Reviews - The Backtrack | The StoryGraph

224 reviews for:

The Backtrack

Erin La Rosa

3.61 AVERAGE

sapphic_library's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

THE BACKTRACK is a funny and charming romance set in the quaint tybee island, georgia. it's all about sam, who left her hometown as quickly as she could so she could travel the world as a pilot. but when her grandma pearl asks her to come back home so she can help her pack up her childhood home to be sold, sam finds her old CD player with a mixtape by her best friend, damon. when the nostalgia hits and sam puts her headphones on to listen, she finds herself transported back in time to 2005, where she watches what she thinks is a memory of her teenage self about to kiss damon. except, she remembers things a little differently... turns out, each track on the CD shows her a different vision of what her life might have turned out if she had kissed actually kissed him that day. as she grapples with what these visions mean, along with reconnecting with damon as adults, and unpacking her childhood home and the memories it brings (both physically and psychologically), sam wonders whether she missed her chance with damon all those years ago.

this romance had some of my favorite tropes: childhood friends to lovers, second chance, small town romance... all with a side of millennial nostalgia that had me reminiscing for the mid to late 2000s. i found sam and damon's relationship (both past and present) to be so sweet. there's just something so special about being known so deeply and for so long. along with that, i absolutely loved grandma pearl, her best friend jessie, and all the other side characters, and i found the whole family story to be really touching.

read if you like:
- emo millennials
- sassy octogenarians
- a touch of magical realism

thanks to netgalley and canary press for the advanced copy! THE BACKTRACK comes out july 16.

lolloreads00's review against another edition

4.5

emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

the_bookish_dachshund's review against another edition

2.5

I was immediately grabbed by the premise for this one. I’m a sucker for magical realism and a good alternative time element - so a cd player that links to an alternative version of the early 00s? Count me in. I was also excited by the whole nostalgia factor. I wasn’t an emo kid, but the 00s were my high school years so I knew all the musical references.

While I think the premise was a great one and I enjoyed the nostalgia factor (of the 00s references to style, music, etc.), the story itself left me wanting. The premise was solid, but the first half of the story felt very slow. I didn’t really get a feel of connection between our mains, which made it hard to root for them too. It felt like a lot of telling rather than showing.

Overall, a quick read that could be read in a day. I did enjoy the references, I wish the premise had come together more. The story and characters had promise, but didn’t quite come together for me.

booksinbreweries's review against another edition

3.5

emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

adogmomsbookishlife's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

3.75

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Finished reading: June 9th 2024

"The thing was obviously evil - just like the board game in Jumanji, causing dozens of rabid monkeys to be released into the world. Only in this game, she'd be sent a baker's dozen memories of 2000s fashion crimes."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Canary Street Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

This is actually a new-to-me author, but I couldn't resist the promise of 2000s nostalgia and a time travel/timeslip element with the 'magic' CD player showing an alternate version of the main character's life. I mean, how cool is that premise?! I'm so glad I gave in now, because I ended up having such a great time reading The Backtrack. Sure, it took me a little while to properly warm up to the story, but especially the second half was extremely addictive.

The Backtrack gives us so much 2000s nostalgia, and as a millennial this was probably one of my favorite elements of the story. I was a teenager listening to the same type of music as described in the flashbacks, and this made it so much easier to connect to these parts... Including the fashion 'crimes' I was also guilty of during those years. I love that it was the CD player that was turned into the 'magical' object, and who didn't make their own mixtape back then ~~(yes, both cassette and CD for me!)~~. I can recommend listening to the songs while you are reading the flashbacks, as they really do fit each moment in the alternate world like a glove.

This story is mostly contemporary romance with only a mild dose of magical realism along the way in the form of the timeslip/flashback moments. Since each flashback only lasts as long as the duration of each song, the magical realism element isn't overpowering at all... And you should be fine even though it isn't your favorite genre. The Backtrack focuses a lot on family as well as the question 'what if', and the romance is a mix of friends-to-lovers and second-chance-romance. I could have done without the love triangle vibe and the cheating, and I kind of wish there was more chemistry between the main characters, but as a whole it was still interesting to see the two connect in past and present. There is also some steam involved, but thankfully it's just one scene that is easily skipped.

Like I said before, The Backtrack isn't just a romance read. Instead, there is a lot of focus on family with Sam returning home after years to help her grandmother. I could have done without all the drama surrounding her absent mother, and I wasn't a fan of how this part of the story was resolved... But that might just be a personal pet peeve. Abandonment isn't the only more serious topic in play though, as there is also focus on alcoholism, mental health, toxic relationships, bullying and miscarriage among others. Not what I expected, but I guess they do help create more balance the plot.

In short, if you like a good romance with a twist and like the sound of a healthy dose of emo 2000s nostalgia and music, The Backtrack will most likely by right up your alley. It might take a little while for the story to get the ball rolling, but the second half is a true pageturner!

Content Warnings

milehightbr's review

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

Thank you to Erin La Rosa and Canary Street Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Clearly it’s not just a phase… you can take the emo girl out of Georgia but it turns out also - no, you can’t. Just like our protagonist Sam, I’m a Millennial from Georgia who left as soon as I was done with school. I knew this was going to be an emotional read for me because this *quite literally* hit close to home. This was definitely my favorite Erin La Rosa book yet - not just because of the nostalgia but the lovable characters as well. Sam and Damon’s story was so beautifully done.

daniallreads's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Did you have Paramore, Blink 182 and Panic at the Disco on repeat in high school? Was Twilight you're whole personality in 2008? Did you dye your hair an outrageous color at least once?

If this is you, "The Backtrack" by Erin La Rosa needs to be your next read!!!

Thank you Canary Street Press and Erin La Rosa for the early copy of this book!

This was my first Erin book. All I have to say is what cave have I been living in because her writing is filled with whimsy and most importantly nostalgia. THE NOSTALGIA! I was transported back to the glory days of high school. Truly, I have had the songs that our main character, Sam, listened to throughout the story on repeat in my head.

But I am getting ahead of myself, let me give you a quick ten second run down of this book. *deep breath*

Sam and Damon were best friends in high school. Flashback to a moment when they almost shared a kiss that could have changed the trajectory of their lives and adult Sam constantly wonders about how life would have been if her and Damon ever took the chance on each other back then. Fast forward to present day where Sam has escaped to Paris and is a pilot full time adventuring around the world. Her sassy grandma, Pearl, injures herself which brings Sam back to her hometown after thirty years. Anxiety rakes her as her past feelings for Damon come back to her knowing that she will see him again after all this time.

After an exhausting day of travel Erin finds herself in her childhood bedroom she discovers her cd player from high school with a mix tape that Damon curated just for her. When she drops her headphones on and presses play she is immediately transported back in time to high school but at the exact moment when she could have kissed Damon...and this time...she does. *Insert all the magical whimsy*

This story literally rocks...no pun intended. The fire music references. The magical cd player. The sweet romance. The mental health representation. The navigating through family struggles. The sassy grandma. The nostalgia from the 2000's. If head banging was a rating scale, my neck would be sore and I would probably have a migraine... so so so so so good.

I will say...and this may be shocking...why did I need more spicy scenes!? But it was the perfect amount of spice at the same time? Nothing hits harder than a good romantic scene but this story is so much more than just the sparks between Damon and Sam. "The Backtrack" embodies the quote "everything happens for a reason" and having the confidence that you are following the right path in life.

Erin, I am going to need that hurricane punch recipe to get me through my first storm this year. (IFYKYK)

💿 Ashley Poston and Rebecca Serle Fans will LOVE
💿 Early 2000s Nostalgia
💿 Emo & Punk Rock Music
💿 Magical Realism
💿 Time Travel
💿 Second Chance
💿 Small Town
💿 Friendship
💿 Poblano Spiced
💿 Slow Burn
💿 Sassy Grandma

Content Warnings

mv_reads's review against another edition

4.5

"The Backtrack" by Erin LaRosa impressed me with its unique twist on a familiar concept, using timeline hops through a playlist to allow Sam to reflect on past events and "what ifs" while staying in the present. I particularly enjoyed how Sam was able to involve [name redacted] in her experiences, helping them understand what she was seeing. However, the book skimmed over some heavy familial issues and resolved them too easily, which detracted slightly from the overall impact, earning it a half-star deduction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

jess_bythebook's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective slow-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

Time travel, second chance romance, and a wonderful feminist twist. We’ve all had those “what if” moments and this book dives straight into the deep end of that rabbit hole. It starts slow, but man did it end strong!

Sam needs to get out of her small town and she’ll do anything to achieve her goal - including turning down her high school crush. But years later when she has to return to her small hometown, she starts to wonder if maybe she made a mistake. What would have happened if she took that leap? What would have happened if she stayed?

This one hit home in so many ways. I loved the magic of seeing the past in a different perspective as well as the fantastic supporting characters. Like 13 Going on 30 (but in reverse), this book is a love letter to our younger selves.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

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