Published by St. Martin's Griffin on August 12, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
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 the 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.
Following events which upended their worlds, Mackenzie and Sam are both ready to make their musical comebacks. When the record label suggests they do it together, they are forced into spending time together, awakening old feelings. Perhaps this musical second chance will also be a second chance for love.
I am a lover of second chances, and I had no problem rooting for these two. Both left the music industry for different reasons, but they were ready to be a part of that world again. Sam had taken time out to be a dad to one of the most precious book-children I have ever met, but Mackenzie had a bigger hurtle. A necessary surgery left her with a voice that was different from the one that made her a star. She had that physical and mental challenge to overcome as she adjusted to her new voice. It was great the way they were embarking on this journey together, and it ended up being rather eye-opening for them both.
Lord never fails to pack humor and snappy banter into her books, and all that was well represented in For the Record. She also assembled a great cast of supporting characters. I already mentioned how much I adored Sam's son, but the moms and Mack's bandmates were all fabulous too. They had this dynamic, that was a little muddied at first, but cleared up as the story wore on and was fantastic.
The music and mayhem were big parts of this tale but so was the character's personal growth. Sam and Mack were nursing some deep wounds which they both dealt with in different ways. Once they freed themselves from their past, they were ready to tackle their future, together.
Overall, I had a lot of fun with Mack and Sam as they joined forces for a both a musical and romantic comeback.
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on July 8, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
From the author of the "phenomenal achievement" (Kirkus) Take Me Home, a children’s librarian must temporarily move her public library into a shed in the county botanic gardens, where her archnemesis is the assistant director.
Single mom Tansy Perkins only has room in her life for her daughter and her library. And maybe the next book to add to her collection. But after a catastrophic hurricane severely damages her library, she's forced to temporarily move her branch into the adjacent county botanic gardens, where Jack Reid—the world’s grouchiest gardener who rescued her and her daughter from the flood—happens to be the assistant director.
Jack has always preferred plants over people, having built a strong track record of avoiding relationships ever since his divorce six years ago. So, Tansy and her quirky band of bookish colleagues’ encroachment into his carefully-kept territory is a little more than irksome, especially when it means sharing his already-scarce resources.
When Jack and Tansy are tasked with working together on the spring festival, they have no choice but to call a truce. And soon their newfound professional partnership gives way to a deep intimacy that they've both been silently craving. But Tansy has lost too much to risk her heart, and Jack has sworn off real love. When an opportunity arises for funding that both the library and gardens need, will their loyalties lie with the futures they'd always planned for, or the new spark they've found with each other?
Due to recent hurricane damage, Tansy and the rest of her library branch staff were forced to share space at the botanic gardens where she was reunited with her grumpy rescuer. Though they try to deny their attraction, sparks fly as Tansy and Jack form both a professional and romantic partnership. But we have to wonder if they will be brave enough to commit their hearts to each other.
I am a BIG fan of Take Me Home and was excited to read more from Sweeney. I can say that I was not disappointed as Where You're Planted delivered lots of fun and feels.
Jack and Tansy had something special right from the start. Their verbal sparring made me grin, and I was immediately onboard with this grumpy-sunshine pairing. Both had experienced relationship woes and were reluctant to trust someone in that capacity, but they proved, time and time again, that they were good for each other. You know I was rooting for them.
Jack was such a GRUMP, but like most grumps, he was lovable and had a huge heart. He may not have worn his heart on his sleeve, but his actions spoke volumes. I especially appreciated the way he interacted with Tansy's daughter, Briar. Briar had some anxiety issues and loved things like bugs and reptiles. She was a precious little girl, and Jack embraced her in all her kid glory and shared his love of nature and the outdoors with her. Because he shared some many things with her, anxiety included, they had a special connection. There were several moments between them that really moved me and melted my heart.
I won't lie, Tansy frustrated me a bit even though I understood what motivated her. But she did love big and she was dedicated to the people in her life as well as her library. She pushed hard to serve her community, and it was really special when she joined forces with Jack to create some incredible community outreach programs that utilized both the library and the gardens. All of this was accomplished with a fantastic supporting cast of characters who definitely charmed their way into my heart.
Overall, I loved watching Jack and Tansy rebuild together while also repairing their hearts and falling in love.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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