DNF @40%

I'm having kind of a hard time getting into this. It's not really keeping my focus. I'm not connecting to the characters, it's hard to follow what's happening and I keep forgetting what's actually going on 😅 I don't know what it is about it that makes it feel so slow.

Rockstar romance meets rivals-to-lovers in Emma Lord’s latest romcom. The story follows Mackenzie and Sam, whose respective bands were always at odds, fueling an undeniable tension between the two—both onstage and off. Now, both groups have gone their separate ways, and Mackenzie and Sam are each grappling with their own life changes outside of their careers. But when an opportunity arises for the two of them to make a comeback together, will their sparks reignite or simply burn out?

FOR THE RECORD has everything I’ve come to love in an Emma Lord book: snappy, sparkling banter, delicious descriptions of food, complex family dynamics, and, of course, swoon-worthy romance! I loved getting to know Mackenzie and Sam, and following their love story. Beyond the romance, Mackenzie’s plotlines were especially compelling to me. She’s very Taylor Swift-coded, but as the story unfolds, she truly becomes her own character, too! I really liked getting to see her navigate her complicated friendships with her fellow band members, and slowly rediscover her passion for music and her voice again after thyroid surgery. I also enjoyed Sam’s journey—his relationship with his son, Ben, was especially sweet to read about! The book’s fascinating depiction of the music industry was another highlight for me; the characters’ passion for their craft shone through on every page.

If you’re in search of a heartwarming rivals-to-lovers romance set against the backdrop of the music world, I’d recommend giving FOR THE RECORD a read! And if this is your introduction to Emma Lord’s work, consider this your sign to dive into her backlist, too. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Synopsis: Musical rivals Mackenzie and Sam decide to release a joint album to revitalize their careers.

Thoughts: This was a cute rom-com, but was lacking in emotional depth. I just didn’t find myself connecting to the characters or feeling invested in the story. A note on the audio: I enjoyed the performance by both narrators, and I definitely think the dual narration was the right choice for this book - but ultimately even the great narration just didn’t save this one for me.

Read this if you like:
🎶 musicians
🎶 second chance
🎶 dual pov

I loved the premise of this book! I loved the past rivals, but my brain couldn't figure out if they were supposed to be 20 or 30 years old. I think it was the fact that they hadn't spoken for only two years, which is when their respective bands broke up. Sam being a single dad also felt a little unnecessary or like an afterthought. Further along, the son becomes a bigger part of Sam's arc but it still didn't feel necessary. I loved the alter ego part of Mackenzie's story -- that made this book unique. But when the conflict came up, it felt a little too easy, like, duh this is how Sam and the world is going to find out that Mackenzie is Seven.
There were a lot of things I liked about this book, including the second chance romance, dual POV, and the MC's sweet relationship. I'm glad I got the alc and arc of this one. I think Emma Lord is a fun writer and writes strong characters so I will continue to recommend her books to anyone who wants an easy and light read!

Even though this is a second chance romance, that’s not exactly true since the two leads - Sam and Mackenzie - were never together. However, they were rivals” in bands and clearly always had something for the other. I thought this was a fun, lighthearted romance.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an advanced copy through Netgalley.

I really enjoyed this one. The rivals to lovers trope was well done and the second-chance story felt very believable. The characters were also just quite loveable. This was an easy, lighthearted read and I enjoyed the premise. Publishing in a couple days! Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins for the eARC!

2.5/5. I loved the premise of this book. It was a decently fun read. However, the writing was extremely cheesy, and the plot about the app “Tick Tune” didn’t make much sense. The author also spent a lot of time showing rather than telling. Mackenzie had all of this supposed heartbreak from Sam, but we never saw where exactly that came from in the past. Overall, I liked what the book tried to do - the rivalry to friends to lovers between Mackenzie and Sam. Unfortunately it fell flat for me (no pun intended). Thank you for the ARC!

I can't even begin to explain the love I had for the MC's in this book. Their history as "rivals" with a will they won't they undertone was exactly the kind of pining I was needing in a romance novel. We follow Mac and Sam years after they both were part of rival bands and are now trying to strike out on their own in the music industry. This comes with the pining of a relationship that never was and the pain of their pasts as they both try to find their new paths in life. This was such a fun, witty and banter filled romance that dealt with so much more depth than I was expecting. I love a good rivals to lovers romance, and this served.

This was my first music related book and I enjoyed that. I didn’t really connect to the characters which made it hard to get through. Other than that though I liked the writing, the setting, the plot.

3.75 stars!! This book has everything: a less toxic daisy jones and billy dynamic, a small human making insane savory sweet combos that should never ever exist, record label executives being real assholes, a rivalry (?) between a girl pop group (?) and a punk rock band (?) (seriously does not compute), and flirting through song lyrics!!

Bubbly Mackenzie Waters and bad-boy Sam Blaze prove that the elements really do work in tandem (even when they’re against each other)! Years after their groups broke up (not actually for bad reasons!!), these two singers are looking for a comeback and their managers (of course, twin sisters, duh) decide that nostalgia will bring the fans back. And with that nostalgia, comes back all the feelings that never really got resolved…

This was a sweet and fun story, with a great message for artists looking for contracts - even if the pacing was a lil spotty to me. I had fun with this one, a great introduction to Emma Lord!

Thanks so much to Emma Lord, St Martins, and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I loved so much about this book!! The fmc is maybe a little TOO inspired by Taylor, but she did eventually come into her own. I feel like Ben acted more like an 8 yo than a 6 yo which seems nbd but it's a big difference!! Love the love story and love no third-act beeakup and LOVE the epilogue.

I love second chance romances soooo much and this was a great one!

After two years apart, Sam and Mackenzie have changed and grown a lot but the one thing that didn’t change was their feelings for one another! Seeing them realize this and row closer as they started working together was so cute and I couldn’t have been happier when they finally gave into their feelings and gave themselves a true chance.

I also loved the side characters, from Mack’s best friends to Sam’s family. They were great additions to this story and I feel like Emma set up Mack’s friends’ stories really nicely in this book so I really hope to see more of them in the future!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was so cute!

Macklyn and Sam used to be in 2 different bands that had a “ Rivalry” centered around the 2 of them. Its now been 2 years since they have last seen each other and both are trying to rebuild their lives after life alternating events accrued.

I loved the friendships and family units that were represented in the book. It showed multiple different ways that support systems could be made up. Also everyone's relationship with Ben was so cute!

There was just the right amount of tense and “will moments” in this one. It really added to the theme of how their “Rivalry” was used when they used to be in competing bands.

If you like rockstar turn dads who are madly in love with a pop star who has a disastrous dating past this is for you!


Thank you Net Galley and St.Martins press for providing this early copy for review.

3.75⭐️


This was a fun second chance romance with a twist. Mackenzie is a former pop princess whose voice changed after having surgery. Sam is a former pop rocker playboy. They used to share the stage—and plenty of tension—back when their bands toured together. Their will they/won’t they rivalry masked very real feelings. Two years later, their labels push them into forming a duet… and what starts as a musical reunion starts to stir up old feelings and turn into something more.

This took me a little while to get into, but once I did, I ended up really enjoying it. The premise was fun and entertaining, with a great world full of interesting dynamics—especially the push and pull between Mack and Sam that feels messy and real in the best way. The banter is sharp, the music aspect is interesting, and the flashbacks give a great peek into their shared past.

I did feel like some issues were touched on without being fully resolved, and the pacing was a bit off at times, namely the relationship feeling a bit fast at first.

Still, this is a heartfelt rockstar second-chance romance about learning from your past, reinventing yourself, and embracing the different versions of who you can be. There’s some yearning, lots of nostalgia, and plenty of emotional growth to keep you invested.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book! I really, really enjoyed it! I adored Sam and Mack. If you love a book where they're both musicians, then this is the perfect book for you! It was fast paced and I read it in one sitting. The tension and yearning was chef's kiss, especially in Sam's head. And his son Ben was so cute, I loved their relationship, but liked Ben's adoration of Mack more. My one caveat and the reason I couldn't give it 5 stars is they were already in love with each other when the book started, they were both just clueless about the other's feelings. I would have really liked to see them fall in love through flashbacks rather than them just say it in their thoughts, Overall I would recommend this and will definitely be reading another Emma Lord book!

3.75 ⭐️ For the Record is a fun dual POV frienemies to lovers 2nd chance romance. The banter between the FMC Mackenzie and the MMC Sam was great. They are both famous musical artists that once toured together. Mackenzie is dealing with her voice having changed due to surgery and Sam is dealing with having a surprise son and becoming a father. Their road to revive their careers ends up reviving their romance. This was such a feel good rom-com.

Thank you to Net Galley and St Martin’s Press for providing me an ARC for my honest review.

What a perfect romcom for music lovers everywhere!

Emma Lord has a knack for writing heartfelt, inspiring stories with relatable characters that will have you smiling from ear to ear by the very end of the story. For The Record is a thoroughly enjoyable story from start to finish, full of tender, raw moments between two characters that manage to find their way back to each other after everything else around them pulled them apart.

What I enjoyed most about Mackenzie and Sam's story was their journey together as they collaborated on their joint album; resolving their misunderstandings and supporting one another in achieving the goals and dreams they now have as adults. It added to their chemistry and romance throughout the story, and I really did like the ending.

All in all, another enjoyable romcom from Emma!

While I was thrilled to receive this as my very first physical ARC, the story itself left me a bit underwhelmed. The concept and blurb promised something far more action-packed and gripping than what unfolded on the page. It wasn’t a bad read, but it didn’t quite live up to the excitement I’d anticipated.

For the Record by Emma Lord is a cute rivals-to-lovers romance.
I'm an Emma Lord fan and this one did not disappoint!
The characters were really likable and their relationship was definitely cute.
I loved how Mack and Sam’s relationship progressed throughout.
Lord brings so much love to her stories. You can tell she writes with care. And I believe that’s why I enjoy reading her books so much.
The story has plenty of humorous moments, but also plenty of heartfelt moments.

Once again EL did not disappoint!

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7815987448

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-the-record-emma-lord/1146167646

Emma Lord’s For the Record hits all the high notes of contemporary romance, delivering a standout second-chance story fueled by music, rivalry, and real-world emotion. Once locked in fierce competition onstage—Mackenzie Waters as pop princess and Sam Blaze as punk rocker—they lit up the music scene with their clash of styles and simmering chemistry. But even the flashiest spotlight dims; both bands crashed and burned, and the spark between them flickered out.
Fast forward two years: Sam has traded backstage drama for domestic devotion, suddenly parenting a son he never knew he had. Mackenzie, on the other hand, is grappling with the aftereffects of thyroid surgery that compromised her voice, forcing her to perform behind a pseudonym. When a label suggests a joint comeback album as the ultimate PR revival, the pair is thrust back together in a creative arena where old wounds and unresolved tension abound.

What follows is a melodic dance of collaboration, confession, and real sparks reigniting. Their songwriting sessions crack open emotional vaults as much as they craft new lyrics, blending professional redemption with personal healing. Lord’s depiction of the music industry—its pressures, unpredictability, and the delicate balance of artistry and image—is grounded and convincing. Meanwhile, the slow-burn romance between Mackenzie and Sam plays out with bated breath, every moment calibrated to resonate.

There are deeper chords here than just chemistry. Sam’s commitment to being a caring dad, and Mackenzie’s cautious rediscovery of her voice, both add layers of authenticity that elevate their reconnection beyond typical romance tropes. If there’s a minor glitch, it’s that some supporting arcs don’t get as much attention, and the pacing eases off midway—but even so, the emotional pull remains compelling from the first track to the final refrain.

In For the Record, Emma Lord has composed a satisfying, emotionally rich rivals-to-lovers romance where the greatest hits—heartbreak, healing, and harmony—are still waiting to be written.