Celebrity Crush has everything I like in a romcom, real characters with real problems, banter, drama and laughs.
It was such a a bingable book, loved the pop culture references and the little interviews- tv talk shows segments. Even though I'm not a sci-fi fan and didn't get most of the references, that didn't hinder my overall experience.

This is the story of Emmy, an author whose debut book is trending because everyone wants to know which actor inspired the male protagonist.
When the secret comes out and she finally meets him, sparks fly. To complicate matters, he’s cast as the male lead when the book is adapted into a movie. But is what they’re feeling real, or just an in-person crush? Their lives are worlds apart, can they find common ground, or is their connection doomed from the start?

This is the debut book of Christy Swift and I just can't wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC.

2.75 stars rounded up. The premise of this book was great! I was so intrigued, but it fell a bit flat for me. I flew through this and was interested in what was going to happen. I really liked the side characters and the dynamic between the guys from the tv show. This was very pop culture-y, which isn’t bad but also isn’t for everyone. I didn’t really love either of the main characters by themselves or together. The insane insta-love was just not it for me. It was just a bit too cringe and way too much going on for me, kind of all over the place. I really liked the different media included, like the interviews, podcast scripts, etc. I thought that was great to give more info but not info dump. I don’t think I would recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🫑

This book was truly written for the girlies.

Think about writing a book where the male character is your celebrity crush. Now think about publishing that book and getting a movie deal out of it. Now think about meeting the celebrity your MMC is based off of and spending time with them to sell your book and the movie.

That’s essentially the plot of this book and if I were Emmy, my Jason Connor would be Dylan O’Brien. The amount of times I imagined this exact book plot as my life??? Unmeasurable.

This was such a fun read and I loved all the little bits in Hollywood, the real life-ness, the relationships and all the drama. It’s set in Hollywood, complete with celebrities, of course there’s drama.

This book was everything I needed and more! I LOVED the little interview bits, the vlogs, and the podcast stuff, too! That made the whole story feel very newsworthy!

I hope there’s another book set in this world because I would 1000000% read it!!! Josie maybe??? 👀

Thank you so much to Forever for the ARC of this book!!! 🫶🏻

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Grand Central Publishing for this advanced copy! You can pick up Celebrity Crush on February 11, 2025.

This was a fun, nerdy read! While the writing style wasn't my favorite (especially the abundance of pop culture references) and the romance could have been a bit less insta-lusty, I still had a fun time. I loved the premise and how much Emmy and Jason leaped off the page. Def pick this up if you enjoy celebrity romances and single-parent romances.

okayyyy now typically the one-of-us-is-famous trope doesn’t do it for me, or at least has to be done pretty specifically, but i as a romance reader and aspiring author myself wants to believe and love this book SO MUCH. i was invested by the first chapter and this was my first book by swift (and i’m also not sure if this was a debut?) nonetheless i would read her grocery list

The premise of this book sounded right up my alley, and I really wanted to love it. While I did like some aspects, it ultimately wasn’t for me.

I liked the idea of an author getting her book published and meeting the celebrity crush who inspired it and falling in love. Who hasn’t imagined something like that happening in real life, either for themselves or to watch unfold in real time? It was a fun concept. I liked the interspersed mixed media formats that really added to the celebrity aspect of the story. I also like the support Emmy had in her life, in both lifting her up and sitting her down to face hard truths.

Beyond that, I never really connected to the romance of it all. The relationship between Emmy and Jason felt very surface level and disingenuously motivated. That’s common in a PR/fake dating trope, but none of their interactions had me buying that there was something deeper and real between them. It made it difficult to feel invested.

I know a lot of people have loved this one, and with it being a debut, I hope others continue to give it a chance. I wish I had enjoyed it more. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This had all of the makings of a great romance but ultimately fell flat for me.
I mostly enjoyed the banter between Jason and Emmy, but at times the way they spoke felt very immature. Emmy's entire personality revolved around wanting to be famous and feeling not good enough to fit into Hollywood, but putting herself out there as an influencer.

There were looooooots of pop culture references (specifically to TikTok) and while that's fun for a bit, it also leaves the book open to being outdated very quickly (the Renegade was mentioned many!!! times and I can't tell you the last time I've seen that dance being done).

I was tempted to DNF quite a few times and I'm not sure what made me stick it out, but the ending didn't deliver so it was disappointing.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A book about a debut author writing about her celebrity crush and it going viral sounded like such a fun premise. This book had some fun moments but it fell short on a few things for me:
- characters were a bit immature. I mean Emmy was upset that her crush didn't like her posts. Let's be real, celebrities probably have publicists that maintain social media and to focus on that seems petty
- their attraction was just too insta for me
- I don't understand when a writer gives 2 characters the same names. Why make it confusing for the reader, it's not that tough to think of another name.

I think this felt just a bit immature for me to love.

Thank you @readforeverpub @netgalley for a copy of this book.

The premise for this book sounds right up my alley, but I’m DNFing at 20%. I could tell from the first chapter alone I wouldn’t be into this, but I wanted to give the book a chance. I gave it seven chapters, and it just didn’t work for me, from either a writing or plot perspective. I was confused by the constant sci-fi references and found the voice grating. I mean, the MMC looks up the FMC’s book and thinks to himself, “I think I grew an ovary just looking at that cover art,” which… ugh. It felt very sexist and gender essentialist.

There are no stakes, but there *is* an abundance of ableist language (words like “moron,” “idiot,” “stupid,” “lame,” and “psychotic”). It’s 2025! Can we not?

If I’m actively thinking about what I want to read next and keep checking how much time is left in the book on my Kindle, that’s a sign to quit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Emmy Ellison is an award winning romance author who loves happy endings and just loves love. She decides to get involved with a celebrity but she finds it hard to be involved in fake dating plot with a famous person.

Hashtag wtf did I just read?

I was really intrigued by the synopsis of this book and it unfortunately did not deliver for me. I’m still a little confused where exactly the romance started and where it was supposed to lead because there are so many missing key elements to make me like the couple.

The aspect of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood? Cool. A little annoying with the overdone influencer stuff but whatever. The constant celebrity name dropping though? Too much. I’m a huge Marvel fan but please, enough with all those name drops.

What I really didn’t like were the main characters. Emmy was such a stalker and it was not cute at all with her celebrity crush. And to expect so much out of him without them knowing each other? What? Please tell me also what conversation they had that made them fall in love with one another? And then a miscommunication third act breakup?! I hated it. The ending was just off too and did not enjoy.

Overall, I’m not the demographic for this I believe. Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I love a celebrity romance so much and was so excited when forever sent me a copy of this!!!

It was all around just such a fun time. If you are someone who has a celebrity crush, or had one as a teen (most of us), you need to read this!!! If you enjoyed Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman, I think you’ll enjoy this!!

I didn’t get the sci-fi references, but that didn’t hinder my experience! I loved the plot and how the story progressed. I loved the romance between the main characters, and I loved that they both were parents and could bond over that.

I really enjoyed my read of this! (And it’s also closed door!!)

The 2025 Debuts keep on blowing my mind! Christy Swift's Celebrity Crush had everything I could want in a romance--witty characters, epic banter, and nerdy references (it's an utter tragedy Firefly got cancelled so soon).

Christy did an amazing job at showing the ups and downs of falling in love. The more I read, the more I fell in love with Emmy and Jason, the main characters. They were both so relatable!

I loved the multimedia aspect of the book with the transcriptions of Emmy's videos, gossip shows, and the videos of Emmy and Jason going from friends to something more. I definitely cheered on Emmy and Jason as I read the book. Also, Sean, one of Jason's casemates, had be cackling at the end.

Make sure to pick up a copy of Celebrity Crush on 2/11 (or preorder it now as it's one of the best ways to help promote a debut author)!.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The first chapter hooked me on this delightful rom-com. Writer Emmy Ellison comes face to face with her celebrity crush. It just so happens he’s the man who she base her first book hero on. This book is like a perfect hug! The chemistry between Emmy and Jason is *chef’s kiss.*I couldn’t put this story down, and finished it in one afternoon. Thank you to Forever for the opportunity to read an early copy.

This book was really enjoyable!! Christy Swift does such a great job weaving an intriguing story that readers will fall in love with like I did!! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romance books!!

OBSESSED does not even begin to cover how much I loved this book! I was hooked from the first chapter and could not wipe the smile off of my face for a majority of this book.
Celebrity Crush is 100% my favorite celebrity romance I’ve read. It was witty, swoony, and real all at the same time. I loved the dynamic between Emmy, a new author adapting to fame, and Jason, her celebrity crush with some serious image issues.

Emmy and Jason both have amazing character development throughout the story and well-executed pasts that influence their behaviors. I thought each was flawed just enough to be realistic but still get our happy ending.
I was rooting for them both so hard and fan-girling over their romantic relationship! The chemistry was off the charts and translated even without any on-page spice!

The interview and social media clips interspersed throughout the chapters were fun and added an outsider’s perspective to our main characters. I will definitely be following Emmy’s angry yoga routine when I need it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 38%…based on the premise, this had so much potential. I found the main characters Emmy and Jason to be extremely immature and this read more of a young adult novel than contemporary romance adult.

Celebrity Crush by @christyswiftbooks is for fans of the Disney movie Starstruck, What You Do to Me by Rochelle B. Weinstein, and the Hannah Montana movie.

WHEN I TELL YOU THAT I LOVED THIS BOOK, I love it in upper and lowercase letters. 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ bcs of a certain female I want to punch.

It features a romance writer and her celebrity crush. Emmy is a social media marketing queen who knows how to target audiences. Jason is a performer and actor who does not have the best media reputation. When they are suddenly in a situation together and meet in person, Cupid arrives and so does trouble. (Oh and did I mention the single-parents trope)

This book is so so good!! It has the perfect mixture of Gen Z and millennial references. And if you’re someone who wants to work in the entertainment and music industry like me, it’s got all the juicy stuff. It even references people in their 20’s and 30’s within the romantic scenes. And not to spoil anything but if your screen time on YouTube is over 8 hours a day plus podcasts and interview time, this is the book for you!

What a fun rom com! I loved the pop culture references and how relatable these characters were. Even though it was closed door, the book kept my attention the whole time. I love there was so many layers to these characters. Great writing and character development! Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!

Celebrity Crush is the first book I’ve read by Christy Swift and is fun and light rom com.

The story revolves around romance writer Emmy Ellison, who writes a book that’s inspired by her celebrity crush Jason Connor’s real life. Jason Connor is a Hollywood actor who has a troublesome past and is trying to be a better man for his son.

During a PR television interview, Emmy gets to meet her Hollywood crush, Jason, who later on agrees to play the leading man in the movie adaptation of Emmy’s book. Both Emmy and Jason agree to do some PR together as a couple in order to generate buzz on Emmy’s book and Jason’s upcoming movie. However, they don’t anticipate having real-life chemistry together.

I thought that the relationship between Emmy and Jason was very sweet. You can’t help but want these characters to have a happily ever after. The only thing I would have liked was a bit longer of an epilogue so that we could have seen how the characters’ stories unfolded more into the future.

Overall, I think this book was a lighthearted and entertaining read. I also really liked all the pop culture references!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!