The Backtrack is a nostalgia packed, friends to lovers, second chance dream set the idyllic beaches of Georgia. Erin La Rosa weaves an intricate plot that will resonate with the former emo kids of the early 2000s who grew up listening to Fall Out Boy and watched 13 Going on 30 as a teen.

Sam and Damon are a dreamy couple - who were inseparable as high schoolers but lost contact when Sam flew (quite literally) away after flight school. Now that she’s back in town helping her grandmother downsize, their friendship and feelings for each other rekindle. But with the help of an unheard playlist and a slightly magical cd player, Sam and Damon will have to learn to confront and recognize their past in order to move forward.

This story also revolves around the complexities of mental illness and family - and Erin La Rosa does a beautiful job capturing Sam’s feelings of abandonment and betrayal as this plot line unfolds. I think it’s so well handled and well done, giving what could otherwise have been a fun and fluffy book a depth that was unexpected but very poignant to read.

I’ve always loved Erin’s books, so I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

What a fun nostalgic read. Full of Emosongs , bad clothing and references to the Twilight movie brought back fond memories. Always off to the next destination, Sam realizes you can come home again. Happy reunions, harsh misunderstandings resolved and some funny old ladies made for an entertaining story. Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily

The Backtrack was an incredibly sweet addition to the "magic" romance canon that I finished in one sitting! I loved the explorations of the 'what ifs' and I thought it was unique how both of the MCs were in on the magic aspect. I will definitely be buying a finished copy of this for myself and recommending it to others!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted eARC!

Have you ever wondered what would have happened in high school if you had just gone for it? Well, now is your chance in a roundabout way if you want to live vicariously through Sam.

I enjoyed the book but did feel it was a bit juvenile at times, but I guess that makes sense because half of it was flashbacks from high school. Overall enjoyable and I’m glad Sam and Damon had excellent music tastes.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

This book was great! Erin does not miss and I loved the nostalgia vibes of this one!!!! My entire middle school fantasies played out in this so perfectly!!! Excellent addition to her book discography

Okay this book was awesome! There was enough "magic" to just seem perfect. Also loving Tybee Island- I felt right at hom.e! But in addition to the sweet fluffy romance, there were some good underlying themes of loving yourself before you let someone else and the mental health representation in general! Also, Grandma Pearl had me ROLLING laughing! The main characters were perfect and so relatable. I mean Sam's music choices are top tier! There was a perfect amount of spice to compliment the story. I will def be reading more from this author!

As an emo kid in a normal adult disguise, I absolutely ADORED The Backtrack. I knew almost every music reference and the vibes hit just right. I always love a good, angsty romance, and this was the perfect combo of angst and wholesome character growth. I love that the message was if something is meant to be, it’ll be, regardless of the passage of time or long periods of separation. I really appreciated that the two main characters advanced their relationship from friends to lovers at the perfect time - rather than Sam messed up and lost her chance. I think this is a great read and I can’t wait for more from Erin La Rosa!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collin’s, and the author for sending me an early copy!

Okay so I read this in two days! It was a short, sweet romp of a story, playing with the notion of “what ifs” and the road not taken. I found myself rooting for Sam and Damon as people, regardless of whether they ended up together or not, and that’s a unique ability in a romance novel, to care enough about the characters to not just want them to be in a relationship and get their happily ever after together, but to truly just want them to be happy.

I think the novel does a good job of showing the aftermath of trauma, and the way it burrows into our beings and how we view the world. I did think the latter resolution of how Sam patched things up with her mother/grandmother trauma felt a little rushed and slightly too easy, but that didn’t bother me too much.

Overall, the book was fun and enjoyable the constant homages to the emo music of the 2010s was special, as someone who listened to all that music obsessively, just like our main characters. This one gets 3.75⭐, rounded to 4 on Goodreads.

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I'm a huge fan of anything nostalgic and Y2K-themed, so this story absolutely scratched that itch for me. I felt like the target audience for this book all the way through; like all millennial girls, my CD player provided the soundtrack to every teenage love story, making its role in this book felt extra special. I'm also a sucker for a second chance romance and love how this story carried that trope all the way through, giving Sam not only a second chance at love but also another look at her whole life. Bonus points for magical realism, one of my favorites of late! I definitely recommend this!

This was my favorite by La Rosa so far! I love the magical realism/time travel element in a romance novel and think that The Backtrack used it so well. As someone who had a brief emo phase in middle and early high school, I felt very seen by the nostalgia here. I loved the small town romance elements and the relationship between Sam and Damon felt genuine and earned. I loved this!

“The BackTrack” is the perfect homage to “13 Going on 30” with a little mix of “Julie and the Phantoms.” This was a thoughtful story about following your dreams while holding on to the people you love. I thought Erin La Rosa’s depiction of stuck in a small town angst and depression were relevant and relatable. I appreciated the fact that while the story was based on songs (which I normally hate.) The music wasn’t the basic Taylor Swift and TikTok inspired songs that so many authors cling to, to stay relevant. I know this was specifically a grunge/emo playlist but if I could wrap this book into a song it would definitely be “You’re Gonna Go Far” by Noah Kahan. Another great read from La Rosa! #netgalleyreads

HOLY NOSTALGIA! Erin can do no wrong in my opinion and this is just simply another winner from her!

My bestie (in my head) @erinlarosalit has a brand new book out in the world today!!!! I obviously loved it (because Erin can do no wrong by me or my book taste) and felt all the nostalgia!!! 5⭐️

Special thanks to @canarystreetpress @htpbooks and @htp_hive for the review copy!

Sam Leto grew up in a small town in Georgia, she was mostly raised by her grandmother Pearl. She grew up with an absent mother and as an emo/goth kid with her best friend Damon. From a young age she was determined to get out of her small town as soon as possible, and ended up becoming a pilot and living in Paris.

Now 20 years later she is back in her hometown for the first time since she left to help Pearl pack up her house. Being home means reuniting with Damon, she seeing what she walked away from all those years ago. Going through her childhood things she find a mixed CD Damon made her, and when she listens to the first song she is transported back to their time as teenagers and sees how her life could have played out had she dated Damon and stayed in town.

This book was such a fun time, I always enjoy a book that have a sprinkle of magical realism in it. The what if idea, although not original in nature really made this romance interesting. The nostalgia this book brought up was also an element I loved. It was also refreshing to see postpartum depression, and depression in general explored and normalized. Overall the book was a fun time, and I enjoyed the characters, and the romance.

This one was so fun. It is about Sam and Damon, high school best friends who never got their chance to be more. Sam returns home after 20 years to help her injured grandma. While there she come back in contact with her high school best friend who she has seen in just as long.

Sam finds her old CD player and mixed CD Damon made for her of all of their songs. As she listens to the songs, each one transforms her into an alternate reality event where she and Sam did end up together.

This was such a great story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was a cute rom com with a fun premise. I found I liked the time travel scenes the best, seeing the choices Sam made and didn’t make added a unique layer to the story. Characters were fine if a little flat; and the story was slow at times.

The Backtrack was a blast from my childhood past. The nostalgia alone kept a smile on my face. The book started a bit too fast paced for my liking, but I grew to love the characters, the parallel relationships, and the use of the environment to match the emotions in the novel. Overall Sam (Sam-Sam) and Damon are really amazing characters, but Pearl stole my laughter through most of the book. Overall, I give this book a solid 4 stars and plan to share this with my friends who would absolutely adore the playlist.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

This is the first time I've read Erin La Rosa and I hope it's not the last. I've really enjoyed the way she writes, the time travel and all the references to the year 2000. I'm delighted!

Thanks to Canary Press and the author for allowing me to read the book.

This is an emotional journey for the emo kids who have grown into emo adults. Our wardrobes may have changed, but our love for the music remains.

Through a magical CD player and a genuinely epic playlist, our FMC, Sam, is allowed a glimpse into what her life would have been like if she had just let her best friend, Damon, kiss her. What follows is a heartfelt, emo-music-drenched second chance for love and family that’ll make you want to call your loved ones and dig out your skinny jeans.

I loved this new, unique take on time travel and how it allowed Sam to explore how her life unfolded and her feelings towards her childhood friend Damon. The flashbacks could be a bit cringe because I related to some of her questionable clothing choices a little too hard. Still, ultimately, they were well-paced and allowed the story to play out alongside her reconnecting with adult Damon. My one complaint is the use of emotional cheating and the fact that Damon had a girlfriend when Sam came back into town. I questioned whether I could finish the book once this premise was revealed, and its eventual resolution felt anti-climactic.

The Backtrack is a nostalgic love letter to a time that feels both distant and yet as if it was only yesterday. If you were anything like me, rocking studded belts, dying of dehydration and sun exposure at Warped Tour, and emulating Avril Lavigne, you’ll love this second-chance romance for friends to strangers to lovers, Sam and Damon.

The Backtrack includes time travel, flashbacks, magical realism, second chances, childhood friends to lovers, one bed, family troubles, a small town, and a grand gesture.

3.5 Stars - thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Backtrack follows Sam who returns home after years away when her beloved grandmother decides it is time to sell the family home. Once home, with a mixtape, Sam gets a glimpse of what her life could have been had she made different choices as a teen. The angst, haven't we all been there? If you are still in your emo phase (or didn't have one - here's a good start) and love diving into nostalgia and the could have been days of high school, this is for you. This is a friends to lovers trope. Despite loving the emo-vibes and the overall storyline, I didn't quite feel the spark between Sam and Damon. Peral, Sam's grandmother, and the reason Sam returns home, is the absolute highlight of this book.

They were cute but this book was just boring. I think that being dual pov might have helped it but I'm not sure. I would have liked to see more of them actually together.

I received an arc through netgalley.