Reading If Not For My Baby was such an interesting journey for me. I couldn’t quite tell if I thought that this was slightly difficult & cringy or if I really liked it. There was so much here that I was really thinking I would love, but just didn’t totally pay off the way I hoped it would.

Clementine, a girl from a small town in Texas, is a known “I’ll do everything myself” type of girl & not need anyone to take care of her. She has devoted her life to take care of her mother who is single and chronically ill. But Clementine happens to be a kickass singer who has always dreamed of the stage. In a twist of fate, she ends up getting a job as a backup singer for Irish folk rock star Tom Halloran. In the way these things do happen, of course the two start to develop feelings for the other while on tour, and there is where our story lies.

Me, a lover of Hozier, walked into this fully excited about the idea of a romance inspired by him. Even though I knew this & expected it, I don’t know why the execution of it kind of made me uncomfortable? It was just SO much so Hozier & in a way that tried a little TOO hard to sound like him—it felt a little cheesy. And Clementine as a character felt a little naive & lacking in depth to match Halloran’s own. I still enjoyed the book & had a lot of fun! I loved the tour aspect & the found family of all the tour members was so nice. I really loved the idea of the romance here, but just wasn’t so crazy about how it came about.

Overall, a fun read, but not one I would personally go running back to! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley for this eArc!

Kicking my feet and giggling over this book. If Hozier is your man, Halloran is your new book boyfriend. I really enjoyed the story and Clem's self sabotage when it comes to her dreams and love (even if she was truly adamant that she could never fall in love). I really enjoyed this book and it was such an easy quick read. It will be a perfect beach read.

i lowkey was praying on this book's downfall bc it was too close to everything ive ever read on wattpad but minus the mafia HOWEVER by the end i was like wait this is my family? HATE that his name is tom and i wish their texts had been OMITTED but holy shit the way that man speaks..... the girlies that never read wattpad will read this and be like oh my god what was i missing and to them i would say you have to read duplicity. i just kept waiting for clem to find out tom was in the mafia and it never happened.... still i enjoyed this way more than i anticipated! pretty straightforward and cut and dry, he falls first and harder, she doesnt know how to love blah blah blah

Ok, so I gave it a high rating because I really enjoyed the writing and kind of couldn't stop reading it? But also, it might have been a 5 star for me if I didn't get the parasocial icks.

Don't get me wrong - Hozier is hot as hell and his music? Swoon. However, I wish that the MMC was less Hozier than Hozier-coded. Did he have to have his exact description and what the public knows about his personality? Def not.

There were a couple of moments where I had to suspend disbelief, and you know what? It's fiction, so that's okay. The likelihood of anyone in the U.S. getting a same-day passport is low - like, sub-zero low. But that's okay, because there's emotional payoff that I'd rather have than a several weeks long wait for a romantic gesture.

Anyway, the writing was strong and kept me hooked and the spice was spicing. Rating is rounded up from a 3.5 because of the aforementioned parasocial aspects.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for this very honest and candid review.

4.5 ⭐️

I devoured this book! I’ve always loved a rockstar romance and this book delivered in the best way possible!

The way I was obsessed with every single character in this book. And it’s not very often I can say that. The female friendship in this book was quite literally PERFECTION! It was so nice to read about female friendships with not even the first mean girl in sight.
Clem, Molly and Indy were the trio I don’t know I needed!

Clem and Tom though.. please. I don’t know what I can say about them to really describe just how much I loved them. Clem finally getting to live out her dream was so amazing to read about. I was rooting for her from the very beginning. Seeing her struggle with “love” and wanting to open up and really trust someone because of her mom’s struggles was hard but her growth throughout the book was so good. Seeing her become her own person and going after what she really wanted was beautiful. And Tom.. well he was perfection from start to finish. He was so down bad from the very beginning. And that man didn’t waver not one time. He was the epitome of patient. I loved him so much.

For me, this was rockstar romance done right!

Thank you NetGalley & Berkely for the e arc!

I couldn't put If Not for My Baby down! I adored everything about this story. Clem and Tom were such fun characters to root for. I liked Clem's humor and selflessness. Although she had her faults (too selfless and quick to assume things), Clem's character arc was satisfying to read. It was rewarding to see Clem put her guard down around Tom and follow her dreams. I liked Clem's narration. Some of her thoughts and actions had me chuckling. I loved Tom's character. He was patient, sweet, and romantic. Going into this book, I didn't realize that Tom was inspired by Hozier. Ironically, I wrote "he reminds me of Hozier" in my notes 😂 I liked that Tom wasn't the standard "rock star" character. It was refreshing to read well-rounded main characters. I loved how Golden developed Clem and Tom's relationship. As someone who enjoys a little slow burn, I appreciated the way Golden set-up their relationship. Their chemistry and banter were 🔥. I enjoyed the humor that was sprinkled into their relationship. The Rhett party scene with them was funny. I liked the tour setting/plot. I thought Golden did a great job of showcasing the quick and hectic life of those on tour. I liked the band side characters....minus Jen. Some of the band characters shined more than the others. Wren felt pretty non-existent. I also thought Everly felt notably absent for being a childhood best friend. The only major complaint I have about this book is how Clem found out about Tom's ex. I didn't like how that came about in the story. It felt like that was added at the end to just add drama. It felt like that information should have been added sooner in the story. Overall, I never wanted this book to end. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

♾️/5🌟 | 2/5🌶️

Um hi…excuse me, Kate? What kind of crack did you put in this book because holy freaking tension & hotness?! I simply cannot handle how good this book was!!!

Clem & Halloran were insaaaaane. The tension?! The chemistry??? I swear to god I highlighted every word that came out of Halloran’s mouth.

This is one of my first rockstar romances & I fear I am a changed woman. Halloran & Clem first meet when she gets the job as one of his back up singers on tour and I swear this man was GONE for her from the first moment they met. Add in the slow burn & tension & pining?! This book was HOT.

I loved everything about this book, but some of my absolute favorite things were the Hozier vibes & sprinkled in lyrics. This was incredible. 👏🏻

🎸 rockstar romance
🫠 he falls first
🎤 she’s a back up singer
💓 hopeless romantic mmc x doesn’t believe in love fmc
🥵 irish accent
💬 late night sexting
🚍 they go on tour
🔥 sooooo much tension
🤍 found family
💊 parent with a chronic illness
😭 he takes care of her when she’s drunk
👏🏻 “atta girl” moment

Thank you to Kate Golden & NetGalley for this ARC! Releases 8.5.25.

Are you kidding me with this book? Let me tell you a brief story: I went to bed a little early last night so I could start chapter one of IF NOT FOR MY BABY and make a decent dent in it. Before I knew what happened, it was 2am and I was finishing the book.

IF NOT FOR MY BABY tells the story of Clementine, a small-town waitress and full-time caretaker of her chronically ill mom who has never quite dared to dream of something bigger for herself. When she's given the chance of a lifetime—to become a backup singer for Irish rocker Halloran—Clementine is thrown into a world of bright lights and tour-bus bunk beds that is so far from what she knows. It's only two months, and then it's back to the comforting confines of her normal life, but when a magnetic connection begins to form between her and Halloran, Clem starts to wonder if her life back home is what she really wants after all.

I'm obsessed. As a Hozier girly and a musical theater nerd, this book felt made for me before I even picked it up. But then it became so much more. Clem and Tom's love story is sexy, dynamic, emotional, and thoughtful. I loved the way them being together was more than just a rock-star romance, it was an entire treatise on their outlooks toward art and creativity and fulfillment. The author really captured a lot of beauty and meaning with Halloran's song lyrics (and some of them had me blushingggg omg) and the chemistry between the two of them had an element of Capital-Y Yearning that readers are going to inhale the same way I did. Can't wait to scream about this book from the mountaintops between now and August.

Wow! This book had me laughing within the first 5 pages and having a great time.
I loved seeing Clem and Tom fall in love while also growing and revealing the emotional elements of their lives. The past that haunted them and how they are trying to grow. Along with their passion of music connecting them and following their dreams.
This book goes over how it’s never too late to follow your dreams. Everyone has a passion and a dream even if they think it’s too late to chase it… it’s not!
The build up with the yearning tension is/ was EVERYTHING. You’re rooting for the couple and when they finally get together AHHHH! I ate it up.
I’ve never read a rockstar romance but now I may have found a trope that is soooo good. I will be recommending this book and keeping an eye out for the release so I can get a copy. Loved it!

It’s been a long time since a book hooked me so much that I literally stayed up all night reading until 4AM because I just couldn’t put it down. This was incredible. I believe this book is loosely inspired by Hozier, but other than enjoying his music I don’t know much about him. So I can’t say for sure, but I can see how this book could have been influenced by him.

The love story in this book felt so deep and all-encompassing. It wasn’t just about Clem and Tom falling for each other—it was about their shared passion for music, the creative process, and the emotional weight of making art. I felt so deeply for both of them and loved many of the side characters as well.

Tom was such a dreamy MMC—thoughtful, passionate, and the kind of artist who creates because he has to because the music is part of who he is. He understood Clem in a way that felt so genuine and he knew how to navigate her insecurities without making her feel small. Their connection was so tangible and I truly felt their love not just for each other but for the music they made.

I haven’t read Kate Golden’s other books yet but I’m about to pick them up immediately because this was amazing!

It’s never too late to make a dream come true. While Clementine is still young, her life has been centered around taking care of her mother, leaving her grounded in her small Texas town with her singing passion buried deep inside with only a small escape through a local venue. But when her friend offers her the chance of a lifetime to tour as a backup singer for an Irish musician, she takes it. The last thing Clementine ever expected was falling for the elusive yet handsomely charming lead singer, Tom Halloran. Kate Golden sure knows how to write a simply beautiful love story that brings all the feels. If Not for My Baby itself is a love song and the book develops perfectly around it, a duet in itself filled with chemistry that jumps off the pages.

I am probably going to come back and edit this review because I do not have enough words to share how much I loved this book and how Tom and Clem are my new favorite couple who will not live rent free in my head and heart.

OH MY GOD 🥹😍

This book is about to become my entire personality. The chemistry between these two was utter perfection! Apparently my new fav trope is introverted male musicians finding their muse. The fact that she's his backup singer and doesn't believe in love made it 100x better. I absolutely devoured this.

I also loved every single side character. The band was amazing! I was slightly worried about female drama and didn't need to be. I loved Clem's mom, she's so encouraging and supportive. Even Tom's family was adorable. Everything about this was a 10/10.

Forced proximity
He falls first
Rockstar & backup singer
Age gap

I can’t believe I received an ARC of this. My life is officially complete. Thank you so much Berkley! *this is my honest opinion*

It was so fun to go on this ride with Kate. I absolutely adored the found family in this book, and the tour scenery of this book. It felt like I was going on the Kingfisher tour with the band myself. This was my first ever rockstar romance book, and what a joy that I got to experience this genre with the my Irish hunk of a man, Tom Halloran. I cannot wait for you all to be able to enjoy this man yourselves because 🥵

What a piece of literature. I started and finished this within three hours. I couldn't put it down. The yearning, the romance, the tension, the chemistry, the seduction of the lyrics and long glances. This is a prime example of what romance as a genre and emotion is about. I loved the main characters Clementine and Tom. I really enjoyed them individually and together. I loved the cast of secondary and side characters. And I really, really enjoyed the writing. It was my first time reading a book by Kate Golden even though I've had her fantasy series on my TBR for the longest, and trust it will absolutely not be my last.

Reading this was absolutely magical. At first I thought it was slow in the beginning but once I saw some hints I really could not stop reading. This book is unstoppable. The things I liked the most were the musical emotion when Tom and Clem talk about music and the lyricism. I liked how tom is a hopeless romantic but Clem is a cynic (or so she claims). And I love how he falls first.
Both their characters have on point backstories that define each other but once they met they just had the chemistry, even if their differences were obvious. They just made sense. I like how Tom is this calm force to Clem’s dramatics. As for their love story, I liked how they both felt it at the same time but it takes them a bit to cave in. This book is incredible addictive and I cannot wait for it to release so I can buy ajd read it again.

*4.5 stars*

Do you ever read a book that feels like it's your kryptonite? Like it might not be the most perfect book but there is something about it that you just can't get enough of? That was this book for me. I have such a WEAKNESS for Rockstar romances and this one was so good. I couldn't get enough!!!! Like I feel like I wanted to just live inside it.

I,especially, love that it felt different than other rockstar romances. The rockstar isn't a tattooed, alpha, cocky, player type. It's not all about sex drugs and rock & roll. It's not crammed packed with stupid drama. (No, it's not another Daisy Jones and the Six minus it being about a band.)

Instead, it's a rockstar that is actually so sensitive and sweet. He's got this sexy, professor look PLUS HE'S FRECKIN' IRISH!!! I was drooling over him the instant he entered the scene. I mean he's almost too perfect! *Almost.* I LOVED him so much. He's a romantic, poet and the type to fall first. I wish we got even more of Tom. Like I would have loved his POV to get his voice more.

Our main character, Clementine, feels very real. She's not perfect. She's just an ordinary girl that happens to get thrown into a very epic situation! I want to be her, if only I could sing. While there were times she frustrated me (especially towards the end) I really enjoyed rooting for her and being along with her on this journey.

The romantic connection with them was HOT and it had a good build. It's not necessary a super slowburn like I usually prefer but it had enough tension, (especially sexual tension.) I was so nervous this was would be over "sexified" and lust filled like a lot of books can be and don't get me wrong it's got some STEAM 🔥 (the door is WIDE open my friends) which I didn't actually mind for the first time in a while. (It wasn't over done thankfully.) I felt like they had such good chemistry!!!

There was something about this writing and the characters that I just devoured. It was so easy for me to get sucked into and didn't want to stop. It was my drug. I will say the "conflict" kind of brought it down for me a bit because it was so cliche and unnecessary. I wish she would have just talked things out BUT I know an author usually has to add some type of issue to bring the ending together. But it just felt unnecessary and then drawn out with too much word fill. I am glad it wasn't too painful tho.

However, other than that I was just so in love with this book and our hella sexy, kind hearted rockstar Tom! I wish his songs were real and that he was real. This is a book I could easily reread!! It just felt so euphoric and addictive! If you're like me and love a good rockstar romance, you gotta give this one a try! So far I've really enjoyed this authors writing style and hope she keeps doing more like this!

*Thank you to the publishers for my gifted copy!*

I am positively FOAMING at the mouth for this book, the easiest 6 stars I’ve ever given! Male yearning is criminally underrated and coupled with the slow burn of the romance?? My god. So good. I am truly obsessed.

4.5/5 Stars! I was HOOKED! Once the mmc started talking, I could not put this book down. I also was listening to Hozier on repeat in my head as I was reading bc the mmc was totally inspire by him and I am obsessed. I LOVED the mmc. The Irish accent, the sweet and calming composition and the insanely talented singer???? It was all just perfection. I loved all of the characters and how they formed such a bond on tour. The love story was so good. I was honestly waiting for every moment they interacted because the yearning was INCREDIBLE. I only wish it had more of them.

“I get it.. You’re a hopeless romantic”. His eyes warm on mine. “I’ll concede I’m susceptible to lovesickness. And, perhaps, the errant bout of excruciating yearning. And you?"

If Not for My Baby is a Hozier inspired romance novel that’s elevated than your typical musician romance novel. It’s hands down one of my top reads of 2025 (and it’s only February, eek!). Clementine a Broadway musical lover, cautious around love and romance, hesitantly leaves her hometown to join the tour of renowned singer Halloran (also known as Tom). Moody, mysterious, and soulful Halloran takes an interest in his new backup singer. As they are crammed in a tour bus with fellow band mates they grow inexplicably closer and peel back their emotional layers. Alas, falling in love.

I have to point this out: the tension in this book is perfectly timed. It's a luxurious push and pull between Clementine and Tom (aka Halloran). It builds and flexes that the pay off is done with such ease. It doesn't feel forced at all. The lyricism and artistic awareness, is astounding. Kate is an author that appreciates music. I must tip my hat to the concert scenes. They were set entirely in their own ambience that you felt in the moment. I could totally picture myself swaying in time to a song I’ve never heard before and basking in the talent of a fictional musician. Also, songwriting is 100% in this author’s wheelhouse, like damn:the lyrics felt ripe and earthy.

To bring this to a close, I'm hopeful that some seeds were planted for a future book based on some other characters. But for now I’m pinching myself that I got to read this book early. Now I have to hold onto my excitement until August 2025. I think it's pretty obvious this is a 5 STAR.

Thank you so much Berkley Romance and Berkley Publishing for the digital arc.

First off big thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for providing me an arc to read and review. This was one of my most anticipated romance books of 2025. I fell in love with Kate Golden after reading her debut Romantasy series- The Sacred Stones. I knew Kate was already a master of writing great romance and spice in a fantasy element. I was excited to see her tackle it in a traditional romcom environment. And let me tell you folks it did not disappoint.

I will admit I was a little bit nervous starting the book off. I’m not the hugest fan of singers/band romance trope. However, I enjoyed this much more than I expected myself to. I know everyone was saying they were picturing Hozier while reading this. But for me I kept picturing Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from a Star is Born. PS - yes I know the ages don’t match up for these characters at all, but hey it’s what my head picked so let me have it.

I loved our main characters Tom & Clem. Tom was such a heartthrob from the beginning, especially with that Irish accent 😉 He was also so down to earth and I loved watching him call Clem out on her bolting BS. Speaking of Clem don’t get me wrong I love her. She’s witty and genuinely cares for everyone she meets. I also loved watching her grow and develop. But my only minor complaint was she kept giving the same argument over and over. So I fully applauded Tom when he made Clem put in her big girl pants and gave her fears.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this story and I cannot recommend it enough. Can’t wait to get my trophy copy when it comes out later this August.