Loved Mackenzie and Sam’s chemistry and banter. Such a fun read !

Think Daisy Jones without the infidelity and rehab.

🩷 forced proximity
🤜🏼🤛🏼 enemies to lovers
🎸rockstar romance
🌶️low spice

Skip chapters 19 & 24 to keep the doors closed.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.
All opinions are my own.

Sam and Mackenzie used to be in rival bands, there was always a simmering tension between them. When both bands suddenly break up so do all the chances for Sam and Mackenzie to be together. Two years later Sam and Mackenzie are both trying to make a comeback in their careers, but the only way forward is to work together.

This was an enemies to lovers romance, there are some sweet moments between Sam and Mackenzie and I enjoyed seeing them work together. The book alternates perspectives between Sam and Mackenzie, which was fun to read from both perspectives.

Not my favorite book by Lord but, overall and enjoyable, quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the St. Martin's Press for providing this digital ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is my first time reading a book by Emma Lord and I really enjoyed it!

Sam and Mackenzie were in rival bands years ago but their careers were sidelined and life took unexpected turns. Now they're both ready to revive the music careers and they need to work together to make magic happen.

Sam and Mackenzie have excellent banter and chemistry, and I love a good rivals to lovers trope.The book occasionally felt a little disjointed and slow but overall it was a fun and worthwhile read.

3.5/5 stars

I'm always a sucker for an enemies-to-lovers trope (though this is not *quite* that) Super cute, unique story and fun to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the underbelly of the entertainment world.

Very cute, slow burn, "enemies or frenemies" to lovers romance about two musicians from different bands who try and rebrand their careers by working together as a duet.
Lots of angst, some miscommunication (not my favorite trope), and a HEA. It was a little slow but I think it was a sweet read and a good palette cleanser after reading several darker books in a row.

This was my first Emma Lord book and it won't be my last. I loved the writing style and dual POV. Mackenzie and Sam both had their own back stories and issues to work out, but it came together so beautifully and not in an annoying way like some other books do. I don't usually tear up often when reading romance books, but there were quite a few scenes where I did! ❤️

The epilogue was similar to another book I read recently, but other than that, I loved this book!!

Unique plot of a second chance celebrity romance! It was refreshing to have a FMC/MMC who engage in mature communication and actions, and I'm a sucker for a sweet MMC who is down bad from the start! Some of the side characters and their storylines seemed a bit ... unnecessary or cumbersome to incorporate with overall plot, perhaps, to me, and some of the terms (band names, social media platforms) made me cringe.

I enjoyed this book! I enjoy Emma Lord’s writing style and I really liked this book. It sucked me in and I had difficulty putting it down. I enjoyed the second chance friendship and romance. I liked both Mackenzie and Sam and that they both had to find themselves before they could be in a relationship. The idea that the timing wasn’t right until they had become the people they needed to be.I found it a sweet romance with a little spice. i thought for sure it was going to have the miscommunication trope derail everything but liked that they were able to put their relationship ahead of the drama. It was refreshing! 4.5 stars

3.25⭐️

This was not a favorite of mine it kind of felt all over the place in some moments and like there was just too much going on and so many plots and characters to keep track of at once. I did like the actual romance aspect of it there was some cute moments between Mackenzie and Sam. i’m also not the biggest fan of singer mc books so that might have to do with how i felt as well!

This was so much fun. I feel like versions of this concept have been done so many times before, but this story still felt fresh. The characters felt real and it made sense once I read the author’s note at the end. This will make a great summer read.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This is the book for you if:
* You like good magnetic chemistry between the leads.
* You are interested in baked monstrosities.
* You’ve worn glitter at one point in your life.
* Are a fan of the 2001 Josie and the Pussycats movie.
* Like a group of scrappy underdogs fighting against the man storyline.

Mackenzie and Sam are two lead singers of their own successful rock bands. Once star-crossed lovers to play into their shtick for the audience, they’re asked to do so again for a final tour together. How far can they go before feelings get complicated?
I loved this rom-com! I would liken it to a lighter Daisy Jones and the Six in some ways but it’s definitely wonderful in its own right! Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

*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.