Sam + Mack 🫶🏼🎸🎤🎶 rockstar romance? Yes please! this book was SO cute. I loved the single dad trope! And guess what?! There’s no third act breakup 🙌🏼 I truly enjoyed this book and ate it up so fast. I love Emma Lord so I knew I would!

Thanks for the arc NetGalley!

i absolutely ADORED the break up pact by emma lord, and was so excited for this one too and OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! this one was perfect to me oh boy!!!!!!!! mackenzie and sam’s chemistry and banter was TOP NOTCH!!! as an emily henry fan, a music girl, and second chance angsty romances, THIS WAS PERFECTION!!!!!!

This is my first Emma Lord book and I was not disappointed. The main characters are celebrities in the music industry. Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze are like water and fire. They were members of rival bands and the two of them had a rivalry of their own. Mackenzie is a pop girl and Sam is a bad boy punk rocker.

The two are paired together by their labels to become a music duo. This is their only chance to continue making music. There is tension and banter between Mackenzie and Sam. There are some elements of friendship and found family.

This book is written in dual POVs and the writing felt pretty YA. However, I enjoyed the story and the characters. I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very sweet story and is probably closer to a 4 than a 3 star book. I quite enjoyed getting lost in this story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Emma Lord for an advanced reader copy of this book.

I am swooning so hard.

The banter, the chemistry, the mutual pinning, all of it. This was so cute, and I had such a fun time reading this. Although the whole social media bit felt a little cheesey, it was also relatable because of everything going on with tiktok.

Definitely recommend if you love banter.

For The Record by Emma Lord is an electric blend of romance, music, and second chances. Mackenzie and Sam’s story crackles with tension, banter, and undeniable chemistry as they navigate a high-stakes comeback album while confronting their complicated past. With tropes like enemies-to-lovers, rivals-to-lovers, and forced proximity, this book delivers all the emotional depth and swoon-worthy moments I love. If you’re a fan of music, messy relationships, and characters that make you feel everything, this one’s for you!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the Advance Listener Copy!

Sam and Mackenzie are frenemies, who are hopelessly in love with each other. They toured together in their respective bands and had an act to follow. They were in love with each other, but were afraid to act on it. After their bands part ways and life changes they see each other 2 years later. They get an unexpected opportunity to work together and find their way to each other again. Old feelings are revealed and they are beautiful together. I really enjoyed this story.

This book was giving me Daisy Jones & The Six vibes but with more rom-com energy, and I loved every second of it! The story follows Mackenzie and Sam, former members of rival bands who haven’t seen each other in a while and their reunion is filled with tension, unresolved feelings, and incredible banter!

Tropes found here: enemies to lovers (but music industry type, which I LOVE!), second chance romance, forced proximity, rivals to lovers (which Emma Lord does beautifully as always).

This book is filled with the kind of chemistry that makes you physically feel the tension, plus all the heartwarming, emotional moments. If you love music, messy past relationships, and characters who make you scream at the pages, Emma Lord never misses!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Emma Lord (for her brilliant mind) for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 - Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC! This is my second Emma Lord book and I’m really liking her works. I thought this was a very cute romance and I really enjoyed all of the different character relationships throughout. There were a couple of things I wish could’ve been fleshed out more, such as healing conversations between all three of the Thunder Hearts girls and a better introduction of Sam’s mom, who was brought up pretty often to not have been a real character we met. Also I’d give anything to hear all of the songs throughout their careers lol! Overall a very sweet read and one I’ll definitely purchase when it comes out!

‘For the Record’ by Emma Lord has the perfect blend of romance, angst, and chemistry that you would want in a book! The story follows Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze, two famous singers, as they learn to navigate a new chapter in their life and relationship two years after their bands retire. With a history full of banter, tension, and countless ‘will they, wont they’ moments, Mackenzie and Sam unexpectedly come together again to work on a new duo album that could change their careers for the better - but what starts as a job quickly turns personal as their past feelings and memories resurface.

With so many touching and laugh out loud moments, ‘For the Record’ will pull you in from the very beginning and leave you wanting more!

Thank you NetGalley and Dr Martins for the ARC!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve read a lot of Emma’s books almost all of them and she’s always an auto buy and read for me. But something about this one…I loved. It wasn’t a “typical” Emma book (or maybe just the ones I’ve read) but I loved it. It was funny, romantic and spicy at times. Mack and Sam’s chemistry was off the charts. They made me laugh and they made me swoon. I loved it!!

Not the best Emma Lord by a long shot, though I may have come in with too high expectations. The main couple were fine, but I never really bought into their journey. A truly awful 3rd act conflict, just so obviously avoidable and frustrating. That all being said, I absolutely loved the ending and the epilogue and I'm definitely going to keep reading Emma Lord's future releases! I think I'm just more of a fan of her ya books.

Having read Emma Lord’s The Breakup Pact last year, I was invited to read For The Record. Regardless of the invitation, I probably would have sought out this novel, because I love a good rom-com with a musical twist. For The Record is a follow-up to Emma Lord’s other works. The characters of Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze are nuanced enough for readers to not feel as though they’re stereotypes (although, let’s be honest, they are, as is the novel’s premise). They have great chemistry too.

To be even more honest, the characters in the novel have a very charmed life, despite their reassurances of their flaws. Therefore, their conflicts aren’t truly gut-wrenching struggles with which they must grapple. The very common trope of ‘I don’t know who my dad is’ for Sam is conveniently resolved and the person revealed prior to the novel’s action and while the relationship between the two lends itself to true anguish and pain, the writing style used for Sam’s voice makes the description and action rather superficial. The same goes for the manner in which Mackenzie’s solo music endeavor is treated. That said, For The Record is charming and altogether an enjoyable read. It just, unfortunately, doesn’t do anything special or new, nor bolster its genre’s success.

Second Emma Lord read in a weekend! I love a celebrity centered book, and the chemistry between these characters was really good. It seemed like there were some lulls in the pacing, but the character’s chemistry and dual POV helped make up for it. Again, I’ll be recommending for friends with younger humans who are aspiring to be readers! Solid 3.5 stars.

This was a super quick read that’s perfect for music lovers! I love a second chance romance that’s filled with angst and this definitely delivered.

Okay, let me gush about this book I just finished - "For the Record" by Emma Lord! You know those stories that just hit all the right notes? (Sorry, couldn't resist the music pun! )

So picture this: Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze, these two amazing musicians who used to be at each other's throats in the spotlight, but you just KNOW there was something more brewing underneath. Now Mackenzie's dealing with this huge vocal change that's turning her whole career upside down, while Sam's traded in his wild rockstar days to be a dad (which, honestly? Super sweet!).

The best part? Their record labels basically force them to make an album together - talk about awkward! But watching them navigate all that old tension while trying to make music together? It's like watching fireworks, I swear! Their chemistry just leaps off the page, and the way Lord writes their creative process had me completely hooked.

I really loved getting both of their perspectives too - it really lets you see what's going on behind those public personas they put up. Though I will say, sometimes it felt a bit young for an adult romance (not necessarily a bad thing, just unexpected!), and there were a few parts in the middle where I was like "okay, let's get moving!"

But honestly? The way they write together, the fantastic group of people around them, and that epilogue that just made my heart melt - it all totally makes up for any slow spots. I'd give it 3.5 stars, bumped up to 4 because it just left me with such a good feeling!

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

FOR THE RECORD is a fun and sweet romance between two rivals, a pop star and a rockstar wanting to both make a career comeback, who are back in each other's worlds two years later, collaborating on new music. Of course the tension between them never left, in fact it's only stronger and louder. This book felt more of a light and fluffy read to me, if you're looking for a feel-good escape! 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance. I enjoyed this book. It only took me a few days to read through it, The story follows Mackenzie, one part of a pop trio that has broken up. It follows her new career trajectory, friendships with her former band mates, and gets her back in the same room with a former rival member of a pop punk boy band. It’s a bit of a will they, won’t they, but I’m not going to spoil it for you! There is also another storyline about an online group, kind of like SoundCloud, that is being sold off and will expose any anonymous artists or take their song rights. This is the perfect book for anyone interested in the music industry, and enjoys a bit of romance. I enjoyed this book and will look for others by this author.

3.5/5

This one took me a little bit to get into (a lot of names and relationships to keep straight initially) but was a really enjoyable enemies (?) to lovers story. It was a slow burn romance with some family drama and an important reminder about the powers of female friendship. I really liked the ending of this book.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I love Emma Lord's books. They always make me feel very deeply. And I love how diverse the casts are with regard to ethnicity, sexuality, and really everything else. That makes the stories more rich and interesting and I appreciate that. In addition, I like that the protagonists are generally not in jobs or lives that I have read much about and that makes me more engaged. Her style is also just so compelling…it’s very hard to stop reading an Emma Lord book.