Me 🤝 any Emma Lord book

It’s no secret that I am a huge Emma Lord fan. I’ve read most of her books and all have been big hits with me and this one is no different. I actually think For the Record might be my favorite Emma Lord book yet.

For the Record is a dual pov second chance romance. I loved seeing the characters become sorta friends and back to lovers again. I ate up every single interaction between Mack and Sam, just waiting for them to get together. When it finally happened I was screaming. I will always eat up a second chance romance.

I also really loved the whole music industry aspect of this novel. I feel like this is a really common theme in romcoms this year and I am loving it.

Me 🤝 second chance romance !! It’s a meet-again cute / industry enemies to lovers that’ll make you blush over and over! This was sweet, tender, spicy, and felt like aftercare all wrapped up into a love story! A dual POV is allllways gonna do it for me also…
Not to mention, this was hottt because my boyfriend's name is Samuel.. need I say mo?

👌 enemies to lovers
👌 spice
👌redemption arc
👌second chance romance

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins press for an EARC in exchange for an honest review!!

I wanted to love this but I had a very hard time getting through it. I have liked Emma Lords other books but there was something abotu this book that I just felt was too slow for me towards the halfway mark.

Thank you #netgalley for giving me this arc of For the Record by Emma Lord. The rivalry between Sam and Mackenzie was and interesting read about their journey to reconcile.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for this E-ARC. I had previously read one of Emma’s romcoms and she once again didn’t disappoint. I LOVED this sorta second chance romance, sorta friends to lovers romance. The banter is delicious and brilliant. You get to seamlessly see Sam and Mackenzie’s backstory without heavy flashbacks. And Emma can write a love scene.

Sam and Mackenzie are both famous musicians and their whole careers have been propped up by their label wanting them to appear to hate each other off stage but to give a “will they won’t they” vibe onstage. But at some point, the lines started to blur. It is not until both of their careers kind of come to an abrupt halt and they spend two years apart on the cusp of their first ever kiss that they realize there is something bigger between them. Sometimes, chemistry between people is not an IF, but a WHEN,

This was a cute, fun romp-- a perfect escape! It is refreshing for a book about celebrities to feel so relateable and down to earth, and Sam and Mackenzie had excellent chemistry! I felt it was well paced and the character arcs were meaningful without being too heavy. I definitely recommend to all romance fans!

Fun read, with fun characters and a great musical rivalry mixed in! A little long at parts, but the ending is sweet and pulls it all together.

I really wanted to like this book since I enjoyed the first one I read by her “the break up pact” but I couldn’t connect to the characters,

This book is fantastic!! It is a second chance, enemies to lovers trope! If you love, celebrities, pop stars, girl power, self discovery and romance I highly reccomend this book!! Can’t wait to read more books by Emma Lord!!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!! Also huge thank you to St Martin’s press for letting me read this early!!

4.5 stars!
For the Record by Emma Lord was such a fun and entertaining read. I was up into the wee hours of the night reading I've never swooned so hard in my life.

3⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley, St.Martin’s Press, and Emma Lord for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I loved the music atmosphere in this book being a music junkie myself and the chemistry between the characters. However, the story itself just felt a bit flat and underwhelming for me. I found myself getting lost at times between the timelines. Overall a cute, fun, well-written, and quick read though + always love a good dual pov! :)

This book felt like a love letter to Emma Lord's musical side. I followed Emma for a while on social media before she was a published author and heard a tiny bit of her music at that time (and read some of her Spider-Man fan fic!). With this book, you could feel her love of music with every clever song title and lyric in this book.

I liked both the FMC Mack and MMC Sam. They were good people, trying their best. I flew through the book, even in parts where the plot pacing felt a bit slow. Some of the plot points relating to side characters were a bit bland, but the romance plot itself was very sweet. [***A bit of a spoiler here about the romance trope in this book*** I wish we got to experience the rivalry a bit more and actually watch their initial relationship form, rather than having it mostly in the past. This felt a bit more like a second-chance romance than a rivals-to-lovers.]

This book definitely hit the spot in terms of a sweet, adult, rom-com-style contemporary romance!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this book. This review is honest and completely my own.

**spoiler alert** This review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review This review may contain spoilers.

3.5

I really enjoyed “For the Record” by Emma Lord! It struck a great balance between romance, comedy, and more emotional, thought-provoking themes. Fans of the music industry, second-chance romance, and a vibrant New York City setting will love this book.

One of my favorite aspects was the dynamic between the two main characters, Mackenzie and Sam. Once rivals—though largely for show—their complicated history resurfaces when they’re forced to team up years later to revive their music careers. Beneath their playful banter and unresolved tension lie unspoken feelings and past wounds, making their slow-burn romance all the more satisfying. Watching them reconnect while revisiting old haunts on their songwriting journey was both emotional and fun, and I found myself wholeheartedly rooting for them.

The side characters were equally compelling, even those with minimal page time. Sam’s son, Ben, was a standout, and I loved Mackenzie’s former bandmates and friends—they added depth and warmth to the story.

Beyond the romance, “For the Record” delivers a rich, layered narrative. Mackenzie’s struggle to navigate the changes in her singing voice post-surgery, along with her anonymous posts detailing the heartbreak her exes caused, made for an engaging and emotionally resonant arc. Sam’s story—grappling with his unexpected role as a father and the shadow of his own absent rockstar dad—added another level of depth, contrasting the choices made by two men in similar circumstances. The subplot involving younger artists trapped in restrictive contracts and established musicians fighting for their rights was also compelling, adding a relevant and thought-provoking element to the book.

If I had one critique, it would be that I wish we had been given the chance to see Mackenzie’s songwriting talent firsthand. The book repeatedly tells us how incredible she is at writing songs, but we never actually get to read any of her lyrics. Including them—especially the evolution of the two songs she wrote about Sam—would have been a powerful way to illustrate her growth, both as a musician and as a person.

Overall, “For the Record” was an enjoyable, heartfelt read with a mix of romance, music, and meaningful character development. It blends swoon-worthy moments with deeper themes, making it a great pick for fans of the romance genre. I think a lot of readers will love this one!

I super adored this book about "rival" musicians being forced to work together to further their music careers. The tension is done perfectly, and the relationship feels so genuine. Without any spoilers, the last few chapters had me both literally cheering and crying while reading on my lunch break at the office... This was very fun and easy to read. Enjoyable plot with low drama, and I liked the dual-POV alternating chapters. I also appreciate books that do without the predictable third-act breakup, although this did teeter on that edge and almost fell over. This was alllllmost five stars for me, but there were a few spots here and there where the story kinda skipped around and I felt lost for a minute, trying to catch up, feeling like I had missed some pages or something. Really, this would be like 4.5 stars if we could do half-star ratings here!

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Music and literature come together in a captivating blend. What more could you ask for in a book? Sam and Mackenzie, both lead singers in their respective bands, have shared undeniable chemistry for years—until Sam suddenly vanishes. Fast forward a few years, and both bands are on hiatus. Their managers propose a collaboration album between Sam and Mackenzie. As they work on the music, they revisit the unresolved issues from their past and attempt to move forward.

This book reminded me of Fleetwood Mac—lead singers with electric chemistry!

I will read anything that Emma Lord writes! I love how her characters always have a lot of depth and are multifaceted. I'll probably purchase this one when it's released just to have the honor of owning it.

love they used to be part of rival bands and always had a sizzle. love the friends to lovers and that they are working on an album and that they work well together as a songwriting team. love the friends too.

I love Emma Lord's books. This is my first non young adult book l've read by her. Mackenzie and Sam's love story was sweet and a quick fun read. Gave me some
"music and lyrics" vibes. The setting of New York was dreamy and fun to immerse yourself in. Ben was maybe my favorite character. I think I prefer Emma's YA books, (I mean nothing can beat tweet cute) but this was still a lovely romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy!

I love a celebrity adjacent romance, and I was so excited about the premise for this book. However, the execution unfortunately fell short for me. Both Mack and Sam's characters lacked much depth, and readers were expected to trust their connection purely based on their past relationship. There also felt like an unnecessarily confusing amount of side characters.

Bonus points for the clever song titles and lyrics woven throughout, which were a high point in reading!

This one was so fun and flirty and had such a great plot. It's not every day that I pick up a book with main characters in the music industry. While not traditionally my favorite, I also loved the single dad trope and the fact that he was still good friends with the mother. There were enough plot points to stay interested throughout.