4.5/5 Stars! I was HOOKED! Once the mmc started talking, I could not put this book down. I also was listening to Hozier on repeat in my head as I was reading bc the mmc was totally inspire by him and I am obsessed. I LOVED the mmc. The Irish accent, the sweet and calming composition and the insanely talented singer???? It was all just perfection. I loved all of the characters and how they formed such a bond on tour. The love story was so good. I was honestly waiting for every moment they interacted because the yearning was INCREDIBLE. I only wish it had more of them.

“I get it.. You’re a hopeless romantic”. His eyes warm on mine. “I’ll concede I’m susceptible to lovesickness. And, perhaps, the errant bout of excruciating yearning. And you?"

If Not for My Baby is a Hozier inspired romance novel that’s elevated than your typical musician romance novel. It’s hands down one of my top reads of 2025 (and it’s only February, eek!). Clementine a Broadway musical lover, cautious around love and romance, hesitantly leaves her hometown to join the tour of renowned singer Halloran (also known as Tom). Moody, mysterious, and soulful Halloran takes an interest in his new backup singer. As they are crammed in a tour bus with fellow band mates they grow inexplicably closer and peel back their emotional layers. Alas, falling in love.

I have to point this out: the tension in this book is perfectly timed. It's a luxurious push and pull between Clementine and Tom (aka Halloran). It builds and flexes that the pay off is done with such ease. It doesn't feel forced at all. The lyricism and artistic awareness, is astounding. Kate is an author that appreciates music. I must tip my hat to the concert scenes. They were set entirely in their own ambience that you felt in the moment. I could totally picture myself swaying in time to a song I’ve never heard before and basking in the talent of a fictional musician. Also, songwriting is 100% in this author’s wheelhouse, like damn:the lyrics felt ripe and earthy.

To bring this to a close, I'm hopeful that some seeds were planted for a future book based on some other characters. But for now I’m pinching myself that I got to read this book early. Now I have to hold onto my excitement until August 2025. I think it's pretty obvious this is a 5 STAR.

Thank you so much Berkley Romance and Berkley Publishing for the digital arc.

First off big thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for providing me an arc to read and review. This was one of my most anticipated romance books of 2025. I fell in love with Kate Golden after reading her debut Romantasy series- The Sacred Stones. I knew Kate was already a master of writing great romance and spice in a fantasy element. I was excited to see her tackle it in a traditional romcom environment. And let me tell you folks it did not disappoint.

I will admit I was a little bit nervous starting the book off. I’m not the hugest fan of singers/band romance trope. However, I enjoyed this much more than I expected myself to. I know everyone was saying they were picturing Hozier while reading this. But for me I kept picturing Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from a Star is Born. PS - yes I know the ages don’t match up for these characters at all, but hey it’s what my head picked so let me have it.

I loved our main characters Tom & Clem. Tom was such a heartthrob from the beginning, especially with that Irish accent 😉 He was also so down to earth and I loved watching him call Clem out on her bolting BS. Speaking of Clem don’t get me wrong I love her. She’s witty and genuinely cares for everyone she meets. I also loved watching her grow and develop. But my only minor complaint was she kept giving the same argument over and over. So I fully applauded Tom when he made Clem put in her big girl pants and gave her fears.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this story and I cannot recommend it enough. Can’t wait to get my trophy copy when it comes out later this August.

This was SO good. I’m a sucker for a musician in a book. Add a rockstar, a band, a tour, and the backup singer? I’m foaming at the mouth!!!!!!! I absolutely loved all of the discussion around music in this book, the lyrics, behind the scenes of a tour and the concerts and the tour bus. It was just so much fun to read. The romance was also 👌🏼 and her writing!!!! This is my first book by Kate Golden and I can’t get over some of the quotes in this book. I’ll leave you with one of them to encourage you to read it
“He’s already indelible ink scribbled across the fabric of me.” HUH?????? Insane!!!!
Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the arc!!!

This book was fun to read but unfortunately not my favorite. I did enjoy the premise of the book and thought it was fun to follow along the storyline, however, I did not connect with the romance as much as I typically do when reading!

I struggled with the chemistry between the characters, I think it would’ve been even better if Tom and Clem had some more solo time outside of the tour to connect and get to know each other. I also have to note that the hozier inspired is definitely more intense than I thought it would be but overall I loved Tom’s character and the music element!!

Although it wasn’t my cup of tea, I still urge others to try it out themselves! (especially if you were/are a fanfiction girl)

Wow! My first Kate Golden book and it will not be my last. This story was so fun! The music, the lyrics, the yearning!!! I had so much fun reading this book. Can’t wait to recommend it to others!

This is an extremely romantic story about with just the right amount of (very large) spice. The writing is sharp and witty and it immediately sucked me in. Clementine’s humor made me laugh out loud over and over and Tom’s way with words had me swooooooooning. I love the whole found family and how they are this crazy mix of personalities but they mesh together perfectly. I legitimately cared about every character… except Jen, she’s the worst.

This book is everything—I absolutely loved it! The chemistry between Clementine and Thomas is electric, and their journey from the stage to unexpected romance is so captivating. I couldn’t get enough of Clementine’s strong yet vulnerable character, and Thomas? A total poet-rockstar dreamboat. The way they clash and grow together over the course of the tour had me hooked every page. And honestly, a Hozier-inspired novel? Perfection. This was the ultimate fangirl dream come true.

I’m not usually a musician romance girlie but I do love me the dulcet tones and the ethereal nature imagery of a certain Irish singer songwriter and this totally delivered on what it set out to do.

I was kicking my feet giddy reading this. I think I’ll put me on a romance trend for the next couple of weeks because Ill be chasing the rush of all this second hand yearning between halloran and clementine.

I can’t say it was the *best* romance I’ve read. But I simply had too good of a time to care. I would be curious what the experience would be for reading not aware of the lore and/or said Irish singer songwriters aesthetic/appeal. So YMMV.

This one was written for the women who have dreamed of having a song written about them by Hozier.

This was ROMANTIC. The meet-cute was everything. Although, at times I was annoyed by Clementine & her denying herself of so much… it felt real. & her first love in her early twenties, while dramatic at times, also felt more real because of it.

Tom was… well, everything. Between the lyrics of his song & his overall personality… I am just so in love with yet another fictional man.

I thought the writing flowed smoothly, great succession of events. The imagery was also incredible & appropriate given how magical the story felt throughout.

A+ rockstar romance. The slow burn. The yearning. It's just SO GOOD. I honestly didn't know that this premise was missing from my life, but I am so happy to have discovered it. Obtaining a print copy might be the only thing to make 2025 worth living through. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for more contemporary romance from Kate Golden in the future.

Kate Golden writing this book was 10000% the move. If you like swoony romance about two musicians that takes you on a tour throughout the states while they maybe… probably… definitely fall in love— then you’ll def want to add this one to your TBR!! Kate combined charm and wit and emotional complexities so beautifully in this story about a woman with a once in a million lifetimes opportunity to perform on the world’s stage alongside a mega star. INFMB has so many of my fav tropes—he falls first, sneaking around, and a found family (to name a few lol). It’s going to leave you starry-eyed and desperately wanting to go listen to some live music!

This was my first Kate Golden book and I can say it won't be my last.

This was such a sweet romance where the girl, Clementine, was the cynic about love and the guy, Tom, was the romantic. So that was a fresh take. I loved Tom's Hozier vibe. I admit that was who I was picturing as I read. I loved Clem and how Tom called her out on her BS. It was a fun read with a great cast of characters, I really enjoyed reading it in one sitting!

4.5⭐ | This was soooo fecking good! 🤗🤗🤗

I fell in love with every single character in this book. It was so refreshing to not have mean girls in a book, like THANK YOU Kate Golden. Molly & Indy were perfection.

TOM... PURE PERFECTION. He does no wrong. The way I was swoooooning when he said "atta girl"

I'm unsure if I'll recover.

"your body short-circuited my brain" I LOVE CLEM + TOM!!!!

-rockstar romance
-Hozier inspired
-hopeless romantic
-he falls first