This book was a fun combination of real heart with enemies to lovers but with famous people! Highly recommend for fans of Romantic Comedy and How to Fake it in Hollywood. Just have your tissues ready, this one packs a true emotional punch!

This book is very mid. I didn’t hate it but the story won’t stick with me. I feel like I’ve already forgotten much of what I read. That’s not to say it’s bad, the story just didn’t hold much stock for me.

The characters are kind of lackluster and fall flat. When the romance happened it felt forced and just, bleh. The more I read the more I enjoyed their dynamic, but not enough that I felt drawn into their story.

The story line I did really enjoy was seeing Sam be a father for Ben and co-parenting. That dynamic I enjoyed the most out of everything. Their relationship was so sweet and each time we’d get to see them on page was when I was most invested. I felt that’s when we really get to see Sam’s character shine and I enjoyed that a lot.

I fear that music books also just might not be for me. Daisy Jones was my one and only and I need to move on. However, I did enjoy the band elements we did get to see. I think it would be interesting to read these characters in their band days rather than after.

Overall, there were bits of this book I liked and bits that I didn’t. It was a very okay book. I think I might stand alone on this, because I do see the appeal and why others will likely enjoy this book. It just wasn’t for me, I’m sad to say. I will likely read more from this author in the future, nonetheless.

P.s. the nickname “Sparkles” and how often it came up made me upset!

***Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and St Martin’s Griffin for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review***

I was kindly provided with the arc of this book by NetGalley and the editors in exchange of an honest review, thank you ✨

4⭐️

This was a very cute, fast and intense book, I really loved the story and how Mackenzie and Sam had their second chance after all they had to deal with from the moment they met, I loved Ben and Lizzie and Kara and all the characters ✨

This wasn't my favorite. Our read story of like fan fiction and could have worked better as a YA novel.

This was fun! Second chance romances are hit or miss for me, but thankfully while the main characters did deal with knowing each other/their lives being intertwined in the past, the true focus of the story was the enemies > working together > romance plot, which I thought was really well done. The personal stakes and issues that both leads experienced helped flesh out the characters and make the story stronger as they fell in love.

This was really fun albeit sort of ridiculous, but I loved the second chance tension rivals to lovers.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️
Book boyfriend ranking: 18/54

The way I put this book off because it was my first time reading an Emma Lord book makes no sense because I flew through this sweet romance. I think I read it in under 24 hours.

You’ve got a single dad, a semi second chance romance, found family, and yearning! There is a bit of miscommunication but it didn’t bother me too much because it made sense why the characters were making those decisions.

This book has all the things that make a good romance. I had a great time reading this and would recommend to those who are fans of Emily Henry, Ashley Poston, Kristina Forest, and Annabel Monaghan.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Emma Lord for the advanced readers copy. All opinions are my own!

I liked the dual narrative of this book. It was helpful for extra context into their history. They were a little too afraid of commitment for 2 people with good chemistry but I understand the external factors like his son. I liked seeing the healthy parenting dynamic.

I just finished reading “For the Record” by Emma Lord.

Mackenzie and Sam have a history. This book is a second chance romance and although I found it slow at first, it picked up towards the end.

The banter was great. I found the rest of the book slow. There was always confusion between the two characters.

I give it 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is my first time reading a book by Emma Lord, and I am looking forward to reading more of her books. When I first read the description of the book, I was immediately interested in its premise. Second-chance romances and enemies-to-lovers are some of my favorite romance tropes to read, and I was excited to see both included in this book.

Former music rivals Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze once ignited fan frenzy through their bands’ intense onstage showdowns, while off-stage, their tension grew into something more until their bands broke up. Now, two years later, Sam is a single dad living a quiet life, and Mackenzie hides behind a stage name after a surgery altered her voice. A joint comeback album offers them both a second chance at fame — and maybe love. As they try to set aside their past, old feelings reignite and unexpected revelations threaten everything, proving that their greatest story may still be ahead of them.

This was an easy read told through dual points of view. I liked that the author provided background into both Mackenzie and Sam's journeys, giving some depth to the story. I especially enjoyed the Epilogue. While this was an easy (and short read at 283 pages), there were times I felt the book really dragged, and I just wanted to get to the end. I felt that more emphasis should have been spent on Mackenzie and Sam's personal growth to provide more depth to the story, and less emphasis should have been placed on Tick Tunes and some of the other sub-plot elements.

Overall, the book had some nice moments and provided a satisfying happily ever after. If you enjoy second-chance romances, enemies-to-lovers, musicians (pop stars and punk rock band), and found family tropes, this might be a book for you!

This book made me realize how much I adore a celebrity/singer romance book with 90's vibes. For me I grew up loving and possibly too invested into pop culture so this to me was a way to feed into that haha. If was a truly fun book to read and loved the story of what happens when a group breaks up? There were parts to me that we a bit too quirky and made me cringe a bit mostly from the flashbacks but overall I really enjoyed the book and thing if you love a light hearted read you will enjoy this one!

Rating: 3.5

Tropes:
- Second Change Romance
- "Rivals" to "Lovers"
- Sunshine x Grumpy
- "Its Always Been You"
- dual POV

Thank you so much to Emma Lord, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an arc of this read in exchange for an honest review!

"For the Record" by Emma Lord is my first title I have read from here and will NOT be the last. 5 stars for this incredible second chance rivals to lovers romance. It had great banter and the perfect level of spice for me. If you love a good dual POV this is the one for you.

Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze are former front persons from their rival bands. Throughout their careers were always placed together and their lives intertwined whether is be because of their record label, having twin sisters as managers or their insane attraction to each other they have been followed with a "will they won't they" the whole time. After Sam disappears form their last tour it's been two years since they have spoken or seen each other but it's all about to change. Being forced to team up for a duet record in order to make a comeback in the industry they finally get the second chance they have always deserved.

This book was a great fast paced uplifting and fun read that I can not wait to gush about to everyone who will listen. This book will be my entire personality for a while. There were many scenes that caused me to laugh out loud and I found myself smiling through out. Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's press for the digital advanced readers copy for my honest review now lets giddy up jingle horse to publication date of 8/12/2025 so the rest of the world can experience this fantastic story.

A sparkling, fast-paced romance that feels fresh and fun. Mackenzie and Sam’s journey—from fierce stage rivals to reluctant collaborators—brims with sharp humor and genuine heart. Their struggles with fatherhood and finding their true voices give the story real emotional weight, while the music-industry backdrop keeps the stakes high. A breezy, satisfying read for anyone who loves a second-chance love story. Give it a try!

Huge fan of Emma Lord so how could I not read this one? She includes her usual quirk, humor, and overall fun personality into every book she writes and I love it! Super cute book! Would recommend!

This was such a cute book!! Omg I’m so in love with Sam. The relationship, the story, the second chance. Everything was chef’s kiss. I definitely want to read more books from this author.

for the record was an incredibly fun read! it was super cute and enjoyable.

i am not a huge fan of second chance romance usually, but it worked so well for this story. i loved the dual pov and the chemistry between mackenzie and sam! they had crazy great banter which i enjoyed so much!

i really loved the intimacy of the scenes when they write together. it was so well written and vulnerable. the close proximity! ah! it was everything!

i did love mackenzie’s story and her journey back into the music scene post-surgery. her struggle was intense and heart breaking but i loved her perseverance. i could almost read just a book of this!

For The Record was a fun and easy read. I found the overall premise of the book a bit interesting. However, the book felt a bit flat for me during certain parts. While the book was enjoyable, some parts felt entirely too long and slow. I had a bit of a hard time connecting with the characters of the book. I felt that their personal growth could’ve been explored more and given more complexity?

Overall, this book is good for a quick and easy read. The story is actually very beautiful. If you enjoy rom-com with a music aspects this is the one for you!

This was a such a super cute second chance story! This book delivered all the music vibes I was hoping for and I absolutely adored Sam and Mackenzie. Without giving too much away, Sam and Mackenzie are former bandmates from rival groups who haven’t crossed paths in over two years… until Mackenzie quite literally falls into Sam’s arms. Talk about a meet cute!

Told in dual POV, I loved getting to experience both sides of their story and watching the secrets unravel across the pages.

If you’re a fan of romance with witty, music-loving main characters and a second-chance twist, you’ll love this one! Reminds me of Emily Henry’s work a bit!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I enjoyed Emma Lord’s other books so I jumped at the chance to get this ARC. This was a cute and interesting book about romance and the music industry. I enjoyed the plot and the characters. Overall a great book.

This was a fun typical romance. There was nothing surprising in it but it was a fun to read with a predictable plot. It was exactly what I needed during this time of my life.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.