Still Into You by Erin Connor
Contemporary Romance
February 10, 2026 by Forever

Review by Melanie

I had no idea what to expect when I started reading an ARC of this book as this was a new to me author (this is her second book and I fully plan to read her debut). What followed was a messy, complicated, second chance romance between the lead vocalist of one of metal’s biggest bands and a music journalist tasked with interviewing the band for its first interview in years. 

I have recently gotten deep into rock and roll romances, and this was a perfect addition to that particular trope. Dax and Sloane both carry a lot of emotional baggage from their pasts and unloading all the baggage long enough to give their love another chance made for a riveting romance. 

One of the fascinating things about this book is that while it is absolutely a contemporary romance, it takes place in 2010. There are a few flashbacks to 2007 when Dax and Sloane initially meet and begin their ill-fated first attempt at a romantic relationship, but the bulk of the action takes place in 2010 which isn’t something I see all that often in brand new contemporary romances. 

Sloane loves music and her dream job is to work as a writer for Rolling Stone. She is the youngest of five with four older brothers, a single dad, and a mom who abandoned the family when she was quite young. Given that abandonment, it’s fair to say it informs a lot of Sloane’s decisions when it comes to following her ambitions versus following her heart. 

Dax, half Black, half Japanese, is the quintessential bad boy of heavy metal. A drug addiction led to a stint in rehab, and he’s been sober for six years when we first meet him. While the story is told entirely from Sloan’s POV, it’s easy to read between the lines and figure out that Dax is still very much in love with Sloane despite their three-year estrangement. When the two reunite, Sloane is desperate to make her mark in the world of music journalism while Dax and his bandmates are hiding a lot of big secrets. 

The writing in this book is utterly gorgeous – “Three years ago, he won my name. Three years later, he still says it like a prize.” Beyond that though, I love the messy, multidimensional world and characters the author has created. There’s a real sense of found family, both with Dax and his bandmates who have all closed ranks around him to protect him from outsiders, and with Sloane and her friends who are part of a different band and all grew up together. 

Music and music festivals play a big part in this book – if you’re a metal head, you’ll love it but even if you’re not, which I certainly can’t claim to be, the writing is gorgeous and the romance is engaging enough to keep you hooked from the very first note to the very last. 

This is a slow burn romance – Dax and Sloane take their sweet time getting down to business but the tension and chemistry between them is palpable from page one. Ultimately, this is a romance about two people with big dreams trying to figure out how to reconcile their professional dreams with their deepest heart’s desire. 

Grade: A

Content Notes: parental abandonment, mention of drug use, mention of hospitalization, kicked out of house by parents