I recently saw a review for The Bookworm Crush on another blog, and immediately knew I needed to read it! It includes my favorite trope – fake dating – with a bookstagramming bibliophile MC, and was said to contain ALL the geeky references, so there was no way I wasn’t going to love it! I ordered it right away, and dove in the second it hit my doorstep! I was not disappointed!!!!

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About The Bookworm Crush

Shy bookworm Amy McIntyre is about to compete for the chance to interview her favorite author, who hasn’t spoken to the press in years. The only way to win is to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight, but that level of confidence has never come easy.

The solution? A competition coach. The problem? The best person for the job is the guy she’s secretly crushing on…local surfer celebrity Toff Nichols.

He’s a player. He’s a heartthrob. He makes her forget basic things, like how to breathe. How can she feel any confidence around him?

To her surprise, Toff agrees to help. And he’s an excellent teacher. Amy feels braver—maybe even brave enough to admit her feelings for him. When their late night practices become less about coaching and more about making out, Amy’s newfound confidence wavers.

But does Toff really like her or is this just another lesson?

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My Review

I knew I was going to love this book when there was a Harry Potter reference on page one. I DEFINITELY knew I was going to love it when, on page three, we find out that the Male MC drives a vintage VW bus. I mean, the author is very clearly aware of my favorite things ever and has chosen to include them in this book. But it just got so much better from there.

I love the MC, Amy, who is the geeky bookish bookstagrammer in all of us. It is VERY clear that the author is super familiar with the social media book community (something I already knew since she used to be part of an Instagram algorithm group I am in), and I loved how she wove that into the story so completely. Amy is fun and quirky and not nearly as comfortable in front of the camera as she is behind her keyboard. Sooo relatable (…I type into this post for my blog…).

And then we have Toff. Oh Toff. You confident, good looking, charming, broken, cinnamon roll of a boy. I am such a sucker for a good fake-dating story and seeing he and Amy together, with all their chemistry and frisson…*fans self*. He is incredibly self-assured and knows he’s hot, but there was this one moment where he and Amy are hanging out after he’d been surfing, and she keeps avoiding looking at him because he’s shirtless and it’s making her all sorts of swoony. Except he is convinced that she thinks he’s ugly and so he puts on a hoodie despite the super hot weather because he’s all self-conscious and also doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable. I couldn’t stop chuckling. I think I spent about 78% of the book with a tight chest and butterflies in my stomach. I NEED THIS IS ALL MY BOOKS!

So I could literally gush on for ages about this, but instead I will just tell you to go read it RIGHT NOW! I didn’t realize when I ordered it that it’s actually a spin-off to another book by Lisa – The Replacement Crush – so I will be rushing off now to go order and binge read that as well! Can I give this more than 5/5 stars? Because if so, let’s just toss a whole bunch more onto that rating 😉 In short: Fake dating. Geeky bookstagram girl. Cinnamon roll boy. Read it now.

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