I recently finished reading this book and I must say, it was a captivating and refreshing experience. From the moment I started the book, I was hooked by its grounded and relatable portrayal of romance.
The plot is incredibly realistic, which is something I truly appreciated. The love story unfolds at a pace that feels true to life—there are no unrealistic twists or melodramatic moments that often plague romantic novels. Instead, the characters face real-life challenges, personal growth, and emotional struggles that anyone can relate to. The story touches on themes of trust, vulnerability, and the importance of self-discovery before fully opening up to someone else.
What stood out most to me was the character development. The protagonist evolve throughout the book, and their emotional growth is depicted with such care. Their flaws, strengths, and vulnerabilities are portrayed in a way that makes them feel like real people, not just characters on a page. It’s rare to find a romance where the characters' emotional journeys are as important as their romantic connection, and [Book Title] does this beautifully. Their interactions felt authentic, and the relationship built naturally over time, making it all the more rewarding by the end.
This book made me reflect on my own experiences and left me with a sense of hope that love can grow in the most unexpected ways. It's a novel about finding love not just with someone else, but also with yourself. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a romance that feels real, with characters that are fully realized and a plot that keeps you invested from start to finish.

Emma Lord is one of my auto-buy authors and her newest book For The Record does not disappoint.

This book is perfect for fans of enemies to lovers and second chance romance. The will they-won’t they redemption story was so fun to follow along with and I loved getting a behind the scenes glimpse of the music industry.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Lord does it again! Loved the Daisy Jones and the six vibes in this one. I absolutely flew though this one and really enjoyed the chemistry between our leads. As with all books about bands I was frustrated that so couldn’t hear the music!

For the Record
Two musicians who had a manufactured will-they-won’t-they slash rivalry finally see each other two years after the dust has settled and the sparks are undeniable. Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze are incredible on their own and dynamite together. This book had me yell “cross the line!” at least three times and boy, did it ever deliver. Mack has a big secret that will leave you at the edge of your seat, wondering when the other shoe will drop & how it will affect their newfound ability to tolerate each other.

This book by Emma Lord is a fun and engaging romance that mixes the enemies-to-lovers and second chance themes. It follows Mackenzie and Sam, former bandmates who have to work together on a new album despite their past rivalry. The music setting adds a cool twist, and the banter between them is entertaining. While it can be a bit cheesy, it's still a light and enjoyable read. The characters grow throughout the story, though I wished some side characters had more depth. Overall, it's a cute romcom that fans of the genre will enjoy, and I'm interested in reading more from Emma Lord.

3.5 ⭐️

I received this arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun contemporary romance with themes of enemies to lovers, found family, and second chances, with great banter and tension.

Mackenzie is a former girl band member and Sam is a former boy band member who have made careers out of their hit songs as well as their rivalry. When the two old flames reconnect with a need to help each other, tensions run high. I loved the musical themes. Emma Lord is great at writing internal dialogue and emotional descriptions. This had every ingredient of a good modern romcom, including the cheesiness, which is the reason I didn’t rate it higher. Cheese aside, this was still a fun, cute, easy read. Thank you to Emma Lord and NetGalley for this ARC, and I recommend checking it out when it releases this August!

💜🎸🤘🏼🎶💋

Good! There wasn’t anything wrong with this book! As a frequent contemporary romance reader I enjoyed the playful banter between the characters, the easy to follow and digestible story. I definitely would’ve enjoyed a little more spice but overall a good book:)

This was a cute Rom Com! At first, I thought it was gonna be more of YA story, but I quickly figured out that it was not 🤣. I always look forward to a new Emma Lord book, and this did not disappoint!! Can't wait for her next one! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

Thanks a lot, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin, for granting me the ARC of this book!

I just finished reading For the Record by Emma Lord, and I loved it. The author speaks for herself to me, as she has written two of my most beloved books, but this one was on another level.

It’s a second-chance romance, but with a fire to it that feels alive. I had been in a huge reading slump for a month, and the first few pages completely drew me in. The book is set in the music industry, providing a very exciting and creative backdrop. I also noticed a strong resemblance to Taylor Swift’s story in the protagonist’s journey, but that might just be me—someone unfamiliar with her might not see it at all.

Mack and Sam share a love that feels beautiful but also very complicated. The way their story unfolds, blending past and present through memories rather than flashbacks, is something I really enjoyed. I’m not a fan of full chapters set in the past.

Beyond that, every character contributes meaningfully to the narrative. They all play an important role. I especially loved Ben—I honestly think it’s impossible not to!

I really loved the tension between Sam and Mackenzie but I I think the third act moved a bit too fast compared to the slow build of the beginning two thirds of the book

Such a cute, heartwarming read! I laughed. I cried. I yearned right alongside the characters. Emma Lord writes lovable, complex characters so beautifully, you can’t help but root for them throughout the story!

I loved this a lot. Rival bandmates forced to write an album together after both of their bands fell out. Sign me up.

I loved the way this story showed the way that people grow and change. Emma Lord is a great author and knows how to write and relationship and friendship.

This book is full of yearning, honestly the only thing I personally would have liked more of was Mackenzie developing a relationship with Ben. I think that Sam seeing Mack be good with his son would have added the right amount of extra.

I would highly recommend this book if you need a Rivals to Lovers, Forced Proximity novel. It’s a great read.

A sweet second chance romance with a hint of enemies to lovers. Plenty of beautiful heart-wrenching moments and soothing surprises. A fun cast of best friends and secondary characters I hope Lord will bring to life in future novels.

Loved this one! Thought it was such a great second chance romance and tension and banter was done so well. Enjoyed the character development as well without the themes being too heavy. Serena was a little too unlikable I thought without enough insight into what she was dealing with before you finally got to that portion. Overall thought it was another great fun read!

I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy this to be honest, I love a star-crossed lovers and musician romance but it can be hard to pull off without it becoming cheesy. That being said, I loved this! The beginning reminded me of Daisy Jones and the Six, especially with all of the flashbacks.

Overall, four stars! My only negative is that I wish I had a playlist to listen to with all of the McKenzie and Sam's songs <3

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this ARC. For someone who has loved reading as much and as long as I have, having the opportunity to read ARC's of books I'd kill to get my hands on has been a dream. 

This was my first Emma Lord read, so while I was unfamiliar with her writing style, the cover and description are what drew me in and ultimately, I was not disappointed. 

I enjoyed the insights and growth regarding the internal struggles with both characters as they navigated their feelings, let some of their pasts selves go, and came into the kind of person their present needed them to be.

I also really really loved the concept of the Mack & Sam debut album, "Haunts". While I wish we would've had more of the lyrics to some of the songs they wrote together, I think it was such a unique way of having them launch their duet while also exploring where their stories started to intertwine. I also think the blurring of the past and present in those spaces allowed them the opportunities to reflect on the fun and the feelings they kept buried in the past, while also creating a new experience and ultimately breaking down each other's walls, allowing them to free those feelings from the depths and actually feel them.  

While there were a few text errors (Sam referred to Mack as Sam), a slight irritation that the twins' names were so similar, and a few times where I had to double back to reread a portion due to the way something was worded or how it slipped from past to present, they were very minor drawbacks for me and didn't take away from the whole story. 

Overall, I really truly enjoyed this book and I'm interested in checking out more of Emma's work.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - I loved the characters, loved the glimpse into the music world, and appreciated that the ups & downs the characters experienced weren't caused by either of them being idiots. That's the quickest way to squander a reader's trust. The characters & their choices made sense. Will look out for more by this author.

Emma Lord does an amazing job at balancing the turbulence of the drama with the warm fuzzy feelings. I could really sympathize with both characters' reasons for stepping back from music and hesitation in jumping back in. I was constantly on edge waiting for the last shoe to drop but enjoying every happy moment. This was a second-chance celebrity romance and the chemistry between Mackenzie and Sam was phenomenal. The only part I wasn't a fan of was the Serena and the label/showcase drama; it felt a little forced and took me out of the story.

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy.

Easy and quick read with former band members that have palpable tension. Mackenzie and Sam were fun likeable characters with several funny moments.

I enjoyed this one so much that I went and reserved a couple of other Emma Lord books at the library!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC

Another fantastic book from Emma Lord with a great plot and some amazing characters

It hit the spot for what i was looking for!