What a lovely rom-com! Clementine (and that is the perfect name for the female main character) is a young woman struggling to help her mom deal with a chronic illness, when she's given the opportunity to be a back up singer for a red hot Irish rock star. Romantic shenanigans ensue, of course, but Clementine has a pretty strong wall built up around her, having watched her mom fall in and out of love all the time. She knows the pain, and doesn't think it's worth the joys.

The angst is a bit high with this one, which is my only complaint. Tom (the male main character) is simply lovely and I found myself wanting to snuggle him.

Recommended for anyone who likes music based romances.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!
I am such a sucker for band romances so this was right up my alley. I loved the tropes used and the way everything was written, it was just all great. I will say the accent lingo was a bit much sometimes, I know it was done to make it obvious but could do with a little less.

4.5 ⭐

5⭐ for my enjoyment and how much fun I had
4⭐ for writing and story
= 4.5⭐ overall

I am a HUGE Hozier fan so this was particularly fun. I felt like it was enough similarities and easter eggs so if you're a fan youll catch on- but not too much that I couldn't separate Halloran from Hozier.

I had SO MIUCH FUN. I finished it in ONE sitting. Been waiting for thissssss booook!!!

I'll tell you what I didn't care for was Clementine, she felt very immature and frustrated unnecessarily me at times. I also didn't care for the unnecessary conflict in this book it felt like conflict for conflicts sake. Also if this wasn't so heavily inspired by Hozier I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it all that much.

Avoidantly attached theatre girlies rejoice!

Let's pretend for a moment that this is just a regular degular rockstar romance with NO intentional resemblance to any real life musicians. With that in mind: I had a lot of fun with this one! The characters were well
-written, the tension was top-notch; and I particularly loved how the FMC's relationships outside of the romance were fleshed out.

Who I'd recommend this to:
⁃ once again, avoidantly attached theatre girlies
⁃ Hozier fans (maybe? more on that later)
⁃ anyone who loves Ali Hazelwood (lots of "big tall man, short petite girl" here, which I generally don't mind but I know is hit or miss for others)
⁃ anyone looking to fulfill the very specific fantasy of being plucked from obscurity to live their best Almost Famous life

(Minor) critiques:
⁃ Sometimes the literal writing down of the accent was a bit much, but I think that's a personal preference.
⁃ (mild spoiler!) our characters go to see a Broadway show...and then 5 years later we're told about the existence of a revival of that same show. The implication being that they saw this show, and then it immediately closed and even more immediately was revived? It just made me chuckle ahaha

That out of the way...can we talk about the RPF of it all?

It is so interesting to me that we live in an era where it's common to tradpub not just fanfic, but Real Person Fic (TFP). Anna Todd's After was causing controversy barely 5 years ago; now, though, in the post-Love-Hypothesis-landscape (tbf I know that started off as Reylo fic, and not Adam Driver fic in particular), we've reached the point where publishers are not only sanctioning it, but leaning in hard themselves in terms of marketing, etc. I mean—look at that cover! It's pretty obvious who you're meant to imagine.

I don't think there's a perfect answer to the ethics in play. It's already fairly common for people to fan-cast or "face claim" certain public figures, imagining them as fictional characters as they read specific books. Additionally, so much of celebrity is about branding; a celeb and their team working to distill down that celeb's whole self into a marketable character, and encouraging fans to develop varying degrees of parasocial attachment. In this way, RPF seems like an inevitable next step. The celeb and their team create a character, and fandom does what it always will.

That said, celebrities are people, too. Behind each character is a (closely or distantly related) human being, and I don't think it's fair to say that musicians, by virtue to their celebrity, must be okay with becoming the subject of intense, and even explicit, fantasizing and theorizing about their personal lives.

In the end, I don't have a solution to this. I don't particularly like getting parasocial about musicians I like; they make good music, and I don't need to know anything about them outside of that 🫡 no judgement to people who navigate fandom differently, that's just what works for me! So I could only reconcile all of the aforementioned complicated feelings by pretending that this book was *not* RPF; and, I gotta said, through that lens, I enjoyed it immensely.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVED THIS TO PIECES!!! I get really nervous when reading "muscian" romances or anything resembling real people... and to be honest, yea, this was realllllly similar to Hozier (like could most definitely be confused with fanfiction), but I LOVED IT ALL THE SAME!! I started this one afternoon and could not stop thinking about it until 24 hours later when I finished. I really just had a great time with this book and so much fun following this little fictional band around on their tour. THAT"S MY FAMILY!
And! This had a surprising amount of depth that I really wasn't expecting but loved so much!! Tom and Clementine's connection was palpable from the start and I have butterflies just thinking about their relationship arc!! And circling back to the band!! I also really loved watching Clementine find her people and grow closer to (most of) the band and build super meaningful relationships with them... tears were shed I am not ashamed to admit it!!
While I was getting a little nervous during the "third act" I should've trusted the process because WOAH!!!! I LOVED IT!!!! The ending felt so perfect for them and I could not have loved it more!!
Such a great great story! My first from Kate Golden and definitely not my last!

okay my feelings are quite conflicting! i feel like the romance aspect was done fairly well and for being the one of us is famous trope (which im not typically a fan of) i thought it was handled REALLY well. what made this iffy in my heard was how blatantly this was about hozier 😭 while i completely understood going into this that was The Point, it felt too close to him to not be, i don’t know, almost disrespectful?? in SOME world? i think it’s because he’s a real human being that i wish there had been more of a fictional depiction of tom than a carbon copy.

this sounds so negative but i had a great time swearsies! clementine was the definition of “the bolter” by taylor swift, so tom’s openness and patience with her was a good dichotomy and worked well for their developing relationship. i do think it was a tad bit rushed and veryyy sexually charged, although we did hit some solid emotional beats. i truly think it’s a 50/50 in my heart

I wasn't even halfway into If Not for My Baby when it catapulted itself into my "Best Romance Book Ever" spot. This book is everything. It's literal perfection. It's exactly what I need and want in my romance. I'll attempt (but likely fail) to do it justice in my review.

The story is told from the perspective of Clementine, a small-town, love-adverse waitress who spends her days working at the Happy Tortilla and her nights caring for her disabled mom. When the offer of a lifetime—going on tour as a backup singer for THE TOM HALLORAN, Irish mega-star and lyrical genius—lands in her lap, Clem knows this is her opportunity to earn enough money to get her mom the treatment she needs. But after meeting the quiet, brilliant, enigmatic Halloran, and hearing him perform, Clementine's investment in this tour shifts from one of financial opportunity to something more profound than she ever imagined.

If Not for My Baby is a stunning, passionate, lyrical, soul-stirring contemporary romance. Golden's writing is magnificent. It's evident she took her time writing this, as if every word was painstakingly chosen with the utmost care and intention. Her prose is lush, sensual, moody, melodic... chock full of passion and feeling and MUSIC. Her use of language, with metaphor after glorious metaphor, sets If Not for My Baby apart. The writing itself is as beautiful as the story the words are telling. It's literary. She's a literary genius.

I usually prefer dual perspectives, but Tom's perspective wasn't necessary here. We get to know him through Clementine's eyes and through their interactions. Thanks to Golden's skill, we see him exactly as he is, and I never missed his perspective because his character was as integral to the story as Clem's.

At its core, If Not for My Baby is a love story, but it's also more than that. It's a story of a young woman's journey of coming into herself—coming to KNOW herself—separate from the small-town life she's always known. It's a story of spreading wings and souring, and finding a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. It's a story of friendship and family, of music and life on tour, and so much more!

I could go on and on, but I'll stop here. This book is a dream, and I am SO grateful to Kate Golden and Berkley for the opportunity to read it early. 💕

My only criticism: It gave me the worst book hangover of my life, and nothing I've read since compares 😭 Did Kate Golden ruin reading for me?!

I couldn’t stop reading this book and kicking my feet! Kate Golden’s first contemporary romance is most certainly one of my new favorite reads.

Following Clementine, recently hired as a backup singer for Halloran, an Irish folk rock singer, we see what it’s like to tour with a band and fall in love despite a lifelong assumption that love never lasts.

The heart of this book is a 10! Kate the vibes you have given us with this book nothing short of perfection! We are so excited to share this book with our customers! The chemistry and dynamic the characters have was utter perfection! My Rockstar romance dreams come true TOM was a dream! This book will be our shelves and we can not wait for people to discover it!

4 solid stars

« I’m gutted and I’m free and I’m in the kind of love I spent my entire life hiding from. I’m sailing through the air with no parachute and the wind in my ears sounds like a harmony. I wish I could tell if I’ m falling to my death or flying with wings I never knew I had. »

Thank you Kate Golden for providing this copy! As usual, it has no influence on my review.

If Not For My Baby is what you could call a rockstar romance or maybe more a Folkstar Romance because Tom Halloran’s lyrics looked more folk than rock to me with their poetic quality!

This is the story of Clementine who will get to live one of her wildest dreams for a few weeks: sing for one of the most famous singers of the time: Tom Halloran. And what if Tom is charming and magnetic? Clementine is not about to have her heart crushed, she is too cynical for that, right?

Some things you should know about Clementine:
-she has a close relationship with her mom. She has cared for her for years as she is suffering from fibromyalgia.
-she let abandoned her dreams of attending a performing school to stay close and help her mom.
But when an opportunity arises to sing for a celebrity the pay is too good to pass especially as it could mean her mother undergoing a clinical trial.
Off she goes and join Tom Halloran on tour, bonding with the band members one game at a time, discovering the US one city after another. Performing in front of thousands of people is exhilarating.

Tom Halloran has a dreamy physique: very tall, long brown curly hair and beard that makes him look like a modern Jesus. Even being THE singer to follow, he also is humble, considerate, loyal and gentle. Pair it with poetic lyrics and a voice out of this world and of course Clementine was a goner!

But for someone whose dad left her, whose mom has had her heart crushed time and again, who has never seen a healthy and lasting relationship, her view on romantic relationships is very cynical.
If something has to happen between these two, she is the biggest enemy to fight.

This was an extremely bingeable romance. Full of warm feelings, found family and sexy scenes! Kate Golden’s prose is beautiful as ever and Tom Halloran will make you drool and hope that Clementine will finally have a shot at happiness.

PS Please not that my quote is from an uncorrected proof!

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH i’m still putting into words how I feel and will go all in on my bookstagram, @samreadsbooks_, about this book but this was one STELLAR rockstar romance and I am OBSESSED!!! I love anything Kate writes and this takes the cake for one of the best romances I’ve read this year.

THANK YOU SO MUCH to Kate and the Berkley team for giving me the chance to read an ARC of this book; I can’t wait to have the physical copy in my hands and on my shelf!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this steamy rockstar romance! I loved the witty banter between Clem and Tom and the emotional journey they went on together, both opening each other up and in ways they didn’t know they needed. Reading about a music tour was also really cool! Some of my favorite parts of the book were the moments of the band hanging out and getting to know each other. There were definitely some pieces of the plot that didn’t make much sense (Clem’s friend giving up going on tour with Holleran and thousands of dollars for one gig opening for her favorite artist). I also wished that Clem had stood up for herself a little more when it comes to a seedy character in the band. Overall I would give this a 3.5 and it made me want to read more by this author!

This is from a new to me author and I really enjoyed it a lot! I flew through it in less than a day because the writing was just so palatable. Nothing sexier than an Irish rocker!

Kate Golden’s writing is so lyrical and truly just out of this world. The references throughout If Not for My Baby ranging from Greek Mythology to Broadway Musicals were just sublime. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought it was so beautiful. I loved the elements of found family and mental health as well as chronic health representation.

I really enjoyed Clementine's character development and seeing the progression of her becoming brave. I thought nothing was left unsaid and the story ended perfectly.
Of course Halloran’s character is just a masterpiece. He is seriously the perfect counter part to Clem and their chemistry flys off the pages. This book was more than a romance in my eyes and I loved every minute of getting being a fly on the wall during the Kingfisher tour.

I thought I would like this much more than I actually did so I am a little sad that I didn’t enjoy it as much. Coming from someone who is a casual hozier fan, there was way too much that was “inspired” by him. Obviously I knew he would look like him but his songs, his speech, and his whole being was a direct copy and paste from hozier himself. I personally can’t enjoy a work of fiction if it depicts someone who is real and has no say in this. I feel like this book would work best for someone who has no clue who he is in real life.

I will admit that I went into this book under the assumption that it would not be for me. I am a huge Hozier fan, and I was immediately turned off by just how deeply "Hozier-inspired" this book was, or at least marketed as. Still, I wanted to read it myself before fully forming or committing to an opinion. It was, I'm afraid, exactly what I expected it to be.

Had this book been loosely inspired by Hozier, I don't think I would've taken issue with it. Realistically, this is nothing more than published RPF. Not only is the love interest, Tom Halloran, clearly meant to resemble Hozier in his looks, speech, songwriting, etc., there are ample references to his music, things he has said in interviews, his actual band members, and so on. It reads like Kate Golden put in no effort to actually create her own character; she just wrote about Hozier, or at least the person she perceives Hozier to be, and then changed his name and a few other extremely minor details. To a more casual fan, it might be surprising that I take issue with this as a self-proclaimed fan of him myself, but the Hozier I know is a deeply private person, and I can't help but feel like this book goes a step too far.

I could have enjoyed this book more if it hadn't been a blatant rip-off of Hozier and his life and professional work, but I can't get on board with publishing RPF as if that isn't creepy and invasive. Celebrities are people, too. Ask yourself if you'd be okay with someone publishing this type of book about you. Leave it on AO3.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tom is the sweetest, dreamiest MMC I've read in a hot minute. He is so tender, masculine, and alluring. I loved getting to know him through Clem's eyes. I wish it was a dual perspective book, I want to be in his brain. Clem was more of a struggle for me. I was so frustrated with her and the decisions she made. But it all makes sense for her character and her arc. It was definitely more of a me issue. The side characters are fantastic. I enjoyed the layers they brought to the book and how they influenced Tom and Clem. Traveling with the band was so fun and made for great situations. Not a traditional 'rockstar' romance in the best way. Highly recommend to any fans of Hozier, Taylor Swift, and Broadway musicals.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

how was I surprised that a hozier fan fiction had wattpad level writing

thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for the arc in exchange for an honest review

“If Not for My Baby” by Kate Golden is a swoon-worthy romance that had me hooked from the very first page. While I tend to not like rockstar romances, I absolutely fell in love with Clementine. She’s a strong, independent woman who has spent her life taking care of others. She’s cynical about love, he’s a romantic poet who writes about heartbreak—their slow-burn chemistry is pure magic. I’d love to see this adapted into a movie just to watch Clem and Tom perform together. The narrative is charming yet predictable, but it makes for the perfect palate cleanser between heavier reads. A must-read for romance fans—even those who don’t usually go for the rockstar trope!
Thanks to NetGallery and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this eBook in exchange for my honest review.

First, thank you so much to Berkley for this ARC!!

Ugh, this hurts me to write.

I loved Kate’s writing in her Sacred Stones trilogy so much, but unfortunately it just didn’t translate over to the contemporary romance genre well for me.

Like(s):

•I actually enjoyed the chemistry between Clem and Tom.
•The chronic/invisible illness rep was great to see.

Dislike(s):

•I didn’t connect with a single character. I just couldn’t find it in me to care what happened with any of them.
•This drug on and on for me. I was so bored.
•On the above point, I had to fight to not DNF for the majority of the book. And I’m not a DNFer. It took until almost the 80% point for me to become even a little interested.
•Quite simply, it was cliche in so many ways.

Will I ever read this again personally?
No.
Would I recommend it?
It SERIOUSLY depends on the type of reader. Maybe a solely contemporary reader would appreciate it better.

I do still think Kate has immense talent, despite the fact that this missed the mark for me, personally.
I will continue to read any fantasy book she releases in the future, and wish her all the best on this release.