High Hopes for For the Record by Emma Lord

Late last year I picked up Emma Lord’s The Break-Up Pact as an ARC and fell hard for it. It had humor, heart, and just the right amount of emotional pull. I happily gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars and immediately added her name to my “must request” list. So when an ARC of For the Record landed on my shelf, I was excited. I thought I was in for another bingeable romance with characters I would root for from page one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC of For the Record in exchange for my honest review.

The Premise and the Celebrity Factor

Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze used to rule the music scene. Their bands were jokester rivals, their antics were legendary, and fans could not get enough of the drama. Underneath all that tension there were signs that they might actually like each other. However, before anything could happen, both of their bands fell apart. So did whatever was brewing between them.

Now it is two years later. Mackenzie is secretly making music under a pseudonym after a vocal surgery and keeping things low key. Sam has stepped away from the spotlight completely and is focused on raising a son he only recently learned about. When the idea of a joint comeback album comes up, they agree, even though it means dealing with their messy past and all the unresolved feelings that come with it.

It is a setup with plenty of potential. I was ready for the shine of the music industry, the tension of a second-chance romance, and the fun of watching them navigate a comeback. Instead, the celebrity angle felt over the top in a way that pulled me out of the story. The world of famous musicians can be fascinating, but here it felt more silly and cartoonish than raw and real.

Characters That Did Not Quite Click

The biggest problem for me was that I never fully connected with Mackenzie or Sam. Their situations should have been easy to root for. Mackenzie was struggling with her new voice and Sam was trying to adjust to being a dad. There was a lot of potential for emotional moments, but it never went as deep as I wanted it to.

The side characters had their moments, but most of them felt like they were there to keep the plot moving instead of being memorable in their own right. Without that strong sense of connection, I found myself reading more to get to the end than because I was invested in their journey.

Tone and Emotional Depth of For the Record

This book felt younger and lighter than I expected. The Break-Up Pact had plenty of humor, but it also had moments that hit hard emotionally. Here, the tone stayed closer to rom-com territory (and a bit like a cheesy Hallmark movie) and never dug into the more vulnerable beats that could have made the story stick with me.

Conflicts were solved quickly. Big moments that could have been turning points often felt like boxes to check off rather than scenes that truly changed the characters. For some readers, that light approach will be perfect, but I was hoping for more weight under the sparkle.

On top of that, a lot of the relationship tension came from the two leads not being honest with each other about how they were feeling. I find it frustrating when so much of the conflict hinges on simple conversations that could have cleared things up in a page or two. It can work if it is handled with nuance, but here it felt more like an easy shortcut to keep the characters apart rather than a natural outgrowth of who they are.

Final Thoughts and Rating

In the end, For the Record was a quick read with a fun premise, but it did not land the way I hoped it would. The celebrity setting felt too polished, the characters stayed at arm’s length, and the emotional depth I wanted just was not there.

I am giving this one 2 out of 5 stars. Even so, I am not done with Emma Lord. The Break-Up Pact reminded me how much I can enjoy her writing, and I will be picking up whatever she releases next.