For the Record

The year of music romances continues! Emma Lord‘s For the Record is a second-chance, enemies to friends to lovers romance between two former rivals, pop star Mackenzie Waters and punk rock frontman Sam Blaze. After two years away from the industry, they’re each ready to make a solo comeback… until their label decides to make them team up as a new duo. They get over their differences and get to work writing new songs. But they’re also rewriting what their relationship can look like, and maybe it turns out they never hated each other as much as they pretended.

What I Liked:

Punk rocker and pop star… but now they’re going in a new direction. Sam built his career as the frontman of a punk band; Mackenzie was the singer in a pop group. Despite being public rivals, their styles were compatible enough that they collaborated on a song that ended up being the biggest in each of their careers. But now, two years after they each stepped away from the spotlight for their own reasons, Sam and Mackenzie are each trying to go solo and with a new, more stripped down sound. Their label has other plans, though, and pushes them to make an album together as a duo.
Writing songs together. Once they agree to record an album as Mack and Sam, they get to work writing new music together. As a music nerd myself, I loved these portions of the book.
Music industry drama. Throughout the novel, the characters come up against some of the worst parts of the music industry: controlling labels, tech companies stealing rights to users’ songs, and the like. Ohh it’s infuriating, but it adds an extra dimension to Mack and Sam’s evolving relationship.
Family dynamics. Sam never knew who his father was until recently. And two years ago, Sam found out he himself was a father to Ben, now six. He’s experiencing parallel feelings of what it means to be a father who is famous, but he’s chosen to be present in all aspects of his son’s life rather than completely absent like his own father was.
Friendship dynamics. Mackenzie and one of her bandmates, Serena, have been going through a rough patch for months now. How can they finally see eye to eye again? Will they ever be close friends again, or is their relationship over?
Health issues and changes to Mackenzie’s voice. During her hiatus, Mackenzie found out she has a thyroid issue and had surgery to remove a suspicious lump. It’s completely changed her voice, the instrument she’s built her career on. She has a lot of self-consciousness around it, and she’s afraid to perform again with her new voice… especially as herself, not her secret alter ego.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

Mackenzie’s ongoing fight with Serena felt a bit too dragged out. It took up more of the book than it needed to.

Audiobook:

Andrew Eiden narrates as Sam, while Jesse Vilinsky portrays Mackenzie. Both did a great job capturing their characters and keeping me engaged with the story. At the beginning Sam’s narration sounded better suited for a historical detective novel, and Mackenzie sometimes sounded too wistful, but overall it was an enjoyable listen.

Final Thoughts

For the Record is a fun, musical romance with plenty of added dimension and emotion. This was my first time reading Emma Lord, but I’d be happy to read more of her books soon.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy For the Record here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

For the Record by Emma Lord
Audiobook Narrator	Andrew Eiden and Jesse Vilinsky
Audience	Adult
Genre	Contemporary Romance
Setting	New York; New Jersey
Number of Pages	336
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	August 12, 2025
Publisher	St. Martin’s Griffin

Official Summary

An electrifying rom com of rivalry and redemption, perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Daisy Jones and the Six, from New York Times bestselling author Emma Lord.

Once the most notorious rivals in the music scene, pop princess Mackenzie Waters and punk rockstar Sam Blaze electrified audiences as their bands clashed on stage. But behind the scenes, their simmering tension grew into something more — until suddenly both bands fell apart, and the idea of Mackenzie and Sam did, too.

Two years later, Sam has traded the rockstar lifestyle for a quiet life raising the son he didn’t know about. Meanwhile, Mackenzie is dealing with a postoperative change in her voice by only singing under a pseudonym. The only way to revive their public careers? A joint comeback album.

With fans over the moon and their futures on the line, Sam and Mackenzie face their biggest challenge yet: giving up their old rivalry and learning to work together. But as old sparks fly and new secrets emerge, they set off a chain reaction neither of them could have anticipated — one that proves that sometimes, the greatest hits are the ones yet to be written.

About the Author

Credit: Clinton B. Photography

Emma Lord is a digital media editor and writer living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn’t writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. Her sun sign is Cancer and her moon sign is whatever Taylor Swift song is about to pop up on shuffle. She is the author of Tweet Cute, You Have a Match, When You Get the Chance, Begin Again, The Getaway List, The Break-Up Pact, and The Rival.