I LOVED THIS STORY!!! I read it in one sitting and I regret NOTHING! The backtrack delivered ALL THE FEELS! It is by far my favorite book of Erin La Rosa. If you grew up in the 2000’s and want to bring back the Bath & Body roll on glitter nostalgic era ✨ then get this book. The story was so unique and well done! I loved how we got to experience Sam’s transformation as a character by going back in time one song at a time through her magical walkman. It had so many of my favorite Rom-Com vibes, like 13 going on 30, a bit of the Notebook with that one outdoor kiss with Sam and Damon “it wasn’t over. It still isn’t over…” Ugh, guts me everytime! 😭😭🥹
Erin La Rosa does an excellent job diving into Sam’s complicated family dynamics and relationship issues with humor from quirky neighbors or a spunky grandmother to deeply complex characters like her mother. The story does delve into depression and the effects it has on our loved ones. It brought all the feels and it did make me cry at times especially when Sam encounters her mother and the issues she faced growing up.😭 Also the story tackles the feeling of belonging. I loved this quote “It was unnerving how familiar and foreign coming back felt. To recognize the street names, but not the new stores. To have memories of walking across the concrete, but see it replaced with mosaic tile. This had once been the only place she'd known, and now she felt as if she were visiting for the first time. She no longer belonged in her hometown; she was just another tourist.”
I enjoyed every chapter and had to look up the songs she used to help immerse my experience! My one feedback would be that the author needs to dedicate one page for all the songs she uses or create a Spotify playlist for this story. 💿🎶🎸🎧
I hope you fall in love with the characters and the story like I did. I’m also crossing my fingers that this book gets picked up into a movie or TV series.

💞Second Chance Romance
💿2000's vibes
🧠Mental Health
🎭Friends to lovers
🏖️Beach Read

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Erin La Rosa for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very niche romance but as a millennial elder emo fulfilling all her high school dreams by going to see Death Cab for Cutie this weekend, I can confirm that this was a fun ride. I’m slowly picking my jaw up off the floor from how serendipitous that opening scene was for me. If you love rom-coms, indie music, and time travel, this is the perfect summer read! Although predictable and over the top with twee references at times, it’s been a while since I have flown through a romance as quickly as The Backtrack. The writing is approachable and the playlist and early 00s references transported me back to a very special time of my life. I also appreciated the complexities of Sam and Damon’s family drama and friend dynamics. They’re likable main characters that will have you rooting for them while also asking “what if” when it comes to your past!

I absolutely loved this one! Former emo best friends reunion, teen angst and pining, and answering the biggest what-ifs. The Backtrack is a sweet story, where pilot Sam learns of a new reality, one where she doesn’t leave her best friend and hometown behind, set to the backdrop of 2000s punk pop BANGERS. She tries to piece together what this alternate universe means, and how everything she’s learned fits into what she wants in the present. It starts a bit slow but really picks up as we see more of Sam’s alternate reality. I do however wish that there was a bit more of Sam dealing with her family issues as it ends up being a huge part of why she is the way she is.

The Backtrack by Erin LaRosa Sam is an international pilot who left town after rejecting her best friend Damon. She returns ten years later to help her grandma sell her house before going into a retirement home. When she packs her room she finds a CD Walkman with Damon’s last mix to her inside. As she listens she is transported to a different timeline in which she didn’t reject Damon. Which of her choices was correct for her?



This book was very cute, reminiscent of Sliding Doors. I appreciated that the flashbacks to the alt time line were short and only during the length of the song- which made the magic more realistic, if that makes sense. The descriptions of emo Sam and Damon were spot on and I could picture them listening to this soundtrack perfectly. The songs made me reminisce and picture my younger self. All of the characters were so specific, quirky, and well-drawn. Loved grandma Pearl! Great quick and easy beach read about second chances and learning how to trust your gut. This would be a great miniseries on Netflix. Good for fans of This Spells Love by Kate Robb. Thanks to Canary Street Press and Net Galley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. 4 stars

Thanks to NetGalley, Erin La Rosa and Canary Street Press for an ARC of The Backtrack.

This is an entertaining, high concept story with a twist on the second chance romance/ friends to lovers trope. Sam and Damon were best friends high school with lots of feelings beyond friendship on both sides. After high school, Sam left for 10 years.

When Sam’s grandmother is in an accident, she heads home to Tybee, GA and immediately feels a connection with Damon. She also find the last CD playlist he made for her that she hadn’t listened to until now. But when she starts listening, she is sent back in time to critical moments in an alternate timeline that makes her question everything she thinks she knows about love, family, friendship and her choices up until now.

I was very attracted to the premise of this book and found it very engaging. Seeing Sam’s reaction to her teenage self and teenage Damon’s antics was really powerful as was her reunion with her mother.

I don’t feel like I got to know Damon as well. I think the story would have been even better if when Damon listened to the CD, the reader was given insight into what he saw from his view.

All in all, an interesting and captivating read. This book will be available 7/16/2024.

Such a nice setup for a book, I enjoyed and it was extremely easy to follow and have fun with it, the story well done, the characters Super relatable. Definitely one to keep a eye out for

A what-might’ve-been story told through visions seen by our protagonist anytime she puts on the headphones to her magical CD player and hits “play” on an emo playlist from the early 2000s. I wanted to love this book, but struggled to like the main character. Sam makes most of her big life choices based on quick assumptions when she could simply ask questions leading to better outcomes. The book’s premise of missing out on love due to her steadfast commitment to escape her hometown solely because her mom told her not to get stuck there directly conflicts with her dedication to not follow in her mom’s footsteps. There were aspects of the story that I enjoyed, but ultimately found Sam’s motivation lacking.

this was a good read but i couldn’t connect well to the characters. i didn’t find myself fully invested into the plot or the romance. the concept was super cool and the humor was nice. it fell flat at times but still a decent story!

This was an adorable, fun story full of nostalgic references and emo heart!
Sam comes home after years away and plays a mix tape her old best friend/could've been boyfriend made her in high school.
As she listens, each sing whisks her to their high school past, only in this past her and Damon ARE together!
Damon and Sam are so cute and loveable as teens and adults...they kept alot of their personality quirks and stayed true to who they were.
I enjoyed reading them together in both eras!
I also enjoyed the side characters and plots! Overall a fun book I'd recommend!

I’ve really like Erin La Rosa’s books but while this one was not bad in anyway it also did not connect with me. I just did not feel invested really in the romance or the characters. I thought the conceit was incredibly clever ( a mix tape that song by song shows snippets of a life that might have been), and as a fellow millenial I loved the humor based on how these characters looked in 2005-2009 and what the songs actually were but I didn’t feel particularly engaged either. I really wanted to like this but just fell mostly flat.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for this ARC of The Backtrack. Sam and Damon, high school best friends, reunite after years apart. When Sam listens to a mixtape Damon made her in high school, it whisks her into a life of what if. I think this concept was very imaginative and unlike many I’d seen before. The touch of magical realism was thought out and executed well.

I liked Sam and Damon’s what if life, and I think the emo backdrop was unique and fun to read! I didn’t connect with present Sam as much as I’d have liked, nor with Damon as much, but I think Sam’s development was apparent.

Spicy:
3/5
Tropes:
Time jump
Flashbacks
Best friends to lovers
Magical realism

This book has such a cute concept: a woman named Sam is back in her hometown, discovers a mix CD made for her by her teenage best friend, and when she goes to play it as an adult, each song on the CD shows her an alternate version of her life.

The music Sam listened to in high school is the same pop-punk and emo I listened to, so I was hoping this book would be a lot of fun. I struggled to get into it, though, and ultimately wasn’t feeling any chemistry between Sam and her old best friend, Damon. The story was too slow-paced. It was also missing the spice I’ve come to expect from Erin La Rosa. As another reviewer here pointed out, the lack of spice makes sense given the flashbacks to their teen years. But as adults, there’s one sex scene, and it’s not super descriptive.

Overall, this was a okay read. I enjoyed the early aughts nostalgia and the relationship between Sam and her grandma.

This is a sidenote, but this ebook was only available as a PDF (I’ve noticed Canary Street Press does this a lot), and it had a lot of funky formatting issues that made for a difficult reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever wished you could go back in time and change things? In this magical realism tale Sam gets to do just that. Visiting home she finds an old mix CD she made with her past love Damon. Every track transports her back in time and lets her explore an alternate reality.

Honestly I struggled with this one. I thought the writing was clunky and story was slow. It was a cute idea though! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars out of 5.

I thought this was a good book and it had an interesting plot, think similar to 13 Going on 30. The story flowed really well and I couldn't wait to see what was happening next when Sam listened to her CD player. I enjoyed Sam's character and loved that she was a pilot but Damon's character fell flat for me. Overall I did enjoy reading the book and would recommend it.

In The Backtrack we met Sam who is a pilot. She has to go back to her hometown of Tybee Island to help her grandma clean out her house. Her room is just as she left it all those years ago. She ends up finding an old CD player that still works with a CD made by her best friend in High school, Damon. It turns out the CD player is magic and it transports her to an alternate life with different memories from what she remembers. Should she have taken a shot with Damon all those years ago?

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing Canary Street Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Backtrack by Erin La Rosa is a captivating exploration of nostalgia and second chances. The story skillfully weaves themes of love, regret, and self-discovery, with a mysterious CD player. With relatable characters and poignant storytelling, The Backtrack is a compelling read that leaves a lasting impression.

Review is posted on Notyourmomsshelf (instagram) posted 04.12.24 and will be up indefinitely. Will be re-promoting closer to publish date as well.

An absolute nostalgic gem of a romcom!

I can't stand how much I loved this one. It took me back to the 2000s so hard and I loved how much it reminded me of high school.

This book has all the 13 going on 30 vibes but set in the 2000s and make it emo. The music was everything, the playlist, immaculate.

I absolutely loved the magical CD player that would show Sam her alternate reality where she said yes to Damon. I loved the ending and how Erin handled writing a perfectly balanced sweet but realistic and beautiful ending.

I will definitely be adding this one to my trophy shelf!

Thank you to Erin La Rosa and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this lovely story!

"The Backtrack" by Erin La Rosa offers a delightful and poignant exploration of love, choices, and the haunting "what-ifs" of life, all set to the nostalgic beat of a mid-00s emo soundtrack. Samantha and Damon, childhood best friends who almost crossed into romance, are reunited years later, each harboring unspoken feelings. When Samantha discovers an old mixtape Damon made, a magical CD player reveals alternate realities of their lives had different choices been made. La Rosa's narrative, rich with emo anthems, taps into the universal curiosity about roads not taken, while also addressing complex issues like mental health, miscarriage, and abandonment, lending depth to this whimsical premise. I was charmed by the character dynamics and the way the story deftly handles themes of love and regret. My first encounter with La Rosa's writing, this book made me eager for more of her work, with its blend of light-hearted moments, emotional depth, and an evocative soundtrack. A truly unique and enjoyable read, I would recommend "The Backtrack" especially to those who appreciate a good friends-to-lovers and second-chance romance. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

As an Elder Emo™️, I am livingggggggg for this book in allllll the ways!! (Dang, I miss the times!!!)

This book was a little bit of everything with the emo throwbacks, the romance, the family issues, the bits of past and present coming together, and the very great happy ending.

I do wish that we got more of Damon, like his past, more insight into what he did during the 10 years like building up the brewery, and how things ended with Marissa, because I wanted to feel more connected with him and we got so much with Sam.

Thank you Erin La Rosa for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I love the characters and I felt like the writing is really wonderful. The plot is very interesting and well thought out!

I enjoyed this book so much!
A story about childhood best friends that were secretly in love with each other but never really went for it? Uh, yes, yes please. And then, add in a magical cd player that shows you “what could’ve been” when you play the emo songs they both used to love back in the day? ABSOLUTELY YES. Let’s just say this book made my elder emo heart reaaaaally happy with all these amazing songs too.

We also need to add a disclaimer that this book does talk about depression, miscarriage, feeling of abandonment and cheating, in case these are triggering.

In general, I really did love this book. This was my first time reading something from Erin La Rosa, and I really enjoyed her writing style. I will most definitely get a physical copy once the book is out and definitely recommend this if you’re a fan of time travel, friends to lovers and second chance :)