First and foremost as always thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. This was an incredibly good read! I am always a sucker for fake dating! I know it's always the same formula, but it's always so good! Definitely worth the read!

I LOVE a celeb romance - and this one looked like it was right up my alley. Unfortunately it did not work for me.

Overall the storyline is good and interesting. The only think I’m not a fan of is the Influenser angle. I know that that’s a very real profession I’m just not a fan of reading it. Other than that though good story.

Okay, who among us has nurtured a celebrity crush at some point in our lives? Who has daydreamed about what it might be like to meet that person, have chemistry with that person, even - OMG - date that person! That is the premise of Celebrity Crush, a new romcom by Christy Swift that had me laughing, swooning, and gasping at the twists and turns of this engaging story.

First of all, kudos to Swift for turning this Cinderella trope into a realistic escapade, giving it a bit of heft among the glitz and glamor. These characters are not perfect. They have issues. They have flaws. They make mistakes. And yes, I still cheered them on. Give credit to Swift's character development in creating empathy for the main couple even when they're being jerks (yes, they both take a turn at that) while also imbuing them with enough everyday humanity to make them relatable. Is their behavior cringe worthy at times? You bet. But then there are those other times when they're funny and sweet, when their banter sparkles and unexpected feelings tug at the heart. It's an intriguing blend that kept me happily turning pages, knowing this is totally what I would expect from stereotypical celebrity culture while at the same time rooting for a happy ending for the single mom who does TikTok dances with her daughter and the celebrity single dad who does his own cooking and puts his little boy's happiness above all else.

If you're looking for a fun, escapist, celebrity romp, give this one a try. Best enjoyed with a big bowl of popcorn. Buttered, of course.

ARC received from Forever via NetGalley
Fair and unbiased opinion

Wow, it took me a long time to finish this book lol
I don’t know why, I enjoyed it but I found the middle hard to get through and I felt at times it kind of lost the plot through the different mediums of storytelling, like the texts and articles.

I liked the love story - and it is a clean (sex off page) romance, which I found refreshing. At times though, I didn’t fine either Emmy or Jason likeable. I didn’t think either of them were all that apologetic for their wrongdoing’s. I also thought both of their kids were kind of irrelevant to a lot of the story cause they weren’t on page until like the last quarter of the book.

Overall, I’m just conflicted on my feelings of the novel because there were parts I did enjoy but some that I didn’t. I would give this author another shot in the future, though.

Thanks to netgalley for my early copy.

3/5 ⭐

This felt way too real! A fun spin on a celebrity crush trope. The FMC Emmy is an author for a new book in which the MMC is inspired by her celebrity crush! I enjoyed this cute, funny, quick journey into book releases and Hollywood mishaps.

The SciFi girlies will eat up some of these jokes (though some went over my head). While overall funny, I would've liked to see a bit more character development of our FMC.

Thank you #netgalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book follows Emmy Ellison, author of her debut novel #Celebrity Crush, in which the main male character is based off of her own celebrity crush! We start off when she is about to go onto stage on a talk show where she is surprised by the male cast of her favorite show: her celebrity crush included. What follows is a fun, romantic adventure between two people just trying to find their places in the world.

Both main characters are well written and very well fleshed out. I loved their interactions with their respective children. I do wish some of the backstory items, specifically conflicts with other side characters, were either more fleshed out or were resolved more in some way. But these two have chemistry off the charts. Their interactions with one another felt authentic and real in a really fun way. My favorite side character was Val-they were amazingly fabulous and I hope we get to see more of them in the future.

The storyline itself was interesting and well paced. It was easy to follow and followed the romance book formula, but kept me engaged throughout. The conflicts were realistic, the personal trials and tribulations felt natural, and the plot was progressed by character action, rather than feeling forced! There were even plot points that can easily set up future books in the world.

I loved all the hidden nerdy references. Even though I found a lot, I know for a fact there were a lot more I didn't see! My personal favorites were all of the Firefly references, so watch out for those.

Overall, it was a good quick read. It is great for an upcoming trip or a cozy read on the couch! I am excited to see what else Christy Smith does!

Thank you for the ARC!

I enjoyed reading this book. Likeable characters, with backstory. A little too long for me, but it caught up and became more engaging. Loved the talk show scenes in the beginning.

Thank you to Forever for the #gifted ARC of CELEBRITY CRUSH by Christy Swift via NetGalley.

This debut novel has many things I love - the FMC is a single mother, and a debut romance author; the MMC is the actor she;s had a crush on and based one of the characters in her novel. Yet, it didn't work for me. I just couldn't believe that the two characters fell in love, let alone that quickly.

This rom-com had a cute story line and was a quick, light read. I have mixed feelings about this book. There were times it made me laugh, but other times that made me cringe. Overall, I'd rate this 3.75 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a copy of this story in exchange of an honest review.

I love stories set in Hollywood, that have fake dating at its core, especially for image sakes. However, Celebrity Crush wasn’t what I was expecting.

This book was hard to follow at times, with interesting time jumps and so many character motivations that overlapped and didn’t give time for the characters to breathe.

I also didn’t understand the motivations behind both Emmy and Jason and why they were the way they were. It just didn’t make sense.

Overall, this book was a miss for me. I feel like it you like really messy Hollywood style relationships, this might be for you!

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Celebrity Crush by Christy Swift is a perfect read for those readers who are into a contemporary romance with a celebrity twist. The story dives into themes of fame, personal growth and the blurred lines of fiction and reality. Imagine you write a book about your celebrity crush and then you meet them in real life and have instant chemistry? That is essentially the premise of the book. This book follows two single parents- Emmy a single mother and author and celebrity Jason Connor who are both trying to find love again. The plot honestly did not grab me as much as I was hoping it would and I didn't feel a connection to the characters, partly because of the miscommunication between the two. For anyone who loves a celebrity romance, I would recommend this book. Overall it was a fun quick read!

*Celebrity Crush* is an absolute delight from beginning to end! The story is packed with witty banter, laugh-out-loud moments, and a series of hilarious coincidences that make it pure, feel-good entertainment. From the very first page, I found myself completely hooked, smiling and laughing my way through the entire book. The humor is spot-on, with sharp dialogue and playful exchanges that kept the energy high and the mood light. It’s one of those rare reads that not only makes you laugh but leaves you feeling genuinely happy by the end.

REVIEW✨
Celebrity Crush
By Christy Swift

This one fell a little flat, I loved the idea behind it but I didn’t find it well executed. I didn’t enjoy either of the main characters, nor was it realistic. I loved that both the main characters were single parents, and trying to find love again. But kinda everything else of the plot didn’t work for me, I didn’t feel any connection to the characters and felt like if the main characters did a little more communicating there would’ve be any issues.

Plot points: 💥💥💥
Spice Level:🔥
Romance level: ❤️❤️
Stars: ⭐️⭐️

What would happen if you wrote a book with your celebrity crush in mind, and then you meet and have instant sparks?

That’s the premise of this book! It’s a fun celebrity/regular person romance. The banter was fun between the two main characters but I did wish they were a bit more likable- i kept thinking throughout the book they would benefit from therapy. 😆

But regardless, it was a fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever books for this E-Arc.

#celebritycrush #netgalley

From start to finish I didn't want to put this down!
I loved Jason, from the moment we met him you could feel what a good guy he is. He's made some bad decisions but he's doing everything he can to be a better man and it shows. Emmy is smart and funny and I loved her videos. And even though it was self-serving I loved how she helped Jason with his image.
I loved them together, and their interactions were so cute and you could see the feelings growing between them on the page. I might have wanted to kick my feet in excitement a few times. lol.
I loved the tension of waiting for that other shoe to drop with something that we learn about during the book, and when it does along with some other stuff it sure is a doozy. But I really enjoyed how they were able to come out of the other side. Celebrity Crush had me constantly smiling and sometimes laughing-out-loud, and I just had an all-around great time.
I loved this book, and hope we get more of this world!!

This was a fun premise when an author bases a character in her novel on her celebrity crush! While I liked the initial premise, I had a hard time getting into the story. I struggled to truly root for either of the main characters, but still enjoyed the overall story!

Cute story about an author who writes a story based on her celebrity crush. Her book becomes optioned for a movie and he stars in it! The pair do a whole PR tour. Cute read, I love that it was 2 single parents. Single parent trope is one of my favorites!

Clean romance fans - this is for you! It’s a fun celebrity romance filled with pop culture/Marvel/movie references along the way. While some of the TikTok stuff wasn’t my cup of tea, I enjoyed seeing the author’s interests coming to life through her characters. I thought the premise about celebrity crushes was a fun twist on the trope, but I ultimately found Emmy and Jason to be kind of unlikable main characters. Emmy came off a little entitled to fame, and Jason’s on again/off again girlfriend added too much complexity and made him wishy washy. For anyone who loves celebrity romance, I still say give this a go. I always want to support debut authors, even if this wasn’t perfect for me.

This is a really cute book with a really cute premise. It has everything I like: celebrity gossip, fake dating and fantastic cast of secondary characters. This is a light and frothy book perfect for a vacation or on one of those days when you just need to be entertained.

I really enjoyed the insider peek into celebrity world and the glitz and the glamour contrasted with Emmy’s regular life down in Florida in a trailer home. Emmy is a sweet and funny woman determined to make a life for her and her daughter. Jason is her long-time crush who’s on a path for redemption after a tough few years. They have instant chemistry when they meet on a talk show, and Emmy reveals her crush.

This is a debut book, and I enjoyed it. The characters all felt like they acted more like teens than mature adults with families and careers, but I still liked the premise and the plotting. I look forward to reading more of Christy’s books.