I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy this to be honest, I love a star-crossed lovers and musician romance but it can be hard to pull off without it becoming cheesy. That being said, I loved this! The beginning reminded me of Daisy Jones and the Six, especially with all of the flashbacks.

Overall, four stars! My only negative is that I wish I had a playlist to listen to with all of the McKenzie and Sam's songs <3

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this ARC. For someone who has loved reading as much and as long as I have, having the opportunity to read ARC's of books I'd kill to get my hands on has been a dream. 

This was my first Emma Lord read, so while I was unfamiliar with her writing style, the cover and description are what drew me in and ultimately, I was not disappointed. 

I enjoyed the insights and growth regarding the internal struggles with both characters as they navigated their feelings, let some of their pasts selves go, and came into the kind of person their present needed them to be.

I also really really loved the concept of the Mack & Sam debut album, "Haunts". While I wish we would've had more of the lyrics to some of the songs they wrote together, I think it was such a unique way of having them launch their duet while also exploring where their stories started to intertwine. I also think the blurring of the past and present in those spaces allowed them the opportunities to reflect on the fun and the feelings they kept buried in the past, while also creating a new experience and ultimately breaking down each other's walls, allowing them to free those feelings from the depths and actually feel them.  

While there were a few text errors (Sam referred to Mack as Sam), a slight irritation that the twins' names were so similar, and a few times where I had to double back to reread a portion due to the way something was worded or how it slipped from past to present, they were very minor drawbacks for me and didn't take away from the whole story. 

Overall, I really truly enjoyed this book and I'm interested in checking out more of Emma's work.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - I loved the characters, loved the glimpse into the music world, and appreciated that the ups & downs the characters experienced weren't caused by either of them being idiots. That's the quickest way to squander a reader's trust. The characters & their choices made sense. Will look out for more by this author.

Emma Lord does an amazing job at balancing the turbulence of the drama with the warm fuzzy feelings. I could really sympathize with both characters' reasons for stepping back from music and hesitation in jumping back in. I was constantly on edge waiting for the last shoe to drop but enjoying every happy moment. This was a second-chance celebrity romance and the chemistry between Mackenzie and Sam was phenomenal. The only part I wasn't a fan of was the Serena and the label/showcase drama; it felt a little forced and took me out of the story.

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy.

Easy and quick read with former band members that have palpable tension. Mackenzie and Sam were fun likeable characters with several funny moments.

I enjoyed this one so much that I went and reserved a couple of other Emma Lord books at the library!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC

Another fantastic book from Emma Lord with a great plot and some amazing characters

It hit the spot for what i was looking for!

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!