Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on August 25, 2026 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.
Love Me Like a Rock Song is the second book from queer Jewish author Shelly Jay Shore, after 2024's phenomenal Rules for Ghosting. As a Jewish reader, that book just really felt perfect for me, with its queer Jewish romance steeped in Jewish culture and religion (and queerness) in a way that I often miss in reading Fantastical Romance books, and it was really really well done. Love Me Like a Rock Song is another Jewish Queer Fantasy Romance and although it didn't promise to be as steeped in the practice of Judaism as Rules for Ghosting it was a book I was super eager to try when I got offered an advance copy to review.
And well, I really enjoyed Love Me Like a Rock Star quite a bit. The book features a roadtrip through queer spaces and a queer romance between Delilah, a Jewish singer songwriter left at the alter, and Emmett, a golem created from clay to serve his now deceased father/master. The result may not be steeped in Jewish religious tradition - although golems come from Jewish myth and the book features quotes from Jewish texts - and yet it really still feels Jewish in its own different way from Rules for Ghosting. It's also excellently queer as Emmett is taken by Delilah on a road trip of queer discovery and the romance is again really well done. Overall, this is a really wonderful queer Jewish romance that I can again highly recommend.
Trigger Warning: Discussion of past suicidal ideation and depression is in this book as a plot point. It's treated respectfully and is part of Delilah's past, not present actions on page, but just be forewarned if that's an issue for you.
