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Emma Lord does it again! For the Record is everything I love in a rom-com—sharp banter, heartfelt emotion, and a second-chance romance that hits all the right notes. Fans of Emily Henry and Daisy Jones and the Six will devour this story of rivalry, redemption, and love set against the electric backdrop of the music industry.

Mackenzie and Sam are both so richly drawn—two people defined by past mistakes, trying to rebuild not only their careers but also themselves. Mackenzie’s journey with her voice, her confidence, and her stage persona felt raw and inspiring. Sam, navigating fatherhood while wrestling with his rockstar past, completely stole my heart. Their chemistry is undeniable—equal parts fiery and tender—and watching their rivalry transform into something deeper had me swooning.

This is more than just a romance; it’s a story about second chances, forgiveness, and finding the courage to step back into the spotlight when the world has counted you out. Emotional, uplifting, and full of sparkling wit, For the Record is one of my favorite Emma Lord novels yet.

An absolute must-read for anyone who loves messy, musical, heart-pounding love stories that leave you smiling long after the last page. 🎶💜

For the Record by Emma Lord is a sweet, slightly spicy romance that is set in the world of recording artists. Sam and Mackenzie are (or were) rivals, singer/songwriters from bands that toured together, and back-in-the-day the 'will they or won't they' tension was strong. Fast forward to the current day, when both bands have broken up, and Sam and Mack are thrust together for a comeback album, revisiting their old haunts. Both have secrets, and their long-hidden feelings for each other are sure to come to a head.

Sam and Mack are a couple that I was rooting for from the beginning. I truly enjoyed the story, and what kept the novel from a 5-star read were two things: I did not really understand why Mackenzie kept her identity as Seven secret from Sam, and the Tick Tunes controversy was a bit beyond my comprehension. Overall, these were not insurmountable, but I struggled a bit to overcome them.

This was my first novel by Emma Lord, but it will not be the last. I have seem many of her backlist novels reviewed positively, and I plan to pick them up for future reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of For the Record by Emma Lord. The opinions in this review are my own.

Two years ago, Mackenzie and Sam were rivals on stage who’ve always had chemistry off stage. Part of different bands, they always made music separately. Now, Sam has taken a step back from the rockstar life to be a dad, and Mackenzie has had surgery that has changed her voice. Since the surgery, she’s been singing under a pseudonym on an app. Both want to return to the music scene, so their record labels decide to have them make an album together. They still have loads of chemistry. Can they get through this album without falling for each other?

I believe this is Emma Lord’s first dive into the adult romance scene. Both characters were strong on their own. If you love music, entertaining characters, second chance, angst and tension, & easy-to-read to read writing, this book is for you! I really enjoyed this story; however, it was missing something that I can’t figure out. For me, it’s a 3.5-star romance, but I rounded down on Goodreads to a 3.

I feel lucky to have access to so many celebrity romances now! But now I’m thinking maybe I don’t love them as much as I thought I did.

I definitely liked the set up of two musicians who were in different bands that how lead very different lives. Life after fame.

It did feel a tad lackluster. I was looking for more. More banter, more tension, more pining. Just more.

Mackenzie was part of a girl pop band and Sam was in a rock band. Even though they didn't like each other, they collaborated on a song before not seeing each other again for many years. Now that they are older, they are both trying to restart their music careers, in separate ways. When their managers suggest another collaboration, they must decide if they can get along or are secretly in love.

I liked this YA book (although it felt a little old for teens- it had some sex scenes that I would not give to someone under 20.) I liked that both main characters were musicians, but I really wanted more in that world and more industry details. I have liked the "sparkle" in some of Emma Lord's previous books, and although this was a solid read, I felt like it was missing that special ingredient. So, I liked it but didn't full fledge love it.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

This book had fun banter, tension, and a solid plot. However, I feel that Emma Lord's YA books are better, and this is reflected in this novel as well. Some aspects of it are slightly childish and more suited towards the young adult genre. But honestly, Emma could never write a bad book, so I still enjoyed this and recommend it.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. I sincerely apologize for not getting this finished before its pub date.

I immensely enjoyed this book. Getting to know MacKenzie and Sam and going through their story! It was adorable! I will be recommending to eberyone!

Well, I found this to be fine, nothing truly special. I couldn’t connect well with Sam and Mackenzie as I have with other couples. Mackenzie needed therapy and Sam was pretty one dimensional. There was a very stupid and unnecessary third act something that made me more ragey that I needed to be. I will still check out Lord’s next book thought as I have enjoy her others in the past.

I loved Mackenzie and Sam's story so much, and I'll always appreciate dual POV! Like any book I read that's centered around music, I only wish I could have gotten a soundtrack along with the plot lol

i love a good rockstar romance!! mackenzie and sam were so sweet, i loved seeing the glimpses into their relationship before the bands split. i will have to say i wish we got more flashbacks or more insight to the bands before. second chance romances are so cute, but sometimes fall flat when the foundation isn't properly set and i wish this foundation was just a little stronger. otherwise i loved this. i loved the friendships showcased, theyre so full of love and support and they shine throughout the book.

thank you to netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute story for what it was. I didn’t love it but I definitely didn’t dislike it.

We find two enemies trying to find their way after being apart from the bands that made them famous. Always known to be rivals on stage, they now have to work together to try to revive their careers. While the storyline sounded intriguing, it took me awhile to really get into it. Honestly, the ending was the exciting part for me because it’s when everything peaks.

I did like seeing Mackenzie and Sam go from enemies to lovers but I wanted a little more oomph to their coming together. The tension was a bit lackluster for me because a lot of it was in the flashbacks and it was more a telling you than truly showing you. Their relationship did become sweet and a little spicy. I give those moments a 1 🌶️ out of 5.

I liked how Mackenzie came back together in the end with Serena too and worked together to kick those execs in the butt. That part of the storyline captured my attention for sure.

Overall, a fun and different read. Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Emma Lord for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

This was a really cute story! The beginning was slow for me, so it took me a while to get into it. The relationship was cute and I loved the concept of them writing songs together. I would have liked to learn more background about Thunder Hearts and the other band members of Candy Shard. I feel like we know Sam now, but we don’t really know him when they were touring together. We never even learn the other members of Candy Shard’s names, and I feel like they should have been important enough that Sam would keep up with them. Also, I wish we saw more of the development of Sam’s relationship with his dad, other than their two scenes and then him being apart of their wedding?!? It was overall a cute book, but I don’t know if it will be very memorable for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC! All opinions are my own.

Did not finish. The writing style just was not working for me. The story seemed cute and I know others will love it.

A good romance that I just didn’t quite love, it was missing the spark of a similarly themed book that Ashley poston released earlier this year. Solid characters and I enjoyed the alternating perspectives, they were real and relatable I just didn’t quite love it

As a fan of Emma Lord's writing, especially The Getaway List, I was so excited to dive into For the Record—and it absolutely delivered! With witty banter and a heartwarming sense of found family, this rock star romance is a sizzling slow burn and packed with emotion and spice.

The dual point-of-view takes you along for the ride, with a strong dose of will they/won't they elements as this rivals-to-lovers and second-chance romance unfolds. The story also explores themes of rediscovering love through music, navigating the rocky challenges of fame, and family issues. It reads just like a rock-infused romance movie, complete with a rollercoaster of emotions.

What I especially loved was the connection and emotion through music. The details are so vivid, you can practically picture the scenes and feel the passion as the characters perform and connect.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin, You Had Me at HEA, NetGalley, and Emma Lord for the advanced reader copy and the opportunity to read this book!

This was such a fun read! I'm not always a fan of second chance romance, but this one was a winner for me. I hope we get more stories from the other bandmates and supporting characters in this story.

This was really cute! Nothing mindblowing but a great feel good read with a unique premise

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy!

This book may have just came to me at the wrong time, as it was just not hitting quite right with me. It may have also been a case of not enjoying the narration. I ended up DNFing rather early on due to not feeling any pull to see where the story was going to go.

I do think it will resonate with other readers however, and seemed like a cute read.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. I have read one other book by this author and I really didn't like it so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this one. I'll definitely give another book by this author another shot.

I liked the relationship between Mackenzie and Sam but I also really enjoyed all the other characters as well. I liked the side stories with Sam's son and Mackenzie and her former bandmates.

For the Record
By: Emma Lord
Review Score: Four Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•Dual POV
•Chosen Family
•Second Chance Romance
•Slow burn

———

In “For the Record”, we meet Mackenzie and Sam, two musicians that were part of different bands, but the bands always toured together. One of the ways they engaged with fans was play a “will they or won’t they” flirtation on stage.

Fast Forward, and both bands are broken up, and Mackenzie and Sam are no longer friends, but are forced to work together in an attempt to re-kindle their careers.

Mackenzie and Sam have SUCH good chemistry (and really, Lord just writes such good chemistry, I swear) and I loved seeing them work together, but also fight their feelings for each other.

This was such a fun read! I can’t wait to see what Lord writes next!