For the Record by Emma Lord is a fun, uplifting story for fans of Taylor Swift. This book has a lot of heart and comedy in it. I thoroughly enjoyef reading this while traveling!!

Former music rivals turned unexpected lovers, pop star Mackenzie Waters and punk rocker Sam Blaze, are forced to reunite for a joint comeback album after years apart. With Sam now a single father and Mackenzie hiding behind a pseudonym due to thyroid surgery, both are grappling with personal changes. As they navigate working together again, old chemistry reignites and buried secrets resurface threatening to upend their fragile reunion and offering a second chance at both love and fame.

This was a cute, music-centered romance that hits the right notes for fans of the genre, especially those who enjoy stories set in the world of fame, bands, and second chances. While the premise is fun and full of potential, I had a hard time getting into the story at first.
The book leans more toward a light, easy read without much emotional depth, which isn’t a bad thing if you're just looking for something breezy. However, I found the friendship dynamic between Mackenzie and Serena a bit off and unbalanced.
Sam’s role as a single dad brought a unique touch to the story, though the situation itself was somewhat unconventional.
Despite that, the music backdrop and the slow burn rekindling of chemistry between the leads kept things interesting.
Overall, it was an okay read. Nothing groundbreaking, but enjoyable enough if you're in the mood for a light romance with a musical twist.

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

Mack and Sam were rivals in the music world. Their bands toured together, but the tension between them simmered, even with a mutual attraction, until the bands fell apart and everyone went their separate ways. 2 years later, they are both living quiet lives. Sam has a son, and Mack is trying to sing again after having thyroid surgery that changed her voice. Their agents pull them back together to make a comeback album. As they pick up where they left off 2 years ago, the chemistry sparks again. Friends, lovers, or rivals... what will they be to each other now?

I really liked the main characters - both Sam and Mackenzie were extremely likable. However, there was something a little off in this book and I couldn't quite feel their chemistry. Mack felt really immature, and I felt like I was reading about teenage pop stars, not grown adults. I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it. I need a romance book to give me all the feels...

4/5 stars: This is Lord's Steamy Romance stand-alone which is set in New York City and follows a pop princess and punk rockstar, who were once the most notorious rivals in the music scene even if behind the scenes their simmering tension grew into something more, as they find themselves trying to revive their lagging careers by teaming up for a joint comeback album. Both are dealing with things in their personal lives, from the punk rocker living a quiet life raising his son to the pop singer dealing with a postoperative change in her voice. With fans over the moon and their futures on the line, the two will face their biggest challenge yet: giving up the old rivalry and learning to work together. But as old sparks fly and new secrets emerge, they set off a chain reaction neither of them could have anticipated — one that proves that sometimes, the greatest hits are the ones yet to be written. Written in dual POV, Lord's heartfelt and witty writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain likable. Mack and Sam are great and I love seeing the two of them face down their personal issues and come to terms with their past so that they can get their well deserved HEA. Additionally, I love the great cast of diverse and inclusive characters that surround them both. This rivals to lovers, second chance romance is top notch with plenty of swoony banter and OPS scenes that are oh so steamy. Lord touches on some very sensitive topics; so take care and check the CWs.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

I think I prefer Emma Lord's YA novels over her adult novels. This one wasn't bad, I just couldn't get into either Mackenzie or Sam's heads and figure out why they wouldn't just date back when they were younger. This wasn't so much enemies to lovers as it was old friends who kept their guards up to eventual lovers and honestly, it got repetitive after awhile. Also they kept secrets from each other for far too long which was annoying because I knew eventually it all had to come out.

The background characters were great though. I really liked Mackenzie's friends, and I wished we had more of Mackenzie and Sabrina finding their footing again post band. It is hard sometimes staying close with friends in your late twenties/early thirties.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Hovering between 3.5 and 4 stars

I always enjoy Emma Lord's YA books - they're all solid 3 star reads for me. (aka a book I had a lot of fun with while reading it, but will probably never re-read or come back to)

This is her first adult romance that I read by her, and I felt like it still largely read like YA. I was more interested in the 'before' part of the second-chance romance: let me read about these two bands being on tour and their rise to the top, their shenanigans and friendships.

I did love the found families both Mack and Sam had built around themselves, and their conversations about how their birth families vs built families.
Also Ben seems like the coolest kid.

I enjoyed seeing Mack dealing with her personal issues (both physical and emotional), and the friendships she was trying to fight to save. But these two main characters are in their early 30s - and read like late teens-early twenties. I might have liked this story better if they were in their late 30s-early 40s, really reflecting on lives lived, not reccent memories.

Thanks to NetGalley and SMP for the eARC!

thank you so much to macmillan audio for the alc and to st. martin's press for the arc! these are my honest thoughts!

4.25 stars (rounded down). This was such a quick listen, with such fun banter between our two main characters. Andrew Eiden (aka Teddy Hamilton) and Jesse Vilinsky matched their character vibes perfectly. Their chemistry brought the chemistry of the characters to life.

This is an almost-second-chance, one-that-got-away story of former rockstars from different bands who spent their youths (teen years?) touring together. Mackenzie is one of three members of an all-girl band, and their relationships have fallen apart recently. Sam has quickly decided to bow out of the spotlight after finding out he's a dad. However, these two end up in their same-old haunts, chasing ghosts of relationships-that-could-have-been and relationships-that-used-to-be.

Between when their bands simultaneously blew up two years ago and now, Mackenzie's voice changed. She's been trying to get her own solo career up and rolling, but her former label is hesitant. So Mackenzie turns to an anonymous app to vent some heartbreak into music. And she goes viral.

Meanwhile, Sam is nearly coerced into doing a duet with Mackenzie because he's down bad for her and wants her dreams to come true. He misses performing, but he also wants to protect his son. So the two pair up, forming Mac and Sam. They truly go on an adventure of "old haunts," where they write music together. Sam's not privy to the knowledge that Mac's voice has changed, which makes writing songs together difficult. They bicker. They banter. They fight. And that tension? It eventually boils over in the *best* way.

In true rockstar fashion, there's drama in this story that's so intriguing and fun to experience, I just couldn't put this book down! I listened almost straight through in a day. The audiobook brought the art of making music (and really falling in love in the tension-filled moments between) to life. There are some moments that absolutely made me LOL, and there are some moments that absolutely wrecked me.

Read if you love:
- Rockstar romance
- The one who got away
- Mutual pining
- Single dad
- Secret identity
- Music industry drama
- Rivals-to-lovers(ish)
- Hashimoto's rep
- Swim lessons ;)
- Found family

This one is out August 12th! Make sure you check it out!

Emma Lord is really wooing me with her books because I ATE this up! I didn't want to put it down. The connection was established immediately but it was also giving this slow burn?! I wanted them together SO much! The dual POV was everything and I had so much fun reading this.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Griffin for my ARC!

4/5

I love Sam SO much!! Sparkles is quite literally the cutest nickname ever for Mackenzie. And the way that they spent literal years fighting the urge to become more??? UGH SLOW BURN HELL. They both have spent so much time trying not to hurt others around them by doing everything on their own, when all they needed to do was communicate with each other and those around them! I loved the not so subtle nods to the music industry and the way they are so quick to line their own pockets without a care in the world to how it affects their talent. By the end of this book I had tears rolling down from being so happy for each of the characters. It was awesome to see every one of them come out above all that was thrown at them and still keep going. Though it took me a little bit to really get into this book, by halfway I was so invested I couldn't put it down. Lost a bit of sleep in the process but it was a sacrifice I'd glady make again for this book!

Emma Lord is an awesome YA writer, but this is her second book aimed at a slightly older audience.

For The Record is a great enemies to lovers romance steeped in the music world. Mackenzie Waters is a pop Princess and Sam Blake is a punk rock star. For years their bands often played together and their will-they-won’t-they relationship fueled fan frenzies. They nearly became an item until the both bands broke up. Fast forward 2 years. Mackenzie has had throat surgery and is writing and recording under the pseudonym Seven. Sam has take time off to be a dad. Putting them back together for their respective comebacks given their history and completely different writing styles makes complete sense, right? Maybe not in the real world, but it makes for a great book.

Traditional format (digital) 📕

Synopsis in a sentence: A second chance romance for two musicians with a back story of musician/ artist song rights.

My thoughts: Considering this is supposed to be a romance, The main characters Mack and Sam gave me little to no chemistry and I actually had zero interest in their love story until about 75% of the way through the book. The sub plot was also pretty mediocre but was the one that had me finish the book. To me this book reads as a Young Adult which isn’t a bad thing but it lacked the maturity to make it an adult romance. I also think there were a lot of loose ends character wise that could have added more depth to the story.

This book was just ok and there was nothing to make it stand out for me. Being short and sweet with a decent ending left me to round this up to a 3/5.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for a digital ARC of this book. Opinions are my own.

Title: For the Record-a standalone

Author: Emma Lord- I read The Rival and gave it 4 ⭐

Publication date: 8/12/25 | Read 8/7/25

Format: eBook 320 pgs.

Genre:
*Contemporary Romance
*Adult Fic

Tropes:
*music-pop star and rock star
*rivals to lovers
*family drama
*found family
*slow burn
*forced proximity
*2nd chance
*single dad
*celebrity romance

POV: dual 1st person

TW: parental neglect, invasive paparazzi, thyroid surgery

Setting: New York

Summary: Band rivals reunite two years later in hopes of reviving their careers. Mackenzie thought Samuel hated her and they watched in envy as they dated other people. The label wants a reunion album, so they agree to work together. As they spend more time together, sparks fly.

Heroine: Mackenzie "Mac" Waters- releases music under alias "Seven" on Tick Tune (a music streaming for unknown/anonymous artists can upload new music w/o a profit or label)

Hero: Samuel "Sam" Blaze-31, only found out 2 years ago he had a son. Old band-"Candy Shard"

Other Characters:
* Ben-Sam's 6yr old son
*Isla and Twyla-Mac and Sam's managers/identical twins
*Hannah + Serena- Mac's ex bandmates of Thunder Hearts
*Lizzy+ Kara-Ben's mom and her wife-own Sugar Harmony bakery
*Rocket-works for Lizzy, a musician
*Grayson- works for Hannah, dates Mac
*Caspar Quentin-Sam's estranged father/a famed rock star

My Thoughts: I love a man that will teach you how to swim and Sam came through. Mac and Sam faced "will they/ won't they" for about one hundred pages. I got to know the other characters-Ben, Serena, Hannah, and Lizzy-all special to Mac and Sam. Once they started working on an album they confided in each other. They talked about their parents' absences and Sam reuniting with Caspar. I'm not sure how I felt about Rocket's betrayal-I'll chalk it up to his youth. Serena became a superstar after the band broke up, but she didn't feel happy with her success. Hannah created a business empire-a clothing line, a bar, and "Hannah Says." There was a 3rd act breakup, but it's quickly resolved with Sam and Mac's HEA!

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐
Spice level 4/5 🌶 open door

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press |St. Martin's Griffin, and Emma Lord for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press and Emma Lord for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️ Two ex-musicians who had a “fake” rivalry find themselves pushed together 2yrs after their respective bands break up and they last spoke. Each trying to revive their solo career forces them to work together instead to capitalize on their “Will they, won’t they” past.

I love dual POV but wonder if I would have enjoyed this more as single POV. It was just too obvious they both were obsessed but keeping themselves away from the other.

For me, I enjoyed the story but didn’t feel a massive connection between our main characters.

I really enjoyed how the music was woven into the story. There were several side characters and storylines that all intersected which made things interesting but a little messy towards the end.

The story was (kind of) second change romance, second chance at a music career, second chance for friendships and second chance for family.

To start, I've read all of Emma Lord's book, except The Rival, and like any author there have been winners (Tweet Cute is the best of course) and.... well... OK-ish books. And the OK-ish books are never BAD... they often just simply are missing that certain something that turns a meh book into a wow book.

Unfortunately, For the Record, is an OK-ish book. As I said, it is not BAD. It's simply forgettable, lacking a solid dramatic hook for the reader, and offers hints of greatness in a sea of "it's fine".

What would have made For the Record better?

Better defined and fleshed out primary and secondary plot lines. Again, midway through the book, I thought where is the rising action -- where is the tension? where is that feeling that while you are rooting for these two people you are also peeking from behind your hands at the inevitable "car crash" up ahead? Basically it was too low stakes for me.

Also, Emma Lord is SO GOOD telling stories about family dynamics. And here, she drops in these family issues (for both MCs) but they are so underdeveloped and it's like what is the point?

End of the day, For the Record is a quick (and short) read that gives off Daisy Jones & The Six vibes mixed it with boy band meets Taylor Swift fan fiction. Perhaps it could have been reworked for a YA audience, where it could have been really good but as a book clearly geared towards adults, it just leaves you wanting (much) more.

I enjoyed this one a lot!! my only critique is that I wish we could have seen more of the songs so we could really have understood how they were about one another!

3.5 ⭐️
The premise of this book was right up my alley. I really enjoyed the teen band aspect of it, it was nostalgic of growing up loving bands. I also liked the idea of two estranged people having to work together again to help their careers.
There was just too much going on sometimes I think? I lost interest in some of the Tick Tunes drama and found myself not caring.
Overall a fun & quick read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the eARC.

This definitely had an interesting and unique premise- 2 old musical 'rivals' team up to cowrite new songs to reinvent their stalled music careers.
I hate to say it, but I feel this missed the mark for me. I did not feel any chemistry between the 2 MCs and there were too many subplots to keep up with. I felt the 2 MCs lacked the emotional maturity of people supposedly in their 30s- if you were to tell me they were 18-20, I would have believed you. They felt a little too immature and not experienced with emotional communication that made the story stall out. Emma Lord writes a lot of YA and this felt more YA in terms of maturity and intellect.

I definitely struggled to connect to the story and the characters. I wouldn't classify this as a 'second chance romance' as they never actually dated in the past timeline. I wish this was a dual timeline story where we got more an insight into their touring days to see more of the 'rivalry'. I think that would have actually added to the story and made me want to root for them to get together. I think the multiple subplots; friendship drama, old band drama, child drama, social media drama, record label drama all added to the confusion and made me lose some interest.

If you enjoyed Emma Lord's previous books, you will enjoy this one as it fits very much into her 'bubble gum pink princess' vibe.

Emma Lord is a go-to author for me. Her books are fizzy and warm, and I always look forward to reading them. For the Record is a really solid romance featuring two rival musicians who are brought together through circumstance. Lord's signature charm and emotion come through as Mackenzie and Sam spend more time together. I enjoyed this book, but I think there may have been too many variables for the length of book. I would have appreciated a deeper dive into fewer dynamics.

This is probably one of my favorite reads so far this year! I absolutely adored Mack & Sam's story! Everything flowed so smoothly from the very get go, even the nods back to the past were smoothly added in and didn't jumble up the story at all. I was rooting for these two from the very beginning. What a wild ride, perfect for people who want to read about characters that have had to grow up, have made mistakes along the way, and have learned how to hold themselves accountable for those mistakes. I just finished this book and I'm already sure that I'll be reading it again.

Flashbacks to the past with a whole lotta angst and a will they or wont they situation. Now they need to revive their careers by writing songs together, the fans loved their chaotic stage chemistry before. Had some emotional deep moments with both Sam and Mack individually and together. I loved this entire book it had me deep in my feels that I did not realize when it was over.