I finished this book up on April 10, 2025. It was so good!

The plot and the love story within really kept me entertained as I devoured this book. I'll leave my goodreads review below.

Thank you for allowing me to enjoy and review early! I hope you have the best release day in August!!

I’m often wary of the second chance romance trope, but this one worked! Everything was definitely bolstered by the setting here but Sam and Mack were cute as heck. My one complaint (which is purely subjective) is that at times it did lean YA— not a bad thing just not my preference! Overall cute and would recommend:

I was excited to receive a complimentary copy of For the Record by Emma Lord from NetGalley. Opinions in this review are completely my own.

First of all, I loved this book. I have loved all of Emma Lord's books so far and have a number of them in my classroom. This one has a slightly more YA feel to it than some of her other novels. I loved the feel of redemption for Sam that this book had. It was obvious that their relationship had not worked in the past, so it was nice to see how he had changed and grown to get to a place where he was ready for a relationship. I felt kind of sad how their relationship had been manipulated in the past, so it was nice to see them rebuild their friendship.

The book definitely gave Daisy Jones and the Six vibes. I loved the idea of them getting together to write a joint album that would be the comeback they both needed.

Mack and Sam were in popular rival bands, with fans notoriously and loudly rooting for them to get together. When the bands fell apart, so did any hope of their relationship – this was a really creative take on the rivals to lovers trope.

We get to watch them navigate life after this high and decide what they really WANT to do – and whether or not that includes a joint comeback album.

The story had Emma’s signature style and sweets (by way of Sweet Harmony Bakery), and I think it will be such a fun summer read for fans of Taylor Swift, Daisy Jones and the Six, and sugary sweet romances.

I am a die hard fan of Emma Lord’s YA novels, and I think she keeps getting better with her adult novels – I’m eager to see what she does next.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-arc!

I love musical themed books and this one was no exception! It was so sweet and the characters were so relatable! Ugh!! love!!

I don’t usually love books with “celebrity” main characters but I enjoyed this one! The characters did feel a little juvenile at times despite being full on adults. But I did enjoy the second chance romance. Also love a romance book that also showcases platonic love and female friendship!

2.75 ⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. I wanted to like this book, it has the second chance romance trope that I love. The FMC is Taylor Swift-esque, what more could you want. Unfortunately, the story telling struggled from a case of “Tell Don’t Show”. There was so much unnecessary narration and we were given a wall of information that could have more easily been achieved by “showing” the audience with a scene. The excess information did nothing to add to the story and halted the momentum. I found it hard to want to keep reading.

A main issue I had with the book is the FMC and MMC are secretly in love with each other since they were in two rival groups, but why? It is clearly explained that they were always horny for each other, but there is no reason to believe they share any kind of genuine love. And it made the FMC’s heartbreak all the more baffling. Additionally, I felt the sexual tension was lacking. I think the book would have benefited from a flash forward/flash back motif throughout. It would have solved the issue of telling not showing, and we could have seen more reasons why the FMC/MMC were supposedly in love the entire time. I had other issues with the story as a whole, but I think it’s pointless to bash on a story.

I do think the author succeeded in delivering a satisfying end and when the FMC and MMC are “together” as a couple, I did appreciate the tenderness between the couple.

Ultimately it wasn’t a horrible book, but it wasn’t my favorite.

Rating: 5 stars 🌟

Thank you to @netgalley @dilemmalord and @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read the eARC of this book!

Spoiler free review :)
The pining. The banter. The ROMANCE!! I cannot mean it more when I say this book is a MUST READ!!! It was the perfect amount of sweet and funny, gave me all of the feels and has definitely earned a spot in my top 5 favorite books of all time.
I loved the dynamic between the FMC and the MMC, the fact that they both have their own conflicts and support each other through them. At the center of everything, they don’t let their fears completely hold them back from living and from joy and I LOVE THAT FOR THEM ❤️ The found family aspect of the book also makes my heart squeeze, I definitely shed a few tears over the course of my journey with this book.

This book absolutely stole my heart. Please support @dilemmalord and get this book, available on August 12, 2025. 🫶🏻

I’m putting this one down for the time being. I really wanted to like it. There were aspects I loved but there were also many portions I was truly bored. The romance wasn’t romancey, the banter didn’t feel right. I wasn’t rooting for the couple.

I’m hoping to give it another go, but at 50%, I’m struggling! Thank you for the ARC!

This was my first Emma Lord book, so I didn’t have any set expectations going into it. But after finishing For the Record, I’m excited to check out Emma’s other works!
 
𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝒆𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒕.

Mackenzie Waters – “Mack”, former band member of Thunder Hearts / Seven

Samuel Blaze – “Sam”, former band member of Candy Shard
 
You can’t outrun your past. Which is exactly how Mack & Sam - previously being one of the most famous rivalries in the music world - find themselves working together after two years of radio silence. Mack and Sam agree to work on a comeback album together, and find themselves getting along a little too good. But working together in the present brings back memories of the past … memories that both Mack and Sam lived differently. While they can’t rewrite their past, can they pen the future they’ve both always wanted?
 
I thought the chemistry between Mack and Sam was playful and genuine. The characters were likeable (except Serena was a miss for me, personally). I think if you’ve ever been in a situation like Mack and Sam, minus the whole stardom thing, then their characters will be easily relatable in the sense of not allowing yourself to get there with someone. I really enjoyed how the “family” storyline played out in this book – including Sam and Ben and how sometimes the people we surround ourselves with become our own found family through thick and thin.
 
Besides being a fan girl, I don’t know much about the actual music industry itself. I feel like the story could have had a longer time gap between the break up of their bands and their comeback album. Understanding their lives and circumstances changed a lot (Sam becoming a dad and Mack with her surgery), two years seems like a little short on time for their management not to think they could be successful in their own solo careers. I also wish we got a little more backstory into their lives while they were still in the band.
 
Honorable Mentions:
~Ben dessert specials
~Sam rearranging the songs for Mack (my heart!!!)
~Epilogue
 
🎤 Second Chance
🎵 Famous FMC & MMC (Musicians)
🎤 Rivals/Enemies to Lovers
🎵 Hidden Identity
🎤 Found Family
 
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and of course Emma Lord for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I gave this one 4.25 out of 5 stars! It was such a fun and heartwarming read. The way Emma wrote these characters beautifully, they feel real, and I loved getting a peek into the chaos of the music world.

The main character’s journey—figuring out who she is while balancing fame, friendships, and everything in between—was super relatable. There were plenty of funny, sweet, and emotional moments, and the whole vibe of the book was just really enjoyable.

If you’re into YA stories with strong female leads and a bit of behind-the-scenes drama, this one’s definitely worth checking out.

I have been searching for a romance book with musicians! This was a fast-paced book filled with a slow-burn kind of second chance love! Definitely recommend if you enjoy stuff similar to the movie "a star is born"

this was a super charming read but did not quite hit the mark for me in the end, unfortunately.

the dynamic - and the banter - between mack and sam in for the record is immediately effortless, and honestly they managed to be adorable even to a dour second chance romance denier like myself. i enjoyed the band drama and the peek at life for musical artists was really fun. the issue i found myself struggling with the most was the writing; it's quick and quirky, but it almost ended up being too... all of those things, like the first twenty pages were just a barrage of similes and hyperbole that made it kinda hard to follow along.

if that is your kind of writing though, i think this would be a really adorable, romantic quick read that would 100% save you from a reading slump, guaranteed, it just did not fully land for me.

thank you to netgalley and st. martin's press for the arc!

Mackenzie and Sam have always been rivals but years after both bands broke up they join together to relaunch their musical careers only this time together.

I love this duo! They were sweet but also real! The chemistry was perfect and the all the other "side" characters each had their own fun stories! I'm a sucker for a band book and this one hit the spot!

Emma Lord is always a favorite of mine and this one went up to top 3 on my list!

I enjoyed this book and this being my first by this author it definitely won’t be my last. Pop star and musician, found family, female friendships just such a good story 💕 I usually hate second chance romance lol but this one I liked. Highly recommend.

Loved this book!!!! Loved how the story changed POV each chapter to take turns between Mack & Sam. This was a love story on many levels: friendship, fatherhood & with a couple of old rivals

This book is SO GOOD. I was so into it the second I started it. I loved reading about these two bands, their history, and where they are now.

The writing is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Half my Kindle is highlighted with stunning prose, earnest reflections on life, friendship, toxic love, believing people's empty promises, and ultimately finding the courage to love and believe in yourself.

The standout and highlight in this book, however, is the love between Sam and Mackenzie. Oh, my LORD the chemistry!!!! It was so palpable, tender, and feverish. I truly felt the hunger between them. I loved the confidence they bring out of each other, the understanding they have, the support they provide, the cheekiness... ahhh, I just loved it all.

This is my favourite from Emma Lord - she absolutely knocked this out of the park, and it's one of my new favourite romances. Pick this up asap!!

Thank you SO much to St. Martin's Press for the advanced e-copy!

I am really, really enjoying Emma Lord's adult romances, and hope she continues to write them. She always has well developed characters, and I really enjoyed the music/pop star aspect of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

<spoiler>

In For the Record, Mackenzie Waters, former front-woman of the Thunder Hearts, is trying to relaunch her career following a thyroid surgery that changed her voice permanently. The public already loves her new voice, but they don't know it as she's been releasing her new songs -- cataloguing her romantic history with seven men -- anonymously as the artist Seven on the new music app Tick Tune. To help to ease the transition into a career without her band, her manager proposes she team up with Sam Blaze -- ex-frontman for the rival punk band Candy Shard and the seventh man who Mackenzie plans to release a song about. The only one to truly break her heart.

Meanwhile, Sam Blaze's career has been stagnant ever since he left Candy Shard to be a father to a son -- Ben -- he didn't know about. Even with taking a step back from music though, he's never forgotten about Mackenzie Waters. When he gets an opportunity to reconnect with her, both musically and personally, he jumps at the chance. But can they overcome their own histories to create the perfect duet?

I gave this book 3/5 stars. I think it was a solid romance with an interesting premise. It was an easy read and the characters were enjoyable too.

This might be the first romance that I've read set in the music industry and it was a lot of fun. The faux-rivalry between the Thunder Hearts and Candy Shard seemed entirely believable as something that would get fans interested and invested. I really enjoyed exploring that history in the book as we get to know both Mackenzie and Sam. The details about the friendship between their two bands, like how they would play the 'Sweet Spot' game, made me want to spend even more time exploring the past between these characters.

On a more grounded note, I think that Mackenzie and Sam's personal issues seemed very realistic and lead to understandable barriers to their romantic relationship (even if you're still, of course, rooting for them to overcome those barriers). It did feel, though, as if they quickly crossed the line from 'friends with benefits' to being in a relationship despite going out of their way to establish rules for themselves early on. I think that there could have been some more romantic tension if we had spent more time with these rules creating artificial barriers between them.

As for Mackenzie and Sam themselves, I liked them both in theory but I didn't feel like I fully got to know them as characters. We're told a lot about how Mackenzie likes to flaunt rules and is wild on stage with a commanding presence but we don't see many examples of this. Likewise, we hear about Sam as a reformed punk rocker bad boy but only ever really see him as a dedicated father and steady support for Mackenzie. It feels like we miss out on truly seeing their personalities as well as some of their flaws. When they come together, they certainly have chemistry but I think it would have been heightened if we had seen more of them as individuals as well.

I did really like the side characters in this, specifically Ben, Hannah, and Serena. Ben was a delight with his enthusiasm for weird, salty desserts and his bond with his moms, Sam, and Mackenzie. Hannah was clearly the kind of supportive friend that everyone would want in their corner. And Serena, while seemingly cold at first, had her friends' backs when it counted and was a force to be reckoned with when solving some issues with legalities on the Tick Tune app that Mackenzie used. If Emma Lord chooses to write a book about Hannah and/or Serena I'd definitely be interested.

Overall, I like the premise/setting of the book but I do wish that we had gotten to see a bit more of the main characters personalities rather than being told about them. I think that would have helped with the romantic chemistry in the book as well. I do think that this was solid contemporary romance novel though and definitely a fun read for anyone that might be interested in the music industry.

This was my second book written by Emma Lord and I got to say I definitely preferred her new adult romance to young adult one. As much as I hoped I'd enjoy this book more, somehow the entire plot simply missed the mark for me. I found myself skipping a lot while reading and became impatient just to reach wherever the protagonists, Mac and Sam, interacted or talked. Since this was a second chance romance between two rockstars, I honestly was more interested in figuring out how and what happened to them during all the years apart. Thus, I would appreciate more if the pace of the story could be faster and cut to the chase. Another thing that somehow bothered me was the appearance of Sam; based on the synopsis and how he was depicted as a nice, sweet, and thoughtful person, he ended up being a huge playboy with tattoos and a revolving door of girls, which was such a turn-off for me. Anyways, I still did like the second chance element here but honestly thought the book could be better plotted.

***Thanks to the author and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***