It was okay? I found myself skimming it for a long bit because not a lot what happening. Sam felt like a bad guy who wasn’t really a bad guy? I was excited because I love a famous person trope but this one fell flat for me.

Emma Lord’s For the Record really pulls at the heartstrings! Band rivals Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze have had a simmering tension for years, but as they both want to restart their music careers, they find the best solution for them is to put the past behind them and collab together, but as old sparks emerge and new secrets come clean, it seems there’s a more behind the lyrics they’ve written and they can’t deny their feelings much longer. This was romantic and sweet. It had a lot of second chance vibes, and what I love is how much these two work to know each other in the present rather than only live in their past. Although, I also loved hearing about their past. I will say, there was something about this book that took me a longer time to finish, and I think a lot of that is my own preferences, I have a tricky time with celebrity type romances. These characters, however, are complex and I thought all the music industry things going on in the background was so interesting. Sam and Mackenzie are both so strong and passionate and they have such well fleshed out insecurities and growth. And I loved having both POVs. There’s so much love in these pages! It is romantic and heartwarming, and I was just really rooting for these characters!

It was pretty good! I enjoy Emma Lord's writing and this was an interesting concept, but would have loved it to be a bit more fleshed out and have some more depth.

4 stars – For the Record by Emma Lord was a good read. I enjoy Emma Lord's YA books and expected this one to be good too.

Mackenzie Waters is the former frontwoman of a girl pop band. After the band went their separate ways, she had throat surgery that impacted her voice. Went she felt that she was able to sing a little, her sound changed quite a bit, so she anonymously released some songs as a solo artist with a different sound on an app that allows artists to create a following.

Sam Blaze is the former frontman of a punk rock band that was with the same label as Mackenzie’s band. The two singers were used by their record label to hype up audiences and sales with a “will they or won’t they, do they or don’t they” theme. After his band’s dissolution, he decides to start a solo career but with a different sound.

Their label says that they want to support their efforts but think that they need to relaunch their careers as a duo first before going solo. Both Sam and Mac have changed though they still have chemistry with each other. For the Record is about them meeting again and learning about each other and dealing with the good and bad in their past.

This second chance romance was good. The beginning was a bit slow, and I really loved how Sam is portrayed as a famous dad to Ben and his relationship with Ben’s mothers.

A big “Thank You” to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Books for allowing me to receive a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this book so much! You can tell that the FMC Mackenzie is very influenced by a certain big popstar, but as a fellow Swiftie, I didn't mind it at all and found it kinda fun. The connection between her and Sam was very cute but I really loved the growth between her connections with her friends and herself. This book was light and fun and I have no notes, would totally recommend to a friend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️

This definitely has Daisy Jones vibes, and although well written, it didn’t grab my attention as much as I hoped it would. It was entertaining and I liked the characters, but somehow, it felt a little flat. Not enough angst or tension.

suuuuch a fun read!! it took me no time at all to read it because i didnt want to out it down! i love dual pov and truly it makes me love any book more, so so good

Yes yes yes! I loved this second chance, enemies to lovers romance. This was such an enjoyable read that left me happy for all the characters.

Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze were once rivals. Mackenzie was the singer of pop band Thunder Hearts, while Sam was a rocker in Candy Shard. Years later, after both have gone through some serious life changes (Sam with a secret found son and Mackenzie with some serious medical issues that has caused her voice to sound different), the label is bringing them together as a musical duo.

I enjoyed almost every aspect to this book. The characters were fun and really meshed well, the supporting characters even were a nice touch, the kid wasn’t annoying (which happens way too much in books), and the plot flowed very smoothly. I felt like I was right beside Mackenzie and Sam throughout this and enjoyed seeing their story develop. The only thing I didn’t like were the band names (a bit cringe for me), but I can get over that.

4.5 stars rounded down

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Even though I'm not normally a fan of rom coms involving music, pop stars or rockstars. I did pick this one up because it was described as perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the six. I have to say though that I loved the music rivalry and the music comeback more than I did the romance. But it was still a good read.

I'm sad to say For the Record did not do it for me. I was really looking forward to it because I love reading about famous people. So a romance between two singers, sign me up esp when it's being compared to Daisy Jones and the Six. I'm sad to say it really didn't compare and I honestly don't remember what happened in the story. I never felt any pull towards these characters. I want to be rooting for them and I didn't feel myself doing that. I didn't feel the chemistry that they were supposed to be having. I do have to say I think my favorite character was Sam's son. He would make these horrible baked good creations. I have to admit, I wanted to try some of these. That was really all I took from the book. It's a shame because I've been looking to find more romance books I enjoy. Sadly, this just didn't end up working for me.

This is my first Emma Lord book and I absolutely ate this up. The MMC Sam was perfection. All of her characters were likable and the storyline had me hooked from page one. This was the perfect palette cleanser for the other books I usually read. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Emma Lord for giving me the chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review that has basically surmounted to me screaming about Sam and Mackenzie on the internet and crying like a banshee. Sam and Mackenzie’s chemistry is ELECTRIC from literally the first chapter, and I was giggling and kicking my feet throughout this entire story as they navigate some, admittedly, heavy shit. A very honorable and special shout out to the light of my life, dessert hating inventor of the pizza muffin, Ben.

The premise behind this had so much promise, Taylor swift coded but kinda fell flat and wont really be memorable for me long term.

Definitely wouldn’t compare this to daisy jones and the six or even an Emily Henry book if I’m being honest but overall a short cutesy second chance rom com that you can probably finish in one sitting.

I have read a couple of Emma Lord’s books before and they are always a fun, easy read. I love a good second chance romance and this one gave just that! The premise was two musicians from different bands who had a will they/won’t they relationship on stage that ended abruptly. It was cute.

I think the one trait that made this read so good was all the characters. The MC’s were easily lovable and had great banter and the side characters added just a tad more depth to the romance plot line.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. I loved absolutely everything about it. I always love a dual POV romance and this one was amazing. I loved getting the backstory of Sam and Mackenzie while also looking at their present. Their chemistry is beyond words and I fell in love with them both.

A fun novel about formal rivals. Mackenzie and Sam are each dealing with pressures of their careers and lives. They used to be rival musicians before it all crashed. Their tension added to charm which added to their onstage performances.
A few years later they are both leading very different lives. Sam is raising a son and Mackenzie is still singing, but not as her former self. Can they work together on an album?
Sparks, rivalry, spice and tension made this one a fun read.

This book was everything I wanted it to be and then some. The writing is heartfelt and vibrant, full of sharp humor and soft heartbreak. I loved how the story captured the messy beauty of reinvention, of navigating grief and identity and ambition in a world that’s quick to forget and even quicker to judge. Their banter had me grinning and their slow-burn reconnection felt hot and so satisfying. Easily one of my favorite romance reads this year.

An absolute hit—equal parts swoony, sharp, and emotionally satisfying. Emma Lord delivers a pitch-perfect romance full of backstage tension, second chances, and the kind of slow-burn chemistry that makes you want to cheer (and maybe start a band yourself).

Hi I am once again standing before you, with an Emma Lord book in my hands, prepared to tell you all the reasons you need to read this when it comes out in August <3

FOR THE RECORD is Lord's sophomore adult novel, following singers Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze as they attempt to revive their careers with a joint comeback album. Mack and Sam have to give up their years-long rivalry and learn to play nice--but not too nice--in order to get the attention from their label that they've both been seeking.

I was lucky to receive an ARC of Lord's newest adult novel, and I had a wonderful time with it! Her Young Adult novels are superb, but her Adult novels are truly where her writing shines.

This book has everything:

Enemies to lovers
The main characters are musicians
Found family
Second-chance romance
Strong friendships
Unconventional family dynamics
...need I go on?

One of my favorite components to this book was the found family element. Mack is estranged from her biological family, but something I appreciated about that was that it wasn't something she dwelled on. It was stated as a fact, but she knew that she had something so much more special in her found family. I absolutely loved that.

The tension between Mack and Sam was OFF THE CHARTS (...pun intended). There's rich history between these two characters, with old secrets they're both holding close, and each reveal makes you root for them individually but also as a couple even more.

Throughout the story, Mack is navigating tension with one of her best friends and former bandmate, Serena, and I appreciated how that story was told as well. Everything about Emma Lord's writing feels very authentic and genuine, which makes me enjoy it all the more.

Mack's thyroid surgery added another compelling element to her story and her singing, and I enjoyed the anonymity she was seeking with the Tick Tune app and her alter ego, Seven. (I was a Hannah Montana girlie as a child, so if you give me a musician with an alter ego, I am contractually obligated to eat that shit up).

As usual with Lord's writing, the ending was once again wonderfully paced and executed--no notes from me.

I would read about these characters forever (fingers crossed for a spin-off novel being in our future)!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Griffin for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC!

This was my first Emma Lord book, and although the story was cute and read like a romcom, the MCs did fall a little flat for me. I did not connect with either of them in the way I wanted to. It was lighthearted, fun, and a quick read, I think I just expected more.