Book Extract: Play It Back by Sara Palacios

Published October 16, 2026 | By Laura

Please join me in welcoming Sara Palacios to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Play It Back.

Ten years. Two hearts. One love story that never forgot how it began.

Ten years ago, Erin Campbell left Texas without saying goodbye to the only boy she’d ever loved.

Ten years later, he’s the biggest name in country music… and every song he’s ever written is about her.

After losing her mother at eighteen, staying meant facing a life she no longer recognized. So Erin left – her hometown, her grieving father, and Jake Ingram, her best friend, first love, and the future she’d always imagined.

A decade later, Erin has built a successful career as one of New York City’s most sought-after photographers, creating the life she always thought she wanted. But no amount of distance – or success – has been enough to silence the memories she left behind.

When her father needs surgery, Erin returns to Texas expecting to stay only long enough to help him recover.

Instead, she comes face to face with Jake.

The boy she left behind is now one of country music’s brightest stars, known for writing songs that have captivated millions. Fans have spent years wondering who inspired the heartbreak woven through every album.

Only Erin knows the answer.

As old memories resurface and long-buried truths finally come to light, Erin and Jake must decide whether the love they never stopped carrying is strong enough to overcome the heartache they never healed from – or whether ten years is simply too much time to ask two hearts to begin again.

Play It Back is a heartfelt second-chance romance about first love, grief, forgiveness, and finding your way home.

Because some love stories don’t end, they simply wait for you to come home.

Sara has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.

*****beginning of extract*****

I’m kicking things off with an extract from the prologue of Play It Back. Interestingly, the prologue was quite literally the last part of the novel I wrote.

By that point, the manuscript had already gone through a pretty rigorous review process with a couple of beta readers, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. I wanted the opening to immediately put Jake, my MMC, on the page and give readers a glimpse of who he is, while also planting a few hints about what they could expect from the story ahead.

And this prologue did exactly that.

My favorite part? Honestly, all of it. But if I had to choose, it would be Jake Ingram fresh off his third tour, talking about some of his new music when he accidentally reveals a little more than he intended during an interview with journalist Timmy Collins. Suddenly, there’s a question about a heartbreak ballad everyone seems to love… and perhaps a certain someone who inspired it.

I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into Jake’s world.

COLLINS: How does it feel to wrap your third tour?

He leans back, considering.

INGRAM: It feels good. Real good. This album was different; took a few risks. I didn’t know how people would take it, but it connected. That’s all you can really ask for.

COLLINS: Any songs that stood out for you along the way?

He thinks longer than expected.

INGRAM: “Gravel Roads Remember.”

His answer catches me off guard.

It isn’t the loudest song on the record, or the obvious fan favorite.

No, this one doesn’t ask for that kind of attention.

It’s the quiet one, arriving after the halfway mark, when the album has settled and you’re no longer skipping ahead. Just Jake and an acoustic guitar, stripped-back, unguarded. You hear it in the dip of his voice in the second verse, in the way he leaves the crack in the chorus intact.

It’s a song about first love. And heartbreak.

COLLINS: I didn’t expect you to say that.

INGRAM: (half-smiles) Didn’t expect to either. Guess that’s what happens when you catch me before I’ve had time to drink enough coffee.

COLLINS: What makes that one special?

He shrugs, though it feels practiced.

INGRAM: I wrote it back home in Texas. Summer night. Sitting on the dock at my cousin’s place, used to be my aunt’s before she passed. Felt nostalgic. Writing songs the way I used to.

COLLINS: So, it’s the place that makes that song special, or the lyrics? Because there’s a line that hits hard: “They say I have it all, but losing you cost me everything.”

He winces. Just slightly.

COLLINS: Is the song about someone in particular?

Jake looks down at his hands, then tucks them beneath his thighs. His eyes drift to the ceiling.

INGRAM: I probably should’ve named the obvious radio single. (beat) Can we delete that question? Start over?

COLLINS: We can. But I’d love to hear more. I think your fans would, too.

Silence.

COLLINS: (gently) What’s her name?

His jaw tightens, not enough to register unless you’re watching for it, but it’s there. The smallest tell. The easy posture he’s carried all morning stiffens, just slightly.

INGRAM: Next question, please.

And just like that, the wall goes up, but it’s too late. The answer is already there.

I see it in the way he doesn’t look at me, his gaze sliding past my shoulder to the bank of windows lining the back wall, or maybe, to nowhere at all. It doesn’t really matter. The song tells you everything you need to know. It’s about his first love, the one he lost somewhere along the way.

The price of becoming who he is now.

In its own quiet way, it’s the most revealing interview he’s ever given. And, he knows it, too. The song says enough; the silence confirms the rest.

Jake stays for a few more questions, but the interview is essentially over at this point.

As we wrap, he pulls on his jacket, and then adjusts his cap, tugging the brim down just a fraction.

COLLINS: So, where to next?

INGRAM: I’m heading home. Texas. Gonna finish the new album.

COLLINS: Any idea what it sounds like yet?

He smiles. It’s small. Guarded now.

INGRAM: Not yet. Hoping inspiration finds me though.

*****end of extract*****

About Sara Palacios –

My name is Sara Palacios and I write contemporary romance and women’s fiction with emotional depth, layered family dynamics, and characters who are messy, hopeful, and just a little bit stubborn.

Outside of writing, I’m usually reading, watching baseball, trying to keep up with my two kids, and pretending I can squeeze one more book into my already mile high TBR pile.

I live in Texas with my husband, and our two kids.

Play It Back was released in July 2026. Click to buy on Amazon UK and Amazon US.