This celebrity musicians romcom had my romance reader heart singing! The banter is top notch and the external plot of music industry and artist rights was fun to dive into as someone not part of that world. As a Swiftie I absolutely noticed Easter eggs Emma tucked in metaphors and lines but it was enjoyable and fun not heavy handed like other Swiftie coded books can be. Cannot wait to recommend this to all my romcom lovers

This book was a cute romcom, but it lacked a bit of depth. I liked the mcs together, but when talking about their music careers, they felt a bit immature. The social media aspect was a bit heavy handed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC of For the Record! This book hits all the right notes: witty, angsty, and irresistibly swoony with just the right amount of backstage drama. Emma Lord trades her usual sunshine-soaked YA for a bold, buzzy adult rom-com, and she absolutely rocks the transition.

Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze? ICONIC. Think Taylor Swift meets Brendon Urie with the emotional baggage of Fleetwood Mac. Their chemistry sizzled when they were rivals, but it practically explodes when they reunite for a high-stakes comeback album. There’s so much history packed into every snarky exchange, longing glance, and guitar chord that it’s impossible not to root for them—both as a couple and as individual artists healing from very different pasts.

Mackenzie’s struggle with her voice (literally and figuratively) gave this book a beautifully authentic edge. And Sam? A reformed punk rocker turned unexpectedly soft-hearted single dad? Yes, please. The scenes with his son added so much heart and depth without ever veering into saccharine.

This isn’t just a love story—it’s a story about reinvention, redemption, and rewriting your narrative even after the final curtain call. A little messy, a little angsty, and a whole lot of fun, For the Record is a pitch-perfect rom-com encore.

Would I sell my soul for a behind-the-scenes tour doc featuring these two? Absolutely.

Emma Lord fans and music lovers, this one’s for you.

I was the tiniest bit skeptical of Emma Lord’s adult debut, because nowadays I feel like most adult romcoms are just reduced to “adult content” without any actual emotional journey for the characters or other important elements. However, I went for it anyway because it’s Emma Lord, so of course I’m going to. Naturally, I had nothing to worry about.
This is a celebrity second-chance romance, both of which I think are hard to write because cringe and unbelievable, respectively. But Emma did SUCH an amazing job using them in fresh new ways that made a lovely story full of her usual charm.
I loved how even though both MCs were extremely famous musicians, I kept forgetting that was a thing because they were very down-to-earth and just kind of lead as normal lives as possible. They have lots of individual depth, and being stars isn’t their entire personality or identity. The back-and-forth snippets of their past were skillfully incorporated and added so much to them and their dynamic with both each other and other characters.
Finally, it’s so lovely when the third-act breakup isn’t an actual breakup but a bump in the road for reasonable plot development that they know they’ll get through together rather than pushing each other away and relying on miscommunication.
Overall, excellent addition to Emma Lord’s backlist that’s definitely worth a read! Thanks SO much to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this highly anticipated release of mine!

It was such a journey of an ex-punk rock star and an ex-pop girl band star. From the fake rivalry to real rivalry. From fake feelings to the truth that they've both been wanting each other. From band break-ups, family reconciliation, to self doubt and self blame - they go thru this journey to find the truth and love.

Sam has always have eyes for Mackenzie, he would pull her off of any guys he knows they're not good for her. And abruptly had to had go (and the reason is a good one). After 2yrs, pretending to not keeping track of each other, they desperately wanted to know what the other is up to. When they manage to get close to being honest, it's thru music and songs. Their hearts got there before their heads arrived.

My deal: I hate 3rd act breakups. But!!! This one was done in a very organic way, it flowed thru nicely. I was anticipating Sam to walk away, but he didn't. There were some moments where you were wondering what would happen, but the way it all came together was beautiful and lovely. This one surprised me as to how much I liked it.

Thank. you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC

For the Record was such a feel good read! The story revolves around Mackenzie and Sam, former popstar/rockstar rivals, who are trying to make their comeback in the music industry and are forced to partner by their label to make it happen.

Watching their relationship evolve from rivals to partners to lovers during the whole book was really fun to read. From the first scene they met, they seemed inevitable (which I guess makes me one of Thunder Hearts/Candy Shards fans waiting for them to actually kiss??). Anyway, loved the story and the characters!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Emma Lord is just not the author for me, and that's okay. I can see a lot of people enjoying this book, even if I didn't.

For me, this stalled. There was a lot of potential that felt lost in the execution, which ultimately led to the story dragging its feet at the expense of the pacing.

This was my first Emma Lord book. The blurb said it was perfect for fans of Emily Henry, and I completely agree.
Two former rival rockstars are both trying to make a comeback. What a better way than to pair up two rivals together as a comeback album?
You can’t miss the second chance in my book. All the back and forth of them hiding their feelings because they don’t believe the other can be what they need was heart-wrenching but worth it in the end. Would recommend to any second chance romance lovers like myself!
Thank you, NetGalley and St Martins Press, for the ARC!

ARC REVIEW—Thank you NetGalley for the early copy of For the Record. A wonderful behind the scenes story of two musicians forced to rekindle a fake relationship to sell their music and recreate a name for themselves. Only one of them secretly already has done that.

🎸 Rivals to lovers (but were they really rivals? 😉)

🎸 Single dad romance

🎸 Self discovery

🎸 Found family

Honestly, Ben is the glue in this story. He shows them how their love of music and each other coexists. Music is their love language.

A sweet love story filled with music and heart. Mackenzie and Sam’s story was full and beautifully written. 3/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC!

I mention it every single time, but I love a second chance romance more than any other trope!

Mackenzie Waters was once a member of a pop girl group, Thunder Hearts. In the height of their career, they were made part of bit by their label to be a in a rivalry with an emo rock band, Candy Shard and then forced to tour with them. At the center of the rivalry, was Mackenzie and Candy Shard band member Sam Blaze. They played it up on stage, but Sam mostly kept his distance off stage. Mackenzie was known for being typically messy and the always being heartbroken. 2 years after a quick end to their tour, and both bands breaking up, Mackenzie’s management has an idea. Hey what about a duet album with Sam? They end up both agreeing and they both realize there wasn’t much to that rivalry at all, but moreso feelings.

I give it 4 ⭐️! You can’t miss with second chance in my book. All the back and forth of them hiding their feelings because they don’t believe the other can be what they needs was heart wrenching but worth it in the end. Would recommend to any second chance romance lovers like myself!

This book took me longer to get through than I hoped. I just couldn’t get into the story or the characters like I would have liked to.
I am officially tired of how many Taylor Swift similarities and references are in books. It started to blend into how my brain reads fanfic at some point because that’s the vibe it gave me. 😭
The epilogue was absolutely precious though. I think that was my favorite part of the entire book. ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

This was my first Emma Lord book. The blurb said it was perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Daisy Jones and the Six, and I completely agree.

✨️dual pov
✨️enemies to lovers
✨️ second chance romance

Two former rival rockstars both trying to make a comeback. What a better way then to pair up two rivals together as a comeback album?

This book will give you all the feels.I instantly loved Mack and Sam. The character development was phenomenal. Sam's family was like a warm hug.

A big thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Expected publication August 12,2025

Honestly I LOVED the book. It had everything that it needed to the angst and tension. Sam and Mackenzie felt really real with their struggles and the crossroads that they're in their lives. Speaking of Sam, the selfless-ness? he was so understanding and supportive of Mackenzie without being overbear and just overall a great guy. Mackenzie's struggles are something I think a lot of people can understand, having your whole identity ripped away and trying to comeback and piece yourself together when even you don't know who you are anymore.

This book had a very interesting plot, 2 rivals in pop groups getting back together to launch a separate career. But the middle dragged a little bit and almost made me lose my interest. Otherwise I enjoyed it.

For the Record has the charm and heart Emma Lord is known for, but this one didn’t quite hit the same high notes. While the premise had potential and some moments were genuinely sweet or fun, the backstories felt disjointed and often disrupted the flow of the narrative. The characters had their likable moments, but the pacing dragged at times, making it a bit of a slog. Overall, it was an okay read—enjoyable enough. Thank you to NetGallery for the advanced copy

For the Record

"Maybe you just believe the best in people. Nothing wrong with that.":

Oh my (Emma) LORD, she's outdone herself! I absolutely adore Emma Lord, so it's no surprise that I was excited about this one, but she took it to another level. Easily my favorite of her books!

The banter! The wit! The chemistry!!! It is PHENOMENAL. As Mackenzie says, "The first thing you need to know about Samuel Blaze is that it's damn near impossible not to fall in love with him." And BOY did she come correct on that one. Mackenzie and Sam were in competing bands that toured together - constantly playing up their chemistry on stage with a "will they, won't they" rivals heat. A few years later, they are both looking at launching themselves with solo careers when the label decides they need to bring back the chemistry as a duo. This means time together as they write songs to sing, and the feelings they uncover about their past as they relive times together.

It is IMPOSSIBLE not to root for them. Their banter, and the cast of side characters will have you laughing out loud. Their chemistry had me GIGGLING and squealing. My immediate thoughts upon finishing were just "SQUEEEEE". And I stand by that one word review.

Check this one out for:
Rivals to lovers adult romance (open door)
Musician / celebrity romance
FMC who is a "Shiny ball of chaos"
MMC who is a dad
Incredible banter and sassy side characters

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC! For the Record is on shelves August 12, 2025. My opinions are my own.

This was a fun and flirty read, perfect for a plane ride or day at the beach. Sam and Mackenzie have always had a thing for each other, starting back when their bands were on tour. Fast forward two years, and they've changed, but their chemistry and attraction hasn't. Will they finally acknowledge the love that's been there all along, or keep sabotaging their chance at happiness?

A thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! All opinions are my own.

Punk rocker Sam and pop princess Mackenzie are old rivals in the music industry. What started as a fun publicity stunt, ended in both bands breaking up and a two-year-long hiatus from both musicians. What could cause such a riff and what will launch these stars back into the sky? A joint comeback, of course!

This is a rom-com, second-chance romance, and redemption story with a musical twist. I wanted to love this book, but it missed the mark for me. I loved the concept of opposites attract, the sprinkling of drama from the music industry, and a good rivalry. Unfortunately, this was incredibly messy.

Simply put, there are way too many subplots going on that we do not need. Family drama from both sides added very little to the main story. A shaky friendship that got a little confusing and felt forced. The drama over a music app was also underdeveloped and out of place. Music industry drama that could have been interesting, but felt like an afterthought. The rivalry was criminally neglected and more of a tease. Then the biggest of all letdowns is the fact that Mack & Sam spent most of the book writing an album for it to get thrown into the trash with no true resolution.

While the banter was funny, the characters were painfully underdeveloped. This felt like an insta-love romance. I think a full-on dual timeline would have done Mackenzie and Sam more justice. Their history was confusing, with very little feeling. There is a lot of telling the reader about the characters instead of showing us their development. I didn't feel any connection with them at all. The spice had very little build-up and felt shoved into a YA romance.

The pacing of the book is just odd. I had to flip back multiple times to understand what was present and what was past. The main conflict was lost in all of the side character drama. The climax was rushed and then we get this huge time jump to a wrap-up epilogue. I hate saying it, but the entire book read like a half-baked Taylor Swift fan-fiction.

I loved that this was based on music. That made it so unique and original! I don’t know if I truly felt their relationship or who they were as characters, but the atmosphere of this one was fun