Celebrity Crush is a swoon-worthy romance that delivers all the feels! The chemistry between the characters is electric, making for a dreamy, heart-fluttering read. Christy Swift creates a fun and engaging story that keeps you hooked, but the ending felt a bit rushed—I would’ve loved more time to savor the final moments. Still, it’s a charming, feel-good romance that’s perfect for anyone who loves a little Hollywood magic!

I thoroughly enjoyed this! I loved the premise, loved how the author explored how our actions (even ones that seem inconsequential) affect others and how much parents sacrifice for the their kids. It was sexy and sweet, fun and filled with humor. And the narrators did a pretty great job brining the characters to life.

2.5 ⭐️ I really struggled with this one. This was about a romance author who published a book about a normal girl getting her celebrity crush and it was based on a real celebrity, who she meets in real life and he then stars in the movie based on the book and they do a ton of press together. This was a very social media heavy book, a lot of posturing for the public, podcasters, TikTok, etc. It felt very immature on so many levels. This had a bunch of instalove/lust, forbidden love, miscommunication and single parent tropes. It had too many cringy and self absorbed moments for me. I had to pause it a bunch of times and considered DNFing because I wasn’t connected to any characters and really hated their actions and motivations. It is also a closed door romance, which I don’t mind but it made it feel even more juvenile. The story was also incredibly predictable, which was a bummer since I was hoping for so much more to keep me interested.

This was an audio production by Hachette Audio, dual narrated by Andrew Eiden (aka Teddy Hamilton) and Stephanie Willing. I love anything Andrew does, so his chapters were my favorite. Stephanie did a good job too but I HATED her voices for the podcasters/gossip girls narrating their relationship, it was over the top too much. They were going for extreme valley girl California, and it was painful to listen to and grating on my nerves! I am still glad I got to listen to the audio version versus the book, since the back and forth narration was done well.

Overall, this was one giant miss for me, but may be right for anyone interested in celebrity romances that are a bit on the cheesy and predictable side.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Christy Swift for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. This book publishes on 2/11/2025.

Celebrity Crush is an enjoyable audiobook. I chose to listen for Andrew Eiden but thoroughly enjoyed Stephanie Willing’s narration as well. The premise was a new spin on the favorite fake dating trope. There were a handful of cringy moments, but were brief and moved the plot along.

I listened to the audiobook of this rom-com. Stephanie Willing and Andrew Eiden are excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed their performances. The rom-com itself is a little bit of a mixed bag. Emmie Ellison is the author of “Celebrity Crush” which she wrote about her actual celebrity crush, Jason Connor. While promoting her book she gets to meet him in person and sparks fly. It is a really cute premise, and Emmie and Jason do have chemistry together. It’s unfortunate that both main characters are pretty unlikable. Both seem to be unable to have their own agency while making decisions about their relationship, mostly taking others advice, both good and bad. Also Jason at one point really disses his ex-partner and mother of his child which is truly cringe. I wind up rooting more for her than the main characters. I kept waiting for either Emmie or Jason to be redeemed in some way. Once I let go of that notion and just realized they both were going to self destruct in any way possible, I enjoyed the book more towards the end. The book is funny and cringe worthy all wrapped up in a happily ever after by the end. The book should be renamed “Hashtag Celebrity Crush”.

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Forever for an advance listening copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Publishing, Hachette Audio & Christy Swift for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story is for the chronically online pop culture enthusiasts. Our FMC is not only an influencer, she's a super fan of a wildly popular scifi TV show. It's a full deep dive into what could happen if you met your celebrity crush- rose to fame/scrutiny and couldn't trust your own feelings. "Does he like me? No, he's just a celebrity and makes everyone feel this way. Wait- it seems like he really likes me?"

I loved the plot of this story- AND found the progression to be a bit painful- but isn't that what it would feel like if you couldn't trust your heart? Christy Swift did NOT romanticize what it would be like to have a celebrity fall in love with you. She illuminated every piece of self doubt, outside influence and more.

Narration was superb- as per usual with these narrators. No surprise, no notes.

I absolutely loved Celebrity Crush. Emmy is a fairly famous social media star and author who writes a book called Celebrity crush. It’s fiction based on her actual celebrity crush. Her secret crush is revealed early on and the plot explodes from there. This book was very well written. It pretty much captivated me from start to finish. There wasn’t once where I wanted to stop reading and that doesn’t always happen. It had great conflict, well developed characters and a very fun plot! Nowadays, I’m looking for books to distract me from the real world. This book surpassed my expectations. The narrators crushed this audiobook. I loved both of their voices. I can’t wait for more from this author. Huge thanks to Hachette audio and Netgalley for allowing me to listen and review this book!

***FOUR STARS***

I am sure that in the end I will over-all love this story but I need to document my feelings while I am reading it.

OMFG these two are so horrible, each for their own reasons. What a hot bed of fucking MESS and all because why? LACK OF COMMUNICATION. BUT it's more than that! It's also willful ignorance and stupidity. What a couple of self sabotaging IDIOTS.

😂😂😂😂

It's taken me days to finish up this review. I'm tempted to leave just what I wrote in the heat of the moment here but maybe I'll add some more.

Emmy is a social media influencer who wrote a book based on her celebrity crush. When she starts a poll for her followers to guess which celebrity the book is based on it goes viral and people take notice. Surprise she's on a talk show now and surprise all four of the men listed in her poll are there to surprise her and witness the great reveal.

Jason knows the book is about him based on the little bit of the book he's read. He's all in for fun but he's also on a thin edge with his people and the show he's currently on because of personal drama. Jason's trying to keep a good image so he doesn't get fired, but he's a fucking moron so...

Anyway, Emmy sells the rights to her book to be made into a movie. Jason is cast as...himself basically and his on-again off-again baby mamma is cast as the female lead. Drama, stupidity, lack of communication, stupidity, some released *intimate* photos, stupidity...it all leads to an eventual HEA. You will want to rip out your hair. You will want to throw your book, kindle, headphones. In the end though, it all gets sorted. If putting yourself through that is your jam, then you'll love this book!

Thank you to NetGally and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this story.

The narrators, Andrew and Stephanie, did a fantastic job!

This had potential but it just felt all over the place for me. It’s about a social media creator-turned-romance novelist who writes a book about her celebrity crush, only to meet him and chaos ensues. The plot had potential, but it felt rushed in some parts and dragged out in others. There was also very little relationship development for the main characters or anything that kept me wanting to root for them. The only thing that kept me going was the narration for Jason. His voice was smooth and kept me wanting more but at the same time wanted him to stop narrating the story and read a grocery list instead.

The main character, Emmy, felt super cringey. Emmy’s character also felt underdeveloped her inner dialogue made it seem like she was trying really hard to seem quirky (like referencing spaceships and *Aliens* quotes with zero follow-through). The love interest, Jason, was equally one-dimensional and made questionable decisions, which made it hard to see why Emmy was so into him. The relationship felt rushed, and the "fake dating" element was barely there. The side characters, especially her best friend Josie, were pretty forgettable.

Overall, the book had a lot of pop culture references and awkward moments that felt forced rather than relatable. It was a quick read, but not really my thing. Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Forever Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an aduio galley of this book to listen to and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
The blurb on this one pulled me right in. I love the idea of a celebrity crush and that crush turning into something more. Plus, Andrew Eiden, one of my favorite narrators! I couldn't pass this one up.
Emma and Jason live in two different worlds. When Emma's novel goes viral and it's based on Jason, their worlds collide. But can a crush turn into something more?
I adored Edien's narration of Jason's part in this book. I think the could recite my shopping list and I'd be enthralled. The female narrator, Stephanie Willing, is new to me. She was just ok. I didn't love her voice. She actually did the male parts better than the female parts for me.
Emma was interesting enough and relatable in the way people are when they are enamored with celebrities. She did feel a bit young for me, especially as the mother of a 12 year old. But overall I found her a bit whiny. I wanted to love her and the connection she made with Jason but it just seemed forced. Like he had to like her because she has been pining over him for so long. Her actions and reactions to being in the presence of a celebrity seemed real enough. I would totally be tongue tied and not know how to act in the presence of my celebrity crush. But at some point that should change. Once you're hanging out with them and get to know them, they should become like anyone else, right? That didn't happen. I will say I was annoyed she kept calling the MMC by his full name throughout the book. We know who he is, so why was this necessary? I liked the relationship between Emma and her daughter, but I felt like she kept leaving her for things and, in reality, I don't feel like this would actually happen, at least from my experience as a mom of three. I needed to feel like that was the most important relationship she had and it just didn't shine through.
As for Jason, I felt like he was forced to like Emma rather than organically fall for her. They were a close proximity romance. Each other's presence and the media basically made them a couple before they even knew one another When they did finally get to know one another, I didn't feel the chemistry I wanted to feel. The aches and heart pains that should come with falling for someone. I also wasn't a fan of Jason's personality. I needed him to be more golden retriever but he was just not much fun and didn't have the emotional depth I thought would happen for his growth. I also would have liked to see more of him as a parent. Since he and Emma had this in common, it would have been nice to see their connection through this.
The pacing was fast enough that I didn't feel like it was bogged down with unnecessary things. The plot left something to be desired, though it was predictable, so I'll give it that. While the characters were fun, and I really enjoyed the side characters, I do wish there was a little more depth and development happening. Plus they didn't really seem like the ages they were supposed to be (30's), they felt much, much younger. Maybe some growth. I did enjoy the writing. I can definitely see myself reading more books from this author in the future as she develops her craft.
Overall, this was a fun read if a little chaotic and over the top. Lots of drama with all the miscommunication and predictable reveal at the end. This will definitely appeal to the social media crowd who love TikTok, Instagram, and any other platforms of that type. I love the celebrity trope. I would have liked to see a bit more chemistry but overall I enjoyed the read and would give this author another chance in the future.

First, this is a cute rom-com. The banters are cute and funny. With dual POV you get how both worked, struggled to get to where they are. On surface, people thinks Jason is just a playboy, and Emmy is just a dumb girl with heart-eyes on her crush. There's alot of mistrust on both sides, but eventually, they get there.

I do appreciate the friends support they both have. Though, you don't get to see it from Jason's POV, but his friends are doing the work behind the scenes. Meanwhile, Emmy's BFF, daughter and stylist are giving her tough love and push that she needs to move forward.

Warning: there is a 3rd act, and the mystery lingered a bit too long for my taste, but glad the mystery was solved at the end. It's a very Hollywood, and very tangled type of ending, but I'm not going to lie, I like it enough to just keep going. It's fun, lighthearted, and lots of love.

I like the pacing, literally flow so nicely that I finished very quickly. I got the audiobook for Celebrity Crush, which you have Andrew Eiden (aka Teddy Hamilton) & Stephanie Willing (Hi-la, from Isla!). We all already know and love Teddy from variety of works that he had done. I didn't know Stephanie's work as much, since I'm not usually in the genre of her work, but she's really fun to listen to, hope she does more rom-com.

Thanks to NetGalley & Hachette Audio for the ARC.

I’m so sorry to say I didn’t enjoy this one. It felt kind of cringey, with far too many TikTok references and meme references.

I’m normally a fan of a celebrity romance but this didn’t do it for me. Emmy and Jason’s connection was a bit of insta-lust, and I didn’t feel any connection between them. I didn’t like Emmy’s character as she was immature and seemed to be using Jason to get herself back on the Hollywood scene.

The narrators did a good job with the material they had, but the book itself is not for me.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audio recording for this book.

My actual 🌟 review is 3.5, but I rounded up because celebrity romance is one of my favorite tropes. This was fun, not too deep, romp. The FMC is a writer/social media influencer whose new book about a celebrity crush goes viral. During an interview, she gets to meet him, and they hit it off. The plot is fairly thin, with the usual drama that had me screaming at them to just tell each other the truth, but they drag it out until it's a shocking (not!) reveal. I really liked the podcast interviews between chapter, and the writing overall was fun and cheeky.

Was really excited for this one because the premise seemed so fun and I love celebrity romances, but I had to DNF around 20%. Both main characters felt whiny and entitled. A lot of the dialogue and action was cringey and I couldn't believe that people would actually act this way and be okay with it. It was too hard to get through and I couldn't see either character really redeeming themselves. Thanks Forever for the ALC!

Celebrity Crush
by Christy Swift
Narrated by Andrew Eiden; Stephanie Willing

I received an ARC of this audiobook through Netgalley.

Trigger warnings: Social media backlash, heartache

My first thought after finishing this book is that they should have used a 3rd narrator for the celebrity news podcast team. The giggles are cringe-worthy, and yet, kind of perfect too, I guess I’m on the fence.

Andrew Eiden is officially on my list of favorite narrators. He reminds me of Teddy Hamilton. A++

Stephanie Willing has an engaging voice that’s very versatile and easy to listen to. I sure wouldn’t mind listening to more books narrated by Stephanie!

Christy Swift wrote a really great audiobook. I say that because it’s realistic.

Say you have a celebrity crush and a bit of online stalker tendencies- you will now know all about that person. You will know their best & worst acts because they’ll be public information, names of their families and friends, and possibly years of watching them act in movies and tv shows.

What a terrible imposition you will put that actor at if they ever meet you. You will have years of in-real-time knowledge of them, and they’ll have moment-by-moment knowledge of you. That just seems utterly unbalanced to me.

And, the kicker here, is that Christy Swift took all of that into consideration and was able to make a realistic romance about it. It’s pretty genius actually. I am impressed by this plot.

Just as a warning to readers:
About 70% through this book I temporarily hated the main character. If you feel the same, my advice, is to power through. It gets better - I promise.

Overall, I recommend this book!

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Overall, it was very funny, showed that real people have flaws, and had two main characters who are parents. This was a short and easy read, and i definitely recommend it. The book as a whole was also quite funny, especially with all the movie references (particularly sci-fi ones).

The audiobook of this was great. There were two narrators, who switched off based on the characters, which I loved, because it annoys me when there’s two point of views but only one narrator. The male narrator in particular was very fitting for Jason, although the narrator for Emmy was also great.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Hachette Audio and Forever a pub for my gifted copies. All opinions are my own.

I am a sucker for a good cover and jumped on the chance to read Celebrity Crush because the cover is gorgeous! Then I saw the audiobook was partially narrated by Teddy Hamilton, say no more. I really enjoyed the narration by Teddy Hamilton and Stephanie Willing.

This was such a fun concept! We start because Emmy has become famous after a video went viral promoting her book based on her celebrity crush. She gets an opportunity to meet him and later work with him when her book is being made into a movie and he’s the lead.

I liked their banter and interactions. They both seemed to be developing feelings but fighting it for different reasons. Jason is on thin ice with his production company. Emmy is trying to drum up interest in her book and movie and decides to use her connection to Jason.

Overall, I enjoyed this, but I struggled with how their relationship played out in the end. Emmy was less than honest and Jason didn’t give her a chance to explain.

This shouldn't have worked from me, but it did. I usually hate social media actively being used in books, but I loved the dolphin vlogs and random yoga pose videos. The theme of dancing throughout the book was a bit much. I kinda hated that the FMC kept calling the MMC by his full name the whole time as if her fandom and awe of his celebrity never wore off. Her genuine sincerity in his times of vulnerability helped though. Overall this was overtop and chaotic, but I had a good time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc.

I am bummed to write that this book did not work for me. I am upset because I was excited to read this book based on the premise -- it sounded adorable. Unfortunately, I would say that there was not much character development in the story and the characters-- especially the FMC seemed to lack any depth or growth in the story. With that being said I am willing to try more books by Christy Swift in the future, I just think this one fell flat for me. And I am willing to give this book a second chance at some point in hopes my opinion of the story improves. I must say though I really did like the audiobook narrators so that is a plus for me!