This book surprised me ... in the best way.

It tells the story of mature individuals who all make a bunch of mistakes, but fight through it all. Separately and, most importantly, together.

Mackenzie and Sam truly make beautiful music together. This story gives you an insiders peek into the hidden background of the music industry. Good and bad. I loved it, every little bit of it.

This book should 100% be made into a movie!!!! I highly recommend this book!!!!

Thanks to Netgalley, and the publisher, for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Emma Lord is always a hit for me. I have enjoyed her YA romances and this is a step to the adult category so I was very interested to see how it worked. Second chance romances are always fun, and the twists and problems of the music world make this new and fresh. Sam and MacKenzie had much to work through before their romance could solidity, so the ups and downs left the outcome in some doubt. One thing I especially loved was the fact that Sam’s son Ben was a focus of his life and he and Ben’s mom were on good enough terms as old friends to co-parent. Both Sam and MacKenzie wanted to make sure Ben didn’t get caught in the crossfire. A great easy read.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for a fair review.

he cover gave total 90s vibes and honestly, I didn’t pay much attention to anything else when I requested 😂✌🏻Following her band break up, Mackenzie Waters is singing secretly on an anonymous social media app that vaguely was pictured in my head as a cross between Snapchat with the disappearing and TikTok but for voices? Look- I don’t know but I do know after some medical trauma, Mackenzie’s voice is no longer the same and she’s having to come to terms with it.

In walks Sam Blaze- rival rocker, bad boy energy, all the girl’s crushing kinda guy. The absolute hilarious catch of why these two bump into each other and are even in the same sphere is because their managers are sisters and these two once rivals will now become comeback stars on a joint record.

Quick, easy, romance that offers so grit and turmoil while still being a satisfying snuggle of comfort- For the Record offers a fun storyline with some lovable characters.

This was such a fun read! I loved the amount of tension between Mackenzie and Sam! I really liked how they became friends and solved their previous issues before diving deeper into their feelings for each other. The songwriting and music aspects were super fun and overall made for a great read!

🎶✨ For the Record was such a fun and intriguing read! I loved the behind-the-scenes look at the music world, especially through the feuding bands aspect! The mix of drama, fame, and undeniable chemistry kept me hooked, and the romantic tension had just the right amount of spice to keep things interesting. Emma Lord balanced the glitz of the industry with authentic emotional beats, making it both entertaining and heartfelt. If you like music-centered romances with a dash of heat, this one’s worth adding to your TBR.

I’ve read most of Emma Lord’s young adult novels but For the Record is 100% adult fiction. It’s not too spicy, but it’s a very emotional story. Sam and Mackenzie’s bands were on tour together and their schtick was to pretend like the two of them were arch enemies. Of course, their fans ate it up but at some point they actually started caring for each other. All of a sudden Sam disappears and cuts off their budding relationship. At the same time Mackenzie has surgery on her thyroid which affects her vocal chords, so she can no longer sing her own bands songs.

Two years have gone by and Mackenzie is finally singing again but under a pseudonym, and Sam wants to start up a solo career. The only way their record label will even consider backing them is if they become a duo. Old hurts and feelings make it a rocky start but of course, with trust and lots of chemistry their old feelings start to come back.

All of the trauma from what happened to each of them two years earlier makes their present situation with a lot riding on the outcome a joy to read. I loved how the author made it so easy for me to hate or like these characters. The story was great and this reader was definitely rooting for both their career and their relationship to succeed.

High Hopes for For the Record by Emma Lord

Late last year I picked up Emma Lord’s The Break-Up Pact as an ARC and fell hard for it. It had humor, heart, and just the right amount of emotional pull. I happily gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars and immediately added her name to my “must request” list. So when an ARC of For the Record landed on my shelf, I was excited. I thought I was in for another bingeable romance with characters I would root for from page one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC of For the Record in exchange for my honest review.

The Premise and the Celebrity Factor

Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze used to rule the music scene. Their bands were jokester rivals, their antics were legendary, and fans could not get enough of the drama. Underneath all that tension there were signs that they might actually like each other. However, before anything could happen, both of their bands fell apart. So did whatever was brewing between them.

Now it is two years later. Mackenzie is secretly making music under a pseudonym after a vocal surgery and keeping things low key. Sam has stepped away from the spotlight completely and is focused on raising a son he only recently learned about. When the idea of a joint comeback album comes up, they agree, even though it means dealing with their messy past and all the unresolved feelings that come with it.

It is a setup with plenty of potential. I was ready for the shine of the music industry, the tension of a second-chance romance, and the fun of watching them navigate a comeback. Instead, the celebrity angle felt over the top in a way that pulled me out of the story. The world of famous musicians can be fascinating, but here it felt more silly and cartoonish than raw and real.

Characters That Did Not Quite Click

The biggest problem for me was that I never fully connected with Mackenzie or Sam. Their situations should have been easy to root for. Mackenzie was struggling with her new voice and Sam was trying to adjust to being a dad. There was a lot of potential for emotional moments, but it never went as deep as I wanted it to.

The side characters had their moments, but most of them felt like they were there to keep the plot moving instead of being memorable in their own right. Without that strong sense of connection, I found myself reading more to get to the end than because I was invested in their journey.

Tone and Emotional Depth of For the Record

This book felt younger and lighter than I expected. The Break-Up Pact had plenty of humor, but it also had moments that hit hard emotionally. Here, the tone stayed closer to rom-com territory (and a bit like a cheesy Hallmark movie) and never dug into the more vulnerable beats that could have made the story stick with me.

Conflicts were solved quickly. Big moments that could have been turning points often felt like boxes to check off rather than scenes that truly changed the characters. For some readers, that light approach will be perfect, but I was hoping for more weight under the sparkle.

On top of that, a lot of the relationship tension came from the two leads not being honest with each other about how they were feeling. I find it frustrating when so much of the conflict hinges on simple conversations that could have cleared things up in a page or two. It can work if it is handled with nuance, but here it felt more like an easy shortcut to keep the characters apart rather than a natural outgrowth of who they are.

Final Thoughts and Rating

In the end, For the Record was a quick read with a fun premise, but it did not land the way I hoped it would. The celebrity setting felt too polished, the characters stayed at arm’s length, and the emotional depth I wanted just was not there.

I am giving this one 2 out of 5 stars. Even so, I am not done with Emma Lord. The Break-Up Pact reminded me how much I can enjoy her writing, and I will be picking up whatever she releases next.

This is my second book I’ve read by Emma Lord and certainly not my last.

I truly loved every aspect of the book, from the music to the chemistry between the MCs. There was so much enjoyment while I was reading. Can’t wait for the next book by Lord!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for this ARC.

The story follows our mains Sam and Mackenzie, once rivals in the music industry but now struggling with their lives post group breakup and trying to revive their careers. Sam has embraced a quiet life raising his son but still wants to be making music while Mackenzie grapples with postoperative changes to her voice. They have overcome their pasts to work together for a joint comeback album or accept the end of their musical careers.

This was a great, quick travel read for me. I am always a fan of a rivals to lovers especially when it’s also a second chance romance (that just adds a whole other aspect of tension) so I really enjoyed this. There was a great element of opposites attract happening (pop princess meets punk rocker) and I could really see the Daisy Jones and the Six vibes coming through as the story developed.

I loved the writing process Sam and Mack had of visiting previous ‘haunts’. While reading these moments I could vividly picture each scene playing out in my mind, the boat, the pool, the Hole and Emma Lord did a fantastic job building that tension and vulnerability between the characters in each of these scenes. I do wish these moments were longer. There was a large emphasis on the characters needs for these new songs but I found the writing scenes to be too short/infrequent and some of them happened off page. I think expanding on this would have been great for further developing the story.

Overall I really enjoyed reading For the Record but would have loved a bit more to the writing/recording side of the story.

Tropes:
Rivals to Lovers
Second Chance Romance
Musicians (pop princess vs punk rock)
Found Family

This was a cute romance but moved too slowly for me. It’s supposed to be enemies to lovers and second chance but the past was left too vague imo…I think some past POVs would’ve helped this out. I didn’t understand how they ended up in love with each other in the past and how they hurt each other to cause years of silence?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5 stars)

For the Record is one of those feel-good reads that hits the sweet spot between angsty, heartwarming, and totally swoony. Emma Lord brings together music, messy feelings, and a second-chance vibe that kept me hooked the whole way through.

Mackenzie and Sam are both former stars trying to reclaim their voices, literally and creatively. Mackenzie is recovering from vocal surgery and a career that's been sidelined by drama and heartbreak, while Sam, now a dad, is trying to reinvent himself outside of his former punk persona. They're forced to collaborate on an album neither of them asked for, but the chemistry? It's undeniable. Watching them try not to fall for each other again while writing songs and revisiting their past was the exact mix of tension and tenderness I wanted.

I really enjoyed how the story gave us both perspectives, Mackenzie’s chaotic charm and Sam’s quieter, steadier energy made them a great match. The music references and creative process were fun and authentic, and there’s just enough humor to balance the heavier emotional beats. I’ll admit there were a few pacing hiccups, and the tone sometimes felt more YA than adult, but that didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed it.

Overall, it’s a heartfelt story about growth, love, and letting yourself take up space again after life knocks you around. Fans of second chances and music-driven stories will definitely want to check this one out.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

For the Record
By: Emma Lord

Thank you St Martin’s Press for the free book! #SMPPartner #SMPRomance #FortheRecord #EmmaLord All opinions are my own.

“I’ve been spending my whole life trying to put love into words, but now I know what it sounds like -- it’s the beat of Sam’s heart against mine. It’s his warm breath of relief against my neck. It’s the silence between two people who understand each other well enough not to need any words at all.”

Mackenzie, a pop princess and Sam, a punk-rocker were rivals with a hint towards something more when their bands were at their prime two years ago. But then things fell apart for them both professionally and personally and they went their separate ways until an opportunity to revive their careers presents itself in the form of a joint comeback album. Mack and Sam will need to work together to make this a success and hopefully along the way they can rekindle some of the magic that was once between them.

This is such a sweet and adorable romcom. I loved the setting and the banter between Mackenzie and Sam. The push and pull of their relationship is just so much fun, especially since it is clear to the reader from the start that Sam has been head over heels in love with Mackenzie the whole time. I have read quite a few Emma Lord books and consider myself a big fan, both of her YA stories as well as her contemporary romances so it is no surprise that I enjoyed this one quite a bit!

If you are looking for an uplifting and entertaining romance with tension but no third act break up then look no further and add this one to your list!

Read if you like:
✩ Rivals to Lovers
✩ Second Chance (ish)
✩ Single Dad
✩ He Falls First
✩ Dual POV
✩ Rockstar Romance
✩ No Third Act Break Up

For the Record - Emma Lord

⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Like I was exactly what she thought l'd be, when she never thought much of me in the first place.”

Former stage rivals turned creative collaborators, pop icon Mackenzie Waters and punk rocker Sam Blaze are forced to reunite for a comeback album after their bands fell apart. As they reignite old chemistry and navigate lingering secrets, their joint return to music may just become the greatest hit of their lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book. Overall, this book was just alright, it felt like it was missing something but I don’t really know what. I never really fully bought into the characters and how fast things changed by the end. I felt the comparisons to “Daisy Jones” were a little misleading.

I didn’t care for all the Taylor parallels, and the repetition of “Tiktune” was very annoying. Not my favorite Lord book.

4.5 Stars • ARC

okay I absolutely LOVED this book. It was funny, swoony and had so much depth. Sam and Mackenzie were such great well rounded characters and my heart ached for them so many times. I loved some of the 'behind the scenes" music aspects about writing, production, labels and contracts! The ending and the epilogue made me so incredible happy!!

I love me anything to do with bands and music, but especially with ex band mates. This was a fun, light read!

There have been a whole slew of music rival themed romances in the last few years but Emma Lord's For the Record is one of the best. Mackenzie and Sam were rivals who have since taken their music careers in different directions. Sam took some time off, Mackenzie recorded under a different name. In order to revive their respective careers, they decide to release a joint album, but they'll have to figure out how to work out their differences to do that.

This was a bright light of a story. I felt so happy reading it in a way that Emma Lord always manages. This is the perfect read for those looking to get through these trying times.

Thank you to St Martin Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. Unfortunately this book did not work for me and I did not finish it.

Such a fun easy rom com to get you out of a reading slump or to just fill a weekend up!
We have Mackenzie and Sam as our mains and they are literally falling into each others arms from the start (no really, from about chapt 2 on)
Call it a misunderstanding, call it bad timing... but these two are made for each other and watching them grow and find what is right for them as they mature was a fun ride. Highly recommend for anyone who loves a good rom com pallet cleanser.

This whole book is a reclamation and dedication of the past that was written by individual independent people in a situation being recovered by those individuals as a collective and seeing each point of view while going through a situation that was the world coming full circle and scenarios repeating themselves.

Former musicians MacKenzie and Sam were always pit against each other with the decision made for them that they were going to be at odds, even down to their last names (Waters and Blaze). Their entire careers this was the case but now meeting again years later, they're both rediscovering their places in music and within their real and found families. The past and present approach to how the characters reconcile all of the challenges they've faced together and separately was a fun ride.

#arc
#netgalley
#fortherecord