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If Not for My Baby
It’s the duet of a lifetime when a rock star and his backup singer find a new kind of harmony off stage in this sensational contemporary romance.
Clementine Clark isn’t looking for love. Growing up with a single mom who weeps over a new guy each week tends to have that effect on a girl. But Clementine doesn’t mind being the rational one—she’s even buried her musical dreams so deeply within herself that she hardly notices the hole it’s left in her life.
That is until her best friend calls her with a life-changing opportunity: to join Irish megastar Halloran on his first US tour as a backing vocalist. Clementine wants to reject the offer, but the pay is enough to change her and her mom’s life. Overnight, Clementine goes from serving enchiladas at the Happy Tortilla to belting high notes before a cheering crowd.
But the whiplash of trading small-town Texas for sold-out stadiums is nothing compared to the rush of performing with the enigmatic Thomas Patrick Halloran. Poet, introvert, and lyrical genius, Halloran quickly gets under Clementine’s skin. The two couldn’t see the world more differently. And yet, over the course of the next eight weeks on tour, the romantic rockstar might just strike an unforgettable chord in Clementine. But will it be enough for an encore?
Clementine Clark isn’t looking for love. Growing up with a single mom who weeps over a new guy each week tends to have that effect on a girl. But Clementine doesn’t mind being the rational one—she’s even buried her musical dreams so deeply within herself that she hardly notices the hole it’s left in her life.
That is until her best friend calls her with a life-changing opportunity: to join Irish megastar Halloran on his first US tour as a backing vocalist. Clementine wants to reject the offer, but the pay is enough to change her and her mom’s life. Overnight, Clementine goes from serving enchiladas at the Happy Tortilla to belting high notes before a cheering crowd.
But the whiplash of trading small-town Texas for sold-out stadiums is nothing compared to the rush of performing with the enigmatic Thomas Patrick Halloran. Poet, introvert, and lyrical genius, Halloran quickly gets under Clementine’s skin. The two couldn’t see the world more differently. And yet, over the course of the next eight weeks on tour, the romantic rockstar might just strike an unforgettable chord in Clementine. But will it be enough for an encore?
448 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 2025
300 people are currently reading
28791 people want to read
About the author
Kate Golden
7 books3,170 followersKate Golden is the USA Today bestselling author of The Sacred Stones trilogy. She lives in Los Angeles where she works in the film industry developing movies with screenwriters and filmmakers. When she isn’t telling stories, Kate is an avid book reader, puzzle addict, and game night enthusiast which she hosts with her husband and puppy, Milo. You can find her on Instagram at @KateGoldenAuthor and on TikTok at @Kate_Golden_Author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,163 reviews
August 22, 2025
This book is exactly the kind of story about real people that belongs in non-commercial fanfiction spaces like AO3, where, at the very least, such works aren’t sold for profit.
This shouldn’t have been published in its current form, and certainly not for profit.
The book follows a touring backup singer who falls in love with the band’s lead singer. That summary alone isn’t alarming but what unfolds is something else entirely. The male lead, Halloran, is Hozier, unmistakably so. Not “inspired by” or fictionalised in any way. There’s no disguise or distance — Halloran is simply Hozier inserted whole into a romance novel, relying on readers’ recognition rather than character development.
Anyone remotely familiar with Hozier’s music would spot this immediately. I’ve seen performances and heard his songs enough to recognise the style and public image he carefully curates. The replication is blatant. The book depends on this recognition, expecting readers to project their own image of Hozier onto Halloran rather than building a unique character. That’s not just lazy writing, it’s invasive. The story functions only if readers mentally substitute a real person for its protagonist, feeling emotions the book itself never earns.
To be clear, I’m not a diehard Hozier fan. I like his music and respect his presence. That’s enough. Even from that limited perspective, the resemblance is overwhelming and increasingly uncomfortable. This book doesn’t explore fame or parasocial dynamics; it hijacks a real man’s likeness, known for his privacy and thoughtfulness, and uses him as fantasy fodder. There’s no self-awareness or commentary, just commercialised projection.
I’ve read fanfiction, including real person fiction. I understand the creative impulse behind it when it exists within the right context, transformative, boundary-aware, and non-commercial. But this isn’t tucked away in a niche community. It’s a product, packaged and sold, turning fantasy into commodity. Even Wattpad, for all its commercial drift, usually acknowledges that boundary.
And even if you could ignore all that, even if you separated Halloran from Hozier, the romance itself is flat. Clementine and Halloran have no development, no arc, no believable tension. Their connection is abrupt and empty. Their first kiss arrives so fast, with Clementine falling for him not because of any organic connection, but because the plot requires it.
Then there’s the writing. From Clementine’s POV, during their first kiss:
“He’s more of a man than any I’ve met. If he told me he ate tree bark and slept in caves, I’d believe him.”
I’m sorry, what?
Later:
“Scooting forward on my knees, I press myself between his spread legs. I’ve never thought myself exceptionally small, but from the floor, sandwiched between his humongous knees, I am a Tiny Girl™.”
Wtf am I reading?
The song lyrics scattered throughout are atrocious. The plot bored me to death.
What makes this book indefensible isn’t just awkward writing or hollow plot. As mentioned, the story only works with that mental substitution. Without it, there’s no dynamic, no emotional core and absolutely no reason for this book to exist. This isn’t a critique of fanfiction or real person fiction when it stays where it belongs: within communities where boundaries and ethics are understood. This is what happens when those fantasies are lifted without context and sold.
If you’re drawn in by the rockstar romance premise, you might expect escapism. But what you’re actually reading is something else. This book doesn’t blur the line between fantasy and personhood, it erases it, then asks you to follow. That’s not just uncomfortable. It’s wrong.
Thank you Hachette Australia for the ARC.
This shouldn’t have been published in its current form, and certainly not for profit.
The book follows a touring backup singer who falls in love with the band’s lead singer. That summary alone isn’t alarming but what unfolds is something else entirely. The male lead, Halloran, is Hozier, unmistakably so. Not “inspired by” or fictionalised in any way. There’s no disguise or distance — Halloran is simply Hozier inserted whole into a romance novel, relying on readers’ recognition rather than character development.
Anyone remotely familiar with Hozier’s music would spot this immediately. I’ve seen performances and heard his songs enough to recognise the style and public image he carefully curates. The replication is blatant. The book depends on this recognition, expecting readers to project their own image of Hozier onto Halloran rather than building a unique character. That’s not just lazy writing, it’s invasive. The story functions only if readers mentally substitute a real person for its protagonist, feeling emotions the book itself never earns.
To be clear, I’m not a diehard Hozier fan. I like his music and respect his presence. That’s enough. Even from that limited perspective, the resemblance is overwhelming and increasingly uncomfortable. This book doesn’t explore fame or parasocial dynamics; it hijacks a real man’s likeness, known for his privacy and thoughtfulness, and uses him as fantasy fodder. There’s no self-awareness or commentary, just commercialised projection.
I’ve read fanfiction, including real person fiction. I understand the creative impulse behind it when it exists within the right context, transformative, boundary-aware, and non-commercial. But this isn’t tucked away in a niche community. It’s a product, packaged and sold, turning fantasy into commodity. Even Wattpad, for all its commercial drift, usually acknowledges that boundary.
And even if you could ignore all that, even if you separated Halloran from Hozier, the romance itself is flat. Clementine and Halloran have no development, no arc, no believable tension. Their connection is abrupt and empty. Their first kiss arrives so fast, with Clementine falling for him not because of any organic connection, but because the plot requires it.
Then there’s the writing. From Clementine’s POV, during their first kiss:
“He’s more of a man than any I’ve met. If he told me he ate tree bark and slept in caves, I’d believe him.”
I’m sorry, what?
Later:
“Scooting forward on my knees, I press myself between his spread legs. I’ve never thought myself exceptionally small, but from the floor, sandwiched between his humongous knees, I am a Tiny Girl™.”
Wtf am I reading?
The song lyrics scattered throughout are atrocious. The plot bored me to death.
What makes this book indefensible isn’t just awkward writing or hollow plot. As mentioned, the story only works with that mental substitution. Without it, there’s no dynamic, no emotional core and absolutely no reason for this book to exist. This isn’t a critique of fanfiction or real person fiction when it stays where it belongs: within communities where boundaries and ethics are understood. This is what happens when those fantasies are lifted without context and sold.
If you’re drawn in by the rockstar romance premise, you might expect escapism. But what you’re actually reading is something else. This book doesn’t blur the line between fantasy and personhood, it erases it, then asks you to follow. That’s not just uncomfortable. It’s wrong.
Thank you Hachette Australia for the ARC.
August 5, 2025
Curious to see how this one goes - I've loved Kate Golden's romantasy... time to see if she hits with a rock star romance
🎤 Rockstar Romance
🎤 Found Family
🎤 Slight Age-Gap
🎤 Romantic MMC x ‘Loves Not for Me’ FMC
🎤 Dreamy Hozier-Esque Lyrics
🎤 He Falls First
🎤 Chronic Illness Rep
Expected Pub Date - 08/05/25
Many thanks to Berkley Pub for the advanced digital copy - all thoughts are my own.
🎤 Rockstar Romance
🎤 Found Family
🎤 Slight Age-Gap
🎤 Romantic MMC x ‘Loves Not for Me’ FMC
🎤 Dreamy Hozier-Esque Lyrics
🎤 He Falls First
🎤 Chronic Illness Rep
Expected Pub Date - 08/05/25
Many thanks to Berkley Pub for the advanced digital copy - all thoughts are my own.
November 26, 2024
Is this not like… weird and invasive to anyone else?
August 24, 2025
Could we please stop publishing fiction that's so obviously about real people?
Edit (August 21, 2025): Reading this book only served to lower my opinion of it, if that was even possible. You might have thought literature hit rock bottom with the ill-advised and no less invasive Taylor Swift / Travis Kelce novella "Roughing the Princess", but watch out, here comes Kate Golden with a shovel!
If you feel like you should give this book the benefit of the doubt, don't.
We're introduced to Thomas Patrick Flynn O’Halloran in Chapter 2, and by the end of Chapter 8, there can be no doubt that he is a politically neutered carbon-copy of Hozier. Halloran is:
• "kind of quiet. Stupidly talented. REALLY tall." (Chapter 2);
• "his long, curly brown hair falls across his face as he plays.";
• "lives in a castle in Ireland" (Chapter 3)
• "is pretty private."
• "Sometimes he even sings in the native tongue."
• "He sings of solitude and ennui, the climate apocalypse, worshipping a woman’s mind and body and the exquisite rhapsody of falling in love. But mostly, he sings of heartbreak. Yearning. Begging on his knees." (Chapter 4).
Halloran is also constantly described as a "bog man", "indie god", "mournful druid", and, my personal (least) favorite, as having "long, Tarzan-like tresses". From all these noble savage adjacent descriptors, it is abundantly clear the author has a very surface-level engagement with Hozier and his art. Then again, this is not much of a surprise considering she wrote and published an adult romance book about a famously private man she claims to be a fan of. It's unmistakable, uncomfortable, and grossly invasive.
And that is to say nothing of the poorly developed romance, completely devoid of any chemistry, paper-thin characters, and casual pick-me misogyny ("—I’ve never seen an audience so feral for someone before. The women especially…they’re practically foaming at the mouths." "I’ve seen videos of women weeping before the Beatles and fainting at BTS shows. I am moved by music more than anyone I’ve ever met, and even still, the level of mania I’m witnessing seems a little excessive.").
Its only saving grace is that it's not egregiously poorly written - more or less in the same ballpark as "Throttled", which I assume is par for the contemporary romance course (?). It's still not a good book, though.
Edit (August 21, 2025): Reading this book only served to lower my opinion of it, if that was even possible. You might have thought literature hit rock bottom with the ill-advised and no less invasive Taylor Swift / Travis Kelce novella "Roughing the Princess", but watch out, here comes Kate Golden with a shovel!
If you feel like you should give this book the benefit of the doubt, don't.
We're introduced to Thomas Patrick Flynn O’Halloran in Chapter 2, and by the end of Chapter 8, there can be no doubt that he is a politically neutered carbon-copy of Hozier. Halloran is:
• "kind of quiet. Stupidly talented. REALLY tall." (Chapter 2);
• "his long, curly brown hair falls across his face as he plays.";
• "lives in a castle in Ireland" (Chapter 3)
• "is pretty private."
• "Sometimes he even sings in the native tongue."
• "He sings of solitude and ennui, the climate apocalypse, worshipping a woman’s mind and body and the exquisite rhapsody of falling in love. But mostly, he sings of heartbreak. Yearning. Begging on his knees." (Chapter 4).
Halloran is also constantly described as a "bog man", "indie god", "mournful druid", and, my personal (least) favorite, as having "long, Tarzan-like tresses". From all these noble savage adjacent descriptors, it is abundantly clear the author has a very surface-level engagement with Hozier and his art. Then again, this is not much of a surprise considering she wrote and published an adult romance book about a famously private man she claims to be a fan of. It's unmistakable, uncomfortable, and grossly invasive.
And that is to say nothing of the poorly developed romance, completely devoid of any chemistry, paper-thin characters, and casual pick-me misogyny ("—I’ve never seen an audience so feral for someone before. The women especially…they’re practically foaming at the mouths." "I’ve seen videos of women weeping before the Beatles and fainting at BTS shows. I am moved by music more than anyone I’ve ever met, and even still, the level of mania I’m witnessing seems a little excessive.").
Its only saving grace is that it's not egregiously poorly written - more or less in the same ballpark as "Throttled", which I assume is par for the contemporary romance course (?). It's still not a good book, though.
May 24, 2025
Oh boy, that stunning, vivid cover, the steam, and the explosive chemistry between Clem and Tom set this entire story on fire, leaving readers absolutely breathless! Imagine a great love story infused with catchy, heartfelt lyrics, a touch of Daisy Jones & The Six and A Star Is Born—with the kind of electric chemistry that brings to mind Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (but don’t worry, there’s nothing toxic about Tom and Clem’s fiery bond). Sound irresistible? It should be!
Meet Clementine Clark, a small-town Texas girl who has never left Cherry Grove. She’s spent years caring for her single mother, who suffers from fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that leaves her in constant pain. With expensive trial treatments they can’t afford, Clem puts her college dreams on hold, working as a waitress at a diner where her longtime friend—and ex—Mike is her boss. But when her best friend offers her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fill in as a vocalist on rising star Thomas Patrick Halloran’s first U.S. tour, Clem is forced out of her comfort zone. The eight-week gig could cover her mother’s medical expenses and reignite the musical dreams she buried long ago.
What she didn’t anticipate? Halloran himself.
Tom is like an Irish Jim Morrison meets Jesus-if-he-lived-in-the-forest—a mesmerizing force of nature who shakes up Clem’s world. And unlike the stereotypical rockstar drowning in excess, Tom is the opposite—introverted, bookish, and quietly magnetic. He keeps to himself, preferring solitude over partying and groupies. And yet, one late-night encounter at a vending machine sparks an unlikely friendship… and a passion that neither of them can ignore.
But Clem hesitates. She’s watched her mother suffer heartbreak after heartbreak, raised without a father, and she knows Tom thrives on turning heartache into music—he’s practically the male version of Taylor Swift. She’s supposed to return home, resume her old life. But what if there’s still a chance for her to chase her musical dreams? What if love with this captivating Irish musician is worth the risk? What if, against all odds, she actually deserves something beautiful?
Overall: I adored this passionate, electrifying, and deeply moving love story. Tom and Clem’s connection is pure magic, and this novel easily earns five blazing, fiery stars! One of the best romances of the year—I highly recommend grabbing a copy ASAP!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing this incredible romance’s digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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Meet Clementine Clark, a small-town Texas girl who has never left Cherry Grove. She’s spent years caring for her single mother, who suffers from fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that leaves her in constant pain. With expensive trial treatments they can’t afford, Clem puts her college dreams on hold, working as a waitress at a diner where her longtime friend—and ex—Mike is her boss. But when her best friend offers her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fill in as a vocalist on rising star Thomas Patrick Halloran’s first U.S. tour, Clem is forced out of her comfort zone. The eight-week gig could cover her mother’s medical expenses and reignite the musical dreams she buried long ago.
What she didn’t anticipate? Halloran himself.
Tom is like an Irish Jim Morrison meets Jesus-if-he-lived-in-the-forest—a mesmerizing force of nature who shakes up Clem’s world. And unlike the stereotypical rockstar drowning in excess, Tom is the opposite—introverted, bookish, and quietly magnetic. He keeps to himself, preferring solitude over partying and groupies. And yet, one late-night encounter at a vending machine sparks an unlikely friendship… and a passion that neither of them can ignore.
But Clem hesitates. She’s watched her mother suffer heartbreak after heartbreak, raised without a father, and she knows Tom thrives on turning heartache into music—he’s practically the male version of Taylor Swift. She’s supposed to return home, resume her old life. But what if there’s still a chance for her to chase her musical dreams? What if love with this captivating Irish musician is worth the risk? What if, against all odds, she actually deserves something beautiful?
Overall: I adored this passionate, electrifying, and deeply moving love story. Tom and Clem’s connection is pure magic, and this novel easily earns five blazing, fiery stars! One of the best romances of the year—I highly recommend grabbing a copy ASAP!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing this incredible romance’s digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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February 13, 2025
he is a real person..this is honestly just weird and gross. RPF should be kept on AO3 if it MUST be written.. and Berkley should be embarrassed to even be publishing this to be honest!
i am going to buy a spell on etsy and curse this book’s release date. i am resurrecting the three witches from macbeth and we are sitting in a circle every evening praying for its downfall. i have assembled a rat army to eat all of the paper this book would be printed on. i am climbing 5G towers to become supercharged and am sending messages telepathically to others to join my quest.
i am going to buy a spell on etsy and curse this book’s release date. i am resurrecting the three witches from macbeth and we are sitting in a circle every evening praying for its downfall. i have assembled a rat army to eat all of the paper this book would be printed on. i am climbing 5G towers to become supercharged and am sending messages telepathically to others to join my quest.
August 11, 2025
AHHHH ok listen!!! am i a big fan of rockstar romances? no. BUT I AM A BIG FAN OF KATE GOLDEN ROCKSTAR ROMANCES🙂↕️🙂↕️
i am so happy to say i enjoyed this book way more than i anticipated to simply because this subgenre isn’t typically my jam BUT i absolutely adore kate’s other books so i knew if anyone could get me to enjoy my time reading one it was her!!!
while i admit i don’t know anything about hozier other than a few songs (and that he’s ragingly hot after making this edit, wtf??) so i fear i probably missed a lot of cute little nods to him. i fell in love with tom SO fast, he was so swoony and romantic that it made me want to actually run to see what the hype was surrounding the real version 🤭
i freaking LOVED clem, she felt so real and relatable. she did annoy the heck out of me from time to time (bc i am her, lbr) she was witty as hell and had me cackling out loud often, i absolutely loved the way she loved her people.
i really enjoyed the dynamic between these two, tom was never afraid of calling clem out on her bolter bs and he did so with the utmost love and respect. their love felt so intense yet so soft at the same time which idk if that makes sense but to me it does. the emotional depth between the two of them was *chefs kiss*. they were fun and flirty but also real and raw!!!
the found family we get to see between clem and her new band mates (most of them anyway) was EVERYTHING. it was honestly refreshing to see women just getting along and not having to compete and pit eachother against one another. i loved every tour bus moment, or when the girls would help clem get ready. it was just so fun 🥹
if you are a fan of DJ&T6, a star is born, fleetwood mac (minus the toxicity of these first three things), and obviously hozier then this book is quite literally for you!!! i can’t recommend it enough 🥰
i am so happy to say i enjoyed this book way more than i anticipated to simply because this subgenre isn’t typically my jam BUT i absolutely adore kate’s other books so i knew if anyone could get me to enjoy my time reading one it was her!!!
while i admit i don’t know anything about hozier other than a few songs (and that he’s ragingly hot after making this edit, wtf??) so i fear i probably missed a lot of cute little nods to him. i fell in love with tom SO fast, he was so swoony and romantic that it made me want to actually run to see what the hype was surrounding the real version 🤭
i freaking LOVED clem, she felt so real and relatable. she did annoy the heck out of me from time to time (bc i am her, lbr) she was witty as hell and had me cackling out loud often, i absolutely loved the way she loved her people.
i really enjoyed the dynamic between these two, tom was never afraid of calling clem out on her bolter bs and he did so with the utmost love and respect. their love felt so intense yet so soft at the same time which idk if that makes sense but to me it does. the emotional depth between the two of them was *chefs kiss*. they were fun and flirty but also real and raw!!!
the found family we get to see between clem and her new band mates (most of them anyway) was EVERYTHING. it was honestly refreshing to see women just getting along and not having to compete and pit eachother against one another. i loved every tour bus moment, or when the girls would help clem get ready. it was just so fun 🥹
if you are a fan of DJ&T6, a star is born, fleetwood mac (minus the toxicity of these first three things), and obviously hozier then this book is quite literally for you!!! i can’t recommend it enough 🥰
August 7, 2025
₊˚🎸⊹ ˖ 3 stars ₊˚🎸⊹ ˖
Upon finishing this novel, I think it’s safe to say Halloran is a Hozier insert wholly and unequivocally, not merely inspired by him. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Hozier’s music, but it’s uncomfy having a whole book written based on a real-life person - especially one that values their privacy (funnily enough Halloran likes his privacy too, who would have thought?). To be clear, fanfiction is not my issue here, it’s the fact that this is to be profited off of which feels exploitative.
Whilst ‘exploitative Hozier fanfic’ is certainly a substantial criticism to have, I only had a couple other minor complaints, not that I can tell you them though because they’ll spoil the story ✌🏻. But, for the most part I was able to enjoy the book for what it was - a soft, romantic love story between singers on tour.
꒰🎤꒱ Halloran was so gentle with Clementine it made my heart cry. Even when he thought she wasn’t fully interested, he always looked after her.Maybe that’s the bare minimum, but in this day and age I fear it’s really not🤧.
꒰🎟️꒱ Clementine pushing Halloran away was frustrating to read, but then I realised I’m the exact same (oops)😭🤚🏻. She was such a painfully relatable character - the kind of person who hates love because it’s doomed to fail/doomed to cause pain every single time, and yet is somehow secretly and ashamedly the biggest romantic.
꒰❔꒱ Overall, it has been such a struggle trying to form a fair rating for this book. If one of the main characters hadn’t been so blatantly based on a real person, I could have enjoyed this uninhibitedly, but alas he was. Based on this, I don’t know if I could recommend this book guilt-free.
‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹
‧₊˚🎸✩₊ 𝑷𝒓𝒆-𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 ₊˚🎸⊹ ˖
I received an ARC for this before finding out the mmc is inspired by Hozier… hopefully this is only loosely based on him rather than heavily because otherwise that’s no good🥴. On another note, did I request this book based on that absolutely stunning cover? Yes, yes I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC.
💭 ❛ 𝛢𝜈𝘰𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝜈𝑒𝑟𝑦𝘵ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝘵ℎ𝑎𝘵 𝑐𝘰𝑢𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝘵 𝑦𝘰𝑢 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝘵 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝘵 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝜈𝑒 𝑦𝘰𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝘵ℎ 𝑛𝘰𝘵ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝘵 𝑎𝑙𝑙. ❜ 💭
Upon finishing this novel, I think it’s safe to say Halloran is a Hozier insert wholly and unequivocally, not merely inspired by him. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Hozier’s music, but it’s uncomfy having a whole book written based on a real-life person - especially one that values their privacy (funnily enough Halloran likes his privacy too, who would have thought?). To be clear, fanfiction is not my issue here, it’s the fact that this is to be profited off of which feels exploitative.
Whilst ‘exploitative Hozier fanfic’ is certainly a substantial criticism to have, I only had a couple other minor complaints, not that I can tell you them though because they’ll spoil the story ✌🏻. But, for the most part I was able to enjoy the book for what it was - a soft, romantic love story between singers on tour.
꒰🎤꒱ Halloran was so gentle with Clementine it made my heart cry. Even when he thought she wasn’t fully interested, he always looked after her.
💌 “𝘚ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝘵... 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑚𝑒, 𝑦𝘰𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝘰𝑤?”
“ 𝐼 𝑑𝘰𝑛'𝘵 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟,” ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑠, 𝑏𝑟𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑘𝑛𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝘰𝜈𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑘. “𝑌𝘰𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝜈𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑦 𝘵𝘰 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑.” 💌
꒰🎟️꒱ Clementine pushing Halloran away was frustrating to read, but then I realised I’m the exact same (oops)😭🤚🏻. She was such a painfully relatable character - the kind of person who hates love because it’s doomed to fail/doomed to cause pain every single time, and yet is somehow secretly and ashamedly the biggest romantic.
꒰❔꒱ Overall, it has been such a struggle trying to form a fair rating for this book. If one of the main characters hadn’t been so blatantly based on a real person, I could have enjoyed this uninhibitedly, but alas he was. Based on this, I don’t know if I could recommend this book guilt-free.
‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹
‧₊˚🎸✩₊ 𝑷𝒓𝒆-𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 ₊˚🎸⊹ ˖
I received an ARC for this before finding out the mmc is inspired by Hozier… hopefully this is only loosely based on him rather than heavily because otherwise that’s no good🥴. On another note, did I request this book based on that absolutely stunning cover? Yes, yes I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC.
Want to read
November 22, 2024A Hozier inspired rockstar romance AND he’s Irish?! We’ve been blessed 🍀😍
February 1, 2025
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
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
August 5, 2025
it’s this bad boys pub day 🙂↕️🙂↕️
4⭐️ objectively for the romance but hozier thoughts below!!
tom was PEAK yearning. he was the most consistent, considerate, and patient man for clementine who is so “the bolter” coded (which seems to be golden’s bread and butter when it comes to her fmcs). i couldn’t help but root for them and i wanted her to just OPEN HER EYES and appreciate this amazing man all while trying to feel accepted and worthy in his group- which, by the way, could’ve been totally cringey since the rock star romances this year have been less than stellar 😭
also, the way clementine spoke about music HELLO?? did she crawl into my head?! kate golden was really out here writing pure poetry when describing what listening to and writing music feels like and she captured an artists feelings so fucking well. i love a woman who thinks of music as a religious experience!!!!
now for the hozier bit…made me super umcomfy. if this stood completely on its own my thoughts above would ring true but knowing this was inspired by him made it read like fanfic and im honestly so tired of it between this, dramione, and the uproar of taylor swift- when will it end? WHY can’t we just be original and not use public figures?!
thank you to netgalley and berkley for the arc!!
4⭐️ objectively for the romance but hozier thoughts below!!
tom was PEAK yearning. he was the most consistent, considerate, and patient man for clementine who is so “the bolter” coded (which seems to be golden’s bread and butter when it comes to her fmcs). i couldn’t help but root for them and i wanted her to just OPEN HER EYES and appreciate this amazing man all while trying to feel accepted and worthy in his group- which, by the way, could’ve been totally cringey since the rock star romances this year have been less than stellar 😭
also, the way clementine spoke about music HELLO?? did she crawl into my head?! kate golden was really out here writing pure poetry when describing what listening to and writing music feels like and she captured an artists feelings so fucking well. i love a woman who thinks of music as a religious experience!!!!
now for the hozier bit…made me super umcomfy. if this stood completely on its own my thoughts above would ring true but knowing this was inspired by him made it read like fanfic and im honestly so tired of it between this, dramione, and the uproar of taylor swift- when will it end? WHY can’t we just be original and not use public figures?!
thank you to netgalley and berkley for the arc!!
August 15, 2025
This Hozier-inspired rockstar romance is sizzling with chemistry that should appeal to fans of the artist – but I regret to inform you he is less a muse here and more a whole blueprint. 🎸 While it has tropes like opposites attract, he falls first, yearning, “don’t touch her” along with found family, and it makes for a touching read, there were some things about this that didn’t sit well with me. 🎶
[ Contains some spoilers ]
PLOT SUMMARY
24-year-old Clementine “Clem” Bonnie Clark works as a waitress – alas not in a cocktaaail barrr (couldn’t resist a reference to The Human League) – in a diner run by her once-ex-now-best-friend Mike. She yearns to be in the musical theatres of Broadway, but unfortunately has had to put those dreams to rest to look after her single mother Diane who has fibromyalgia, a chronic illness. A disbeliever in love after past disappointments surrounding her mother and personal fear of commitment, she has another date go wrong.
Clem’s life takes an unexpected turn when her best friend from theatre and fellow backup singer, Everly, gets an opportunity to open for a country singer. Everly asks Clem to step in as her replacement for Halloran’s show, a gig that promises money more than enough to enrol her mother in the clinical trial to help her. Mike and his mother Beth offer to look after Diane in the meantime, so she agrees to do this.
After missing sound check and rushing straight to the show, Clem meets and gets along well with the band: consisting of keyboardist Grayson, bassist Conor, drummer Wren, lead backing vocalist Molly, as well as sound engineer Pete and photographer Indy.
It is only when she is up on stage that she meets the 32-year-old, very tall (we’re talking 6ft 6) Irish singer, Thomas “Tom” Patrick Halloran himself – though he seems gruff and dismissive of her. But behind the spotlights, in an insightful discussion of music one night, Clem discovers the man has so much depth and passion. From there, the chemistry between them is as electrifying as his guitar. Her soprano voice pairs with his better than Molly’s alto and she becomes the lead singer for his duet single “If Not for My Baby”.
Despite their differences, Clem is drawn to Tom and they spend time together. But there are complications: the woman Clara, the paparazzi, the age gap, the fact he is a pop star – perhaps even only interested in having her as inspiration and nothing more! Worse of all: people may spread rumours she only got the duet because they mess around. As the 8 weeks of the tour come to an end, will Clem and Tom survive the glare of the spotlight and the complications of their vastly different lives?
This is told from the first-person present-tense POV of Clem.
OVERALL OPINIONS
I have such deeply mixed feelings about this book. It’s been a while since I’ve read rockstar romances, and I was so eager to dig in when I discovered this was Hozier-inspired, he’s one of my favourite artists (and honestly who doesn’t love him?).
ㅤ🎸🎵🎶 music to my ears 🎼🎤🎧
I loved most of the way this was written (see my favourite quotes below because the descriptions were *chefs kiss*), especially the moment where Clem and Tom sing that different version of If Not for My Baby – the tension and desire were off the charts. The yearning that Tom has as well was so swoon-worthy – as well as his depth of a character, being more than a superstar and in fact a humble man with a traumatic past who shot to fame because of it. I was invested in a few secondary characters like Molly, and Indy and her ex (despite there not being much plot concerning that). The found family that Clem gets through the band is charming. There were a few great and intriguing aspects like what is Molly hiding, what is Tom’s past. And there were some excellent plot twists at the end that I didn’t anticipate.
What really worked was the realistic elements of plot itself. The representation of chronic illness via Clem’s mother was another very touching aspect and as someone who knows people with chronic health issues where it is so difficult to get a diagnosis, this was especially handled well.
I relate very much to Clem’s arc in terms of the burdens of looking after family and guilt when she is away from them. I think this was one of the aspects done well, particularly the scene where she says to Diane she cannot change her entire life and her mother interrupts with “What life?”. That hit me hard.
The issue that women can be seen as only being talented or working their way to the top not on their own merit but through sleeping with men was raised here. I like that it was, because it draws relevant attention to the unfair scrutiny and double standards women face even today in male-dominated industries. Beyond that, the book also effectively highlights the scary everyday issue of men who cannot handle rejection from women and become abusive towards them as an outcome.
ㅤ🎸🎵🎶 Halloran – or Hozier 2.0? 🎼🎤🎧
One thing that seems a little concerning is that Kate Golden herself in the acknowledgements says “An enormous thank-you to the inspiration behind If Not for My Baby. Your music has moved me in a way very few things in life tend to.” – yet she does not explicitly say Hozier. I’ve read books where Taylor Swift is thanked for simply providing background music during writing sessions! Now, this deliberate vagueness feels less like humble gratitude and more like an attempt to sidestep the association, despite the overwhelming evidence within the story.
It is not like Halloran being inspired by Hozier is a secret: the book and song by Halloran is called If Not for My Baby when shortened is INFMB, closely resembling NFWMB by Hozier short for Nothing F*cks With My Baby. More than that though, a TikTok video in November 2024 was captioned “GUYS I WROTE THE HOZIERMANCE” (explicitly referring to this story as she transitions from the laptop screen of Hozier to the reveal of her book cover). One of the comments said “I want Hozier to read this out loud for us” to which she responded “I would die of mortification” which is rather understandable and amusing.
However, it raises the question: what if he *did* read it? If you’re writing a book so clearly based on a real person with adult content, knowing they could stumble upon it, is this how you’d choose to write it? I would consider speaking with the person you were basing it on and get their permission before publishing, particularly since Hozier seems a private man.
Don’t get me wrong, this sort of fanfiction-turned-bestseller has been done before. We all know the After series on Wattpad was based on One Direction before the names and plot were changed and that got published. And remember EL James wrote the 50 Shades series which was a Twilight fanfiction. More recently, Daisy Jones and the Six was inspired by the band Fleetwood Mac (and its subsequent show was received well by Stevie Nicks). The depiction of real individuals can also go the other way, as shown by Pamela Anderson when she felt distressed and violated by the Pam & Tommy series, which (though not based on a book) depicted intimate and traumatic parts of her life without her consent. But despite such precedents, If Not for My Baby goes a step further, entering ethically questionable territory that borders on the latter point.
The issue itself lies in the fact Halloran is far too similar to Hozier that it’s not an inspiration, it’s a direct clone of him. And that I think pushes boundaries and causes a lot of discomfort for some readers. The comparisons include:
• singer (Halloran is on album 2 (working on #3 at the end), Hozier is on album 3)
• Irish origin (Halloran is from County Kerry, Hozier is from County Wicklow)
• height (whilst Halloran is 6ft 6, Hozier is 6ft 5)
• looks (same hair, same Jesus-like appearance and worship by fans)
• his titles (Halloran is a bog creature and forest god, Hozier is known as the bog man and forest king/daddy)
• the name Eden (Halloran’s former girlfriend, Hozier’s song From Eden)
• Fox (Halloran’s gf Eden helps one, Hozier’s song In The Woods Somewhere Hozier talks about encountering an injured one)
Other than 5ft nothing me getting whiplash at the very thought of that height (does he really need to be that tall?? 6ft 2 or under is good enough for me, I don’t know about the rest of you – and that would stray away from him being 99% Hozier), the parallels extend far beyond meagre details.
Halloran’s personality and habits like his maintenance of privacy, intellectualism, reading poets like Yeats, and connection to nature mirror Hozier’s persona almost exactly. His song lyrics echo Hozier’s distinctive blend of wildlife and spiritual and sensual themes, with titles like Heart of Darkness (“your heart, love, has such darkness” from De Selby Pt 2), Consume My Heart Away (Eat Your Young), and Meadowlark (Shrike). There are the album names too: To The End (All Things End/Hozier’s 3rd album Unreal Unearth) and both Kingfisher (Shrike/Hozier’s 2nd album Wasteland, Baby! since the cover had him underwater and Kingfishers dive into water).
The lyrics of the song Halloran sings about Clementines feel rather similar to Hozier’s Wildflower and Barley and Would That I:
My rating truly went from 5 to 4 to 3 as the book went on because of this. I wouldn’t have minded if he had the Jesus image but had a completely different music genre, personality (grumpy instead of shy), the songs subjects being more about mythology, or his origin.
ㅤ🎸🎵🎶 sour notes 🎼🎤🎧
Beyond the extensive Hozier blueprinting, certain narrative choices also felt uncomfortable. This scene where Clem is kneeling before Tom:
While a short woman is a trope in so many books (hence the trademark symbol), it isn’t great that there is a clothing brand for children called Tiny Girl too. Both of these things problematically infantilise Clem in an NSFW scene that should never have child-like comparisons/associations (even if used unintentionally and more to indicate the size differences). Some people already hate age gap romances, and this will only put them further off.
There were some characters that were not spent on enough – like Clem’s best friend Everly, who she barely interacts with when I think she should have actually sought her advice – and others who went from 100 to 0 far too quickly. Grayson’s character is the perfect example of the latter point. We go from the two of them laughing and having normal conversations “There’s something familiar about him and it makes me feel a little less homesick” to him 16% of the way into the story giving her advice that apparently was him putting her down according to Clem. I had initially interpreted it as him trying to help her fit in and not get on the wrong side of Halloran until she explicitly stated this was him negging her. And then he’s constantly flirting and coming onto her afterwards. This should have been fleshed out some more and altered so he is nicer to Clem – this would make him less a predator and more a friend and stereotypical “nice guy” who actually has been wanting to sleep with Clem. This would make his arc less predictable and something I saw miles away. The same goes for Jen, this would have made her villain arc even more of a shock.
The fact Clem was late for sound check and is pretty much blamed for a situation she herself was not responsible for (a typo by the manager herself who did not correct herself) was probably the most foolish and annoying thing I’ve ever read.
ㅤ🎸🎵🎶 to conclude 🎼🎤🎧
You can see why I am so torn about this. I really love rockstar romances so it was good to see this, and I have shelved it under my favourites because some of this I can personally overlook and I adore the descriptions in here. However, I don’t think this fanfiction should have been published as a book without it being discussed with the inspiration in question.
<< Positives >>
🠚 The book cover!
🠚 Engaging writing with high tension and great descriptions
🠚 Deep, swoon-worthy MMC
🠚 The romance
🠚 Charming found family trope
🠚 Chronic illness representation
🠚 Relatable MFC
🠚 Raises sexism and abuse issues
<< Negatives >>
🠚 Vague Hozier acknowledgement
🠚 Halloran is too much of a clone than inspiration of Hozier which makes this ethically questionable
🠚 “Tiny Girl” infantilisation
🠚 Inconsistent side characters like Everly
🠚 Plot inconsistencies
CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Clem꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I couldn’t be more different than her as I am the hopeless romantic but I understand why she would want to run. I was rooting for her at every opportunity.
-ˋˏ ꒰ Tom꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Would that all men have the sort of brains, love and devotion this man has. His yearning is insane!
FAV QUOTES
• It’s not a feeling I can relate to, but that’s what’s so magical about musical theater. About music in general: it’s all the escapism of storytelling but with the added arsenal of slowbuilding chords and plunging vocals. You feel it in every part of you—the tap of your feet, the tears in your eyes, the tingle at the back of your neck. It’s as close to being swept away as one can get.
• He sings of solitude and ennui, the climate apocalypse, worshipping a woman’s mind and body and the “exquisite rhapsody” of falling in love. But mostly, he sings of heartbreak. Yearning. Begging on his knees. Someone clearly trampled this man’s heart into the ground. And then threw it into a wood chipper. Repeatedly.
• There’s a fantasy to music made about romantic love. A whimsy of sorts. Whether it’s describing elation or devastation— the narrative beauty helps the song Trojan-horse right past all my protective barriers.
• I crane my neck up. And up, and *up*. Until my gaze lands on Halloran’s eyes. They are the richest green on earth. The green of a lush wood untouched by man.
• He looks like a handsome, mournful druid. His eyes are endless. “Hey.” His deep voice still sends my stomach plummeting. Not just the depth of it, but how gentle his speaking voice is compared to that rich heaviness with which he sings.
• “Don’t diminish your awe. The world’s a fine place; there’s plenty worth bein’ moved by.”
• “So what does ‘dating’ Tom Halloran look like, then?” | He smirks down at his hands, wrapped softly around the epic poem. It’s like it was shrunk in the wash, so dwarfed by his grasp. “I could show you.” My mind stalls. Scatters and reconfigures. Sharper and blurrier all at once.
• I’d rather drown in the onslaught of all our shared desire.
• The audience is inconsolable. They know they’ve witnessed something different tonight. A new, less polished version of the song. Tom dips his head to them and then staggers back to stare *directly* at me. His eyes are the green you can see through. A stormy, crystalline sea. They pierce mine from across the stage. No humor. No playful smirk. *Searing.* It’s a promise of what’s to come.
• “Nothing about you is *just* anything.” | And I can see it in his eyes. That look of reverence, of worship. Of white-hot desire. He’s going to wring me out and make me beg. He’s a man who tortures himself—you can hear it in his music—he’s a glutton for punishment, for driving the edge of the knife deeper.
• And that’s why they call it *falling* in love, right? Because while I’d had my stupid head in the clouds, romanticizing a halo of sunlight around Thomas Patrick Halloran, I had forgotten that flying always leads to free fall—to plummeting down through reality until you’re mere rubble and wreckage
• His eyes are wet. Harrowing green and bloodshot red, like a forest ravaged by wildfire. “I can’t promise you a life free of sorrow. Nobody can. But I can swear to shelter the heart of ye with all I have.”
• I’m learning lessons in love in real time these days: when you feel about someone the way I do about Tom, there isn’t much room for shame. To be loved is to be known—the worst of you, the best of you. Maybe that was what I was hiding from all along, and now I can’t understand why.
══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Kate Golden, Quercus, and NetGalley for the opportunity.
“Whatever you want out of this life, and I’ll have it done.”
His hands circle my waist, and he’s sighing, breathing me in. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, and nowhere, I realize, that I cannot go as long as we are together. “What if all I want is you?”
“Like you once said to me...” Another kiss. Warm hands on my back...
And when he speaks again, I’m reminded how we got here. How his voice alone drew me to him like a siren’s call that terrifying day on a Greyhound bus heading for Memphis. His lyrical baritone. My home in a sound.
“I’m yours.”
[ Contains some spoilers ]
PLOT SUMMARY
24-year-old Clementine “Clem” Bonnie Clark works as a waitress – alas not in a cocktaaail barrr (couldn’t resist a reference to The Human League) – in a diner run by her once-ex-now-best-friend Mike. She yearns to be in the musical theatres of Broadway, but unfortunately has had to put those dreams to rest to look after her single mother Diane who has fibromyalgia, a chronic illness. A disbeliever in love after past disappointments surrounding her mother and personal fear of commitment, she has another date go wrong.
Clem’s life takes an unexpected turn when her best friend from theatre and fellow backup singer, Everly, gets an opportunity to open for a country singer. Everly asks Clem to step in as her replacement for Halloran’s show, a gig that promises money more than enough to enrol her mother in the clinical trial to help her. Mike and his mother Beth offer to look after Diane in the meantime, so she agrees to do this.
After missing sound check and rushing straight to the show, Clem meets and gets along well with the band: consisting of keyboardist Grayson, bassist Conor, drummer Wren, lead backing vocalist Molly, as well as sound engineer Pete and photographer Indy.
It is only when she is up on stage that she meets the 32-year-old, very tall (we’re talking 6ft 6) Irish singer, Thomas “Tom” Patrick Halloran himself – though he seems gruff and dismissive of her. But behind the spotlights, in an insightful discussion of music one night, Clem discovers the man has so much depth and passion. From there, the chemistry between them is as electrifying as his guitar. Her soprano voice pairs with his better than Molly’s alto and she becomes the lead singer for his duet single “If Not for My Baby”.
Despite their differences, Clem is drawn to Tom and they spend time together. But there are complications: the woman Clara, the paparazzi, the age gap, the fact he is a pop star – perhaps even only interested in having her as inspiration and nothing more! Worse of all: people may spread rumours she only got the duet because they mess around. As the 8 weeks of the tour come to an end, will Clem and Tom survive the glare of the spotlight and the complications of their vastly different lives?
There’s a loneliness to that mental admission—the realization of how few people I’ve let in. I’m an island—a selfimposed one, but still—yet he’s become the constant, peaceful waves lapping at my shores.
This is told from the first-person present-tense POV of Clem.
OVERALL OPINIONS
I have such deeply mixed feelings about this book. It’s been a while since I’ve read rockstar romances, and I was so eager to dig in when I discovered this was Hozier-inspired, he’s one of my favourite artists (and honestly who doesn’t love him?).
ㅤ🎸🎵🎶 music to my ears 🎼🎤🎧
I loved most of the way this was written (see my favourite quotes below because the descriptions were *chefs kiss*), especially the moment where Clem and Tom sing that different version of If Not for My Baby – the tension and desire were off the charts. The yearning that Tom has as well was so swoon-worthy – as well as his depth of a character, being more than a superstar and in fact a humble man with a traumatic past who shot to fame because of it. I was invested in a few secondary characters like Molly, and Indy and her ex (despite there not being much plot concerning that). The found family that Clem gets through the band is charming. There were a few great and intriguing aspects like what is Molly hiding, what is Tom’s past. And there were some excellent plot twists at the end that I didn’t anticipate.
What really worked was the realistic elements of plot itself. The representation of chronic illness via Clem’s mother was another very touching aspect and as someone who knows people with chronic health issues where it is so difficult to get a diagnosis, this was especially handled well.
That’s one of the worst parts of an invisible illness like this one. No way to confirm what it is, just what it’s not. Rational problem solvers like myself are kept up at night by the fact that not only is there no definite diagnosis, there’s also no cure.
I relate very much to Clem’s arc in terms of the burdens of looking after family and guilt when she is away from them. I think this was one of the aspects done well, particularly the scene where she says to Diane she cannot change her entire life and her mother interrupts with “What life?”. That hit me hard.
The issue that women can be seen as only being talented or working their way to the top not on their own merit but through sleeping with men was raised here. I like that it was, because it draws relevant attention to the unfair scrutiny and double standards women face even today in male-dominated industries. Beyond that, the book also effectively highlights the scary everyday issue of men who cannot handle rejection from women and become abusive towards them as an outcome.
ㅤ🎸🎵🎶 Halloran – or Hozier 2.0? 🎼🎤🎧
One thing that seems a little concerning is that Kate Golden herself in the acknowledgements says “An enormous thank-you to the inspiration behind If Not for My Baby. Your music has moved me in a way very few things in life tend to.” – yet she does not explicitly say Hozier. I’ve read books where Taylor Swift is thanked for simply providing background music during writing sessions! Now, this deliberate vagueness feels less like humble gratitude and more like an attempt to sidestep the association, despite the overwhelming evidence within the story.
It is not like Halloran being inspired by Hozier is a secret: the book and song by Halloran is called If Not for My Baby when shortened is INFMB, closely resembling NFWMB by Hozier short for Nothing F*cks With My Baby. More than that though, a TikTok video in November 2024 was captioned “GUYS I WROTE THE HOZIERMANCE” (explicitly referring to this story as she transitions from the laptop screen of Hozier to the reveal of her book cover). One of the comments said “I want Hozier to read this out loud for us” to which she responded “I would die of mortification” which is rather understandable and amusing.
However, it raises the question: what if he *did* read it? If you’re writing a book so clearly based on a real person with adult content, knowing they could stumble upon it, is this how you’d choose to write it? I would consider speaking with the person you were basing it on and get their permission before publishing, particularly since Hozier seems a private man.
Don’t get me wrong, this sort of fanfiction-turned-bestseller has been done before. We all know the After series on Wattpad was based on One Direction before the names and plot were changed and that got published. And remember EL James wrote the 50 Shades series which was a Twilight fanfiction. More recently, Daisy Jones and the Six was inspired by the band Fleetwood Mac (and its subsequent show was received well by Stevie Nicks). The depiction of real individuals can also go the other way, as shown by Pamela Anderson when she felt distressed and violated by the Pam & Tommy series, which (though not based on a book) depicted intimate and traumatic parts of her life without her consent. But despite such precedents, If Not for My Baby goes a step further, entering ethically questionable territory that borders on the latter point.
The issue itself lies in the fact Halloran is far too similar to Hozier that it’s not an inspiration, it’s a direct clone of him. And that I think pushes boundaries and causes a lot of discomfort for some readers. The comparisons include:
• singer (Halloran is on album 2 (working on #3 at the end), Hozier is on album 3)
• Irish origin (Halloran is from County Kerry, Hozier is from County Wicklow)
• height (whilst Halloran is 6ft 6, Hozier is 6ft 5)
• looks (same hair, same Jesus-like appearance and worship by fans)
• his titles (Halloran is a bog creature and forest god, Hozier is known as the bog man and forest king/daddy)
• the name Eden (Halloran’s former girlfriend, Hozier’s song From Eden)
• Fox (Halloran’s gf Eden helps one, Hozier’s song In The Woods Somewhere Hozier talks about encountering an injured one)
Other than 5ft nothing me getting whiplash at the very thought of that height (does he really need to be that tall?? 6ft 2 or under is good enough for me, I don’t know about the rest of you – and that would stray away from him being 99% Hozier), the parallels extend far beyond meagre details.
Halloran’s personality and habits like his maintenance of privacy, intellectualism, reading poets like Yeats, and connection to nature mirror Hozier’s persona almost exactly. His song lyrics echo Hozier’s distinctive blend of wildlife and spiritual and sensual themes, with titles like Heart of Darkness (“your heart, love, has such darkness” from De Selby Pt 2), Consume My Heart Away (Eat Your Young), and Meadowlark (Shrike). There are the album names too: To The End (All Things End/Hozier’s 3rd album Unreal Unearth) and both Kingfisher (Shrike/Hozier’s 2nd album Wasteland, Baby! since the cover had him underwater and Kingfishers dive into water).
The lyrics of the song Halloran sings about Clementines feel rather similar to Hozier’s Wildflower and Barley and Would That I:
“Sweet as honey from the bee, is my fruit from the evergreen tree. Voice of a swallow, just as free, I only hear music when she’s with me.”
My rating truly went from 5 to 4 to 3 as the book went on because of this. I wouldn’t have minded if he had the Jesus image but had a completely different music genre, personality (grumpy instead of shy), the songs subjects being more about mythology, or his origin.
ㅤ🎸🎵🎶 sour notes 🎼🎤🎧
Beyond the extensive Hozier blueprinting, certain narrative choices also felt uncomfortable. This scene where Clem is kneeling before Tom:
“I’ve never thought myself exceptionally small, but from the floor, sandwiched between his humongous knees, I am a Tiny Girl™.”
While a short woman is a trope in so many books (hence the trademark symbol), it isn’t great that there is a clothing brand for children called Tiny Girl too. Both of these things problematically infantilise Clem in an NSFW scene that should never have child-like comparisons/associations (even if used unintentionally and more to indicate the size differences). Some people already hate age gap romances, and this will only put them further off.
There were some characters that were not spent on enough – like Clem’s best friend Everly, who she barely interacts with when I think she should have actually sought her advice – and others who went from 100 to 0 far too quickly. Grayson’s character is the perfect example of the latter point. We go from the two of them laughing and having normal conversations “There’s something familiar about him and it makes me feel a little less homesick” to him 16% of the way into the story giving her advice that apparently was him putting her down according to Clem. I had initially interpreted it as him trying to help her fit in and not get on the wrong side of Halloran until she explicitly stated this was him negging her. And then he’s constantly flirting and coming onto her afterwards. This should have been fleshed out some more and altered so he is nicer to Clem – this would make him less a predator and more a friend and stereotypical “nice guy” who actually has been wanting to sleep with Clem. This would make his arc less predictable and something I saw miles away. The same goes for Jen, this would have made her villain arc even more of a shock.
The fact Clem was late for sound check and is pretty much blamed for a situation she herself was not responsible for (a typo by the manager herself who did not correct herself) was probably the most foolish and annoying thing I’ve ever read.
ㅤ🎸🎵🎶 to conclude 🎼🎤🎧
You can see why I am so torn about this. I really love rockstar romances so it was good to see this, and I have shelved it under my favourites because some of this I can personally overlook and I adore the descriptions in here. However, I don’t think this fanfiction should have been published as a book without it being discussed with the inspiration in question.
<< Positives >>
🠚 The book cover!
🠚 Engaging writing with high tension and great descriptions
🠚 Deep, swoon-worthy MMC
🠚 The romance
🠚 Charming found family trope
🠚 Chronic illness representation
🠚 Relatable MFC
🠚 Raises sexism and abuse issues
<< Negatives >>
🠚 Vague Hozier acknowledgement
🠚 Halloran is too much of a clone than inspiration of Hozier which makes this ethically questionable
🠚 “Tiny Girl” infantilisation
🠚 Inconsistent side characters like Everly
🠚 Plot inconsistencies
CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Clem꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I couldn’t be more different than her as I am the hopeless romantic but I understand why she would want to run. I was rooting for her at every opportunity.
That’s how good I am at this whole romantic humaninteraction thing: we kiss, I reject him, (likely) puke on him, force him to drive me seven and a half hours across the country, and when he does something thoughtful or chivalrous I get sad and moody because I have feelings I don’t know what to do with.
-ˋˏ ꒰ Tom꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Would that all men have the sort of brains, love and devotion this man has. His yearning is insane!
With each rip of his guitar and sailing chorus from the depths of his chest, I realize more and more that Tom Halloran is the most sensual, soulful, roaringly talented musician I’ve ever borne witness to. His voice has a swaggering fullness to it—round and smooth and complex. An intimacy, though he’s playing to thousands.
FAV QUOTES
• It’s not a feeling I can relate to, but that’s what’s so magical about musical theater. About music in general: it’s all the escapism of storytelling but with the added arsenal of slowbuilding chords and plunging vocals. You feel it in every part of you—the tap of your feet, the tears in your eyes, the tingle at the back of your neck. It’s as close to being swept away as one can get.
• He sings of solitude and ennui, the climate apocalypse, worshipping a woman’s mind and body and the “exquisite rhapsody” of falling in love. But mostly, he sings of heartbreak. Yearning. Begging on his knees. Someone clearly trampled this man’s heart into the ground. And then threw it into a wood chipper. Repeatedly.
• There’s a fantasy to music made about romantic love. A whimsy of sorts. Whether it’s describing elation or devastation— the narrative beauty helps the song Trojan-horse right past all my protective barriers.
• I crane my neck up. And up, and *up*. Until my gaze lands on Halloran’s eyes. They are the richest green on earth. The green of a lush wood untouched by man.
• He looks like a handsome, mournful druid. His eyes are endless. “Hey.” His deep voice still sends my stomach plummeting. Not just the depth of it, but how gentle his speaking voice is compared to that rich heaviness with which he sings.
• “Don’t diminish your awe. The world’s a fine place; there’s plenty worth bein’ moved by.”
• “So what does ‘dating’ Tom Halloran look like, then?” | He smirks down at his hands, wrapped softly around the epic poem. It’s like it was shrunk in the wash, so dwarfed by his grasp. “I could show you.” My mind stalls. Scatters and reconfigures. Sharper and blurrier all at once.
• I’d rather drown in the onslaught of all our shared desire.
• The audience is inconsolable. They know they’ve witnessed something different tonight. A new, less polished version of the song. Tom dips his head to them and then staggers back to stare *directly* at me. His eyes are the green you can see through. A stormy, crystalline sea. They pierce mine from across the stage. No humor. No playful smirk. *Searing.* It’s a promise of what’s to come.
• “Nothing about you is *just* anything.” | And I can see it in his eyes. That look of reverence, of worship. Of white-hot desire. He’s going to wring me out and make me beg. He’s a man who tortures himself—you can hear it in his music—he’s a glutton for punishment, for driving the edge of the knife deeper.
• And that’s why they call it *falling* in love, right? Because while I’d had my stupid head in the clouds, romanticizing a halo of sunlight around Thomas Patrick Halloran, I had forgotten that flying always leads to free fall—to plummeting down through reality until you’re mere rubble and wreckage
• His eyes are wet. Harrowing green and bloodshot red, like a forest ravaged by wildfire. “I can’t promise you a life free of sorrow. Nobody can. But I can swear to shelter the heart of ye with all I have.”
• I’m learning lessons in love in real time these days: when you feel about someone the way I do about Tom, there isn’t much room for shame. To be loved is to be known—the worst of you, the best of you. Maybe that was what I was hiding from all along, and now I can’t understand why.
══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Kate Golden, Quercus, and NetGalley for the opportunity.
February 12, 2025
This is disgusting. Hozier is a real person who would most likely be uncomfortable with this objectification. Unless the author has express written permission from him, this is exploitation at its finest. Not okay for anyone, ever.
Not to even mention the cultural insensitivity and rendering of Hozier as some sort of caricature of Irish heritage and history. Absolutely abhorrent, especially when he is so passionate about exposing the atrocities that have occurred for Irish citizens.
The man pours his heart and soul and self into the art he shares with us, and this is how we repay him? Do you really want to be a part of this and send the message that we as a fan base are okay with this to others, but especially to him?
Not to even mention the cultural insensitivity and rendering of Hozier as some sort of caricature of Irish heritage and history. Absolutely abhorrent, especially when he is so passionate about exposing the atrocities that have occurred for Irish citizens.
The man pours his heart and soul and self into the art he shares with us, and this is how we repay him? Do you really want to be a part of this and send the message that we as a fan base are okay with this to others, but especially to him?
dnf
August 4, 2025dnf @ 20% .. nothing about this is gripping me and I’m bored. i also don’t love the fact that the mmc is based on hozier, can we not write fictional romance books based on real people? thanks
— thanks to NetGalley, the author and Berkley Publishing for the arc, all opinions are my own.
— thanks to NetGalley, the author and Berkley Publishing for the arc, all opinions are my own.
August 5, 2025
𝑫𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑪𝒍𝒆𝒎?” 𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅. “𝑵𝒐, 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚.” 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. “𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅.”
4.5 ✨ but to be honest, I’m rounding up because the feeeeelsssssss are TOP SHELF, OKAY?! 😭💘 I couldn’t put it down. I felt like I was picked from the audience (even though the FMC is a background singer for the band) and put on stage to get serenaded by the hot lead singer. GIMME. 🎤🔥
Let me picture you the scene - you are a small town girl with an incredible voice, and you get the chance to tour the U.S. with a rockstar. Oh!!!! and the rockstar is the shy, quiet type??? I ATE IT UP The kind that’s poetic and careful with his words. A MAN. Period.
The steady burn was everything in this book. They start off as strangers, have those little moments, and then that spark blooms into something more. AGH MY HEART WAS SO GIDDYYYY 😩💓 I loved how the author made it realistic when you think about their relationship development. Clementine is just a background singer, but that doesn’t stop Tom Halloran from seeing her the very first time she sings.
And not only do you get the romance, but you get that full rockstar tour life too! 🚌🎶 The story follows the band on tour, and the tour bus life is so fun to read I was hooked!
I loved Clem and Tom so much. They’re such different people, but their love for music connects them in the best way 🎵 Clem is kind of anti-love until she starts listening to Tom’s songs and get to know him, and slowly those walls come down (obviously). Tom, on the other hand, starts opening up more and more, and aghhh the chemistry between them is INSANE 🔥
If you love all the feels I described above and you're into poetic, shy, muscled men then trust me, this book is for you, girlies 💕 oh and he is 6'6 OKAY!!!!!!!
tropes
🎸 rockstar romance
🎸 he falls first
🎸 lead singer x background singer
🎸 found family on a tour bus
🎸 sneaking around
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
➳ 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ a rock star romance + and he's 6'6 lol SIGN ME UPPP
Thank you Berkley and Kate Golden for my eARC and free book!
4.5 ✨ but to be honest, I’m rounding up because the feeeeelsssssss are TOP SHELF, OKAY?! 😭💘 I couldn’t put it down. I felt like I was picked from the audience (even though the FMC is a background singer for the band) and put on stage to get serenaded by the hot lead singer. GIMME. 🎤🔥
Let me picture you the scene - you are a small town girl with an incredible voice, and you get the chance to tour the U.S. with a rockstar. Oh!!!! and the rockstar is the shy, quiet type??? I ATE IT UP The kind that’s poetic and careful with his words. A MAN. Period.
The steady burn was everything in this book. They start off as strangers, have those little moments, and then that spark blooms into something more. AGH MY HEART WAS SO GIDDYYYY 😩💓 I loved how the author made it realistic when you think about their relationship development. Clementine is just a background singer, but that doesn’t stop Tom Halloran from seeing her the very first time she sings.
And not only do you get the romance, but you get that full rockstar tour life too! 🚌🎶 The story follows the band on tour, and the tour bus life is so fun to read I was hooked!
I loved Clem and Tom so much. They’re such different people, but their love for music connects them in the best way 🎵 Clem is kind of anti-love until she starts listening to Tom’s songs and get to know him, and slowly those walls come down (obviously). Tom, on the other hand, starts opening up more and more, and aghhh the chemistry between them is INSANE 🔥
If you love all the feels I described above and you're into poetic, shy, muscled men then trust me, this book is for you, girlies 💕 oh and he is 6'6 OKAY!!!!!!!
tropes
🎸 rockstar romance
🎸 he falls first
🎸 lead singer x background singer
🎸 found family on a tour bus
🎸 sneaking around
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
➳ 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ a rock star romance + and he's 6'6 lol SIGN ME UPPP
Thank you Berkley and Kate Golden for my eARC and free book!
February 13, 2025
Don't romanticise a man who's been begging for privacy for years! This just reinforces negative stereotypes and barstardises the politically and historical art he has been making though music
"does it bother ye?" wtf?! (also ye is plural not singular. You used it in a singular context)
"does it bother ye?" wtf?! (also ye is plural not singular. You used it in a singular context)
December 23, 2024
EW EW EW ITS ABOUT HOZIER GET AWAY FROM ME RN DO NOT DO THIS TO HOZIER WHAG THE ACTUAL FUCK EWEWEW STOP WRITING AND PUBLISHING RPF I BEG OF YOU OH MY GOD THIS IS SO WEIRD GET AWAY FRKM HOZIER RIGHT NOW HE IS SO PRIVATE AND EVEN IF HE WASNT THIS IS WEIRD AS FUCK OH MY HOD THIS IS GROSS AND WEIRD
August 14, 2025
“I can’t promise you a life free of sorrow. Nobody can. But I can swear to shelter the heart of ye with all I have.”
-----
It's been a while since I liked a music book and I have a good feeling about this one
-----
It's been a while since I liked a music book and I have a good feeling about this one
March 15, 2025
3.5 stars ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─
Well, I finally got to read it!! I swear I've been waiting MONTHS!
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
If Not for My Baby follows down-on-her-luck Clementine, a waitress currently making ends meet trying to care for her mom. She gets the opportunity of a lifetime to be a background singer to Irish folk singer-songwriter, Halloran. A cynic when it comes to love, she has to guard herself against the the soulful, introverted Halloran, or she may just get more than she bargained for...
Read if you like:
─Single POV
─Rock star MMC
─He-falls-first
─Age gap (24 FMC, 32 MMC)
I enjoyed Halloran's character! I'm a sucker for a good famous MMC. I think this is a product of having been a teen during the 2010s. What a time. I much prefer an MMC who is kind and introverted to the classic violent-asshole-manwhore archetype that so many books have going on these days.
Clementine was also a very believable character. A lot of the conflict in this book stems from her own gripes about love and relationships and sex. That can get old real fast, but the author did a good job of making it feel natural and reasonable considering how Clementine grew up.
My biggest gripe with the book is how fast the romance progressed. There was yearning, (love a good yearning), but this felt a little premature. Listen, I love a gone man as much as anyone else, but it needs to feel earned. I want to see the build. The tension. The slow realization. This ended up feeling a little love-at-first-sight, which does it for some people, but not really for me.
Also, I hate reading lyrics in books. I don't know why, but I refuse to do it. They could be the most beautiful lyrics of all time and I would skip right over them. So, I couldn't tell you how good Halloran's songs are. This is in no way a reflection of the book, I do this whenever I encounter lyrics. Or poetry. I think there's something wrong with me 😂
Overall, this was definitely worth the read! I would recommend this to anyone who had a parasocial relationship with a celebrity in their childhood. (Come on, I know we all had at least one. Nothing to be ashamed of.) Keep an eye out for when it releases August 5th!
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Pre-read:
A rockstar and his background singer fall in love? Sign me up 👀
Edit: AHHHH!!! NetGalley approved me!!!
Well, I finally got to read it!! I swear I've been waiting MONTHS!
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
If Not for My Baby follows down-on-her-luck Clementine, a waitress currently making ends meet trying to care for her mom. She gets the opportunity of a lifetime to be a background singer to Irish folk singer-songwriter, Halloran. A cynic when it comes to love, she has to guard herself against the the soulful, introverted Halloran, or she may just get more than she bargained for...
Read if you like:
─Single POV
─Rock star MMC
─He-falls-first
─Age gap (24 FMC, 32 MMC)
I enjoyed Halloran's character! I'm a sucker for a good famous MMC. I think this is a product of having been a teen during the 2010s. What a time. I much prefer an MMC who is kind and introverted to the classic violent-asshole-manwhore archetype that so many books have going on these days.
Clementine was also a very believable character. A lot of the conflict in this book stems from her own gripes about love and relationships and sex. That can get old real fast, but the author did a good job of making it feel natural and reasonable considering how Clementine grew up.
My biggest gripe with the book is how fast the romance progressed. There was yearning, (love a good yearning), but this felt a little premature. Listen, I love a gone man as much as anyone else, but it needs to feel earned. I want to see the build. The tension. The slow realization. This ended up feeling a little love-at-first-sight, which does it for some people, but not really for me.
Also, I hate reading lyrics in books. I don't know why, but I refuse to do it. They could be the most beautiful lyrics of all time and I would skip right over them. So, I couldn't tell you how good Halloran's songs are. This is in no way a reflection of the book, I do this whenever I encounter lyrics. Or poetry. I think there's something wrong with me 😂
Overall, this was definitely worth the read! I would recommend this to anyone who had a parasocial relationship with a celebrity in their childhood. (Come on, I know we all had at least one. Nothing to be ashamed of.) Keep an eye out for when it releases August 5th!
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me early access to If Not for My Baby in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Pre-read:
A rockstar and his background singer fall in love? Sign me up 👀
Edit: AHHHH!!! NetGalley approved me!!!
February 13, 2025
This is fetishistic & plays horribly into Irish stereotypes. If the sexes were reversed and a man wrote this about a female artist, it would be viewed as highly inappropriate and creepy behavior.
June 10, 2025
OH MY GOODNESS 🥹😍
This book is about to become my entire personality. The chemistry between these two was utter perfection! Apparently my new fav trope is introverted male musicians finding their muse. The fact that she's his backup singer and doesn't believe in love made it 100x better. I absolutely devoured this.
I also loved every single side character. The band was amazing! I was slightly worried about female drama and didn't need to be. I loved Clem's mom, she's so encouraging and supportive. Even Tom's family was adorable. Everything about this was a 10/10.
This was my first time reading this author and just based off this book, I will definitely be reading more of their work!
Forced proximity
He falls first
Rockstar & backup singer
Age gap
I can’t believe I received an ARC of this. My life is officially complete. Thank you so much Berkley! *this is my honest opinion*
This book is about to become my entire personality. The chemistry between these two was utter perfection! Apparently my new fav trope is introverted male musicians finding their muse. The fact that she's his backup singer and doesn't believe in love made it 100x better. I absolutely devoured this.
I also loved every single side character. The band was amazing! I was slightly worried about female drama and didn't need to be. I loved Clem's mom, she's so encouraging and supportive. Even Tom's family was adorable. Everything about this was a 10/10.
This was my first time reading this author and just based off this book, I will definitely be reading more of their work!
Forced proximity
He falls first
Rockstar & backup singer
Age gap
I can’t believe I received an ARC of this. My life is officially complete. Thank you so much Berkley! *this is my honest opinion*
August 18, 2025
I will admit that I went into this book under the assumption that it would not be for me. I am a huge Hozier fan, and I was immediately turned off by just how deeply "Hozier-inspired" this book was, or at least marketed as. Still, I wanted to read it myself before fully forming or committing to an opinion. It was, I'm afraid, exactly what I expected it to be.
Had this book been loosely inspired by Hozier, I don't think I would've taken issue with it. Realistically, this is nothing more than published RPF. Not only is the love interest, Tom Halloran, clearly meant to resemble Hozier in his looks, speech, songwriting, etc., there are ample references to his music, things he has said in interviews, his actual band members, and so on. It reads like Kate Golden put in no effort to actually create her own character; she just wrote about Hozier, or at least the person she perceives Hozier to be, and then changed his name and a few other extremely minor details. To a more casual fan, it might be surprising that I take issue with this as a self-proclaimed fan of him myself, but the Hozier I "know" is a deeply private person, and I can't help but feel like this book goes a step too far and is dismissive of his boundaries and his personhood.
I probably could have enjoyed this book more if it hadn't been a blatant rip-off of Hozier and his life and professional work, but I can't get on board with publishing RPF like this as if that isn't creepy and invasive. If you're going to write it, at least leave it on AO3.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Had this book been loosely inspired by Hozier, I don't think I would've taken issue with it. Realistically, this is nothing more than published RPF. Not only is the love interest, Tom Halloran, clearly meant to resemble Hozier in his looks, speech, songwriting, etc., there are ample references to his music, things he has said in interviews, his actual band members, and so on. It reads like Kate Golden put in no effort to actually create her own character; she just wrote about Hozier, or at least the person she perceives Hozier to be, and then changed his name and a few other extremely minor details. To a more casual fan, it might be surprising that I take issue with this as a self-proclaimed fan of him myself, but the Hozier I "know" is a deeply private person, and I can't help but feel like this book goes a step too far and is dismissive of his boundaries and his personhood.
I probably could have enjoyed this book more if it hadn't been a blatant rip-off of Hozier and his life and professional work, but I can't get on board with publishing RPF like this as if that isn't creepy and invasive. If you're going to write it, at least leave it on AO3.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 17, 2025
4.9⭐️| TikTok | IG |
As a self proclaimed rockstar/celebrity romance hater I was convinced I wouldn’t enjoy this one…
But then Alex & Stephanie wouldn't stop talking about this book and I knew needed to give it a shot.
Someone get those girlies a gold medal because this book was f-ing EVERYTHING.
I’m kinda at a loss for words to be honest - the love story between these two MCs was so epic and utterly romantic. I stayed up till 3am reading. I was pretty much holding my breath, struggling to breathe the entire book.
THE YEARNING! THE PASSION!
I need to be revived after the madness that is this book.
Apparently the MMC is Hozier-coded and I am really bad at pop culture and celebrity stuff so aside from enjoying his music I couldn’t tell you anything about him - and thus I have no clue how this book relates to him.
WHAT I CAN TELL YOU! Is this MMC is everything. The most delicious, passionate, romantic mf-er EVER. Someone get the man-doh and build me a replica STAT.
Trust me when I say that this is a book you should absolutely read. Even if you’re a famous MC romance hater like me.
What’s to love…
- ummmm pretty much everything
- the TENSION
- the romance!!!!
- the delicious MMC
- the FMC
- the mom!
- the chronic pain rep!
- the kiss. and the other kiss. and all the other delicious things.
- side characters!
- the non-romantic relationships!
- beautiful prose and utterly quotable!
What’s not to love…
- the only reason I’m withholding the final bit to keep this from being a true 5⭐️is a tiny bit spoiler-y. I’ll be as vague as possible but reveal at your own risk.
-
🌶️ - Ch 23 & 27 are the only chapters with truely explicit scenes but this whole book will have you on pins and needles and likely panting for more.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
As a self proclaimed rockstar/celebrity romance hater I was convinced I wouldn’t enjoy this one…
But then Alex & Stephanie wouldn't stop talking about this book and I knew needed to give it a shot.
Someone get those girlies a gold medal because this book was f-ing EVERYTHING.
I’m kinda at a loss for words to be honest - the love story between these two MCs was so epic and utterly romantic. I stayed up till 3am reading. I was pretty much holding my breath, struggling to breathe the entire book.
THE YEARNING! THE PASSION!
I need to be revived after the madness that is this book.
Apparently the MMC is Hozier-coded and I am really bad at pop culture and celebrity stuff so aside from enjoying his music I couldn’t tell you anything about him - and thus I have no clue how this book relates to him.
WHAT I CAN TELL YOU! Is this MMC is everything. The most delicious, passionate, romantic mf-er EVER. Someone get the man-doh and build me a replica STAT.
Trust me when I say that this is a book you should absolutely read. Even if you’re a famous MC romance hater like me.
What’s to love…
- ummmm pretty much everything
- the TENSION
- the romance!!!!
- the delicious MMC
- the FMC
- the mom!
- the chronic pain rep!
- the kiss. and the other kiss. and all the other delicious things.
- side characters!
- the non-romantic relationships!
- beautiful prose and utterly quotable!
What’s not to love…
- the only reason I’m withholding the final bit to keep this from being a true 5⭐️is a tiny bit spoiler-y. I’ll be as vague as possible but reveal at your own risk.
-
🌶️ - Ch 23 & 27 are the only chapters with truely explicit scenes but this whole book will have you on pins and needles and likely panting for more.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
August 4, 2025
men who yearn are my favorite and tom is IT.
Clementine gets invited on his US tour to sing backup and duet, but she’s hesitant. What she didn’t expect was to find a family and love on tour!!!! Tom is the quiet, mysterious, Irish megastar and I fell so hard for himmmmm. He yearns for Clementine so hard and when he calls her Clem I about melted.
I loved their relationship development and the whirlwind backdrop of the tour. I truly had so much fun.
🎧 don’t read this book. LISTEN TO IT!!!! it’s going down as one of my fav audiobooks of the year. Ellie Gossage and Eric Nolan killeddddd the duet narration. It was beyond perfect.
thank you so much Berkley romance and PRH audio for the gifted copies!!!
Clementine gets invited on his US tour to sing backup and duet, but she’s hesitant. What she didn’t expect was to find a family and love on tour!!!! Tom is the quiet, mysterious, Irish megastar and I fell so hard for himmmmm. He yearns for Clementine so hard and when he calls her Clem I about melted.
I loved their relationship development and the whirlwind backdrop of the tour. I truly had so much fun.
🎧 don’t read this book. LISTEN TO IT!!!! it’s going down as one of my fav audiobooks of the year. Ellie Gossage and Eric Nolan killeddddd the duet narration. It was beyond perfect.
thank you so much Berkley romance and PRH audio for the gifted copies!!!
August 5, 2025
If Not for My Baby is an emotional and hazy romance following Clementine, a small town waitress who gets her big break when she is offered the chance to tour as a backup singer for Tom Halloran, an Irish musician known for his lyrical prose and award winning albums. Getting caught up in the rush and electric energy of the tour is a given, but when Clementine also starts to feel that way after getting to know Tom, she must decide if giving her heart up for the first time is worth risking everything.
As someone who is not the biggest fan of rockstar romances, I went into this one with my guard up, and boy oh boy was I pleasantly surprised. First, the chemistry and yearning are off the charts. Tom and Clementine had such a good rapport going; the two just had this instant banter and magnetic pull despite their differences. I loved how Clementine came out of her shell and let herself feel all the feelings she was so hesitant to let in. The emotional payoff after all the drama towards the end was worth it for that beautiful and gut wrenching last scene; the two finally coming together and laying all their cards out onto the table was so sweet and raw. Romance aside, I loved getting to step into the music and touring industry; it was such a messy and chaotic time, and that blended beautifully with how Tom and Clementine's slow and breezy love unfolded. If you're after a story with a little steam and a dash of charm, all wrapped up in a moody and tender romance, I can’t recommend If Not for My Baby enough.
Read if you like:
🎵Forced Proximity🎵
🎵Found Family🎵
🎵All the Yearning🎵
🎵Age Gap🎵
🎵Opposites Attract🎵
🎵He Falls First and Harder🎵
~Many thanks to Berkley Romance for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
As someone who is not the biggest fan of rockstar romances, I went into this one with my guard up, and boy oh boy was I pleasantly surprised. First, the chemistry and yearning are off the charts. Tom and Clementine had such a good rapport going; the two just had this instant banter and magnetic pull despite their differences. I loved how Clementine came out of her shell and let herself feel all the feelings she was so hesitant to let in. The emotional payoff after all the drama towards the end was worth it for that beautiful and gut wrenching last scene; the two finally coming together and laying all their cards out onto the table was so sweet and raw. Romance aside, I loved getting to step into the music and touring industry; it was such a messy and chaotic time, and that blended beautifully with how Tom and Clementine's slow and breezy love unfolded. If you're after a story with a little steam and a dash of charm, all wrapped up in a moody and tender romance, I can’t recommend If Not for My Baby enough.
Read if you like:
🎵Forced Proximity🎵
🎵Found Family🎵
🎵All the Yearning🎵
🎵Age Gap🎵
🎵Opposites Attract🎵
🎵He Falls First and Harder🎵
~Many thanks to Berkley Romance for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
August 26, 2025
OUTLIER here.
Whelp. This is a tough review for me to write, because honestly, I have zero idea what went wrong for me here, only that it did. When I first started reading it, I was completely immersed and flying through the story. I seriously could not put it down. But once I hit the 20% mark, and we approached the romance at the heart of it, I somehow disconnected. I struggled to pick it up, found myself no longer engaged with the writing or characters, felt overwhelmed by the insta love of it all, and yet, I also struggled to DNF it.
Months passed, with the book indefinitely paused. Somehow I had now convinced myself that the audiobook would work so much better for me, and it would make sense to listen given our MMCs accent. And yet somehow the audiobook managed to emphasize all of the elements I was struggling with. Although I eventually pushed through, I think I can safely say that this one is probably just not for me. However, I’ve seen so many rave reviews, making me the outlier here and that’s totally okay because not every book is for every person. If you’ve had your eye on it, I’d definitely recommend trying it for yourself.
Read if you like:
▪️rockstar romance
▪️age gap
▪️forced proximity
▪️he falls first
▪️tour life
▪️chronic illness rep
Check out my Bookstagram post here ♥
Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for the advanced copies.
Whelp. This is a tough review for me to write, because honestly, I have zero idea what went wrong for me here, only that it did. When I first started reading it, I was completely immersed and flying through the story. I seriously could not put it down. But once I hit the 20% mark, and we approached the romance at the heart of it, I somehow disconnected. I struggled to pick it up, found myself no longer engaged with the writing or characters, felt overwhelmed by the insta love of it all, and yet, I also struggled to DNF it.
Months passed, with the book indefinitely paused. Somehow I had now convinced myself that the audiobook would work so much better for me, and it would make sense to listen given our MMCs accent. And yet somehow the audiobook managed to emphasize all of the elements I was struggling with. Although I eventually pushed through, I think I can safely say that this one is probably just not for me. However, I’ve seen so many rave reviews, making me the outlier here and that’s totally okay because not every book is for every person. If you’ve had your eye on it, I’d definitely recommend trying it for yourself.
Read if you like:
▪️rockstar romance
▪️age gap
▪️forced proximity
▪️he falls first
▪️tour life
▪️chronic illness rep
Check out my Bookstagram post here ♥
Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for the advanced copies.
March 17, 2025
DNF@65
I'm so sorry but I couldn't re-pick it up; at first I really connected with the FMC but once the romance started ....nada. I felt no chemistry between the MCs I simply lost interest.AND I actually have no idea who Hozier is 🫣. it really had the potential. I'm so disappointed 🥲
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
Once I saw this beautiful cover I had to request it Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for approving my request 💋
Find my review on Instagram
I'm so sorry but I couldn't re-pick it up; at first I really connected with the FMC but once the romance started ....nada. I felt no chemistry between the MCs I simply lost interest.AND I actually have no idea who Hozier is 🫣. it really had the potential. I'm so disappointed 🥲
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
Once I saw this beautiful cover I had to request it Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for approving my request 💋
Find my review on Instagram
February 10, 2025
BURY ME WITH THIS BOOK! Will I ever stop thinking about this? Probably not. Will I ever stop recommending it? NEVER.
It’s been almost a week since I finished an advanced reader’s copy of Kate Golden’s contemporary romance debut and I can without a doubt say this is one of the best books of 2025 and one of my new all-time favorites.
Love skeptic Clementine Clark has always lived in her small Texas town. She’s a waitress at a local Tex-Mex restaurant where she works for her ex-boyfriend and sometimes hook-up, Mike. She once had dreams of pursing a career in musical theater, and even got into Berklee College of Music along with her best friend, Everly. But life has a way of…getting in the way, and between Clementine’s mom’s fibromyalgia flare ups and endless string of bad boyfriends, Clementine sets it upon herself to stay here and take care of things.
Meanwhile, Everly is off living her dream, touring as backup vocals for musicians around the country. She’s already set to be one of the backup singers for Irish megastar Halloran’s latest tour when she hears from her agent that she got the gig to OPEN for one of pop music’s biggest acts. Who does she call to fill in on the Halloran tour for her? None other than our FMC, Clementine. With 48 hours of notice, Clementine is thrust into a whole new world and leaving her small town for the first time on the summer tour of a lifetime.
She quickly becomes part of the tour bus family with the rest of the band, but the elusive Halloran always seems to keep to himself, in his suite. It’s only by a chance late-night meeting in a hotel’s vending machine room, that Clementine can finally meet the real Tom Halloran.
From the start, Clementine is taken by Tom’s lyricism and humility, but life has taught her to hold back from anything resembling a deep emotional connection. Surely, one of the world’s greatest poets and musicians couldn’t really see something in a sheltered woman eight years younger than him…
But chance encounters keep popping up, and the pull Clementine feels for Tom is unlike anything she’s ever felt. This rockstar romance where he falls first is full of sneaking around, incredible build up, and a story that’ll make even the biggest skeptic believe in love. Do yourself a favor and pick this up on August 5, 2025!
Also, the author included a playlist at the end with one song for every chapter and it is *chef’s kiss*. I imported it into Apple Music if anyone wants to listen while they read: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/i...
Thank you so much to Berkley Romance and Edelweiss for the chance to read this early!
It’s been almost a week since I finished an advanced reader’s copy of Kate Golden’s contemporary romance debut and I can without a doubt say this is one of the best books of 2025 and one of my new all-time favorites.
Love skeptic Clementine Clark has always lived in her small Texas town. She’s a waitress at a local Tex-Mex restaurant where she works for her ex-boyfriend and sometimes hook-up, Mike. She once had dreams of pursing a career in musical theater, and even got into Berklee College of Music along with her best friend, Everly. But life has a way of…getting in the way, and between Clementine’s mom’s fibromyalgia flare ups and endless string of bad boyfriends, Clementine sets it upon herself to stay here and take care of things.
Meanwhile, Everly is off living her dream, touring as backup vocals for musicians around the country. She’s already set to be one of the backup singers for Irish megastar Halloran’s latest tour when she hears from her agent that she got the gig to OPEN for one of pop music’s biggest acts. Who does she call to fill in on the Halloran tour for her? None other than our FMC, Clementine. With 48 hours of notice, Clementine is thrust into a whole new world and leaving her small town for the first time on the summer tour of a lifetime.
She quickly becomes part of the tour bus family with the rest of the band, but the elusive Halloran always seems to keep to himself, in his suite. It’s only by a chance late-night meeting in a hotel’s vending machine room, that Clementine can finally meet the real Tom Halloran.
From the start, Clementine is taken by Tom’s lyricism and humility, but life has taught her to hold back from anything resembling a deep emotional connection. Surely, one of the world’s greatest poets and musicians couldn’t really see something in a sheltered woman eight years younger than him…
But chance encounters keep popping up, and the pull Clementine feels for Tom is unlike anything she’s ever felt. This rockstar romance where he falls first is full of sneaking around, incredible build up, and a story that’ll make even the biggest skeptic believe in love. Do yourself a favor and pick this up on August 5, 2025!
Also, the author included a playlist at the end with one song for every chapter and it is *chef’s kiss*. I imported it into Apple Music if anyone wants to listen while they read: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/i...
Thank you so much to Berkley Romance and Edelweiss for the chance to read this early!
February 11, 2025
It’s been a long time since a book hooked me so much that I literally stayed up all night reading until 4AM because I just couldn’t put it down. This was incredible. I believe this book is loosely inspired by Hozier, but other than enjoying his music I don’t know much about him. So I can’t say for sure, but I can see how this book could have been influenced by him.
The love story in this book felt so deep and all-encompassing. It wasn’t just about Clem and Tom falling for each other—it was about their shared passion for music, the creative process, and the emotional weight of making art. I felt so deeply for both of them and loved many of the side characters as well.
Tom was such a dreamy MMC—thoughtful, passionate, and the kind of artist who creates because he has to because the music is part of who he is. He understood Clem in a way that felt so genuine and he knew how to navigate her insecurities without making her feel small. Their connection was so tangible and I truly felt their love not just for each other but for the music they made.
I haven’t read Kate Golden’s other books yet but I’m about to pick them up immediately because this was amazing!
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this eARc in exchange for an honest review. I feel so lucky to have gotten to read this book early and discover a new favorite book.
The love story in this book felt so deep and all-encompassing. It wasn’t just about Clem and Tom falling for each other—it was about their shared passion for music, the creative process, and the emotional weight of making art. I felt so deeply for both of them and loved many of the side characters as well.
Tom was such a dreamy MMC—thoughtful, passionate, and the kind of artist who creates because he has to because the music is part of who he is. He understood Clem in a way that felt so genuine and he knew how to navigate her insecurities without making her feel small. Their connection was so tangible and I truly felt their love not just for each other but for the music they made.
I haven’t read Kate Golden’s other books yet but I’m about to pick them up immediately because this was amazing!
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this eARc in exchange for an honest review. I feel so lucky to have gotten to read this book early and discover a new favorite book.
March 4, 2025
The only reason I gave this book 1 star was because I fear giving it 0 would not bring the overall rating for this atrocity down.
I have read sooo many bad books in my time and so many traditionally published fan fictions and I have never read one as atrocious as this. Going into this book, I had no true expectations, simply picking up this book with a mere curiosity on what exactly was going to be inside. What I didn't expect was such a fierce violation of Hozier's privacy. As previously stated, I have read and/or watched multiple pieces of media that are fan fictions of celebrities, and I have come to the consensus that these fictionalized celebrities are changed in multiple ways (ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE BEING TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED), with their names, their careers or circumstances, enough so that there are points where you can separate these two entities, the character based off of this celebrity and the celebrity themselves.... but what I experienced in this novel almost an exact copy and paste of everything Hozier. His style, his concerts, his fans... nothing about this book was creative... Reading this (and mind you I got 34% through) felt like an insane invasion of his privacy and it was genuinely disturbing that someone thought that writing this was okay, that someone else thought that PUBLISHING this was okay and that other people ACTUALLY like this. Going FURTHER, as we can decipher by the description of "Halloran" that it is just a book about Hozier, and by using the whole characterization that he's "Just a forest king" not only disrespects Hozier as an person, but also as an artist.
I will also briefly touch on the main character, mainly because she was so generic it's laughable. But essentially her extreme dislike for love was off putting for a romance book, especially since the book opened on Clementine on a date... on her lunch break... at her job... and calling him the wrong name... and then saying she didn't know why the date didnt go well (get a grip). Along with the apparent (what I like to call) "the Ali Hazelwood" method where the mmc can make one snide comment or one face and then the fmc will deem "Omg he HATES me" no matter what he does after that one instance. This proceeds to do nothing for the fmc besides make her look stupid and make me feel embarrassed to also be a woman.
To end this review off, I am extremely disappointed in everyone it took to publish this book. It was clear that Kate Golden was intending this book to be written by a Hozier fan for Hozier fan, however, if you read this book and like it is obvious you actually have no respect for that man and neither does Kate Golden.
I have read sooo many bad books in my time and so many traditionally published fan fictions and I have never read one as atrocious as this. Going into this book, I had no true expectations, simply picking up this book with a mere curiosity on what exactly was going to be inside. What I didn't expect was such a fierce violation of Hozier's privacy. As previously stated, I have read and/or watched multiple pieces of media that are fan fictions of celebrities, and I have come to the consensus that these fictionalized celebrities are changed in multiple ways (ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE BEING TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED), with their names, their careers or circumstances, enough so that there are points where you can separate these two entities, the character based off of this celebrity and the celebrity themselves.... but what I experienced in this novel almost an exact copy and paste of everything Hozier. His style, his concerts, his fans... nothing about this book was creative... Reading this (and mind you I got 34% through) felt like an insane invasion of his privacy and it was genuinely disturbing that someone thought that writing this was okay, that someone else thought that PUBLISHING this was okay and that other people ACTUALLY like this. Going FURTHER, as we can decipher by the description of "Halloran" that it is just a book about Hozier, and by using the whole characterization that he's "Just a forest king" not only disrespects Hozier as an person, but also as an artist.
I will also briefly touch on the main character, mainly because she was so generic it's laughable. But essentially her extreme dislike for love was off putting for a romance book, especially since the book opened on Clementine on a date... on her lunch break... at her job... and calling him the wrong name... and then saying she didn't know why the date didnt go well (get a grip). Along with the apparent (what I like to call) "the Ali Hazelwood" method where the mmc can make one snide comment or one face and then the fmc will deem "Omg he HATES me" no matter what he does after that one instance. This proceeds to do nothing for the fmc besides make her look stupid and make me feel embarrassed to also be a woman.
To end this review off, I am extremely disappointed in everyone it took to publish this book. It was clear that Kate Golden was intending this book to be written by a Hozier fan for Hozier fan, however, if you read this book and like it is obvious you actually have no respect for that man and neither does Kate Golden.
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