If Not for My Baby

I have been absolutely loving all the music-themed romances coming out this year, and one of my most anticipated was Kate Golden‘s If Not for My Baby. It starts with the kind of unexpected opportunity we all dream of: Small-town waitress Clementine’s best friend drops out of backup singing duties in a big star’s tour days before it begins, and Clem suddenly has the chance to take her place. But relationship-avoidant Clementine doesn’t expect to fall for Tom Halloran, the Irish singer-songwriter (who’s very heavily inspired by Hozier). Or for him to feel the same way about her.

What I Liked:

• A love for music! Both Clementine and Tom revere music, and I love their profound discussions of music and the meaning behind songs. They come from different backgrounds (she especially loves musical theater), and yet they’re so often on the same page about everything from lyrics to instrumentation to song structure. Their on-stage performances, the tour bus life, and bonding with fellow touring bandmates was all so immersive for this music fan.
• He’s so ethereal and poetic. Tom Halloran is the kind of artist whose music draws on mythology, allegory, social commentary, and a fair amount of romance, heartbreak, and sensuality. His whimsical insights also come across in how he talks in everyday life (at least sometimes). I enjoyed getting such a different and vivid love interest in this novel.
• Irish vibes. Tom is Irish and a love for his country is consistently apparent in his music. I also liked how he and bandmate Conor speak, with all the Irish-isms I’d expect. Most of this book isn’t set in Ireland, but the country is so present throughout regardless.
• Tackling fears and traumas. This book delves into Clementine’s fear of relationships and certainty that all love must end. It also circles around Tom’s past heartbreak that has fueled so much of his music. It’s not heavy, exactly, but it does veer more towards the emotional and occasionally florid language.

Final Thoughts

If Not for My Baby is such a beautifully done book! I loved the romance between Clementine and Tom, the devotion to music, and the whole aesthetic style. It’s also put me in the mood to listen to a lot of Hozier. I already can’t wait to read more from Kate Golden, starting with her forthcoming novel, Half City.

Special thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy If Not for My Baby here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

If Not for My Baby by Kate Golden
Audience	Adult
Genre	Contemporary Romance
Setting	United States; Ireland
Number of Pages	448
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	August 5, 2025
Publisher	Berkley

Official Summary

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?