Rifts and repartee - this fluffy romance was exactly what I was looking for! I loved the intertwining of the past history withe the present drama of the characters, and although I abhor a miscommunication trope, this one wasn’t as obnoxious as others I have read. I love music and books, and especially books which discuss those topics. This really was a fun a read! The narrator did a great job bringing the characters to life.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC to review!

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“Apparently 2 years is not long enough to erase something from my heart I know I can’t have.”

“Once you think about something too much, you can’t help but feel something for it.”

“I will never let my heart break over people who don’t deserve it again.”

“But somehow we’ve got so tangled in trying to help each other that all we’ve done is hurt.”

“ I loved him long before I gave the thought room to grow.”

“Sam has never been in love enough to stay, and I have never been good enough to stay loved.”

This is good, fun, entertaining read. Sam and Mac grabbed by heart from their first appearance on page and held it until the very end. These two are so special and their romance is very fitting for them. I enjoyed spending time with these two as they got their second chance. The secondary characters added to both the story and the main the characters. This is one of those special books that stays with you. The story is easy to read and get into.

I enjoyed the audio version of this book and the narrators.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is my first book by Emma Lord but it will not be my last. How quickly I fell in love and rooted for Mackenzie on her own as a powerhouse FMC and for the love story between her and Sam is unreal. The depth of the emotion these characters went through is so realistic.

At first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to follow all the drama but just as in real life everything gets messy before it gets better. The found family vibe is so strong and the second chance, enemies to lover troupes are so well written.

Plus who doesn’t love a good, bad-boy musician MMC. I truly felt like Emma struck platinum with this story. Spice level was spicy but not over the top (maybe 2.5 chili peppers).

And I can’t miss the opportunity to shout out Andrew Eiden and Jesse Villinsky who quite literally made these characters come to life. I felt the emotion in every word they spoke and didn’t want it to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen.

👩🏻‍💻 ᗰY TᕼOᑌGᕼTS: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

This was a cute rom com to listen to. I really enjoyed the narrators! They did a fantastic job! I’m always so impressed with the acting 🙌🏻.

The theme of this book was what drew me in and the narrators kept me listening, but there were moments where I would ‘zone out’…. However, the banter was great, really enjoyed the chemistry between Sam and Mac. The Serena situation was a little too drawn out for my liking… but I understand how it all fit into the story.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸…
🎤Music Theme Rom Com
🎤Second Chances
🎤Co Parenting
🎤Close Proximity
🎤Dual POV
🎤Mild Spice

I received an advance listening copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a cute read. I think this particular story has a certain audience and reader, and I wasn’t completely that reader, sadly.

I really enjoyed the alternating chapters and hearing both Sam and Mack’s POV. I much enjoyed Sam’s POV more, as his felt reflective and mature. I didn’t jive with Mack’s much, as I felt hers were overly emotional without any real positivity.

The other thing I didn’t love was it felt like there were too many story lines in one. The friendship aspect and the hidden identity never really overtook the main plot line, which was nice.

I really loved the music aspect of this one and the second chance. I’ve grown to really love this trope, and it was nicely done. I also enjoyed the tension between Sam and Mack that came with the second chance aspect.

Overall this was a cute and enjoyable read! I’d recommend it for something light or if you enjoy music in your stories.

Thank you to the author and Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC!

Title: For the Record
Author: Emma Lord
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3 stars

Emma Lord is a favorite of mine for many reasons. Her banter is witty, characters are fleshed out, and the plot isn't slow. I read The Break Up Pact by her last year and gave it 5 stars.

For The Record is about two singers trying to restart their singing careers but their prior feelings for each other becomes more than they each thought before. The premise of this was good with second chance romance, self discovery, and found family. Lord delivered these themes perfectly in her own charm.

However, this is a painful one, I did not love this book as much as the Break Up Pact. For starters, the banter in this book took away from the plot and I cringed at some scenes especially when it got repetitive. Additionally, the story had a lot of tell instead of show. I would have loved to see the plot more fleshed out and those scenes happening.

My favorite part was the ending of this book. I cried my eyes out in the car and held on to Sam's every line. The audiobook narrators captured this so perfectly. For that, I would recommend this book!

The premise of this book was so compelling that I had to request it. I’m a huge fan of rivals-to-lovers, often preferring them to enemies-to-lovers. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get fully invested in Mackenzie and Sam’s story. I had trouble staying engaged with the audiobook, even though the dual narration definitely helped! The writing itself was good, so it was likely a personal issue. The characters and their background just weren't interesting enough for me. I’ll probably give a chance to another book by Emma Lord in the future!

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC!

This was a fun take on rivals to lovers. There was just enough flash backs to add depth to the characters and their situations without it being boring or all about the past. The duel pov and narration added additional layers to the storytelling. The dad aspect has multiple layers and I liked the application to being a current dad when it came to figuring out his own dad. I also love that the friendships had their own story arc, so this was about all types of love, especially when you add in the parental aspect.

After a few years out of the spotlight, Mackenzie is ready to re-start her her music career, but the label won't back her, unless she sings with her former rival Sam Blaze. But their rivalry has always hidden deeper feelings for one another.

This was everything I love in a rivals to lovers romance. I thought it was the perfect mix of rivalry and complicated feelings for one another.

2 stars. This book was only 336 pages, but I swear it felt like 700. The premise had potential music rivals, a surprise kid, secret identities but it just dragged. I kept waiting for something to actually happen. The pacing was slow, the tension felt forced, and the characters didn’t really pull me in. I wanted a fun, electric romcom and ended up stuck in a story that felt like it was never going to end.

4.25 stars. This was such a fun book about a former girl band member and a former boy band member who reconnected after years of thinking they hated each other. The narrators were great and I felt the chemistry between the characters and really was into the story! I love a well done second chance/enemies to lovers/reconnection trope! I would definitely read more from this author!
Thank you to netgalley and Macmillan audio for this arc!

A truly heart-warming book wrapped in good vibes and the sweetest blooming romance. Not only is the story of Mackenzie & Sam entertaining & sweet, but the narration from Jesse Vilinsky and Andrew Eiden is wonderful. I enjoyed listening to both narrators as they took on the personalities of the characters & brought forth all the emotional intensity between Mackenzie and Sam. There is an emotional intensity found in this story, but there is also plenty of humor, heart eyes for Sam (especially with Vilinsky's voice) & pure sass from Mackenzie. All mixed together creates a sweet story that easily has the reader/listener invested in it all!

This is the first book I’ve read by Emma Lord and I really liked it. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a romance between famous singers but I really liked the characters and their relationship dynamic. This was such a fun second chance rivals to lovers romance that I couldn’t get enough of. It had me hanging on the edge and just wanting them to be able to be together. This book also had me heartbroken at times. I could really feel the emotions of these characters and I got through the book so quick just hoping I could finally get to their happily ever after and get through the heartbreak. I would rate this book 4/5 stars and recommend it to any second chance romance lovers.

In today’s edition of celebrity romance summer, we shall discuss the rise of fall of two rivaling bands and their lead singers - are they in love? In lust? Is it complicated?!

Of course it’s complicated. This is a romance novel.

Sam and Mackenzie had a heated rivalry onstage but it’s what’s offstage that propels them into close proximity and working together and doing ✨other things✨ together. It was sweet to see this be a different take on a popular trope right now! It’s not the best of its kind imho, but if you’re digging these breezy musician/rockstar romances, lean in!!

The book cover and title immediately caught my attention, so I was excited to dive into this story/audiobook. I think the story has a lot of potential, but it fell a little short in keeping me engaged throughout the book. The story felt long and dragged out for how short of a novel this is. I do love a good dual-perspective romance story and the narrators of the audiobook did a good job of portraying the characters.

Mackenzie and Sam are young, up and coming musicians who cross paths while on tour together. Although each loves the other, they are unaware of the others' feelings. With each interaction, they became more convinced of the other's disdain for them. After the tour, the bands break-up and Mackenzie and Sam lose touch. When fate reunites them after a long while, they each come to terms with their feelings and what they mean for their future.
Sadly, the idea of this book was much more exciting than the actual book. I found this book difficult to keep listening to. The storyline felt too contrived and hard to connect with. However, the utilization of two narrators alternating the text of Mackenzie and Sam made the book easier to listen to.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this book.

I need to preface this by stating that I DO NOT like contemporary romance book tropes in most cases, so my review will not be indicitive of your enjoyment. BUT, if modern references to artists (Taylor Swift), social media, and insertions of those things that immediately place the romance in a very specific place and time, then this book is NOT for you.

Maybe I'm too old and married to find romances like this even remotely romantic. Or I'm too cynical, but this was not an enjoyable listen. I feel like i've aged ten more years. I'm already in suspend-thy-disbelief territory with the rockstar romance, but then the name of the man's band was Candy Shard...Jeezuz.....some stories should just stay on Wattpad.

I give it 2.5 stars out of 5 because I was mostly bored and it was meh. The comparison to Daisy Jones and the Six wasn't warranted, as that story had a lot more emotional depth and yearning to it than this one did. It wasn’t bad!—it just hit for me. I need something more entertaining/compelling.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I absolutely loved the narrators but the characters but story line fell flat for me. I’m an avid romance reader and typically romance books hook me in from the beginning, this one unfortunately did not. Thank you for the advanced reader copy!

This was such a cute and fun story about a former boy band guy and a former girl group member reconnecting. I loved how they realized their assumptions about each other were wrong and found their way back by recreating sweet moments from their past. It was just such a delight! I listened to the audiobook, and it was excellent. I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author.