‘For the Record’ by Emma Lord has the perfect blend of romance, angst, and chemistry that you would want in a book! The story follows Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze, two famous singers, as they learn to navigate a new chapter in their life and relationship two years after their bands retire. With a history full of banter, tension, and countless ‘will they, wont they’ moments, Mackenzie and Sam unexpectedly come together again to work on a new duo album that could change their careers for the better - but what starts as a job quickly turns personal as their past feelings and memories resurface.

With so many touching and laugh out loud moments, ‘For the Record’ will pull you in from the very beginning and leave you wanting more!

Thank you NetGalley and Dr Martins for the ARC!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve read a lot of Emma’s books almost all of them and she’s always an auto buy and read for me. But something about this one…I loved. It wasn’t a “typical” Emma book (or maybe just the ones I’ve read) but I loved it. It was funny, romantic and spicy at times. Mack and Sam’s chemistry was off the charts. They made me laugh and they made me swoon. I loved it!!

Not the best Emma Lord by a long shot, though I may have come in with too high expectations. The main couple were fine, but I never really bought into their journey. A truly awful 3rd act conflict, just so obviously avoidable and frustrating. That all being said, I absolutely loved the ending and the epilogue and I'm definitely going to keep reading Emma Lord's future releases! I think I'm just more of a fan of her ya books.

Having read Emma Lord’s The Breakup Pact last year, I was invited to read For The Record. Regardless of the invitation, I probably would have sought out this novel, because I love a good rom-com with a musical twist. For The Record is a follow-up to Emma Lord’s other works. The characters of Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze are nuanced enough for readers to not feel as though they’re stereotypes (although, let’s be honest, they are, as is the novel’s premise). They have great chemistry too.

To be even more honest, the characters in the novel have a very charmed life, despite their reassurances of their flaws. Therefore, their conflicts aren’t truly gut-wrenching struggles with which they must grapple. The very common trope of ‘I don’t know who my dad is’ for Sam is conveniently resolved and the person revealed prior to the novel’s action and while the relationship between the two lends itself to true anguish and pain, the writing style used for Sam’s voice makes the description and action rather superficial. The same goes for the manner in which Mackenzie’s solo music endeavor is treated. That said, For The Record is charming and altogether an enjoyable read. It just, unfortunately, doesn’t do anything special or new, nor bolster its genre’s success.

Second Emma Lord read in a weekend! I love a celebrity centered book, and the chemistry between these characters was really good. It seemed like there were some lulls in the pacing, but the character’s chemistry and dual POV helped make up for it. Again, I’ll be recommending for friends with younger humans who are aspiring to be readers! Solid 3.5 stars.

This was a super quick read that’s perfect for music lovers! I love a second chance romance that’s filled with angst and this definitely delivered.

Okay, let me gush about this book I just finished - "For the Record" by Emma Lord! You know those stories that just hit all the right notes? (Sorry, couldn't resist the music pun! )

So picture this: Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze, these two amazing musicians who used to be at each other's throats in the spotlight, but you just KNOW there was something more brewing underneath. Now Mackenzie's dealing with this huge vocal change that's turning her whole career upside down, while Sam's traded in his wild rockstar days to be a dad (which, honestly? Super sweet!).

The best part? Their record labels basically force them to make an album together - talk about awkward! But watching them navigate all that old tension while trying to make music together? It's like watching fireworks, I swear! Their chemistry just leaps off the page, and the way Lord writes their creative process had me completely hooked.

I really loved getting both of their perspectives too - it really lets you see what's going on behind those public personas they put up. Though I will say, sometimes it felt a bit young for an adult romance (not necessarily a bad thing, just unexpected!), and there were a few parts in the middle where I was like "okay, let's get moving!"

But honestly? The way they write together, the fantastic group of people around them, and that epilogue that just made my heart melt - it all totally makes up for any slow spots. I'd give it 3.5 stars, bumped up to 4 because it just left me with such a good feeling!

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

FOR THE RECORD is a fun and sweet romance between two rivals, a pop star and a rockstar wanting to both make a career comeback, who are back in each other's worlds two years later, collaborating on new music. Of course the tension between them never left, in fact it's only stronger and louder. This book felt more of a light and fluffy read to me, if you're looking for a feel-good escape! 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance. I enjoyed this book. It only took me a few days to read through it, The story follows Mackenzie, one part of a pop trio that has broken up. It follows her new career trajectory, friendships with her former band mates, and gets her back in the same room with a former rival member of a pop punk boy band. It’s a bit of a will they, won’t they, but I’m not going to spoil it for you! There is also another storyline about an online group, kind of like SoundCloud, that is being sold off and will expose any anonymous artists or take their song rights. This is the perfect book for anyone interested in the music industry, and enjoys a bit of romance. I enjoyed this book and will look for others by this author.

3.5/5

This one took me a little bit to get into (a lot of names and relationships to keep straight initially) but was a really enjoyable enemies (?) to lovers story. It was a slow burn romance with some family drama and an important reminder about the powers of female friendship. I really liked the ending of this book.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I love Emma Lord's books. They always make me feel very deeply. And I love how diverse the casts are with regard to ethnicity, sexuality, and really everything else. That makes the stories more rich and interesting and I appreciate that. In addition, I like that the protagonists are generally not in jobs or lives that I have read much about and that makes me more engaged. Her style is also just so compelling…it’s very hard to stop reading an Emma Lord book.

I think I much prefer Emma Lords YA books to her adult novels. This was cute but that’s about it. I wasn’t hooked from the beginning and it just felt very surface level to me. I forced myself to not dnf it.

Yeah this book was so good! Any book where music is driving the plot, I'll eat up. The writing was so easy to follow and it was so fast paced, I ended up reading it in two sittings. The connection between the characters felt just a tad bit underdeveloped, but regardless of that I had to best time reading this book.

I couldn't get into For the Record. I had a hard time connecting with Mackenzie's character. I think the writing style made it difficult for me to connect to the characters and story. The writing was hard to follow at points. The author would bring something up and then explain the situation lines/paragraphs later. There were many times where I found myself wondering if I was missing something. This kind of writing led to a confusing reading experience. I looked back at a review I wrote from another book by this author and I also noted that the writing was chunky. Perhaps this is just the way the author writes. I liked that Mackenzie and Sam had a history together. The "rival" band's plot point was interesting. Since there was a pre-established relationship between Sam and Mackenzie, the author relied on that to create the tension. Unfortunately, the chemistry between them wasn't there for me. I wasn't the biggest fan of the whole Grayson plotline. I found Mackenzie's behavior with him weird. I was confused when she called him her "almost boyfriend" at one point when we saw one scene with them and she never thought/talked about him. There were just a few too many things that were bugging me that led to my DNF. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

Sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince or princess. And that's how I felt reading this book. I had read quite a few romances that were just meh before diving into this one; and the last Emma Lord I read was also a bit lacklustre for me. So I was not sure how I would feel about this book. Ultimately, while I didn't give it a 5 star, I really enjoyed it. All of the characters are fun - looking forward to future books in a series I hope although won't die if that doesn't happen - and the story moves well. There was no insta-love either because these two characters had a history and had been dancing around their feelings for each other for years. Sam and Mack are genuinely likeable characters and, despite their fame, come across as fun people who I would probably want to hang out with.

The plot isn't too crazy either. Yes, there are complications to their relationship. But none of those complications feel too contrived or, at least, not in a way that made me cringe.

So, well, written with fun characters and a story that I could get behind. Helps that there is a celebrity element because, well, who doesn't like seeing how the other half lives a little bit.

This is fast, simple read, but I still prefer Emma Lord’s The Break-Up Pact over this one. It’s a good airplane or vacation book. The premise is interesting and should appeal to millennial readers.

This was my first Emma Lord book and I am really excited to read the rest of her books after this one!

This book ticked all the boxes for me:
-dual POV
-enemies to lovers
-second chance romance

Plus the song writing and looking at their past definitely gave some Daisy Jones and the Six vibes for me! The only down sides were that I wish that there was more growth in the emotional depth of the characters, and some of the side characters/plot points fell flat for me. But overall I had a really great time reading this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC to review.

Thank you St Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review For the Record! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've read almost all of Emma Lord's back log and they've all been hits for the most part.

For the Record is a sweet second-chance romance between two rival band singers, Mackenzie and Sam. Years later after their whirlwind 'will-they-won't-they' romance ends, they meet up again. Mackenzie has a hidden identity as an anonymous singer, songwriter Seven on an app for indie writers Tick Tune and Sam's label is pushing for his next big gig to be a reunion album between him and Mackenzie. They agree to work together with a few rules in place to keep their past relationship from rekindling but it becomes harder than they realize to not fall for the other and harder for Mackenzie to keep her secret identity as Seven from the public and from Sam.

For the Record is written with a quick and easy pace. The story is not very memorable, and the character growth is okay. It's a solid, fast, and simple read. It would be one I would take to the beach and finish it within a few hours. I do plan on reading more from Emma Lord because I do love her concepts and her books are ones I would recommend. I do think For the Record might be a slight miss for me. I think many romance readers will enjoy the simplicity and the second-chance romance between Mackenzie and Sam. They are a sweet and tender kind of couple I would root for. The tension between them is nice but it doesn't last long enough. The book felt too short in some areas because there were a couple of things being touched on but they were not fully developed.

Overall, it's a decent romance worth giving a shot.
Personally, if you're still unsure, I would request it at your local library.

#SMPInfluencer

For the Record was such a heartfelt and charming read! Emma Lord perfectly captures the magic of finding yourself, chasing dreams, and navigating the messy but beautiful parts of growing up. I loved the mix of music, family, and self-discovery, and the characters felt so real and relatable. The story had the perfect balance of humor, emotion, and those big, dreamy moments that make you want to cheer for the characters.

More like 3.5 to 3.75 stars.

I’ve decided that I’ll read anything Emm Lord writes, whether it’s YA or adult, because they are always fun, full of emotions, and characters who have to do some soul searching and learning about themselves as they navigate whatever plot line is in the story. For the Record was no different, and I really enjoyed the complexity of the main characters, Mackenzie and Sam, and the complexity of their feelings for each other.

I had two issues that dropped this from a 4 or 5 star read for me. One was that I wanted more backstory with a few of the storylines. I wanted the behind the music version of the Thunder Hearts, not just the flashback snippets we got. I also felt like the Serena storyline wasn’t fully fleshed out.

The second issue I had was that I felt like the book should’ve been trimmed by about 15-25%. All the back and forth about Seven just went on too long for my attention span.

Even with my issues, I still really enjoyed this story and will continue to be an Emma Lord fan girl. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the digital ARC.