ARC of The Love Interest!
This is great if you like:
-English main characters
-Story set in London
-MMC roleplays FMC favorite scenes
-Enemies to Lovers
-Brother's Best Friend
-MMC professor
-FMC librarian
-Obsessed MMC

The Love Interest is one of those books that was written with all of catnip I love:

1. Brother's best friend
2. Forced proximity
3. author FMC
4. lots of banter

Aiden and Liv were such a cute couple, and I looooved this plot. With so many contemporary romances out there, it's hard to find a unique one.Such a fun, sexy read!

I’m given this 3.75⭐️

The Love Interest was a cute and quick enemies to lovers read that I truly enjoyed.

I thought that Olivia and Aiden’s initial banter set the stage well in the beginning and the only fault I found was the miscommunication, which personally I’m not a fan of in any book.

I would recommend this to other romcom fans.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

Publication: February 12, 2024

Rating: 2 stars

I personally struggled with this book. I usually devour enemies to lovers plus a bookish FMC- sign me up! Plus the cover is gorgeous! The biggest thing I couldn’t get behind was the writing style. It felt forced, too descriptive, and repetitive. I was not the right reader for this book however I think it would be perfect for fans of:

- 1st POV
- Singular POV
- Frenemies to lovers
- Brother’s best friend
- Bookish FMC
- New to romance genre readers
- Emphasis on Mr. Darcy
- Light read
- Palette cleanser read

What a great mix of tropes! Enemies to lovers, brother's best friend, close proximity, miscommunication, workplace romance and the author tied in rom coms and grand gestures. I was shaking my head at how often Olivia and Aiden didn't say what they meant to say but melted at all of the swoony moments!

This had everything that I enjoy in a rom com and I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Book for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I just about read this one in one sitting, I just couldn't walk away from it. It was absolutely adorable and couldn't have loved our librarian main character anymore.

aiden and olivia know each other since dan — olivia’s brother — introduced them 10 years ago, but they never get along because of a misunderstanding. now aiden accepted a job at the same university in which olivia works and they will live at the same roof because dan offered, will they kill each other?

i gotta say that stevie was my fav character, she was so relatable and the friend everybody needs !!! aiden and liv kinda annoyed me with all the little fightings but the misunderstanding from the party was understandable

i really liked their first date and aiden’s idea for the film festival was my fav part !!!! i wish i had that at university it would be so cool. liv’s love for books and aiden’s love for movies is such a good thing because imagine them reading a book together and then watching the adaption and rent about it for hours??? my dream as a reader !!!

i would recommend this book to the readers that enjoy brother’s best friend and pride and prejudice.

thank you netgalley and boldwood books for this arc !!

Stop what you are doing now! Go and get this book!
For a frenemy to lovers with some spice and witty banter between the MC's, this book is a must read!
Its also a book that needs to be turned into a movie asap!
Not a lot of books have that affect to keep reading and not wanting to put it down until its over, but for me this was one of those books.
Aiden and Olivia (Liv) put you through the angst of emotions and attraction that they have with each other. I could feel all of Olivia's emotions throughout the story. All the worry, hope, love and desire she feels and the realization of her feels towards Aiden come through the pages and leave you wanting to read just one more chapter.
I love the Pride and Prejudice references and share the same obsession with Mr. Darcy as Olivia does.
This book made me teary eyed, laugh, excited and energized to keep turning the pages. It is definitely a book to recommend to all that love Romance Genre.
I wish I knew there was a playlist for the book before I started reading it for the first time, however, I know once the book hits the shelf I will be getting it and reading the physical book while it plays. This is one that I will read more than once and wont stop telling others to pick it up and read it.
The story written inside of the story was an amazing aspect and touches home for me. I love writing and reading romance and spicy stories, but more than that this story hit home cause I have had that type of love that lights a fire in your soul. The Author, Victoria Walters, shares that with great expression within Olivia and makes us all swoon over having our own Mr. Darcy someday come to life.

3.25⭐️ Single POV, enemies to lovers, brothers best friend, force proximity. If I had to pick my favorite trope to read these are definitely in my top 5 so I was very excited for this book, not to mention how I love Mr Darcy just like Liv does, which made me even more interested in the story. After reading it though it was just okay for me. I swooned and laughed but I felt it was a little slow for me at times. If the tropes mixed in with Jane Austen things sounds like something you’d like then by all means pick it up for a read! You may find you love it!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC of The Love Interest by Victoria Walters in exchange for my honest review.

The cover drew me in and the writing kicked me away.

I really wanted to like this one but it was so slow I put it down multiple times. I hate love triangles where one of the love interests never even had a chance with the MC, like babe stop stringing along the poor dude and break up already, please. (DNF @58%)

Positives:
- cute premise (writer looking for a love interest in her real life and book)
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity + brothers best friend
- MMC did some cute things for her

Constructive criticism:
- weakening and slow storyline
- badly done love triangle (Mmc 1 never had a chance)
- kind of boring (needs more tension and oomph)
- just wasn’t for me