Back in the Day

Bay Area Blues #2

by Katrina Jackson

2010

Helping pack up his childhood home was going much easier than Amir expected. The only sticking point is the record collection his father Alonzo refuses to put in storage. When Amir asked his father why he needs to keep all those records with him, Alonzo offers to tell him a story instead.
--
Monterey Pop Festival

In 1967, Alonzo was a baby music reporter at the Village Voice on his first big assignment. By his side is photographer Ada Carr who is all brown skin, big afro and sharp tongue. He should be worried about his story, but all he can think about is the way Ada looks dancing to the music in the dusk, the stage lights illuminating her form. He knows love when he sees, or better yet hears, it.

Over the course of two weekends, over forty years apart, Alonzo imparts a soundtrack of love and life to Amir that bridges the past and present and they both learn how to say goodbye.

Content Warnings:
Parental death
Grief
Recreational drug use

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Novella, Historical Romance, M F Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical

165 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 7, 2021

About the author

Katrina is a seasoned spinster with an active imagination, a love of romcoms and a keenly critical nature. She's a college professor by day who writes romances by...weekend. Right now she also happens to be on summer vacation. She enjoys yogurt, sparkling water and her three cats, who don't appreciate her love.

Reviews

[Maria Vale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alternating between past (1967, Monterey) and present (-ish 2010, Oakland), Alonzo Reid tells his son about the music festival where he fell in love with his late mother. The whole of this little book is filled with the grace and generosity of music. Jackson's brilliance lies in her eye for seeing the little things (“Aretha on Saturday mornings and the smell of bleach") that are really big (“Someone’s gonna hear a song by one of these bands, and they’ll come hurtling back here in their minds. They’ll remember this sun and the taste of cotton candy and warm beer. They’ll remember the bonfire smoke…what it feels like to know that this moment is going to matter. That the rest of our lives will have spun on the needles of this weekend, these songs.”) It’s not a typical happily-ever-after but one that outlives death and continues in the stories told to Alonzo’s children & through them to readers.

[Anniek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't imagine how anyone would think this is not a romance. The only difference with your average romance novel is that you see how the HEA played out here, and then the story is told in flashbacks. Which, imo, added a lot of depth to the story and makes it hit even harder.

Anyway, I picked up this ebook because it got some backlash recently from people saying it isn't a romance, so I wanted to support it. I'm so glad I finally read this, because it's truly a gorgeous novel. Even though one of the characters has already died before the book even starts, this is not exactly a sad book. It has its sad moments, but mostly it's the story of a life lived well, a love that doesn't end when life ends.

Seeing this romance told in flashbacks through a father telling his son how he met his mother added a beautiful extra layer to this book. You don't just get such a wonderful romance, but also a beautiful, loving parent-child relationship.

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by sharing what I wish I had known: this isn’t a romance. Without the present day framing, this would be a wonderful historical romance. However, the structure qualified it as historical/contemporary fiction for me. There are technically two-ish love stories. However, the love interest from the 1967 storyline is dead in the present day storyline, which plays too fast and loose with the HEA for me. I accept that romance characters may eventually die but I don’t ever want to see that on page. At the very end of the book, Amir meets someone and we learn he gets his HEA in the epilogue but the book is not at all about that relationship. Since Katrina Jackson is a romance author, I spent the first half of the book expecting a romantic storyline for Amir and being puzzled by it's absence.

Amir is helping his father pack up the family home so that he can move in with him. It’s no longer safe for Alonzo to live on his own, although it’s not entirely clear what his health issues are. All that packing leads Alonzo down memory lane and he starts telling Amir the story of how Alonzo met his wife Ada, who died five years ago. We flip back between 1967 Monterey at a music festival and 2010 Oakland.

Back in the Day features some truly excellent writing about music and grief. It explores the way music connects and moves us, as well as how we remember people and keep their memory alive once they’re gone. It makes for some moving reading . The epilogue wrecked me. The epilogue is set in 2019. There we learn Alonzo died in recent years and Amir's grief over this loss. The way it intertwined with his grief about his mom made me cry so much. It was beautifully done. Right before the epilogue, Amir met his new neighbor Imani, a violinist for the Oakland Symphony, and we see they’re now married and have a child. There was so much I loved about this once I was able to get past my confusion over what genre I was reading.

Addendum (12/1/22):
Since this book has come up in recent Twitter discourse with people weighing in on whether or not it's a romance, I wanted to revisit my own review. There's value in considering what we qualify as an HEA or HFN. What does a hopeful, optimistic and satisfying ending actually look like? What are the markers of an HEA? And in this case, what might it look like if an author subverts or expands our understanding of it? I'm not going to argue with people who believe Back in the Day qualifies as a romance. I can see their point of view. However, I'm not there yet. Maybe I will eventually. But for now, all the main characters need to be alive the whole book in order for me to believe the HEA. Unless it's a ghost romance, to be clear. I have read books in romance series where the MC later dies and I was okay with it—I love grief novels, after all. (See Twitch by Cate C. Wells for an example of an incredible prequel historical romance novella where the MMC has subsequently died by the time book 1 of the contemporary romance series begins.) Grief is a part of life. I understand characters will die eventually. I just don't want it to happen on page in their actual love story. For some people, Katrina's choices will work extremely well and I'm glad for them. But going in with the right expectations is really important in this instance.


Characters: Amir is a Black graphic designer. His father Alonzo was a Black freelance journalist. His mother Ada was a Black photographer. This is set in 2010 Oakland, CA and 1967 Monterey, CA.

Content notes: death of parents mother died of a heart attack 5 years ago; we learn Alonzo died in the epilogue, grief, sick father, recreational drug use, on page sex, ableist language

[Limecello · Rating 2 out of 5]

So ... I think this is the first Katrina Jackson book I've read- maaaaybe the second? but I guess ... it says it's a romance but ...
I don't know that I'd call it that?
Because the story is about ... i mean you think the main character is dude. - and you're learning about his parents; but really the WHOLE STORY is his parents. And spoiler ... but ...

both his parents are dead. His mother is already dead at the beginning of the book, and by the end his dad is dead too.

Literally the very end/epilogue is just "oh dude is married" literally all we see is their VERY SHORT interaction by his garage.
I don't know.

Also maybe it was mood - tired and grumpy.
Like it's not a bad story - more ... like snippets of a budding romance - but it's all told as flashbacks of course.

I dunno I guess I'd say .... D +?

The end was cute.
[I can't remember if one part made me tear up? Maybe when his sister gets the gift?]
But otherwise - I think as a romance, ... not just "enh" but - "not a romance" and that's the lens I'm looking at it since that's how it was labeled/I was introduced to it.

If that's wrong and this should simply be considered "a work of fiction" not "a genre romance" then I'd like it more.

Hopefully that clears some things up.

[Kameel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the musical references throughout this story....The story basically expressed how music is the soundtrack to a lot of families lives...After Amir & Amaya loss their mother....they go to help their father Alonzo pack up the family home so that he can move in with his son Amir....in the midst of packing the house up...they come across a lot of Albums (Old LP's) and need to make a decision what to do about them....this was really a good story....but, I didn't like the fact that the author made Alonzo so sad...although, I realize he had just loss his wife....it was really just too sad for me....the bright spot was the constant talk of music and how it played an intrigue part of their lives. Jakobi's narration was stellar as always!

[Katie ratherbereadinggg]

I don’t know how to rate this, so I won’t for now. I read the reviews, so it’s on me. This book was really so sweet, it was well written, and it was narrated by Jakobi Diem (so you know the narration was 💯). I did enjoy the romance, but due to the set-up, the vibe was quite melancholy. I hoped it wouldn’t leave me feeling that way, but it did. I’m a sad bitch and my other genre is (depressing) non-fiction, so I don’t want to also be depressed by my Romance.

[Emaleigh Nichelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Music is where the past meets the present. Music is where a son learns about his parents love. Music is what is going into the future.

[Jen Trinh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been struggling to finish reading anything these days, but I consumed Back in the Day in one sitting. It's not too long, beautifully written, and overflowing with love, of all kinds—the everlasting, playful love between spouses who have been together for decades; the stern, yet supportive love between parent and child; the passion of a man for his craft. Every scene is so detailed and painted with real emotion, to the point where I teared up multiple times. The relationships among Alonzo (the dad), Amir (son), and Amaya (daughter) are so relatable, and the romantic chemistry between Alonzo and Ada (the wife/mom) is off the charts. And the music! If you've read anything I've written, you *know* that I love me some music, and Jackson lovingly drops us into various musical interludes, at a festival, at home, in the car, all over! This book definitely made me miss going to live music events. And I live in the Bay Area, so I appreciated the numerous references to the East Bay, like to Yoshi's and KBLX, which I agree is a superior radio station. I cannot wait to listen to the playlists that Jackson created to go along with the book.

This book will make you laugh and cry. If you're looking for a quick read about family, love, and music, read this book! You will love it!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit that half the reason I read this is because I curious about where I'd fall in the "is it a romance?" debate (the other half is because I generally like this author's work and wanted something on the more emotional side). The thing is, it's not...not a romance? But the balance of the past/present narrative didn't quite work for me in that sense, so the grief story lingers more than the romance. To be clear, it's not knowing that Ada dies that skews it--it's that the emotionality of the book feels more weighted to the grief of the loss, and not on the love/optimism of the romance. I think it would work better as a romance if it was almost more Princess Bride style with a focus on Alonzo and Ada's story and brief interjections of modern day son's perspective. But! as fiction with strong romantic elements it works and is a great book. I can even understand the author's argument/intention that it's a romance novel. It just gave me lit fic emotional payoff and not romance novel emotional payoff, if that makes sense.

Overall rating: 4
Hannah Angst Scale rating: 3
Content notes: Leigh has a list in her review

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw where this author was talking about this book and how it was a love story to her, but others didn't see it that way. It made me want to check it out. I found I agreed with the author, it is a love story. A father telling his son the unvarnished truth of when he met his wife, who passed, spending time with that son as they packed up the family house, the father moving in with the son. I loved how the son would tell dad he was sharing too much, loved also how Amir would get short with Alonzo, because it was very real true life as the roles between parent and child reserve. This was also a father's love story to his kids as he told his stories to his son and daughter talking about the past. Then at the end, it was Amir's turn at being a father and sharing different ways of love with his daughter, remembering those that are no longer with us. Sure this wasn't what you would expect as a "normal" love story, but it was one, non the less.

[Eleonora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think whether this is or not is a romance depends a bit by your definition of romance. The story starts five years after the death of Ada but we go back in time to the Monterey festival in 1967 and relive her lovestory together with Alonzo and their family. I loved this. There are difficult themes, mainly death of a parent/loved one and grief. I thought it was beautifully done. The language was poetic at times.

4.5

[Lisette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet story. I about teared up a time or two. Loved hearing g from both Alonzo and his son about life, love, music and grief and everything in between.
Jakobi Diem's narration was as always perfection.

[scarr · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025 read: part of a project I hope to write about on the blog!

Katrina Jackson is one of my favorite authors and this story is a romance. A beautiful, multi-generational story about a widower and the music and memories he shared with his wife. I was often moved to tears but I never once questioned if this book is a romance. I do not think a book has ever pushed me so hard to consider what an HEA can look like. I am so thankful.

After some ridiculous shit on twitter dot com, the author wrote a moving post that I think should be read along with this book.

[Reese Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not what I expected, but everything I wanted and more

I have been anxiously awaiting this story since I first saw the cover and read the blurb. I preordered it and couldn’t wait to dive in, despite looming deadlines and the chaos of life unfolding around me. I snuck in moments of reading this book, despite all of that.

Right away, the story felt different than some of Katrina’s past titles that I’ve read. But I loved this dual timeline story where Alonzo recounts how he met and fell in love with Amir and Amaya’s late mother Ada at a music festival in 1967.

I love music almost as much as books. Not far behind is good food. This book had all of that, plus it was chock full of ALL of the emotions. There was grief and sadness. Love, joy, and humor. A true sense of both natural and found family. Nostalgia that can only be bestowed by the great music that forms the soundtrack of our lives. And plenty of sexy feels.

I adored Alonzo and Ada’s characters. I only wish I’d had more time with them.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Back in the Day
Bay Area Blues, Book 2

I Picked Up This Book Because: Exploring the author’s work/Needed something short to tie me over until the beginning of the month.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Scribd
Dates Read: 9/29/23 - 9/30/23
Stars: 2 Stars
Narrator(s): Jakobi Diem

The Story:

While this story was well written it just did not capture me. A father visiting the past and telling his son about how he met his mother. Like I said it was well written and I loved the narrator's voice but I just didn’t care. I finished just to finish.

The Random Thoughts:

[Gemini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotional

This story focused on a family’s lingering grief after the loss of their matriarch. Amir and his sister were also grappling with watching their father grieve and rapidly age. Amir’s fear of losing his father was heartbreaking. I loved the way Alonzo took the time to tell Amir how he met his late wife. He started from their initial meeting and showed how beautiful their love story was. Towards the end, Alonzo’s flashback scenes became really spicy. That was off-putting to me because I was imagining him telling the story to his son. It felt weird. Other than that, I really enjoyed how the story highlighted Black love, cultural pride, and the magic of music.

[Josephine Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpected take on the romance genre, but one of the most romantic books I've ever read. Jackson crafts a loving and realistic relationship that not only shows Ada and Alonzo falling in love back in the 60s, but the result of all their love and commitment to each other with their children in 2010. Not to mention the music that is the beating heart of this book and adds a beautiful layer. Highly recommend reading this while the Spotify playlist Jackson curated plays in the background.

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 "To be loved like this." Stars!

Fantastic, beautiful and heartbreaking but mostly beautiful nostalgic story. This reminded me of my childhood and my parents. All the music, dancing in the kitchen, Saturday morning cleaning... I absolutely loved it. The narration was perfect! Happy reading/listening!

[Karla C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written story about the enduring power of love but I think it was a bit too melancholic for the mood I was in… still would recommend and would like to check out more of Katrina Jackson’s other work.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

i will fight anyone who says this isn’t a romance

This is such a fantastic, warm-hug of a romance. Alonzo is moving in with his son five years after the death of his wife, and while packing up his records he collected over the 40 years he shared with Ada, he recollects their first meeting and the beginning of what would become their timeless romance. This is also a story of community and connections and the ways we pass on memories to keep people alive in our hearts. This is so sweet and truly a warm hug, even as parts made me tear up. I also loved the full circle element of the ending and the way the love Alonzo and Ada taught to Amaya and Amir lives on, even after their parents’ death.

[Emmalita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed Layover and Back in the Day together:

I’m always frustrated with my own inadequacies when I try to describe why you should be reading Katrina Jackson’s books. Good authors have a voice and that voice brings the reader into their story and characters in a way that is unique to them. Jackson’s voice put me into her characters and worlds in a way that is very her and so satisfying.

One of Jackson’s primary concerns is the interior life of her main characters, usually the woman at the center of the story. The romance, the love interest, friends, family, and the job are all there in relation to her wants and feelings. In centering the interior life, Jackson gives us novellas that are layered with a whole rainbow of emotions. She does this in action packed books, and books that are vibes, not plots. Because I am immersed in the interior life, I care about her characters whether they are a betrayed bride starting something with a mafia hitman, a professor on the edge of burnout, or travel blogger trying to figure out what’s next.

Layover and Back in the Day are the gorgeous Bay Area Blues series. They are standalones, but connected by location, Oakland, California, and as Black romances, mixing grief, music, and love. As with Sabbatical, the interior lives of Lena and Tony are the lens through which we see their romance. Lena has been running away from grief. Tony has been pining for Lena. Individually, they are each remarkable people, and Jackson gives us a glimpse of who they might be with each other. I loved Lena’s relationships with her best friend and her sister, and Tony’s relationship with his best friend.

One of my favorite romance bloggers, Charlotte at Close Reading Romance, has given a passage in Layover her close reading treatment. I highly recommend giving it a read, because she is much better at the text analysis than I could ever hope to be.

I think my thesis about the importance of a woman’s interior life holds for Back in the Day, even though we never get inside Ada’s head. We only see Ada through the eyes of her husband, Alonzo, and her son, Amir. From the moment we see Alonzo meet Ada, he wants to understand her moods, make her smile and laugh, and be in her company. Alonzo is at the biggest professional opportunity of his life so far, the Monterey International Pop Festival, and his focus becomes Ada, the photographer assigned to take pictures for his story.

Back in the Day stretches the boundaries of the romance genre. For some people it may be a stretch too far, for me it was not, because the romantic relationship was still central and the HEA happened. Jackson isn’t trying to subvert those genre conventions, she is exploring them from a slightly different angle. The romance between Ada and Alonzo is told in retrospect 5 years after her death as Alonzo and Amir are packing up the house they raised their family in. Alonzo and Ada had their happily ever after – happily married for the rest of Ada’s life and successfully raised two kids to adulthood. Not that marriage and children are required for a happily ever after. Jackson shows us the evidence of their happy life through the memories her family and community share, through the ugly dolls and photographs she left behind.

So, why do I make an angry face when Nicholas Sparks gets mentioned as a romance writer, but not Katrina Jackson? In my opinion Sparks’ writing is manipulation not grounded in truth. He’s looking to rip tears out of the reader without genuine connection. Jackson is invested in the interior life of the character and how the reader responds to that is about the reader. The point of Sparks’ books is reader reaction. The point of Jackson’s story is an exploration of love.

It kills me that more people aren��t reading Katrina Jackson. I think she is a genius and one of the most entertaining writers in the genre. Do yourself a favor and pick up one of her books. None of them are a lot of money and several of them are in Kindle Unlimited.

[Hannah Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, it ain't every day you find a new favorite book that you'll know you'll be thinking about for years, but Back in the Day is 100% that book. (Where's my movie, Netflix????????) It's an emotional story that grabbed ahold of my heart and didn't let go, and it brought me to tears frequently, even though it's not a sad story. (I will FIGHT anyone that says otherwise) It is a beautiful romance novel, but it's also challenging and readers should be aware that grief walks hand in hand with joy and love in this story like it does in real life. This is a happily ever after played out, like a song on a record, but when you reach the end, you can pick the needle up and start the track over again. The main narrator (though I'd argue not the main character) Amir is hearing about his mother and father's love story from his father after his mother's passing. Alonzo and Ada meet in 1967 at a California music festival, and it's the start of forty gorgeous years of the day-to-day of a happily ever after, and they live on in their children, who pass the lessons of their parents on to their own children. Love doesn't die, it's just transformed. (It's also a book about community and how that both lasts for only a moment and creates a tapestry that carries us). I would like to say the music in this book is the freaking best, I had to pause a few times to go jam to Otis Redding or Earth, Wind, and Fire. A romance that deserves all the love from a talented author, I can't recommend it highly enough.

(I did pick this up after seeing the dust-up on twitter so I could see for myself. Holy heck I don't know what I was expecting, but I didn't expect to like this book this much, it's really freaking good y'all.)

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dual-timeline story that bridges 2010 and the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967, “Back in the Day” follows Amir and his dad Alonzo as they pack up a childhood home and unpack the music, memory, and meaning behind a beloved record collection. Through Alonzo’s stories, especially one unforgettable summer with photographer Ada Carr, this book is a love letter to music and letting go.

This book was so FULL of love. Love between two strangers turned lovers turned lifelong partners. Love between parent and child. I initially picked this audiobook up on Everand because it was voiced by THE Jakobi Diem (I mean, come on!), expecting a non-romance listen… only to be (pleasantly!) surprised by the beautiful, intimate, and yes, spicy, romantic layers woven into the story.

What stayed with me most was the emotional depth. How it made me ask, “Who were our parents before they were parents?” It’s a gentle yet powerful reminder that our parents had lives that began long before us. And those lives are worth knowing.

Also? Music. WOW. Music in this book was a main character. A way to keep love alive across decades. A way to say what our hearts can’t.

Bravo to Katrina Jackson for writing a story of love and family that held me, and to Jakobi Diem for making it come alive.

[Janejellyroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so beautiful. I know there was a lot of Twitter "discourse" about whether or not this counts as a romance, but as someone who has been married for a few years I have to say that I thought this was. The idea of being loved and remembered like Ada, to create that kind of longstanding and sustaining love . . . who wouldn't want that?

As someone who reads a good bit of historical romance, this story includes what is left out of them -- the natural ending to even the best of love stories. Instead of making this "not a romance," for me this deepens my understanding of what romance can be. Jackson is gifted in her ability to make you believe in instance connections between two people. She writes about grief -- both for romantic loves and for lost family members -- in a way that I haven't often encountered. And her writing about music is so natural that you can almost hear it playing while you read. The historical setting really comes to life here. This is only the second book I've read by her, but she's now going on my auto-buy list.

[Weekend Reader_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prepare to be hopeful about falling and staying in love beyond death. I know some people think this book is not a romance because Ada has passed but the dual timeline of the romance is very much present. We get to see Alonzo and Ada fall in love in one timeline and then Alonzo remembers why he loves (present-day) and shares that with his son Amir. Is it the convention they meet, fall in love, and that's it, no but what it is the next step? As the reader, you are taken beyond the initial falling but over the course of decades, which includes different stages (struggling, parenting, and death). There's beauty in remembering love for what it is and was. Or maybe a tenderness to be hopeful that this type of love could be someone's reality.

CN: death, grieving, aging parent, insecure housing, recreational weed use

[Ane Ryan Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to reminisce. There are so many things worth remembering ; from childhood, young adulthood, parenting, and letting go. Katrina Jackson takes her readers on a roller-coaster of emotional highs and dips to lows to provide the perfect amount of engagement in Back in the Day. Her use of language to describe the intimate nature of Alonso and Ada's attraction, the intensity of their desire, and their plans for their children to have the ever elusive "more", engaged me a vise-like grip to finish their story. Be advised, this is a story you will not want to put down until the very end. And then you'll want to read it again.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[NubianJoí · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Listening to “Back In The Day” conjured such wonderful childhood memories for me especially the joys in Motown & The Jackson 5’s music. My goodness, I could relate to Alonso concerns and meticulous care of his (and Ada’s) precious vinyl collection! They just don’t make music (class Rock, R&B, Jazz and Blues) like that anymore ☺️🥲🤷🏾‍♀️‼️The 60’s & 70’s were the sweet years for awesome music, incredible festivals, great bands, hot pants, baby doll dresses, platforms, afro/afro puffs, cornrows with beads & posners get down brown lip stick🤣😂.…yea, those were great times! …thank you for the trip, back down memory lane 💭🥰‼️

[Essie M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katrina Jackson is in her bag with this one!!!

I just finished this book and I’m not okay. I’m full of joy and love and sadness and grief and gratitude. Katrina Jackson has crafted an incredible story that centers love and music that reaches deep into your heart. I’m so thankful that this book exists. I had no idea I needed it! Read this book, then read it again.

Thank you Katrina Jackson!!!!!

[Dana Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to be a gem of an audiobook. Jakobi Diem’s narration is so easy to listen to, I was disappointed to be listening to the final chapter!

Moving back and forth between present-day and the 1960s, Alonzo tells the story of how he met and fell in love with his wife. Jackson’s prose beautifully depicts the initial electric connection between the two characters as well as the life they later create together. And side note: the bedroom scenes sizzle.

[Maëlla K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, simplicity will take you on an emotional roller-coaster so big that it makes you question what truly matters in your own journey. I shared a few tears because the love in every page was vivid and felt so real. It was overwhelming but in a good way. Reminds you that loving is a daily action. Love is beautiful and doesn't let death stop it. This is such a beautiful story about grief... And a love letter to music as an art form that changes our lives all the time.