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Wells Family #4
For the Record
Wedding bells ring in this marriage of convenience, friends to lovers, light-hearted rom com full of heart, laughter, and sourdough starters.
After accidentally marrying her best friend on a last minute Vegas trip, Rachel decides that instead of getting an annulment, she and Adam could reap the benefits of marriage and play the system for his military benefits. This platonic, no-strings-attached marriage should, on paper, be easy. No problem. An incredibly attractive man putting a ring on her finger and bringing flowers home to her has no effect on her decision to keep this unattached. Except the more Adam plays into the doting husband role, the more Rachel is seeing a life with him as more of a reality than a dream. Her priorities lie with her job and taking care of her dad, but her marriage has potential to make all of that slip away.
Having Rachel as a wife made Adam's life almost perfect. Only there was a key piece missing in their marriage that he needed to share with her, despite it possibly driving her away entirely. Forced to overcome his fear of losing his closest friend, he is reminded that what happens in the dark must eventually come to the light.
After accidentally marrying her best friend on a last minute Vegas trip, Rachel decides that instead of getting an annulment, she and Adam could reap the benefits of marriage and play the system for his military benefits. This platonic, no-strings-attached marriage should, on paper, be easy. No problem. An incredibly attractive man putting a ring on her finger and bringing flowers home to her has no effect on her decision to keep this unattached. Except the more Adam plays into the doting husband role, the more Rachel is seeing a life with him as more of a reality than a dream. Her priorities lie with her job and taking care of her dad, but her marriage has potential to make all of that slip away.
Having Rachel as a wife made Adam's life almost perfect. Only there was a key piece missing in their marriage that he needed to share with her, despite it possibly driving her away entirely. Forced to overcome his fear of losing his closest friend, he is reminded that what happens in the dark must eventually come to the light.
ebook
Published June 22, 2024
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About the author
Juliana Smith
13 books1,074 followersJuliana Smith is an author in a small town in Alabama. When she is not hanging out with her book characters, she is with her family. Juliana writes heartfelt romance filled with laughter and warm fuzzies. She can usually be found in a Chic-fil-a drive-thru or listening to Star Wars theory podcasts, often at the same time.
To subscribe to her super amazing newsletter and receive VIP behind-the-scenes, special offers, and exclusives go to her Instagram @authorjulianasmith .
To subscribe to her super amazing newsletter and receive VIP behind-the-scenes, special offers, and exclusives go to her Instagram @authorjulianasmith .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
June 22, 2024
4.5 stars (happy release day to this beauty 🥺❤️🩹)
I think it's safe to say that I am enamored with Juliana Smith's prose and how she always articulates it in a delicate and pure manner. this book truly felt like a warm hug. the dichotomy between the characters, the contrast between their past and present relationships, their cute first encounter, their highs and lows – I would not alter anything about them because everything was simply perfect for the personages.
Rachel was the personification of the joyous, sunshine main character, with her sordid but hilarious kind of humor, her maladive obsession with records, and her heartwarming yet heartbreaking relationship with her father. she was an attaching personage with all the perfect and imperfect aspects of her personality. as for Adam, he was the incarnation of the mysterious, inked male main character, a bit darker, a shade quieter, and a little reserved, even borderline shy, but nonetheless lovable.
the storyline was curved through a marriage of convenience arc that they both agreed to after an impromptu, drunk Vegas "eloping". their waltzing around each other for years, despite their fear of ruining what they had, was something I surprisingly loved. it so slowly but deliciously ricocheted into the dual timelines narratives. although their personalities were at the antipodes of each other, their relationship was perfectly harmonized within the chapters of the book. they were perfectly written for each other.
Adam’s chapters were without contest my favorite, simply in how he evoked her in his inner monologues, his obsession with accomplishing everything to make her truly happy and alleviate the burden of her problems. he is without a doubt my new favorite bookboyfriend, and this book is now a new go-to comfort read for me.
many thanks to Netgalley and the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review
—————
obsessed with this cover 💛💐
❛❛ she was the kind of woman that made you forget there were even other females out there. ❜❜
・❥ marriage of convenience
・❥ two timelines narrative
・❥ grumpy X sunshine
・❥ friends to lovers
・❥ mutual pining
・❥ closed door
・❥ biker mmc
・❥ slowburn
・❥ romcom
I think it's safe to say that I am enamored with Juliana Smith's prose and how she always articulates it in a delicate and pure manner. this book truly felt like a warm hug. the dichotomy between the characters, the contrast between their past and present relationships, their cute first encounter, their highs and lows – I would not alter anything about them because everything was simply perfect for the personages.
”we were both different. But in the best possible way. growth, that was what we each had. separately and then together.”
Rachel was the personification of the joyous, sunshine main character, with her sordid but hilarious kind of humor, her maladive obsession with records, and her heartwarming yet heartbreaking relationship with her father. she was an attaching personage with all the perfect and imperfect aspects of her personality. as for Adam, he was the incarnation of the mysterious, inked male main character, a bit darker, a shade quieter, and a little reserved, even borderline shy, but nonetheless lovable.
“don’t you think, in some way, you’ve been mine since the night we met?”
the storyline was curved through a marriage of convenience arc that they both agreed to after an impromptu, drunk Vegas "eloping". their waltzing around each other for years, despite their fear of ruining what they had, was something I surprisingly loved. it so slowly but deliciously ricocheted into the dual timelines narratives. although their personalities were at the antipodes of each other, their relationship was perfectly harmonized within the chapters of the book. they were perfectly written for each other.
”she cradled the flowers and looked at them like they were some kind of precious ruby. An artifact meant to be handled with a gentleness that a man like me didn’t have. Essentially how I felt having her anywhere near my arms.”
Adam’s chapters were without contest my favorite, simply in how he evoked her in his inner monologues, his obsession with accomplishing everything to make her truly happy and alleviate the burden of her problems. he is without a doubt my new favorite bookboyfriend, and this book is now a new go-to comfort read for me.
many thanks to Netgalley and the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review
—————
obsessed with this cover 💛💐
November 15, 2024
4.25 stars
This series is slowly becoming my new comfort series, one I can read whenever I want something cute, light, funny with romantic and sweet moments. There is also an emotional side to every story and it flows really well with the romantic aspect of the story.
I love Juliana's writing. It's very atmospheric, vivid, and metaphorically beautiful. The characters have depth, added dimensions that comes with their experiences and how it shaped their present persona. The story constructed in two timelines, past and present which beautifully orchestrated Adam and Rachel's friendship and love, their newly accidental marriage in convenience to them finally realising that love stays no matter what.
➸ Rachel Keller is personification of sunshine in human form. She is a confident and high maintenance girl who has a song for every moment. Rachel with her love for records and music is a genuine and beautiful soul who tends to have an altruistic nature to help people. I loved her relationship with her dad, it was heartbreaking but also beautiful in its own way to see how much they cared for each other, how they cultivated frienship in their father-daughter relationship. I also liked seeing Rachel's growth and how Adam encouraged her to believe that some people are meant to stay no matter what.
“She was the kind of woman that made you forget there were even other females out there.”
➸ Adam Wells is my new obsession. He's a sweetheart with grumpiest and broody personality, but is a total cinnamon roll inside. I loved his povs, how he was obsessed with Rachel for years, how he always helped her navigate her life amidst the messiness of her father's diagnosis. He is her person as much as she is. He is a listener but always says the right words at the right time. He showed with his little actions how much he cares for the people he loves, and he is truly one of most amazing and loyal people I have read about. Simply my new favourite book boyfriend 💘
“You tell me. You are the one thing in my life that feels steady. You’re the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last when I go to sleep. Everything I see reminds me of you, from the sunset to a pack of sour candy. It’s like you moved into my head without my permission. I don’t even know when it happened, but one day, I looked around me, and you were all I could see. You’re like my little squatter.”
: ̗̀➛ Adam and Rachel
Adam and Rachel have been friends for years, more like secret friends who one day had a drunk eloping in Vegas turned marriage of convenience. Adam and Rachel are polar opposite, one is a yapper and other is a listener but together they are a perfect pair. Their feelings have been evident from the very first chapter but sometimes past has a way of destroying things before they can even begin, but their friendship survived and blossomed into something more beautiful and passionate over the years they spend together.
They were always 'more then friends' but didn't know what lies beyond that threshold, ending of their friendship or starting of their love story? In the present timeline, they explored the newness and trust that comes with marriage, the intimacy that flows between them, acknowledging the emotional scars that they healed with patience and kindness over the years, growth they had together and separatly and revealing their deepest secrets, longings and irrecoverable love to one other. It was beautiful, comforting and genuine. They also had great communication in their friendship which is a feat considering many friends to lovers romances are solely constructed on this trope.
I loved the ending. It was sweet, perfect and emotional in a classic way. I am excited for Crew's book, he was a fun character in all the books in this series and I can't wait to see what Juliana has in her pockets for the youngest Wells family member.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
——————
Accidentally got married in vegas??? Biker mmc x bookish girl?? I am in 🤭
“She was like this compass, constantly pointing me toward her. Never wavering, never faulty, always to her. Every piece of her felt like home.”
This series is slowly becoming my new comfort series, one I can read whenever I want something cute, light, funny with romantic and sweet moments. There is also an emotional side to every story and it flows really well with the romantic aspect of the story.
I love Juliana's writing. It's very atmospheric, vivid, and metaphorically beautiful. The characters have depth, added dimensions that comes with their experiences and how it shaped their present persona. The story constructed in two timelines, past and present which beautifully orchestrated Adam and Rachel's friendship and love, their newly accidental marriage in convenience to them finally realising that love stays no matter what.
➸ Rachel Keller is personification of sunshine in human form. She is a confident and high maintenance girl who has a song for every moment. Rachel with her love for records and music is a genuine and beautiful soul who tends to have an altruistic nature to help people. I loved her relationship with her dad, it was heartbreaking but also beautiful in its own way to see how much they cared for each other, how they cultivated frienship in their father-daughter relationship. I also liked seeing Rachel's growth and how Adam encouraged her to believe that some people are meant to stay no matter what.
“She was the kind of woman that made you forget there were even other females out there.”
➸ Adam Wells is my new obsession. He's a sweetheart with grumpiest and broody personality, but is a total cinnamon roll inside. I loved his povs, how he was obsessed with Rachel for years, how he always helped her navigate her life amidst the messiness of her father's diagnosis. He is her person as much as she is. He is a listener but always says the right words at the right time. He showed with his little actions how much he cares for the people he loves, and he is truly one of most amazing and loyal people I have read about. Simply my new favourite book boyfriend 💘
“You tell me. You are the one thing in my life that feels steady. You’re the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last when I go to sleep. Everything I see reminds me of you, from the sunset to a pack of sour candy. It’s like you moved into my head without my permission. I don’t even know when it happened, but one day, I looked around me, and you were all I could see. You’re like my little squatter.”
: ̗̀➛ Adam and Rachel
Adam and Rachel have been friends for years, more like secret friends who one day had a drunk eloping in Vegas turned marriage of convenience. Adam and Rachel are polar opposite, one is a yapper and other is a listener but together they are a perfect pair. Their feelings have been evident from the very first chapter but sometimes past has a way of destroying things before they can even begin, but their friendship survived and blossomed into something more beautiful and passionate over the years they spend together.
“This ring is worth more than me.”
“Nothing could be worth more than you.”
They were always 'more then friends' but didn't know what lies beyond that threshold, ending of their friendship or starting of their love story? In the present timeline, they explored the newness and trust that comes with marriage, the intimacy that flows between them, acknowledging the emotional scars that they healed with patience and kindness over the years, growth they had together and separatly and revealing their deepest secrets, longings and irrecoverable love to one other. It was beautiful, comforting and genuine. They also had great communication in their friendship which is a feat considering many friends to lovers romances are solely constructed on this trope.
“But when you kiss me like that, it doesn’t feel like that.”
“What does it feel like, honey?”
“Like I’m yours.”
His smile melted over me. “Don’t you think, in some way, you’ve been mine since the night we met?”
I loved the ending. It was sweet, perfect and emotional in a classic way. I am excited for Crew's book, he was a fun character in all the books in this series and I can't wait to see what Juliana has in her pockets for the youngest Wells family member.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
——————
Accidentally got married in vegas??? Biker mmc x bookish girl?? I am in 🤭
Want to read
August 11, 2024You guys, is it ''cheating'' if I start first with the last book for a series of companion novels instead of the very first one?
Look at the cover though, it's so friggin' adorable. 🥹
Plus, it's marriage of convenience AND friends to lovers!!!
Look at the cover though, it's so friggin' adorable. 🥹
Plus, it's marriage of convenience AND friends to lovers!!!
August 5, 2024
Adam Wells is something else…
- he's grumpy, shy and blushes 😩
- has tattoos, dedicated to the people he loves 🩷
- is supportive and even gets her dream store 🏩
- has a motorcycle 🏍️
- he's grumpy, shy and blushes 😩
- has tattoos, dedicated to the people he loves 🩷
- is supportive and even gets her dream store 🏩
- has a motorcycle 🏍️
June 19, 2024
“You tell me. You are the one thing in my life that feels steady. You're the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last when I go to sleep. Everything I see reminds me of you, from the sunset to a pack of sour candy. It's like you moved into my head without my permission. I don't even know when it happened, but one day, I looked around me, and you were all I could see. You're like my little squatter.”
✧𓈒⋆ 4.5 stars 𓈒⋆✧
this was one of the most cheesy and cute books i've ever read! i really loved this to the core and i feel like this book found me when i needed it most. if you're looking for something sweet and light, for something cute and summery — this book is for you. it's a romcom and if you love books that make you giggle and kick your legs, you should definitely check this one once it's released.
at first, i was really anxious as i haven't read previous books, so i thought that i might not see references or might not understand the story at all because i don't know the backgrounds of characters. however, this one could be read as a standalone, i actually enjoyed reading it as a standalone and i can guarantee you that you will understand everything without knowing what happened in previous books. still, i promised myself that i'll read the first three books this summer because i swear wells family is one of the cutest families i met! the way they were there for each other, their family dinners and gatherings — they are just so wholesome that it's impossible to not love them.
the main characters — rachel and adam — were also amazingly mesmerising. i fell in love with them and their story instantly as it kind of reminded me of my own, their development from strangers to friends to lovers really made me feel things as the pacing felt so real and yet so emotional. their chemistry shined through pages and made you root for them to finally sort their shit out and say everything they were thinking, but at the same time it made you want to savour every little moment rachel and adam had, every little interaction, brush of hands or innocent touch. they were so good, so well structured and i absolutely loved every bit of them in this book.
She's so pretty. Pretty like the sun setting when you're out on the ocean. Pretty like the sight of my driveway after a long work trip. She was like this compass, constantly pointing me toward her. Never wavering, never faulty, always to her. Every piece of her felt like home.
✧𓈒⋆ rachel clarke 𓈒⋆✧
rachel is a definition of sunshine. she's so cute and sweet, she's a yapper and she's not an annoying type of yapper, but an adorable one. she's radiating the sunshine, she can see light even in the dark and she had this addictive personality that makes you love her with all of her little quirks. i really loved her development throughout the whole book with her finally accepting help and realising that not every one leaves, some people are here to stay.
rachel's relationship with her father broke my heart and then mended it back together again. some scenes really made me cry and i didn't expect that from a light romcom like this one. but it's a good kind of pain — it's raw and emotional, but it's how the world is.
This man. Oh, this wonderful man that was better than a best friend. Better than I ever deserved and yet kept coming back again, over and over. He was such a light. Not the normal, flip-of-a-switch bright light that hurt your eyes when you entered the room. But he was this slow dimmer switch. With each day, with each action, he slowly brightened your life, and before you knew it, the whole room around you would be blanketed in a warm glow.
✧𓈒⋆ adam wells 𓈒⋆✧
adam wells, the man you are! i really can't even begin to explain how in love with adam i am now. he easily captured my heart and didn't let go of it until the end of this book. he's a grump, but he's also a cinnamon roll! he was down bad from the moment he met rachel and i love nothing more than seeing a man being pathetically in love. i absolutely loved how adam wasn't saying much, but at the same time he was saying enough. he was so supportive and caring, so protective and kind. i don't know, he was just it for me, i guess.
“You haven't even heard my reasoning. Why would you just say yes?”
It all felt simple to me. If she wanted to stay married, who was I to argue?
“You're the only person I'd ever want to marry. Why would I argue?”
✧𓈒⋆ rachel & adam 𓈒⋆✧
the relationship between adam and rachel was so beautifully structured with dual timeline, it fit the story so well and i really loved seeing how the events of flashbacks somehow correlated with the current timeline. honestly, this whole story having two of my favorite tropes — friends to lovers and marriage of convenience — it's already a win-win situation for me, but with rachel and adam? it's literally the cutest thing i've read in a while.
bonus point for them having a good communication! i feel like it's a bare minimum, but i've read a lot of friends to lovers books and believe me it's rare when main characters are able to communicate. so yeah, this book was able to portray the communication aspect perfectly.
“You would really do that for me?”
“You think there is something out there I wouldn't do for you?”
i absolutely enjoyed every bit of this book. i read it in one day, so you can guess that i loved it tremendously! it's an easy little sweet read that will present you heartwarming emotions and absolutely beautifully crafted story, it's incredibly sweet and adorable. i'm going to get back to wells family by reading previous books soon and i really can't wait to see glimpses of rachel and adam through other perspectives.
thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review
June 1, 2024
forever obsessed with the tattoo scene
June 29, 2024
Juliana Smith and the Wells Family series never disappoint me! If you’re looking for a soft, sweet rom-com with a hero who is the definition of T Swift’s Down Bad, this book is it.
This book has:
•The friends to lovers and grumpy x sunshine tropes: The hero is quiet, tattooed, and active duty military, and the heroine is the flirty, music-loving sunshine to his grump☀️🌻
•He falls first and harder: Adam is the definition of a tough exterior who is only soft with his girl, and I ate it up!
•A marriage of convenience courtesy of a drunken night in Vegas 🏙️
Thank you to Juliana and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars
This book has:
•The friends to lovers and grumpy x sunshine tropes: The hero is quiet, tattooed, and active duty military, and the heroine is the flirty, music-loving sunshine to his grump☀️🌻
•He falls first and harder: Adam is the definition of a tough exterior who is only soft with his girl, and I ate it up!
•A marriage of convenience courtesy of a drunken night in Vegas 🏙️
Thank you to Juliana and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars
June 22, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
Every book in this series just keeps getting better, and with each new release, I find a new favorite couple and book boyfriend. 🤭 Rachel and Adam are meant to be!!; I adored literally everything about them! This series is incredibly special to me and will always hold a place in my heart.
Their relationship felt so authentic and honest, hooking me from the very first page. Adam, with his grumpy yet sweet and soft demeanor, and Rachel, with her sunny and loving personality, made for obviously a perfect pair hehe. Adam's huge heart and attentiveness won me over and made me fall in love instantly. Their beautiful relationship, evolving from strangers to friends to lovers, radiated off the pages with undeniable chemistry and love.
I cannot praise this book and series enough! Please, please read this series—I’m obsessed with every character, couple, and the beautiful Juliana herself.
Marriage of convenience
Found family
Dual pov
Dual timeline
Grumpy x sunshine
friends to lovers
Thank you, Juliana and Victor Editing, for this ARC. 🤍
Every book in this series just keeps getting better, and with each new release, I find a new favorite couple and book boyfriend. 🤭 Rachel and Adam are meant to be!!; I adored literally everything about them! This series is incredibly special to me and will always hold a place in my heart.
Their relationship felt so authentic and honest, hooking me from the very first page. Adam, with his grumpy yet sweet and soft demeanor, and Rachel, with her sunny and loving personality, made for obviously a perfect pair hehe. Adam's huge heart and attentiveness won me over and made me fall in love instantly. Their beautiful relationship, evolving from strangers to friends to lovers, radiated off the pages with undeniable chemistry and love.
I cannot praise this book and series enough! Please, please read this series—I’m obsessed with every character, couple, and the beautiful Juliana herself.
Marriage of convenience
Found family
Dual pov
Dual timeline
Grumpy x sunshine
friends to lovers
Thank you, Juliana and Victor Editing, for this ARC. 🤍
August 30, 2024
In five words:
I DO NOT GET IT!!!
First things’ first though, the rundown 👇🏻
I’ve always loved a back and forth book. Then versus now. It’s more enigmatic, suspenseful and intriguing. Keeping us outside the loop for the most part until we reach the moment of “ah so that’s what happened!”.
In this case unfortunately it is just confusing. The now and then are so similar that they’re kind of all jumbled up into one big mush.
I have to mention though I am not at ALL a fan of “picking-a-stranger-up-at-the-bar-and-going-back-to-their-apartment-for-a-ONS” trope. *sigh* seems the norm in contemporary romance nowadays.
Anyway here lies my confusion.
After one night with her he’s obsessed. Stalks her just to get to know her name. (Oh did I mention he’s a bad ass military yet he’s too shy around people, barely talks and communicates with grunts. Doesn’t do relationships because he spends 6 months a year deployed.) Soooo, he gets to know her name, he realises that she’s best friends with his brother’s fiancée, they become “friends” because it’s “too awkward to date in case they don’t connect and thus will have to break up and feel weird around each other in front of their family and friends! 🤯🙄😶 ok whatever!
They go on with their lives as if nothing happened, she gets his number from her best friend’s phone, pesters him to become her friend. They’re still in lust with each other. So much chemistry. Sexual tension yet they never act on it. They keep their friendship a secret from their family and friends. 🤷🏻♀️
They fall in love with each other but none of them admits it. She also doesn’t date because she works and takes care of her dad who suffers from on set dementia. (He lives in a home care compound, so she’s not actually 24/7 with him only just a phone call away). Why is this reason for her not to date! Well beats me 🤷🏻♀️
Oh and also time flieeeeeees in this book and when I say flies I mean they pine for each other for 4 YEARS!!! They don’t date. They don’t hook up with other people! They support each other. They’re each other’s to-go person. He makes her feel safe. She makes him feel alive. She compares all men to him. He does the same. Yet they’re not together. WHY?!!! Whyyyyy?!!!
This is why I DO NOT GET IT!!
Every chapter ends in an unfinished scene. They have a deep conversation or something happens which should lead to consequential life alteration, yet in the next chapter they’re like weeks or months after! Like hold on! What just happened after that?!! 🤔
They end up getting married, having no recollection of getting there. This is the first chapter of the book and the rest is the “then and now” that builds up to this moment.
Their love declaration was so…… dull? Boring? That’s-it moment? Swept under a rug?
Oh and also in 4 years they never cross the line and sleep together and when they finally declare their love for each other they still don’t sleep together. There’s not even a “behind the door” romance. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. The book ends and I don’t even know if they ever do it again other than their ONS that we don’t actually get to know or read anything about.
Ughh I got a headache already!
Ooof this book had so much potential!! It could easily have been a 5 stars but it’s just too jumbled up in a confusing whirlwind of nonsensical logic.
At least I get to cross the “marriage of convenience” and “starts with an F” boxes on my Bingo Card.
2024 Fun Reading Bingo
[🔴] [02] [03] [04] [05]
[06] [🔴] [08] [🔴] [🔴]
[🔴] [12] [🎰] [14] [🔴]
[🔴] [🔴] [🔴] [🔴] [20]
[🔴] [🔴] [🔴] [🔴] [🔴]
I DO NOT GET IT!!!
First things’ first though, the rundown 👇🏻
I’ve always loved a back and forth book. Then versus now. It’s more enigmatic, suspenseful and intriguing. Keeping us outside the loop for the most part until we reach the moment of “ah so that’s what happened!”.
In this case unfortunately it is just confusing. The now and then are so similar that they’re kind of all jumbled up into one big mush.
I have to mention though I am not at ALL a fan of “picking-a-stranger-up-at-the-bar-and-going-back-to-their-apartment-for-a-ONS” trope. *sigh* seems the norm in contemporary romance nowadays.
Anyway here lies my confusion.
After one night with her he’s obsessed. Stalks her just to get to know her name. (Oh did I mention he’s a bad ass military yet he’s too shy around people, barely talks and communicates with grunts. Doesn’t do relationships because he spends 6 months a year deployed.) Soooo, he gets to know her name, he realises that she’s best friends with his brother’s fiancée, they become “friends” because it’s “too awkward to date in case they don’t connect and thus will have to break up and feel weird around each other in front of their family and friends! 🤯🙄😶 ok whatever!
They go on with their lives as if nothing happened, she gets his number from her best friend’s phone, pesters him to become her friend. They’re still in lust with each other. So much chemistry. Sexual tension yet they never act on it. They keep their friendship a secret from their family and friends. 🤷🏻♀️
They fall in love with each other but none of them admits it. She also doesn’t date because she works and takes care of her dad who suffers from on set dementia. (He lives in a home care compound, so she’s not actually 24/7 with him only just a phone call away). Why is this reason for her not to date! Well beats me 🤷🏻♀️
Oh and also time flieeeeeees in this book and when I say flies I mean they pine for each other for 4 YEARS!!! They don’t date. They don’t hook up with other people! They support each other. They’re each other’s to-go person. He makes her feel safe. She makes him feel alive. She compares all men to him. He does the same. Yet they’re not together. WHY?!!! Whyyyyy?!!!
This is why I DO NOT GET IT!!
Every chapter ends in an unfinished scene. They have a deep conversation or something happens which should lead to consequential life alteration, yet in the next chapter they’re like weeks or months after! Like hold on! What just happened after that?!! 🤔
They end up getting married, having no recollection of getting there. This is the first chapter of the book and the rest is the “then and now” that builds up to this moment.
Their love declaration was so…… dull? Boring? That’s-it moment? Swept under a rug?
Oh and also in 4 years they never cross the line and sleep together and when they finally declare their love for each other they still don’t sleep together. There’s not even a “behind the door” romance. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. The book ends and I don’t even know if they ever do it again other than their ONS that we don’t actually get to know or read anything about.
Ughh I got a headache already!
Ooof this book had so much potential!! It could easily have been a 5 stars but it’s just too jumbled up in a confusing whirlwind of nonsensical logic.
At least I get to cross the “marriage of convenience” and “starts with an F” boxes on my Bingo Card.
2024 Fun Reading Bingo
[🔴] [02] [03] [04] [05]
[06] [🔴] [08] [🔴] [🔴]
[🔴] [12] [🎰] [14] [🔴]
[🔴] [🔴] [🔴] [🔴] [20]
[🔴] [🔴] [🔴] [🔴] [🔴]
September 4, 2024
this was so perfect
June 17, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍️Quick Synopsis:
Rachel and Adam wake up in Vegas with the tale-as-old-as-time story of having drunkenly gotten married. But maybe, just maybe, this marriage is based on way more than one night of fun. Maybe, it was exactly what was meant to have happened.
💭My Thoughts:
How do I put into words the amount of love I have for this book? Everything Juliana Smith puts out into the world is pure gold. I first fell in love with Luke and Layla and thought it couldn’t get better than that. I loved diving into Calla and Nathan’s story and then Marigold and Liam’s story left me breathless. But now ADAM? Freaking ADAM? And Rachel and her gigantic heart and uplifting spirit? I am just blown away. I have major book hangover. This romance keeps spinning in my head like a record (see what I did there?). The way Smith built the tension yet left it closed door was truly sizzling. Adam’s grumpy, protective, manly-man character was oh-so-swoony. The ways he showed his sweet, cinnamon-roll center had me squealing (literally). Their open communication (mostly) and the way they accepted each other for who they truly were was just delightful. Guys, I highlighted the heck out of this book and will be rereading those sections again and again. You need to get your hands on this one immediately.
Thank you SO MUCH to neutrally and Julian Smith for giving me a sneak peak to this one via and ARC! It releases into the world on June 25h!
✍️Quick Synopsis:
Rachel and Adam wake up in Vegas with the tale-as-old-as-time story of having drunkenly gotten married. But maybe, just maybe, this marriage is based on way more than one night of fun. Maybe, it was exactly what was meant to have happened.
💭My Thoughts:
How do I put into words the amount of love I have for this book? Everything Juliana Smith puts out into the world is pure gold. I first fell in love with Luke and Layla and thought it couldn’t get better than that. I loved diving into Calla and Nathan’s story and then Marigold and Liam’s story left me breathless. But now ADAM? Freaking ADAM? And Rachel and her gigantic heart and uplifting spirit? I am just blown away. I have major book hangover. This romance keeps spinning in my head like a record (see what I did there?). The way Smith built the tension yet left it closed door was truly sizzling. Adam’s grumpy, protective, manly-man character was oh-so-swoony. The ways he showed his sweet, cinnamon-roll center had me squealing (literally). Their open communication (mostly) and the way they accepted each other for who they truly were was just delightful. Guys, I highlighted the heck out of this book and will be rereading those sections again and again. You need to get your hands on this one immediately.
Thank you SO MUCH to neutrally and Julian Smith for giving me a sneak peak to this one via and ARC! It releases into the world on June 25h!
March 31, 2025
2.75⭐️ I really liked Rachel’s relationship with her dad and how Adam was very supportive of them both. However, the miscommunication in the relationship/friendship between Rachel and Adam was so ducking annoying. These are grown adults going around in circles and leading each other on without stating plainly how they feel. Also, I wished she would have told her mother to go f herself but after the phone call where Adam tells her mother off, it’s no longer mentioned.
June 28, 2024
4.25!!!!
the wells family always has me giggling and blushing
the wells family always has me giggling and blushing
June 16, 2024
5/5 stars
For the record is a rom-com that I fell in love with and got me hooked from the start till the end, especially because of the main couple, Rachel and Adam.
In this story, Adam and Rachel, friends for years, go to a wedding in Las Vegas and the next morning they turn up married. At first Rachel panics, not knowing what happened (apart from the drunkenness of the night before) and what to do, but Adam puts before her a kind of pact that would be very useful. So instead of calling their lawyers and asking for a divorce, they end up married and living together, in a kind of marriage of convenience, so they can make use of that extra financial help that he would receive.
The story is beautiful, with funny moments in which I laughed until I cried, others in which I shed a tear of emotion and moments of drama that made me fear for the couple future. It is also told from two points of view (Rachel and Adam) and in the present (starting from the wedding) and past (starting from when they met) so little by little we see how Rachel and Adam met, how they maintain their friendship over the years, with their moments of attraction and ups and downs, until they reach the final point. I found it to be an enjoyable way of telling everything and that leaves you wanting more in each chapter, because in addition to wanting to know how they met and that part of the past, we also want to know what happens after Las Vegas.
But the strong point of this book is its characters. Adam is a cinnamon roll. He is a soldier, a paratrooper, and spends more time away on different missions than at home, so beyond the relationship he has with his family or his army colleagues, he does not maintain much friendship with anyone. Something that changes when he meets Rachel in a bar and they end up spending the night together. It's as if she had awakened something in him, and little by little she is breaking down that wall that surrounds him and awakening that shy and quiet beast. Rachel is the opposite, an extroverted young woman who works in a music store (which is part of her life and would not be able to live without it) and who has a complicated life because she has to take care of her father, a veteran, who has Alzheimer. That, and the fact that her mother and sister disappeared from their lives, keeps her too busy to have relationships. Until she meets Adam and it's as if she found her soul mate, since they understand each other just by looking at each other, and for Rachel, Adam is like a puzzle that she has to solve.
I have really enjoyed For the record, the roller coaster of emotions that it has caused me when reading the book, its characters and the evolution that they undergo over the years, them and the beautiful relationship they share (being friends and as a married couple). I highly recommend it to you, and as soon as I can I will read the other books in the series because I am looking forward to getting to know the Wells family better, especially Crew when his story comes to light.
------------------------
5/5 estrellas
For the record es una rom-com que me ha enamorado y enganchado de principio a fin sobre todo por la pareja protagonista, Rachel y Adam.
En esta historia, Adam y Rachel, amigos desde hace años, van a una boda a Las Vegas y a la mañana siguiente aparecen casados. Al principio Rachel entra en pánico, sin saber cómo ha pasado (aparte de la borrachera de la noche anterior) y qué hacer, pero Adam le pone ante la mesa una especie de pacto que le vendría muy bien. Así que en vez de llamar a sus abogados y pedir el divorcio, acaban casados y viviendo juntos, en una especie de matrimonio de conveniencia, para poder hacer uso de esa ayuda económica extra que recibiría él.
La historia es preciosa, con momentos divertidos en los que me he reído hasta llorar, otros en los que se me ha escapado alguna lágrima de emoción y momentos de drama que me han hecho temer por la pareja. Además está contada desde dos puntos de vista (Rachel y Adam) y en presente (desde la boda) y pasado (desde que se conocieron) por lo que poco a poco vamos viendo como se conocieron Rachel y Adam, como mantienen esa relación de amistad a lo largo de los años, con sus momentos de atracción y altibajos, hasta llegar al punto final. Me ha parecido una manera amena de contarlo todo y que te deja con ganas de más en cada capítulo, porque además de querer saber como se conocieron y esa parte del pasado, también queremos saber qué pasa después de Las Vegas.
Pero el punto fuerte de este libro son sus personajes. Adam es un cinnamon roll. Él es militar, paracaidista, y está más tiempo fuera que en casa, por lo que más allá de la relación que tiene con su familia o sus compañeros del ejercito, no mantiene mucha amistad con nadie. Algo que cambia cuando conoce a Rachel en un bar y acaban pasando la noche juntos. Es como si ella hubiera despertado algo en él, y poco a poco va derrumbando ese muro que tiene a su alrededor y despertando a esa bestia tímida y callada. Rachel es todo lo contrario, una joven extrovertida que trabaja en una tienda de música (la cual es parte de ella) y que tiene una vida complicada porque tiene que cuidar de su padre, veterano de guerra, que tiene Alzheimer. Eso, y el hecho de que su madre y hermana desaparecieran de sus vidas, la tiene bastante ocupada como para tener relaciones. Hasta que conoce a Adam y es como si encontrara a su alma gemela, ya que se entienden solo con las miradas, además que para Rachel, Adam es como un puzle que tiene que resolver.
He disfrutado muchísimo de For the record, de la montaña rusa de emociones que me ha causado al leer el libro, de sus personajes y de la evolución que sufren a lo largo de los años, ellos y la relación tan bonita que comparte (siendo amigos y como matrimonio). Yo os la recomiendo mucho, y en cuanto pueda me leo los otros de la saga porque estoy deseando conocer mejor a la familia Wells, sobre todo a Crew el día que salga a la luz su historia.
For the record is a rom-com that I fell in love with and got me hooked from the start till the end, especially because of the main couple, Rachel and Adam.
In this story, Adam and Rachel, friends for years, go to a wedding in Las Vegas and the next morning they turn up married. At first Rachel panics, not knowing what happened (apart from the drunkenness of the night before) and what to do, but Adam puts before her a kind of pact that would be very useful. So instead of calling their lawyers and asking for a divorce, they end up married and living together, in a kind of marriage of convenience, so they can make use of that extra financial help that he would receive.
The story is beautiful, with funny moments in which I laughed until I cried, others in which I shed a tear of emotion and moments of drama that made me fear for the couple future. It is also told from two points of view (Rachel and Adam) and in the present (starting from the wedding) and past (starting from when they met) so little by little we see how Rachel and Adam met, how they maintain their friendship over the years, with their moments of attraction and ups and downs, until they reach the final point. I found it to be an enjoyable way of telling everything and that leaves you wanting more in each chapter, because in addition to wanting to know how they met and that part of the past, we also want to know what happens after Las Vegas.
But the strong point of this book is its characters. Adam is a cinnamon roll. He is a soldier, a paratrooper, and spends more time away on different missions than at home, so beyond the relationship he has with his family or his army colleagues, he does not maintain much friendship with anyone. Something that changes when he meets Rachel in a bar and they end up spending the night together. It's as if she had awakened something in him, and little by little she is breaking down that wall that surrounds him and awakening that shy and quiet beast. Rachel is the opposite, an extroverted young woman who works in a music store (which is part of her life and would not be able to live without it) and who has a complicated life because she has to take care of her father, a veteran, who has Alzheimer. That, and the fact that her mother and sister disappeared from their lives, keeps her too busy to have relationships. Until she meets Adam and it's as if she found her soul mate, since they understand each other just by looking at each other, and for Rachel, Adam is like a puzzle that she has to solve.
I have really enjoyed For the record, the roller coaster of emotions that it has caused me when reading the book, its characters and the evolution that they undergo over the years, them and the beautiful relationship they share (being friends and as a married couple). I highly recommend it to you, and as soon as I can I will read the other books in the series because I am looking forward to getting to know the Wells family better, especially Crew when his story comes to light.
------------------------
5/5 estrellas
For the record es una rom-com que me ha enamorado y enganchado de principio a fin sobre todo por la pareja protagonista, Rachel y Adam.
En esta historia, Adam y Rachel, amigos desde hace años, van a una boda a Las Vegas y a la mañana siguiente aparecen casados. Al principio Rachel entra en pánico, sin saber cómo ha pasado (aparte de la borrachera de la noche anterior) y qué hacer, pero Adam le pone ante la mesa una especie de pacto que le vendría muy bien. Así que en vez de llamar a sus abogados y pedir el divorcio, acaban casados y viviendo juntos, en una especie de matrimonio de conveniencia, para poder hacer uso de esa ayuda económica extra que recibiría él.
La historia es preciosa, con momentos divertidos en los que me he reído hasta llorar, otros en los que se me ha escapado alguna lágrima de emoción y momentos de drama que me han hecho temer por la pareja. Además está contada desde dos puntos de vista (Rachel y Adam) y en presente (desde la boda) y pasado (desde que se conocieron) por lo que poco a poco vamos viendo como se conocieron Rachel y Adam, como mantienen esa relación de amistad a lo largo de los años, con sus momentos de atracción y altibajos, hasta llegar al punto final. Me ha parecido una manera amena de contarlo todo y que te deja con ganas de más en cada capítulo, porque además de querer saber como se conocieron y esa parte del pasado, también queremos saber qué pasa después de Las Vegas.
Pero el punto fuerte de este libro son sus personajes. Adam es un cinnamon roll. Él es militar, paracaidista, y está más tiempo fuera que en casa, por lo que más allá de la relación que tiene con su familia o sus compañeros del ejercito, no mantiene mucha amistad con nadie. Algo que cambia cuando conoce a Rachel en un bar y acaban pasando la noche juntos. Es como si ella hubiera despertado algo en él, y poco a poco va derrumbando ese muro que tiene a su alrededor y despertando a esa bestia tímida y callada. Rachel es todo lo contrario, una joven extrovertida que trabaja en una tienda de música (la cual es parte de ella) y que tiene una vida complicada porque tiene que cuidar de su padre, veterano de guerra, que tiene Alzheimer. Eso, y el hecho de que su madre y hermana desaparecieran de sus vidas, la tiene bastante ocupada como para tener relaciones. Hasta que conoce a Adam y es como si encontrara a su alma gemela, ya que se entienden solo con las miradas, además que para Rachel, Adam es como un puzle que tiene que resolver.
He disfrutado muchísimo de For the record, de la montaña rusa de emociones que me ha causado al leer el libro, de sus personajes y de la evolución que sufren a lo largo de los años, ellos y la relación tan bonita que comparte (siendo amigos y como matrimonio). Yo os la recomiendo mucho, y en cuanto pueda me leo los otros de la saga porque estoy deseando conocer mejor a la familia Wells, sobre todo a Crew el día que salga a la luz su historia.
June 4, 2024
What to expect:
☀️He’s grumpy/she’s sunshine
👥Friends-to-lovers
🔥Mutual pining
🧠Dementia rep
🦾Veteran/active duty rep
🫂Found family
🥐A sourdough starter named Myrtle
💍Marriage-of-convenience
🥵Tattoo and biker MMC
🎧Music lover FMC
I adored this book just like I did all of Juliana’s other books. For the Record is a sweet, swoony, and tender romance that will make your heart flutter and your stomach fill with butterfly’s. Adam is the sweetest, cuddliest man. His relationship with Jack is perfect and everything he does for Rachel is perfect. I relate to Rachel so much. She is unapologetically herself, patient, caring, and high maintenance just like the best of us romance girlies. I enjoyed my time with these two, as well as with the Well’s family again. Can’t wait for Crew’s book!
Don’t forget to pre-order this book!
Thank you Juliana for the ARC.
☀️He’s grumpy/she’s sunshine
👥Friends-to-lovers
🔥Mutual pining
🧠Dementia rep
🦾Veteran/active duty rep
🫂Found family
🥐A sourdough starter named Myrtle
💍Marriage-of-convenience
🥵Tattoo and biker MMC
🎧Music lover FMC
I adored this book just like I did all of Juliana’s other books. For the Record is a sweet, swoony, and tender romance that will make your heart flutter and your stomach fill with butterfly’s. Adam is the sweetest, cuddliest man. His relationship with Jack is perfect and everything he does for Rachel is perfect. I relate to Rachel so much. She is unapologetically herself, patient, caring, and high maintenance just like the best of us romance girlies. I enjoyed my time with these two, as well as with the Well’s family again. Can’t wait for Crew’s book!
Don’t forget to pre-order this book!
Thank you Juliana for the ARC.
June 18, 2024
Okay why have I never read a Juliana Smith book until now?!?!! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH
I have had this series on my tbr forever and I knew immediately after reading the blurbs and seeing the tropes for this that I needed to read it ASAP.
Adam and Rachel have known each other for years. They meet at a bar one night and have an instant connection. But when they find out Adam’s brother is dating Rachel’s best friend/roommate, they decide to keep their friendship to themselves. As time goes on, neither can date anyone else but they don’t know how to be with each other.
Until they wake up in Vegas, married. When Rachel asks Adam if they can stay married to give her insurance, he doesn’t say no. But is Adam only doing this to help her? Or is he happy they’re married and wants to ACTUALLY be married to Rachel?
I loved their dynamic and seeing their relationship develop over the years. This is dual POV and I loved that we saw the then and now.
Definitely bumping up the rest of this series on my tbr to read ASAP! Love love LOVE!!!!!
I have had this series on my tbr forever and I knew immediately after reading the blurbs and seeing the tropes for this that I needed to read it ASAP.
Adam and Rachel have known each other for years. They meet at a bar one night and have an instant connection. But when they find out Adam’s brother is dating Rachel’s best friend/roommate, they decide to keep their friendship to themselves. As time goes on, neither can date anyone else but they don’t know how to be with each other.
Until they wake up in Vegas, married. When Rachel asks Adam if they can stay married to give her insurance, he doesn’t say no. But is Adam only doing this to help her? Or is he happy they’re married and wants to ACTUALLY be married to Rachel?
I loved their dynamic and seeing their relationship develop over the years. This is dual POV and I loved that we saw the then and now.
Definitely bumping up the rest of this series on my tbr to read ASAP! Love love LOVE!!!!!
June 1, 2024
I love Adam & Rachel!! I have been so excited for Rachels book since we met her in book 1! I loved the Then and Now chapters we got and how the relationship developed was so fun to read because the TENSION DUH! I'm a sucker for a man obsessed and boy was Adam! I mean come on the tattoo scene...love love love!! The Wells family have my <3 and I can't wait to read Crews story!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
June 20, 2024
I will begin by saying that I really wanted to enjoy this book, I thoroughly enjoyed another novel from this author and couldn’t wait to try this one, but unfortunately this one didn’t do it for me. I got halfway through and couldn’t read any further. I didn’t connect to the characters or the story, the writing felt a bit plain to me and the overall plot just felt quite cliche. At points I had to skip pages due to unnecessary paragraphs of writing that didn’t matter to the story, also scenes with the main female character made me cringe so hard I had to skip it. In truth, I couldn’t read any further and therefore decided to DNF at 50%. I am just not the right audience for this book, but that is not to say that another person will really enjoy it, as I said, I have enjoyed this authors work previously.
Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
June 25, 2024
I was a little confused at the beginning of the book which was due to the now and then back and forth that was occurring. While it was nice to experience I feel like it would have been better if they showed how they ended getting married and the lead up to them waking up married it would have been like a full circle moment. I also did not enjoy the slow burn in this it was like they liked each other and somewhat knew it but wouldn’t communicate at all. I just feel like it was so dragged out and wish they would have gotten together before the 36th chapter. I did really enjoy Adam I felt like he was a sweetheart and loved everything he did for Rachel even with his faults. I hated how she got mad at Adam for investing in the record store for her. While I understand the lie was the best move he did it for her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2025
3.25⭐️ I've sat on this review for a week now, and l've changed my mind. (It was a 4 star before) I thought about the other book I read in this series (Rock and a Hard Place), my connection to this story and the characters, the plot, etc. and this was just not it. I normally love Juliana Smith's books. Don't get me wrong, I still liked this. It just hasn't been my favorite by her so far.
I can't believe I'm saying this but I think the marriage of convenience trope is letting me down a bit!! *collective gasps* Yes I know! It's my favorite trope, but the last couple I have read have been flops for me.
Nevertheless, it will still always be, forever and ever, my favorite trope. I think you need to be a very specific type of author to get it right.
Let's start with things that DID NOT work for me. The then and now timeline was really detracting from the romance for some reason. I think we benefitted from seeing how they met, but beyond that, I did not care about their friendship state. The characters were also very very bland. No personalities for either of them. I mean Rachel’s only personality trait was loving music. Don’t get me started on Adam. He was a bland cookie. The plot itself also severely lacked. What even was the plot? They accidentally get married while drunk in Vegas and then absolutely nothing happened. Another thing that bothers me, not just in this book but many, men thinking like women. At one point Adam notices her "winged eyeliner" and was just thinking of my husband and I’m like, he doesn’t even know what that is! Adam had very girly thoughts. That might be something that only bothers me. Some people like men written by women, but when the MMC sounds like a woman? No thank you.
With that said, I made it sound like the entire book was terrible. It wasn’t. Cute things happened. Adam was so very good to Rachel. Their friendship was very sweet. But it just fell so flat unfortunately.
Read if you enjoy:
- Military MMC
- Dual POV
- Then and now
- Marriage of convenience
- Friends to lovers
- Sourdough starter named Myrtle
- Closed door romance
Content 💋:
- Kisses only (implied intimacy but no fade to black)
- Mild language (1 h**l, 3 s**t, 5 d**n, 6 a**)
I can't believe I'm saying this but I think the marriage of convenience trope is letting me down a bit!! *collective gasps* Yes I know! It's my favorite trope, but the last couple I have read have been flops for me.
Nevertheless, it will still always be, forever and ever, my favorite trope. I think you need to be a very specific type of author to get it right.
Let's start with things that DID NOT work for me. The then and now timeline was really detracting from the romance for some reason. I think we benefitted from seeing how they met, but beyond that, I did not care about their friendship state. The characters were also very very bland. No personalities for either of them. I mean Rachel’s only personality trait was loving music. Don’t get me started on Adam. He was a bland cookie. The plot itself also severely lacked. What even was the plot? They accidentally get married while drunk in Vegas and then absolutely nothing happened. Another thing that bothers me, not just in this book but many, men thinking like women. At one point Adam notices her "winged eyeliner" and was just thinking of my husband and I’m like, he doesn’t even know what that is! Adam had very girly thoughts. That might be something that only bothers me. Some people like men written by women, but when the MMC sounds like a woman? No thank you.
With that said, I made it sound like the entire book was terrible. It wasn’t. Cute things happened. Adam was so very good to Rachel. Their friendship was very sweet. But it just fell so flat unfortunately.
Read if you enjoy:
- Military MMC
- Dual POV
- Then and now
- Marriage of convenience
- Friends to lovers
- Sourdough starter named Myrtle
- Closed door romance
Content 💋:
- Kisses only (implied intimacy but no fade to black)
- Mild language (1 h**l, 3 s**t, 5 d**n, 6 a**)
August 11, 2024
3.75⭐️ (rounded up)
“You would really do that for me?” “You think there is something out there I wouldn’t do for you?”
📚 friends to lovers
📚 marriage of convenience
📚 grumpy x sunshine
📚 secret friendship
📚 mutual pining
📚 dual timeline
📚 dual POV
🚫 closed door romance
|Thoughts|
Third book in the Wells Family series, and it does shine most when they’re all together. A unique dynamic between Rachel & Adam, who have chosen to keep their friendship a secret from the friends/ family (at least initially).
“It’s okay if you are. It’s a lot. I’m a lot, and you like your quiet space. It’s okay if it’s too much.” “You’re not too much. You’re just right.”
This is knew friends to lovers where they both fall hard from the beginning but just never truly allow themselves to open up to the idea of having a partner. As sweet as this is, it was a little frustrating that they didn’t just come out and say how they felt.
“You’re the only person I’d ever want to marry. Why would I argue?”
At the same time, the way he had a ring for her prior to they eloped in Vegas, was super cute. One of the big reveals was fairly predictable, but sweet nonetheless. And him being all protective and the whole ‘my wife’, perfect.
“Next time you call my wife, it better be with an apology for everything, or you’ll never call her again.”
Plan to pick up the final book in the series once it’s released.
🟢 For more bookish content follow me instagram.com/read_watch_crochet
“You would really do that for me?” “You think there is something out there I wouldn’t do for you?”
📚 friends to lovers
📚 marriage of convenience
📚 grumpy x sunshine
📚 secret friendship
📚 mutual pining
📚 dual timeline
📚 dual POV
🚫 closed door romance
|Thoughts|
Third book in the Wells Family series, and it does shine most when they’re all together. A unique dynamic between Rachel & Adam, who have chosen to keep their friendship a secret from the friends/ family (at least initially).
“It’s okay if you are. It’s a lot. I’m a lot, and you like your quiet space. It’s okay if it’s too much.” “You’re not too much. You’re just right.”
This is knew friends to lovers where they both fall hard from the beginning but just never truly allow themselves to open up to the idea of having a partner. As sweet as this is, it was a little frustrating that they didn’t just come out and say how they felt.
“You’re the only person I’d ever want to marry. Why would I argue?”
At the same time, the way he had a ring for her prior to they eloped in Vegas, was super cute. One of the big reveals was fairly predictable, but sweet nonetheless. And him being all protective and the whole ‘my wife’, perfect.
“Next time you call my wife, it better be with an apology for everything, or you’ll never call her again.”
Plan to pick up the final book in the series once it’s released.
🟢 For more bookish content follow me instagram.com/read_watch_crochet
June 20, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the opportunity to read the ARC of For The Record. This was an overly cutesy friends to lovers, military romance. A nice quick HEA read! Adam and Rachel were so cute, but infuriating at times with the miscommunication trope. I almost thought I’d get through without a third act breakup vibe but within the last 30 pages it snuck in there.
Rachel’s dad is in a retirement home because he is suffering from dementia. She is his sole caretaker and financial responsibility because her mother left when it got too tough to take care of her dad. She is working at a record shop in town that is under new ownership, to help care for her dad’s medical bills and insurance. Her and Adam elope in Vegas after a drunk evening celebrating her friend’s wedding. They stay married for the benefits, but Adam is all for it because he really does love Rachel. They both care for each other but due to her best friend being Adam’s new sister in law they decided to not make things messy…until their feelings become too messy to hide any longer.
Tropes
Grumpy x Sunshine
Military Romance
“Forbidden” Love
Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Rachel’s dad is in a retirement home because he is suffering from dementia. She is his sole caretaker and financial responsibility because her mother left when it got too tough to take care of her dad. She is working at a record shop in town that is under new ownership, to help care for her dad’s medical bills and insurance. Her and Adam elope in Vegas after a drunk evening celebrating her friend’s wedding. They stay married for the benefits, but Adam is all for it because he really does love Rachel. They both care for each other but due to her best friend being Adam’s new sister in law they decided to not make things messy…until their feelings become too messy to hide any longer.
Tropes
Grumpy x Sunshine
Military Romance
“Forbidden” Love
Strangers to Friends to Lovers
July 10, 2024
“But when you kiss me like that, it doesn’t feel like that.”
“What does it feel like, honey?”
“Like I’m yours.”
“Don’t you think, in some way, you’ve been mine since the night we met?”
I loved this one so much which is no surprise because I’ve loved every book of this authors with all my heart. They all have a way of drawing you in and pulling you it heart strings 🥹💖
Adam and his personality. I loved that he wasn’t very outspoken and…loud?… I guess. He was a man of few words but the words he did speak had meaning and I just loved that!
“She’s so pretty. Pretty like the sun setting when you’re out on the ocean. Pretty like the sight of my driveway after a long work trip. She was like this compass, constantly pointing me toward her. Never wavering, never faulty, always to her. Every piece of her felt like home.”
I loved his and Rachel’s secret friendship and loved how much they looked out and cared for one another!
Rachel was great of course! I loved how bubbly she was regardless of what she was dealing with. I loved her relationship with her dad (as a daddy’s girl myself, it had me emotional at times) Her and her dad seriously made me love this story even more 🥹
“Rachel. Remember, by birth, you’re my daughter. But by choice, you’re my best friend.”
Overall, I think this was perfect and exactly what I was needing!
“What does it feel like, honey?”
“Like I’m yours.”
“Don’t you think, in some way, you’ve been mine since the night we met?”
I loved this one so much which is no surprise because I’ve loved every book of this authors with all my heart. They all have a way of drawing you in and pulling you it heart strings 🥹💖
Adam and his personality. I loved that he wasn’t very outspoken and…loud?… I guess. He was a man of few words but the words he did speak had meaning and I just loved that!
“She’s so pretty. Pretty like the sun setting when you’re out on the ocean. Pretty like the sight of my driveway after a long work trip. She was like this compass, constantly pointing me toward her. Never wavering, never faulty, always to her. Every piece of her felt like home.”
I loved his and Rachel’s secret friendship and loved how much they looked out and cared for one another!
Rachel was great of course! I loved how bubbly she was regardless of what she was dealing with. I loved her relationship with her dad (as a daddy’s girl myself, it had me emotional at times) Her and her dad seriously made me love this story even more 🥹
“Rachel. Remember, by birth, you’re my daughter. But by choice, you’re my best friend.”
Overall, I think this was perfect and exactly what I was needing!
May 23, 2025
For the Record is the fourth title in the Wells Family series written by Juliana Smith.
What to expect:
*Vegas wedding
*Closed door romance
*Grumpy / Sunshine
Told through alternating POV’s and timelines, this book tells the story of Rachel and Adam, friends who decide that getting married in Vegas can solve both of their financial/familial problems.
There is very little communication in this book, it is mainly internal monologue. No on page spice.
No OW/OM drama, does have a very needless third act breakup that absolutely could have been avoided if the two main characters would have just talked to each other instead of wondering what the other was thinking.
Format: Libby audiobook
Genre: Contemporary fiction, Romance
Overall score:⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️
Characters: Rachel (FMC) & Adam (MMC)
What to expect:
*Vegas wedding
*Closed door romance
*Grumpy / Sunshine
Told through alternating POV’s and timelines, this book tells the story of Rachel and Adam, friends who decide that getting married in Vegas can solve both of their financial/familial problems.
There is very little communication in this book, it is mainly internal monologue. No on page spice.
No OW/OM drama, does have a very needless third act breakup that absolutely could have been avoided if the two main characters would have just talked to each other instead of wondering what the other was thinking.
Format: Libby audiobook
Genre: Contemporary fiction, Romance
Overall score:⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️
Characters: Rachel (FMC) & Adam (MMC)
June 30, 2024
i enjoyed this book however it felt super rushed to me?!
June 2, 2024
forever going to be obsessed with this book, it deserves infinite stars! it’s absolutely BEAUTIFUL and PERFECT. Adam and Rachel’s story is going to live rent free in my head for a longtime. if anyone needs me I’ll be listening to Rachel’s playlist on repeat. 🌻💛💍🍯
June 18, 2024
Rom com
Dual POV
Dual Timeline
Friends to lovers
Grumpy x sunshine
Found family
Tattooed MMC
Dementia representation
Closed door romance
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This book has a dual timeline. One being when Rachel and Adam met at a bar and their friendship over the years. The other timeline starts out with "the hangover" vibes. Rachel wakes up with no recollection of what happened the night before. She hears a man in the shower and doesn't remember how she got to the hotel room she's in. She finds out that her and Adam got hitched the night before. Instead of getting an annulment, the two decide to stay together for the extra military benefits.
I could not put this book down. The MMC, Adam, gave me butterflies. The tattoo parlor scene 😍. This book brought out all of the emotions, i was giggling at times and crying at others. Although this book was closed door romance, I felt the chemistry and steam throughout this whole book. ❤️🔥 And did I mention the killer playlist? I'm a sucker for a good playlist, and this one was amazing!
I haven't read any of the other books from this series, but after reading and enjoying this so much, I plan to go back and read the others! Although, it's going to be hard to beat this MMC. 🫶
I definitely recommend you pick this book up!
Thanks to Net Galley and Victory Editing for allowing me to read and review this ARC.
Dual POV
Dual Timeline
Friends to lovers
Grumpy x sunshine
Found family
Tattooed MMC
Dementia representation
Closed door romance
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This book has a dual timeline. One being when Rachel and Adam met at a bar and their friendship over the years. The other timeline starts out with "the hangover" vibes. Rachel wakes up with no recollection of what happened the night before. She hears a man in the shower and doesn't remember how she got to the hotel room she's in. She finds out that her and Adam got hitched the night before. Instead of getting an annulment, the two decide to stay together for the extra military benefits.
I could not put this book down. The MMC, Adam, gave me butterflies. The tattoo parlor scene 😍. This book brought out all of the emotions, i was giggling at times and crying at others. Although this book was closed door romance, I felt the chemistry and steam throughout this whole book. ❤️🔥 And did I mention the killer playlist? I'm a sucker for a good playlist, and this one was amazing!
I haven't read any of the other books from this series, but after reading and enjoying this so much, I plan to go back and read the others! Although, it's going to be hard to beat this MMC. 🫶
I definitely recommend you pick this book up!
Thanks to Net Galley and Victory Editing for allowing me to read and review this ARC.
October 5, 2024
The third act break up🙄🤬😤
June 18, 2024
“This ring is worth more than me.”
“Nothing could ever be worth more than you”
I didn’t think I could love the Wells Family series any more than I did after reading ‘Rock and a Hard Place’ earlier this year, but it only took reading the first chapter of ‘For the Record’ for me to be proved wrong, in fact, this may just be my favourite book of the series so far. I am a complete sucker for the friends to lovers trope, and Juliana Smith pulled it off effortlessly, not that I had any doubts. From the first few pages of this book, I was completely hooked and ended up reading it in one sitting. I adored Adam and Rachel (excellent name choice as well, not that I’m biased or anything), and watching them realise that their love for eachother was more than just friendship completely melted my heart. I know it’s easy to say that two characters are made for one another in romance books, because they were literally created for eachother, but when I say it now, it’s different, okay?!?!?! Rachel is Adam’s person and vice versa, like two pieces of a puzzle, these two fit together perfectly and wholly accept one another, this book isn’t gonna leave my mind for a while.
“Losing you would mean losing myself entirely.”
Imagine waking up in Vegas married to your best friend—sounds like a wild weekend, right? In "For the Record," Rachel and Adam do just that. Instead of rushing for an annulment, Rachel hatches a plan: why not stay hitched and milk the benefits of Adam's military perks? Easy-peasy, no strings attached. At least, that’s the theory. What Rachel didn’t bank on was how darn attractive Adam looks playing house. With every bouquet of flowers and sweet husbandly gesture, Rachel’s resolve starts to crack. Sure, her life is busy juggling a high-powered job and caring for her dad, but suddenly, a real-life fairy tale with Adam doesn’t seem so far-fetched. For Adam, having Rachel as his wife is a dream come true—almost. There’s one little thing he’s hiding, and bringing it to light might just shatter their perfect setup. But secrets have a way of surfacing, and Adam must face his fears head-on.
I’m usually not a fan of the miscommunication/keeping secrets trope but I feel that Juliana Smith handled it flawlessly. 95% of the time, Rachel and Adam had some of the healthiest communication that I’ve read in romance, talking deeply and honestly about their thoughts and feelings, and I think that the third-act drama was a key detail in the story. The two characters compliment each other so well, with Adam’s brooding, ‘I hate everyone in the world but you’ personality, and Rachel’s constant, and successful, attempts to make him smile. Also, it was so lovely to read about the characters from the other books too, I live for Wells Family crumbs. Now we just have to wait (not so patiently) for Crew’s book.
Check out ‘For the Record’ if you love:
・❥・Marriage of Convenience
・❥・Secret Friends to Lovers
・❥・Grumpy x Sunshine
・❥・Tattooed, biker MMCs
・❥・Found Family
・❥・Forced Proximity
Thanks to Juliana Smith, Netgalley and Victory Editing for the E-ARC, I can’t wait for everyone to read yet another fabulous book from this author!
“Nothing could ever be worth more than you”
I didn’t think I could love the Wells Family series any more than I did after reading ‘Rock and a Hard Place’ earlier this year, but it only took reading the first chapter of ‘For the Record’ for me to be proved wrong, in fact, this may just be my favourite book of the series so far. I am a complete sucker for the friends to lovers trope, and Juliana Smith pulled it off effortlessly, not that I had any doubts. From the first few pages of this book, I was completely hooked and ended up reading it in one sitting. I adored Adam and Rachel (excellent name choice as well, not that I’m biased or anything), and watching them realise that their love for eachother was more than just friendship completely melted my heart. I know it’s easy to say that two characters are made for one another in romance books, because they were literally created for eachother, but when I say it now, it’s different, okay?!?!?! Rachel is Adam’s person and vice versa, like two pieces of a puzzle, these two fit together perfectly and wholly accept one another, this book isn’t gonna leave my mind for a while.
“Losing you would mean losing myself entirely.”
Imagine waking up in Vegas married to your best friend—sounds like a wild weekend, right? In "For the Record," Rachel and Adam do just that. Instead of rushing for an annulment, Rachel hatches a plan: why not stay hitched and milk the benefits of Adam's military perks? Easy-peasy, no strings attached. At least, that’s the theory. What Rachel didn’t bank on was how darn attractive Adam looks playing house. With every bouquet of flowers and sweet husbandly gesture, Rachel’s resolve starts to crack. Sure, her life is busy juggling a high-powered job and caring for her dad, but suddenly, a real-life fairy tale with Adam doesn’t seem so far-fetched. For Adam, having Rachel as his wife is a dream come true—almost. There’s one little thing he’s hiding, and bringing it to light might just shatter their perfect setup. But secrets have a way of surfacing, and Adam must face his fears head-on.
I’m usually not a fan of the miscommunication/keeping secrets trope but I feel that Juliana Smith handled it flawlessly. 95% of the time, Rachel and Adam had some of the healthiest communication that I’ve read in romance, talking deeply and honestly about their thoughts and feelings, and I think that the third-act drama was a key detail in the story. The two characters compliment each other so well, with Adam’s brooding, ‘I hate everyone in the world but you’ personality, and Rachel’s constant, and successful, attempts to make him smile. Also, it was so lovely to read about the characters from the other books too, I live for Wells Family crumbs. Now we just have to wait (not so patiently) for Crew’s book.
Check out ‘For the Record’ if you love:
・❥・Marriage of Convenience
・❥・Secret Friends to Lovers
・❥・Grumpy x Sunshine
・❥・Tattooed, biker MMCs
・❥・Found Family
・❥・Forced Proximity
Thanks to Juliana Smith, Netgalley and Victory Editing for the E-ARC, I can’t wait for everyone to read yet another fabulous book from this author!
June 18, 2024
“don’t you think, in some way, you’ve been mine since the night we met?”
another fantastic juliana smith romance that has all the sweet makings of a real life rom-com. this is a friends to lovers, he falls first AND harder, grumpy x sunshine romance between two people who are the definition of right person, wrong timing for YEARS!! the tension is perfection 👌🏼
Rachel and Adam meet at a bar and have one romantic night together thinking they’ll never see each other again. It just so happens that Adam is her best friend’s new brother-in-law (gasp!). they decide to just be friends and as their friendship blossoms, so do their feelings. as they’re attending their friends wedding, drinks are consumed and they wake up married. as they stay married and living together trying to prove to people their relationship is real, they both weigh out the pros and cons of crossing that line in fear of losing their friendship, or living with knowing they’ll never know what could happen if they don’t try.
I loved how this story coincides with the timeline of Marigold’s and Liam’s story, just through their POV. I also loved the dual timeline action happening where we get to see how their friendship bloomed, while also seeing the ‘now’ of them married and figuring out what’s next for them. Rachel is a sunshine girl with a heart of gold and standards as high as her heels (as she should), I loved her bubbly attitude and her relationship with her dad. It felt so special. Adam is your typical grumpy man of few words but the way he cared for Rachel showed everything. I absolutely ADORED him!
the entire story was fantastic from beginning to end, the pacing was great, the found family with all the Wells siblings is my favourite thing, and the tension between Rachel and Adam was so thick you could cut it with a knife!!! I highly recommend & I can’t wait to read Crew’s book when it comes out 💖
For The Record is published on June 22nd! Thank you NetGalley, Juliana Smith, and Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 💝
another fantastic juliana smith romance that has all the sweet makings of a real life rom-com. this is a friends to lovers, he falls first AND harder, grumpy x sunshine romance between two people who are the definition of right person, wrong timing for YEARS!! the tension is perfection 👌🏼
Rachel and Adam meet at a bar and have one romantic night together thinking they’ll never see each other again. It just so happens that Adam is her best friend’s new brother-in-law (gasp!). they decide to just be friends and as their friendship blossoms, so do their feelings. as they’re attending their friends wedding, drinks are consumed and they wake up married. as they stay married and living together trying to prove to people their relationship is real, they both weigh out the pros and cons of crossing that line in fear of losing their friendship, or living with knowing they’ll never know what could happen if they don’t try.
I loved how this story coincides with the timeline of Marigold’s and Liam’s story, just through their POV. I also loved the dual timeline action happening where we get to see how their friendship bloomed, while also seeing the ‘now’ of them married and figuring out what’s next for them. Rachel is a sunshine girl with a heart of gold and standards as high as her heels (as she should), I loved her bubbly attitude and her relationship with her dad. It felt so special. Adam is your typical grumpy man of few words but the way he cared for Rachel showed everything. I absolutely ADORED him!
the entire story was fantastic from beginning to end, the pacing was great, the found family with all the Wells siblings is my favourite thing, and the tension between Rachel and Adam was so thick you could cut it with a knife!!! I highly recommend & I can’t wait to read Crew’s book when it comes out 💖
For The Record is published on June 22nd! Thank you NetGalley, Juliana Smith, and Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 💝
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