If Not for My Baby by Kate Golden
5⭐️ | 3🌶️

-rockstar romance
-Irish accent
-hopeless romantic MMC
-cynic about love FMC
-he falls first
-flirty texting
-found family on a bus
-he protects her

When I heard @kategoldenauthor was writing a rockstar romance (after writing the epic Sacred Stones trilogy) I knew immediately I was going to love it. And I was right. And I don’t even read rockstar romances. But this was perfect. The Hozier vibes had me sold before I even read the summary.

Clementine is given the opportunity of a lifetime, pushing her way out of her comfortable little life she’s lived and challenging all those barricades guarding her heart.

“𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.”
“𝙄’𝙙 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
“𝙉𝙤, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡.”

Tom Halloran is guarded and private and a swoony, pensive romantic underneath it all, but he’s got his own struggles.

“𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮, 𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
“𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙢… 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄’𝙢 𝙖𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙤𝙛.”

“𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡 . . . 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚.”

Their forced proximity becomes this beautiful, healing, tension-packed, slowww burn story. The found family was the perfect touch to make this so heartfelt. The romance is so poetic and even gave me butterflies. I honestly didn’t want the book to end. Like can I get an extra epilogue or some bonus chapters please?

“𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
“𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧?”
“𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠.”

Thanks to @netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the arc! Releases August 5, 2024, available to request on NetGalley.

I really liked that this was based off Hozier. Such a delightful read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc.

As an only child to a single mom, this book made me feel seen. I am not a huge music buff, but Tom and Clementine's shared love of music and the process was so beautiful. And I love how he falls first.
Kate Goldens first contemporary was just as good as her Romantasy and I can’t wait to read more from her.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If Not for My Baby by Kate Golden follows a back up singer on her first tour with an enigmatic Irish rockstar that makes her question her view of romance for the first time.

As a huge Kate Golden fan (and Hozier fan), I’m not surprised how much I loved this! It was a very sweet romance, the relationship was nontoxic which I appreciate, and the found family of the crew/band was super endearing.

Overall, I gave this a four star rating because it was an easy, enjoyable read that I would highly recommend. If you love contemporary romance, this one won’t disappoint!

3/5

With a Hozier coded love interest, If Not for My Baby was poised to be quite the hit for me. Unfortunately this didn't land the way I needed it to. Most of my issues stem from the degree of distance between the love interest, Tom Halloran, and the artist on which he was based, Hozier. This was more of a direct Hozier insert than I was comfortable with, than just a simple Hozier coded love interest, and as such I was left constantly being taken out of the romance. While his background was made slightly different there were clear calls to Hozier’s music and identity which led to me feeling quite uncomfortable while reading this. I did enjoy the narrative surrounding Clementine and Tom, but it all could have been the same with a character who stood on his own with just a flavor of Hozier-ness, instead of a direct insert. Given the strong characters, the exploration into the music industry and chronic illness, If Not for My Baby really hit some strong notes but was ultimately overburdened by its closeness to the artist on which the entire romance was based.

y'all i ate this up!!! i spent day reading as much as i could, and to find out a finished!?? i'm sad. this was so good, so fun, so relatable. i never read anything by kate golden but it will not be the last. i found myself laughing out loud and just having the best time. thank you netgalley for the arc!!!

I really enjoyed this book. Lots of fun angst between the main characters, and who doesn't love the rockstar troupe?! This was such a fun read!

Oh boy, that stunning, vivid cover, the steam, and the explosive chemistry between Clem and Tom set this entire story on fire, leaving readers absolutely breathless! Imagine a great love story infused with catchy, heartfelt lyrics, a touch of Daisy Jones & The Six and A Star Is Born—with the kind of electric chemistry that brings to mind Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (but don’t worry, there’s nothing toxic about Tom and Clem’s fiery bond). Sound irresistible? It should be!

Meet Clementine Clark, a small-town Texas girl who has never left Cherry Grove. She’s spent years caring for her single mother, who suffers from fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that leaves her in constant pain. With expensive trial treatments they can’t afford, Clem puts her college dreams on hold, working as a waitress at a diner where her longtime friend—and ex—Mike is her boss. But when her best friend offers her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fill in as a vocalist on rising star Thomas Patrick Halloran’s first U.S. tour, Clem is forced out of her comfort zone. The eight-week gig could cover her mother’s medical expenses and reignite the musical dreams she buried long ago.

What she didn’t anticipate? Halloran himself.

Tom is like an Irish Jim Morrison meets Jesus-if-he-lived-in-the-forest—a mesmerizing force of nature who shakes up Clem’s world. And unlike the stereotypical rockstar drowning in excess, Tom is the opposite—introverted, bookish, and quietly magnetic. He keeps to himself, preferring solitude over partying and groupies. And yet, one late-night encounter at a vending machine sparks an unlikely friendship… and a passion that neither of them can ignore.

But Clem hesitates. She’s watched her mother suffer heartbreak after heartbreak, raised without a father, and she knows Tom thrives on turning heartache into music—he’s practically the male version of Taylor Swift. She’s supposed to return home, resume her old life. But what if there’s still a chance for her to chase her musical dreams? What if love with this captivating Irish musician is worth the risk? What if, against all odds, she actually deserves something beautiful?

Overall: I adored this passionate, electrifying, and deeply moving love story. Tom and Clem’s connection is pure magic, and this novel easily earns five blazing, fiery stars! One of the best romances of the year—I highly recommend grabbing a copy ASAP!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing this incredible romance’s digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

DNF@65

I'm so sorry but I couldn't re-pick it up; at first I really connected with the FMC but once the romance started ....nada. I felt no chemistry between the MCs I simply lost interest.AND I actually have no idea who Hozier is 🫣. it really had the potential. I'm so disappointed 🥲

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Once I saw this beautiful cover I had to request it Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for approving my request 💋

Hozier inspired, say less!

This was quick moving and kept my attention the whole time, the characters adored each other and I loved the tour dynamic! I wish we got to see even more of them learning more about each other despite just loving to sing!

I recommend for the girlies who love a music tour romance. Fast paced and an easy read, the music component was a little bit too much at some parts but never overwhelming.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF at 30%. Is this not… weird and invasive to anyone else? I was getting the major ick and I wish I could have push forward but ultimately I could not

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!