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!

🦇 Celebrity Crush Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD Who was your first celebrity crush?

🦇 Author Emmy Ellison is a sucker for a page-turning happy ending, but she’s no longer counting on one for herself. If she stays focused on her career goals instead of her love life, she just might find success. When her secret celebrity crush (the real-life inspiration for her romantic hero) accepts the starring role in the big-screen adaptation of her book, she’s determined to team up with a fake dating scheme—now that he needs some good PR of his own. Ideally, she can ride the wave of popularity to the top of the bestseller lists. But when the harsh spotlight of fame exposes the truth, will they try to turn their on-camera chemistry into a real-life relationship?

💜 All right, romance readers. Get ready to kick your feet, giggle, and stay up all night reading, because you're in for a treat. Christy Swift's Celebrity Crush is a dazzling debut filled with:
✨ Instant, sizzle-worthy chemistry (delish)
✨ Fun, engaging witty banter (and loads of flirting)
✨ Drahh-maa
✨ Nerdy pop culture references (and so much name-dropping)
✨ So much dancing
✨ Overcoming imposture syndrome, expectations, and self-doubt
✨ Engaging, grabs-you-and-never-lets-go-prose
✨ Layered FMC and MMC; relatable, flawed characters (um, hi Jason, can I get a hug?)
✨ Social media, vlog, and news inserts that show an outside perspective
✨ I want more of Val and Josie, who were both fab

💙 I wish certain reveals would have been held onto a little longer, to build suspense, and that Jason's realization that he was wrong hadn't come out of nowhere.
💜 Celebrity Crush is fun, messy, heart-felt, and captivating. If you're looking for a romance where the characters actually grow, grab this one on February 11!

✨ Rating:
🦇 Characters: 4/5
🦇 Plot and Pacing: 5/5
🦇 World-Building: 4/5
🦇 Romance: 4/5
🦇 Mystery/Suspense: 3/5
🦇 Tone/Prose: 5/5

🦇 Recommended to fans of XOXO, All the Feels, and Will They or Won't They.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🎬 Celebrity Romance/Hollywood (Writer/Actor)
📚 Forced Proximity
🎬 Dual POV
📚 Closed Door
🎬 Single Parents
📚 Winty Banter
🎬 Nerdy References
📚 Debut

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #CelebrityCrush

💬 Quotes
I swear, if someone told me the world would end in a fiery blaze of pain and destruction unless I tore my eyes away from him, I’m still not sure I could do it.

“I’m bulletproof, too,” I whisper. “Do your worst.” The smile widens. He sweeps me off my feet and into his arms.

“I’ll always choose you, Jason Connor.”

I wanted to introduce you all to her because she’s my celebrity crush. Every time I see her, I get all sweaty and swoony. I know it’s hopeless because she’s way out of my league. In fact, she’s already told me to get lost, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Loved the idea of this book! Emmy Ellison, an author trying to make it in Hollywood, writes a book about her celebrity crush & then gets to meet him! Between a book tour & a movie deal, Emmy finds herself struggling between getting her book to the #1 spot & being a good person. Her celebrity crush has a reputation & long history with women, and is having a difficult time choosing between restoring his image & giving into what he wants.

Debut author & I absolutely loved this book! I’ve never read a book like this where the FMC is an author who writes about her celebrity crush & then gets to meet him! It was a cute story & I loved the main characters. They kept me laughing & I couldn’t put the story down! It was such a fun read & I’m secretly hoping for an interconnected series!!

Will definitely be reading more books from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, Christy Swift, & Forever Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Celebrity Crush was a quick read. I enjoyed Swift's humor. This book had some funny monologues and moments. Possessed baby was hilarious! I was surprised by how layered the MMC, Jason, was. Although he had his moments (I wasn't a fan of how he acted in the third-act), Jason was realistic and relatable. I didn't fully connect with the MFC, Emmy. She was a little too goofy for me. I found her a little cringey. I had a difficult time connecting with all of the social media/pop culture references. Sprinkled throughout the book were podcast segments and vlogs. Over time, they started to feel old, especially Emmy's social media posts. Emmy and Jason's relationship was okay. I liked the chemistry between them! I did struggle with the instalust and quickness of their relationship. I wish we got more of an epilogue with their exes. Jason's castmates were fun! Val and Josie could have been developed more. The Hollywood setting was decent...I was surprised the author included actual celebrities in the book. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever.

Yes!!!! #celebritycrush is so good. The hug contest! The dual POV. The quirkiness of the main characters.

I loved this, couldn't put it down. I want to have a book for each of the Lost characters. I think the way everyone rallied for Jason was amazing. I think Emmy showed how hard it is to make it in Hollywood. And I loved how there was a mix of celebrity cameos!

Thank you to Forever for the ARC! This was such a fun one and a fast and sweet romance! This one had a similar vibe to How to Fake it in Hollywood by Ave Wilder, which was a book that I also loved. The storyline is very different but, if you enjoyed that one, I think you'd love this one! Its perfect for people who love celebrity romance, unexpected matches and a happily ever after. I will be looking for more books by Christ Swift in the future. The only thing I will say, is that I wish there was just a tiny bit more depth in their love and connection, which is why it was a 4 star and not 5. That being said, I still really enjoyed it and would recommend it. See below for a synopsis. This one comes out on February 11th!

Emmy is the author a romance novel that is based on her real celebrity crush. As a social media influencer, one of her posts having people guess that identity of he crush goes viral. This thrusts her into the spotlight and allows her to meet her real life celebrity crush and even pushes her book to become a best seller and then a movie. He accepts the leading role and it allows them time to get to know each other and form a connection. I really liked this one!

Another celebrity romance that can't be missed.

Author Emmy Ellison's latest novel is about to get a movie adaptation, and her secret celebrity crush (also the real-life inspiration of her book's romantic hero), Jason Connor, accepts the starring role. She's determined to team up with a fake dating scheme-now that he also needs good PR of his own.

From the beginning, I got hooked on Emmy and Jason's romance. Emmy is a bit of a celebrity fanatic especially when it comes to Jason. When she mets him, its all her fantasy come to life. She is his biggest fan-I mean she wrote a romantic hero inspired by him! Jason is Hollywood hunk with kind of a bad reputation. (I think he is just a bit misunderstood). When he meets Emmy, it definitely gives him an ego boost, and he also finds her refreshing. I wouldn't say this was a fake dating trope since they did not agree to fake date. There was a lot of scheming though and confusing feelings, especially when there are things on the line. Jason had his reputation to think about, and Emmy was trying make most of her new found fame.

There were some parts that I think could've been executed better, but otherwise the story wrapped up nicely.

>> Celebrity romance
>> Forced proximity
>> Single-parents
>> Pop culture
>> Drama

I think the book has so much potential with the idea of an author fake dating the lead male actor in her adaptation; however, the execution wasn’t it for me. The plot didn’t implement the fake dating trope effectively (meaning it wasn’t really an established fake relationship), so it made the romance not swoony-worthy. The moments and sometimes the dialogue are cringe-worthy.

Thank you NetGalley, Forever, and Grand Central Publishing for this advance reader copy! You can pick up Celebrity Crush by Christy Swift on February 11, 2025!

I ATE THIS BOOK UP!

Celebrity Crush is a fast-paced romcom about a New York Times best-selling author, Emmy, who writes a book based on her celebrity crush. During a PR television event, she comes face to face with her crush, a Hollywood actor named Jason Connor. When Jason is asked to be cast in the movie adaptation of Emmy's novel, they are forced to work together to promote the novel and the movie. Jason's and Emmy's love story blooms from there.

I had a blast reading this book and enjoyed the humor and banter between Jason and Emmy. I loved how Christy can write relatable, flawed characters in her writing! I'd be happy to read more Christy's romcoms in the future!

Celebrity Crush does include the following:

Forced Proximity
Pop Culture References
Single Parents
Dual POVS
Closed Doors
D✨R✨A✨M✨A

I highly recommend picking up Celebrity Crush by Christy Swift if you are looking for a sweet and swoony love interest and a dash of Hollywood glamour!

3.5 stars
The story is entertaining and fun. Jason and Emmy are interesting, complex, wounded, strong, intriguing, entertaining characters. I enjoyed their romance. There were choices that the heroine Emmy made that I didn’t like and wish she had done differently. I loved Jason, he wasn’t perfect, but he owned that he wanted to change – to do better. There were many times throughout the story that I liked Emmy – usually when she was interacting with Jason. The story is easy to read and get into. I wish that I had enjoyed the story more.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Emmy Ellison is finally living her dream. She's a published author, her book is being turned into a movie, and her celebrity crush who inspired the whole thing knows who she is! What began as a social media stunt is now rocketing Emmy towards a #1 Bestseller and she's determined to do all she can to ride that wave to the top. Yet when she somehow manages to pull Jason Connor into the chaos with her, Emmy starts to see that maybe life in the spotlight isn't as golden as she'd hoped it would be.

This one was tough for me, I'm a lover of celebrity romances and the writing was entertaining, but something just didn't quick click. Emmy was wonderfully witty, and I adored her relationship with her daughter, but I wasn't really invested in her romance with Jason. They both felt like they needed to do a bit more growing and I think I would have loved to see a time jump that gave them that space to figure things out, but overall this was a quick and largely enjoyable read.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I selected this book because I liked the idea of a celebrity/non celebrity romance novel. And this book was just that. I wouldn’t say that the story had an insta-love connection between the two characters, but it was rather fast. I did appreciate that there were real life issues that complicated this love story. It made their romance feel more real because there were exes, kids, and distance all working against the two.

My only criticism is that there were so many characters thatI had trouble keeping all the names straight in my head. I ended up jotting notes down to consult when people popped up.

3.5/5

This was such a fun read. It had me locked in from the very beginning. I love how real it was and enjoyed seeing their relationship grow over time. I would love to read more from this author.

okay not much to say about this one other than i really really enjoyed it!!!

i loved that both of our characters were flawed and real, while also being likeable and easy to root for. it was easy to see why they clicked and ended up together, which is obviously massively important in romance novels.

the only reason this isn't five stars is bc i didn't feel entirely connected to the characters and invested in them the entire time. but like... go read this anyway.

thank you to netgalley & grand central publishing for the arc! all opinions are my own <3

This book was an absolute delight! From the very beginning, it’s easy to see why he was her celebrity crush, and I loved watching their relationship blossom into something so much deeper. What really stood out to me was how both main characters were not only ambitious and talented in their careers but also wonderfully complex.

I loved getting glimpses into their lives with friends and family, and the way their dances were described made it all feel so vivid. Plus, I think a lot of my friends will appreciate that the characters are in their 30s and both navigating life as parents—it adds such a relatable and refreshing layer to the story.

I really wanted to love Celebrity Crush. The premise had all the makings of an escapist, fun read—celebrity romance, modern social media influences, and a touch of rom-com flair. Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me, and I ended up DNF’ing.

I struggled to connect with the characters or the direction of the plot. Neither Emmy nor Jason clicked for me, which made it difficult to stay invested in their story.

That said, I did enjoy some of the banter and humor, and I believe the author has potential. I’d be willing to try another book from them in the future.

Even though this wasn’t for me, I’d still recommend it to fans of lighthearted celebrity romance with a modern twist. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed reading this rom-com set in LA. The banter was fun as well as the premise and setting. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.