Okay this book was awesome! There was enough "magic" to just seem perfect. Also loving Tybee Island- I felt right at hom.e! But in addition to the sweet fluffy romance, there were some good underlying themes of loving yourself before you let someone else and the mental health representation in general! Also, Grandma Pearl had me ROLLING laughing! The main characters were perfect and so relatable. I mean Sam's music choices are top tier! There was a perfect amount of spice to compliment the story. I will def be reading more from this author!

As an emo kid in a normal adult disguise, I absolutely ADORED The Backtrack. I knew almost every music reference and the vibes hit just right. I always love a good, angsty romance, and this was the perfect combo of angst and wholesome character growth. I love that the message was if something is meant to be, it’ll be, regardless of the passage of time or long periods of separation. I really appreciated that the two main characters advanced their relationship from friends to lovers at the perfect time - rather than Sam messed up and lost her chance. I think this is a great read and I can’t wait for more from Erin La Rosa!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collin’s, and the author for sending me an early copy!

Okay so I read this in two days! It was a short, sweet romp of a story, playing with the notion of “what ifs” and the road not taken. I found myself rooting for Sam and Damon as people, regardless of whether they ended up together or not, and that’s a unique ability in a romance novel, to care enough about the characters to not just want them to be in a relationship and get their happily ever after together, but to truly just want them to be happy.

I think the novel does a good job of showing the aftermath of trauma, and the way it burrows into our beings and how we view the world. I did think the latter resolution of how Sam patched things up with her mother/grandmother trauma felt a little rushed and slightly too easy, but that didn’t bother me too much.

Overall, the book was fun and enjoyable the constant homages to the emo music of the 2010s was special, as someone who listened to all that music obsessively, just like our main characters. This one gets 3.75⭐, rounded to 4 on Goodreads.

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I'm a huge fan of anything nostalgic and Y2K-themed, so this story absolutely scratched that itch for me. I felt like the target audience for this book all the way through; like all millennial girls, my CD player provided the soundtrack to every teenage love story, making its role in this book felt extra special. I'm also a sucker for a second chance romance and love how this story carried that trope all the way through, giving Sam not only a second chance at love but also another look at her whole life. Bonus points for magical realism, one of my favorites of late! I definitely recommend this!

This was my favorite by La Rosa so far! I love the magical realism/time travel element in a romance novel and think that The Backtrack used it so well. As someone who had a brief emo phase in middle and early high school, I felt very seen by the nostalgia here. I loved the small town romance elements and the relationship between Sam and Damon felt genuine and earned. I loved this!

“The BackTrack” is the perfect homage to “13 Going on 30” with a little mix of “Julie and the Phantoms.” This was a thoughtful story about following your dreams while holding on to the people you love. I thought Erin La Rosa’s depiction of stuck in a small town angst and depression were relevant and relatable. I appreciated the fact that while the story was based on songs (which I normally hate.) The music wasn’t the basic Taylor Swift and TikTok inspired songs that so many authors cling to, to stay relevant. I know this was specifically a grunge/emo playlist but if I could wrap this book into a song it would definitely be “You’re Gonna Go Far” by Noah Kahan. Another great read from La Rosa! #netgalleyreads

HOLY NOSTALGIA! Erin can do no wrong in my opinion and this is just simply another winner from her!

My bestie (in my head) @erinlarosalit has a brand new book out in the world today!!!! I obviously loved it (because Erin can do no wrong by me or my book taste) and felt all the nostalgia!!! 5⭐️

Special thanks to @canarystreetpress @htpbooks and @htp_hive for the review copy!

Sam Leto grew up in a small town in Georgia, she was mostly raised by her grandmother Pearl. She grew up with an absent mother and as an emo/goth kid with her best friend Damon. From a young age she was determined to get out of her small town as soon as possible, and ended up becoming a pilot and living in Paris.

Now 20 years later she is back in her hometown for the first time since she left to help Pearl pack up her house. Being home means reuniting with Damon, she seeing what she walked away from all those years ago. Going through her childhood things she find a mixed CD Damon made her, and when she listens to the first song she is transported back to their time as teenagers and sees how her life could have played out had she dated Damon and stayed in town.

This book was such a fun time, I always enjoy a book that have a sprinkle of magical realism in it. The what if idea, although not original in nature really made this romance interesting. The nostalgia this book brought up was also an element I loved. It was also refreshing to see postpartum depression, and depression in general explored and normalized. Overall the book was a fun time, and I enjoyed the characters, and the romance.

This one was so fun. It is about Sam and Damon, high school best friends who never got their chance to be more. Sam returns home after 20 years to help her injured grandma. While there she come back in contact with her high school best friend who she has seen in just as long.

Sam finds her old CD player and mixed CD Damon made for her of all of their songs. As she listens to the songs, each one transforms her into an alternate reality event where she and Sam did end up together.

This was such a great story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was a cute rom com with a fun premise. I found I liked the time travel scenes the best, seeing the choices Sam made and didn’t make added a unique layer to the story. Characters were fine if a little flat; and the story was slow at times.

The Backtrack was a blast from my childhood past. The nostalgia alone kept a smile on my face. The book started a bit too fast paced for my liking, but I grew to love the characters, the parallel relationships, and the use of the environment to match the emotions in the novel. Overall Sam (Sam-Sam) and Damon are really amazing characters, but Pearl stole my laughter through most of the book. Overall, I give this book a solid 4 stars and plan to share this with my friends who would absolutely adore the playlist.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

This is the first time I've read Erin La Rosa and I hope it's not the last. I've really enjoyed the way she writes, the time travel and all the references to the year 2000. I'm delighted!

Thanks to Canary Press and the author for allowing me to read the book.

This is an emotional journey for the emo kids who have grown into emo adults. Our wardrobes may have changed, but our love for the music remains.

Through a magical CD player and a genuinely epic playlist, our FMC, Sam, is allowed a glimpse into what her life would have been like if she had just let her best friend, Damon, kiss her. What follows is a heartfelt, emo-music-drenched second chance for love and family that’ll make you want to call your loved ones and dig out your skinny jeans.

I loved this new, unique take on time travel and how it allowed Sam to explore how her life unfolded and her feelings towards her childhood friend Damon. The flashbacks could be a bit cringe because I related to some of her questionable clothing choices a little too hard. Still, ultimately, they were well-paced and allowed the story to play out alongside her reconnecting with adult Damon. My one complaint is the use of emotional cheating and the fact that Damon had a girlfriend when Sam came back into town. I questioned whether I could finish the book once this premise was revealed, and its eventual resolution felt anti-climactic.

The Backtrack is a nostalgic love letter to a time that feels both distant and yet as if it was only yesterday. If you were anything like me, rocking studded belts, dying of dehydration and sun exposure at Warped Tour, and emulating Avril Lavigne, you’ll love this second-chance romance for friends to strangers to lovers, Sam and Damon.

The Backtrack includes time travel, flashbacks, magical realism, second chances, childhood friends to lovers, one bed, family troubles, a small town, and a grand gesture.

3.5 Stars - thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Backtrack follows Sam who returns home after years away when her beloved grandmother decides it is time to sell the family home. Once home, with a mixtape, Sam gets a glimpse of what her life could have been had she made different choices as a teen. The angst, haven't we all been there? If you are still in your emo phase (or didn't have one - here's a good start) and love diving into nostalgia and the could have been days of high school, this is for you. This is a friends to lovers trope. Despite loving the emo-vibes and the overall storyline, I didn't quite feel the spark between Sam and Damon. Peral, Sam's grandmother, and the reason Sam returns home, is the absolute highlight of this book.

They were cute but this book was just boring. I think that being dual pov might have helped it but I'm not sure. I would have liked to see more of them actually together.

I received an arc through netgalley.

3.5 stars.

"The Backtrack" by Erin La Rosa is the kind of book that is made for someone like me, full of 2000s era nostalgia and earmarkers of my youth. That's what drew me to this novel in the first place. I am of the age where all of the songs, bands, and cultural phenomenon discussed in this book we're relevant to me and my friend group. I love the idea of a possessed Walkman used as a conduit to show the main female character, Sam, what could have been if she had only done one thing differently in her life: kissed her best friend, Damon. When they were teenagers, Damon asked if he could kiss Sam... and she declined. Shortly after their high school graduation, she left their small Georgia town and never looked back. Since then she has become a pilot, But is seemingly haunted by her decision not to kiss Damon. Circumstances are such that she must return to her hometown after promising not to. She has to move her grandma Pearl ut of her childhood home and has come to help. This means drudging up old memories, including the ones attached to the mixtape/mix-CD Damon made for her when they were younger. Whenever sam listens to one of the tracks on her Walkman, She is transported into a timewarped alternate reality where she had kissed Damon and her life was drastically different, some good, some bad. I liked about fifty percent of this book. Once Sam's mom, Bonnie, comes back into the picture, I think the book's pacing really slows to a crawl. While I don't hate this storyline, I think it is so slowly paced ompared to the rest of the book that I almost did not finish it. I liked Sam and Damon as characters individually, but I did not feel a lot of chemistry between them as a couple. In both timelines, I did not feel anything for them. There is not a lot of banter and not a lot of pining despite years of time between them. Even when they finally get over all of the obstacles in their way in the present actual reality, I can't really say I was rooting for them or excited when they got together. I really liked how Sam wanted to take care of herself above all else because the role model she had in her mom growing up was not good/was absent. She wanted to be the complete opposite of Bonnie, and she managed to somewhat do that... but at what cost? Despite Bonnie showing up about sixty percent into the book, it feels like there is not a lot of resolution until the very last bit of the story. Sam gains a new perspective on Bonnie being a teenage mother and comes to terms with the fact that she was not there for her while she was growing up because of her own trauma related to being a teen mom and being scared. Apart from sam I did not have any big feelings towards any other character in this book. I did not like Sam's present day best friend, Rachel, at all. Though the circumstances were a little zany, I felt like she was not a very good, supportive friend to Sam. I was excited to see the saucy grandma character, Pearl, and learn about her shenanigans because I love a good nasty/dirty old lady character, but she felt flat for me as well. All in all, this book is a mixed bag.

Thank you to NetGalley, Erin La Rosa, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Canary Street Press for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I enjoy Erin La Rosa’s writing and storytelling. I liked the characters and the story. Will definitely read more from this author!!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.
The Backtrack is another fun romance from Erin La Rosa with a solid, fairly unique premise. With the rise of nostalgic, time-warp romances in the vein of 13 Going on 30, I’ve often felt they’ve been missing the mutual character and romantic development on both leads’ part, and worse, rendering a lot of the progress moot. This one, while still more in the vein of the “modern romcom,” in being single POV, subverted this through the power of a magic CD player and mixtape, allowing for brief glimpses into an alternate reality to see what might have been, without completely dispensing with the “real” reality entirely. And as someone who was mildly into alternative music as a teenager and has embraced it more with the revival of pop-punk today, I loved the references to bands of the time, and how they literally provided a portal to the past.
Sam is easy to root for. She’s moved away from her town, but she’s summoned back when her Grandma Pearl is injured. She has a lot of painful childhood memories she’s been running from that she’s now forced to confront, and I appreciate how this particular plotline was discussed.
While the reader isn’t given insights into Damon’s perspective, I think it works here, and he felt fairly well fleshed out. Through Sam, I understood her complex feelings about Damon, and her questions about “what if?” The flashbacks, exploring what could have happened if she’d made a different choice, and how things might have turned out for them further contextualized their relationship in actual reality in a beautiful way, and made me root for them the second time around.
This was an enjoyable read that pleasantly surprised me. I’d recommend it to readers looking for a contemporary romance that captures the nostalgic vibes of the 2000s.

Read Completed 7/20/24 | 2.75 stars
I was very excited for this book so the fact that I didn't connect is quite the letdown. I loved the 2000s nostalgia, the concept of this magical mix CD, and a second chance romance, but the writing here just really fell flat in a lot of ways.

Firstly, the things I did like. I really liked the concept of taking care of yourself first and fulfilling your dreams, and that some people can be meant to be together but need to find each other at the right time. I really liked that Sam & Damon met up again as adults and they were more mature and therefore better equipped to work on a relationship. I also really liked Sam's relationship with her grandma. For some reason I'm just a sucker for a cute grandparent relationship. The 2000s nostalgia was also fun, albeit overdone.

Sadly, I had a lot of issues with a lot of things, though, and that really overshadowed my reading experience. First and foremost, while Sam & Damon matured as they grew to be adults, most of Sam's growth within the timeline of the story was ONLY because of this magical CD. She gains perspective on why her mother left and never came back, but she doesn't ever really talk to her mom or grandmother about it until the very end, and it's very quick and not developed. She's only able to have this perspective because the CD shows her what her and Damon's relationship would have been like if she stayed and she kind of understands now why her mother had to leave. But I really, really wish that had been developed more and she could have come to a better realization, like on her own and the CD just helps. It basically hands it to her and she had to be slapped in the face with it.

I also had issues with the romance. I really didn't feel a lot of chemistry between Sam & Damon. I felt like both of them were kind of boring characters and I didn't really feel their personalities. Honestly, MOST of the plot takes place through the flashbacks and obviously there's some in the present as well, but there's not a lot of communication, flirting, dancing back and forth, working things out. The characters were pretty boring and relying on their teenage selves to tell most of the story didn't really tell me who they are as adults.

This also isn't really a romcom. The concept leads to believe it's going to be a 13 Going on 30 type vibe, or some other cute romcom movie, and the cartoon cover also implies romcom, but the book is fairly even-keeled with maybe 2-3 funny moments that might make you chuckle, mostly relating to silly 2000s trends, but it's kind of serious in a lot of ways. I'm not saying the author should have written it differently but I do feel like the marketing leads you to believe this is a little lighter than it is. It's not super heavy but I kind of felt dragged down the whole time.

I also felt like the parts that were lighter were too cheesy. The 2000s vibe was a little too overdone -- I don't need to know that a character was wearing Soffie shorts that were rolled three times. The mention of the clothing styles, trends, decor, and music was a little much. Sure, a lot of us looked like that in the 2000s and had all that crap in the 2000s, but it just felt like it was trying too hard. Some cute mentions are great, but it was all the time to make sure you really, really got the picture. The ending was SO CHEESY that it made me embarrassed for the characters and I really hated it. I also had really stupid things that I wanted to pick apart (like Damon's gonna go sell his beer internationally when he doesn't even sell nationally yet? -- At least, I'm assuming. There's no mention of his reach and his success outside of this small town. And do you know how wildly expensive it is to import beer? And can they even keep up with production? This is like, a small hometown local brewery. I hated the nickname "Sam Sam". I hated that Sam called her past self "Alt-Sam". Enough, just call her me or Sam. It's stupid, but things like that got on my nerves.)

THE BACKTRACK had some really good bones but the writing really left me wanting more. I just didn't connect with the characters and I feel like there was no plot because the backstory did all the hard work. Maybe Erin LaRosa just isn't for me. I've DNFed another one of her books and this was the second one I tried. I mostly felt like the scenes in the past took up way too much of the book and we never got to feel the characters as adults. Why were they so meant to be? Being best friends and having a missed opportunity as a teenager doesn't mean you're meant to be. We didn't really see much of them as adults and I just felt like the author wanted us to just know instead of really displaying how much chemistry they really had.

Cute Concept. Giving 13 going on 30 but I just could not get into it. It was taking me days to get through a chapter. It was just not keeping my attention.