i really liked this one! really refreshing story. good plot. extremely likeable characters! i love this author's writing and this one was no different. would recommend.

To start, I liked the cover of the book and I thought the synopsis was appealing. It was challenging for me to get going with the book and it read more like a young adult novel to me. The names of the bands, the antics of the characters, and the plot felt aimed at a YA crowd. And if this was a YA book (minus the steamy scenes) I think it would be very successful!

Overall, the book was well written but the narrative choices made did not speak to me or engage me on a deeper level. I thought it was fun and I enjoyed the plot points about independent music and how young artists are at risk in the industry. There were many elements that were enjoyable and engaging but it just felt like it was aimed at a younger reader.

I received an Advanced Copy in exchange for my honest review. Thanks St. Martin's press and Net Galley. Mackenzie and Sam used to be in rival bands that toured together... and now after the bands ended, a couple years, and each having major life changes their record label wants them to work together. It's an enemies to lovers story with lots of little side stories and world building. Super cute and chill, lowish spice and lots of tension. Perfect summer read for music fans.

I think that is one of my least favorite books from Emma Lord. But I still liked it. Her writing voice is just so ingrained into my favorites that this still had me by the throat. I just think the subject matter didn't really appeal to me like her other books. It's still really solid for her writing, though, which I like to see. Thanks, Netgalley, for the early review copy.

Whoever said fans of daisy jones and the six and Emily Henry would love this book wasn’t wrong!
Instead of focusing on a band’s rise to stardom or even their down down fall- Lord focuses on what comes next for pop princess Mackenzie and alternative rocker Sam.
I really like this take on where Mac and Sam were at in their post career phase and how she was able to slowly get us invested in their new blossoming friendship while dropping crumbs of their past history giving us a better understand of what lead to here instead of giving it to us all up front. I felt the dual POVs and having them revisit many of their past locations from when they were in their musical prime elevated the story telling and why these memories really drive their current emotions
I also loved the supporting characters- Hannah seems like such a badass with her growing empire and Ben and his crazy cupcakes offend up great comedic moments.
Side note- the whole ticktunes side story was so creative and realistic I’m surprised it’s not actually an app that can be used

Great and easy read. This was a solid 4 star romance that had a lot of fun elements and likable characters!

This book is perfect if you are looking for a light and fun read!
It's quick to get through, the characters are likable, and even though it is a second-chance romance there is very little drama.

I would have liked to have seen a little bit more emotional depth and character development from Mackenzie and Sam - and the plot was a bit predictable. However - the story was very entertaining and kept me engaged.

It's a great summer book if you're looking for something that isn't too deep.
4 Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

This is my second Emma Lord book, and I can already tell I’m going to burn through her other books as well!

I gave this book 4 stars! It has a steady flow through the book, and her writing style is very smooth. I LOVE that there isn’t a third act breakup, and that the conflict that happens isn’t cheesy, with dramatized reactions. It feels very natural and real.

There is some spice in this book when you get about 3/4ths of the way through, but it would be easy to skip if you’re not into that.

Overall it’s a second chance romance done very well!

A second chance romance. They are from rival bands (ones pop and ones punk but they toured together). Semi-slow burn. An adorable kid. Friends who are family.

Sam and Mackenzie have their own individual issues to work out through this book on top of being thrown together by their managers and record execs to write more songs together (they wrote one while at the height of fame fueling their will they won’t they vibes) and debut again as a duet. They’re chemistry unfortunately, or fortunately, makes it too easy to fall prey to old feelings that never truly came to light. Their individual issues and their relationship play out beautifully in this story.

I really wanted to love For the Record.. Unfortunately, the execution just didn’t live up to the potential.

The biggest issue for me was the pacing. The story dragged in places where it should have been exciting, and yet, major emotional moments felt rushed. The romance also lacked chemistry—what should have been a slow-burn tension-filled relationship felt flat and underdeveloped. I also struggled with the main character, who made frustrating decisions and lacked real depth.

There were some fun moments, especially for music lovers, and Emma Lord’s writing style is engaging, but overall, the book felt more surface-level than I was hoping for. If you’re a die-hard fan of the author, you might enjoy it, but for me, it was just okay.

I was really on the fence about this book. I’ve read several of Emma Lord books and they’ve always been hit or miss for me. But I decided to give this one a go. Especially since one of my closest book friends raved about how cute “For the Record” was. After finishing the book I definitely agree with her it was a super cute read. However, even though it had its moments it still wasn’t one of my favorites.

Like I mentioned For the Record is a fun, easy read. Our story follows former music rivals Mackenzie & Sam. The two reunite as a joint team at a shot of comeback music tour. “For the Record” is Told through dual POVs which I really enjoyed. I liked being able to get both Mackenzie & Sam’s insights into both characters past and current journey. That dual POV really helped add depth to the building love story between them.

However, even though there were a lot of cute enjoyable moments. I still felt like most of the books fell a little flat for me. Especially the Serena & Rocket side character storylines. At times I felt they weren’t necessary and there were several moments I wanted to skim as soon as their names were mentioned.

Honestly my favorite part about this entire book and why I ended up giving it 3 stars instead of two was the last chapter and the epilogue. Both moments had me kicking my feet like a little school girl with how cute and romantic it was. Overall, I enjoyed it but I would never re-read or buy a trophy copy for myself. But I’d definitely still recommend it especially if you’re looking for an easy fun romcom.

Lastly big thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for providing me an arc to read and review.

I've read most of Emma Lord's books, and this one is now my new favorite!! 🤩

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you, Netgalley, for this ARC!!

This book follows Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze, two musicians who were once in rival bands. Two years after both of their bands broke up, Mackenzie who was in a pop girl group, and Sam who was in a punk rock band, finds themselves trying to get back into the music industry with a new sound. Their managers conspire to get them to become a duo and write a whole album together. Mack and Sam find them selves confronting many obstacles while writing their album, both individually and together.

For The Record has some of my favorite tropes and elements!

• Dual POV
• second chance
• Rival bands
• Mutual pinning
• Chronic illness rep (Hashimotos)

It's the perfect book if you're a fan of Daisy Jones and the Six and rom coms. There were so many moments that not only had me smiling and laughing but also had me feeling for the characters when they were going through their own hardships. The whole Serena plot line felt like it was dragged out a bit too long, but other than that, I really enjoyed this!

** spoiler alert ** I received an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This story had me hooked and I definitely noticed the parallels to certain books (like Daisy Jones). I especially appreciated that the author did not include a climatic break up or rift between Mackenzie and Sam once he found out she was Seven - I loved how she handled that piece and the aftermath. I’ve really enjoyed all books from Emma and always look forward to the next! 4.5 stars.

Emma Lord writes a love story so well! I was expecting a YA romance, but she tackled this more adult book with her usual amount of charm and humor- I genuinely enjoyed it!

This book follows Sam and MacKenzie, two former pop stars on the verge of making a comeback… if they can overcome their past rivalry to do it (duet) together.

I really enjoyed the characters and their development, and while I don’t have a firm grasp of the music industry, it seemed like they raised some interesting points on that topic. The romance was satisfying, as was the comeback story. Highly recommend!

4.5 stars.

Two former rivals from former rival bands are brought back together after years by their label as a duet, getting the two to reconnect and form a fresh new bond as well.

First things first, I really liked the way this book deals with familial issues. From the child in Sam's life to their parent situations. I also really liked seeing Mackenzie's deep yet complicated bonds with her former bandmates. They were interesting to follow and not just one dimensional.

I liked seeing the way Mackenzie and Sam's relationship grew over time. From being rivals to something much more. They really grew to understand each other over form and I appreciated that.

Normally I'm not a fan of the miscommunication trope in books at all but it actually worked in this one. Mackenzie's secret was integral to the plot in many ways and it kept things interesting since we knew she was hiding this the whole time. Not just from the public but from Sam as well.

I don't have much to complain about here. It was a pretty solid book. I really liked it. There were a couple times where it felt like a scene jumped weird or something and I wasn't the biggest of that, but otherwise yeah!

(Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.)

For the Record is a M/F romance novel featuring two rockstars. They each were part of a different group that toured together until two years ago. Both groups broke up when Sam, the male lead, found out he had a son. But the main character in the book is Mackenzie Waters, who was part of a trio. Her romantic tension with Sam was not exclusively onstage—but the full extent of the offstage action was a five-second kiss.

This book is very character-driven. We learn all about Mack’s back story and Sam’s secret father. But the story dives back in as Mack is trying to figure out how to go public with her “new voice” after having a growth removed near her vocal cord. Her agent and Sam’s agent cook up a scheme where the two artists write songs together and fan the flames of their chemistry.

This PR stunt takes a major turn into romance. The pair’s appeal in earlier times was the question of whether or not they would finally get together. The scheme to have a joint album where the songs were all written at places of importance to the couple feels so dorky that it does feel like an agent might cook it up for the fandom.

The tension in this book revolves around Mack’s secret identity as the performer behind a popular (and anonymous) social media singer, and that same platform’s stars getting unfair and exploitive contracts from a music group. The thing is, this social impact side story feels like it was added to give a source of conflict. Maybe there were a few plot points unconnected and it doubled as a solution to that problem.

That said, I’ve been googling rockstar romance and reading a few of the top results ever since I read this book. So it did something very right.

For the Record was a cute romcom about Mackenzie and Sam. Rival band singers turned lovers. It was my first Emma Lord book and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed watching Mack come into herself after an injury made her have to work through her new sound as a singer. Sam was the best kind of snarky when it came to Mack and the best dad for Ben. When they finally got together i throughly enjoyed how sweet they were and how much they respected and listened to each other as they worked through things. Neither of them let their singing careers change how they viewed themselves, their families and friends. Overall, if you enjoy enemies to lovers, second change love, found family, and single dad tropes this one is for you. Thank you NetGalley and st.martins press for the opportunity to read For the Record!

OBSESSED. I read my first Emma Lord book (Tweet Cute) as a teenager and I was so excited to hear that she was writing a book geared towards adults. There's nothing like having an author's stories grow up with you. I was in love with Sam from page 1 and adored the way he interacted with Mackenzie. The concept was so unique and fun, but still felt grounded in reality. I was also delighted to find that there was no third act break up ( I was really scared for a second there). That on top of the lovely coparenting and fun flashbacks to shared memories.... I was a goner. The only thing I have to say is I wish I could listen to some tunes by Mack & Sam and Seven. I would love to read a book about Hannah or Serena too!

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

One of my favorite romance books to read is where it's a dual POV because I feel like there's an extra special connection and I get to see what the MMC is thinking, and this was no different. Mackenzie (FMC) and Sam (MMC) are musicians who used to hate each other with a ton of tension. Now, both are going through changes with Mackenzie having a vocal change due to surgery while Sam traded his guitar for fatherhood...cue their labels forcing them to make an album. With this, you see sizzling chemistry. Part of me thinks this felt like a YA novel, which isn't bad but unexpected. There were times where the book also was slow for my liking, where I wanted to hurry it up.

Read if you like:
- Enemies to lovers
- Second chance
- Dual POV
- Found family
- Single dad

Hello, Emma Lord’s biggest fan here. I loved her first adult book, The Breakup Pact, and I was thrilled to get an early copy of her second adult romance.

I love a good second chance romance. Sam and Mackenzie have a deep professional and personal history. It is clear from the beginning of the novel how much they mean to one another even though they made names for themselves as rivals onstage. It is my kryptonite when a romantic pairing helps each other thrive both personally and professionally, and that is absolutely the case here. Sam and Mackenzie are able to write incredible music together, and they do so quickly. Sam helps Mackenzie feel confident in her voice again after her surgery, and Mackenzie supports Sam as he meets his birth father. I throughly enjoyed reading their relationship.

At the release of The Breakup Pact, I remember Lord comparing For the Record to Taylor Swift’s album, Red, and having read it now, I absolutely understand why. Red has a darker and moodier tone than Swift’s earlier work, and I’d say that’s true of For the Record as well. I also can imagine that the music Mackenzie puts out as Seven sounds like the music from Red. Seven puts out seven songs about her exes, which certainly sounds like something Swift would do.

One of my new favorite things to find in a romance novel is a main character who is a parent. Sam learns about his son when he is four years old. He immediately does everything he can to be there for his son. He has a great relationship with his son’s mom and even lives next door to her. Mackenzie respects and admires this about Sam as well. It is hard not to respect Sam for the loving way he parents his child. It is just one of several things that makes Sam such a likable character.

It wouldn’t be an Emma Lord novel without some delicious treats playing a role. Sam’s son’s mother owns a bakery and Sam’s son, Ben, enjoys coming up with fun creations like “pizza muffins.” Rocket, who enjoys hanging out at the bakery, even refers to Ben as a “dessert anarchist.” Reading that scene, I couldn’t help but smile because it felt like such a classic Emma Lord moment.

Lord created an app in this novel, Tick Tune. The app combines TikTok and Snapchat and allows artists to anonymously post music that disappears after you listen to it. Mackenzie uses this app to post music anonymously as she gets used to her new voice after thyroid surgery. While there are logisitical concerns that the book raises that would reveal the identities of the artists on Tick Tune, it does sound like a fun app that I wish were real. I also would love an album of Seven’s songs to accompany this book.

I’m loving Lord’s transition to adult work. I am eagerly awaiting announcement of her next book. Her work never fails to emotionally move me…and make me laugh.