*received an digital copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press so thank you so much*

This book comes out August 12, 2025.

*4.25* I really enjoyed this book. I loved Mac and Sam. They're such a cute couple and really love the song writing duo. We see their growth through the book and see that they don't hate each other. They liked each other back then but didn't assume a relationship because they didn't communicate with each other back then. Really like how Serena admitted what she felt to Mac and they finally talked it out near the end, becoming close again. Don't see a lot of romance books where two best friends makeup and get close again. I really appreciate that. Hannah is also great best friend cause she loves Mac and Serena. I gave it 4.25 out of 5 stars because there were some moments where I was like, "Let's move on please. " I also felt Mac and Sam were little immature in the beginning and I wish we could go more in depth with the characters. More emotion. Just felt like I didn't get to know them enough. But this was still a great book. Highly recommend it.

I went into For the Record after reading an amazing duology. For me, a lot of times, coming off a great book is hard, and sometimes the next book is a bust for me. That's definitely not the case here! For the Record held my attention from the start! It was full of emotion! It was a quick, easy read that really pulls you in. The characters and storyline are dynamic and fun to get to know. I definitely recommend For the Record to anyone who loves a good pull on the heart strings!

I wish I could have loved this. Overall, it felt a little clunky (flashbacks and present day were intermingled in a weird way), juvenile (a very cookie cutter, glossed over view of the music industry as well as his characters spoke to each other), and surface level romance (didn’t feel the chemistry).

I didn’t buy the rivalry storyline. Even more unbelievable…that Sam was the guy who broke Mackenzie’s heart the worst out of all seven men she wrote about. They kissed once and he went off to find the son he never knew about.

I find that books referencing social media take me out of the story. So every time I had to read ‘Tick Tunes’, I cringed.

All this to say, I’ve loved other Emma Lord books, but this one just wasn’t for me.

This is a cute romance about two famous singers from bands who were once rivals thrust together to write a new album. I enjoyed reading the banter amongst the main characters throughout the book. It had the perfect amount of story with a little spice sprinkled in. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for providing me an ARC!!!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first time I read something by Emma Lord, but I don’t see it as being the last.

As a native New Yorker, I’m a sucker for anything set in my city. Add to that the prevalent tropes and I was hooked from the start.

Mackenzie Waters (Mack) and Sam Blaze were rivals on stage years ago when their bands were pitted against one another and encouraged to amp up the competition. There was lots of teasing and antics from Sam (and Mack), and hurt feelings to boot.

The bands fell apart for various reasons and two years pass before their paths fully cross again. They’re different than who they used to be. Sam now a father to an anti-sweets little boy named Ben. Mack now with a different sound and secret identity that she uses to post on social media anonymously.

Both are looking to make a comeback, so their managers thing the perfect solution is to team up.

They have to work through some of the unfinished business from their time together, visiting old haunts in hopes of finding a new beginning.

I loved this story. There was a lot of tension and will they/won’t they (it wasn’t a matter of if but when). They both had to show a degree of vulnerability and trust. Their banter was great and I loved watching them break the rules that they both knew were never going to stick.

There were some subplots with Mack’s former bandmates that helped round out the story without detracting from the central romance.

All-in-all a delightful romcom that had me chuckling, sighing, and even shedding a tear.

Tropes:

Rivals to lovers
Opposites attract (bad boy rocker/pop princess)
Forced proximity
He falls first
Secret identity
He calls her Sparkles

If you ignore the absurd fictionalization of the music industry, this would be very cute. I blacked out every time she said “Tick Tunes app”

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of For the Record by Emma Lord. This was a quick and easy read, filled with all the qualities to make it an excellent rom com. There are dreams, hope, love, struggles, and success. I loved the banter between characters, and the dual POV helps the reader to really understand both characters' thoughts and actions. It was easy to form an attachment to the characters, as I felt both main characters had plenty of depth and authenticity to make them loveable characters that you want to see get everything they wanted. Overall, a great read!

For the record, I loved this book! The relationships between Sam and Mackenzie, as well as the side characters, lept off the page. I will say there were A LOT of side characters and stories to keep up with, and the subtle changes in time made it a bit more challenging to follow. However the chemistry and the dialogue more than made up for it. This is one of my new faves from Emma Lord!

For the Record is a perfect blend of Emily Henry, Elissa Sussman, and Daisy Jones and the Six combined with a heaping dose of 2000's nostalgia.

Thank you for letting me read this book in advance. I loved it from beginning to end. The story of Mackenzie and Sam was so perfect. I loved their growth as people, their friendship, and their love. I liked that the author didn’t follow the typical, predictable romance book plot line. This was a beautiful book to read. It made me happy and hopeful.

This is a 5 star read for me because of how much I enjoyed it and how quickly I read it! I can’t wait to tell besties about this one. Perfect musician slow burn with so much character and relationship growth. I laughed and cried! Thank you so much to Emma Lord, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for this ARC!

I can't lie and say I didn't struggle to get through this. This was a close DNF, I just couldn't get into the story for some reason. My attention wasn't captured right away. I don't feel the characters were very memorable and it took forever for anything romantic to happen between the characters I'm all for a slow burn but this wasnt giving that. I didn't have any laugh out loud moments and smiling moments while reading to myself. The plot of music artist isn't something I usually read so I wanted to try it out but this wasn't for me.

I am not normally one who enjoys celebrity type romances but this book proved me wrong! I knew I would love it from the very first chapter. Mack and Sam have the kind of chemistry that just JUMPS off the page and makes you want to giggle and kick your feet. Their journey was an absolute delight to witness!

Listen, if Emma Lord writes a book you better believe that I am going to read it, for better or for worse I am in it till the end. And honestly? This book was just okay. It was something I haven’t seen from her so my hat goes off to her for expanding her universe and her tastes. The idea of two pop stars past their teenage prime trying to save their careers while also balancing the realities that come with adulthood was intriguing!

Personally I love her books best when they are a little more innocent and a little more coming of age. That being said it was still interesting, I finished it really quickly and I will always recommend any Emma Lord book that I see.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

"Life is always changing colours but what we have is golden"

Wow

What a great read!

I loved mac and Sam's story, I love a good enemy to friend story and Emma lord knocked it out of the park

This is the first emma lord book I have read and won't be the last

Thanks netgalley and st Martin's press for the early copy. Make sure to check out for the record coming in aug 2025

4.5 stars rounded up! Just WOW! One of the first YA romances I ever read was Tweet Cute by Emma Lord, so I was so absolutely excited to receive the ARC for her new book!

I feel as though recently there have been more and more music-themed romances, and so I was wary of which cliche we’d get with this one, but surprisingly, Emma Lord’s take on this trope felt very fresh and unique. While our two main characters did use to be somewhat rivals at the height of their fame, their characters felt very different than other ex-stars I’ve read and I enjoyed it so much! Their dynamic reminded me a bit of Daisy Jones & the Six, albeit in a less toxic way and with much better communication.

The romance felt very realistic and sweet, and the storyline itself was engaging and entertaining. I flew through it! I loved our entire cast of characters and the relationships throughout the book. I wish we saw a little more of Twyla and Isla, and I also thought Serena’s story was a bit anticlimactic at the end, but I loved how her and Mackenzie’s “drama” wasn’t the cliche we see in most ex-band mates but one full of a lot of love and just simple misunderstandings that weren’t unbearable to read through.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Emma Lord’s writing and story telling and am definitely interested in picking up more of her books!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

If you’re a huge lover of Daisy Jones and the Six, and ever wondered what could’ve happened after their epilogue, this book is definitely for you! I don’t know if I’ve ever read a “fake” enemies to lovers where he falls first but the dynamics of our two leads Mack and Sam is one of a kind.

Mack is a ex pop princess turned secret online singing sensation through her anonymous videos about her exes, which category Sam unfortunately under.

Sam is trying to be a good dad while never knowing his own and attempting to stay away from Mack and all his complicated feelings toward her from their past.

A chance encounter and the two suddenly find themselves writing music again for a new collaboration where they visit old spots where their respective bands and themselves “feuded” throughout their early careers.

Sparks fly and excellent music is written but will it be enough? Mack’s hiding quite a few secrets from Sam and Sam is approached by his unknown father, who is a lot more like Sam than he originally thought. Will these secrets keep our two leads apart again? Or will they finally give in to the feelings they’ve both been hiding for years?

I really liked this book and it was a very easy read but honestly I think a lot of the side characters just as ex band mates, managers, etc needed more exposure in this book. This is what pushed Daisy jones and the six over the top and I want to hear more about Hannah(Mack’s ex band mate) and more about Sam’s actual band in general. It would’ve brought more to the story for sure. The fake TikTok aspect was also very interesting but did unfortunately take away from the whole plot in general. THE COVER ART I SAW NEEDS TO BE REDONE AS WELL! Sam is described as covered in tattoos and Mack is Sabrina-esqe with big heels and bigger blonde hair. The illustration did not do these characters justice!

I got this book as an ARC advance and would definitely recommend as a fun beach read!

I tried very hard to get into this one. I left it once, came back and tried to give it another try but I just couldn’t connect to the characters. For an adult romance it felt a bit juvenile and there were so many times in the story where it was so slow, I lost interest. The idea and concept was good but I just feel like the execution was lacking somewhere and I genuinely cannot pinpoint to what or why because I usually enjoy Emma’s books but this one just was not it for me, 3/5 stars because it very well could have been a me issue and not the book itself because I do love Emma’s writing.

So, I initially loved the concept of this novel. It hit all the right notes (pun intended) for me, but fell pretty flat. The chemistry was pretty good between the two, but the plot felt cliche and the back and forth between timelines was too jarring. There was way too much tell and not enough show, and the language was fairly juvenile for an adult romance. It felt very YA. Overall I think this is a fine quick beach read, but I wouldn’t keep it on my bookshelf to re-read.

So, I love romcoms, but it is rare that I’d describe one as unputdownable. I’ll make an exception, however, for Emma Lord’s For the Record. The reader knows the two main characters are made for each other, but the individual challenges and secrets they hold keep the reader wanting to know how they all will be resolved.

Sam and Mackenzie have been successful members of rival rock bands, but for a variety of reasons, have been out of the music business for 2 years. Both want to go back, but find they can only get a record deal if they do a duet album. Technically, this is an enemies to lovers romance, but since the reader gets both points of vies, we know they were never truly enemies.

What I loved about the book is that all the characters are likeable, there is no silly plot device to keep breaking up the characters, and there are examples of triumphing over over dysfunctional family issues and other challenges. I actually had tears over the joyful ending of the book. This is definitely a feel good story.

It’s GOLDEN.

Romance. Two former celebrities stepping back into the spotlight. Single dad. Enemies to lovers. A secret identity. Found family. This book truly had it all—what more could you ask for?

Mackenzie, a former girl band pop star, is working through her past the only way she knows how—through music. Sam, a rival from her past, is facing his own career struggles. When their label pairs them up to reignite their fame, old wounds resurface, and long-buried feelings refuse to stay hidden. But as they navigate the truth about their past, they also uncover something unexpected: a second chance at love, family, and self-acceptance.

This book had me tearing up one moment and grinning like an idiot the next. It was nostalgic, heartfelt, and full of those little moments that make your heart ache in the best way. Finished in 24 hours, could not put it down!

I’m always drawn to stories where the FMC is in the midst of an existential crisis—it makes them feel so real. And when Mackenzie’s struggles included a thyroid condition? I might as well be reading about myself (minus the pop star career, of course).

I absolutely loved everything about this book and can’t wait for it to be out in the world for everyone to experience!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Emma Lord for the ARC!