📚✨ ARC REVIEW ✨📚
For the Record by @dilemmalord
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

Thank you to Emma Lord and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Mackenzie was once part of the chart-topping girl group Thunder Hearts, known for her powerhouse vocals. Since the band disbanded, Mackenzie underwent surgery that altered her vocal tone. She has been releasing music anonymously under the name Seven. Seven's songs are an act of catharsis, allowing Mackenzie to grieve past relationships and put them behind her. The one ghost she can’t shake? Sam Blaze. 💔

Sam, ex-lead of the Candy Shards (Thunder Hearts's touring partner and fake rival), has always loved Mackenzie, but he kept her at arm’s length, convinced he wasn't the man she needed. Now he’s reentering the music scene after two years away... and fate (aka their record label) throws them back together.

Forced to co-write and perform an album, the tension is electric. Years of secret pining, past pain, and unrealized feelings bubble to the surface. Will this second chance finally be their moment? 🎶

I really loved this book. It was a different kind of second-chance romance, where the first time around, they weren't in a relationship, despite the depth of feelings and attraction they felt. The secret pining over the years hurt my heart in the best way. Their individual growth was so satisfying, and the payoff felt earned. I don't know if I have rooted so hard for a couple to make it.

The writing is witty (see: "emotional support enemy" 😂) and quite beautiful. I wish I could hear the songs written by Mack & Sam, as a duo and individually. This book is begging for a Spotify playlist to give an idea of what type of music they make.

For fans of:
🎤 Rockstar romances
🖤 Longstanding crushes + secret pining
🎧 Forced proximity
🔥 Rivals to lovers
🎶 Music as emotional healing

#ARCReview #ForTheRecord #EmmaLord #SecondChanceRomance #RockstarRomance #MusicRomance #EnemiesToLoversVibes #SlowBurnRomance #ForcedProximity #BookstagramRecs #RomanceBooks2025 #Bookstagram #RomanceReaders #RomanceWithDepth

3.5⭐️

This is a second chance, rivals to lovers romance between a former girl band pop star & a punk rock star. After Mackenzie had a voice-altering surgery 2 years ago, she’s now singing under a pseudonym & nobody knows it’s her. Samuel Blaze is trying to live a normal life with his son & keep him out of the spotlight. When their label wants them to team up & release an album together, they find themselves spending a lot of time together.

I think this book was cute for what it was. I would’ve liked more of a buildup to them actually being in a relationship, it seemed like they just always secretly liked each other & finally decided to do something about it, it didn’t feel like they were ever truly “rivals”. I did enjoy their romance though & all of the characters were likable for the most part. There were some side plots that I don’t think were really necessary to the story but overall it was an enjoyable quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC.

This one was just OKAY for me. The storyline was a bit clunky with the jumps in timeline and no preface of time mentioned or titled. Aside from that, I didn't feel that the FMC secret was ALL that. She was out there telling her closest friends, but couldn't tell her man? It was messy, she was messy and I could not get into it for the life of me.

For the Record by Emma Lord was a fun and entertaining read.

Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze have history. They are both successful musicians who spent years in the spotlight before things changed for them. Mackenzie dealt with the breakup of her band and also a massive change in her voice, whereas Sam traded the spotlight for being a dad to the son he didn't know he had.

Both Mackenzie and Sam are looking to make a comeback on the music scene and a record label makes an offer to them to make an album together given the success of a song they wrote together previously. Watching these two work together is like a slow burn with a side of fireworks. While they spar, you can tell there is a lot more right there under the surface. Will this push them together or further apart?

Mackenzie and Sam have both been on journeys that neither one saw coming. They've had to grow up and go through things, which changes how they interact with one another. It was fun to see how their attraction and chemistry is undeniable but how they continued to fight it at first and how it continued to morph and grow along with them.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot and loved the second chance aspect to it. It underscored how things can happen in your past that you think are the worst ever, but maybe there is something better waiting on the other side.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I received an advanced copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

Former girl group pop star Mackenzie has been anonymously posting a solo act after thyroid surgery changed her voice. Her old “rival” Sam wants to start over on his own, too. They allegedly hate each other, but agree to work together on a new sound. Old feelings and hurts pop up and new feelings make new songs.

For the Record is a pop record of a book. It took me on highs and lows with glitter and cocktails. We’ve got friendship and new relationships and found family. This was cute and easy to read and just so much fun!


Thanks to St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

The Book:

Mackenzie Waters is a former pop princess and Sam Blaze a former punk rocker who were once rivals in the music world. Their former bands have fallen apart and they've both had to adapt to significant changes in their personal lives but both want to "comeback". Their teams propose they team up for their comeback so they have to learn to work together.

My Thoughts:
I really like the premise of the book and I was hooked from the very start and for the first third of the book, but then I lost investment in the characters and their story and had a hard time connecting with it. This may just not have been the right book for me at the right time. The writing is good and I have seen so many 4 & 5 star reviews for this book!

Thank you, NetGalley for allow me to have this arc first inform this is my first Emily Lord book that I have read and let me tell you what it hit all of the notes 🎵 second chance romance, enemies to lovers , and dual POV I’m here for it!!

McKenzie and Sam are musicians that were in their own bands. Years later they are wanting to go solo. The record label has other plans for them!!

Sam, former rockstar now turned into single Dad. Who’s still in love with McKenzie!!

McKenzie “sparkles” wanting to make a name for herself in the music industry by having a solo career

This book was so cute 🥰 I really enjoyed the banter between both characters.i did feel like it was a little drawn out in certain areas and I found myself pushing through to the end. I wish it had a little more emotional connection and dynamic journey

Like always, Emma’s books were delightful and cute as all get out. Did the cliched forced proximity setups require a little suspension of disbelief? Sure. But what classic rom com doesn’t? Full review will go live on the blog (https://warmfuzziesonly.wordpress.com/)

♡ Thank you for the free ARC, SMP Romance and NetGalley. Thank you for the free audiobook, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley.

Pop star Mackenzie Waters and punk rocker Sam Blaze were once rivals with a spark that nearly turned romantic, until their bands and relationship fell apart. Two years later, Sam is a single dad and Mackenzie is performing under a pseudonym after vocal surgery. When their teams propose a joint comeback album, they’re pushed back into each other’s orbit. As they work together, old feelings resurface and buried secrets begin to unravel.

While this isn’t my favorite Emma Lord book, it was still a fun read. I liked the second-chance dynamic and the blend of music, romance, and personal growth. It’s a fun story about rediscovery, with the right balance of tension and heart.

☊ Listening to this story via audiobook was enjoyable. Narrators Andrew Eiden and Jesse Vilinsky did a wonderful job.

1.5 ★

I've enjoyed my fair share of celebrity romances, but maybe now I've read enough of them to admit how easy they can fall flat and drop the most unnecessary information and pop culture references. Still, two ex-rivals in bands that clashed enough that everyone obsessed over their dynamic? Who have to reunite to save their careers and show the world the people they've become? Sign me up... or maybe not.

“Sam has never been in love enough to stay, and I have never been good at staying loved.”

And Lorena has never suffered more than reading the ARCs she keeps getting her hands on 😔✋🏼. This book's divided into six parts (six parts too many), and I can only say I somewhat enjoyed one of those. I had to drag myself through the other five. The first three parts of the book had such horrible writing that I wondered if I'd accidentally gotten stuck in one of those interactive stories you see in ads for games you get tricked into downloading, only to later realize the story you saw in the ad doesn't actually exist in the app... I hope you get what I mean. I had to make fun of how terrible some scenes were because that was the only way I'd keep reading. I also had to remind myself I wasn't on Wattpad reading about 16-year-olds, and that I was instead reading a published book with characters in their late 20s and early 30s, because the conversations and actions they made were so juvenile it felt like a YA book. If I'd decided not to get the ARC and read this after its release date, I would've 100% DNF it after the first part.

“Turns out I'm an everything person if it means I've got all of Mackenzie Waters in my arms.”

The writing style is a big problem, but the plot and characters should've been able to save this book, even a little bit. Spoiler alert: they weren't. Mackenzie and Sam were so unmemorable that I had to check the synopsis to remember their names. They had potential, but the focus was all wrong. Instead of focusing on building a deeper connection between them, we got the most random details and unnecessary appearances of secondary characters, multiple secondary plots that were never developed enough for me to care about, and the most unoriginal and annoying name for an app: Tick Tune. That goddamn fictional app that's supposed to be a mix of TikTok and Snapchat gets mentioned forty-seven times (47!?!?). Like, c'mon, couldn't we have thought of a different name, or for it not to be mentioned every single chapter? 🙄 I know it's such a little thing to complain about, but it's not that little when it's constant enough to make me want to throw my Kindle out of the window.

“People loved to watch us hate each other. It was the greatest un-love story ever told.”

I can appreciate some of the topics Emma Lord wanted to touch on here, like artists' rights, the downfalls of fame, having to pretend to be someone you're not, play to the way you're portrayed and liked by the media to keep your career, complicated family relationships, and the found family you find on the road. However, none of these topics were handled with enough care or given enough time to have the impact they should've. In the end, the little paragraphs we got on these topics were underwhelming and felt like a waste of time. The extra .5 is for the little I enjoyed, and for the adorable scenes we got with Sam's son.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC ♡

This was a really cute read. I loved the banter and the chemistry between Mack and Sam, but I could have done without the amount of friendship drama between Mack and her previous bandmate, which is why I rated this four instead of five stars. I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a cute low angst, second chance romance.’

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press for the eARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Dnf @ 25%

Unfortunately, I am not really getting into this book. I think it's not for me, but I can definitely see why others would enjoy it. It's fun, witty, and the banter between the MCs is good.
I think I must be perpetually online because the story is a bit slow and it's giving a crackship AU where mgk and taylor swift would end up together.

I have been burned out on celebrity romances lately so the enjoyment I got from this one about two music stars was a surprise. Told from both the female and male main characters perspectives, seeing both sides of the story helped in seeing how the pair gets together in the end. I liked that the story is as much about the lead female character and her relationships with her bandmates after their dissolution as it is about the romance. The end felt a bit rushed to me.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

This book follows Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze - two musicians whose friendship began as a rivalry, and whose sparks were always put out. But now, on their own, Mackenzie and Sam are teaming up again and have to rediscover themselves and how they fit together. This book was my second by Emma Lord, and with both I struggled to feel like the characters had the depth that I typically enjoy and look for. However, I thought the plot in this book was very strong and helped carry that character development. I did think there was noticeable growth in the characters, especially Mackenzie, and I enjoyed the book. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced reader copy (ARC). All opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of Emma Lord’s newest book, For the Record. I have read and enjoyed many of this author’s books and when I saw she had a new book coming out, I couldn’t wait to read it!

This story is about Mackenzie and Sam, lead singers from 2 different bands who toured together in the past and who had a love/hate relationship until something tore both bands apart.

Two years later, Sam is living a family life and Mackenzie is singing under a pseudonym due to a change in her voice. Both hoping to revive their careers, their labels suggest they create a joint comeback album. The biggest challenge is the two spending time together and fighting their feelings for each other. 


****Contains Spoilers****

The story was told from both Mackenzie and Sam’s points of view which I feel really helped with the story. I loved to see them struggling with their feelings for each other, their feelings about the struggles they were facing, Sam about being a father and a musician and Mackenzie about how her fans will feel about her new voice.

The story of them falling in love, of him falling first but of her realizing she loved him all along was so sweet. This book has reminded me a lot of other “band” books like Daisy Jones and the Six and The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits. Hearing about the stories of how they wrote their songs and the shenanigans they dealt with on tour just made the story so sweet. I also loved Mackenzie and Sam’s banter.

My heart broke for Sam when he met his father, even though I knew what would happen, and I also loved the ending. I loved to see how he loved his son and took responsibility for him as soon as he learned about him. I also loved how Sam never let Mackenzie walk away no matter hard she tried to push him away. I really liked this book.

For the Record by Emma Lord is a fun book about the front people of two rival bands reconnecting and falling for each other (again) while attempting to revive their careers, this time as a duo. Mackenzie is afraid to let her voice shine after throat surgery as she sounds different, and Sam is trying to keep his young son out of the spotlight. Together, sparks flew when they were on stage together as rivals, and they’re hoping to rekindle that spark as a duo. However, as they reconnect, they learn more about each other and feelings grow. Will they survive a second chance at stardom?

I loved this book! I loved Sam and Mackenzie and how they brought out the best in each other. I also enjoyed the side story of the rising musicians versus the executives. Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for access to an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

realistic rating: 3.5 ⭐️

<I>"I’m already in so deep with Mackenzie Waters that I couldn’t swim out if I tried." - Sam</I>

Hmm this book was a quick read and enjoyable at times…I think it felt too fan fiction like. I didn’t love the book, but I did not hate it. I think the concept of two musicians who have had a past meet again was super cute.

<u>Tropes:</u>
🎤 Rival musicians to lovers
🎤 Second chance
🎤 Single dad MMC
🎤 Hidden identity
🎤 FMC has a medical condition
🎤 Forced proximity

Pros:
- When Sam teaches Mackenzie how to swim

Cons:
- TickTune…I HATE THIS NAME AND EVERY TIME I READ IT IN A SCENE I CRINGED

<I>Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author Emma Lord for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review!</I>

I loved For the Record!! I would give it four stars. The story follows Mackenzie and Sam (“emotional support enemies”) as they team up to write an album years after their rival bands both disbanded. It’s Emma’s signature voice and vibrance with a celebrity twist à la Great Big Beautiful World and Daisy Jones and the Six. Great commentary on the ills of record labels. Good pacing. The main characters have amazing chemistry/banter per ushe, and I always admire the way that Emma creates such vivid pop culture moments within the narrative. It’s almost like a fantasy level of world building but for realistic fiction. It’s honestly so fun. It’s also been neat to follow Emma’s journey into adult fiction from her YA roots.

More like a 4.5 for me!

First off, I love the cover for this one. It perfectly captures the vibe of the story. Second, when you name drop Emily Henry AND Daisy Jones and the Six (one of my favorite books of all time) in the description, the expectations are exponentially high, and thankfully, this one delivered!

For the Record follows musicians Mackenzie and Sam, who were in rival groups years prior. They did shows together and had a will they/won’t they onstage relationship, even though they didn’t get along behind the scenes at all. This of course, isn’t really the case, as they both had feelings for each other, but never told each other.

Their bands have since both broken up and they’re looking to revive their careers. Mack has been releasing songs anonymously online under the name Seven, an ode to the seven men who broke her heart. The last, unreleased one, is about Sam, who had left the music scene to take care of his young son Ben. Solo, a music label wouldn’t take a chance on them, but together? Mack and Sam is born, and they have to reunite and put together an album. Working together, they revisit many of their old haunts for inspiration, and along the way, fall even deeper into their feelings for each other.

Mack and Sam have really great chemistry, and the side characters in this one are absolutely wonderful. Sam’s son Ben absolutely steals the show in every scene he’s in (side note, I absolutely LOVED that he loved baking like his moms and thought of new weird creations that all his parents encouraged to the point where his moms sold them in their bakery), and I also loved the relationship that Mack had with Hannah (and eventually with Serena).

The trajectory of the book was pretty predictable, but I would lying if I said the ending didn’t get at least one tear out of me. There were also several scenes throughout that my first thought reading them was “this would look incredible on screen” (the flashbacks of Mack and Sam singing onstage together, the masquerade party, the ending, to name a few).

This was my second Emma Lord book after the Break-Up Pact, and I enjoyed it just as much as that one! Really happy that she is now taking on adult romances instead of just YA, she has a real talent for it! This is a dual POV, and I would give the spice level about a 2/5.

5/5 - I am a SUCKER for a fame trope especially one involving two musicians and this really delivered. I loved the enemies to lovers trope too, sooo well done here! Dual POV but not timeline also worked well and I loved all the side characters. A beautiful story about fame, friendship, finding yourself, found family and the stories we tell.

Thank you to @netgalley and St Martins for an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review!