I gave ‘For The Record’ a solid three stars. The ratio between my likes and dislikes are pretty even, thus landing a rating that’s in the middle.

I liked the dual POV. It helps the reader see more perspective through main characters. One might view a character differently depending on what POV of them you are getting and I love that.

I also really enjoyed the ‘second chance’ trope that’s seen throughout the book. Not only did Mackenzie and Sam get a second chance at a relationship, but they also got a second chance in making music again. This was heartwarming and entertaining.

I disliked the miscommunication and how long Mackenzie kept her secret. The miscommunication in general just turned me away for a bit. Sam seemed to never have lost feelings for Mackenzie but made such slow progress to express that.

I also didn’t enjoy the pacing of the book. I felt like I put the book down more than I normally do when reading a romance. It was just a tad slow. Some of the scenes lacked depth and emotion.

Overall, this was a fun read. I enjoyed the overall storyline and how it ended. I think musical themes reads are difficult to enjoy but this one wasn’t terrible.

After a few years out of the spotlight, Mackenzie is ready to re-start her her music career, but the label won't back her, unless she sings with her former rival Sam Blaze. But their rivalry has always hidden deeper feelings for one another.

This was everything I love in a rivals to lovers romance. I thought it was the perfect mix of rivalry and complicated feelings for one another.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
2.25 ⭐

Unfortunately, this was not for me and I really, really tried.

What I liked:
⭐ The characters were mostly okay to read about
⭐ It was cool to have a Hashimoto's rep (even though I think it could have been expanded a bit more)
⭐ Ben's food combos were funny

What was difficult for me:
• I feel like even though the characters were okay to read about, they were often really flat. Multiple times throughout the book I had to remind myself who's POV we were in
• Repeatedly throughout the book there would be scenes or instances that I had no idea what was going on, would go back to see if I missed something, only for it to be explained a few sentences later. I think this can be a cool way to tell a story but it happened so much that I was confused and then annoyed.
• I really didn't understand the relationship between Mackenzie and Sam. It was this strong hatred and then all of a sudden she's okay with him and they love each other?
• Sam's dad storyline felt abrupt
• SO. Much. Use. Of. The. Nickname. Sparkles
• Serena's character was so unlikeable, even once we knew what was going on
• The pacing felt both too fast and too slow and I was shocked to be reminded this was over the span of a month.

Will Mackenzie and Sam get a second chance together?

Former pop star Mackenzie Waters was still dealing with the changes in her voice after her thyroid surgery by anonymously releasing songs on Tick Tune as Seven about the end of her dating relationships. But she is trying to revive her career and the only way she can get a new contract is by singing with Sam Blaze even though they had been official rivals while they were on tour before everything ended the first time for both of them.

Sam Stepped back from the rock star life after he found out he had a son because he wanted to be in Ben’s life since he never met his father until he was an adult. But now he needed to deal with his attraction to Mackenzie until he found out that Mackenzie was actually Seven and they would need to write some new music together if they could figure what their feelings were for each other.

I love how book finished at the end between Mackenzie and Sam and was perfect for them!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5⭐️ This was a cute and fun romance with a bit more depth than I was expecting.

I’m a big fan of second chance romance, and I enjoyed how it was done here. Both Mackenzie and Sam have their own issues they’re working through, and I liked seeing their personal growth alongside their shared/romantic growth. I thought their chemistry was good, but it did feel like something was missing for me to make their bond feel stronger and swoonier. I also felt like both their attitudes read a bit YA at times, which I didn’t love.

That said, this was enjoyable and I did have a good time reading it. I was maybe just expecting something a little different.

This adult novel from Emma Lord was, in short, a wonderful surprise! 🎶

I really loved the aspect of the two of them coming from their own bands and working together. I thought that they were a sweet friendship turned relationship and I think that there will be a large audience who enjoys this book!

My only worry is that teenagers will pick this one up thinking that it is an Emma Lord YA book and getting a spicy surprise...

I had mixed feelings about For the Record by Emma Lord. On one hand, the second-chance rockstar romance between Mac and Sam had a lot of great potential. There were some strong plot points, especially the forced collaboration between two ex-bandmates with messy history and unresolved chemistry. The dynamic between them definitely had its moments, and I really liked how their creative process was written. You can feel the tension, the pull, and the history between them.

That said, the pacing didn’t always work for me. There were sections in the middle that dragged, and I found myself skimming just to get back to the parts where Mac and Sam were actually together. I wish the story had gotten to the heart of their reconnection faster, especially since I was more curious about what happened in the years they were apart than some of the side storylines we got instead.

Also, Sam’s character threw me off a bit. He’s presented as this sweet, grounded dad trying to move past his wild days, but then some of his past choices and "player" behavior made it harder to connect with him the way I wanted to. Still, there were sweet moments (especially the epilogue) and the dual POV helped round out their emotions well. Overall, I liked the concept more than the execution, but it had just enough charm to make it worth the read.

I will start by saying that I don’t usually love celebrity romances but that aspect was so well done. Yes there were references to their bands but it wasn’t constant flashbacks or anything like that and it allowed for the side characters of Serena and Hannah to be included which I liked. My only issues with this book were the beginning portion dragging a little bit, as well as I felt like they threw too many conflicts in the middle/end and they didn’t feel super necessary. It took away from the romance a little bit. I loved how there wasn’t a huge third act breakup and felt that Sam had great communication skills. Overall this was fun but I was missing something to make it more memorable.

4.5/5

Emma’s first adult novel was a bit of a miss for me, so I was hesitant to jump into her second. I LOVE her young adult, so I trusted the process and I wasn’t disappointed!! I loved the vibes of this- two “retired” musicians, who had an on stage rivalry for years? This felt like if the lead singer of 5SOS and Sabrina Carpenter (if she was in a girl group) were secretly in love with one another. The yearning!! They didn’t know they BOTH were down bad. I ate this shit up.

Thank you to SMP for the arc!

Rockstar romances have been killing it this year, and For the Record is no exception. We follow Mackenzie, the lead singer of pop band, and Sam, the frontman of their rival punk group, as they unexpectedly cross paths after two years apart and all those old feelings come rushing back.

I really enjoyed the tension and slow-burning yearning between them. The whole book had a great atmospheric vibe that fit the story perfectly. It did feel a little overwritten in places, but the character work more than made up for it. Everyone felt distinct, real, and refreshingly flawed.

Also, major props to Emma Lord for skipping the song lyrics, I can never take those seriously in books, lol.

This was such a fun read. If you enjoy an inside look at the music industry, and the drama of favorite girlband member getting together with her rival, who’s the lead of your favorite boyband, then this is the perfect book for you!

Mack and Sam both tell the story of their musical and romantic comeback in this latest from the reliable Emma Lord. Mack lost the voice she used to sell lots of records and she's adjusting to the new one. Sam stopped being a rock god to raise his young son. They weren't enemies exactly but now they're allies who are working on new music together. It might seem like standard rom com stuff but I liked it for the music business and for the personal journeys both characters make. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

For the Record was cute, but it didn't hit the way I wanted/expected. The premise behind the story is great, two members of "rival" bands being put together by their recording companies to make their comebacks. Mackenzie & Sam were less of an enemies-to-lovers story than they were a just-kiss-already story.

I can't give this book any higher than 3.5ish stars because the only reason I knew they had chemistry was because I was explicitly told that they had great chemistry. I didn't feel anything between the two of them. The pacing in the story also felt a little off. Shifts between emotional moments and other scenes felt disjointed and a bit jarring at times.

Overall, it was a fun, quick story, but it's not one that I'm going to be thinking about long term.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the eARC! My thoughts are my own.

Thank you net galley for the arc. This was almost a dnf. I wasnt getting sucked into the book. It took til 22% for me to start enjoying it but I still wasn't invested with the characters.

Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze had a heated and infamous rivalry when their bands toured together 2 years ago (and right before the end Mackenzie thought maybe there was something more there). Now that their bands have broken up, the two are pushed back together by their managers to create some duets to help bring both of their careers back. In the two years each has had major life changes and now they may be able to resurrect not only their careers but the sparks between them.

I ended up listening to much of this on my very long car ride to an author event in Greenwich. It is actually my first car audiobook ever (I rarely drive since I live in NYC). I read the last 1/4 of the book later that night and enjoyed it. I wasn't sure how I felt about this one at the beginning but it ended up being cute and I got attached to the characters and story.

3.75 stars

Thank you to St Martins Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC to review

For the Record by Emma Lord
3.75 rounded up to 4

Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze were rivals on stage at the peak of their careers. After life got in their way, they are both looking to make a comeback, and that means doing an album together. Will the rivalry get in the way?

This was a cute read with plenty of banter and charm. It took a little while to gain momentum, and while the characters didn’t go super deep, they were still fun to root for. Perfect for fans of light, trope-filled romances with a dash of heart.

Read if you love:
-second chance romance
-single dad storyline
-enemies to lovers
-dual POV

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the advanced ecopy copy! For the Record goes on sale on August 12, 2025.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to read an early digital copy of For the Record by Emma Lord. I have read other books by Emma Lord, and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. but I think this one may be my favorite. I loved the past history, second chance, single dad aspects... Sam and Mack were had great chemistry and I was fully invested in their happily ever after. Ben was the perfect addition to the story! This is one of those books that makes you believe that what is meant to be will always find a way. No critiques- Emma Lord ate and left no crumbs!

I wanted to like this book, but it just felt like too much of things I don't like all put together. I didn't really like either characters and didn't buy their chemistry. I liked the idea of rivals and a second chance romance but it just didn't work for me.

For the Record was a fun, light-hearted read full of chemistry, banter, and all kinds of love. Mackenzie and Ben are famous rock stars, reconnecting after two years, and transitioning from playing in rivals bands to playing as a duo. Previous "rivals" in the industry, they each have a lot of baggage to unpack. Ben, who never knew his own father, found out he had a son and Mackenzie, diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, had to have surgery that changed the sound of her voice. But, outside of these life-altering events, they also need to unpack their past -- mainly how their perceptions of each other changed how they viewed their shared experiences differently. Both are trying to make a comeback in the industry, but will this album give them a second chance at love, too?

One of the biggest standouts of this book were Mackenzie and Sam. These characters really were dynamic and came off the page. Their banter and chemistry felt palpable, and the "will they-won't they" tension they built made their first kiss that much better. They felt realistic, and I thought the way the held themselves back in the beginning, for fear of getting hurt/heartbroken, only to slowly break down their walls and become more vulnerable with each other and their feelings (despite the risk of heartbreak), was very well done. Another standout of this book for me was the immense love these characters built in the other relationships in their life. The love Ben had for his son and his family/the love Mackenzie had for her own bandmates added depth to their characters, and made this romance story feel more like a true, heartwarming love story than a surface level rom-com some books get when the side characters are flat/fall to the side. The only reason I bumped my rating down was because I thought this was going to be enemies to lovers/rivals to lovers, and after reading the book, it didn't feel like that to me. It was more "it's always been you x when will they finally admit they love each other" to me, but maybe that parallels well with the inner story (the label forcing the narrative they were rivals, but they never actually were). I also thought that at times it became a little repetitive with Mackenzie not wanting to reveal her identity as Seven, and Ben having fears about ruining the lives of those he loved. At some of these parts I found myself asking "again?" and wanting to move past it quickly.

Overall, For the Record was a lovely surprise and a delightful read. For anyone who loves romance this is the book for you. It has depth, swoon worthy moments, and chemistry that jumps off the page. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. Expected publication is August 12, 2025.

the very first book i've ever read by emma lord was tweet cute, and i DEVOURED the whole book in one day, i LOVED it!! i have since then read four of her other books, (and will definitely be reading the rest!)

for the record is the first of her adult novels that i've read (it's her second one she's written) and i absolutely loved it!! i was hooked immediately- it was funny, filled with tension, and extremely lovable characters. all of the characters had depth and character development and i just loved the storyline!! celebrity romance is kind of an underrated trope, in my opinion, one i had forgotten i loved until i read this book! i will absolutely be buying this for my emma lord collection, and i can't wait for future books!! i HIGHLY recommend this book, so go check it out once it's released! release date is august 12th, so just a couple weeks away!! 💕