This book was so adorable! It dealt with family themes on the side of the romance which I liked (shout out to Grandma Pearl). It was so midnight library, reverse thirteen going on thirty, but she wasn't stuck anywhere it was more of a transport temporarily situation. I thought the book was very well written and honestly had a really great lesson in it about regrets as well.
It definitely exceeded my expectations from the synopsis and I would recommend it to anyone who asks!

I really enjoyed this one. It's a little 13 Going on 30, a little A Christmas Carol with classic misunderstandings and hidden truths. Sam is a likeable character, as is Damon, but oh man, did I feel Damon's heartbreak. Leave it to a magical cd player and a few of my favorite songs to lead the narrative. Sam and Damon see each for the first time in a decade and there's lots of feelings. Sam is feeling all sorts of things. She has abandonment issues from her mom. She has feelings for Damon after all this time, never acting on them to not ruin the friendship and get stuck in her hometown. She's worried about losing her grandma. The ghosts of the past come through via the playlist Damon made Sam while they were in high school. Sam learns a lot experiencing the play list and it comes together once she hears things that she should have heard years ago from her mom and grandma. Luckily, the story flows well and you get immersed in this lovely story. Well worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Backtrack is a highly recommended nostalgia read that will appeal especially to those of us who remember our trending music and worst fashion mistakes from up to 20 years ago.

Sam is an international pilot (and a REALLY good one at that) who has to reluctantly come back home to Tybee Island, GA to help pack up her grandmother and her memories. With a fraught relationship with her mother who is the crux of the reason why she left, Sam is eager to see her old high school friend (and love that never was) Damon. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) a ‘demonic’ CD player that somehow works without batteries keeps flashing her back, mixed CD song by song, to an alternate timeline had she only taken action on her feelings for Damon. But you know what they say, be careful what you wish for…

I loved how this took me back, and even without that connection this was an emotional romance, made complex by family ties and dynamics and with humor from neighbor Jessie, grandma Pearl, and the dynamic between Sam and Damon. I enjoyed every page and thought the concept with the songs was unique and enjoyable on so many levels! I found myself looking up songs I couldn’t remember and even when I did listening to them as I read. I also loved the authors usage of songs in her acknowledgments.

Once again, highly recommend. Any opportunities with the writing and plot are overshadowed with the way this was so excellently laid out and the unique premise.

Sam has been gone from her hometown for 20 years, but she's headed back as her grandma is selling her childhood home. Once there, she finds a mix CD (one of my greatest loves, so this plot point was so endearing to me) that her best friend Damon once made for her. Listening to each track literally takes her back to the past, except in this version it's a vision of what might have been. And it's these reflections that make her think about where she is now. I will say that I wanted more of the nostalgia times because I love a throwback. However, I did still like how these flashbacks centered Sam and her story (while also involving supporting characters) throughout. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this July 2024 release!

This was the emo throwback I didn't know I needed. it also got a little dark at times, but I think that was the beauty in it. Sam and Damon'a relationship was not perfect by any means, but that's what made it good. It really gave me emo 13 going on 30 vibes in all the best ways, with a haunted CD player to boot. Jessie was so funny and eccentric, and Sam's relationship with her grandma and her non existent relationship with her mom were as painful as they were refreshing to see.

So, this was a super interesting read. I did not know what to expect going in but I was pleasantly impressed and entertained. It was funny and steamy and enticing!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an arc of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I am a huge Erin La Rosa fan so I was so excited to read this early copy of The Backtrack and I was not disappointed! I didn't know what to expect since this was a bit of a departure from her other contemporary romances and I thought it was going to be a full timeline change vs what it was (seeing short visions of an alternate life). I kept trying to guess what the next song would be or what that alternate timeline would show based on the songs. I was always wrong but I still really enjoyed it! I loved being able to see the results of the "What if?" and how it may look amazing at some points but that doesn't mean it would have been the right decision in the long run. That maybe the decisions you made may have hurt then but were for the best overall. As an elder-emo I loved reliving the music and fashion of high-school too!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Erin La Rosa for this ARC!