Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martins Press & Emma Lord for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this story. In the first Emma Lord book I read- it involved characters in a whacky/chaotic spotlight that would be so rare to have in common and it detracted from my enjoyment. But with this premise and connection- it was incredibly believable. I believed, I was invested. I enjoyed the journey.

Aside from the romance- the sisterhood between Mackenzie's bandmates is at such a tough spot- and their story and growth makes this novel have even more depth.

Narration was top notch. Obviously Andrew Eiden is an auto-grab for most of us romance readers. Jesse Vilinksy is just as beloved and these two really brought this book home!

People loved to watch us hate each other. It was the greatest un-love story every told. For The Record written by Emma Lord was beautiful, emotional, deeply heart felt, raw, enchanting, heart breaking, musical induced, and inspiring. Emma has never failed to amaze me with her story telling and her beautiful writing, so when I saw she had a musical romance coming out, I knew I had to get my hands on it immediately. I have read many books by Emma Lord and she has never once left me feeling disappointed with her stories, I will continue to read anything and everything she writes. Musical romances are one of my many favorite tropes, so to get a book about music and romance by one of the greatest authors, I couldn't contain my excitement until I finally got my hands on this book. For The Record is for all of the music junkies out there who could never survive without music in their lives. What really caught my attention was the beautiful cover, I mean the characters are hot, the color of the cover, and the designs are just so stunning. I loved every single minute of this story, I cried, I smiled, I cheered for the characters, it was just absolutely phenomenal. If you are a music junkie like myself, you won't want to miss out on For The Record, so please do yourselves a favor and mark your calendars for August 12th, 2025 for the publication of this magical and enchanting book. I will constantly scream from a rooftop that everyone needs to read this book like right now, so please, don't walk, literally run.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND ST. MARTIN'S PRESS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!

"They say the definition of stupidity is making the same mistakes twice".

"Love sounds like the silence between two people who understand each other well enough not to need any words at all".

"I would rather chance fucking up a great thing with you than settle for a good one on my own".

"I spent so long crying over bad boys who didn't love me back that I never got to enjoy the thrill of having their attention in the first place".

"You can't see the pain at the bottom of yourself when you are standing at the top of the world".

Mackenzie Waters is a pop princess known as America's perpetually tragic sweetheart. Mackenzie has gone on a cliché bad boys dating parade made up of cheating Nepo babies and textbook narcissists while she was touring the world in her early twenties. Mackenzie was in a musical band with her best friends called Thunder Hearts which was a pop girl group, but they all went their separate ways in the music sense, but still remain friends with a little drama thrown into the mix. Mackenzie hasn't performed on stage in two years, but now she wants to relaunch a solo career, but the problem is that her current career is a black hole for many reasons. Despite going solo, Mackenzie will always be known as a "former girl band member" which just breaks my heart. I think if an artist wants to go solo, they shouldn't be known for their past talents, I think people should be more supportive of their new music. Mackenzie is best described as a shiny ball of chaos, she had so much sass and she was so full of spunk, this girl was just so beautiful. Two years ago, Mackenzie had surgery to remove a growth in her thyroid, which is known as Hashimoto's, the growth was pressed against her vocal cords, since removing the growth, the surgery has affected her voice but no one knows. After recovering, Mackenzie now writes music under the pseudonym- Seven, this isn't a new beginning, but it's a way for Mackenzie to mess around with her new voice. Seven is known for songs about all the men that have broken her heart, but one in particular is about Sam Blaze. Song writing for Seven/Mackenzie is a way of polishing scraps into something that shines bright.

Sam Blaze is a former bad boy who is too easy to turn into a villain. Sam is also a former band member, he was the front man of Candy Shard which is a punk rock band. After the band's last tour two years ago, Sam found out he was a dad, it was the biggest shock of his life, but his son Ben is his biggest blessing, being a dad is the best part of Sam's life. Ben is now six years old, but he was just four years old when his father found out he had a son which was held as a secret from Sam. Sam has a velvety voice like blinding sunshine spilling over the pavement after a rain storm. After two years off the grid with no performing, Sam wants to become an acoustic singer, but no labels want to take a chance on his new work without a tour and barely any press. Sam thinks Mackenzie hates his guts, but fun fact- Mackenzie despised him, you will just need to read this book to learn why. I truly feel so bad for Sam, his own father chose music over Sam before he was even born, like that's just so heart breaking to learn, I couldn't even imagine how Sam felt. It was damn near impossible not to fall in love with Sam, no matter how much of a bad boy he was supposed to be, Sam was just so lovable and just one of the sweetest characters I have ever met. No one could ever make me hate Sam Blaze, he was the best father to his son Ben, he had the biggest heart, he just wanted to see everyone else around him thrive in he best way possible no matter what his future looked like. No matter how much of a villain he was portrayed as, Sam Blaze was literally an angel with a heart of gold.

Mackenzie and Sam met through their managers- twin sisters- Twyla and Isla. Their bands toured together when they were both in their separate bands. Sam and Mackenzie had a forbidden star cross romance of "will they, won't they" which of course was a publicity stunt. They had an enemies to lovers trope onstage with their constant barbs and shenanigans, but when their bands broke up and went their separate ways, the romance between Sam and Mackenzie fell apart. Labels haven't relaunched either of them as solo artists because the labels think they are risks on their own, but now the labels want Sam and Mackenzie to relaunch as a duet which will be the biggest comeback ever. This time around as a duet, Sam and Mackenzie want to tell a different story as mature and mutually supportive friends, but there's just one condition, Mackenzie and Sam won't allow any love songs to be written. Their new album has to be about their favorite places, so they start the "Artistic Process" where they take pictures and visit places for their musical inspiration. As they write their new album together, there's the same damn unspoken and electric thing that keeps bringing them back together again and again. They decided not to write any love songs because Sam has never been in love enough to stay, and Mackenzie has never been good at staying loved. Their banter was so cute yet so funny, Sam to Mackenzie- "You're all glitz and no grit" and Mackenzie to Sam- "You're all punk and no damn fun", I couldn't help but love these two, they were just absolutely hilarious but so real with each other. I wish Sam and Mackenzie nothing but the best on their musical journey's, but I'll miss them.

3.5 stars!

Thank you Emma Lord, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ARC!

For the Record follows two ex-superstars who are trying to make a comeback after personal situations have caused them to step out of the spotlight for 2 years. Mackenzie and Sam were both members of "feuding" bands who on the outside seemed to hate each other but secretly had feelings for the other. Due to Sam's discovery of having a child he didn't know about and some personal issues for Sam, the bands break up and the two go their separate ways for two years. A reunion at a bar spark their managers to throw them together in the hopes that they can both revive their music careers. Secrets and miscommunication threaten to break apart their new alliance and potential chance at romance.

This is my first Emma Lord book, and I liked it! It was a quick rockstar, enemies to lovers read that I enjoyed. The characters both have their own secrets and must learn to trust the other to make their comeback and relationship work.

It took a lot not to DNF this book. I thought the story sounded interesting. A lot of people seemed to have loved it unfortunately I was not one of them. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers and banter between Sam and Mackenzie. They had good chemistry. I liked that they had interesting back stories that contributed to their current lives.

I didn’t enjoy the pacing of the story and at times it felt drawn out. There were a lot of characters with different subplots going on and most of them never fully came into fruition. It made it hard to care about any of them. There was also a lot of miscommunication which was very frustrating.

As a huge fan of Emily Henry, I picked this up because it was recommended for people who love her stories. That felt misleading and this one was a miss for me.

Thank you St. Martin’s Griffon for my copy of this ARC.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the #gifted advanced listening copy and thank you @youhadmeathea for the #gifted ARC! #MacAudio2025 #macmillanaudio #stmartinsessentials #YouHadMeAtHEA #ForTheRecord #emmalord

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐲
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟰★

Mackenzie and Sam were former musical rivals who used to light up the stage as their bands clashed on stage. Off-stage, their chemistry was totally different and grew into something more until both bands fell apart and so did their relationship. Years later, Sam is now raising a son and Mackenzie is dealing with postoperative changes to her voice and singing under a different name. The only chance at a comeback for Sam and Mackenzie is to launch a joint comeback album. As the two work together, there’s drama, banter, and some sparks as the two fall back into their old ways together.

This was a sweet rom-com with such a fun premise. I always enjoy books by this author and I thought the chemistry between the two main characters was so great. It was a cute read and I really enjoyed it!

🎤Second Chance Romance
🎤Dual POV
🎤Self Discovery
🎤Found Family
🎤Enemies to Lovers

🎧The audiobook was next level, and narrated by Andrew Eiden and Jesse Vilinsky. They were so perfect together as sam and Mackenzie and their audio performance was without a doubt 5★. I did not want to stop listening to this one once I started, and I credit these two narrators for providing such an amazing listening experience. Not only did the characters have great chemistry, but the narrators had that same chemistry and I highly recommend this one on audio!

Posted on Goodreads on August 7, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around August 7, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on August 12, 2025
**-will post on designated date

3.75 ⭐️

Former music rivals, Mackenzie and Sam, left their bands in the past. Sam left his career to help take care of the son he didn't know he had and Mackenzie left after facing a major surgery that altered her vocal chords. When they join forces for a comeback album, the two of them must face their demons and work together.

I enjoyed listening to this as the narrators were fantastic! I didn't get into it as much as I liked. Some parts dragged for me, while I was invested for others. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was missing, but it was a nice, average romance. I enjoyed the rockstar elements and that both characters went on their own self love journeys.

I wanted to like this joke but just found the dialogue to be seriously repetitive and lacking.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

thank you netgalley and st martin's press for the early copy of this book!

i primarily giggled my way through this book because of many reasons. i'll list them for you.
1. growing up in the prime of one direction and five seconds of summer, this was the ultimate read for a fangirl that adored the onstage and behind the scenes drama
2. sam blaze
3. knowing these characters were pining so bad for one another and although they didn't know it, they totally knew it, and it was marvelous. their tension was electric from the start
4. sam blaze
5. emma lord does an amazing job writing not only main characters, but side characters who do their job thoroughly and tell their own story when they aren't even in the spotlight. you get to know the whole crowd even when the story may not center on them, and i love that
6. sam. blaze.

listen, it's a romcom! and one that hits the fun, addicting, and dramatic side of the 2010 fangirl and i loved every second of it! now i need to go log back into tumblr.

I love a dual point of view and enemies/rivals to lovers plus this having a setting in the music world made this a win for me!

I love, love, love Emma Lord’s writing style so much, so it makes sense that Emma writing about song writing would be doubly delightful. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this book when I started because I generally don’t vibe with rockstar romances, but I was invested from the jump and I loved Mackenzie and Sam’s stories, both separately and together. One of my favorite reads of the year so far!

Thank you to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I have been waiting for this book to come out for what feels like a year now, so when I was approved for this arc, I was insanely excited to start reading, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. "For the Record" was worth the wait, and I would already give anything to be able to read it for the first time again because the story had me giggling, blushing, and kicking my feet all at the same time. I loved the plot, and the way both Sam and Mackenzie were drawn to each other from the very beginning just made the book even more enticing. There was so much yearning between the two of them that it pulled at my heartstrings for them to just confess everything to each other, but at the same time, there was never really any miscommunication between them, just misunderstandings. Sam very quickly made it onto my book boyfriend list. He graduated from Wes Bennet's school of manifestation.

As for the character development, I can't say there are many books where one main character didn't annoy me, but this book would be one of them. I loved Mackenzie and Sam individually, but even more together. I wanted to cry whenever either one of them was going through it, laugh along during their banters, and applaud along with the rest of the audience when they both received the love they deserved and fought so hard for.

Let me just end this off by saying, you can look forward to: love songs about each other, rivals to lovers to strangers to friends to lovers, pining and longing, no third-act break up, and dual POV.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan, and St. Martin's Griffin for this amazing arc!

I enjoyed Emma Lord's Break Up Pact, and really was excited to read this one. Told from a dual character POV, the readers gains insights into both our main characters, Sam and Maackenzie, as we see them as former music rivals, to present day where they're trying to produce a joint album, while bringing a lot of baggage. This is a fun easy read, the the characters are entertaining. If you're looking for a fun romance to read, with of course the HEA, this may be for you. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Emma Lord is the kind of author who writes a book and you read it, no questions asked, because you KNOW it will be good. Well, For the Record proves my point once more! A world of music, rivalries, banter, and surprisingly deep emotional beats, this book is one that has gone straight to the top of my favorites list. To all my romance fans: you won't be able to help but fall in love with Sam and Mack. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book!

4.5⭐

LOVED:
- I dunno man this one just really worked for me. I loved how the history of these two characters were integrated without being starkly separated into flashback chapters (and that’s really hard to do). I also got why these two opposites would be attracted to each other, both in the past and in the present (and for both similar and different reasons).
- Mack’s adjustment and grieving the loss of the voice that made her famous to find her new sound from her Thyroid surgery was so well done. Being a musician and relearning how to play an instrument is a really tough struggle, and when that instrument is your voice, something that you cannot just replace like a fiddle or a flute…it’s tough.
- Sam’s relationship with his song and his co-parents was just lovely. And that storyline of his son and what that means for him and his history was really engaging.
- Okay, hear me out. I’m not a big fan of smut for smut’s sake BECAUSE I appreciate a zmut scene for getting to see characters and their relationship at this most intimate, most pared down to their rawest forms (pun as unintended as it can be). I think, that this book is a masterclass in this. You get to see how they really work together and how even at their most intimate, they still can’t resist egging each other on and still being so fundamentally them.
- The Grand Gesture is PEAK. And the epilogue is adorable.
- The title is really good. Is it the most unique? No, but that’s fine. It really ties into the story and that’s all that matters to me.

LAMENTED:
- Okay the first act of this book is sloooww. I can’t remember just how many parts are in this book, but the first part, probably up until around their first song writing session takes quite a bit to really get going and pull the reader in. I’m not sure why, honestly.
- Listen, I’m a sucker for a nickname, I am. But oh boy does he call her ‘Sparkles’ way too much. And ‘Sparkles’ is not a great nickname. It became grating.
- I found Rocket to be annoying. I get why he’s there but I found him annoying, sorry.
- Candy Shard is a weird name for a Punk band.
- I want to like this cover more than I do. I think I really like a lot of it, the record for the ‘o’, her boot on it, how Mack looks. But Sam looks goony. I do not like his pose or his expression or his outfit. It’s disappointing.

LONGED FOR:
- A bit more oomph in the first act
- Maybe a smidge more storytelling of them on the road? (but this is a stretch)
- Less ‘Sparkles’ omg

Will I read the next one? : Yes. I hadn’t read any Emma Lord up until this point (I don’t read contemporary YA romance and I hadn’t read her adult book from last year) but this one really impressed me.

Rivals Mackenzie and Sam had an enemies to potentially more years ago but it all blew up. Years later, they're back to enemies and both attempting to resuscitate their careers but need the other now more than ever, at least according to their teams.
While I found Makenzie to be somewhat unlikable, Sam's hardships and loyalty stood out to me. He didn't have the best example of what family could be but he set his lines and stuck to them for the sake of his son. The single parent angle was so well done. The second half had me more invested in their relationship and for Makenzie as a character. This love letter to music and the industry will be one Emma Lord fans are sure to enjoy.
Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

The premise of this book sounded so promising, and while I did enjoy reading it, it fell a little flat for me. For one, I didn’t love the characters, Sam and Mackenzie, so I think that is where it went sideways. Well, I liked Sam, who had been pining for Mackenzie for years. The main problem I had was with Mackenzie. I couldn’t see what Sam had yearned for, so I had a hard time cheering them on. I think if there was more of a backstory, like a dual timeline, I would have liked it more. Emma Lord is an exceptional author, and I have loved all of her other works, this one just fell a little short of the mark for me. 3.5/5

This was a cute romance set against a backdrop of secrets, strained friendships, and music. Our MCs are both former lead singers from rival bands who used to tour together. Now, a few years after their groups have gone their separate ways, they team up as a duo. As former “frenemies” both carrying hidden feelings for each other, things change as tension, chemistry, and old wounds resurface.

I really enjoyed the overall vibe of the book and found the characters easy to root for. There’s a nice blend of emotional tension, banter, and slow-burn romantic development, especially for fans of second-chance or enemies-to-lovers tropes. The musical setting added a fun and fresh backdrop that worked well with the story’s themes of rediscovery and growth.

That said, it did feel a bit too long in places, and at times the plot seemed to pull in several directions at once. I occasionally found myself wishing it would narrow its focus a little more to really let the emotional beats land. Still, even if a few elements didn’t fully click for me, I can absolutely see this being a hit for romance readers who enjoy complex characters, a bit of angst, and stories that mix love with a hint of nostalgia and creative passion.

3.5/5 stars for me, rounded up to 4 where whole figures are needed.

2 musicians from 2 rival bands trying to make a comeback have to write together, but she has a secret solo identity and they never told one another that they loved each other in the past.

The plot was really really fun. I liked the musician shenanigans and his family plot. The “Tick Tune”/artist song rights plot was a bit on the nose, but it didn’t take over the story enough to be annoying. Their chemistry was off for me at first, but after they get together it’s actually better in my opinion? It was weird because they lost me but then got me back. They PINED in the past, for sure, and I loved that. A truly fun musician romance that guarantees I’ll read Lord’s next adult romance!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to SMP Romance for the advance reader copy and to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

This is the epitome of rivals to lovers with a dash of second chance. Sam and Mackenzie had a bit PR rivalry in their competing bands, even as they regularly toured together. Now it's years later, and both are trying to start up again as solo artists. But the label only wants them as a pair.

The romance aspects of this story were great. There was so much steam and chemistry between them. And while there were certainly misunderstandings, I never found myself yelling at the book to just talk to each other. All of their choices made sense for the characters. And the secondary characters from her band and his son were just as excellently written.

I also especially appreciated how the story wove in really important thoughts on the music industry, predatory label practices, and the best ways to support upcoming artists. There was a story arc with Sam's dad that didn't feel like it added much to the plot.

Overall, I had a great time reading this. I listened to the audiobook in a day. Andrew Eiden and Jesse Vilinsky were the narrators, and both are absolutely fantastic. I would choose an audiobook just for their narration. So pair them with Emma Lord's story, and I am immediately sold.

The description of the book hooked me but I have to admit, it took me awhile to get into this book, like probably until I was halfway through it until I was finally sold on it. Lord is a great writer but for most of the story I felt like the story was just lacking. In the end I enjoyed the story but it really left me wanting more. Not the worst book I've read this summer but not the best. A decent beach read.