I enjoyed the banter between our FMC and MMC, Emmy and Jason. When there wasn’t conflict between them, their chemistry was great! However, there was a lot in this story that felt either glossed over too quickly or spent too much emotion on. The matter of Peyton’s paternity and the situation where it came about was one of those, there was more time spent on describing a creepy doll than something as important as that. Jason was also fairly unlikeable at some parts during their arguments. Like I understand being upset but he acted like a full-on douche at times that she acted like he barely had to be forgiven. I liked the side characters constantly being around them, it made them feel more authentic and like “real” life was actually involved throughout their relationship. Overall, it was a fun listen and the narrators they chose encompassed the personalities completely!

“Celebrity Crush” by Christy Swift is a closed door rom-com about an author, Emmy, who wrote a book inspired by her celebrity crush, Jason.

When an online poll guessing just who the celebrity is goes viral, Emmy is not only thrust in the spotlight, but gets to meet said crush. Chaos and a media frenzy ensues. While a lot of the book felt a little too predictable, it was still such a fun read. I finished it in one day.

The audiobook was a lot of fun as the dual narration by Andrew Eiden and Stephanie Willing, really brought the characters and the story alive.

Thank you Hachette Audio for selecting me for this ALC, I enjoyed it.

I’m usually not a fan of romcoms, but this one completely won me over! The humor, character development, and attention to detail kept me hooked from start to finish. I also loved the audiobook. The narrators did an amazing job bringing the story to life!

This book/audiobook was fantastic! It is narrated by Andrew Eiden and Stephanie Willings, who truly brought the main characters to life. Their narration made the story feel so real that I was completely swept up in the storyline.

The story itself is a romantic comedy that will have you holding your sides with laughter. I found the plot setup to be unique compared to other romcoms I've read recently. It's about a romance novel being made into a movie—how often do you see that? Most of the recent books have been dark mafia romances. The banter between the characters was amazing, and I love a good witty exchange, even when there's tension between them. This made the book go by quickly, which was both a good and bad thing!

Overall, this book was incredibly cute and delivered the plot exceptionally well. It cleverly incorporated elements of pop culture and celebrity romance, including the classic trope of a reformed bad boy. If you're looking for a funny romcom that will lighten your day, make you laugh, and offer depth with its characters, I highly recommend you pick up this book!

Thank you Forever & Hachette Audio for the audio book via NetGalley.

Freaking fantastic.

I loved this book so much! It's truly the epitome of a romcom and was the most fun to read/listen to -- I had the book & audio so I did both. The narrators, Andrew Eiden and Stephanie Willing, really do our MCs justice and I found it so easy to listen to them for hours at time without even realizing it. They truly brought the characters to life -- and the snippets of podcasts, vlogs, shows, etc. were AMAZING. I still hear the giggles from Isla and Amil when I think of the book! Very over the top, but very fitting. The pacing is perfect and they really pull off both the humorous scenes and the tender, heart wrenching ones. 10/10 recommend the audio if you enjoy that format!

Now onto the book itself. Christy Swift mastered the will they won't they, celebrity x fan romantic comedy! I love that this is a romance book about a romance book that's being turned into a film, and I think it's only right that this book also be turned into a movie so that we can really appreciate it (: The banter is a lot of fun, even when they aren't on the best of terms, their barbs still hit, making it a super quick read/listen. Both Emmy and Jason are single parents, bringing a bit more vulnerability to their characters and definitely some potential barriers to any ideas for an easy romance or fling. Their kids are a big part of their story and are woven in perfectly with just enough presence for the reader to feel like they know them and care for them and to show how each character is as a parent without preventing more serious adult only scenes that build the romance. And the side characters! I love Emmy's best friend and Jason's castmates. They all had so much personality and were really there to support the MCs. The ending has me hopeful for a book two about two certain side characters...

It's a really cute book for fans of pop culture, celebrity romance, reformed bad boys, and a bit of Hollywood drama. I highly recommend Celebrity Crush to all the romcom readers out there and anyone who's looking for a good quick read to end the month on a high note! Or if you're looking for a good book to delude you into thinking you too can find the love of your life in your celebrity crush😝

Thank you Forever & Hachette Audio for arc and alc via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Okay look, is this book deep & life changing? No. Is it a cute, fun read? Yes. It’s the equivalent of a Hallmark movie: it’s not going to win any awards but it’s the perfect thing to bring a smile to my face.

The narrator did a good job, but I couldn't get into this book. I love celebrity romance, and there were some insights that I found spot-on, but I don't know if it was me or the book, but I wasn't super compelled to finish it.

What a cute and fun debut! I absolutely loved the premise—an author using her real-life celebrity crush as inspiration for her novel, only for it to manifest in reality. Such a fun setup with so many great moments! One thing I especially enjoyed was that both Emmy and Jason were single parents, but in completely different phases of their parenting journeys. Their experiences gave them unique perspectives while also allowing them to connect on a deeper level. And Emmy’s relationship with her daughter was such a highlight. Since she’s older, she’s not just along for the ride—she’s actively invested in her mom’s happiness, which added so much charm and humor to the story. The pop culture references and humor were another standout, especially with how the book playfully pokes fun at the Hollywood scene. From industry quirks to the chaos of celebrity PR, it struck the perfect balance between lighthearted fun and heartfelt moments.

Andrew Eiden and Stephanie Willing did a fantastic job narrating, bringing Emmy and Jason to life in such a vivid way. Their performances really enhanced the experience and made the characters feel even more real. The audiobook was especially fun with its blend of podcast and TV interview segments, which added a unique layer to the story and made it feel even more immersive.

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.

I did really love the voices via the auto book,
Plot points: 💥💥💥
Spice Level:🔥
Romance level: ❤️❤️
Stars: ⭐️⭐️

Thanks so much to Readforever and Nergalley for the free book in exchange for an honest review.

I think I was in the mood to really enjoy this story. Plus the author is clearly embracing her nerdy side and she won me over by mentioning the amazingness of Firefly. So, let's be honest I guess I'm an easy mark you just need to talk nerdy pop culture to me. In fact, our FMC identifies as a Red Shirt and quotes "older" Sci-Fi Movies like Alien without anyone knowing the lines....first I'm offended that this is old because that means I'm old. So, other than all that goodness we have a rom-com with two POVs and many "cut scenes" with podcasters or interviews. The first character is Emmy, the author, who just published her romcom and buzzes it by teasing online who her celebrity crush is and that was the inspiration for her novel. This gets her brought on a talk show during the press tour and she's surprised by all the guys in her poll and she does the big reveal. The second POV is Jason, the actor, whose life is a complete mess and whose job is on the line if he winds up in one more scandal. These two start an unlikely friendship while Emmy tries to help Jason improve his image. They create a bunch of content to make him appear more wholesome, of course, we know where this will lead. On top of all of this, both characters have children and both have secrets.
I found the story to be fun, sarcastic, and charming, I found myself giggling at the jokes and witticisms. The characters are down to earth, both relatable and unrelatable can't explain that but that is where we are here. The voice actors were ok there were bits of both I didn't like the first was when the female did the Podcasters those voices and laughs I just felt like this was torturous. Then for our male, though he a good, he made the character sound a bit airheaded or macho bro. He was a singer/dancer/actor I don't know, it just wasn't what I pictured. With all of that being said, it was a fun romcom and it almost seems like it's setting itself up for a series, which I'd totally be down for. Oh plus this story has baby mama drama and it's a closed-door romance.

The perfect RomCom story! The perfect amount of love, humor, spice and dramatics. I really feel like this could be a great movie from the 2000's. We all had those curshes as kids that we wish we could have met and dated growing up. Loved the narrators and the story line. I loved that both characters were a little older with children as well because representation matters. Emmy situation was a littel taboo (having a child young) but I love how this was handled in the book. I absolutely loved the banter between the Emmy and Jason! Chef's kiss.

I really liked the overall concept of the celebrity fake dating/implied dating! If you’re someone who enjoys pop culture references this book is full to the brim with them!
I thought the narrators did a really nice job and they really helped bring the story to life! Overall this was a quick and easy read!


Tropes:
~celebrity x writer
~single parent
~closed door
~fake dating

Thank you Forever for an arc of the book and audiobook!

Publication: February 11th, 2025


Celebrity Crush is a charming, feel-good romance that blends Hollywood glamour with heartfelt connection. Andrew Eiden and Stephanie Willing’s dual narration adds depth, making the characters feel authentic and their chemistry shine. Christy Swift’s writing balances humor, tension, and romance beautifully, creating an engaging listen from start to finish. Perfect for fans of celebrity romances!


Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Unfortunately this book just wasnt for me. I wasn’t a fan of our main character Emmy. She has just written a book about her celebrity crush without naming names. I didn’t like how much she used Jason’s status for her own benefit. Overall this one was just okay. I did enjoy the audiobook and it made the reading experience go by faster.

“When I’m with you, I can just be happy. You make me feel like someone who deserves to be happy.” 🧡

Unfortunately, I was not crushing on CELEBRITY CRUSH by Christy Swift. This is marketed as a celebrity romance with fake dating - but…it wasn’t? While yes, our FMC is an upcoming author and our MMC is a famous movie/TV star - they spend most of the book resisting fake dating, so we are really left with…implied dating? Unsure what to call it.

What you do get is a single mom/single dad romance with older main characters - but you also get a bit insta-love and slightly stalkerish vibes from our FMC? It was just awkward and one-sided for so long, that the romance felt forced and a bit contrived? And I simply was not rooting for it.

I typically LOVE celebrity romance - and I wanted to love this book; however, I ultimately did not love either character, the romance itself, or the overall “save their reputation” plot.

I also had an opportunity to listen to the audiobook - and I did enjoy the narrators; it has two for the dual POV and they both do an excellent job at bringing the characters to life - particularly when the two are at each other’s throats.

This book had a lot of potential, and I was really excited about it. Sadly, it didn’t live up to the potential. This books is a freaking matryoshka doll or dramatic contrivances. Every time you think, "Surely there won't be another layer of drama," out come the drama llamas. It got to be a bit much by the end, honestly. I had to keep pausing. If that's your thing in a romcom you will love this. It is not my thing.

In addition to all the drama, it was a little hard to root for the characters the whole time; both had a lot of really unsympathetic moments. Emmy's shitty self justifications for becoming everything she hates when she posts those selfies of her and Jason are not a defence. Jason honestly deserves better than Emmy gives him through most of the book. Emmy does not come off as a great role model, and she knows it. She's leagues better than Jason's ex, but that's a really low bar.

He acknowledges he's been no saint, but he's actively trying to fix things and be and do better because he wants to be worthy for his son and for Emmy, and he also wants to keep the job he loves doing. He knows that starting something with Emmy is a HUGE risk for him, but he takes it. Now, to be fair, I was probably predestined to root for Jason because he's narrated by my favourite narrator - which I did not know when I requested the book. I did not previously know that Teddy Hamilton is a stage name, and he goes by his legal name sometimes, too, like in this case.

Lotta awkward and cringy moments in this book, and the pacing feels weird. The first 75% seems stretched out, and the last 25% happens way too fast and ends up feeling rushed, especially that giant twist with both of their exes. That was one of those overly dramatic contrivances I mentioned, and it ended a little too cleanly and quickly to really be believable. It was a book.

Emmy Ellison is on her way to be a best selling author. When her book is optioned for a movie, she's elated that Jason Connor, her real life celebrity crush and the basis for the male main character in her book, is hired for the movie. PR really wants to hype things up, getting Emmy and Jason to play into a relationship. It's all fake for the public, but neither one expected it for real in private. Emmy did her research on Jason for her book character. She knew just about everything there was to know, even the most obscure. As she gets to know Jason, she realizes that some of his public persona is greatly sensationalized. When those parts of the book come to light, it might just crush the budding relationship.

I alternated between reading and listening to this story. Stephanie Willing and Andrew Eiden brought this story to life. If not for the option to listen and get to know the characters through the narrators' voices, I may have given up early on. Great narrators capture the true personality of the characters and hook me right into the story.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

This had so much promise.

An influencer turned romance author publishes a book about her celebrity crush. Celebrity crush is revealed on a talk show. They have an intense hug. I had a hard time understanding the show this guy was popular for, it was like dancing related? And is known for a whole bunch of memes?

And the girl was a social media yoga influencer who spends quality time with her 12 year old daughter making tiktoks and doing tiktok dances. It’s rough.

Her rom com novel so being made into a movie that ends up being a musical with Duran Duran music. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This book will be outdated in like a year with all the pop culture references. A few is fine. This was overloaded.

Some weird things. When her and the guy hook up for the first time, the girl comes out in like a t shirt and underwear and the dude makes her a smoothie and his like 4 year old is just sitting there in the living room watching cartoons. Yikes.

The story of the FMC’s daughter’s dad is weird. The way it was told was that she was in college and approached him to review her script and he was all “let’s look at it in my hotel room” and she goes, and like, it felt like it was implied that he took advantage of her and she got pregnant and then he told her her script was not good and she would never make it in this business.

But then later when she sees the guy near the end of the book and it was like they were just sort of civil and she was not at all traumatized or anything and she’s like “this is your daughter” like…what? So maybe I misunderstood the way it was told but…?

I don’t know, the narrators of the audiobook did the best they could with what they had. The premise sounded fun but the story and the characters fell flat. Also, there is zero fake dating, not sure why that’s in the summary.

Thank you @netgalley and @hachetteaudio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Cute insta-love closed door romance. It was a fun read and I enjoyed the banter. I really liked the narrators too.

3.5 round to 4 stars

3.5 stars. i enjoyed the premise and what a great debut but it was a bit too insta-lovey for me. i liked that it was a closed door with great banter. i was able to go back and forth between audio and e-arc. i did enjoy the audio more because i liked the narration.