This was my first book by Juliana Smith, and I just love this family. Adam & Rachel’s story was a combination of grumpy/sunshine, friends to lovers, age gap & marriage of convenience – and I loved it! Chef’s kiss!

Stars: 5/5
Spice: 0/5 (Closed-Door)

Adam wakes up in Vegas, married – to his best friend, Rachel. And they’re expected downstairs to meet their friends and family for brunch, even though they don’t know how they feel about this marriage or what they plan to do about it.

I absolutely loved everything about this story! The way this story is structured takes the reader on a journey with a now & then timeline, giving you glimpses along the way of secrets that only Adam & Rachel know. The way they met. The fact that they’re actually best friends. The little ways they show up for each other. I’ve learned that I’m a sucker for a now & then timeline, and books like this are the reason why. I will definitely be going back and reading the rest of this series. Highly recommend!

CW: Dementia

grumpyxsunshine, tattooed, biker hero, marriarge of convenience, and HE FALLS FIRST??? this was made just for me

i adored this (aside from the closed door!) even though the tension was palpable through the pages. it was simmering and hot and jesus lord with adam setting off my fire alarm!! rachel was also so fiery and fun and sassy and i loved her!!!

i will def be reading the other books of the series!!

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!!!!!

✨ARC Review✨

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for For the Record by Juliana Smith

I adored this story so much! Adam is the kind of MMC I love, all grumpy and broody with everyone but he has a soft spot for her...*swoons*

He's the grumpy to Rachel's sunshine, and they just fit together so well; she's funny and kind and passionate, messy and super girlie, while Adam is serious and level-headed, with a gentle soul and a reserved personality. They complement each other so well, and the dual timeline aspect of this story made it even better!

I loved that we started the morning after their wedding, simultaneously following the story after their wedding and the events that led to the actual wedding (and them falling in love in the process). Speaking of love, Adam is such a goner for her, he falls first and hard and I was here for it!

I read this as a standalone, but I will definitely go back and read the rest of the interconnected series, as I want to read all of the other characters's stories too, I loved the glimpses of them we get in this one!

This was adorable and swoony and funny, a perfect light-hearted romcom for summer!

Thank you to @netgalley and @victoryeditinggngc for a copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
This review has also been posted to my bookstagram @the.bookish.spot as of today.

for the record by juliana smith

if you love a fun lighthearted rom com and sourdough bread, this book is for you💗🤭

* dual pov
* age gap
* marriage of convenience
* friends to lovers
* grumpy x sunshine
* dual timeline
* he falls first
* found family
* closed door romance
* playlist and songs per chapter
* she steals his clothes
* nicknames

i mean, that list⤴️😮‍💨 what more could you ask for?

this was my first read from juliana, and the fact it was part of a series (and can be read as a stand-alone) does not help my tbr because not only will i be grabbing this one once released - but also the 3 books before this one, and more to come🫠

rachel is a sassy, high maintenance blonde fmc who isn’t afraid of what she wants, and creates playlists for every occasion and emotion🎵
then there’s adam, a broody, quiet, grumpy tattooed biker mmc (secret cinnamon roll) who accidentally wake up finding themselves married…in vegas💍

instead of divorcing like you’d expect, they try and make it work and decide to live together ‘as friends’ - a marriage of convenience for the extra financial help🤭 what could go wrong??

nothing is in their way, except a big secret adam is planning to tell her but also avoiding…as he doesn’t want to lose her, or the pasta dishes she keeps making him🤭🍝

i loved the fact that even though this was a closed door romance, you could literally feel the heat between them both😍

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

is this one on your radar yet?? if not i hope it is now!!🗓️

release date: june 22

thank you to netgalley and juliana smith for an early copy in return for my review!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Juliana for the early review copy.

When Rachel accidentally marries her best friend in Vegas, they decide that instead of getting an annulment, they should reap the healthcare benefits of Adam’s military. Their no-strings-attached marriage should be easy but the more Adam plays the doting husband, the harder it is for Rachel to stay detached, until secrets come to the surface.

While dual timeline not usually my jam, I've read this whole series so I didn't want to miss out on this one! Adam & Rachel met before they knew that her best friend is dating his brother and they’ve liked each other for such a long time but their timing has never worked out. This is the fourth book in the Wells Family series and this one might be my new favourite. There is one more sibling left so I can’t wait to see what happens in Crew’s book to finish off the series.

"Never again did I want to be just friends with Rachel Clarke."

Rom com
Dual POV
Dual Timeline
Friends to lovers
Grumpy x sunshine
Found family
Tattooed MMC
Closed door romance
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This book has 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 to 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. I was giggling reading through this whole book❤️, but it also had some deep emotinal bits. And did I mention the killer Playlist? Hit after hit!🎵

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. 🫶

Thanks to Net Galley and Victory Editing for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

A quiet, broody, tattoo'd man who calls her "honey"? Sign me up. I really enjoyed this marriage of convenience story with Rachel and Adam. I normally don't love flashback scenes, but I felt like these scenes really added to the story and revealed more about the characters. I enjoyed this book was more character-based than plot-based and thought it was done very well. I loved all the quiet Adam and loud Rachel moments because I feel like it revealed so much about them individually and as a couple. I loved Rachel and could relate to her so much. She felt like a more outgoing version of me and I adored her girliness and bows. Her tendency to clutter and overpack made me feel seen.

Since Rachel has that fear of people leaving, I wish it was explored a bit more as a concept, especially since Adam is in the military and could get hurt at any moment. They never really had those conversations, which I think could have added depth to Rachel's character. I also wish we would have learned a bit more about Adam and why he is the way he is (I get people are born quiet, etc. but what makes Adam so introspective? Had he always been that way? What was life like for him before Rachel?). I feel like we sort of just scratched the surface with him and I would have loved to have learned more (is he afraid of losing people? Does he realize how short life is with all he experiences in the military? What made him want to join the military?).

Overall, those things didn't ruin the book for me, but I think it could have added to the story more! I enjoyed Adam and Rachel so much and loved reading their story in the pages. You could feel the tension and longing between the both of them, and I lived for each and every moment. I also loved that it was "clean" but you could feel the heat. It can be hard to get the right balance but it was done great here.

Now off to go find myself an Adam!

I feel like I always start my reviews with a thank you because I’m always so excited to read new books and find new authors to gush over! For The Record absolutely captivated me and I had a hard time putting it down until ultimately finishing it. I’ve noticed with time my least favorite trope is friends to lovers, but this book did it so well, and I’m obsessed with Adam and Rachel. Their dynamic was so organic and I loved the way they fit together as friends and later on as a couple. I lived for their banter and I thought it was so funny with the age gap, how Rachel would make sly remarks about his age which reminded me of my husband and I. I absolutely adored this book, this is the first book of Juliana Smith that I picked up and it definitely won’t be the last! Another thing I’ve realized is that I tend to gravitate towards spicy books because sometimes romance books get repetitive or I need something that holds my attention. That being said this book had 0 spice and I ATE it up. I lived for any moment they kissed, like I love me a good slow burn and I just loved reading about Past Adam & Rachel and current them, like watching them grow together was EVERYTHING. I loved the dual POV, the dual timeline, I think that really solidified their friendship/relationship for me because a lot of the time I’ll have friends to lovers and it feels like I’m being told about their friendship and how they ended up developing feelings for one another and not witnessing it on paper, but For The Record did it so well!!! I could probably rave about this book nonstop but I’m just super glad that I was approved for this ARC and now I found a new author that I’ll be reading her entire backlog now! I've posted a review on my bookstagram (icrywhileiread) on June 11th, I've posted my review on my booktok (@cryingwhileiread) after posting this (June 17th) and will be posting this review on my Goodreads as well. Loved this book!!! Thank you again for the opportunity!

I jumped into this realizing it was part of a longer series but didn’t expect to immediately want to read all of the other stories. This hit every single one of my rom com favorite tropes with an added bonus of an incredibly well rounded family/friend supporting cast. I laughed, I cried, and immediately wanted more. Excellent quick read!

A sweet, confusing romance. Friends or more? This was my first experience with this series. The switching between now and then was a tad confusing now and then. I did have to keep reading until they finally reached their happily ever after. No matter how convoluted the journey. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Friends to lovers, he falls first, grumpy sunshine, super slow burn. What more could you ask for?

After finding out that the record store she works at might be sold, Rachel goes to the bar to have a drink and meets Adam. They have one night together that turns into four years of friendship.

Adam is the silent type and has been in love with Rachel for most of their friendship. So when they are in Las Vegas and she waits she wants to get married he says why not.

This was such a cute book. I really Enjoyed how the chapters switched between then and now. You get to learn how their friendship built at the same time as the beginning of their marriage.

Adam is the perfect book boyfriend. This is my first Julianna Smith book but it will not be my last. Excuse me while I bing the rest of this series and patiently wait for Crew’s book.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory editing for this title in exchange for my very honest review.

This being the first book I’ve read in this series and written by this author, it did not disappoint! I was rooting for them from the very beginning. I loved the dual POV and flashbacks. Their friendship naturally developed into much more even if their circumstances were a bit unconventional. Adam exudes grumpy energy, but also golden retriever energy for Rachel. It was a sweet, fun, and easy read. I will definitely be checking out future releases by this author!

Goodreads review is live. Instagram review will be live 24Jun2024.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adam Wells & Rachel Clarke
- marriage of convenience, Vegas style
- Second chance sorta
- Friends to lovers
- Grump & sunshine
- Funny meetcute
- Then & now chapters (like flashbacks and current happenings)
- Broody, quiet, military, tattooed, biker, secret teddy bear MMC
- Sassy, witty, ball of energy, messy, high maintenance FMC
- Myrtle 😂🤭 I can’t just. Read this book for Myrtle & her daddy 😉😂
- She cooks for him
- Playlist for the book & songs per chapter & music throughout the book
- The sweetest dad & daughter relationship 🥹 (her dad has dementia & she cares for him)
- She steals his clothes
- Nicknames 💕

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book 4 in the Wells Family Series - I’m obsessed with music. So when I saw the playlist for this book and how music was such a big part of the book, I was an ecstatic. Like Rachel, I have a playlist for every mood and many situations.

Rachel is a sassy blonde who knows who she is and what she wants. She’s not afraid to say something off the wall just to get Adam to smile. Adam is a grump with a secret soft middle; he didn’t even know he had until he met Rachel. He just felt drawn to her one day and she couldn’t be more grateful that he took a chance. I love how Rachel doesn’t push Adam to be something he’s not. She meets him where he is and appreciates his quiet steadiness. They are respectful of one another and compliment each other so well. Adam is so so patient with Rachel being high maintenance, and pushes her to see all that she’s capable of. He’s so freaking thoughtful. I wish he gave himself more credit 😭🫶🏻 that ending in the record store are you kidding me?!

There is some miscommunication and things left unsaid because of fear. Adam has some character development I loved to see 💕 and thankfully, they worked through the miscommunication 🥹 and get a beautiful HEA.

I’m obsessed with this book and I can’t wait to go back and read more of the Wells Family Series.

This is a closed door romcom. There is discussions of hooking up, a little innuendo, and some infrequent cursing.

Note: I didn’t pick songs for this book because Juliana already picked the most perfect songs for Adam & Rachel 💕

**Thank you so much to Juliana for letting me read this ARC via Netgalley**

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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (yes I know that is 6 stars and I meant it)

I’m writing this review at 1 in the morning because this was truly one of the best books I have ever read, easily my best read of 2024 so far, and unputdownable. There is nothing I love more than a grumbly man who is soft for his woman🥹. The emotion this author is able to evoke IN A ROM COM is amazing, I cried multiple times, and had to pause to squeal and kick my feet after almost every chapter🥲🥰. I haven’t read the previous books in this series but they are immediately being added to my TBR. All of the characters are perfect, and deep, and meaningful (other than Rachel’s sister & mom who I wish were expanded on a bit more, but they’re not that important). I seriously am raking through my brain to find any reason you shouldn’t read and I’m finding nothing, add this to your TBR!!!

After pulling a Ross and Rachel and getting married in Vegas, Rachel and Adam decide to stay married for his military benefits, despite never actually being together prior to, even though parts of their relationship begs to differ. Adam leans into the doting husband role, and Rachel can see a future with him that is less of a dream, and more of a reality. But Adam has a big secret he needs to tell her, if only he can find the time.

I am loving this series, and I love that grumpy Adam Wells and sunshine-y Rachel get their own book! This is definitely one of the sweetest romances I think I've ever read.

Rachel has a gigantic heart and is always delightful, despite her father's ailing capacity and a stack of troubles of her own. Mr Grumpy Wells shows a whole new side of himself around Rachel; a one that is sweet and full of vulnerabilities. He even has his "my wife" moment. 🥹

For you if you love:

🎶 Grumpy x sunshine
💛 Marriage of convenience
🎶 Friends to lovers
💛 Pining and slow burn

I can't wait for Crew's book next!! I have read e-arcs of this whole series and I can't believe it's almost over. Thank you to Juliana Smith for an e-arc of For the Record, all opinions are my own!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an arc copy to read and review. All thoughts are my own.

I have seriously loved every book in this little series but this one is my absolute favorite. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been a part of a military family and so it spoke close to home or what, but man I really loved this one.

I think Adam and Rachel are seriously the cutest couple and I just honestly wanted this book to be longer because I never tired of them. This book is super fast pace and I read it all in one sitting. I just simply couldn’t put it down.

If you want a mushy love story then this is the perfect book for you. I ate it up.

5 stars!

This book was sweet and fun to read, as I previously have enjoyed the books in the Wells Family series, I expected to immediately fall back in love with these characters. But unfortunately that did not happen, somehow Adam’s character was too much of a closed-off “grump” for my liking. The undefined friendship over the course of what, four years, wasn’t something I enjoyed. Aside from this, I liked Rachel and her relationship with her father and how much she cares for him, the representation of his mental health condition was good, I liked how this was able to affect family dynamics and how they overcame it. I wish there had been more friendship and family scenes from Adam’s side of the family. To me, this story felt a bit rushed and dare I say, the tiniest bit disorganized. I’m still grateful to have had the opportunity to read it in advance, can’t wait to read Juliana Smith’s future stories!

This is my favorite Wells Family romance so far! Rachel and Adam have such an interesting start to their friendship. The way they connected as strangers and then found out they were connected through friends was unique, especially when they choose to keep their first meeting private from their friends. I loved the balance of “Then” and “Now” as well as the dual perspective in the storytelling. I kept wanting to know more as the book progressed and the ending was so sweet that I had happy tears. This is such a lovely and fun closed-door romance that has such a gentle way of building a genuine romantic chemistry between Rachel and Adam. 4.5⭐️, 1🌶