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?
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First line:
"Devoting your entire life to the pursuit of another person, when human beings are all so inherently flawed, and expecting said flawed human to fix all the broken parts of you just so you can convince yourself that you're whole is a recipe for disappointment."
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Source:
Source:
eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
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Publication Date:
August 5, 2025
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Rating:
3.75 Duets out of 5
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Golden's descriptions of being on stage gave me the same feelings as Daisy Jones & The Six: I was right there on stage with our characters and could feel the tension and excitement in the air. But INFMB is a sweeping love story vs the story of the rise and fall of fame depicted in Daisy Jones.
I know we all love a possessive MMC with "touch her and die" vibes, but Tom is the exact opposite of that and is still the most swoon worthy. The scene where he just calmly extracts a drunk Clem from a man making untoward advances to her is everything I didn't know I needed in life. Tom is not a typical rockstar and just gives this chill nature vibe instead of the reckless possessive rockers usually featured in romances.
If Not For My Baby is a great rockstar romance that even people who don't like rockstar romances will love. Definitely worth picking up Golden's debut contemporary romance!
I don't know much about Hozier, but knowing this is being advertised as a "Hoziermance" and that the author has specifically said it is based off a concert experience she had at a Hozier tour did make me feel a little weird reading it. I did enjoy the story, but also with as much emphasis as has been placed on the fact that it is based off this artist made it feel like it is better kept in the fanfiction category.
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