Emma Lord, the bestselling author of romantic comedies for teens and adults, returns with FOR THE RECORD. This dazzling novel of rivalry, redemption and rock ’n’ roll is perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez and DAISY JONES & THE SIX.

Two years ago, the music and pop culture scenes united to delight in one star-studded rivalry/romance: the pop princess lead singer of Thunder Hearts and the bad boy rock star frontman of Candy Shards. Originally paired as a PR stunt, singers Mackenzie Waters and Samuel Blaze had it all: gorgeous looks, killer talent, popular bands, and…chemistry. But their on-stage flirtations and jabs were hiding something real: an actual, honest-to-goodness attraction. Maybe even love.

Both at the heights of their careers, Mack and Sam may have shared the spotlight, but they did not share common goals for their lives. Mack, who had a history of dating walking red flags, wanted the real thing --- someone to settle down with and get serious with. Sam, on the other hand, pretty much just wanted to tour the United States via hotel beds and tour bus trysts. At least that’s what he thought, until he realized he was ready to change for Mack…but he simply wasn’t good enough for her. After one night of just barely crossing the line, the passion between them erupted into hatred, and they took great care never to cross paths again.

"A beautiful, melodic story about rivalry and redemption, love and lyricism, FOR THE RECORD is Emma Lord at her best. If you’re anything like me, you’ll catch yourself googling the lyrics of some of Mack’s best songs before you remember that they’re only fictional."

Two years later, both groups have disbanded, with the girls of Thunder Hearts parting ways to embark on their own careers. Serena is now a top-of-the-charts pop sensation; Hannah has created her own empire, complete with a size-inclusive clothing line, a cookware line and her own bar; and Mack? Unbeknownst to her fans, a thyroid surgery has changed Mack’s voice, though it hasn’t changed her love of music.

As she plots her return to the spotlight as a solo artist, Mack croons anonymously on Tick Tune, a Snapchat-meets-TikTok social media app devoted to music, where songs are undownloadable and can only be streamed once a day. On Tick Tune, Mack is known as Seven, and her recent series of songs about her famous exes --- all anonymous, of course --- has been garnering some good buzz that she hopes will regenerate her label’s interest in her and her potential as a solo artist.

Sam, meanwhile, has put down the microphone for a very different career: fatherhood. Just before the Candy Shards disbanded, Sam discovered that he had a four-year-old son he knew nothing about. Desperate to avoid the mistakes of his own father --- another rock star who abandoned him before he was even born --- Sam has no problem giving up the spotlight to be a loving and devoted dad. Even better, his son’s mother is married to his former bandmate, and the two run a stylish bakery above which they reside in twin apartments known as “Mom’s Side” and “Dad’s Side.”

Despite his former bad-boy tendencies, complacency seems to come easy to Sam, though lately he has been feeling an itch to get back on stage and behind the mic. But he no longer feels drawn to the punk rock scene, and this time he would prefer to strike out on an acoustic sound, which better reflects his new quiet lifestyle. The only problem? He refuses to tour, afraid of leaving his son behind, and his label sees no possibility of launching him on a totally new genre without all the fanfare that comes with it.

Enter Isla and Twyla, the 50-year-old twin agents of Mack and Sam, respectively. After a chance encounter lands Mack and Sam in the gossip columns again, Isla and Twyla see their angle: they will launch Mack and Sam as a duet, a continuation of the will-they-or-won’t-they hullabaloo that first made Thunder Hearts and Candy Shards so famous. There’s just one problem: the chemistry that started as a PR stunt is still alive and flaming. Mack and Sam are desperate to avoid it, even more than they once were, especially now that they have new careers and adult perspectives to worry about. With their labels forcing them ever closer, the paparazzi hot on their tails, and their former bandmates providing their own takes on their explosive love story, tension is running high, and the crooners have only weeks to put together an album. 

Far more than a love story --- though there’s plenty of the witty banter, steamy chemistry, and cut-it-with-a-knife tension that Emma Lord is known and loved for --- FOR THE RECORD is about finding yourself and your voice and owning it. As Mack and Sam start to revisit old ground --- both literal and metaphorical --- buried hurts and desires start to arise in their lyrics, pushing their romance to the surface, and forcing them to reckon with what could have been and what might still be. Meanwhile, songs must be recorded, promo pictures must be taken, and onstage personas must be crafted…all set against the simmering, often burbling tension between these two rockers on the cusp of something exciting and new, but still burdened by the mistakes of their pasts.

As usual, Lord doesn’t let her romance take up all the airtime. There’s also a sweet, tender father-son plotline as Sam navigates his relationship with his boy, as well as a smart, beautifully written plotline about female friendships and rivalries. A slightly more involved storyline about Tick Tune may deter readers from the “meat” of the novel, but Lord more than makes up for this with her swoonworthy romance, thoughtful musings on artistic identity and creative ownership, and, of course, love in all its forms.

A beautiful, melodic story about rivalry and redemption, love and lyricism, FOR THE RECORD is Emma Lord at her best. If you’re anything like me, you’ll catch yourself googling the lyrics of some of Mack’s best songs before you remember that they’re only fictional.