Once bitter rivals on stage and off, pop princess Mackenzie and punk bad boy Sam set the music world on fire—until their bands imploded and so did their maybe-something-more. Now, years later, Sam’s a dad and Mackenzie’s singing in secret. Their big comeback? A joint album that forces them back into each other’s orbit. The catch? They have to play nice. With fans watching, tensions rising, and sparks flying, this hilarious, high-voltage romance proves the best songs (and second chances) come from the heart.
Fans of the second-chance romance trope are likely to sing their heart out with Sam and Mackenzie.
Emma Lord gets an easy and almost effortless rapport going between Sam and Mackenzie early on, showcasing how the chemistry just seemed to flow between them no matter how much they tried to ignore it (or in Sam’s case, pretend to ignore it). You also get thrown into the plot fairly quickly and intrigued by Mackenzie’s secret and fear of exposure. The stakes are high for both Sam and Mackenzie and while Sam had a lot to gain, it felt like Mackenzie had a lot more to lose, which made for great tension.
Still, some of the choices in this book made me question the length of it. This is quite a short book that you can read in one sitting but at some points I did ask myself at what cost? Staples in the romance genre (and what feels like bread and butter to a dedicated romance girly like me) were sometimes left out completely for—apparently—the sake of shortness. A good example of this is that Sam and Mackenzie decide to work together quite quickly in the beginning of the novel but then the parts that are usually the most amazing for romance readers (you know, the push-and-pull, will-they-won’t-they paired with the first unsure steps of working together and fighting that attraction that makes you kick your feet in the air and giggle), are completely glossed over with a two-week time jump and a few summarising sentences of what happened. I felt cheated because I would have loved to see how they dealt with this pressure of having to work together, the rushed timeline given by the execs and how they are coping with it especially when both parties carry so much history. Sure, it comes later on but it feels like an unnecessary time jump in an already short book. Similar moments occur throughout the novel that make the pacing a bit out of balance.
Also, and I don’t know if this is because I’m so used to Lord’s YA books, Sam and Mackenzie read incredibly young to me. Many of the things they say and do feel very much high school (as well as some sideplots that weren’t fleshed out enough to fully make an impact), which then made the steamy parts just feel so…jarring. Admittedly, I was also confused by the timing of the steamy scenes as they somehow seem to be engendered by talking about trauma or other heavy topics. I get being vulnerable as a way of deepening a relationship but I don’t know, opening up about your family’s issues does not get me into the hot and heavy mood. To each their own, I guess.
Do take this critique with a grain of salt, though, as I had the same issues with Lord’s previous adult release, so it might just be my inability to reconcile adult actions with the young adult voice of it all. Chances are this won’t be an issue for other readers.
All these critiques aside, I still enjoyed my time with For The Record.
Mackenzie’s story was particularly compelling and I loved how we got to see her grow on her own and how fiercely she continued to pursue music even when things (or her health) didn’t quite go her way. The subplots with her former band members were, if not completely fleshed out, intriguing and kept me invested in seeing how they would feel about Mackenzie’s musical trajectory.
Sam remained more of a “character” than a fleshed-out person (not helped by the constant full-naming of him on every page), but I did enjoy the glimpses we got of the softer side of him that wanted to protect his son and Mackenzie from the turbulent world they both live in.
Unsurprisingly, my personal highlight were the Taylor Swift lyrics casually weaved into sentences. While some are easier to spot than others, it always tickled me whenever I saw a folkmore or evermore song lyric out of context in the middle of a conversation. You can tell the author knows her stuff. Swifties are sure to scour the pages for these.
Overall, if you’re in the market for a quick, easy read with a sweet second-chance romance, For the Record might hit the right note for you!
For The Record is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of August 12th 2025.
Will you be picking up For The Record? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis
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.
