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A review by justbookedup
The Backtrack by Erin La Rosa
5.0
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: