Emma Lord writes romances between characters with a history better than anyone else. I got such a good sense for how Sam and Mackenzie were with each other in the past, and the way they balanced their on-stage rivalry and developed an intimacy required by the rules of the game! And their own pasts with romantic relationships and how they've changed (and know that) but still have those lingering insecurities and impressions of each other. I also love that most of the conflict between Emma Lord's romantic pairs are often more heavily external that they face together, rather than something that breaks them up (even when they have a conflict about it).

I also want to highlight Sam's family! It's refreshing to read a unique parenting situation like his - living with his ex (his best friend who he loves) and her wife and the child he had with his ex - and the platonic bonds between Sam and Lizzie. I was also invested in Mackenzie's relationships with Hannah and Serena.

Oh my god. I had such high expectations for this book and somehow they were surpassed (it’s Emma Lord so of course they were, how could I have ever doubted her). This was a great book, start to finish and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.

I absolutely loved all the characters (especially Mackenzie and Sam, and of course Ben). They all had such great depth and complexity that I could never quite predict what was going to happen, but it always felt in character.

The spice was a little higher than the Break Up Pact, but I’d still say it’s only a 2 or 2.5 out of five. There were a couple scenes, but they were not extremely explicit, and just felt like a natural part of the romance. Speaking of the romance, I don’t think I’ll ever get over Sam and Mackenzie. They were absolutely adorable and the fluff was so cute and just so them and *screams*.

Another thing I really liked was the conflict near the end didn’t feel so much like a usually frustrating third act break up, but more like a little hiccup that even the characters knew would be resolved soon.

The music aspect of this book (especially as it tied into the romance) was soooo good. I felt that the daisy jones comparison in the synopsis was fair, but I’d say it’s more like if they had another season of that continued after the interviews at the end of the show, which I loved (This coming from someone who has watched Daisy Jones and the Six an ungodly amount of times.)

Thank you to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be plotting how to get to the launch of this book.

If you get emotional from books, “For the Record” will definitely have you tearing up. The evolution of the relationship between Mackenzie and Sam is wonderful, as they open up to each other and uncover the hurt, misunderstandings and fears from their past and realize why the chemistry between them worked so well when they and their bands were “rivals.”

The story has a great cast of characters. I particularly liked Ben and his crazy food creations. There are also some very humorous moments, most notably the Christmas underwear experiment.

I jumped right past my TBR to read this, and it didn’t disappoint! The plot and chemistry are on point. Definitely recommend!