If you love sad music, have a thing for Hozier, and watched the movie Once but wanted it to end happy then boy is this book for you!

Clementine (what a name!) is extremely jaded about love after watching her mother suffer through a string of disappointing relationships. She is an incredibly talented singer but is essentially spinning her wheels as a waitress in her small hometown when she’s granted the chance of a lifetime. She joins the tour of Halloran, a popular indie/folk/rock musician.

There’s quite a bit of emotion and heart in this one. You really feel the turmoil and joy Clementine is going through as she discovers love isn’t quite what she thought it was. And seeing Tom (Halloran) through her eyes was a delight. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted fake songs from a book to be more real like I have with these!

Thank you to Berkeley publishing for this advance reader copy.

If Not for My Baby is a love song for all those who ever felt they weren't enough. Reading this was so cathartic; I laughed, I cried, I kicked my feet and giggled like I was the one falling in love. The romance is pining and the character development is heart wrenching. I could not put this book down. The MMC is seriously swoon worthy, and the FMC is so relatable that you root for her from your very soul. 10/10.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (can I double that?)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
* Secret rock star tour romance 🎸
* He’s a well-known musician and she’s his backup singer 🎤
* He falls first 😍
* He’s a hopeless romantic and she’s a cynic of love 💞
* He’s Irish, and she’s a small town southern girl 🇮🇪🇺🇸
* He takes care of her ❤️‍🩹
* This whole book is a love song to your heart and soul 💗

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Golden, and Berkley Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

When I read this summary and heard about its inspiration, I knew I had to read this immediately! These tropes and this artist combined to make the perfect dream of a book for me!

First and foremost, I want to say how creative and beautifully detailed this book really is. Her lyrics, and how she describes Halloran singing them, is visually so explicit that I can picture the man who inspired this book doing exactly as she’s describing. The charisma, the sex appeal, the heart and soul he brings as he croons into the mic and as he plays his guitar is so palpable, and she brings him to life each time she writes about him on stage. When they sing together, especially that one similar “A Star is Born” moment, I was swirling with giddiness. This book is THAT GOOD 😍

But this is also a reluctant rock star and his new and inexperienced back up singer’s love story. The first time Halloran and Clementine really talk in this book was a perfect, swoony moment that has them both feeling unexpectedly drawn to each other. He’s taken by her honesty, her views of love and relationships, her voice, and her overall personality. And when he gives her a nickname?! 🫠 She is still herself, being open and raw about herself, despite his celebrity and how shocked she is, and I knew I would love her as the FMC.

Their first kiss is MESMERIZING! I was in a trance right along with her, and he was everything I’d thought he’d be in that moment. So much thoughtfulness, hesitancy, and desire all in one in such a small act of giving in to his attraction to her.

And as the story progresses, their passion is as strong and fierce as the songs he writes. Each time they get closer, I am on the edge of anticipation right along with them! They inspire each other and ignite such passion for the music and for each other. They are both so similar in their backgrounds and personalities, and it makes their connection so sweet and yet so fiery that they’re literally blazing on the pages once they truly get their hands on each other! And let me tell you you, their texting back and forth is both so funny and hot that I couldn’t stop giggling , and my husband asked who I was texting! 🤭 (If only!)

I also really enjoyed the friendships she makes in the band, especially with Indy and Molly. She makes such an impression on everyone, despite her low esteem of herself. She doesn’t see the beauty and kindness she brings to them, and I really enjoyed the part where Molly is willing to admit her own guilt and still want to be her friend. Women friendships can be tough to navigate, so I really liked seeing those three bond together, them taking her in and caring for her, instead of being jealous and catty.

This book was incredibly idyllic, soulfully romantic, and my heart leapt at each moment they shared together. I read this in less than a day because I felt such rhapsody in their connection to each other and couldn’t get enough of their love story. I had butterflies fluttering in my chest the whole time reading this because it is that heartfelt and beautifully told. Tom tears down Clementine’s walls of hesitancy and fears so they can truly find a healthy relationship in each other. He makes her believe in their love with his words and actions, never ever giving her a reason to back down from what they have together.

The author wrote this book with such strong imagery, and her choice of Halloran’s sensual and eloquent way with words in his Irish brogue as he makes Clementine fall for him made me feel as if I truly were listening to someone so musically gifted and so strong of a hopeless romantic. I was entranced every time he spoke and just wanted a magic spell to lift him into real life from the pages. “If Not for My Baby” is the ultimate rock star romance. It’s a hazy summer romance that gets more heady and heartfelt simultaneously the more you read. It is a slow and steady crescendo that rises with a sultry and magnetic rattle of a melodic and passionate duet that gave me goosebumps. You’ll be soaring as if you’re listening to your favorite album, the notes of this romantic story lifting you above the breeze of a warm, glittery summer day over a beautiful green field of flowers.

This book will be inspiring my lustful dreams of being swept away by Halloran, of that I am sure! Get this book as soon as you can!

Thanks netgalley/the publisher for this arc but I need some time to think about how I want to review this. Let me start this off by saying I LOVE Kate Goldens other books.

If Not for My Baby is a quick, drama-filled read that feels like stepping into a whirlwind of emotion, secrets, and second chances. Katie Golden has crafted a story that reads like a love letter to pop culture fandom, specifically those inspired by a certain high-profile singer.

The story moves at a fast pace and there were a few moments that felt like they were pulled straight from a Y/N fanfic. If you’re looking for something super easy to read this would be the book for you.

the writing did kind of lean heavily into fanfic territory. In tone and structure which might not work for every reader. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing (especially coming from me who reads fanfics regularly) it did make me wish for just a bit more originality to set it apart

I’d recommend If Not for My Baby to anyone in the mood for a bingeable, low pressure read. especially people wanting a pop star romance. It definitely knows its audience and you’ll get exactly what they came for with this story.

Thank you for the free book, Berkley Romance!

In this dreamy rock star rom com, Clementine goes on tour for Irish singer Tom Halloran as a backup singer. Though she questions leaving behind her chronically ill mother, she’s eager to spread her wings and do what she loves. She finds an eclectic mix of friends on the tour bus, and begins forming an unexplainable connection with Tom through their duet and even outside of music. Clementine wonders if what they share is real or if when the tour ends, the romance will too.

This book was so much fun and so beautifully written! Tom was such a wonderfully introverted but kindhearted character. Clementine was sweetly naive. The girls on tour, Indy and Molly, were excellent side characters and I loved the supportive female friendships shown. The portrayal of life on tour seemed realistic, and I enjoyed getting that behind the scenes look at what life as a musician could be like. Readers who enjoy rockstar romance (that is Hozier inspired), forced proximity, he falls first and harder, and a slight age gap (fmc-24, MMC- 32) will love this passionate, fiery romance!

Una historia de un cantante que se enamora de una mesera... Al parecer está inspirado en el cantante Hoizer, yo no lo supe hasta el final que empecé a leer comentarios.

El libro es entretenido pero no pasa a más. Conecté un poco con la protagonista en cuanto a la situación con su mamá. El protagonista masculino se me hizo un poco insípido a mi gusto.
Me encantó todas la referencias que hacían de Los expedientes secretos X 😍
Hay ruptura en el tercer acto, de la cual no soy muy fan, pero se resuelve rápido.
La portada del libro es hermosaaa!!! 😍😍

En general me gustó este libro, pero no me encantó. Le daría 3.5 ⭐, pero en este caso serán 3⭐
Entretenido, pero no destacable.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mixed feelings about this one all around. It's a fun concept but lands a little closely to lacking creativity in my opinion.

I think it would've been more fun to a see a rockstar that had inspiration from modern celebs but not entirely a copy of one. I love a fanfic as much as the next person but I think for a trad published book I would've loved to form my own image of Tom. The problems Clementine and Tom faced felt redundant and the ending was anticlimactic.

Overall its cute and fun and I liked Clementines voice and tone, but its not a stand out for me!

Thank you Berkley for this ARC….I guess?

Halfway though If Not For My Baby, our female main character thinks, “I’m startled every time I remember he’s a real person.” This is a thought that clearly Kate Golden has never had as she chose to copy and paste a real life person into this book and publish this blatant real person fanfiction.

Maybe this statement will get my blacklisted from this publisher, who knows, but I truly believe everyone involved in the release of this book should be ashamed of themselves. This book is such a weird invasion of privacy. A “Hozier inspired love story” this is not. This is Hozier fanfiction. Perhaps even Hozier self-insert fanfiction. And while I may have written some self insert fanfiction I am ashamed of when I was 13, I was THIRTEEN and not an adult author with a book deal who went “yeah, this is a good thing for me to publish.”

Fake-Hozier is a singer/songwriter/musician from Ireland who is 6’6 in his early 30s with long, dark, curly hair and a beard who is coming back with his second album after a five year hiatus after his debut album was a surprise hit. He is private, he is introverted, he drinks tea on stage that causes the entire audience to question what tea he’s drinking. He is incredibly poetic in his lyrics leaving you wondering if the song is about sex or the environment. This. Is just. Hozier. That’s just Hozier. The only detail she changed is the city he’s from but she left him in the same country so she didn’t even try THAT hard.

Multiple times throughout this book she discusses how intensely private and guarded our Fake-Hozier is. A character trait directly taken from the real life Hozier whose private life we know so little about. And despite the author clearly knowing this, she still chose to write a book blatantly about him with, seemingly, no shame or no reflection on if this was an ok thing to do.

But know what makes it even worse? You copy and pasted this man into your book and somehow made him BORING? Where’s the activism? Where’s the tangents about bees? Where’s the personality? Fake-Hozier had so little going on other than being completely obsessed with Clementine that that was the only thing separating him from the real man.

Would this book had even been good if she took the time to edit her self-insert RPF to not be so blatant? I don’t even know. This book made some strange decisions. After speaking max 10 words to her for a week, they have this long conversation in a hotel hallway while he’s shirtless and she’s in a robe about sex and sexting in which she chooses to sing his song to him because reciting the lyrics “feels too intimate” and he chooses to follow suit. And we are later lead to believe that that day he was already writing songs about her? Before even talking to her in the hallway? This was 20% in and I was already cringing.

Clementine was somehow god’s gift to singing with zero training. She gets thrown into this job as a backup singer at the last second by her best friend (who we basically never hear from again despite being so, so important to her) with no rehearsal, no sound check, she doesn’t even get a chance to sing a single one of these songs out loud before she gets thrown on stage. But she nails it, naturally. Fake-Hozier is immediately enraptured with her and her voice because she is so talented and makes him believe in music again or whatever. Because on top of our self-insert RPF we have a Mary-Sue too who is plagued from being so talented but unable to show it to the world because she cares about the people around her too much.

I reached a point early on where I was hate-reading this book because it had me so annoyed. But I’m not even sure if I had fun hate-reading it. I think I may legitimately be worse off from having spent time on this book. Do not make my mistake. Skip this book. Skip this author entirely.

Now if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna go buy some Hozier merch or something. I need to apologize for reading this invasion of his privacy somehow…

f Not For My Baby is a love letter to music and how it can transform your life in a multitude of ways.

Clementine and Tom (Halloran) is quite simply explosive and leaps off the page. I’ve always been a sucker for musicians but 😮‍💨😮‍💨 Tom takes it to the next level.

Rounding out the book is the backup band to Halloran and I loved each and every one of them. They perfectly complimented the dynamic of Clem and Tom.

With how powerful this is, I’m in complete amazement that this is Kate Golden's first contemporary…

Pick this one up is you enjoy:

🎶 forced proximity
🎶 he falls first
🎶 rockstar romance

Wow!! Just wow!! Still swooning from this story. The way music is represented in the story is so full of magic and passion. The lyrics, the performances and the people. You can feel it.

The tension. The banter. The slow burn. The raw passion.

She gave up her dream in order to take care of her mom. Tells herself performing locally is good enough. That is until she is hired as a backup singer and goes on the road for the Kingfisher Tour. Experiencing the world and possibilities outside her little town, has her questioning her life’s decisions. Conversations with a handsome Irishman also has her questioning what she really knows about love and what kind of future she could have. His lyrics break through to her very soul and she can’t shake it. Her world is now forever changed..

He is a hermit with shadows of guilt and grief constantly hanging over his head. He just wants to write and play music. Can’t stand the politics and pressures of being in the mainstream music industry. Then she comes along and his world is forever changed…

Definitely a must read. Don’t want to give away spoilers so that is all you get!

🎤Rockstar Romance
🎸Found Family
🎤Slight Age-Gap
🎸Romantic MMC X 'Loves Not for Me' FMC
🎤Dreamy Hozier-Esque Lyrics
🎸He Falls First
🎤Chronic Illness Rep

Thank you to the author, Berkley Pub and NetGalley for this gifted ARC for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This felt like a 1D fanfic in all of the best ways. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the characters, and the writing. The writing was really what bumped this up for me Kate Golden writes magical lines (and this isn’t even her fantasy romance!). The 3rd act breakup was a bit rough especially with how it came to be, it was a bit too much drama for me. I also think the mom (Diane) could have been a bit more fleshed out, I don’t know if she needed to have a chronic illness (there I said it) in order for their mother/daughter relationship to be the dynamic it was. I bring this up simply bc I have an issue with the medical trial bc it takes a lot more than money to get into those folks. These thoughts are probably brought on from the fact that Ive lived through a similar mother/daughter dynamic and wouldn’t alter the reading experience of others. A 4.5/4.75 tbh.

Thank you Berkley for the free e-arc!

What a beautiful, refreshing take on a rockstar romance!!! Instead of an MMC that is drowning in substances and groupies and an FMC who will save him from his vices, we got the greenest green flag to roam this earth and a skittish woman who doesn’t believe in love, yet is very romantic 👌🏻.
What I loved most about this book was witnessing tour life and how that changed Clementine, made her open up to other people, formed friendships and embraced her dreams which she suffocated under the guise of needing to take care of her sick mother.
The romance was pure and beautiful, Tom loved deep and hard, whereas Clementine was trying to sabotage herself, but in the end, all she did was fall in love even harder.
I’m a huge Kate Golden fan in her romantasy form, and now after reading If Not For My Baby, I know I need her to give us more of where this came from 😍
Thank you to Berkley Romance and the author for the eARC 🫶🏻🩵

I honestly don't think I could love this book more. The characters, the settings, the feelings, the tensions... it all was perfect for me. I knew from the moment I first heard about this book that I needed to read it. Singing, musicals, and performing all hold a special place in my life, so to read the way Clementine describes the feeling of being on stage and performing for an audience made my heart so happy. This brought back so many feelings for me. I have no notes on how this book could be better. I honestly had a hard time putting it down. This was the first book I read from Kate Golden, and it definitely won't be my last!

Thank you, Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, for gifting me this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All thoughts are my own.

Alright I'll be blunt about the fact that I usually hate rockstar/celebrity romances. I'm a hater, through-and-through. BUT this book? This book was so well done and I loved every second of it.

The reason this was not a 5 star read for me was the third act conflict. It felt dumb to me honestly. But the rest of the story was fantastic. The found family feeling was real and the romance was so sweet. This book was also very well written and I will definitely be reading more books by Kate Golden in the future.

All in all, I definitely recommend you check this romance out once it's released. It was super fun and a great palette cleanser.

I thought this was such a fun read! I absolutely adore Clem & the found family she adopted for herself! The pacing was great, & kept me fully engaged. The romance was so sweet, I easily could have read another 100 pages about Tom &Clem!
I do want to note I am a fan of Hoizer’s music, but other than that I don’t know much about him. With that being said, even though I knew the MC was inspired by Hoizer I was still able to envision Tom as his own separate person. I almost forgot completely that he was inspired by someone at all because I was so invested in his story with Clem!
Unintentionally I think I am now entering my rockstar romance era!
Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really Enjoyed the book. I think Tom honestly its one of the best MMC i have read. I could relate to Clementine a lot as a character. The only issue i had and why i did not do a 5 star was because i don’t know how i feel about being inspired by a actual person still thinking about it.

First off let me start by saying that the cover of this book is stunning. When I started reading this book I was like...hmmm...this MMC sounds like Hozier. Only after reading about 30% of the book did I do a bit more research and found out that it is most likely inspired by Hozier and that seems....weird to me. Don't get me wrong, I love a good fanfic but when it comes down to a real person it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.

Now let me move on to the story itself which I found to be good but not great. I don't know why I was expecting this to go differently than it did and maybe I'm just a pessimistic person but I was expecting something bad to happen the entire book. I couldn't identify anything in the writing to make me feel that way, but I had this ominous feeling the whole time. It was a bit surreal since I don't normally feel that way when reading contemporary romance. There is a 3rd act breakup which came as no surprise but since this is a HEA, it is resolved somewhat quickly.

Overall I liked this book but didn't love it. I would give it a 3.5 stars but rounding down to 3 for this one. Entertaining but not noteworthy.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this, I wanted to LOVE it even. But it just fell short for me and I only read about 25% and skimmed another 25%. And I looked at other reviews and people were feeling the same. I love a character that is inspired by someone famous - like I LOVE HOZIER! But this felt so…weird?? And I just didn’t like it.

Thanks to Berkley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!!

Started this book a little skeptical since this would be my first rockstar romance book and the other reviews said that this was weird for being a RPF inspired by Hozier.

Clementine was so real and relatable, especially regarding her view on love and her guilt for going on tour as a backup singer while leaving her sick mom at home in their small town. Tom was an introverted artist that just wanted his music out in the world for others to enjoy and isolated himself while on tour. Their discussions about love and music were very insightful and had beautiful descriptions, and I quite enjoyed their dynamic. Tom was never afraid of calling Clem out or showing his emotions—he wore his heart on his sleeve with her, while she guarded hers. I loved the friendship that Clem built with Indy and Molly, and am so glad that they were such girls' girls (super refreshing to see).

My biggest issue was that I was expecting to see more yearning/tension/chemistry since this was a slow burn, but it felt lacking and a little more love-at-first-sight. I also skipped reading all the lyrics after the first couple of times (it just became too repetitive when Clem was trying to describe one of his songs).

3.5

Did not realize this was a Real Person Fic essentially, which is not my thing, so I didn't end up finishing it just yet. But I did enjoy the part I did read, and will see about picking this back up when there's a little more distance between the obvious inspiration for the MMC.