I am not a typical reader of contemporary romance, but I adored Kate Golden's fantasy trilogy so much that I immediately wanted to read this just because she wrote it. I really enjoyed the story overall, though I found the FMC a bit frustrating at points. The relationship between the main characters felt organic and I found myself giggling along and struggled to put this one down.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

ARC Review
♾️/⭐️
I ate this UPPPP
in love with everything about this! From the very first introduction between Tom and Clementine I was downright obsessed. So so so moving and the lyrics?? The songs?? I need an audiobook immediatelyyyy

A small town waitress who dreams of more gets the chance of a lifetime to join a rockstar's tour as a back-up singer. And then (as the cover would imply), a romance follows. This was a nice rock-star/regular gal romance. I also have to say I really, really liked that Clementine was a former/forever theatre kid, and the infusion of some musical theatre connections throughout were extra little treats as the love story evolved. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this August 2025 release.

This book was cute! I love books revolving around music so this one was perfect! Clementine was such a cool FMC that really grew with the story.
I loved the travel, the music, the flirting! It was such a cool contemporary story about finding yourself and the role love plays!

This book made me search for Hozier fan fics lol. (Which don’t really exist)
Honestly didn’t know I was missing a Romance book inspired by him till now.
That being said I wish this book gave me more. The relationship between the Two main characters felt dry. No chemistry.
Also Clem really bothered me. Like how old are you girl have a conversation and don’t run away all the time.
I’m not a fan of third act breakups so that will always knock a star down for my ratings. I’m a firm believer that if the characters are adults they should act like them and talk through the issues that usually cause the UNNECESSARY third act breakups.
I did however love the reunion that was cute. And then ruined by Clem acting like a child…
3 stars it wasn’t bad but I probably wouldn’t read it again.

While this was a sweet romance, it was very disconcerting that the MMC was very obviously based off the real life artist Andrew Hozier, and the story read as a modified or rewritten fanfiction. The main conflicts were all rooted in miscommunication, which then made the ending fall flat when they resolved it. Was really excited for this and kind of let down.

Clem has spent years caring for her sick mother, putting her own dreams aside. But when she’s offered a chance to tour as a vocalist for rising star Thomas Patrick Halloran, she’s forced to step out of her comfort zone. Tom is no typical rockstar—introverted, magnetic, and mysterious—and their connection is undeniable. As Clem struggles between love and her responsibilities, she must decide if she deserves a shot at her musical dreams.

A passionate, electrifying romance with an unforgettable connection. Highly recommend this one!

I received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was okay. It was a bit boring in that the story has been done before and so I found it quite predictable. Normally that wouldn't be necessarily a bad thing, but I think the CONSTANT mentions of how big and tall our MMC was compared to our FMC had already gotten me agitated. This is also an age gap book which I'm not a huge fan of either. The ending was so silly to me because it was obvious what our "villain" was doing, and the naivety of FMC was just unbelievable to me. If you have spent all this time with this man and getting to know him plus the literal conversation that was just had between FMC and MMC, I feel like you need to work harder and be more manipulative to pull off the narrative she was trying to spin. This book also did a lot of tell and not show. Overall, it was okay. If the big and tall vs tiny little doll with Bambi eyes thing doesn't irritate the hell out of you then you might enjoy this book.

Overall, I loved this book. The relationship between Clementine and Tom was so sweet. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the third act breakup (I understand why it happened, but I just don't like those) and the scene at the end in the storm. Despite that, I will absolutely be recommending this book to my romance book clubs, patrons, and especially Hozier fans.

I am OBSESSED. This book was potentially the best book I've read this year. It's a rockstar romance, but its so poetic? and beautiful? and just amazing!
I'm ready to read all things Kate Golden now.

If you handed me a cinnamon roll hero with alpha vibes and said “don’t get attached,” I’d laugh, cry, and get immediately attached. Kate Golden delivers another swoony, fantasy-infused romance packed with political tension, emotional gut punches, and a big, soft man who falls first, falls hard, and would burn the world for his found family. If Not for My Baby is angsty, tender, and full of that aching slow-burn payoff we crave.

I actually do need more books like this! I love a celebrity/normal person romance. This one was lovely and surprisingly low on the angst, but didn’t quite hit the right notes for me in the end.

To be honest, I thought the uncanny likeness to Hozier a little off-putting (yes, I know it’s inspired by him, but it’s like… very identical in a way I wasn’t quite expecting!!). I get people’s criticisms on this aspect of the book being a hard no for them. Besides that, I think the plot was good! It was really easy to read and I finished it so, so quickly. Perhaps my biggest issue with this book was Clementine being really stubborn on denying herself happiness and jumping to MASSIVE conclusions that were exhausting. By the end, I did really like her character growth though, and thought that the insights in this book were really beautiful.

I lowkey wish that this was more slow burn and less insta-love (my LEAST favorite trope), but it was nice to read about a couple who just got each other immediately and then couldn’t get each other out of their heads. Tom Holloran was a swoonworthy MMC!!! It was a fun read even if it just fell short of my expectations but I would recommend!

Thank you so much to Berkley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book may be a new favorite for me. Clem and Tom were such a sweet couple, and it reminded me of my own romance, honestly. I think it made me even fonder of them and their slow burn and peaceful love. I loved so many of the side characters too! And seeing the world through Clem’s eyes as she traveled for the very first time was so sweet. I shed a few tears for their gentle love, if I’m honest. I’m genuinely already recommending this to people and it’s not even out yet!

God I love a rockstar romance!! This had me so giddy and giggly the other time. I’ll admit I do not know a too much Hoozier, however, I want to know more after this book! Tom was such a top tier character. Gorgeous, talented, patient, kind, so Swoony!! Then there was Clem, just a girl who was a waitress and always thought of others before herself. I wanted to shake her from time to time with her self sabotage but she grew so much as a character!!

I love the found family of this little band. They welcomed Clem in with open arms and showed her the ropes from the start.

Thank you so much Berkley and Kate for giving me a chance to read this early!!! You definitely have a fan in me!!

4✨
1.5🌶️

So this was a good book and was very different from what I was expecting, after reading the Sacred Stones trilogy. It shows that Kate Golden is a very adaptable author and is well versed in different genres. I am rating this 3 starts, because unfortunately I did not finish this book. The further that I read, the more I just realized it wasn't for me. I kept thinking how similar it was to Hozier (which i know that was the inspiration of the book) but the parallels almost felt intrusive they were so similar.

I tried to stay open minded about IF NOT FOR MY BABY, but I could not, in good conscience, recommend this novel. I am an American woman of color and some of the cultural references felt very off so I did some research. Several Irish readers found the content if not stereotypical then insulting. I also saw people concerned about the ethics of writing this, inspired by a real person. This is someone’s fantasy about another living celebrity. Would it be okay if a man wrote such a book about a famous woman he had a crush on? That’s for readers to decide, and I can’t speak to the accuracy of the Irish cultural references, but I kept being taken out of the novel and distracted by the story elements and not in a good way.

THIS BOOK!! When I say I was tempted to call out of work to stay home and read I am not even kidding.

The yearning!! This man was so down bad for Clementine that I couldn't handle it.

Clementine is a cynic to her core, after seeing her single mum go from deadbeat to deadbeat after being lovelorn over her father who left, Clementine has no desire for romantic love. She does, however, love to sing and act. When a series of events leads to her being the new backup singer for Halloran (a fanfic inspired version of Hozier) Clementine is thrust on a multi-week tour across the states. Along the way she gets to explore for the first time, and ends up having a deep connection with Halloran.

Since she is a cynic to her core, Clementine continues to refuse anything more with the 6'6 IRISH GOD thats again, so down bad for her that he's holed up writing love songs. This was the one unrealistic part for me - as a cynic myself, if that man called me a gothic forest goddess I would be falling at his feet.

Go read and fall in love - you wont regret it

'Live, laugh, love', but make it 'giggle, scream, cry'
Devoured this one

I am a huge Hozier fan, so I was initially drawn to this story because it's supposedly loosely based on the singer. I admit that I was a little on the fence about it, as it felt rather invasive to write an almost 'fanfiction' romance about a real-life person, but I think the MC is different enough to be distinguished from the real artist. The influence is certainly there, but it's no carbon-copy.

OMG, absolutely devoured this book. I am not much of a contemporary romance girly, but this book was something ELSE! I absolutely loved the Sacred Stones trilogy and Kate Golden's work, so of course I had to read this, too, and I am so glad I did!

Clementine is so funny and relatable, Indy is THE girl's girl, and Halloran is just perfect. I love how we got to see Clementine's character development. The world building 5 stars, the characters 5 stars, and the plot 5 stars. Loved every second of it and am so thankful for receiving an ARC!

If Hozier had a romance - it would be this one.

Precisely what I was hoping for! I really enjoyed Kate Golden's fantasy series (The Sacred Stones), so I knew I would enjoy her writing—and I'm glad I listened to my instincts. I devoured this one from start to finish because it's exactly what I needed it to be.

There were so many amazing moments between our main couple, and I really loved how our heroine, Clementine, grew. It's really hard to meet someone who feels so right at such a pivotal moment in your life—figuring out so many things at once is NOT easy. Clementine's strength and humility were such a joy to read!

I'm excited for whatever Golden writes next! I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. ALSO, THAT COVER?! I will be ordering a copy!