3⭐️

ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGally for an honest review.

What in the 13 Going On 30 is this?? It should have hit all the nostalgia vibes for me, i knew every song mentioned and caught a ton of the references. Unfortunately it was just a bit too slow for me. Although we were having flashbacks of what could have been the writing felt very one dimensional. It was just interesting enough to keep me reading but not enough to have me wanting more.

I really liked the idea of this story but the execution just wasn’t quite right for me. I found myself unable to really connect with any of the characters.

The first half of the novel was too slow for me, definitely enjoyed the second half much better but again, just didn’t feel a connection to the characters.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

This one hits the feels and gives a nostalgic feeling for things that didn’t happen. It was cute and funny in some parts but also really sweet and moving.

We all have those moments or choices we look back on and think, "Did I make the right call? What would my life look like if I'd done it differently?" The characters in this book get to do what I've always wished I could: see the alternate endings of the road not traveled.

Music is an absolutely brilliant way to explore these past possibilities, because that's what music does: transports you. The emo backdrop for high school Sam and Damon spoke so closely to my heart. Teenage me feels very seen and loved after reading this book.

I think the current-timeline romance between Damon and Sam could have used a bit more development. They spend a good bit of time together, but I think Sam was in her own head for a lot of it. The chemistry was there, but I'd like to have gotten to know Damon better. I also could have done with a dash more spice.

This is my favorite of Erin La Rosa's books so far! Grandma Pearl was a scene-stealer. Also, FINALLY some accurate Southern folk representation: the hurricane party.

Thanks so much for the ARC!!!

I had high hopes.

I was intrigued when Sam was able to see back in the past when she’d play a song on her CD player…

I was waiting for it to pick up, but it didn’t. It was such still such a cute story.

I have enjoyed Erin La Rosa's previous novels, but truthfully, I probably would have DNFed The Backtrack if it wasn't an ARC I'd committed to reviewing. I enjoyed the nostalgia factor for millennial music, but I found the magical realism plot elements simultaneously slow-moving and repetitive, which made it particularly unenjoyable for someone who usually loves a magical realism bent in a romcom. I also found the characters underdeveloped, so I wasn't invested in the romantic relationship enough to root for a happily ever after.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for gifting me with an ARC to review!

The Backtrack by Erin La Rosa dives into nostalgia, regret, and the tantalizing allure of second chances. As Sam confronts the remnants of her teenage years—Fall Out Boy posters, roll-on body glitter, and a treasured mixtape from her best friend and childhood crush Damon—I was taken back with her, and the memories came flooding in.

While in her hometown, Sam finds a CD player, unaware that her world is about to be turned upside down as it becomes a portal, taking her to the past. For me, nostalgia was the best thing about this book. I enjoyed the references to the past, but the plot needs a bit more development and tweaking. Damon and Sam are okay MCs, but I would have liked to see more chemistry between them.

Overall, this is a good story with an original concept. It reminded me a bit of The Seven Year Slip, which I loved, so I'm sure fans of Ashley Poston will enjoy this one, too!

It's a cute concept but it leans very heavily on the 2000s nostalgia factor and doesn't really bring a whole lot of plot or emotional depth to the table beyond that. It was easy to breeze through and finish the book but honestly if it wasn't an ARC I don't think I would have bothered.

Sam Leto left her home on Tybee Island, GA , almost 20 years ago to become a pilot, her dream career. But, she left not only her beloved grandmother, Pearl, but her best friend, Damon.

Pearl has decided to sell her home and asks Sam to return to help her pack up things. Sam discovers her old CD player with a mix CD that Damon made for her before she left. Sam is surprised to see the player still works, but while playing the songs she is somehow transported to an alternative universe that shows what life on Tybee would have been like if she stayed.

Did she make a terrible mistake leaving Tybee all those years ago?

If you are a fan of Early 2000 EMO music, you definitely love all the references to all the songs.

This was so cute! A second-chance romance set with the background music of my youth. It was the perfect mix of laughter and steamy romance. A true “What If” story that keeps you hanging on for more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

So I loved both of Erin La Rosa's previous books and I can say right off the bat that I didn't like this one as much. I still liked it, but the bar was really high for it in my mind and it just didn't totally work for me. I could see lots of people loving it, though, especially those who enjoy a mostly realistic contemporary romance with a magical element - in this one, it's a CD player that is capable of sending our female main character (Sam) back to different points in an alternate version of her life for the length of a song. The alternate version of her life shows what would have happened if she had kissed her best friend Damon when she was a teenager and completely changed the course of her life. Now she's a successful pilot - one of a very small number of female international pilots - which was her dream. Unfortunately, she had to completely leave her hometown of Tybee Island (and Damon) behind to make that happen, and she hasn't been back since. Now, her beloved Grandma Pearl needs her help as she prepares to move out of the home in which she raised Sam so that she can go into a retirement community. That's where Sam finds the magical CD player and the whole alternate past unfolds while Sam and Damon reconnect in the present. I thought this was well-written and the characters were really interesting, but perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for magic? I'm not sure, but I would recommend this to folks who enjoyed The Road Trip Rewind by Kate and Danny Tamberelli, This Spells Love by Kate Robb, and Landline by Rainbow Rowell.

Another amazing book from Erin. She is a master at romance and you are going to not be able to put this book DOWN! It is so so good. Definitely add to your list.

This was a very cute, quick and fun read just in time for the start of the summer season! I really enjoyed the backstory of our two main characters, Damon and Sam, and their childhood relationship. The side characters were so funny and made great comic relief when the story got heavy.

You will enjoy this book if you like these tropes;
- friends to lovers
- second chance
- small town
- magical realism

I did feel that adult Sam and Damon's relationship was a little underdeveloped and we only really got to see them together towards the end of the story but I really liked the dynamic between them.

Thank you, Harlequin and Erin La Rosa for the ARC!

There's something so tangible about Erin La Rosa's characters; it truly feels like they are people in your real-life orbit.

The Backtrack is an excellent exploration of What Ifs and Second Chances. When Sam returns to her hometown, she is flooded with nostalgia—old friends, familiar places, and belongings from the past. As Sam rifles through her things, she recovers an old mixtape her best friend made her. What she doesn't realize is that it's kind of magical. She plays the first song and is immediately transported to one fateful night. The night she and Damon didn't kiss. Except, in this version, they do.

Throughout the story, Sam is faced with dilemmas that could change the path of her entire life. I loved the conflict and how Sam overcomes it. There's so much angst in The Backtrack that when the conflict was resolved, I could feel my own shoulders being relieved. La Rosa has an excellent way with words that makes you feel everything her characters feel. I'd certainly recommend this to anyone who loves second chances, emo/nostalgic music, and the idea of someone making you a mixtape/playlist. Peak romance, in my opinion.

Loved the concept of the book and enjoyed all the early 2000 throwbacks! I even made them into my own Spotify playlist.
However, it was a slow burner for me

Sam goes back to her hometown to find her old cd player still works. Inside is her best friends from high school mix cd. Upon listening to the first track she is transported to a vision of an alternative reality, a reality where she kissed Damon.

While this book hits lots of nostalgia points for those in high school in the earlier 2000s I wish it would have been more in-depth with the past visions. The pace felt a bit off. Overall I did enjoy this book. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a copy to review

Th premise of this book held lots of promise for me but ultimately fell flat. I could definitely see how it would be a win for others, though! Read for:

- lots of naughts nostalgia
- flashbacks to your favorite Emo/pop-punk tunes
- a fun second chance romance and the chance to imagine “what if”

read this in one sitting. you can call this one of those cute, second chance, rom-coms. i'm sure we all wonder the "what ifs" and the "shoulda, coulda, woulda" in our life. and it's normal to. but what if you could go back in time and just experience it all a little differently? now add a great early 2000s emo playlist in the mix and you've got this book.

i enjoyed this book. it can get a little slow and a little heavy at times... but it's still a solid 4 stars for me. some might say more spice would be nice, but i liked it as it is. there are supporting characters who made this even better. i love when authors include a cast of characters who just add the *chef's kiss* hilarious commentary or chaos in the background.

i found myself heavily rooting for both Sam and Damon. they had palpable chemistry, and you just absolutely want them to end up together. despite them wanting to lead lives in different paths, there's that "first loves never die" type of thing. what i took from this is this... whatever the choices that lay before you, do what makes you happy.

i feel like lots of millennials, like myself, would really enjoy this and appreciate it so much more. it brought lots of nostalgia. personally, it hit a little close to home with some of the heavier aspects. but i think that's what made it all the more better for me. i'd definitely recommend this though. t'was a fun read for sure.

thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing & Canary Street Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. i received this as an ARC and leave this review voluntarily.

A favorite read!! We only get Sam’s POV, but it was so full of that angsty emotion that translates clearly through the page. Clever take on the alternate dimension, an enjoyable read I stayed up until 4am to finish reading.

OK, upfront let me say that I'm not much for straight-up romance but I do love a quirky comedy with romantic elements from time to time. From the blurbs and description, I was expecting more humor and lightheartedness... I love the concept here - who among us hasn't wondered "what if" at some point, after all - and the execution through the "magical" discman was delightful. I'm a bit older than our fearless protagonist, so her music wasn't the music of my own life story at that same point in life, but I could easily extrapolate and definitely loved that stroll down memory lane.

What I didn't love was the seemingly constant self-doubt and "oh woe is me without a man" nature of her thoughts after she went back to Tybee... That didn't seem to jive at all with her *real* adult life as a very successful international pilot, and it made me roll my eyes more than a few times. That may be where my tendency to not favor traditional romance story lines comes in, but it bugged me nevertheless. This was a predictable story, albeit set in a fun(ky) world of magical almost-obsolete tech, and I did like that part of it - as well as the reminder of how music is not only a trigger but also a background for so much of our lives.