4.5/5⭐️ I LOVED this book. Emmy writes a book inspired by her celebrity crush. In all the publicity surrounding her book she ends up meeting her celebrity crush! Emmy and Jason’s love story blooms from there. I loved the mix of blogs, youtube videos and interviews scattered throughout the novel. It made the story line more intriguing to read. The only reason it wasn’t a five star read for me was because the ending felt rushed!

An aspiring screenwriter pens a romance novel that is an homage to her celebrity crush, and when the socially media savvy Emmy Ellison teases that it’s based on one of the four stars of a popular superhero television series where the characters regularly break into dance moves, a daytime TV host invites all four possible crushes to face off with the Emmy in the hopes of revealing who the crush really is. Jason #2 is as surprised as anybody else that he’s Emmy’s pick, and even more surprised at their instant chemistry when he wins the hug contest designed to help winnow out her less-favorites.

They ride the media wave and develop a fun and friendly relationship, but there’s a lot going on. Emmy is a single mom and her out-of-wedlock daughter, an impressionable tween, is the child of the casting couch producer who told Emmy years ago she had no talent and wouldn’t amount to anything in Hollywood. Jason is a single dad still in an on-again, off-again, relationship with a costar, who seems to want to get her hooks back into him. His bad-boy behavior has him on thin ice at work, and he has some other issues to work out.

As Emmy’s novel approaches number one on the best seller list and the two become more intimate, she’s tormented with the fact that she used Jason’s personal life in an exploitative way to write her story. He hasn’t gotten to that part of the book yet, but discovering this betrayal is inevitable. When the book is option for film and goes right into production, starring Jason and his ex the director drastically changes the troubling scene so drastically and dramatically it’s unrecognizable, and Jason is a busy and a slow reader, so Emmy never has to face actually telling him the truth. At the back of all of this is the possibility that Jason‘s just stringing her along, Emmy’s fear that she really isn’t cut out for Hollywood, and Jason’s concern that she might be using him to get ahead.

All this is delivered fast clip in a bubblegum pop, sugary, shallow sunshiny kind of way, with a layer of wonderfully nerdy fandom. While Celebrity Crush wasn’t my favorite of the year, this Mary Sue situation is sure to find an audience. It was hard to put down and I did care about the characters and want to see what happened, but more in a train wreck kind of way and actually being vested in them.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #CelebrityCrush via #NetGalley courtesy of #Forever; a review will publish on HLBB on 2/11/2025.

This was a cute rom-com with sci-fi rep that I adored. A modern day romance between a celebrity and social media influencer/author. I loved that both of the main characters had faults that they were aware of but were also able to see the good in each other even if they didn’t always see it about themselves. I think the only thing I didn’t love was the ending as it felt a bit rushed.

Emmy Ellison wanted to be a famous screen play writer but settled for social media manager turned romance author (for now). Her novel Hashtag Celebrity Crush blows up, thanks to a viral poll where the internet guesses which real-life celebrity the book’s character is based on.

When the celebrity crush is revealed, and he is casted as the leading man in the movie adaptation, Emmy decides to use the momentum to sell more books and maybe get her shot at Hollywood after all. All she has to do is make it seem like she’s dating her celebrity crush…


What to expect….
- bookish book
- wish/fantasy fulfillment
- single mom/single dad
- 30+ age MCs
- a touch of nerdy
- great banter
- no spice/closed door

What I didn’t love…
- a bit too insta-lust for me.
- honestly didn’t really like our MMC munch….
- The banter in the book was great but there was not nearly enough of it. I found myself uninterested in scenes where both characters weren’t present.
- This is a me problem I think, but I find it hard to connect with social media/pop culture references and this book had a TON. Which to be fair was somewhat appropriate for the book’s plot/themes, but I would have preferred a lot less.
- I could have done without the very LONG pre-chapter interview/vlogs/etc. I don’t mind a short one sprinkled throughout but it became cumbersome quickly.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I was immediately hooked with the story of Emmy Ellison, romance writer whose viral survey about the celebrity crush who inspired a character in her newly-released book nets her a unique opportunity to be interviewed on a Hollywood talk show.

With imperfect characters you will instantly fall for, a spiraling plot with a few unexpected turns, and a good chuckle on every page, Swift's writing is delightful and kept me turning pages.

A fun Hollywood Cinderella story that will leave you wanting more from this author.

I loved this book. Clean romance, would personally have liked a more open-door romance, more smut but this was still a fantastic and fun read. I laughed out loud, I was kicking my feet and I absolutely lost some sleep so I could finish.

An author meets, fangirls and flirts over her celebrity crush in front of millions and because they have on screen chemistry the network is like let’s see MORE of them together for more views. The two of them meet up for several interactions that truthfully don’t seem ridiculously concocted as typically happens in these books. Drama happens and I’m so pleased to say that it’s not your everyday miscommunication in a romance but an actual set of problems.

I love the escapism of a celebrity romance, and this had a fantastic premise about celebrity crushes. I’m afraid this was not my cup of tea and I DNF at 39% (though I jumped to the last few chapters to see if it would warrant persisting and it confirmed I would be wasting my time). I just couldn’t get into the characters and the way the plot was developing felt too bonkers even for Hollywood. Emmy came off as a stalker who had the temerity to be upset because Jason didn’t follow her back on social media. Especially when she used real life incidents from his life in her book, such as his past arrest. Then she plots to just use him, without really getting his permission for publicity. I also found the scenes of her Tik Tok dancing with her kid just cringe. To be fair, I find TT dancing cringe anyway, but didn’t really need descriptions of her and her daughter filming TT dances. I also couldn’t get into Jason either, especially the whole business with his on/off girlfriend and co-star.

For anyone who loves celebrity romance, I still say give this a go. I want this debut author to be successful, even though it wasn’t for me. I will try this author again though because I do think she’s talented. Hence I am leaving three stars because its easy for me to write this pithy review, but I very much doubt I could even write a book like Christy.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC.

The story was good and was interesting in its own way! The humor was great and I loved how it made them different. I was invested in this book for two reasons, A it wasn't a stereotypical kinda of book simce it had a unique plot, and B the mc wanted to make her way into Hollywood but in doing so she faced lots of obstacles. Id recommend this book if you love reading about misunderstanding, romcom, and something with humor! Overall I loved this book!!

Ambos protagonistas son exasperantes y desagradables. Él es amable con ella y ella cree que le está coqueteando; sin embargo, cuando se da cuenta de que no es así, se vuelve irritable. Ella no estaba enamorada de él, sino de la idea que tenía de él, considerándolo más un producto que una persona.


Jason, por su parte, tomaba decisiones cuestionables y no aprendía de sus errores. Todo lo malo que hizo no fue con malas intenciones, pero nunca pensaba en las consecuencias, y luego se hacía la víctima cuando estas llegaban. Lo que hizo que me desagradara ese idiota infiel fue que prefirió engañar a su novia en lugar de asistir al nacimiento de su hijo. Odié cómo Emma le dijo que no era para tanto, como si eso no tuviera importancia, mientras la pobre de Margarita, estaba sola y asustada en el hospital, mandándole mensajes para saber en dónde estaba y a qué hora llegaría, pero según Emma, eso no fue para tanto, y su ex solo exageraba.


Me sentí mal por Margarita por todo lo que tuvo que soportar, y si bien no apoyó lo que hizo, la entiendo y me alegro que hiciera sufrir al infiel.


Al final Emma y Jason son tal para cual.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Celebrity Crush is story where author Emmy writes a best-selling novel inspired by her celebrity crush, Jason. When they eventually meet, sparks fly, and Jason is cast in the movie adaptation of her book. Emmy offers to help him improve his “bad boy” image by curating positive social media content featuring the two of them together. Naturally, their relationship faces ups and downs, but it ultimately leads to a happy ending.

While the story is enjoyable, the female lead felt overly focused on social media and came across as somewhat self-centered for my taste.

Thank you to Net galley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Emmy & Jason are likeable, flawed characters who made me giggle & also drove me up the wall. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

Thank you so much to Forever and NetGalley for the advance ready copy of Celebrity Crush by Christy Swift!

The premise for this one was really great. Emmy writes a book which is becoming a bestseller. At the beginning, she is put in a position to identify the celebrity crush that her book is based on, Jason Connor. After the reveal, she ends up working more with Jason and the two soon find themselves being drawn more and more to each other.

I appreciated how these two wanted to approach a relationship cautiously. Emmy as someone recognizing this is her long time celebrity crush and Jason approaching carefully as well knowing he’s held this place in her life. As their relationship developed, I thought it was the moments in which they open up to each other about deeply personal events in their lives that helped demonstrate their genuinely growing feelings toward the other.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy read, this is one to check out.

This story was not only endearing because of Hollywood but it was fantastically hilarious. The comedia effect, quick wit, and the way the characters seemed to get along with ease. Everything about it made me we want to continue reading so I could be amongst the characters. The fun plot and dialogue are spot on.

I love a good celebrity romance story. This was cute and fun. I was able to finish it quickly. It made me laugh and smile.

This was actually really cute and had me laughing out loud in certain parts. The characters were quite likeable and I enjoyed the pacing of the plot. Overall, I had a good time with this one and I’m looking forward to more by this author.

Read if you like closed door spice, fake dating scheming, and cute sci fi references.

An author writes a book about her own celebrity crush… who she ends up meeting during the promotion of the book. I adored the humor and lighthearted tone of the book, which was a breath of fresh air. The FMC made vlog posts and reels, which brought so much life to the story. The romance was a bit of a miss for me as I felt some of the dialogue to be childish, and I wanted more between them. Also, as someone who loves the single parent trope, and both main characters were single parents, I was wishing for more scenes with the kiddos. Still a really get debut, especially for all celebrity romance fans.

Read if you like:
-Celebrity crush
-Heroine who is an author
-Hero who is an actor
-Single parents
-Hollywood world

Thank you Forever for the ARC

I absolutely LOVE this book! I enjoy "Hollywood romance" books, where a romance grows between a famous person and an unfamous person. The FMC, Emmy, is a well-known social media influencer and a best-selling author. She's semi-famous but not as well known as the MMC, who is a famous actor. Emmy wrote a book called "Hashtag Celebrity Crush," which is based on her secret celebrity crush. Her book is turned into a movie, and her secret celebrity crush is hired as the actor, so they end up working together. This book is sweet and funny. I thought the social media posts were well-written and wish I could pull the videos up on my phone and actually watch them. Lol. Everything was wrapped up nicely at the end of the book. I was beginning to think that one of my questions wasn't going to get answered, but it was on the next to last page! If you want to read a fun rom-com with a HEA, this book is for you. I rate this book 1 chili pepper on the spice scale since it has "behind closed door" spice.

Thank you, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Christy Swift, for allowing me to read an ARC of this book and leave my honest review!

Fun, drama-filled romance!

Emmy is an author who has had her break with a romance and the MMC is inspired by her favorite actor, Jason Connor. Emmy's book gets to meet Jason on a TV show and they have great chemistry that is hard for her to ignore. Her book is picked up for a movie and he is cast as the character inspired by him. The more time Emmy and Jason spend together, the closer they become. They each have secrets and complications from their personal lives. Will they be able to overcome their complicated personal lives to be together?

This was a fun read with many fun supporting characters! Jason and Emmy are both flawed, but have endearing qualities. I feel like the duration of the conflict was a little long and the resolution very simple and short. Recommend for lovers of pop culture and celebrity drama!

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central publishing for this ARC!

CELEBRITY CRUSH is a story about a writer who wrote a book inspired by her celebrity crush and finds that said celebrity is in talks of playing the lead in the film adaptation of her book. I was intrigued by the interesting and fun premise but found myself having a hard time connecting to the book. It felt a little too fast-paced and at some times a little unrealistic for me, but if you’re looking for a cheery escapism, then it’s for you!

Thank you for Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was dying for this book! The celebrity crush is so cute and kind to author. I loved the ending and hope for more