Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! I’m usually a fan of Emma Lord’s books, but this second chance romance between rival rockstars fell flat for me. I just could not relate to either MC and the fact that Sam Blaze ( who must be referred to always by first and last name) and would not stop calling Mackenzie Waters sparkles was just too much. The writing was just too cheesy for me (lots of blaze/water puns). DNF @ 40%.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a fun second chance romance and I enjoyed the “enemies” (which was really just disguised mutual pining) to lovers. The banter between the main characters was great, and letting each other see their fears and flaws, and who they really were was so well done. This was my first Emma Lord, but it won’t be my last.

This was such a cute story! A little bit enemies to lovers and a little bit second chance romance. They are both stubborn though....so it takes a little while for them to accept it. I would recommend this book. Read pop princess MacKenzie and punk rock star Sam's story. Their adventures of working together again and drama with friends and family.

I love Emma Lord and consume every book she puts out. She’s so good at building up the romances and giving great backstories to her characters, and slow burns/enemies to lovers always work when she does them. I loved this book!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for a copy of an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

To be completely honest with you all, this took me much longer to read than I initially expected it would. I sincerely thought that with the title of this that I would be hooked instantly, but sadly that wasn’t the case. Don’t get me wrong this was a nice enjoyable read but I somehow thought I needed a bit more. This book is a nice second chance romance with two former music rivals.

This is told with dual point of views which is one of the favorite things this had to offer. The little rival moments was also needed and the way we got a bit of flashback of how they once was great.

Truthfully. There was times when it felt a little flat, with some parts feeling a bit slow and others feeling a bit fast paced. The book is great if you want something with not too much drama and may be a quick read for you. This isn’t too bad, but not my overall favorite.

I finished this book up on April 10, 2025. It was so good!

The plot and the love story within really kept me entertained as I devoured this book. I'll leave my goodreads review below.

Thank you for allowing me to enjoy and review early! I hope you have the best release day in August!!

I’m often wary of the second chance romance trope, but this one worked! Everything was definitely bolstered by the setting here but Sam and Mack were cute as heck. My one complaint (which is purely subjective) is that at times it did lean YA— not a bad thing just not my preference! Overall cute and would recommend:

I was excited to receive a complimentary copy of For the Record by Emma Lord from NetGalley. Opinions in this review are completely my own.

First of all, I loved this book. I have loved all of Emma Lord's books so far and have a number of them in my classroom. This one has a slightly more YA feel to it than some of her other novels. I loved the feel of redemption for Sam that this book had. It was obvious that their relationship had not worked in the past, so it was nice to see how he had changed and grown to get to a place where he was ready for a relationship. I felt kind of sad how their relationship had been manipulated in the past, so it was nice to see them rebuild their friendship.

The book definitely gave Daisy Jones and the Six vibes. I loved the idea of them getting together to write a joint album that would be the comeback they both needed.

Mack and Sam were in popular rival bands, with fans notoriously and loudly rooting for them to get together. When the bands fell apart, so did any hope of their relationship – this was a really creative take on the rivals to lovers trope.

We get to watch them navigate life after this high and decide what they really WANT to do – and whether or not that includes a joint comeback album.

The story had Emma’s signature style and sweets (by way of Sweet Harmony Bakery), and I think it will be such a fun summer read for fans of Taylor Swift, Daisy Jones and the Six, and sugary sweet romances.

I am a die hard fan of Emma Lord’s YA novels, and I think she keeps getting better with her adult novels – I’m eager to see what she does next.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-arc!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️
Book boyfriend ranking: 18/54

The way I put this book off because it was my first time reading an Emma Lord book makes no sense because I flew through this sweet romance. I think I read it in under 24 hours.

You’ve got a single dad, a semi second chance romance, found family, and yearning! There is a bit of miscommunication but it didn’t bother me too much because it made sense why the characters were making those decisions.

This book has all the things that make a good romance. I had a great time reading this and would recommend to those who are fans of Emily Henry, Ashley Poston, Kristina Forest, and Annabel Monaghan.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Emma Lord for the advanced readers copy. All opinions are my own!

*Posted to Goodreads, will be on TikTok, Instagram, and Lemon8 within two weeks*

I love musical themed books and this one was no exception! It was so sweet and the characters were so relatable! Ugh!! love!!

I don’t usually love books with “celebrity” main characters but I enjoyed this one! The characters did feel a little juvenile at times despite being full on adults. But I did enjoy the second chance romance. Also love a romance book that also showcases platonic love and female friendship!

2.75 ⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. I wanted to like this book, it has the second chance romance trope that I love. The FMC is Taylor Swift-esque, what more could you want. Unfortunately, the story telling struggled from a case of “Tell Don’t Show”. There was so much unnecessary narration and we were given a wall of information that could have more easily been achieved by “showing” the audience with a scene. The excess information did nothing to add to the story and halted the momentum. I found it hard to want to keep reading.

A main issue I had with the book is the FMC and MMC are secretly in love with each other since they were in two rival groups, but why? It is clearly explained that they were always horny for each other, but there is no reason to believe they share any kind of genuine love. And it made the FMC’s heartbreak all the more baffling. Additionally, I felt the sexual tension was lacking. I think the book would have benefited from a flash forward/flash back motif throughout. It would have solved the issue of telling not showing, and we could have seen more reasons why the FMC/MMC were supposedly in love the entire time. I had other issues with the story as a whole, but I think it’s pointless to bash on a story.

I do think the author succeeded in delivering a satisfying end and when the FMC and MMC are “together” as a couple, I did appreciate the tenderness between the couple.

Ultimately it wasn’t a horrible book, but it wasn’t my favorite.

Rating: 5 stars 🌟

Thank you to @netgalley @dilemmalord and @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read the eARC of this book!

Spoiler free review :)
The pining. The banter. The ROMANCE!! I cannot mean it more when I say this book is a MUST READ!!! It was the perfect amount of sweet and funny, gave me all of the feels and has definitely earned a spot in my top 5 favorite books of all time.
I loved the dynamic between the FMC and the MMC, the fact that they both have their own conflicts and support each other through them. At the center of everything, they don’t let their fears completely hold them back from living and from joy and I LOVE THAT FOR THEM ❤️ The found family aspect of the book also makes my heart squeeze, I definitely shed a few tears over the course of my journey with this book.

This book absolutely stole my heart. Please support @dilemmalord and get this book, available on August 12, 2025. 🫶🏻

I’m putting this one down for the time being. I really wanted to like it. There were aspects I loved but there were also many portions I was truly bored. The romance wasn’t romancey, the banter didn’t feel right. I wasn’t rooting for the couple.

I’m hoping to give it another go, but at 50%, I’m struggling! Thank you for the ARC!

This was my first Emma Lord book, so I didn’t have any set expectations going into it. But after finishing For the Record, I’m excited to check out Emma’s other works!
 
𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝒆𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒕.

Mackenzie Waters – “Mack”, former band member of Thunder Hearts / Seven

Samuel Blaze – “Sam”, former band member of Candy Shard
 
You can’t outrun your past. Which is exactly how Mack & Sam - previously being one of the most famous rivalries in the music world - find themselves working together after two years of radio silence. Mack and Sam agree to work on a comeback album together, and find themselves getting along a little too good. But working together in the present brings back memories of the past … memories that both Mack and Sam lived differently. While they can’t rewrite their past, can they pen the future they’ve both always wanted?
 
I thought the chemistry between Mack and Sam was playful and genuine. The characters were likeable (except Serena was a miss for me, personally). I think if you’ve ever been in a situation like Mack and Sam, minus the whole stardom thing, then their characters will be easily relatable in the sense of not allowing yourself to get there with someone. I really enjoyed how the “family” storyline played out in this book – including Sam and Ben and how sometimes the people we surround ourselves with become our own found family through thick and thin.
 
Besides being a fan girl, I don’t know much about the actual music industry itself. I feel like the story could have had a longer time gap between the break up of their bands and their comeback album. Understanding their lives and circumstances changed a lot (Sam becoming a dad and Mack with her surgery), two years seems like a little short on time for their management not to think they could be successful in their own solo careers. I also wish we got a little more backstory into their lives while they were still in the band.
 
Honorable Mentions:
~Ben dessert specials
~Sam rearranging the songs for Mack (my heart!!!)
~Epilogue
 
🎤 Second Chance
🎵 Famous FMC & MMC (Musicians)
🎤 Rivals/Enemies to Lovers
🎵 Hidden Identity
🎤 Found Family
 
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and of course Emma Lord for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I gave this one 4.25 out of 5 stars! It was such a fun and heartwarming read. The way Emma wrote these characters beautifully, they feel real, and I loved getting a peek into the chaos of the music world.

The main character’s journey—figuring out who she is while balancing fame, friendships, and everything in between—was super relatable. There were plenty of funny, sweet, and emotional moments, and the whole vibe of the book was just really enjoyable.

If you’re into YA stories with strong female leads and a bit of behind-the-scenes drama, this one’s definitely worth checking out.

I have been searching for a romance book with musicians! This was a fast-paced book filled with a slow-burn kind of second chance love! Definitely recommend if you enjoy stuff similar to the movie "a star is born"

this was a super charming read but did not quite hit the mark for me in the end, unfortunately.

the dynamic - and the banter - between mack and sam in for the record is immediately effortless, and honestly they managed to be adorable even to a dour second chance romance denier like myself. i enjoyed the band drama and the peek at life for musical artists was really fun. the issue i found myself struggling with the most was the writing; it's quick and quirky, but it almost ended up being too... all of those things, like the first twenty pages were just a barrage of similes and hyperbole that made it kinda hard to follow along.

if that is your kind of writing though, i think this would be a really adorable, romantic quick read that would 100% save you from a reading slump, guaranteed, it just did not fully land for me.

thank you to netgalley and st. martin's press for the arc!

Mackenzie and Sam have always been rivals but years after both bands broke up they join together to relaunch their musical careers only this time together.

I love this duo! They were sweet but also real! The chemistry was perfect and the all the other "side" characters each had their own fun stories! I'm a sucker for a band book and this one hit the spot!

Emma Lord is always a favorite of mine and this one went up to top 3 on my list!