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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this book, with my honest review below.
The Backtrack is a highly recommended nostalgia read that will appeal especially to those of us who remember our trending music and worst fashion mistakes from up to 20 years ago.
Sam is an international pilot (and a REALLY good one at that) who has to reluctantly come back home to Tybee Island, GA to help pack up her grandmother and her memories. With a fraught relationship with her mother who is the crux of the reason why she left, Sam is eager to see her old high school friend (and love that never was) Damon. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) a ‘demonic’ CD player that somehow works without batteries keeps flashing her back, mixed CD song by song, to an alternate timeline had she only taken action on her feelings for Damon. But you know what they say, be careful what you wish for…
I loved how this took me back, and even without that connection this was an emotional romance, made complex by family ties and dynamics and with humor from neighbor Jessie, grandma Pearl, and the dynamic between Sam and Damon. I enjoyed every page and thought the concept with the songs was unique and enjoyable on so many levels! I found myself looking up songs I couldn’t remember and even when I did listening to them as I read. I also loved the authors usage of songs in her acknowledgments.
Once again, highly recommend. Any opportunities with the writing and plot are overshadowed with the way this was so excellently laid out and the unique premise.
The Backtrack is a highly recommended nostalgia read that will appeal especially to those of us who remember our trending music and worst fashion mistakes from up to 20 years ago.
Sam is an international pilot (and a REALLY good one at that) who has to reluctantly come back home to Tybee Island, GA to help pack up her grandmother and her memories. With a fraught relationship with her mother who is the crux of the reason why she left, Sam is eager to see her old high school friend (and love that never was) Damon. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) a ‘demonic’ CD player that somehow works without batteries keeps flashing her back, mixed CD song by song, to an alternate timeline had she only taken action on her feelings for Damon. But you know what they say, be careful what you wish for…
I loved how this took me back, and even without that connection this was an emotional romance, made complex by family ties and dynamics and with humor from neighbor Jessie, grandma Pearl, and the dynamic between Sam and Damon. I enjoyed every page and thought the concept with the songs was unique and enjoyable on so many levels! I found myself looking up songs I couldn’t remember and even when I did listening to them as I read. I also loved the authors usage of songs in her acknowledgments.
Once again, highly recommend. Any opportunities with the writing and plot are overshadowed with the way this was so excellently laid out and the unique premise.
As someone who is a geriatric millennial and a forever emo kid, this book hit me right where it hurt in the best ways possible. This is a movie in the making with all the wonderful elements of second-chance romance, a bit of magic, and a whole lot of great music.
Qᴜɪᴄᴋ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴠɪᴇᴡ: ꜱᴀᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʜᴀᴅ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ꜱᴀᴍ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏᴡɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀ ᴘɪʟᴏᴛ. ꜱʜᴇ ꜰᴇʟᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪꜰ ꜱʜᴇ ᴋɪꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴀᴛ 15, ꜱʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ. ꜱᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ - ꜱʜᴇ ʟᴇꜰᴛ, ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴀ ᴘɪʟᴏᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴜꜱʜᴇᴅ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. 11 ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ, ꜱʜᴇ'ꜱ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴘᴀᴄᴋ ᴜᴘ ʜᴇʀ ɢʀᴀɴᴅᴍᴀ'ꜱ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀʀᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡʜᴇʟᴍɪɴɢ. ᴇꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ꜰɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪxᴛᴀᴘᴇ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴅ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴏᴡꜱ ʜᴇʀ, ᴇᴍᴏ ꜱᴏɴɢ ʙʏ ᴇᴍᴏ ꜱᴏɴɢ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ɪꜰ ꜱʜᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ʏᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴋɪꜱꜱ...
This story is told from a third-person POV and mainly from Sam's view. Sam, who was abandoned by her mother and raised by her grandmother, took everything she was told as a young girl to heart and that dictated her decisions. That trauma and hurt led her to push Damon away and focus solely on her goals. She is so relatable and I loved her journey. She not only confronts her past but also her present. It's only then she can determine her future - and if Damon, who obviously grew up to be super hot but still the loving, only has eyes for her man, can be part of it.
I loved this wholeheartedly - finished it in about four hours because I could not put it down. All the music references were on point and woven into the story so perfectly. The magical CD player kept me hooked, as I wanted to learn more about Alt Sam's storyline. It wasn't what I anticipated and that was a great thing. I don't give spoilers away so all I will allude to is that sometimes the path you choose leads you to where you should always be but it's also the path that you need to take in order to find your way back. That is at least the lesson I got from this wonderful story and it was such a delightful ride from start to finish.
Tropes & Elements:
Qᴜɪᴄᴋ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴠɪᴇᴡ: ꜱᴀᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʜᴀᴅ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ꜱᴀᴍ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏᴡɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀ ᴘɪʟᴏᴛ. ꜱʜᴇ ꜰᴇʟᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪꜰ ꜱʜᴇ ᴋɪꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴀᴛ 15, ꜱʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ. ꜱᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ - ꜱʜᴇ ʟᴇꜰᴛ, ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴀ ᴘɪʟᴏᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴜꜱʜᴇᴅ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. 11 ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ, ꜱʜᴇ'ꜱ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴘᴀᴄᴋ ᴜᴘ ʜᴇʀ ɢʀᴀɴᴅᴍᴀ'ꜱ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀʀᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡʜᴇʟᴍɪɴɢ. ᴇꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ꜰɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪxᴛᴀᴘᴇ ᴅᴀᴍᴏɴ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴅ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴏᴡꜱ ʜᴇʀ, ᴇᴍᴏ ꜱᴏɴɢ ʙʏ ᴇᴍᴏ ꜱᴏɴɢ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ɪꜰ ꜱʜᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ʏᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴋɪꜱꜱ...
This story is told from a third-person POV and mainly from Sam's view. Sam, who was abandoned by her mother and raised by her grandmother, took everything she was told as a young girl to heart and that dictated her decisions. That trauma and hurt led her to push Damon away and focus solely on her goals. She is so relatable and I loved her journey. She not only confronts her past but also her present. It's only then she can determine her future - and if Damon, who obviously grew up to be super hot but still the loving, only has eyes for her man, can be part of it.
I loved this wholeheartedly - finished it in about four hours because I could not put it down. All the music references were on point and woven into the story so perfectly. The magical CD player kept me hooked, as I wanted to learn more about Alt Sam's storyline. It wasn't what I anticipated and that was a great thing. I don't give spoilers away so all I will allude to is that sometimes the path you choose leads you to where you should always be but it's also the path that you need to take in order to find your way back. That is at least the lesson I got from this wonderful story and it was such a delightful ride from start to finish.
Tropes & Elements:
The Backtrack is a story of Sam who returns home to Tybee Island after being away for many years. She reconnects with her best friend, Damon, which is awkward after a near kiss years ago. She finds an old CD player which holds a mix CD that Damon made her. When she starts it, she is taken to a time of what ifs.
The concept grabbed me for this book. Second chance romance of sorts in a different way while sparks fly in the present as well. Things did happen fast but I really loved Sam going back to see what could have been. I loved that she was rooting for Alt Sam. The characters were wonderful and filled out. I loved Damon as he was so sweet and obviously still held a torch for Sam.
Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Erin LaRosa for the e-ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.
The concept grabbed me for this book. Second chance romance of sorts in a different way while sparks fly in the present as well. Things did happen fast but I really loved Sam going back to see what could have been. I loved that she was rooting for Alt Sam. The characters were wonderful and filled out. I loved Damon as he was so sweet and obviously still held a torch for Sam.
Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Erin LaRosa for the e-ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-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
I love a little magical realism and this book did it so well. Not only did I thoroughly appreciate all of the early 2000s pop culture references – and of course Sam’s love for Twilight – but I also was fully immersed in the plot as I read, and pretty consistently eager to find out what would happen next. Sam and Damon were great characters, and although I was less interested in Sam’s family dynamics, I liked the layer that they added to the story. I will definitely continue to follow this author and look forward to seeing what she releases next.
Finished The Backtrack by @erinlarosalit I didn’t know the author and was very happy with the turnout of this story. In a “what if” game, things can change in real life. Sam gets a glimpse of her life, whilst listening to her old CD player, if she hadn’t left her hometown and her best friend Damon. A beautiful love story with family problems than can be solved, when your heart is put into it. Nice read. 5⭐️ on @goodreads #thebacktrack #erinlarosa #erinlarosaauthor #contemporaryromance #romancebooks #audiobook #readingchallenge #goodreadschallenge2024
Thank you to Canary Street Press and Netgalley for this e-arc. Also thank you to Dani and Erin La Rosa for letting me participate in the traveling arc! All thoughts are my own.
This book is a nostalgia bomb for those of us that are emo kids at heart and for that, I truly appreciated it. However, I'm not sure if this book will be memorable after a little while.
The Backtrack follows Sam, who is back in her hometown after leaving in a hurry to explore the world ten years ago. But when she left town, she also left behind her best friend Damon. Damon has always been a "what if" in her life: what if she kissed him way back when? what if she stayed behind? While cleaning her room, she finds a old mixtape from Damon and discovers that when she listens to the songs, she's transported to a timeline where these questions are answered.
While I appreciated the absolute banger playlist and the concept of this book, I struggled to truly connect with it. I didn't really find a lot of chemistry between Damon and Sam in the present day and it was a bit hard to truly root for them. But I absolutely loved this time travel idea and it was fun to listen along to some of the song's Erin picked! The visions Sam got were so interesting to imagine and I was on the edge of my seat especially towards the end.
If you were a pop punk kid that remembers when Warped Tour was on concrete parking lots, I think you'll enjoy this one. It's not my favorite, but I still enjoyed myself while reading.
This book is a nostalgia bomb for those of us that are emo kids at heart and for that, I truly appreciated it. However, I'm not sure if this book will be memorable after a little while.
The Backtrack follows Sam, who is back in her hometown after leaving in a hurry to explore the world ten years ago. But when she left town, she also left behind her best friend Damon. Damon has always been a "what if" in her life: what if she kissed him way back when? what if she stayed behind? While cleaning her room, she finds a old mixtape from Damon and discovers that when she listens to the songs, she's transported to a timeline where these questions are answered.
While I appreciated the absolute banger playlist and the concept of this book, I struggled to truly connect with it. I didn't really find a lot of chemistry between Damon and Sam in the present day and it was a bit hard to truly root for them. But I absolutely loved this time travel idea and it was fun to listen along to some of the song's Erin picked! The visions Sam got were so interesting to imagine and I was on the edge of my seat especially towards the end.
If you were a pop punk kid that remembers when Warped Tour was on concrete parking lots, I think you'll enjoy this one. It's not my favorite, but I still enjoyed myself while reading.
I was so psyched to read this because it combines two things I love: emo nostalgia and time travel. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I had a lot of trouble connecting with the characters and was disappointed by Sam’s and Damon’s lack of chemistry. The second half of this really dragged, and I just expected more overall.
It only got a 2 because of the music. The story is soooooooo so so cheesy I rolled my eyes so many times. I just couldn’t. You also couldn’t pay me all the money in the world to go back in time to Highschool so maybe that’s why I didn’t like it as much.