A scandalized former movie star is thrust back into the celebrity life where she finds herself competing for a date with her longtime crush in this funny and heartwarming rom-com about second chances and rediscovering your true self.
Once a teenage TV star, she’s reinvented her life. Now her very public celebrity crush has put her back in the spotlight.
Josie Days has worked hard to forget who she used to be. Once upon a time, she was Mexico’s favorite bilingual teen star—until one disastrous decision ruined her budding career. These days, Josie’s happy to keep things very off-camera as a makeup artist. That is until her best friend ropes her into a charity game show where the prize is a date with her forever celebrity impossibly charming Irish “It” boy Sean O’Sullivan.
Josie has no interest in winning. In fact, she’s trying to lose—and fast. But Sean is interested in more than a game. The problem? Josie isn’t who he thinks she is. And when the cameras start rolling and her past is exposed, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready for the spotlight again—or if her second act never should have started.
Once a teenage TV star, she’s reinvented her life. Now her very public celebrity crush has put her back in the spotlight.
Josie Days has worked hard to forget who she used to be. Once upon a time, she was Mexico’s favorite bilingual teen star—until one disastrous decision ruined her budding career. These days, Josie’s happy to keep things very off-camera as a makeup artist. That is until her best friend ropes her into a charity game show where the prize is a date with her forever celebrity impossibly charming Irish “It” boy Sean O’Sullivan.
Josie has no interest in winning. In fact, she’s trying to lose—and fast. But Sean is interested in more than a game. The problem? Josie isn’t who he thinks she is. And when the cameras start rolling and her past is exposed, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready for the spotlight again—or if her second act never should have started.
Title: Hollywood Hookup
Author: Christy Swift
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)/Hachette Audio
Expected Publication Date: February 10, 2026
Review:
Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Hacette Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Since I was fortunate enough to have both the Kindle version and audio version of this title, I will be reviewing both at the same time.
While I love audio books that have many narrators when the title is an actual production (like a dramatization), I find it hard to follow a book with multiple narrators when it is not. This book has 6 narrators and for the life of me I could not tell you which person did which character. Six narrators is a lot in a romance book and it honestly made it hard to follow along. The narrators on their own were well done enough, though, again, hard to say who was who and who did the best job. I wasn't a fan of the narrator for the MMC, Sean. His Irish accent was subtle, yes, but often times not even there so I wasn't sure if he just wasn't trying or if that was actually supposed to be how the character's voice came across. Overall, I found the multiple narrator idea overwhelming and it took away from any enjoyment I may have gotten out of the audio.
While it doesn't seem this book is billed as a series, there are many characters who appear from the first book, Celebrity Crush. As a person who likes to read books in order, you will absolutely be spoiled for the couple from that book if you read this one first so I do suggest reading them in order.
While I didn't love Swift's writing in the first book, I wanted to give her another try in the hopes her craft may have grown and blossomed. But that was not to be the case for me. As with her first book, the characters came across as stilted to me. They don't grow, change, and develop as I would hope in a romance story such as this. The FMC, Josie/Savannah, comes across as whiny and scared of her shadow. Plus she's just so self-centered, never worrying about anyone but herself. She's so worried about being outed for who she truly is, her character never has a chance to evolve. And for the age of the character, she is very immature. The MMC, Sean, comes across as a bit snobbish and quite full of himself. I just found it totally unattractive and didn't see what the FMC saw in him at all. And he was just all around weird with his obsession with props from movies and plays. It didn't lend anything at all to the story or his relationship with the FMC.
If we're going to discuss romance and chemistry, this couple is not the standard by which I would judge a rom-com. I didn't find either endearing. I didn't feel any chemistry between them, even when it may have had a chance to grow. It's unclear what either even sees in each other. They suddenly like each other with no background whatsoever. I didn't believe in their connection at all.
There are a ton of side characters in this story. I did understand the author bringing in characters from the previous story and it was fun to see some of them again. But overall the side characters just didn't add anything to the story or move it along. Plus there is a ton of name dropping in this book that just made no sense.
One of the things I remember from the first book in this series was how much telling the author did. I was hopeful that would not be the case with this title, but, alas, it was not to be. And the plot, it just didn't make enough sense for the story to move forward and let me believe in the characters. The banter felt forced throughout the book. I didn't find myself laughing or even giggling. For a book billed as a rom-com, it totally missed that mark.
I really had to push myself to finish this book. I just did not find it interesting and found myself speeding up the audio or skimming the eARC just to get through it all. I was never fully immersed or invested in the story of the characters.
Unfortunately, I won't be continuing with future stories from this author as I just don't feel her style is for me.
Author:
I write geeky love stories, sometimes as smexy romcoms under the name Christy Swift and sometimes as sci-fi or sci-fantasy with a little heat in the engine coil under C.P. Swift. I daylight as a freelance writer and social media content provider for medical and technology clients across the country. I’m also editor of the award-winning Heartland LIVING magazine. I’m represented by Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. In my free time, you can find me living my best life in the Florida outdoors or playing the nerdiest board game you’ve ever heard of with my kids and friends.
The best way to keep up with what I’m doing is to subscribe to my newsletter. I post about once a month, and I’ll never spam you or share your information.
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