Emma Lord’s For the Record is her second romance novel for adults (after The Break-Up Pact), and it was just as compelling as her other work.

The book alternates between the points of view of Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze, rival music stars who are thrown together when their bands go on tour . . . and whose relationship ends when the tour does.

Now, two years later, both are tentatively working to restart their careers. Mackenzie’s trio dissolved as each member pursued her own paths; for Mackenzie, surgery left her with an altered voice and a commitment to a different kind of music, which she’s been releasing anonymously.

Sam left his band when he discovered he was a father, and he’s determined to find a balance between that new role and a different type of career.

As always, Lord’s characters are beautifully drawn, complex, and mostly relatable (despite their fame), and their individual arcs are well developed alongside their romance. While I didn’t love this one quite as much as I have her other novels, I’d still recommend it for anyone who has enjoyed Lord’s work in the past or who is searching for a second-chance romance.

4.5 Stars. Oh how I was more than pleasantly surprised by this book. Mackenzie (Mack, Sparkles) and Sam were rivals while their bands were on tour together but there always was a lingering will they won’t they. Until they finally went to give it a chance and things sort of imploded in both of their lives. Fast forward two years and Mack and Sam have run back into each other and with some meddling between their managers (who also happen to be twins), Mack and Sam find themselves reliving the past and working together to create a duet album. Of course things can’t go super easy and simple as Mack is hiding a secret that is threatening to be exposed. This book isn’t only a love story between Sam and Mack but also a love story between female friendships with Mack and her 2 best friends that were also her bandmates.

Tropes/what to expect:
🎤 Dual pov
🎤 Second(ish) chance
🎤 Rivals to lovers
🎤 Found family
🖤 Great banter between the mcs
🖤 2 open door romance scenes 🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley for the free electronic advance reader copy in trade for an honest review.

Emma Lord has this uncanny ability to see the world in a gauzy haze like she walks around in her own Busby Berkley musical. It's pretty cool. All of her books are emotional and real but like through a shimmery curtain. For the Record is like if an Avril Levine/Taylor Swift pop rock princess fell in Love with an Dereyk Wilby/Adam Levine pop punk prince but circumstances kept them apart until they had grown up and been willing to be more personally vulnerable. The main characters Mack and Sam are so interesting and likeable, I was rooting for them from the start. They were vulnerable and acting in the best interest of the relationship like a healrhy couple (no contrived third act- thank god!)

Love:
Hannah and Serena- bandmates, besties, and women looking out and raising up other women
Ben
The baked goods! So fun

Meh:
Rocket
Caspar
The twin agents
That the writing took a minute to smooth out

This book is a fun, fast read. It's great for fans of Elissa Sussman's Once More With Feeling. 3.75 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Griffin Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🎶Spoiler free🎶

This book was everything I didn't know I needed. First of all, this book had actual high stakes. Not just some stupid, forced third act breakup, but where real people's artistic creations were in jeopardy. Second, it's essentially a guarantee now that I will always fall in love with the glitz and glam of touring and preforming and the adrenaline of being on that stage. It's just so exciting. Reading about it is almost as fun as going to an actual concert and no, I'm not exaggerating. I'm just a book girl.

Next, I was pleasantly surprised of how much character depth there was. Not just in the way they act or the way their mind works but in their personal life and the people around them. For example, Sam was a single dad to a six year old and it was really heartwarming to see him gentle and nurturing and not the crazy punk rock legend that lived in his past. Also Mackenzie stoped singing for two years because of a thyroid surgery. As a result she was very insecure of her new voice and its inability to sing at a higher pitch. All of this and more just added to the depth of our two wonderful main characters.

Overall this was a really sweet book (but don't let the sweetness fool you, I cried my eyes out at the end) and I will be re-reading it once it comes out because it was truly a joy to read.

⁀➷--↠4.5 stars

This is good, fun, entertaining read. Sam and Mac grabbed by heart from their first appearance on page and held it until the very end. These two are so special and their romance is very fitting for them. I enjoyed spending time with these two as they got their second chance. The secondary characters added to both the story and the main the characters. This is one of those special books that stays with you. The story is easy to read and get into.

I enjoyed the audio version of this book and the narrators.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

For the Record by Emma Lord is a delightful second chance at love romance.

Mackenzie “Mack” Waters’ girl group disbanded two years earlier but their friendship remains. Mack disappeared from the music scene while one friend went solo and another is a very successful businesswoman. During her music years, Mack had very public romances and break-ups. She is now singing under a pseudonym when her old agent convinces her to team up with her rockstar “rival” Sam Blaze to a comeback album.

Two years ago, Sam dropped out of his successful group when he discovered he had a son. Now helping raise Ben with his mom, Sam would like to become a solo artist with very limited touring. However, his former label is not interested. That is, until his agent convinces him to join Mack in writing the songs and music for a joint comeback album.

For the Record is a sweet romance with well-drawn, likable characters. Sam has a wonderful support system and he is a great father to Ben. Mack has a distant relationship with her parents but her “found” family is always on her side. Mack and Sam have plenty of chemistry both personally and professionally. Neither is interested in a relationship but their mutual attraction and growing feelings are hard to resist. Despite a late in the story conflict, Emma Lord brings this heartfelt romance to a very happy conclusion.

This was marketed to be perfect for lovers of daisy jones and the six and emily henry, but I think that does this book a disservice.
I went into this book expecting it to be at a different level than it was.

I REALLY struggled through this book for a combination of reasons. The writing style was confusing to me. I had a hard time connecting to the characters. The “romance” was lacking for a romance novel, and honestly, if I wasn’t worried about my NetGalley ratio, I probably would’ve DNF.

For being such a short book, it felt incredibly too long and very surface level. It seemed like it was trying to be too many different things at once, and unfortunately that made the “romance” take the backseat.
Speaking of romance, the spicy scenes were weird and kind of came out of nowhere.

The band names were cringy, the dialogue felt awkward, and if I had to read ticktune one more time I think that would’ve been my 13th reason.


Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!!

For the Record by Emma Lord was such a fun and heartfelt read. I loved the behind-the-scenes look at the music world, and the main character’s voice felt honest and relatable. The mix of humor, self-discovery, and just the right amount of romance kept me turning pages.

Mackenzie is a pop star and Sam is a punk star. Both are in the trenches of non-touring life after their bands have gone their separate ways. Something else they both have in common is their love of music and wanting to continue writing as well as performing. They both put on a show of rivaling bands and amped up distaste for each other. When they’re pushed into working together again, claws come out and sparks ignite.

Who doesn’t love angsty rival music stars? The chemistry between Sam and Mackenzie is so very feisty. The former bandmate drama is also real in this book. A delightful read!

So, so cute! A great palette cleanser after reading some books with heavier themes. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this eARC!

🎤5 out of 5 stars🎤

This book. Wow. I had SUCH a good time with this one. Thank you to @stmartins, @netgalley and @dilemmalord for a copy of this ebook. All thoughts are my own.

I’ve enjoyed every Emma Lord book I’ve read and this one was no different. The banter between Sam and Mackenzie was TOP tier and I couldn’t get enough of it. I loved that we were able to explore both characters personal lives and growth also. It wasn’t just about the two of them finding each other again. It was about growing with each other.
“You can’t see the pain at the bottom of yourself when you’re standing at the top of the world.”

Closed Door Mods: 19, 24
#macaudio25 #books #bookreview #emmalord

I THINK I LIKED IT?

Here we are with the second adult romance from Emma Lord and I still enjoy her YA/NA books more. This wasn’t bad, but there’s some kind of imbalance still between the plot and romance that bugged me.

What I will say is the banter and flirting was TOP NOTCH between Sam and Mackenzie. It was perfectly heated and the audiobook narrator nailed it. I was in love from the get go with Sam’s persona. WE LOVE A MAN DOWN BAD FOR YEARS.

And I also loved the blended family, co-parent situation. It was wholesome and for the good of the child and I appreciated seeing a healthy dynamic like this in a book.

One of the sub-plots kind of overtook Mackenzie and Sam’s story in the last quarter of the book. And while it was great to see Mackenzie reconnect with her friend and finally get some details that had been withheld the entire book I thought it could have been a lesser plot point (alongside that third act, booooooooo).

I am still a fan of Emma Lord and will continue reading her books. Definitely try the audiobook if you plan to read this one!! It’s dual POV so there are two narrators!!

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: 3+ open door
Violence: mild
Content notes: parental abandonment, life-threatening illness

4.75⭐️This book completely swept me off my feet, I have not swooned like that in a while. This author is new to me and I am now wondering why.

🎸Swoon worthy single dad/rockstar who’s down bad.
🎤Sassy FMC ready to shine.
🎸Top notch flirting/banter.
🎤Really well fleshed out and likeable side characters.
🎸Mature communication and personal growth.
🎤Second chance/It’s always been you.
🎸Dual point of view.

I loved this book for so many reasons but ultimately I loved Sam & Mackenzie.

“We said no love songs,” he says. “But I think that’s gonna be a problem for me, Mackenzie. Right now, it’s the only kind I can write.”🥹♥️

Thank you to NetGalley, St-Martin’s Press & the author Emma Lord for the advanced reading copy, all my opinions are my own.

For the Record is a cute, second chance romance about rivalry and redemption in the music world.

Once the most notorious rivals in the music scene, Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze electrified audiences as their bands clashed on stage. But behind the scenes, their simmering tension grew into something more until everything they know falls apart.

I'm a sucker for a good rockstar romance and was bummed I haven't read very many this year, so of course I had to get my hands on this book.

For the Record has everything you'd want in a rockstar romance from drama to rivalry, to secrets, broken hearts and second chances. And let me tell you, I ate it up!

Sam and Mack had me captivated from their very first encounter. Their history, chemistry, and banter leapt off the pages and left me hungry for more. I loved the idea of these two rivals being forced to work together after many years apart. The forced proximity forcing them to open their eyes and take chances they never saw coming.

Like any good love story, For the Record wasn't without its share of obstacles. I found the angst and drama to be on point and loved the character growth.

All in all, this book was an enjoyable read and probably my favorite from this author to date. If you're looking for a fun, second chance, forced proximity romance, Sam and Mack are ready to steal your heart just as they did mine.

This was a really fun read! It did have a little bit of a slower start, but by the end I couldn't stop turning the pages to see what happened. Once I got more into the bickering between Mackenzie and Sam and their misunderstood rival, it got really good. I loved seeing them resolve those old issues while still being able to tease about the past in jest. I loved Sam's relationship with his son Ben (Hello Single Dad trope!). They were so cute together, and I loved that Ben was also such a huge fan of Mackenzi,e even without his dad's influence. I loved the found family between Mackenzie and her old bandmates Serena and Hannah. They always had each other's backs even with they were mad at each other or were in the pits of issues. I loved how they came together to bring the resolve of the book.

Read if you like an enemies-to-lovers, second chance Hollywood romance. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 8/15!

First of all, a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this as an ARC! Even though this book wasn't for me and I DNF'd before reaching the halfway point, I know that a lot of people will love it.

I really loved the premise of For The Record; I loved the concept of a second chance, kind-of-rival music artists romance. I just think popstar romances aren't my thing, but being that this was my first I unfortunately wouldn't have known that ahead of time.

Love the cover of this book! Felt that this book could have potential to be a new favorite, but fell slightly flat for me.

This was a really cute rom com that made me think of Josie and the Pussycats(movie form 2002?2001?) I really liked the main characters. I thought the banter was good but there were some slow gaps in the book that I had to stop myself from skimming.

I have read almost every single one of Emma Lord’s books, aside from two, and in all honesty, this was my favorite of hers so far! I am biased though, I am a SUCKER for famous/musician/etc romance stories so this hit the spot 👌🏻

I devoured this book, I didn’t want to put it down. The dynamic between Sam and Mackenzie was so much fun and I adored their love story. Along these lines is my critique, though it’s just that I wanted more TIME with these characters. I wish we saw more flashbacks of them in their earlier band days, and I wish there was more time getting to see their relationship develop, the tension growing over time. Even just more of an understanding of the dynamic Mackenzie had with her band mates as well.

If this book was a tv show I’d watch endless episodes and seasons of the shenanigans and dynamic of these characters. It often played out like a film in my mind, some of the scenes.

I can’t wait to see what Emma Lord has in store next but I will still be thinking about this story for a while to come!

This was a fun take on rivals to lovers. There was just enough flash backs to add depth to the characters and their situations without it being boring or all about the past. The duel pov added additional layers to the storytelling. The dad aspect has multiple layers and I liked the application to being a current dad when it came to figuring out his own dad. I also love that the friendships had their own story arc, so this was about all types of love, especially when you add in the parental aspect.