The Love Interest

by Victoria Walters

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!

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Enemies To Lovers, Audiobook, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Rom Com

294 pages, ebook

First published February 12, 2024

About the author

Victoria Walters is a full-time author living in Surrey. Victoria writes sweet and spicy rom coms including the BookTok viral hits THE LOVE INTEREST, THE PLOT TWIST and THE PARIS CHAPTER. She used to work in publishing and a bookshop, and has been a bookworm since childhood.

Victoria is also the author of the bestselling uplifting and romantic series GLENDALE HALL and the cosy crime series THE DEDLEY END MYSTERIES. Find out more about her by following on Instagram at @vickyjwalters, on X at @Vicky_Walters or on Facebook and TikTok at Victoria Walters author.

Her new grumpy/sunshine spicy romance LONG STORY SHORT is out now.

Reviews

[Meagan✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

This book was just okay. Nothing special at all. Nothing stood out to me.

The dialogue was cringy most of the time.
The main characters were insufferable

Tropes
♥️ Enemies to Lovers
♥️ Forced Proximity

Thank you to NetGalley, The Author and Boldwood Books for providing this ARC exchange for an honest review.

Well let’s hope my first NetGalley read delivers 🤞💖

[bookhugger · Rating 1 out of 5]

DAMN
me who read this book to get OUT of a slump, coz who doesn't like a good enemies to lovers romcom? then gets thrown right in the face with a hideous excuse of a romcom. YAY. (note the sarcasm)

I HATEEE THE CHARACTERS BRO
the fmc, oLiViA is a mr darcy simp and idr get that
the mmc, aiden (i love the name bc alexa and katieee) is mehhh not that bad ig

the writing was SOOO BASICCC it was so amateurish..sometimes it would be like smth which would happen irl and then smth unrealistic happened
joy!!!!!!!!

IF ONLY
they had talked like 10 yrs ago they could have been happily dating, maybe moved in together, married with kids on the way and two cats. BUT NO.
they need to wait till her bro goes and almost dies in an accident, and he stays with their mom, and then they accidentally sleep together till its no more an accident then both of them fuck things up and then say ily UGH

for me, at the 20% mark it was a 3 star
by 30% it was 2
and 50% a 1

THEY KISSED AT 50%?!?! for me its only good if that happens at like 70% bc if they start dating too early then the author has to put problems and that is soo unnecessary

my kindle notes and highlights
beware of some wonderful comments i wrote :))

pre review: the way i read this to get out of a slump ughhh 😭
rt fucking c bc my thoughts for this book goes on and on
the MCs
olivia is the embodiment of UwU 🥺👉👈
aiden is literally the embodiment of *smirks* and *mews* (mewing LMAO)
and omfg they are SO horny godd i hope they close their curtains and lock their doors
if anyone sees them they need bleach/holy water
in short, this is one of the most cringe, cliche, basic, amateurish and laughably terrible romcoms i've read!!

kindle notes and highlights to be posted, check them out :)

expectations for this book:
a good enemies to lovers romcom with amazing banter and good mcs
reality:
🗑

[m · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 women doing grand gestures for men we’re leaving that in 2023

[sosob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked it up on NetGalley and I really really really enjoyed it!
I was alternating between giggling and swooning throughout the whole book.
I think Victoria did an awesome job with these characters, their stories and their growth throughout the book.
I usually don't like the miscommunication but Victoria did in a way that didn't feel just dumb and annoying and I really liked that.
For me, this one was a solid 4.6 read and I'm glad I'm adding a new author to my shelves!

[Dann]

DNF @8%

[Nicole Triolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

MUST READ! I absolutely loved this book. It contained my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers, childhood friends, and bothers best friend. Olivia was a smart woman who knew exactly what she wanted, I can relate to her being scared of rejection and the unknown. I enjoyed reading about her journey in writing her first book. This book made me feel hopeful for people who come into my life, you never know where it could end up. I can’t wait to tell all my book friends about this because it was amazing!!

[noorii · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liv is working as an assistant librarian at a university. She lives with her brother in London. She wants to write a book but can’t write an appealing love interest because she has no experience herself.
 
Aiden Rivers is a professor with an Irish accent. And he is her brother’s best friend. She doesn’t get along with him. One day she sees him at the library where she works; it turns out he was being interviewed for a job at the same university. Her brother invites him to live in his flat temporarily, and that was the beginning of their story.
 
Aiden has everything you would imagine in a love interest; he is tall, has dark hair, has green eyes, and is intelligent, and that was it.
 
The main characters didn’t leave any impression on me, and I didn’t feel any emotions while reading this book. It was very predictable and very forgettable. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad read, but it wasn’t what I expected. It’s an okay read. Oh, and it’s definitely not enemies to lovers! I’d say it’s a dislike-to-love kind of book.

I dropped this 48% in. So it's going to the DNF shelf.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Read from: Jan 06, 2024 - Jan 06, 2024

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This enemies to lovers second chance British romance wasn't anything super standout but it was still an okay/entertaining listen on audio. I liked that the FMC was a part time librarian trying to write a romance novel. She uses her work/neighbor nemesis as the inspiration for her book's hero and suddenly life starts imitating art. Surprisingly steamy for a British romcom (not that I was sad about it) and it did have the predictable third act breakup but the grand gesture at the end was truly epic and made up for all the other foibles for me! Worth a read if you love bookish heroines and are a fan of Mr. Darcy!

Steam level: open door

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

did i love this book so much because liv was essentially a carbon copy of me and she goes on to get her happy ever after? YES, AND WHAT ABOUT IT???

no for real a pride and prejudice loving girly who falls in love with an irish man? how does it feel to be living my dreeeaaammmm????!!!!!!

[Oana · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

[Paige Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed The Love Interest on NetGalley because the cover was so cute and I loved the idea of a romance author looking for inspiration for her novel's love interest in her brother's annoying best friend. I got started and MAN was Aiden annoying; I had a really hard time understanding how he was going to eventually win Olivia's heart. I ended up really liking their journey and I was hooked right up until the very end. The banter was great, the spice was fun and they ended up being really cute together. All that said, I found Aiden the enemy and Aiden the lover to be almost two different characters. I think he was TOO obnoxious in the beginning - I can't see the character I had gotten to know by the end acting that way. I love to see a little bit more subtle "enemy" behavior at the beginning of an enemies to lovers - where I could go back and read it later and see that he was actually into Olivia the whole time and that she had misinterpreted some of his comments. Instead, the Aiden in the first 20% of the book is such a jerk I barely made it through because I couldn't imagine he was going to turn it around. I am glad I pushed through because I really enjoyed the rest of this novel! If you are willing to push through the first 10 or so chapters, and love a romance that's a bit corny (I'm looking at you Mr Darcy), I think you will have alot of fun reading this book!

Thank you to Boldwood Books for providing this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mandy Baggot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sizzling enemies to lovers read you'll definitely fall for!

[Meddings_Musings: Erin Meddings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book from Victoria Walters - super cute and can’t wait to read more!
Perfect for fans of Mr. Darcy!

[Ritu Bhathal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of Victoria Walter's books I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Firstly, I love a book set in the book world (A library), with literature and writing at the heart, as well as romantic films!
Liv is working in her dream place, in a university library, with a colleague turned best friend, Stevie, living with her brother Dan, in London. Her dream of writing a romantic book floats in her mind, but she feels it will never happen, seeing as she can't even sort her love life out.
Enter her brother's best friend, Aiden. Annoying, and her nemesis for the last ten years. She suddenly finds herself living with and working with him as he changes jobs and needs a place to stay,
But, the thing is, they have history. A past event which haunts her, and an annoyingly sexy Irish accent to go with his annoyingly Mr Darcy-esque looks...
As Liv battles to control her emotions, inspiration strikes and she begins writing her first ever romantic novel, with, annoyingly, Aiden as the base for her romantic lead. And as she writes, life begins to imitate her art, or is it the other way round?
This was a fun, easy read, I loved Liv and her fantastic dress sense! Her confusion at her feelings makes for a great story, and Aiden reads like the perfect romantic hero. A great enemies-to-lovers story with a little bit of a spice alert, too!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

[Jennifer Jansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this may be more of a 4.5, but I'm rounding up since there's no 1/2 stars. I can't pinpoint what I would need for that 1/2 star though. This was an excellent book. A classic enemies/frenemies to lovers with excellent film and book references. Aiden and Olivia are always bickering and going back and forth, but there's clearly chemistry and they can't help but to smile while they do it. Sometimes their barbs hit a bit deep and they both clearly realize it and feel badly about it. You don't always get that in this trope. Dan and Theo is a great side story and Stevie is a great friend and shoulder to lean on.
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ellenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 ⭐️
Started strong(ish) and then got a lot worse. The second half of the book is pretty much superfluous. That ‚conflict‘ was ridiculous and could’ve been solved in 2 pages, not 100. I did kind of like the characters and the overall story line. The writing of Lily, our aspiring author in the book, should be punishable by crime though, it’s so bad. And if you cringe away at grand romantic romantic gestures like me, then maybe stay away from this. It’s a quick and cute read but not necessarily good if that makes sense.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Love Interest
5✨


💜💜💜

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a good read and I was hooked almost from the start until the very end.

This story contains characters that was easy to like and the main character was really like able with their witty comments and arguments.

The story was easy to follow and there are movies and books mentioned inside (Pride and Prejudice for example are mentioned both as a book and the movie with Colin Firth as the amazing Mr Darcy). Sometimes the story was a bit predictable but it definitely didn't bring the book down and it also included a few twists that was very easy to like.

During the read I got to experience various feelings like happy and sad but also a few Oh my that had me blush during a few scenes (Yes steamy).

If you are looking for an really good rom-com with tropes as brothers best friend, frenimes to lovers and a bit of forced proximity then this book might be for you especially if you like your rom-com with steam and Mr Darcy scenes (yes the scene when he comes up from the pond is mentioned).

Now I am looking forward to read more by this author since this was my first time reading anything by her.

[Rowan_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers along with the author for letting me to review this book for an honest review.
“A sexy enemies to lovers romcom, perfect for those who spend far too much time thinking about Mr. Darcy coming out of the lake!”
“What makes a great love interest?
- Attractive but flawed
-A fully realized character with their own agency
-Chemistry and conflict with the protagonist.”

“What I needed was to created someone as perfect as Mr. Darcy. I sighed out loud. Who wasn’t looking for their own Mr. Darcy.”

The love interest by Victoria Walters is such a cute lovable romantic comedy that captivated my attention of all 45 chapters. I enjoyed how real the female main character Liv Jones is. She is a libarian who has dreamed of being a romance novel author but she’s stuck on creating a male main character for her book. I loved the witty hilarious banter between Liv and her brothers best friend Aiden. Along with how she made based her romance book male main character about him.
This is a 4 star read that I read in one sitting. It comes out February 12th 2024.

[Márcia Brilhante · Rating 3 out of 5]

We follow the characters Liv and Aiden and their hate for each other since they first met. Aiden’s is Liv’s brother’s best friend and due to a misunderstanding, they been enemies for 10 years. But then he took a job at the university where she works and it’s awkward.

I liked the relationships we see between our characters throughout the book, and the fact that we see a bit of character development and the emotional connections between them. This story was a lovely, pleasant read for a winter day with a cup of coffee, that our friend Liv mentions so much.

The focus on Pride and Prejudice, especially on Mr. Darcy gave a nice touch to the book and I found it quite interesting in the beginning, however it was a bit too much at some point, since he was mentioned quite a lot.

Overall, it was a light and easy read, that warms your soul a bit. I recommend it to anyone who wants a nice romantic book with the brother’s best friend and the enemies to lovers with a touch of Pride and Prejudice to it.

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

[ari ⋆˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Like I was a treasure he'd been searching for all his life.."

I was excited to read this! I felt connected immediately upon reading the synopsis, myself also being a romance reader who yearns for the idea of the "perfect love story". Moments of this book felt like such a quick read but other parts felt as if they moved too slow or dragged on. Their reason for hating each other just felt very surface-level to me. I was hesitant about our couple getting together so quickly as I knew it would lead to a lot of misunderstandings and drama later on (and boy was I right). However, I really enjoyed the characters of Olivia and Aiden, and definitely wish we could have gotten dual POV from Aiden's perspective as you could feel how much he liked Liv - but we were always looking at him through Liv's perspective (and wow can she be dense sometimes). Also while I enjoyed the library scene (eyes emoji) it felt very out of character for them both. They both take their jobs very seriously so it didn't make sense for them to risk their positions for some spicy moments. Overall, I think I enjoyed the couple more in the first half than the second but still wanted to see their happy ending! Also, Jasper is a sweetheart.

Thank you to Boldwood Books for providing this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[booklovejess · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the cutest, coziest romance book I’ve ever read. I was in love with the Love Interest, Aiden by page 30. I loved every single character. The best friend, the brother, everyone is just wonderful. Chock full of all the things I love. Libraries, London, and tons of Pride and Prejudice references. Read this when you need a warm hug of a book with a side of spicy tea.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cute.
It felt a little long at parts. The first 40% kind of dragged a bit.
The characters are all likable so you do want them all to succeed and get what they want. The ending is cute.

Liv, Aiden, Dan, and Stevie were all fun characters to learn about. I’d like another book about Stevie. I liked her character a lot.

[Chloe Quarton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a similar premise to beach read but so so much better! They actually had chemistry and I felt happy reading it. If u want a book to make u happy I would recommend - what a good find from a blind book xx

[Megan Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone wants to find their Mr. Darcy. The handsome gentleman whose bluntness induces Elizabeth's anger, but his sweet heart melts 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.

[valerieslittleshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

first of all, thank you to netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review


I read this book in one sitting, i simply just couldn't put it down!

Liv and Aiden had such great chemistry, i actually really liked them together and their banter was amazing!

I thought the whole Pride and Prejudice thing was so cute and definitely enjoyed it even tho sometimes the Mr.Darcy thing could get a little too much intense for my liking, but that's not something bad.

I could honestly see myself as Liv. She was so human that i actually could relate to her. We have the same tastes and same style, we are both helpless romantics so I enjoyed that a lot.


I definitely recommend you to read this is you like Pride and Prejudice, you are a helpless romantic and love romcoms!

[Rémi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I DNFed this book after a couple days, and the reason for that was specifically the writing. Sentences felt blocky, and nothing flowed, every sentence felt like they stood on their own. There's an air of naturalness that comes with writing, or should do, and here it didn't feel swift or easy, but planned and abstract.

Though something I did really enjoy was the plot, and the pacing was great.
Whether in the forefront or in the background, each little section of the story was well thought through and sat well with the rest of the plot.

You can definitely tell the author put a lot of thought into the story, and I appreciate that while admitting that the writing just didn't sit greatly with me.

This is a quick read for people who are fans of Pride and Prejudice, or their classic dark, tall and handsome love interests. The cosy bookish friend vibes between the mc and her best friend were really cute, and I liked the use of irony, which didn't feel too cliché.

[Zeina Aldarra · Rating 5 out of 5]

My name is Olivia, I'm an assistant librarian at a prestigious university. A hopeless romantic who always hoped to write her own romance novel.
Being obsessed with Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Darcy for all the time is making it hard to write my own love interest especially since I have no one of my own.

I'm Aiden Rivers, a professor in Film Studies and Olivia's brother best friend. My whole life she was my nemesis arguing and teasing each other but I always liked being around her.
So when I was offered, to work in the same place as her I jumped at the chance at least I get to be where she is.

Now living under the same roof and working in the same place is going to be a bit challenging or MAYBE not?
LOVED LOVED the book so much😍♥️😍
I can't stress enough how good it was .
All their bantering and teasing was so hilarious and cute.
All the books and movies reference made the reading experience even more enjoyable , especially Jane Austen's fans will fall in love with it.
So make sure to read it you won't regret it
Thanks so much to @netgalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of #TheLoveInterest in exchange for my honest review.
Favourite quotes:
"I will woo you everyday for the rest of your life if that will make you happy."
"Reading romance doesn't make you hard to please. It gives you standards. Why shouldn't we wait for someone special and not settle down with just anyone? Why shouldn't we want someone to treat us well and be romantic?"

Xoxo💋

[mylla ♡·˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars ! arc review

thank you netgalley and boldwood books for this arc !!

“i will woo you every day for the rest of your life if that will make you happy.”

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

[Nerea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinda embarrassed to put 4.5/5⭐️ rating because I made the bad decision to read the other reviews first, and everyone hates it xdd
(Once again, not everything is going to be a classic, and you don't know how to have fun.)

IDK, it was like reading a haters to lovers/forced proximity/my brothers bff fic but in book format.

I had fun, it was extremely predictable, the original "issue" was EXTREMELY stupid (and the last one too, but I was on his side), but the banter is REALLY good, AND IT KEEPS GOING AFTER THEY KISS ETC ETC 🫦

And he is a tall brunette witty film-nerd professor WITH AN IRISH ACCENT, so I was pretty much sold 🙂‍↕️

Plus I was kinda indifferent to the other characters, and almost all the other plots were too rushed and resolved at the same time xddd

ALSO, it's considered fiction not because they do not exist BUT BECAUSE IT'S UNBELIEVABLE THAT SHE WASN'T SUED FOR HER BOOK AND EVERYONE CONSIDERED IT GOOD?!?! there were literally quotes it was creepy

(((The obsession with Pride and Prejudice was icky, but once again, HE IS PERFECT, so I just ignored all of this and giggled PUAJSJSJSJSSJ)))