REVIEW: If Not for My Baby by Kate Golden

In If Not for My Baby by Kate Golden, Clementine “Clem” Clark grew up believing her future would be in music. Specifically, in musical theater. But when her beloved mother was diagnosed with a serious, incurable disease about a decade ago, Clem changed course, stayed home to work as a waitress and never looked back. Well, she doesn’t look back too often. So, when her best friend Everly volunteers Clem to go on tour with hugely popular Irish rocker Halloran as his backup singer she laughs and laughs. Yeah, it’s so not in the cards for her. But as her mom all but threatens to drag her to the bus to join the tour, she realizes that maybe she can have a little taste of what her future could have been like and come out of it unscathed.

‘It’s my first big concert–hello, twelve thousand people–and where I expect crippling imposter syndrome I find only bone-deep, near-spiritual rightness. I wonder if I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.’

As soon as Clementine is on the road, singing her heart out every night in front of thousands of people, she knows she’s in trouble. Because it is *everything* she dreamt it would be. As is Tom Halloran himself. The world-renowned rock star is a beast on the stage belting out his award-winning songs and hitting incredible notes on his guitar. But off the stage Tom is quiet, spending most of his time in his room writing new lyrics. Clem has never met anyone who sets her soul on fire like Tom does. And when they sing a duet of his hit power ballad each night, she sees the awe she feels reflected back in his eyes. She can’t think of two people more different than them–she’s a former theater geek from a small town in Texas and Tom is a huge Irish rock god who quotes Yeats and drinks tea all hours of the day and night. But somehow when they are together it’s like they’ve each found their home. And that honestly scares Clem to pieces.

‘Nothing has ever felt as good as being kissed with reckless abandon by Tom Halloran. His kisses are like his music: passionate, thoughtful, devastating.’

Swirling melodies, an all-encompassing love, and an eye-opening trek from one US coastline to the other, IF NOT FOR MY BABY took rock star romance to all new dazzling heights.

“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.”

CW: View Spoiler »Chronic illness detailed, alcoholism (mentioned), child abandonment (historical) « Hide Spoiler

Author Kate Golden might be known for her popular romantasy series The Sacred Stones, but her new contemporary romance about a small-town backup singer and a reluctant Irish rock star was an all-out gem. Wrapped up in the love of music and the complexities of fame, IF NOT FOR MY BABY hooked me from page one. It had angst. So. Much. Angst. It had new and old friendships being tested. It had a naive heroine destined to sing onstage. And last but certainly not least it had a thoughtful musician who was a heart-melting blend of introverted poet and rocker. All of that pieced together created one entertaining roller coaster ride of emotions and spicy moments.

One of the first things that caught my eye was the book cover. How swoony, right? And in my humble opinion it encompasses Clementine and Tom’s time together as well as their relationship perfectly. Music is what initially drew them into each other’s lives. But it was the visceral connection they shared that kept them battling their own demons and obligations to give their feelings room to grow.

I appreciated how honest Golden’s descriptions of Tom and Clementine’s conversations–and the fallout from those talks–were. Clem had the tendency to martyr herself and to run when things got too serious, while Tom basically thought of heartbreak or pain as his songwriting muse. It meant there was a lot of soul searching, awkwardness, and at times, hard feelings between them. But when it worked? Sigh. Tom and Clem were as magical off the stage as they were on it. Of course, to keep things interesting, not everyone in their circle was happy about the burgeoning relationship. Although everyone who was in their lives for the right reasons knew Clem and Tom were meant to be together and cheered them on, just as I’m sure readers will too.

QOTD: I’ll ask the same road trip/drinking game question Clementine had to answer: What three albums would you want with you on a deserted island?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: August 5th, 2025 | Berkley |

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?