you spin me right round, baby, right round

Mackenzie Waters was once a part of the hottest girl group going. Thunder Hearts took the music world by storm when they toured with punk band Candy Shard. But that was two years ago. And while Mack is still friends with bandmates Hannah and Serena, she’s had secrets since they toured together. After the band broke up, Hannah created an empire of beautiful clothing designs, cookware, cookbooks, and a bar called Lightning Strike. Serena started a successful solo career. And Mack, well, Mack has been spending time online.

Specifically, Mack has been putting some new music up on Tick Tune, a music app where artists can upload music anonymously, to try to get some buzz before they try to get a music deal. Tick Tune has some quirks, like a user can only stream a song once in 24 hours. The hottest star on Tick Tune is Seven, whose addictive songs bring a flurry of fans each time one drops. But no one knows who she is. Except Mack, who is trying to start a new career with a new voice. And she has written seven new songs for this project, one for each of her broken but remarkably well-publicized relationships. And she’s saving her last song for the guy who devastated her.

Samuel Blaze was the lead singer of Candy Shards, and his time on tour with Thunder Hearts was abruptly ended when he learned about the existence of a son he didn’t know he had. Now he’s a happy father, sharing custody of Ben, and thinking about giving a solo career a shot. There’s just one problem. The label doesn’t want just him. The label wants Sam to write and perform duets with Mack, after their one hit, “Play You by Heart” was a monster summer hit. As the tour was ending, the two of them had great chemistry as artists, and there was something stirring personally as well. But then Sam had learned about Ben, and his life completely changed.

Sam and Mack both want to jumpstart solo careers, and if the duets are the only way to sell it to the label, they are reluctantly willing to give it a try. But as they revisit old haunts and write new songs together, they find themselves dropping their guards. Feelings develop. Intimacy grows. But still, the past looms large. Will they be able to put aside the heartbreaks of the past and make new music together?

For the Record is a sweet romance between talented musicians that is smart, steamy, and pure entertainment. I have been a fan of Emma Lord since her first book, and she always writes strong characters, witty dialogue, and sweet treats, although this novel’s Doritos muffins were new. The challenges her characters face feel real and weighted, and the sparks are genuine. Her books are a joy to read.

For For the Record, I listened to the audio book, narrated by Jesse Vilinsky and Andrew Eiden. Both narrators bring the characters to life with intelligence and perfectly timed snark. I had so much fin with these narrators. I felt like I was watching this story as a movie instead of just listening to a book. Anyone looking for a strong music love story with compelling characters can lose themselves in For the Record and leave happy. Just like I did.

Egalleys for For the Record were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin, and an early copy of the audio book was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.