4 🌟

If Daisy Jones and the Six + a romcom had a baby, it would be this book.

This was such a fun read. I loved Sam and Mack in this book. Sam's family was perfect. Also, we don't usually get dual perspectives in romcoms and I loved that this book had it. Plus the growth in Sam and Mack made this book a little deeper than your typical romcom.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

📖 ARC/ALC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for an early copy of For The Record by Emma Lord. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: August 12th, 2025

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

For the Record follows former bandmates and music rivals Mackenzie and Sam, whose on-stage fake romance once captivated fans—despite the off-stage tension that simmered between them. Years after their bands disbanded, Sam is a single dad performing small gigs, while Mackenzie has stepped out of the spotlight, singing anonymously on the book’s version of TikTok after vocal surgery changed her voice. Their shot at a comeback? Teaming up for a joint album. But working together again means facing unresolved feelings and reigniting a chemistry that never really faded.
I enjoyed the premise and loved the behind-the-scenes look into the music industry. However, the pacing felt uneven at times, with some scenes coming off as repetitive or dragging the momentum. I also found the conflict between Serena and Mackenzie a bit too over-the-top for my taste.
That said, the audio narration added a nice spark to the story and made it more engaging overall!

Thank you to netgalley and publishers for this ARC!

Okay, so... I'll be the first to admit that I was expecting a lame, cutesy knockoff Taylor Swift romance from the cover of this novel. But as someone who tries not to judge books by their cover, I gave this one a chance! I'm SO glad I did! This was such a sweet romance story. I loved the approach, the characters, and the plot. I was sucked in and had a hard time putting it down. I also loved the commentary on the music industry and artists owning their music. All in all, I loved this and would totally recommend it!

Romance, friendship, music industry- this book has it all! For the Record tells the story of Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze- two former pop stars whose rival bands had both fallen apart, along with their complicated relationship. Two years later, both Mack and Sam made it through some hard times and have each done a lot of work to heal and to reexamine what they truly value in life. When they come together again, sparks fly- both in their relationship and the music they write and record together. I really enjoyed this book- the romance, the friendships of Mack with her former band mates, Serena and Hannah- and the glimpse into the music world. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

Mackenzie and Sam were fun to follow in this enemies to lovers, second-chance romance. The beginning started off well. I enjoyed the battle of the bands and the rivalry. Becoming a duet is where the book started to unravel for me. I was really feeling 4 stars for the first half, but the second half needed more processing. The chapters became choppy. I loved the idea of Seven and what that accomplished for Mackenzie's character arc. I think the issue may have been Sam's split between becoming a dad and finding his. There were too many directions the book wanted to go in, like with Tick Tune and the record executives. I would have enjoyed a tighter ending with less on those fronts.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC!

I've loved most of Lord's work, but this feel a little flat for me. It may just be that celebrity tropes are never my favorite. I did enjoy the overall romance and storyline, but I just couldn't fully connect with the characters.

I’d never be able to express what went wrong with this story as good as @Ashley, so please go check out her review and enjoy.

But something I can do is tell you that there's a pattern here I've been seeing for years, and I'm utterly disappointed in the downgrade of EL’s need to be everything at once.
When she writes YA stories — such as “The Getaway List” or “The Rival” —, you can see the purpose behind it (the difficulties of finding your path in the world, parents' expectations, the things teenagers need to read and have as examples, with just the right amount of romance).
And then there’s her yearly romance release. If you think “The Break-Up” Pact was bland and kinda pointless, this one will feel like a draft of an unfinished mix of genres that want to go in too many directions at once.

A second-chance romance — with a base of nothing since there was never a first, mind you — with the romantic aspect that comes out of nowhere, only to be stiff and cring-y every time these two open their mouth.
This is not the Emma Lord I want to read, but I just can't let her go either.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thoroughly enjoyed 'For the Record', my first Emma Lord book.

I loved the slow burn between these two with years of history as members of rival bands that toured together until both groups disbanded two years previously.

Now, both Mackenzie and Sam are looking for a comeback, and their label has forced them together. I loved the dual POV in the book, and I also loved the secondary characters and how this found family rallied in the end.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

I loved Mack and Sam’s connection throughout the book and liked getting to see their character development and growth while reading. Overall, if you’re looking for a cute second chance romance between two singers, this would be a good choice!

This was a cute story but it didn’t capture me the way I had hoped! It was still enjoyable, I found it a little slow until the last half of the book. Still a fun read!

2.5⭐️ rounded up to 3.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the early copy of For the Record.

Pop star Mackenzie Waters and punk rocker Sam Blaze were once rivals on stage and secretly more off of it, until it all fell apart. Now, years later, they’re teaming up for a comeback album that forces them to confront their past and the feelings that never really went away.

This one was pitched as perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six and Emily Henry, so naturally I had high hopes. A second chance, rockstar romance should’ve been an easy win for me, but unfortunately, it fell a bit flat.

I struggled to connect with the romance at the heart of the story. I didn’t quite understand the pull between these characters or feel the kind of tension and yearning I was hoping for. On top of that, there were so many subplots: friendship fallouts, family drama, social media scandals, exes, a child subplot, record label issues, vocal cord injuries… to name a few. None of them felt fully developed. I think the story would’ve been stronger with a tighter focus on the central romance. Also, unrelated but the corny band names in this book really drove me nuts.

Overall, this had all the right ingredients, but it didn’t come together in a way that I hoped.

The cover does not at all match the story, in my opinion. But I like them equally anyway.

I am very picky about celebrity romance and For the Record was a win. I loved it. I was in it for the whole thing. I loved that roadblocks made since and that there were interesting culture things represented.

The romance was so good and the build up was worth.

Mackenzie (29) was a pop star in an all-girl group until two years ago, staying out of the spotlight since. A secret surgery has changed her voice, and she’s processing that change while letting go of stuff from her past in her own way.

Sam (31) was her punk rockstar rival, their chemistry explosive on stage when their bands toured together. But two years ago he discovered he had a son, so stepped away to be a devoted dad and protect his kid from the uglier side of fame.

When these two come together again to help one another out by becoming duet partners, writing songs and making music reveals secrets and feelings that make you keep saying “just one more chapter” because you don’t want to step away.

A beautiful love story that explores artistic identity, celebrity and media, vulnerability, ownership of creative works, friendship and secrets, family, and love.

And delicious baked goods.

I think it’s my new favorite book by Emma Lord (and I love her work).

Read if you like:
• Contemporary romance
• Dual POV
• Songwriting partners
• Changing friendships
• Second chance
• Celebrity romance
• Single parent
• Open door spice
• UNDER YOUR SPELL by Laura Wood
• THE BREAKUP TOUR by Emily Wibberley, Austin Siegemund-Broka

I was impatient so read an ARC and listed to the audiobook via NetGalley. Publishes 8/12/25.

ok so i loved this book so much!! it’s about two lead singers from rivalling bands (and they have sooo much chemistry with one another might i add), eventually their bands both disband and two years later they find themselves in a need to revive their careers and the only way to do that, is to of course, band together and create a joint album!! i love the forced proximity this introduces with them having to write and sing the whole album together! i also love how this book gives you a glimpse of what it’s like to be a singer songwriter and a musician! you also get to experience the highs and lows of fame with them and immerse yourself into their lives!

The fangirl in me would have been absolutely obsessed with the onstage rivalry of Candy Shard and Thunder Hearts and the reader in me had a great time with this book.

Super quick and cute read, it felt nostalgic and fun for all of us with a fan tumblr back in the day. Mack and Sam are had me rooting for them from the jump and I really liked each of them individually. I love a comeback story and a music story. What I wouldn’t give to hear this album. (The epilogue! Love love love)

Thank you to Emma Lord, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of For the Record in exchange for my honest review.

For the Record is a fun, lighthearted romance. It follows Sam and Mackenzie, both of whom used to be apart of bands/pop groups. Sam and Mackenzie are no strangers, in fact, they had a public rivalry back in the day. However, behind closed doors things were different. Now two years later, the two have not spoken, but will need each other if they want to restart their careers under a new image. As they start to spend more time together, that old flame starts to rekindle.

I enjoyed For the Record. It is clear from the beginning that Sam and Mackenzie have a history behind them and there is palpable tension between the two. I do wish we got to learn a bit more about their past in order to better understand their relationship as it stands now. While this is a romance novel, I found the subplots of this story to be just as enjoyable as the music itself. Both Sam and Mackenzie have things that they have to figure out for themselves, and watching the journeys that they take to figure out who they are and who they want to be is inspiring. Personally, I enjoyed Mackenzie's journey a bit more, watching her learn to overcome self-doubt and confidence difficulties with the change in her voice. I resonated with that and with watching her learn to be proud of who she is rather than hiding herself away. Sam's journey is also incredible, just not one that I related to as much which is okay. Sam's journey centers more around forgiveness, letting people back in, and accepting new people into his life. Overall, this is a fun romance read for all. If you have read any of Lord's other books you will not be disappointed. You might also be left wanting to learn more about other characters and secretly hoping that there is a chance that companion novels will be written about them. Or maybe that is just me, who knows.

Emma Lord did it again! This was a super fun read about two former popstars who were 'dating' and are now confronted with the current state of their careers. They have to face where they are now and in the process, face the feelings they have towards one another. The timeline was laid out perfectly, with no lulls or unnecessary prolonged will they/wont they. Emma Lord knows exactly what readers want and this book delivers. There is also some spice which is always welcome. Highly recommend this satisfying read.

Emma Lord remains an auto-read author for me!

The plot: Former music-star rivals Mackenzie and Sam must overcome past tensions (and resit or embrace rekindled feelings) to create a comeback album that saves both of their careers in this second-chance, enemies-to-lovers romance.

What I liked:
- Enemies-to-lovers, where they were never actually enemies and he probably loved her all along? Sign me up!
- Lots of chemistry between the MMC and FMC. Loved the will-they-won't-they and the flash backs to their interactions in the past.
- The relationships between the side characters (Mackenzie and her bandmates) felt genuine and believable, and they had their own story arc and development to them.

The verdict: Would definitely recommend, especially if you're looking for a fun read with satisfying depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For the Record was such a cool fun book! It’s got all the things I love in a second chance romance. Tension, banter, history mixed with a lot of fun but still an emotional story all set in the world of music.

Mackenzie and Sam used to be rivals in the music scene. Her the polished pop star, him the broody punk rocker. Their bands clashed, sparks flew, and things got messy… both on and off stage. Fast forward two years, and they’re living totally different lives. Sam’s now a full time dad, and Mackenzie is recovering from vocal surgery, secretly putting out music under a fake name. The big twist? A joint comeback album to save both their careers.

The chemistry between them is still there, but so is the baggage. I really liked how their dynamic evolved. It felt messy and real in the best way. There’s a lot of heart in this story, but also some great humor and moments that made me smile.

It’s a little predictable in spots, but I didn’t mind, it’s the kind of story you sink into and enjoy the ride. If you're into enemies-to-lovers, music industry drama, or anything with big feelings and great banter, this is the audiobook/book for you!

4.25 Stars!

#NetGalley, #ForTheRecord, #EmmaLord, #EnemiestoLovers, #RomCom, #StMartinsPress

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

I was enjoying the food mentions, as Emma Lord is known to feature. I just could not finish the story and DNF’d at 50%. (I dislike DNFing with my entire heart)

I'm a big Emma Lord fan so I was very excited to get her latest from NetGalley! For The Record is Emm'a foray into romance, but still very much has her young adult vibes. I enjoyed the story and the characters!