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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
The book itself is fine. Fun even, and Erin La Rosa is an engaging writer. Romance as a genre just doesn't do it for me, but this was genuinely silly and cute in all of the right ways.
As an aside, the only real nostalgia that happens here is aggressively name dropping bands that at the time did not subscribe to the "emo" label aside from MAYBE Death Cab.... there's a lot of conflation of subculture. I admit it's a stupid reason for me to DNF. But it's a central to plot detail, and doesn't feel lived-in or informed of the actual subculture the MCs participated in.
It's the lit equivalent of Emo Nite. Fun, maybe a little confused on song choices, definitely could've passed on it, but you're rarely upset that you gave it a go.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
fast-paced
If you're into nostalgia, early 200's emo music, 13 going on 30, and second chances this is definitely the book for you. Sam and Damon are childhood best friends, yet their love for each other was the worst kept secret. They were the right person at the wrong time. Sam was worried she'd be stuck in the small town forever just like the mom who suffered from depression and left her at a you age. Well, fast forward a decade later, Sam's grandma wants to sell her house so she returns to the small town, runs into Damon and starts having visions of what could have been?
The growth Sam had in this book was astounding. It was great to see the 3 women grow throughout the book and see how much it all affected Sam as a child. I also love how the music was included throughout the book that had to be my favorite part. I feel like we all have our what if? Moments and it goes to show that the path we're on is the best path for ourselves.
Thanks to the publisher, Erin LA Rosa & Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as always, all words are my own.
The growth Sam had in this book was astounding. It was great to see the 3 women grow throughout the book and see how much it all affected Sam as a child. I also love how the music was included throughout the book that had to be my favorite part. I feel like we all have our what if? Moments and it goes to show that the path we're on is the best path for ourselves.
Thanks to the publisher, Erin LA Rosa & Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as always, all words are my own.
funny
lighthearted
<b>Read Completed 7/20/24 |</b> 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.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I also really, really didn't like this audiobook narrator. I just really didn't love her voice and I didn't like the tone it gave to the book. She wasn't bad but it just really wasn't my preference at all.
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.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I also really, really didn't like this audiobook narrator. I just really didn't love her voice and I didn't like the tone it gave to the book. She wasn't bad but it just really wasn't my preference at all.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes