One Old, One New features two books – one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today I am featuring two books by Clare Gilmore.
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on October 28, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
A swoony second-chance romance where facing the one who broke your heart could be the thing that makes your dream come true.
Twenty-five-year-old Paige Lancaster is one contract away from earning a living doing her favorite thing in the world: writing songs. But when a music industry professional suggests she might be holding back with her lyrics to lessen the heartbreak of an old flame, Paige doubts if her music is ready to be heard.
In a rare, impulsive move, Paige contacts Liam Bishop after four years of no contact to ask him for a small favor: date her, and then re-break her heart, all so she can remember what those big, songworthy emotions felt like. And since Liam is the one who first set Paige on this career path, he hesitantly agrees.
Across three months of Liam’s summer work travel, the exes are forced to share hotel beds, rehash the past, and date in the present, all while navigating the building attraction between them they both swore was the one line of their agreement they wouldn’t cross.
But when it becomes near impossible not to act on their rippling chemistry, and as ever intensifying feelings blur the lines of what’s actually real and what’s driven by the music, Paige and Liam will both have to decide what’s more important: art for the sake of it, or love over everything.
She wrote her best song about the man who broke her heart and was seeking a reunion in hopes of re-discovering her inspiration. But like Liam said, this could only end one of three ways, but would Paige choose forever?
For me, this is Gilmore's best yet. It's not only that I am trash for second chance romances, but she managed to take Paige on such a life changing journey. I will admit that I struggled with the conflict. Was the case built for Paige's reaction? Sure, but I still felt it was a bit extreme. Honestly, by the time that all came out, I was already too involved and invested in this couple, their reconciliation, and their future together to get too heated about it. There was this soft and mushy side of Liam that I could not resist, and I was hoping Paige couldn't either.
Paige was an interesting character. She was the youngest of five girls abandoned by her mother and raised by her single dad who did his best. She had sisters with a clear plan for their futures, but Paige was more like her sister Folly, a bit aimless and adrift. I loved reading the flashbacks and watching Paige and Liam fall in love, but I also couldn't help but notice how he encouraged Paige to explore her songwriting, sort of nudging her in the direction of her dream. He supported her and believed in her, as did her sisters, and I was glad she was finally taking those steps forward in the present timeline.
The reason for Paige and Liam's reunion seemed a bit odd, but I could not argue with the results. It was an opportunity for them to begin again, to get to know each other as who they were now. They had grown so much during their time apart, and maybe they needed that time and space to work on themselves and figure things out. Maybe now, they were in a place where they could finally be together.
The roadtrip was so much fun! It was a thrill to see their bond grow stronger, but it was also great to watch Paige grow as a writer. I was excited about every new song she wrote and the way her world was growing, too. Being with Paige and her sisters was also a treat. Five sisters who were so different from each other, but they had so much love and affection for one another. It was a beautiful thing. And I cannot forget to mention the songs. Lots of swoon and emotion in there. And kids, I was moved to tears by the epilogue. It was not what I was expecting, but it was really lovely and touching.
Overall, I was thrilled to take this reunion tour and walk down memory lane with Paige and Liam where I swooned, smiled, and cheered while watching the sparks fly as they surrendered their hearts to each other.
*ARC PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on October 29, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
A hilarious and heartfelt rom-com about having it all, slowing down to see the big picture, and finding out that the person you least expect could be your perfect fit.
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 be working with is Will Grant – the twin brother of Josie’s 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.
When girl-boss Josephine's past literally collides with her car, she finds herself reflecting on her life and her future.
This was a fun one! It started with a reunion that made me smile, and I was wholly onboard with Will coming back into Josephine's life. He was a sweetheart and they shared some sort of connection that I was eager to see explored. I throughly enjoyed watching their friendship grow as they worked together, but even better was seeing how they encouraged each other to make scary but positive changes in their lives.
Josie had so much on her plate. It was easy to see that she needed a change, and Will coming back into her life coupled with some other shakeups was the push she needed. Her rise from one-off sales to CEO was great, but I was glad Josie realized she had more living to do.
This story was about second chances in love and life, and not being afraid to make changes that allow you live your best life. Filled with humor and warmth, this one left me smiling and happy for everyone involved.
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