**spoiler alert** This review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review This review may contain spoilers.

3.5

I really enjoyed “For the Record” by Emma Lord! It struck a great balance between romance, comedy, and more emotional, thought-provoking themes. Fans of the music industry, second-chance romance, and a vibrant New York City setting will love this book.

One of my favorite aspects was the dynamic between the two main characters, Mackenzie and Sam. Once rivals—though largely for show—their complicated history resurfaces when they’re forced to team up years later to revive their music careers. Beneath their playful banter and unresolved tension lie unspoken feelings and past wounds, making their slow-burn romance all the more satisfying. Watching them reconnect while revisiting old haunts on their songwriting journey was both emotional and fun, and I found myself wholeheartedly rooting for them.

The side characters were equally compelling, even those with minimal page time. Sam’s son, Ben, was a standout, and I loved Mackenzie’s former bandmates and friends—they added depth and warmth to the story.

Beyond the romance, “For the Record” delivers a rich, layered narrative. Mackenzie’s struggle to navigate the changes in her singing voice post-surgery, along with her anonymous posts detailing the heartbreak her exes caused, made for an engaging and emotionally resonant arc. Sam’s story—grappling with his unexpected role as a father and the shadow of his own absent rockstar dad—added another level of depth, contrasting the choices made by two men in similar circumstances. The subplot involving younger artists trapped in restrictive contracts and established musicians fighting for their rights was also compelling, adding a relevant and thought-provoking element to the book.

If I had one critique, it would be that I wish we had been given the chance to see Mackenzie’s songwriting talent firsthand. The book repeatedly tells us how incredible she is at writing songs, but we never actually get to read any of her lyrics. Including them—especially the evolution of the two songs she wrote about Sam—would have been a powerful way to illustrate her growth, both as a musician and as a person.

Overall, “For the Record” was an enjoyable, heartfelt read with a mix of romance, music, and meaningful character development. It blends swoon-worthy moments with deeper themes, making it a great pick for fans of the romance genre. I think a lot of readers will love this one!

I super adored this book about "rival" musicians being forced to work together to further their music careers. The tension is done perfectly, and the relationship feels so genuine. Without any spoilers, the last few chapters had me both literally cheering and crying while reading on my lunch break at the office... This was very fun and easy to read. Enjoyable plot with low drama, and I liked the dual-POV alternating chapters. I also appreciate books that do without the predictable third-act breakup, although this did teeter on that edge and almost fell over. This was alllllmost five stars for me, but there were a few spots here and there where the story kinda skipped around and I felt lost for a minute, trying to catch up, feeling like I had missed some pages or something. Really, this would be like 4.5 stars if we could do half-star ratings here!

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

Music and literature come together in a captivating blend. What more could you ask for in a book? Sam and Mackenzie, both lead singers in their respective bands, have shared undeniable chemistry for years—until Sam suddenly vanishes. Fast forward a few years, and both bands are on hiatus. Their managers propose a collaboration album between Sam and Mackenzie. As they work on the music, they revisit the unresolved issues from their past and attempt to move forward.

This book reminded me of Fleetwood Mac—lead singers with electric chemistry!

I will read anything that Emma Lord writes! I love how her characters always have a lot of depth and are multifaceted. I'll probably purchase this one when it's released just to have the honor of owning it.

love they used to be part of rival bands and always had a sizzle. love the friends to lovers and that they are working on an album and that they work well together as a songwriting team. love the friends too.

I love Emma Lord's books. This is my first non young adult book l've read by her. Mackenzie and Sam's love story was sweet and a quick fun read. Gave me some
"music and lyrics" vibes. The setting of New York was dreamy and fun to immerse yourself in. Ben was maybe my favorite character. I think I prefer Emma's YA books, (I mean nothing can beat tweet cute) but this was still a lovely romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy!

I love a celebrity adjacent romance, and I was so excited about the premise for this book. However, the execution unfortunately fell short for me. Both Mack and Sam's characters lacked much depth, and readers were expected to trust their connection purely based on their past relationship. There also felt like an unnecessarily confusing amount of side characters.

Bonus points for the clever song titles and lyrics woven throughout, which were a high point in reading!

This one was so fun and flirty and had such a great plot. It's not every day that I pick up a book with main characters in the music industry. While not traditionally my favorite, I also loved the single dad trope and the fact that he was still good friends with the mother. There were enough plot points to stay interested throughout.

A cute little romance! Emma Lord's books are always quick reads and, unfortunately, for me - a little bland. Nothing really stuck out from this that made me want more or made me want to continue to read. It was just... fine. But if you're looking for a sweet palette cleanser this may be the pick!

I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did. It was a quick read and I was easily swept into the storyline. Favorite moment,: when Sam saved Mack when the wardrobe malfunction happened at the fashion show - who moves that fast AND has technology cooperate at that speed?!?
Loved little Ben and the Mom Side, Dad Side apartments. And how we got a HEA.

Really cute story, and a good example of enemies-to-lovers where they aren’t insufferably immature the entire time. I liked that a lot of their earlier animosity was explained as playing up a will-they-won’t-they angle for publicity. That makes sense as a reason for them to be “enemies” without making them seem overly immature. There was sort of a second-chance romance vibe with this story, as they both tried to give each other a new chance. I think the two main characters and the main relationship in this book was really well done overall.

The problem for me came with a lot of the other side plots. For example, who actually leaked the news of Seven’s identity? Did I somehow miss that part? (Speaking of which, I’m not a fan of Rocket openly admitting to telling the press about Sam and his dad - and what was up with that part where he’s sort of a spy for Serena?! That was just weird).

I also felt like some scenes were missing crucial details. Especially the masquerade scene - the “rules” were a little confusing, which undermined the impact of that guy coming up and trying to undo Mack’s mask and pissing Sam off. And just the timeline of when Sam and Mack met, when they stopped talking, when they kissed, when Sam found out about his kid, etc, was a little confusing. I don’t really understand why finding out he has a son made Sam stop responding to Mack.

A lot of the conflict felt a bit overblown at parts, especially between Serena and Mack. I don’t fully understand why Serena didn’t just tell the others her issue from the beginning, beyond a very surface-level “oh she was ashamed”. I mean, yeah, I get feeling ashamed, but it felt like everyone was just making the worst choices, which was a little annoying.

And the final scene at the showcase was really fun, but I did have to hang on to my suspension of disbelief with a white-knuckled grip there, because really? Mack’s playing multiple songs with totally new arrangements for the very first time, and it’s all perfect?? Her band mates come up and harmonize perfectly with her even though it’s the first time they’re doing this?? Sam comes up and they do a brand new song together with no practice at all??!?? It was all just a bit too much.

My suspension of disbelief was also sorely tested by the scene where Sam claims his six year old son is totally still for 3 whole minutes for the first time ever while listening to a voice memo of his dad trying out a song to an acoustic guitar. Don’t get me wrong, I can totally see a little kid loving pop anthems and punk rock jams. But acoustic guitar ballad type song? Hmm.

Anyway, yeah, besides those issues, I still think this is a good book. Definitely recommend for anyone who loved enemies-to-lovers..

3 stars ⭐️. A cute romance with a good pretense. I struggled to get into it at the beginning (took until about 35-40%). I felt that there were a lot of small side plots going on that sometimes felt rushed to get through but overall I still enjoyed the book.

Sam and Mackenzie have a past from their years on tour together… as rival bands.
After both bands ending and moving on with there life the star crossed *not* lovers find that the only option they have to get back into the world of music is to duet together.
Both are determined to not get tangled up with one another but with the looming idea that their dreams are over, they give it a go but they have rules. No touching, no teasing, and no love songs. As time goes on the rules start to change as the feelings grow and they get lost what it all means.
Over the course of the book we get front road seats to them learning how handle their blooming feelings. We get to see their fun banter back and forth and how effortlessly they become one with each other.

For The Record by Emma Lord

3.5 Stars Rounded Up to 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Net Galley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC📖

This was my first Emma Lord book and I was super excited about it! There have been a few of hers on my TBR that I haven’t gotten to yet so this was a perfect introduction.

In this Enemies to Lovers/Second Chance romance we’re introduced to beloved pop star, Mackenzie Waters and punk rocker, Sam Blaze. The two are no strangers to one another as they’ve grown up on stage in their respective bands captivating audiences with their talent and tension. Eventually, their bands fall apart but years later they find themselves having to work as a duo if they want a second chance at stardom.

One of the things I loved most about this book is how evident Mack and Sam’s chemistry was from the very beginning. Watching their love story unfold throughout the many challenges gave me a warm fuzzy feeling I always love in a romance. That being said, some of the music industry challenges that the book brought up almost seemed distracting? I appreciate what she was trying to do and totally understand how it was relevant when it involved Mackenzie/Sam…but the whole storyline relating to prior bandmates and their openers seemed unnecessary. I would’ve rather had more focus on Mackenzie/Sam and their character development.

Overall, this was definitely a cute & sweet romance read. Although this was my first Emma Lord novel I’ll definitely be looking to read more by her in the future. Keep your eyes out for ‘For The Record’ set to be published August 12th 2025 🎶🎤🎼🤩

I love second chance romances, and this book did not disappoint. Emma Lord has become one of my favorites so I was very excited to get my hand on For the Record. It was a great story, but I wish it was a bit “steamier.” I found myself completely emotional at the end which is a sign that it’s a great book!

I really liked this book. It's a storyline that seems to be popping up everywhere lately about a singer finding love, but I thought this was unique but realistic take on it. The characters & setting were believable and there wasn't a lot of angst about will they, won't they. There is swearing & 1 sex scene in case you or aren't into those things. Overall, a solid 3.5-4 star romance. I look forward to finding more from this author to read.

First just want to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc. I was really looking forward to this since I’ve enjoyed a lot of other Emma Lord books in the past. Unfortunately this was a miss for me. I struggled to get into it, then struggled to stick with it and push through it. I felt that the characters were very immature, and honestly acted very teenager ish. The whole continued use of tick tunes really was annoying. Again, leaning on the idea of it felt very immature. Being that Emma has written several YA novels, I feel this would’ve been better geared toward a younger crowd. Someone compared this to Daisy Jones & the Six and no. Just no. The plot was lacking, pacing was not great. It was unfortunately one I did not enjoy.

Unfortunately, I just don't think this book was for me. I liked the premise, but I didn't connect well with the characters. I did end up DNFing this at 50%, but to no fault of the author.

This book is exactly what it claims to be. Sam's story was a lot more compelling thank Mackenzie's whose felt a bit contrived. it satisfied, but didn't stretch any bands of story telling.

thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the eARC.

Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze are musicians whose careers were intertwined in a fake feud designed to build tension and drama for their fans.
Despite the playful rivalry, their undeniable chemistry simmered beneath the surface. Sam's relentless teasing and Mackenzie's tendency to choose the wrong guy created a bittersweet dynamic between them and unresolved feelings. They couldn't quite define what they were to each other—more than friends, yet never more than that.

Their lives took separate paths after their bands broke up but when fate brings them together again, their music label sees an opportunity to rekindle the spark by pairing them as a duo. Time has changed them, molding them into very different people. As they write songs together, they work through their past and quickly realize they’ve always wanted more with one another.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved that Sam affectionately calls Mackenzie “Sparkles” because she always used to wear a bright wardrobe and lots of glitter. Their chemistry was so sweet. They were both a little hesitant and unsure of themselves when they first began spending time together and were trying to figure out how to navigate their feelings. The weight of their shared history added layers to their relationship, and I really enjoyed the story as they worked through old wounds to grow closer. It felt so satisfying when they could no longer deny their chemistry and the love they had for one another.

The author did an excellent job weaving in some complex side stories and creating a solid backstory leading up to the novels present day. She built up the anticipation between Sam and Mackenzie that so could feel it through the pages. I was so invested in their story. I loved this book. I highly recommend it! It’s the perfect mix of a love story with a little steaminess to keep it extra interesting.