A Very TikTok Celebrity Fanfic Romance

Yes, that's a lot of things. I am not a person who enjoys TikTok and the culture, so this book fell very flat for me (for more reasons than just the social media inclusion).

Emmy is a single mother, romance author and social media influencer who considers herself a background character in her own life. But when her bestselling book gains traction on social media and her using it as a self-insert fanfic for a Sci-Fi filmstar is revealed, things escalate, especially when the man she wrote about is cast as the film's lead, opposite his on-and-off ex girlfriend and mother of his child.

Yes, this plot seems convoluted and fanfic-y. It is. There is a strong emphasis on social media, memes and TikTok dances. None of which I am particularly partial to, and it seriously spoiled the listening experience. I enjoyed Andrew Eiden's narration of Jason, the celebrity crush in question. He actually saved the book from being a single-star flop for me. Stephanie Willing not only narrates Emmy but also a whole host of social media persons, the gossip end of which is extremely grating and unpleasant to listen to. I am sure it was meant to be mildly annoying but they went too far there.
In general, several plot points around the entertainment and publishing industries are very contrived and would be questionable if real. That Emmy mostly thinks of Jason's facial expressions in memes is not endearing after the tenth time it happens. Morally, I have issues with a mother using her daughter for social media and income (and the fact that her daughter cannot name a single hobby other than TikTok dances is deeply problematic). I also do not think the other female characters are particularly nice or relatable, so not well written or dimensional.

TLDR; if you are not into mild spice, TikTok, social media, fanfiction gone real or celebrity gossip and game shows, skip this one.

This was a tough listen for me. The description sounded fun and like something I would love. It also didn't take long for me to get into the story but in the end that wasn't enough.

I didn't really like Emmy nor her secret love interest. The book was told in dual pov and already the second chapter gave away who the “secret” love interest will be. She also said it in the third chapter. I would have liked it more if they hadn't announced it right away and tried to make it more interesting.

It's also not really right to say that he was an “inspiration” for the male love interest in her book because she copied his whole look, memes (??) and dug in his past to include a scene into the book that happened the exact same way in his real life. She also never told him about the scene because she thought he wouldn't finish reading the book. The one time she wanted to tell him about, they had sex instead. Throughout the book Emmy also said a lot of times that her plan in the beginning was to use him for cloud and it was just so odd. He also wasn't just a celebrity crush for her but a real crush with whom she was completely obsessed.

Both characters didn't really talk to each other and a lot of the issues could have been solved by just talking to each other.

The writing was easy to follow, and it would have been a cute story if they had talked at least one time about a real topic. I didn't really felt a chemistry between them, and I was annoyed when she did TikTok dances in literally every other chapter. It all felt a bit cringy from time to time and that sadly not in a funny way.

Andrew Eiden and Stephanie Willing did a good job in narrating the book.

Sadly this book wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for this Audiobook-ARC!

Thank you to Christy Swift, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for an audio ARC of Celebrity Crush.

3.5/5 Stars

Celebrity Crush is a cute rom-com with funny witty banter, some adorable moments, and a touch of miscommunication/misunderstanding. While I'm not usually a fan of miscommunication, I thought this book used it well. I'll let others know this book is closed door. So while there is tension, there is no spice.

Things I loved:

The characters: Almost all of the characters were lovable and funny. Of course every story needs a villain, and while I disliked Margarita for sure, I also thought I understood her a bit. I would love to see other stories written in this universe for Jason's cast mates or even Emmy's bff.

The witty banter: I just have to say, if Emmy was an actual social media influencer, I would follow her. Her quips were funny and totally relatable. Throw in her interactions with Jason and this story became laugh out loud funny.

The concept: Who wouldn't want a chance with their celebrity crush. I loved that this book was about a book about falling in love with a celebrity crush. The story we hear is the same one that the main character has written to become famous and it was just fun to see come to life.

This book was a super fun listen and I thought the narrators did a great job making it come to life. This would be a good book for fans of Christina Lauren or Katherine Center.

While the narrator was great along with the audiobook production, this book was a miss for me. Just so unrealistic and cheesy/cringy.

Thanks to Forever, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for early copies of Celebrity Crush in exchange for my honest opinions. The book is now available everywhere! I listened to Celebrity Crush over the course of one evening, while cooking and cleaning and packing. Once I started it, I was sucked into the story by the great narration, and it was the perfect romance to binge while getting things done. I mostly listen to audiobooks while doing chores or while walking/commuting - for me it’s the best distraction from anything required which might feel monotonous.
In Celebrity Crush, Emmy is a single parent and a debut author who has written a romance about her celebrity crush. The book she’s written takes off, and there is a ton of speculation about the identity of her crush. When it is optioned as a movie, it becomes an even bigger deal when the producers plan to cast her crush! Emmy gets to meet the crush that inspired the book, and the tension is huge. There is plenty more that happens, but I don’t want to give away too much because it happens in such a fun way.
Celebrity Crush is Christy Swift's debut novel, too. If you like reading books about books and movies, reading romance with older main characters, or if you’ve ever imagined meeting your celebrity crush, I think you’ll like this one. I really enjoyed the narration by Stephanie Willing and Andrew Eiden - I think that’s a big reason why I didn’t stop until I had listened all the way to the end!

I loved the narrators for this book! They did a great job and really sucked me in from the very beginning!

I loved this light hearted rom com, this is a first book that I have read by Christy swift I will definitely be adding her to my tbr list from now on. Also the narrator where prefect. I highly recommend this book!

This was cute and perfect if you want a kind of nerdy romance, and I mean that as a compliment. There were a lot of sci fi references that went over my head but there were also plenty of pop culture refs that I got (lol) and the banter between the leads was great. Overall an easy and charming listen with two fantastic narrators

*♡Thank you to to Christy Swift, Hatchette Audio and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion♡*

Celebrity Crush is the perfect closed door romance that reads like you're watching a rom-com movie. It is an enjoyable time from start to finish and so much fun!
Stephanie Willing and Andrew Eiden do a fantastic job of narrating, which always makes an audiobook more enjoyable.

The one downside I will say about the book, and it is a complete personal opinion, is the miscommunication trope. You just want to shake the FMC so many times and tell her just to talk to the MMC!! But then I suppose the book would only be half as long that way!

I would definitely recommend this book for a good time and a few laughs ♡

Emmy, a debut author, has written a book about her celebrity crushes. Her book is optioned for a movie, and her "dream" crush lands the leading role. On set sparks fly, as she relives all her moments crushing on Jason.

This was a good, cute romance with some funny moments.

The audiobook helped sell the story with the two swoony narrators - Teddy Hamilton and Stephanie Willing.

Thank you, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to listen to this arc in exchange for a honest review.

I LOVED this audio. The narrators did a wonderful job making these characters come to life. I will for sure be looking for audiobooks with both narrators, Stephanie Willing and Andrew Eiden, in the future.

This story was also so much fun! The characters, the plot, the drama, the side characters/podcast, it was all so good! And, we all love happy endings! Highly recommend!

When Emmy’s book blows up for her references to her real life celebrity crush, she could never imagine that she’d actually get to meet him in real life. At first he seems to be everything she could have dreamed of. However, it soon becomes apparent that he needs some help improving his image. So Emmy jumps in with a plan to help!

I loved the complicated chemistry between Emmy and her celebrity crush! At surface level they should not have worked but the way they came together to help each other was super cute. I really enjoyed the story and it was a nice quick read.

Thank you Hachette for the review copy of Celebrity Crush on audio, this was the V day week treat, and a most welcome audiobook during a chaotic ice storm no power week, This is a quick escape read, the kind of romance I love with behind the scenes Hollywood vibes, celebrity and other person romance, and solid slow burn tension and lots of steamy chemistry. I wanted a bit more exploration of the characters' lives as single parents, some development of their lives outside of the moment in time development of their relationship, but I enjoyed the plot, looking forward to more from this author. I'd like to see some growth in dialogue as well, a little less focus just on physical attraction (though 100% nothing wrong with that focus!) and some more insights into who the characters are, their mindsets, at times on audio a lack of well developed dialogue, and a lot of time inside cognitions or descriptions of scenes doesn't land as well for me, it stands out when listening in particular but I think that's a style issue for me and doesn't mean this isn't a truly fun escape on audio!

Thank you to @readforeverpub and @toallthenerdygirls for introducing me to this romantic novel; I probably wouldn’t have chosen this for myself but I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook experience and I’m so thankful I got the opportunity to listen to this.

A contemporary romance, featuring the voices of Andrew Eiden/Teddy Hamilton and Stephanie Willing that ended up being an excellent weekend escape. Andrew’s delivery was incredible, absolutely bringing Jason’s character to life, while Stephanie’s performance sounded perfect for her part as Emmy.

Emmy is a delightfully quirky character who remains true to herself; Jason embodies the persona of a grumpy celebrity striving to rediscover joy in life, and together their playful banter was charming, humorous, immensely enjoyable and so entertaining. Both characters grapple with their imperfections as they navigate their careers, but their undeniable chemistry makes for an engaging read. Although some plot twists were somewhat predictable, there was one twist that genuinely surprised me, and overall none of the predictability detracted from the plot.

Typically, I am not a fan of social media tropes or stories involving single parents, but I found myself captivated by this one, devouring it in nearly one sitting. The book is filled with emotional depth, and I always love the dual points of view. The narrators truly enhanced the experience for me, and I believe they were perfectly cast.

Emmy has a hit book on her hands, #Celebrity Crush, which she based around her own crush. A viral social media poll about who here crush is only serves to create more hype for it. Of course she never actually expected to meet her crush in real life, but that is exactly what happens when she goes on a talk show and reveals her crush right to his face. Thus begins an adventure she never saw coming, a movie deal, in which Jason, her crush, will actually be playing himself. And a press tour that will see her spending more time than she could have ever dreamed of with Jason. Unlike in many romcoms where the characters are almost ‘too perfect’, Emmy and Jason are both clearly flawed, which makes them feel like real people. Their motives aren’t always completely pure but they are understandable, which again makes them feel real. Great banter and plenty of fun situations made this an enjoyable listen. The narration of both Stephanie Willing and Andrew Eiden were spot on and really enhanced my enjoyment. 4.5 stars I’d like to thank Hachette Audio | Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to advanced copy of the audio version of Christy Swift’s Celebrity Crush.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2GC3R8D088LQW/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I really enjoyed this book and loved the pop culture references! I loved the banter and thought the narrators did a phenomenal job!

I had a lot of fun listening to this celebrity romance! Andrew Eiden is one of my very favorite male narrators and he was perfect for Jason! Stephanie Willing was endearing and entertaining as Emmy. Great listening experience all around!

This story follows the lives of Emmy, an author and social media influencer and Jason, a famous actor. Emmy writes a book in which the main male character is based on her real life celebrity crush, Jason. When her book picks up steam she has the chance to meet him and things take off from there. He needs some good PR, she needs her book sales to keep soaring and the movie being made from the book to be a hit. Good communication goes a long way and these two could have used some more of it.
I listened to the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed the dual narration and pov. Both female and male narrators did an excellent job conveying the emotions that they were reading and making it a fun, quick and easy listen. The *only* thing I didn't like was the giggling that the two girls in the podcast scenes. This is where the deduction comes from for me. I did listen at 1.75 speed.
This romcom contains clean romance (kissing only), witty banter, Hollywood drama, dual POV/dual narration, single parents, forced proximity, and ends in dreams come true.
Highly recommend to give this book a listen (or read) if you are ready for some light and easy reading that is fun and quick paced. 4.5 stars if I could give it that!
Thank you NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Hachette Audio for the ALC of this book.

This was such a fun listen! I love Andrew Eiden as a narrator and Stephanie Willing was a new one for me but was great. They really brought the characters to life. This was a cute, quick rom com and I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters. I felt like Jason was really relatable to what we are told celebrities are like today. They can put on the charm when needed, are often misunderstood, and sometimes turn to alcohol in hard times. Emily was a little immature to have a daughter in some aspects to me. I enjoyed the big celebrity falls for not very well known author view. They were really cute together and I just knew there had to be foul play when those pictures were shared.

Such a fun listen. I really enjoyed the plot and evolving love story between an author and her celebrity crush. It was fun, light-hearted, and exactly what I love about romance novels. The characters we flawed, not unlike real life, and it really brought a real feel to the story. It makes you think that this could happen in real life. And as usual there was a miscommunication/misunderstanding that cause strife between the love birds but everything all worked out in the end!

I'm hoping to listen to more by this author in the future!

The narration was fun, with different voices for each character which really brought it to life.