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Love Me Like a Rock Song
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Expected 25 Aug 26Win a free print copy of this book!
3 days and 22:02:24
10 copies available
U.S. only
Delilah is a lyricist looking for a muse. Emmett is a golem ready to be unmade.
From the bestselling author of Rules for Ghosting comes a soul-stirring, romantic novel about a jilted singer-songwriter, her unexpected hitchhiker, and the road trip of a lifetime.
When Delilah Cohen’s much more famous fiancée leaves her at the altar right before Delilah is supposed to start recording her first solo album, she finds herself with a notebook full of love songs that no longer make sense. Picking up a hitchhiker two hours into the road trip that was supposed to be her honeymoon seems as good a way as any to get her groove back. The last thing she expects is to start falling for her mysterious new passenger, but what’s more inspiring than a rebound with a built-in expiration date?
But there’s more to Emmett than meets the eye. Emmett is a golem, a human-ish being of Jewish mythology who was created from clay to serve a now-deceased master. No longer needed, their final task is to make their way back to the California cave where they were made in order to undo the magic that brought them to life in the first place. But the longer Emmett spends with Delilah—who has plenty of secrets and insecurities of her own—as they cross the country to visit historical queer locales from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, the more their ending feels like something to fight, rather than something set in stone.
As the California coast brings Delilah’s writing deadline—and Emmett's fate—closer with every passing mile, Delilah has to decide just what song it is she wants to write...and whether writing the album of a lifetime is worth losing a love she never expected to find.
Part road trip romcom, part epistolary exploration of America's vibrant queer culture, and all a love letter to the phrase "it's about the journey, not the destination," Love Me Like a Rock Song is a glorious love story about discovering who we are and what we want, and what it means to be human.
From the bestselling author of Rules for Ghosting comes a soul-stirring, romantic novel about a jilted singer-songwriter, her unexpected hitchhiker, and the road trip of a lifetime.
When Delilah Cohen’s much more famous fiancée leaves her at the altar right before Delilah is supposed to start recording her first solo album, she finds herself with a notebook full of love songs that no longer make sense. Picking up a hitchhiker two hours into the road trip that was supposed to be her honeymoon seems as good a way as any to get her groove back. The last thing she expects is to start falling for her mysterious new passenger, but what’s more inspiring than a rebound with a built-in expiration date?
But there’s more to Emmett than meets the eye. Emmett is a golem, a human-ish being of Jewish mythology who was created from clay to serve a now-deceased master. No longer needed, their final task is to make their way back to the California cave where they were made in order to undo the magic that brought them to life in the first place. But the longer Emmett spends with Delilah—who has plenty of secrets and insecurities of her own—as they cross the country to visit historical queer locales from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, the more their ending feels like something to fight, rather than something set in stone.
As the California coast brings Delilah’s writing deadline—and Emmett's fate—closer with every passing mile, Delilah has to decide just what song it is she wants to write...and whether writing the album of a lifetime is worth losing a love she never expected to find.
Part road trip romcom, part epistolary exploration of America's vibrant queer culture, and all a love letter to the phrase "it's about the journey, not the destination," Love Me Like a Rock Song is a glorious love story about discovering who we are and what we want, and what it means to be human.
368 pages, Paperback
Expected publication August 25, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for the eARC
Having loved "Rules for ghosting", I was very eager an curious to discover the second book from the same author. "Rules for ghosting" had a very peculiar atmosphere, very centered around character work and evolution and little romance. The latter is true for "Love me like a rock song", the former a little less. Or, to be more accurate, I felt it on Emmett side but less on Delilah's. Not that this is anything bad, let me clear about that. In fact, it is quite nice to have a different tone for both characters, added to their similar but different issues and goals. It simply means I am less entranced by "Love me like a rock song" compared to "Rules for ghosting."
I really enjoyed how Shore managed the different style of narration, with podcast retranscriptions, texts, pieces of journals. They add to the emotional layers and context in which the story happens. Delilah, freshly single since her fiancée broke up with her before their wedding, is going on a road trip to try and get herself back together. She also needs to rewrite her whole album. On the way, she picks Emmett. Emmett, it turns out, is a golem, and has been ordererd by his now dead creator to unmake himself. As Emmett accepts to join Delilah on her road trip, he finally gets to learn more about himself outside the confines of Jacob's grief and orders. Emmett realises they are nonbinary as Delilah guide them through different places of queer history. They also get to know Delilah and vice-versa, making the romance part of the book slowly.
I have a deep tenderness for Emmett. There is something so... innocent and fesh about them. Wounded, and ancient. Their interactions with Delilah are cute and tender, sometimes frought. They can read her, and it unsettles her. Delilah is used to be controlled in her relationships, to have to change herself. She doesn't trust herself or other easily, has a history of mistakes and has to manage her bipolar disorder as well as her friend and family's worries.
Honestly, it's well done and very enjoyable to read about these two flawed, struggling people. They make mistakes, they learn but are still imperfect. The tone is filled with knowledge about queer history, a sense of... light weight, if that makes sense.
So glad I got the chance to read it before it's release!
Having loved "Rules for ghosting", I was very eager an curious to discover the second book from the same author. "Rules for ghosting" had a very peculiar atmosphere, very centered around character work and evolution and little romance. The latter is true for "Love me like a rock song", the former a little less. Or, to be more accurate, I felt it on Emmett side but less on Delilah's. Not that this is anything bad, let me clear about that. In fact, it is quite nice to have a different tone for both characters, added to their similar but different issues and goals. It simply means I am less entranced by "Love me like a rock song" compared to "Rules for ghosting."
I really enjoyed how Shore managed the different style of narration, with podcast retranscriptions, texts, pieces of journals. They add to the emotional layers and context in which the story happens. Delilah, freshly single since her fiancée broke up with her before their wedding, is going on a road trip to try and get herself back together. She also needs to rewrite her whole album. On the way, she picks Emmett. Emmett, it turns out, is a golem, and has been ordererd by his now dead creator to unmake himself. As Emmett accepts to join Delilah on her road trip, he finally gets to learn more about himself outside the confines of Jacob's grief and orders. Emmett realises they are nonbinary as Delilah guide them through different places of queer history. They also get to know Delilah and vice-versa, making the romance part of the book slowly.
I have a deep tenderness for Emmett. There is something so... innocent and fesh about them. Wounded, and ancient. Their interactions with Delilah are cute and tender, sometimes frought. They can read her, and it unsettles her. Delilah is used to be controlled in her relationships, to have to change herself. She doesn't trust herself or other easily, has a history of mistakes and has to manage her bipolar disorder as well as her friend and family's worries.
Honestly, it's well done and very enjoyable to read about these two flawed, struggling people. They make mistakes, they learn but are still imperfect. The tone is filled with knowledge about queer history, a sense of... light weight, if that makes sense.
So glad I got the chance to read it before it's release!
April 8, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Love Me Like a Rock Song by Shelly Jay Shore follows Delilah Cohen, who after her fiancée and music partner ends their engagement decides to go on their honeymoon road trip anyway. Emmett, a golem, ends up saving Delilah’s life and Delilah impulsively invites them to join her. What follows is an emotional road trip featuring queer history, music, Jewish folklore, and more. Delilah and Emmett can’t deny their attraction to each other despite how recently Delilah was broken up with and Emmett’s destiny to be unmade. Will their love story have a happy ending?
Shore is a talented writer, their prose strong and characters layered. I was especially attached to Emmett. They’re such a sweetheart and I loved seeing them casually decide to use they/them pronouns and identify as genderfluid.
I enjoyed the use of multimedia throughout - there are excerpts from interviews, transcripts from Delilah’s friend’s podcast, and handwritten notes and song lyrics. Sometimes multimedia elements feel forced and don’t add anything to the story but here they elevated it, adding more depth to the overall story.
I really appreciated the bipolar representation. As a mentally ill reader, it meant a lot to me to read about Delilah’s experience. I can’t speak towards the Jewish representation but it is Own Voices and seemed to be done with great care.
I didn’t love the lack of communication and even lies surrounding Delilah’s use of Emmett’s father figure’s journals (I’m trying to be vague so I don’t spoil anything). It was such a huge violation of Emmett’s trust and I found it hard to accept and move on from.
Overall, it was a very emotional, tender story that I enjoyed. It didn’t have the same magic for me as Shore’s debut Rules for Ghosting but there’s still a lot to love and I recommend it.
Love Me Like a Rock Song by Shelly Jay Shore follows Delilah Cohen, who after her fiancée and music partner ends their engagement decides to go on their honeymoon road trip anyway. Emmett, a golem, ends up saving Delilah’s life and Delilah impulsively invites them to join her. What follows is an emotional road trip featuring queer history, music, Jewish folklore, and more. Delilah and Emmett can’t deny their attraction to each other despite how recently Delilah was broken up with and Emmett’s destiny to be unmade. Will their love story have a happy ending?
Shore is a talented writer, their prose strong and characters layered. I was especially attached to Emmett. They’re such a sweetheart and I loved seeing them casually decide to use they/them pronouns and identify as genderfluid.
I enjoyed the use of multimedia throughout - there are excerpts from interviews, transcripts from Delilah’s friend’s podcast, and handwritten notes and song lyrics. Sometimes multimedia elements feel forced and don’t add anything to the story but here they elevated it, adding more depth to the overall story.
I really appreciated the bipolar representation. As a mentally ill reader, it meant a lot to me to read about Delilah’s experience. I can’t speak towards the Jewish representation but it is Own Voices and seemed to be done with great care.
I didn’t love the lack of communication and even lies surrounding Delilah’s use of Emmett’s father figure’s journals (I’m trying to be vague so I don’t spoil anything). It was such a huge violation of Emmett’s trust and I found it hard to accept and move on from.
Overall, it was a very emotional, tender story that I enjoyed. It didn’t have the same magic for me as Shore’s debut Rules for Ghosting but there’s still a lot to love and I recommend it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Pub. date 8/25/26
If you only read one Jewish bisexual, bipolar female/nonbinary golem romance novel this year, make it this one.
Delilah Cohen is a successful singer/songwriter whose fiance just dumped her hours before their wedding. Nevertheless, Delilah sets off by herself on the cross-country honeymoon road trip she and Sam had planned. Maybe she can get a good solo album's worth of breakup songs out of the journey. She unexpectedly gains a passenger, a good looking, quiet man named Emmett who is on a secret mission. Delilah and Emmett share a natural closeness that starts to turn romantic, but Delilah's fragile mental health is already at its breaking point. And Emmett is bound to honor his creator's last command - that he return to the cave where he was born and let himself revert back into clay.
The reader knows from the start that Emmett is a golem (in Jewish folklore, a person made from clay) who was brought to life with the misguided intent of replacing his creator's dead son. Without going into spoiler territory, I will say that I was surprised by Delilah's reaction when she learns the truth, and by the initial lack of angst around their doomed relationship. The final chapters ratchet up the drama considerably though, to the point where I wondered how Shore would provide a happy ending for the couple (she does, don't worry).
In addition to the romance, the book has a lot to say about being queer. Delilah stops at queer bookstores, archives, and campgrounds on her road trip, and there are excerpts from the queer history and culture podcast hosted by Delilah and her BFF. Emmett decides they are genderfluid. Delilah's mental health issues are also a focus; trigger warning for a flashback to very strong suicidal ideation.
Shelly Jay Shore's debut, Rules for Ghosting, made quite a buzz, and was included on several 2024 Best Romance Novel lists. Love Me Like a Rock Song, despite a few plotholes, is a worthy sophomore effort.
Uncorrected ebook received from Net Galley and publisher
If you only read one Jewish bisexual, bipolar female/nonbinary golem romance novel this year, make it this one.
Delilah Cohen is a successful singer/songwriter whose fiance just dumped her hours before their wedding. Nevertheless, Delilah sets off by herself on the cross-country honeymoon road trip she and Sam had planned. Maybe she can get a good solo album's worth of breakup songs out of the journey. She unexpectedly gains a passenger, a good looking, quiet man named Emmett who is on a secret mission. Delilah and Emmett share a natural closeness that starts to turn romantic, but Delilah's fragile mental health is already at its breaking point. And Emmett is bound to honor his creator's last command - that he return to the cave where he was born and let himself revert back into clay.
The reader knows from the start that Emmett is a golem (in Jewish folklore, a person made from clay) who was brought to life with the misguided intent of replacing his creator's dead son. Without going into spoiler territory, I will say that I was surprised by Delilah's reaction when she learns the truth, and by the initial lack of angst around their doomed relationship. The final chapters ratchet up the drama considerably though, to the point where I wondered how Shore would provide a happy ending for the couple (she does, don't worry).
In addition to the romance, the book has a lot to say about being queer. Delilah stops at queer bookstores, archives, and campgrounds on her road trip, and there are excerpts from the queer history and culture podcast hosted by Delilah and her BFF. Emmett decides they are genderfluid. Delilah's mental health issues are also a focus; trigger warning for a flashback to very strong suicidal ideation.
Shelly Jay Shore's debut, Rules for Ghosting, made quite a buzz, and was included on several 2024 Best Romance Novel lists. Love Me Like a Rock Song, despite a few plotholes, is a worthy sophomore effort.
Uncorrected ebook received from Net Galley and publisher
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
2.5 This book was unfortunately a disappointment for me. I felt drawn in and compelled by the characters but I felt that the way the book ended really didn’t work for me. I can’t really discuss this without spoiling the entire thing, so fair warning that’s what I’m about to do.
I feel like if the story is going to be about Delilah caring so much about writing this CD that she’s willing to not even try to save Emmet when she’s first looking at the journals, then that betrayal has to count for more than a third act breakup that’s solved by the grand gesture at the end. Using Emmet as a thing that she can get something out of feels like such a huge deal generally, and specifically in the case of a being that had been used for other people’s goals for their entire existence? Having the twist in the end be that somehow those songs were actually the thing that healed them and this somehow makes up for the lies just made no sense to me. Speaking of making no sense, I didn’t really understand why Delilah didn’t try to look for any solution AND write her songs in the first place? Especially when the solution that is found at the end of the book seems trivial. I don’t know, I feel like there were a lot of good pieces in this puzzle and I really appreciated the ambition of the story it was trying to tell, but the ultimate shape was too off-putting for me to get beyond.
I feel like if the story is going to be about Delilah caring so much about writing this CD that she’s willing to not even try to save Emmet when she’s first looking at the journals, then that betrayal has to count for more than a third act breakup that’s solved by the grand gesture at the end. Using Emmet as a thing that she can get something out of feels like such a huge deal generally, and specifically in the case of a being that had been used for other people’s goals for their entire existence? Having the twist in the end be that somehow those songs were actually the thing that healed them and this somehow makes up for the lies just made no sense to me. Speaking of making no sense, I didn’t really understand why Delilah didn’t try to look for any solution AND write her songs in the first place? Especially when the solution that is found at the end of the book seems trivial. I don’t know, I feel like there were a lot of good pieces in this puzzle and I really appreciated the ambition of the story it was trying to tell, but the ultimate shape was too off-putting for me to get beyond.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Great book! I love a road trip romance and this one was funny, emotional, and thought-provoking. A story of moving on after a breakup, but also of discovering your own identity... in different ways.
I took this from the author’s synopsis to explain a bit about the mystical aspect of the book, because I tried but couldn’t do it justice:
“Emmett is a golem, a human-ish being of Jewish mythology who was created from clay to serve a now-deceased master. No longer needed, their final task is to make their way back to the California cave where they were made in order to undo the magic that brought them to life in the first place. But the longer Emmett spends with Delilah—who has plenty of secrets and insecurities of her own—as they cross the country to visit historical queer locales from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, the more their ending feels like something to fight, rather than something set in stone.”
Thanks to Ballentine for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Love Me Like a Rock Song to come out August 25, 2026.
I took this from the author’s synopsis to explain a bit about the mystical aspect of the book, because I tried but couldn’t do it justice:
“Emmett is a golem, a human-ish being of Jewish mythology who was created from clay to serve a now-deceased master. No longer needed, their final task is to make their way back to the California cave where they were made in order to undo the magic that brought them to life in the first place. But the longer Emmett spends with Delilah—who has plenty of secrets and insecurities of her own—as they cross the country to visit historical queer locales from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, the more their ending feels like something to fight, rather than something set in stone.”
Thanks to Ballentine for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Love Me Like a Rock Song to come out August 25, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was the perfect pride month read.
We follow Delilah as she separate from her girlfriend the day of their wedding and embarks on a road trip that was supposed to be their honeymoon. She bumps into Emmett, a golem now without a master and on the way to being unmade, and they decide to travel together. We go from there, and it's a story about reconciling the life you thought you would have with reality.
Love me like a rock song is filled with queer history, and that was my favorite part, it was fascinating. I also love books about music, and while it didn't have that much songwriting on page it was still cool. The book features texts, social media posts, podcasts and multiple citations, a very cool way to complete the normal text, which is dual pov.
It was a very moving story, I loved seeing Emmett learn to be authentic and discover things, from where the book starts Delilah knows who she is but her journey is more about acceptance and learning her lines. It was a wonderful book.
Thank you Netgalley and Dell for the ARC.
We follow Delilah as she separate from her girlfriend the day of their wedding and embarks on a road trip that was supposed to be their honeymoon. She bumps into Emmett, a golem now without a master and on the way to being unmade, and they decide to travel together. We go from there, and it's a story about reconciling the life you thought you would have with reality.
Love me like a rock song is filled with queer history, and that was my favorite part, it was fascinating. I also love books about music, and while it didn't have that much songwriting on page it was still cool. The book features texts, social media posts, podcasts and multiple citations, a very cool way to complete the normal text, which is dual pov.
It was a very moving story, I loved seeing Emmett learn to be authentic and discover things, from where the book starts Delilah knows who she is but her journey is more about acceptance and learning her lines. It was a wonderful book.
Thank you Netgalley and Dell for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Delilah's just been left by her fiancée on the eve their wedding. Heartbroken, she nonetheless decides to go by herself on the van life cross country road trip that she had planned for their honeymoon. Early on she meets an enigmatic stranger -Emmett- and impulsively invites them to join her.
Unbeknownst to Delilah- Emmett is a golem who's been ordered to return to the cave they were created in to undo themself.
They fall helplessly in love but time is ticking- with every mile they go, Emmett is turning into stone. Delilah must try and find a way to keep Emmett alive if they're going to find their happily ever after.
Told mostly from Delilah’s point of view with segments from Emmet's viewpoint, this heartfelt story features Jewish culture and folklore, mystical storylines, and deep explorations of grief and free will. Shore’s sophomore novel is an ode to the open road, queer love, and the transformative power of love.
Thank you to Ballantine | Dell and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Unbeknownst to Delilah- Emmett is a golem who's been ordered to return to the cave they were created in to undo themself.
They fall helplessly in love but time is ticking- with every mile they go, Emmett is turning into stone. Delilah must try and find a way to keep Emmett alive if they're going to find their happily ever after.
Told mostly from Delilah’s point of view with segments from Emmet's viewpoint, this heartfelt story features Jewish culture and folklore, mystical storylines, and deep explorations of grief and free will. Shore’s sophomore novel is an ode to the open road, queer love, and the transformative power of love.
Thank you to Ballantine | Dell and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC provided by NetGalley and this is my honest review.
Lots to love in Shore's second novel! This was a success.
Like in "Rules for Ghosting", the plot was so rooted in Judaism and the paranormal. There is so much depth in both too. In "Love Me Like a Rock Song", we get grief again, but with more of a focus on mental health. Ultimately, both books are about *living*!
Will happily read more by Shore in the future!
Lots to love in Shore's second novel! This was a success.
Like in "Rules for Ghosting", the plot was so rooted in Judaism and the paranormal. There is so much depth in both too. In "Love Me Like a Rock Song", we get grief again, but with more of a focus on mental health. Ultimately, both books are about *living*!
Will happily read more by Shore in the future!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews