Member Reviews
I am so glad that I requested this book from NetGalley.
This was such a cosy, romance.
It was so well written, a slow burn but not frustrating.
The characters were so well written, I loved that they bonded over nerdy stuff.
I couldn’t put the book down, i read it all in one sitting.
I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and find out more about the other characters.
This was an ok read, but I must admit, I found the characters rather juvenile. I get that they had a jokey friendship, but the whole feel of them and their relationship felt like I was reading a book aimed at young teens. That being said, the positives are there are no sex scenes, and if it was a movie, it would only have a PG rating, so it would do really well for the YA audience
4/4.5⭐️ this book was so much fun to read. I caught myself smiling, laughing and blushing the entire time while reading which doesn’t happen that often. I loved every single character well except Chad, Katie and Janise obliviously. When I found out that this book is the first book in the Wells family I was thrilled. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series and I will definitely check out the other books from Juliana aswell!!!
Ps: where can I find someone like Luke? Asking for a friend
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
this is such a cute & funny story! it is a (very) slow burn that focuses more on friendship & pursuing our dreams, showing how good solid friendships make the best love
Layla & Luke are such a cute couple! I love friends to lovers stories, & this one is focused so much on their best friendship that has developed over the years, with plenty of mutual pining (my catnip 🥰). I loved seeing Layla come out of her shell & writers block, finally being able to pursue her dreams of being an author, and how Luke is so supportive & wants to do anything he can to make Layla happy & be with her. when they finally get together, it is so special & lovely, they danced around each other so much it was so satisfying.
I also loved the friendship with Nathan, poor third wheel & prank victim, but sweet, dorky, & love-horny third friend of the group and I can’t wait to read his & Calla’s story!
the setting of the work trip being Ocean City, MD is cool bc I grew up in MD & totally gave Layla’s childhood nostalgia of Ocean City & all its fun (even if it’s not my fav beach, it’s so fun for kids) :)
Thank you for the ARC!!!
This book was so sweet!! I've read Baggage Claim by this author and devoured it in five seconds and this one was the same way. The way she writes her characters is so easy to read and relate to.
While Friends to Lovers is not my favorite trope, I really enjoyed the extreme pining that Luke and Layla had going on (honestly him more than her which is always a treat). I kind of expected there to be a bit more spice but it was super slow burn because neither character wanted to mess up their friendship with anything romantic.
I will definitely be reading the next book about Calla and Nathan and loved the teaser chapter thrown in at the end!
3.5 rounded up
“The Office”, friends-to-lovers, and the beach! How could this story get any better?! The romance was so charming, full of pining. The banter and humor were amazing; I mean can we talk about the pranks! I loved that an office floor plan was included at the beginning of the book. I like workplace romances, and this one stands out as something unique with a fresh take on it. I really enjoyed this one and I can’t wait to see the rest of the Wells Family fall in love through this series!
Thank you so much Juliana Smith and NetGalley for this arc!!
I am just going to say do yourself as a reader a favor, block out a couple of hours and truly settle down with this great book.
👏 👏 👏 A masterpiece in friends to lovers. I just loved Layla and Luke. It was so fun waiting on these two idiots figuring it out. There was something so refreshing about this - although it was friends to lovers, it felt different. I enjoyed the prologue that clearly established the misunderstanding that prevents their relationship, and I thought - well, he’ll take his time getting there, he’ll later have the “I’m into her” epiphany. But no, when we start 3 years later they have an established and hilarious friendship with both MCs equally infatuated with each other but reasonably unable to do anything about it. I like that the angst and obstacle wasn’t ridiculous like in other romances. It seemed reasonable and realistic to me - Layla fancied Luke on meeting him, Layla heard him say she was the last thing he needed and was disappointed but decided to make the best of it and become his friend. She works hard on this friendship and because of what she overheard, always stresses that it is a friendship, firmly and unknowingly putting and keeping Luke in the friend zone. Meanwhile he properly starts crushing on her pretty much a day after the overheard conversation, and pines for her unable to do anything about it as she has made sure they’re such good friends. I get where they’re both coming from and why they ended up there, which makes the whole thing more enjoyable and the characters so likeable. Their romance, as it eventually develops, is so sweet 🥰 Although this is a pretty clean read, it’ll still make you swoon.
I LOVED Luke’s family and am beyond excited that this is the start of a new series featuring them. Cannot wait for Calla’s story and to hopefully get more of Luke and Layla.
𝗣𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗯𝘆 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵
The quickest way to win me over in a book is making me literally LOL. This book had me rolling from the very first chapter.
I loved reading about Luke and Layla. They are so fully obsessed with each other and everyone is their lives is well aware of it (And do their very best to meddle). I loved their banter, their pranks, and all of the sweet moments in between.
This was a VERY slow burn…almost too slow in my opinion. Luckily this book has an amazing cast of side characters and a found family that makes it all worth while!
I loved buddy reading this with my friends @honeybee.reads and @hayleysbookrealm ❤️
🌟🌟🌟🌟
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯
Thank you to @netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review
"𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒋𝒐𝒃, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝑳𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒂"
ARC Review:
hi, hello, this book is a toasty warm cinnamon roll workplace, slow burn, best friends to lovers romance and the boost of serotonin I have from it is amazing. Bestie Juliana cannot let me down.
Friends to lovers is not my favourite, HOWEVER what I am realizing is that when the main characters are as nerdy as I am then I'm obsessed.
Luke and Layla are everything. They're both so fruit caking sweet and whilst they are both mutually pining for one another, Luke Wells is head of heels in love with Layla. Their inside jokes, the pranks, their love for Star Wars; the way he will do anything for her is just stunning. They really are twin souls and I love them.
I will say if you don't like miscommunication you probably won't enjoy it as much, but it's truly such an innocent thing between them that I just loved their story.
I cannot wait to read about the rest of the Wells family. This series is definitely going to be one of my favourites for sure.
Thank you NetGalley and Juliana Smith for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was such a cute story between Layla and Luke. I was truly invested in their story from the beginning. This book was honestly hilarious, the snarky comebacks, the pranks, the inside jokes and the family group chats. I laughed out loud many times during this book. It was a bit of too much of a slow burn for me, where I was getting really excited to see their romance happen.
I loved Juliana's writing it was simple, easy to follow. The multiple POV's between Luke and Layla were perfect. The story had a great pace and kept me engaged.
I loved Layla and Luke together, they are honestly so adorable. The pranks they play on each other, the sarcasm and Luke's inability to get an expression correctly had me chuckling all along. They gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings and are totally swoon worthy together. I was getting so angry that something was always preventing them from expressing their feelings to one another. I just wanted them to be together, stop wasting time!
If you're looking for a super cute, best friend to lovers, slow burn romance sprinkled with pranks and sarcasm look no further !
I enjoyed this book so much!! it was adorable. it was true best friends to lovers excellence. I love the pining and sweet soft bonding moments and knowing each other fully. luke is such a sweetheart and i loved that layla wanted to be an author. I thought that was a nice detail. this was just such a sweet comforting book. I will definitely read more from juliana.
I'm also so excited that nathan is going to have a book because I ADORE him. Also best friends brother like.... sign me tf up
Definitely read this if you love best friends to lovers, slowburn, workplace romance and fun pranks.
Thank you Victory Editing, NetGalley and Juliana Smith for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Per My Last Email had me grinning and laughing from start to finish. The office romance trope worked perfectly for this friends to lovers story. Luke and Layla were the absolute cutest and the way they showed their love for each other even as best friends was swoonworthy. I loved the pop culture and popular literary references (ACOTAR, Star Wars, Ice Planet Barbarians, Game of Thrones, to name a few)- in the words of Captain America.. "I understood that reference!".
Nathan and Rachel were top notch secondary characters. The way they worked to give Luke and Layla the push they needed both to pursue their dreams and each other made me want them each as best friends. I want a Nathan book asap. I didn't fully understand the drama with Katie, but that's life.
I look forward to more from Juliana Smith and learning more about the Wells family!
This was a super cute and quick read. The characters are funny, witty and charming. The story line was perfect and I loved the best friends to lovers trope. This is my first workplace lovers book and it definitely did not disappoint. This is book 1 in a new series that Julianna is working on and I am so excited to read about the other Wells siblings! Be sure to add this to your TBR! It releases May 6th! ❤️
I love love love Layla and Luke! This probably the sweetest slow burn ever. Luke and Layla have the most playful and fun friendship and I enjoyed how their relationship evolved so much. L&L are incredibly likable and relatable. There is something so special about Juliana’s writing that gives you all the warm fuzzy feelings and steam you need for the perfect closed door romance. Not only do you fall in love with the MCS the side characters are full of personality and fun. Full of swoon worthy moments, snarky comebacks, pranks, stolen touches, hilarious family group chats and laugh out loud moments this is definitely a must read! I’m so excited for the rest of this series!
Read if you like |
Friends to lovers
Slow burn
Found family & fun side characters
The Office
Pranks and Sarcasm
Don’t mind me… I’m just screaming from the rooftops about how much I LOVED this book.
Luke and Layla melted my heart a million times over. The constant back and forth, tip-toeing around each other harboring intense love for the other but to afraid to tell them in fear of losing their friendship. Luke paying attention the the small details, like keeping Layla’s favorite snacks in his desk drawer. Layla’s fierce determination that Luke would be her best friend regardless of what she heard him tell Nathan that first day.
This book made my heart swell 3 sizes. I felt so much love and grew attached to so many characters… except for Janise. Boo Janise. But also boo Chad and EXTRA boo Katie. 😂 Luke’s family with all their love and support for both Luke and Layla together and separately made me want to hug them all. Mama B and he precious coconut cake. Liam’s drive to support Luke’s dreams. Calla and Marigold’s friendship with Layla. Crew just being Crew. Adam showing up when it mattered. Ugh, just perfection. Absolute perfection.
I laughed. I cried… happy tears of course. I grinned from ear to ear. I cheered Layla on when she told Janise two incredible words. I screamed “Hallelujah!” at the top of my lungs when Luke finally JUMPED.
Julianna, what a CHEF’S KISS of a novel. Hilarious. Beautiful. Wonderful. Magical. Perfect. You are a rockstar for this one.
Please, please read this novel. Especially if you’re a fan of:
-Friends to Lovers (especially friends that are so cute it hurts)
-Nerds
-The Office (Major Jim & Pam vibes)
-Laughing
-loudly saying “Aww” every 5 minutes
-Rom-Com
-being happy
-quick reads
(Note: review will be posted to Amazon on Pub Date. May 06, 2023 and Instagram review will be posted on Thursday April 13, 2023 with an additional post on publication day.)
Thank you so much Victory Editing and Juliana Smith for this amazing opportunity to review “Per my last Email.”
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own.
This was such a fun and fast pace romance novel. I absolutely loved Layla and Luke. I love the friends to lovers trope so dang much. Their friendship was so adorable and when they finally got together, my heart just melted.
This book was funny, romantic, slow-burning, and just an all around great read. The characters were great and relatable. I’m super excited for the next in this series. While reading I was hoping that Nathan would get a spin off and he is! The only complaint I have is that I wish this book was longer because I really just love Luke and Layla.
5 stars!
If you’re looking for a book with office romance, best friends to lovers and filled with miscommunication, this is it. And let me explain… two people who work together and are obviously in love with each other but because she overheard him saying he wasn’t looking to have anything with her, they only stay friends. Best friends. For years.
It’s not like it’s a bad story, it’s actually quite enjoyable and they’re so dorky and cute but the entire miscommunication ruined a bit the reading experience for me. We’re not talking about teenagers… They’re adults who are doing all the talk except the important one.
While all this is happening, they have this sort of claim for each other, which is a bit odd. “My Layla” “my Luke” and somewhat being in the middle of people interested in the other… The friends trying to set them up are the smartest people in the book.
However, their relationship is quite funny. They have their own world and are very cute together so despite all the things that I didn’t like, there were also a lot of moments that I enjoyed. I mean, how could I not like a book with so many Star Wars references?
The office romance I didn't know I needed in my life!! A for sure need to read if you love (or even just like) Jim and Pam from The Office.
This book has so many of my favorite things - friends to lovers, great banter, found family, mostly closed door - and I loved it so much. My first read by Juliana Smith and I truly can't wait to read more.
Read if you like:
-the office
-friends to lovers
-found family
-family group texts
-closed door/fade to black
[4.25⭐️]
I was so happy when I got approved by NetGalley for this eARC!! I loved Juliana Smith previous book and I immediately fell in love with this one too!
I love her writing style, her books are so very easy to read and are wickedly funny! They’re just the perfect combination of humor and romance. And Per My Last Email is no exception!
When I read the part where they held pinkies I knew I was already in love with the couple, they’re just the cutest 🥹
Now I desperately need a Luke in my life!! 😩