The early 200s nostalgia, the magical realism element and childhood friends to lovers, what more could you ask for. My emo loving hear was living for all the music references as well as the clothes and makeup. Who remembers body glitter? good times! This book was such a fun read about answering the question What If? I cannot recommend this book enough!

The Backtrack was such a unique plot! As someone who went to high school in the early 00s, the music from the plot of this book really took me back to my high school days and I was living for the nostalgia of it all. Sam and Damon were so interesting as characters, but I did find that Sam’s development throughout the book left something to be desired for me. I loved that I genuinely did not know where the story was going to go and it is rare that I see it in the romance genre. Erin La Rosa will remain an auto buy author for me!

This book brought me so much joy! Where as 13 going on 30 was a welcome respite for the earlier generations loving Michael Jackson (rightfully so), The Backtrack was that for those of us who went through a hot-pink-skinny-pants wearing, sweeping bangs across the forehead, listening to Paramore on the back of the bus types. It was the perfect amount of romance with imagination! I loved it so so much!

This one didn’t work for me. The fake flashback scenes didn’t move the story along and just confused me. I didn’t connect with the characters at all. The early aughts nostalgia was fun and would, I’m sure, delight any millennial. It just wasn’t for me

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

As someone who is a geriatric millennial and a forever emo kid, this book hit me right where it hurt in the best ways possible. This is a movie in the making with all the wonderful elements of second-chance romance, a bit of magic, and a whole lot of great music.

Qᴜɪᴄᴋ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴠɪᴇᴡ: ꜱᴀᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʜᴀᴅ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ꜱᴀᴍ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏᴡɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀ ᴘɪʟᴏᴛ. ꜱʜᴇ ꜰᴇʟᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪꜰ ꜱʜᴇ ᴋɪꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴀᴛ 15, ꜱʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ. ꜱᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ - ꜱʜᴇ ʟᴇꜰᴛ, ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴀ ᴘɪʟᴏᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴜꜱʜᴇᴅ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. 11 ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ, ꜱʜᴇ'ꜱ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴘᴀᴄᴋ ᴜᴘ ʜᴇʀ ɢʀᴀɴᴅᴍᴀ'ꜱ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀʀᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡʜᴇʟᴍɪɴɢ. ᴇꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ꜰɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪxᴛᴀᴘᴇ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴅ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴏᴡꜱ ʜᴇʀ, ᴇᴍᴏ ꜱᴏɴɢ ʙʏ ᴇᴍᴏ ꜱᴏɴɢ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ɪꜰ ꜱʜᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ʏᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴋɪꜱꜱ...

This story is told from a third-person POV and mainly from Sam's view. Sam, who was abandoned by her mother and raised by her grandmother, took everything she was told as a young girl to heart and that dictated her decisions. That trauma and hurt led her to push Damon away and focus solely on her goals. She is so relatable and I loved her journey. She not only confronts her past but also her present. It's only then she can determine her future - and if Damon, who obviously grew up to be super hot but still the loving, only has eyes for her man, can be part of it.

I loved this wholeheartedly - finished it in about four hours because I could not put it down. All the music references were on point and woven into the story so perfectly. The magical CD player kept me hooked, as I wanted to learn more about Alt Sam's storyline. It wasn't what I anticipated and that was a great thing. I don't give spoilers away so all I will allude to is that sometimes the path you choose leads you to where you should always be but it's also the path that you need to take in order to find your way back. That is at least the lesson I got from this wonderful story and it was such a delightful ride from start to finish.

Tropes & Elements:
🩷 Second Chance Romance
🫶 It's always been you
✨ Magic
🎧 2000s Emo nostalgia
❤️ Best friends-to-lovers

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and Canary Street Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to the author, Canary Street Press and Netgalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.75/5

Overall feeling: While I enjoyed the book, it was not one that immediately grabbed my interest in the plot or the characters. The juxtaposition of magical elements in a contemporary romance were initially hard for me, but I BINGED the last 50% of the book one it caught my brain.

Synopsis: MC Sam Leto escaped her small town years ago to escape the feeling of being stuck and pursue her dream of traveling the world and being a pilot. In her fleeing, she not only left her home but her best friend, MC Damon Rocha, the man she felt she could have loved.

Now, she's back in town helping her grandmother pack up her childhood home to move into a retirement facility and all of what she left behind is suddenly rushing back to her and she's left wondering if she made the right decision. She comes across an old CD player that holds the mixtape Damon made for her when they were teenagers. This CD player is the glimpse into an alternate past and will show her the 'What ifs" surrounding Damon and the choices Sam made.

Other Thoughts: This book was slower on the interest for me, but kicked up toward the end. It is full of 13 going on 30 vibes, band references I vibe with as a former Psuedo Emo high schooler. Nostalgia abounds and the writing circles from banter and fun to touching on heavy topics well. Overall, a fun read!

While the story follows some tropes that allows the reader to expect what's coming next, the chemistry between the leads keeps it afloat. It may not be in any way groundbreaking, but its light story with lovable characters

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher HTP/TheHive for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own. #HTP #HTPTheHive #Partner #HTPInfluencer #TheHiveInfluencer #HTPHive

The Backtrack by Erin LaRosa

Wow I’m not sure how I’ve been sleeping on Erin LaRosa’s books for so long! This was super cute and adorable. I devoured this book! When I say devoured I mean that I finished this book in under a day, and I enjoyed every second of it. I love a good “what if” story and this will be going on my favorites list for sure!


Tropes? Friends to Lovers

Read if you like

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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As a 37 year old Millennial, this book was written for me! I first read Erin La Rosa's Plot Twist from The Hollywood Series, and it was instant love. She writes such unique characters with plenty of imperfections to round them out as real people.

So much nostalgia, all over the place. The time hop to the past was a fun twist, and it was so great to see Sam go through her old room, and have so many familiar things mentioned from my youth. I did find some of the dialog lacking at times, and not really buying what happened in the story all the time. But that did not prevent me from enjoying this book. It was a funny, romantic good time while also tackling some heavier topics.

Nearly twenty years ago, Sam Leto left her small hometown of Tybee Island, Georgia, to pursue her dreams of becoming a pilot. While she’d prefer to keep flying away from her painful childhood memories, her beloved grandmother Pearl decides it’s time to sell the family home. Reluctantly, Sam is summoned back to pack up the house.

The 2000s nostalgia from Sam’s old bedroom hits immediately: Fall Out Boy posters, drawers of roll-on body glitter and even her favorite CD player with a mixtape from her best friend, Damon Rocha. Damon was always a safe place and Sam often wonders what if her teenage self admitted her feelings for him back then… Mysteriously, the CD player still works all these years later. And somehow it has the power to show Sam an alternate version of her life.

Song by song, Sam receives flashbacks from her past—senior prom, graduation, leaving home. But the memories aren’t as she remembers them; they show what could have been. Suddenly, Sam knows exactly what would have happened if she’d taken a chance with Damon—and she can’t help feeling she made a terrible mistake leaving Tybee all those years ago.

This was a fascinating concept. I loved LaRosa's backtracks, seeing what could have been. It took me a little while to really get hooked on this—the beginning is on the slower (read: buildup!) side, but the last half had me hooked. I felt like Damon's character was a bit flat to me, but overall, I really enjoyed this!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

The Backtrack exceeded my expectations.
I enjoyed how this story played out and found the format was authentic. The nostalgia was real! Loved the throwbacks mentioned throughout the book, from all the songs to the iconic Lisa Frank. It set the story and vibe smoothly.
Sam and Damon were all heart eyes and humor, with a sprinkle of angst. I found myself teary eyed at times reading Sam's journey of reflection and acceptance.
The side characters were a joy to read as well, they really brought the story together.
I would have loved to seen more towards the end there, when Damon experiences the CD player for himself. Felt a little fast-forward a bit.
The flashbacks were easy to follow and flowed well. It really brought to life how the choices one makes impacts their future.
An overall great read!

Oh god, this book was so cute. 😭 as an Elder Emo, the playlist, the fashion choices, the DIALOGUE had my heart in a vice-grip.

The magical whimsy mixed with very real-life situations was such a nice balance. And horny grandma’s? Can’t pass that up. 😂 I loved this book - it was so feet-kicking, giggle-out-loud good.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From Harlequin Trade Publishing: Nearly twenty years ago, Sam Leto left her small hometown of Tybee Island, Georgia, to pursue her dreams of becoming a pilot. While she’d prefer to keep flying away from her painful childhood memories, her beloved grandmother Pearl decides it’s time to sell the family home. Reluctantly, Sam is summoned back to pack up the house.

The 2000s nostalgia from Sam’s old bedroom hits immediately: her favorite CD player with a mixtape from her best friend, Damon Rocha. Damon was always a safe place and Sam often wonders what if ...

Mysteriously, the CD player still works all these years later. And somehow it has the power to show Sam an alternate version of her life.

Song by song, Sam receives flashbacks from her past—senior prom, graduation, leaving home. But the memories aren’t as she remembers them; they show what could have been. Suddenly, Sam knows exactly what would have happened if she’d taken a chance with Damon—and she can’t help feeling she made a terrible mistake leaving Tybee all those years ago.
*********************
My review: I love this premise. Books about one decision, one choice changing everything are intriguing. Sam gets a chance to go back in small increments and witness what would have been different if she made one different decision. Fascinating, right? The book dragged some for me. Knowing that Sam's present day life was what she always wanted, then seeing her alternate high school life, the alt life seemed quite disappointing and not romantic.
So then what was the point? To validate? I'm not really sure. Things wrapped up quickly and "perfectly" and everyone learned lessons.
Grandma Pearl was flawed but funny and Damon was pretty perfect.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

Ok, this is my least favourite Erin La Rosa book. The premise was interesting, but I wanted more build up of the history of the main characters, and felt the pacing with some of the plot points with some secondary characters were rushed and glossed over. I loved her first two books, so will absolutely be reading her future books, this unfortunately was just a bit of a miss.

This is my 2nd alternate universe magical scenario read of 2024, and I greatly enjoyed this one.

Sam rejected her best friend Damon's advances back in high school in fear of ruining their bond, and now the universe is intervening to force her to address the 'what if' she's pondered ever since. Yes, it's a magic Lisa Frank CD player set to play the mix tape Damon made her back in high school filled with your favorite 00s punk/emo songs.

I love my little weirdos and their dark eyeliner and dyed tips, and now they've grown up. Sam left Tybee Island and jet sets internationally with her home in France. Damon stayed back and opened up a brewery with his sister. Now she's back to help her Grandma clean up and sell her home.

Every song gives Sam a new glimpse into how she and Damon would've progressed if they had kissed, and it proves that sometimes life is all about timing.

The alternate universe scenes hooked me as it is rare to see things not be perfect in these scenarios. I could've done without the full list of songs and scene descriptors every couple of pages but that's easy to skip over. I also appreciate the chillness of Marissa, Damon's current fling, who easily steps away from him without resentment towards him or Sam. I was worried we might have some cheating or almost cheating moments.

Overall, this felt very different from Erin's past books, and I liked that. It's great to see an author can do other things, and I loved the twist of Sam realizing that when her mother told her not to get stuck, she wasn't talking about location at all, but mental health. Such a - click - moment helped Sam finally move on from the fears holding her back all these years.

I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I did!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc. I love Erin's books, they're always spicy and this one did not disappoint. If you love the movie 13 going on 30, you'l love this book. It's full of the same magic but goes a little bit deeper.

The Backtrack is such a fun, punk rock take on a time traveling romance story. La Rosa created really lovely characters, a kick ass playlist, and a story about healing past wounds and being open to new beginnings. Fans of Falon Ballard and Amy Lea will love this book. If you like books that include amazing references to the early 2000's, second chance romance, and family healing you should pick up this book!

This was such an interesting plot. It was a perfect blend of contemporary romance with a magical twist. I really enjoyed Damon and Sam’s relationship dynamic. Their friendship was so sweet and formed such a great foundation for a future relationship. My one critique is that the development and growth of the characters (mainly in the relationship between Sam, her mom, and her grandma) didn’t have as much depth as I would’ve liked. It felt like there were really fast jumps from being mad to being okay and back to mad and back to okay (etc), and it didn’t feel very relatable to me. Otherwise, I loved the book, and it really kept me hooked!

3⭐️

ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGally for an honest review.

What in the 13 Going On 30 is this?? It should have hit all the nostalgia vibes for me, i knew every song mentioned and caught a ton of the references. Unfortunately it was just a bit too slow for me. Although we were having flashbacks of what could have been the writing felt very one dimensional. It was just interesting enough to keep me reading but not enough to have me wanting more.

I really liked the idea of this story but the execution just wasn’t quite right for me. I found myself unable to really connect with any of the characters.

The first half of the novel was too slow for me, definitely enjoyed the second half much better but again, just didn’t feel a connection to the characters.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion!