This is book 4 of the Wells Family Series!

I was lucky enough to receive as an ARC 🥰

Smith's writing shines in this charming and witty tale, where she skilfully navigates the dynamics of a friendship that slowly evolves into something more profound. Rachel, dedicated to her career and caring for her father, finds herself increasingly drawn to Adam, whose doting husband act begins to feel more genuine with each passing day. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, and their gradual shift from friends to lovers is portrayed with authenticity and warmth.

The concept of using a marriage of convenience for mutual benefit is not new, but Smith adds her unique twist, making it fresh and engaging. Rachel’s internal struggle between maintaining her independence and embracing the potential of a life with Adam is relatable and heartfelt. Her journey of self-discovery and acceptance is beautifully woven into the narrative, making her a protagonist readers can root for.

Adam, on the other hand, is a well-rounded character whose affection for Rachel is evident from the start. His fear of losing her friendship adds a layer of tension, and his struggle to reveal a crucial piece of information about himself is both poignant and realistic. Smith handles his character development with care, ensuring that his vulnerabilities are as compelling as his strengths.

The inclusion of humorous elements, such as the sourdough starters and the antics of their spontaneous marriage, adds levity to the story, balancing out the more serious themes. The secondary characters, including Rachel’s father and their mutual friends, contribute to the richness of the plot, providing additional depth and context to Rachel and Adam’s relationship.

For the Record is a delightful read that expertly blends humour, romance, and heartfelt moments. Rachel and Adam’s journey from best friends to a married couple in love is both touching and entertaining, making this novel a standout in the rom-com genre. Smith’s engaging storytelling and well-crafted characters ensure that readers will be captivated from start to finish.

Omg so good. I can't stop thinking about Adam and Rachel! Adam is ultimate book husband! such an easy 5 star!

I love this series so much and For the Record did not disappoint! I absolutely ate up the grumpy x sunshine trope in this book! Adam is from the Navy and has a grumpy mysterious vibe whereas Rachel is a ball of sunshine with an outgoing personality. They first meet at a bar and have a one night stand but then they find out they have friends in common so they decide to become friends and nothing more. Until one drunk night in Vegas, they spontaneously get married and then decide to stay married so Rachel can receive better health insurance for herself and her father who is battling with dementia. There were so many cute moments in the book: the tattoo scene, Adam meeting Rachel’s dad, and of course we can not forget when Adam learns about Myrtle. One of the funniest scenes! Also I can’t wait for Crew’s book, hopefully it’s the next one 🥹

What to expect:
Marriage of Convenience
Friends to lovers
Grumpy x Sunshine
Found Family

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

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.

Huge thanks to Juliana and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of this book!

I absolutely adored this book, it's definitely my favourite in the series. When I saw this book was vegas wedding, I was itching for it, that has to be one of my favourite tropes. The "oh shit, we accidentally got married." This book was filled with the pining of friends to lovers, I absolutely adored their dynamic. Adam was down bad and I loved him. The things this man did for Rachel, he loved her from their very first meeting and never stopped. It was definitely if he wanted to he would energy and we love that. Every trope in this book just worked, ugh it was perfect.

I highly recommend this series but especially this book, but the series does follow a family. Which genuinely might be my favourite type of interconnected series, where each sibling get a book and we have huge scenes with the entire family. I cannot wait for Crew's book.

"For The Record" by Juliana Smith is a delightful and heartwarming romance that explores the complexities of love, friendship, and unexpected commitments. Rachel and Adam's accidental Vegas marriage, initially a scheme to secure military benefits, evolves into a captivating tale of genuine affection and growing emotional bonds.

Smith expertly portrays the dynamics of a platonic marriage transforming into something deeper. Rachel's internal struggle between her career, familial responsibilities, and burgeoning feelings for Adam adds depth to the narrative. Adam's journey to reveal a significant secret to Rachel heightens the tension and emotional stakes.

The novel is filled with charming moments, tender interactions, and the evolving realization that sometimes, love is found in the most unexpected places. "For The Record" is a must-read for romance enthusiasts looking for a story that beautifully balances humor, heart, and the journey to discovering true love.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.

- 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑱𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒂 𝑺𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒉, 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑱𝒖𝒏𝒆 𝟐𝟓𝒕𝒉

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✰ 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴
✰ 𝘓𝘢𝘴 𝘝𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨
✰ 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦
✰ 𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘱
✰ 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵

This book was such a delightful surprise! Fpr the record follows Adam and Rachel and their friends to lovers journey, with the best amount of mutual pining and sweetness.
It was such a feel good book that I couldn't help but adore it. I read it so quickly and I still think about it!

Also honorary mention to Rachel's taste in music because homie GETS IT!
Highly HIGHLY recommend this book ✨️

*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review via Netgalley

A five star wholesome love story.

I adore Rachel and Adam, and the friendship and love story they share. I appreciated the author not writing the usual want to be, but can’t be together storyline. Instead of being frustrated by their story, I was rooting for them.

The relationship Rachel has with her Dad was heartwarming and I immediately called my dad after reading the book and told him I love him.

This was my first Juliana Smith novel. I’m on my way to Amazon right now to buy another.

This book was so emotional! When a book can make me cry and feel so many emotions, I will recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. The chemistry between the female main character (FMC) and the male main character (MMC) was so relatable. If the MMC were a real person, I would want him to be mine. I can't wait for the next book. Crew sounds like an amazing character to read about!

For The Record is such a lovely book, which I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. If you’re looking for a grumpy x sunshine romance, friends-to-lovers, and a dual-POV with then and now time periods, you will adore this. I found the writing absolutely great, I was absolutely gripped and finished the book in one sitting! I’m so excited to have read this and can’t wait to read more of Juliana Smith’s books! Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

"For the Record" is a sweet and tender novel about a complicated friendship between Adam and Rachel. It's a clean romance with enough tension to keep things interesting!

My favorite thing about this book is a split timeline. You get the present chapters when they wake up after a wild night in Vegas, in the same bed and married, they decide to stay married for the government benefits and you watch as they try to navigate their new reality. This storyline is interwoven with the "then" chapters, where we learn everything from how they met, their hook-up, their secret friendship and how they relationship progressed thoughout the time to end up in their current situation.

Adam is your typical broody lead. He's a grumpy biker who works in the military, but also has a soft side. Rachel is a sweetheart with a heart of gold, who is the caretaker of her father, who is struggling with the early stages of dementia.

As much as I love the romance, the relationship that truly touched me was that of Rachel and her dad. Watching the man who has raised her and could always count on slowly slipping away to his illness and forgetting the core memories the two of them had together was just so heartbreaking to read.

The story lost me a little by the end. I can't really pinpoint on anything specific. It felt a bit disorganized, but it doesn't take too much away from the overall experience.

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 didn't know the backgrounds of characters. However, this one could be read as a standalone, and I actually enjoyed reading it as a standalone. 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've ever 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 things out and voice everything they were feeling, 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.

The female main character, Rachel Clarke, 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 everyone 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. Still, it's a good kind of pain — it's raw and emotional, but it's how the world is.

Oh 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.

The relationship between Adam and Rachel was so beautifully complimented with the 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 — is 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 points 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.

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 the glimpses of Rachel and Adam through other perspectives.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every book by Juliana Smith, but this one just shot right to first place. Adam and Rachel’s story is so vulnerable and emotional, yet so many fun and silly moments between them as well. I loved the now and then timeline and getting to see them form their friendship, which pretty much took place throughout the previous books in this series. So getting to go back and see flashbacks from the other books was so fun. So many parts left me in tears in the best way possible, and all the hints for Crew’s book have me so excited for the final book! Although it will be a sad day finishing this series!

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.

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.

“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 💝

For the Record
by Juliana Smith
3⭐️

This was a quick and easy read but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. There was a few elements that I really liked but there wasn’t much that I loved. Rachel and Adam are very cute and go from strangers to friends to lovers. I loved how Adam loved Rachel in a sweet and steady way. I also really liked Rachel’s dad Jack and how committed she was to taking care of him. I love love love a good marriage of convenience but for some reason this was not it. I have no issue with closed door spice but this needed more romance because it felt like a weird situationship.

The past/present timeline switched at the end of the every single chapter and it was so distracting because the chapters weren’t very long to begin with. I’m not a fan of this writing style, there’s nothing wrong with it but I just could not connect to anything.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love Juliana’s books and this one is no different. Adam is a quiet, broody, tattooed man who likes to speak in grunts, while Rachel is a ray of sunshine!

This book follows their relationship as it slowly grows and we get a Then/Now format to show us glimpses into how it builds. I don’t normally love a Then/Now format but it definitely works in this one. After they get drunkenly married in Vegas, there’s a bit a mystery to them and I like seeing the glimpses of how their relationship developed in the past.

The ending of this one is totally perfect and totally left me with a smile on my face.

Love this series and the family so much and can’t wait for Crew’s book!

Review to be posted on Instagram on release day.

The way I wish I could read this for the first time again because it was so utterly perfect and sweet and EVERYTHING I hoped for! Rachel and Adam are top-tier romance goals and they stole my heart from chapter one.

I’ve absolutely adored Rachel since we first saw her in the previous books and I’m so excited we got her story! She’s carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders but still manages to be sunshine on a cloudy day.

ADAM. THE BIGGEST SOFTIE OF THEM ALL. He has the quiet kind of love where he isn’t looking for Rachel to acknowledge his affection, he just wants to do things that make her happy to see her smile. I think his personality can be summed up by this (paraphrased) quote: “Where’s my grumpy Adam?” “He left as soon as you got that ring on your finger.”

I feel like I always say “oh this couple is my favorite,” but it’s because Juliana keeps writing the sweetest couples that make me want to squeal with joy. Their relationships are full of all the good and scary parts of falling in love, which makes them feel so special and real. Rachel and Adam somehow managed to be the softest of the bunch and they’re so sunny, the yellow cover is really fitting.

Extra bonus points for “honey” being one of the cute nicknames in the book, because it’s hands down one of my faves (shout out to my husband who calls me honey).

I can’t believe we’re already about to reach the end of the Wells family series, I don’t think I’m ready to say goodbye yet!!!

Thank you to Juliana Smith, Netgalley, and Victory Editing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

God this was such a cute read 💖

For the Record is the fourth in the Wells Family series by Juliana Smith. I haven’t had the chance to read the first three books before reading this, but I most definitely will be adding them to the TBR after reading this one!!

I loved For the Record so much. Harper and Adam were the cutest, I loved their nicknames and their banter. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind accidentally marrying someone either if it was Adam.

For The Record is a light-hearted marriage of convenience story filled with romance, banter, and loveable moments. This was a refreshing read, I flew through it in a day. If you love rom-coms and love, you’ll love this book!!!

For The Record releases on June 22nd!!!

___

Quotes I loved:

“That night alone made me realize that maybe some people were bound to leave you, but the ones who stuck with you were the only ones worth having.”

“It was the kind of kiss that was left open. It had a cliffhanger, like all of my favorite cozy mysteries. One you knew would come back with the most satisfying ending.”

“I wasn’t sure what everything entailed, but I was ready for it.”


This book review has been posted on Instagram and GoodReads (@lemidnightchaptre)