This was such a cute, easy to read feel good romcom. It was like the Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams if Jim and Pam from the office were the main characters!

Friends to lovers really is the elite trope and Julianna did it so well! Layla and Luke’s relationship was so cute and I adored watching them navigate going from being best friends to something more. Luke was such a cinnamon roll hero and I love how much attention he paid to Layla, how well he knew her. The little acts of service really had me swooning! I was really rooting for Luke and Layla and their happy ending was so satisfying!

If you’re looking for a book with lovable characters, lots of funny and cute moments, low conflict/no third act breakup then this is definitely one for you!

Tropes:
- Friends to lovers
- slow burn
- Found family
- Workplace romance

3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

Per My Last Email follows Luke and Layla, coworkers and best friends who are attracted to each other but are both scared to do anything about it. Luke decides to use a work trip to Ocean City to try to move their relationship forward. This is a closed door, (very) slow burn, friends to lovers story.

This book was cute! Not my favorite ever, but the characters were fun, and we got some entertaining side characters as well (looking at you, Nathan). I actually really enjoyed the slow burn of this story! Sometimes I find myself getting impatient with super slow burn stories, but that was not the case for this one! I thought the pacing of the relationship worked, even if it took awhile to see them together. I also loved the dual POV. It’s always nice to hear both sides of the story.

I did find Layla to be a little manic pixie dream girl-ish, especially from Luke’s POV. I also thought the tie-in with the title could have been better. It had the potential to be a really funny part of the story, but it was really only mentioned in the book in passing and not actually used as part of the story.

Overall, I thought the book was a fun, easy read, and I will more than likely read the other books in the series!

I have just finished this book and had to review straight away! I was hooked immediately! It was so cute and fluffy and a great refreshing break from the more serious books I am tandem reading.
Juliana portrayed the characters so well and made me want to be part of Layla, Luke & Nathan's world!
I hope to read more from this author soon!

Funny, clever and adorable! The banter in this and the pranks had me laughing out loud! Hot Sauce Lemonade with a side of Apple Cider Donuts; the start of a beautiful friendship turned romance! ;)
I fell like those who enjoyed The Office would enjoy this friends to lovers office romance. This is a slow burn with lots of pining and sweet gestures. The pop culture references make me love this book even more! It’s a funny rom com! I am excited to see where this series goes and to see more of Nathan, Luke, Layla and the rest of the family. This was an ARC and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

Layla and Luke were the absolute cutest couple! Not only is this a friends-to-lovers romance, but it's also a work place romance. The forbidden love two-folds between their nasty HR lady and their nerves about ruining their friendship.

This book is short enough that the back and forth of the "should we" situations wasn't overly done. I think if there had been another scene though I would've gotten a little bit frustrated. The HEA was so cute and I really enjoyed the development of the characters!

My favorite part of this book are the pop culture references. We get a ton from Star Wars (Luke and Layla come on!) and also from Lord of the Rings (my favorite series of all time!). I LOVED their constant references to their favorite movies and their arguments about these pop culture references. It was so fun to read and I loved picking sides.

3.5 stars for this adorable workplace friends-to-lovers book!

This book had me so giddy as I read it as it felt like I was revisiting my old friends Jim and Pam from The Office! Two young and quirky kids, Layla and Luke, begin their workplace friendship by indulging in small harmless pranks to combat their dull day to day job at a publish company. While neither have plans to stay longterm, they unknowingly stick it out because the thought of going without seeing one another is worst than actually pursing their dream jobs.

From day one, Layla is automatically attracted to Luke. He accidentally spiked Laylas drink with Hot Sauce thinking it was his roommate and fellow coworker Nathan’s. Surprisingly, this delighted Layla and their prank wars started. She unfortunately overheard Luke say to Nathan that Layla “isn’t what he needs” and Layla decides that if he isn’t interested in her that way then they will just be best friends forever.

Flash forward, it’s been three years and Luke and Layla are inseparable. They have become a constant in each others lives and they both harbor deep and unconditional love for one another. Luke realized that he does in fact have more than friend feelings for Layla long ago but her constantly referring to him as her best friend makes him think he’s been permanently friend-zoned. Layla, still thinking Luke isn’t attracted to her goes on meaningless dates with men and calls it quits by the third date every time because none of them are Luke.

There’s an upcoming corporate weeklong training event in Ocean City along with the promise of Luke being promoted at their workplace. Both Luke and Layla separately decide that it’s time to take a leap and see whether or not there is anything romantic between them during the work trip.

There’s endless interference from HR head Janise, who keeps interrupting potential romantic moments that had me shaking my fists at her! The book is peppered with Star Wars jokes, pop culture references, and comedic family text messages. The entire time I was obsessed with how sweet Luke was and how he gave Layla the strength to finally go after her dream of being a published author.

While the book is definitely fluffy and cute with a longgg slow burn and no spicy scenes, I was more intrigued with the banter and self discovery within both main characters. Where the book fell flat for me was in the drawn out week at the work conference. I felt like it was losing its spark and I just wanted the two of them to get together finally! I also wished that there was more information on Luke’s dream of opening his own bar. While they’re only 23/24 in the book, opening a bar of that magnitude and that age with little true experience felt unrealistic. Overall, it was adorable and I did enjoy reading it.

Clean romance girlies — this book is for you! This book was the perfect New Girl x The Office x Lovelight Farms crossover and I absolutely loved it! My only hold up was that the twist at the end seemed a little odd, but overall this book is one of my favorite reads this year.

Thank you to Net Galley and Juliana Smith for the opportunity to read an ARC of Per My Last Email.

Prefacing this review now to say it may be biased because I am a SIMP for friends-to-lover romances. Per My Last Email was my first book by Juliana Smith, and it definitely won't be my last! Luke and Layla tugged at my heartstrings. They had such a great friendship that blossomed into a special romantic relationship. I also love any book that can accurately depict the struggles of women in the workplace, but then Smith also gave us Luke, who stands up for it as well, YAS!

This book gives me Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams vibes, and The Cheat Sheet is one of my all-time favorite comfort books. I can't wait to read more from Juliana Smith!

Per My Last Email by Juliana Smith is a heartwarming novel about two friends, Layla Wright and Luke Wells, who work at a publishing house. Layla thought the job would give her the experience she needed to become a published author, but she's been stuck in the same position for years. Luke hates his job too, but he loves Layla, so he decides to stay at the company to be close to her. When they go on a work trip together, their friendship boundaries are tested, and they have to decide whether to take the leap and pursue their feelings for each other.

This book is a delightful read that will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. The author did a fantastic job creating relatable and likable characters, except for the one HR person who wasn't very kind. The office pranks, inside jokes, flirty banter, and embarrassing family chats made the story even more engaging. The author's inclusion of an office blueprint was a nice touch that helped readers visualize the characters' surroundings. Luke and Layla's friendship was admirable, and their chemistry was palpable. The novel is a great example of how the best relationships are built on friendship.
Overall, Per My Last Email is an enjoyable and entertaining novel that will leave you feeling happy.

I love a good friends-to-lovers workplace romance and this one was soooo cute and just makes your heart happy! I immediately connected with both Layla and Luke and fell in love with their friendship. it definitely supports the idea that you want to marry your best friend- the person who you call immediately when you have both good news and bad news. I also loved that it was dual POV, because I wasn't only limited to what she assumed about his feelings and vice versa. and the fact that they stayed at work for the other person is so precious! I mean I wish that they would talk and bang it out within the first 2 chapters, but I still enjoyed the slowburn. Just what I needed to read after a tough week :)

Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-ARC in return for a very honest review.

I love an office romance - the pining, the tension, the sneaking around! - but unfortunately, all the things that make this setting great are missing from Per My Last Email. The characters are so painfully bland and lack development, their dialogue is cringe-inducing, and the pacing is all over the place. The romance is such a slow burn that it’s barely even a flame, and then it’s all over and done with so quickly it’s like a non-event anyway. The rest of the plot points take a similar journey, all being resolved very quickly with minimal complications or impact on the characters (the disappearance of one of the lead’s brothers is particularly painful). Both main character’s dreams were supposed to be their driving force but were forgotten until the final sliver of book when the romance is resolved and we need something else to think about, and magically both dreams work out even though neither character had really tried for their dreams until the end anyway.

There were also so many passages in this book that left a bitter taste in my mouth - from the monologue about modesty and women’s fashion (because Layla isn’t like Other Girls, she wears full length skirts, though it is conveniently swept over that Layla only started dressing like this because of her skeevy boss), to the inevitable wardrobe change that makes Luke lose his mind because he can see her legs for the first time, to the joke that Layla is the only woman with a brain working with the two male leads yet is conveniently reduced to the coffee girl, to Luke’s weird possessiveness over Layla and jealousy over her interactions with and attention received from other guys. Perhaps most discomforting is the use of ‘little one’ as a platonic pet name in a professional setting, a phrase so infantilising, condescending and patronising that I can’t imagine anyone could think it’s cute OR that they weren’t sent to HR sooner. The fact we’re supposed to think they didn’t know they were in love when they both leaned in to a platonic nickname like that is laughable, much like the rest of the book. Also Luke not knowing common idioms was incredibly frustrating and not endearing in the slightest, which I think was the point, but also just makes no sense given we’re supposed to think he’s highly educated, charming and everyone wants to promote and invest in him. It also makes no sense that two self proclaimed nerds who have been besties for three years haven’t talked about Han getting shot before their first date. It just wouldn’t happen!

I loved this book. It bordered on a miscommunication trope (not telling each other that you love them when everyone else around you can see the heart eyes you have for each other) but it is the only version of the trope I can dig. Best friends to lovers, this sweet romance had it all. The banter, the wit, I want to be friends with these two main characters. Add in the third best friend who the next book will be about? I’m all in.

Layla and Luke (yes, you Star Wars fans. They are fans too) met at work. And after working side by side for 3 years, they are best friends. They know everything about each other. From how they take their coffee, to how their eyes twinkle when they laugh. Everyone thinks that about their best friend, right?! When a corporate retreat puts them in a vacationish type setting, will they finally make a move?

Workplace romcom?! Say less. This was a fun quirky romcom. I loved the office vibes, the star wars comments. The no third act breakup. The FMC becoming an author and having her debut novella released was so cute.

I do feel like there were so weird edits that's were missed throughout the last third of the book. I also think we could have had a little more about why they couldn't confess their feelings to one another. It seemed like two grown adults would have done so sooner than they did if it was just because they were good friends.

Thanks to Netgalley for being kind enough to approve me an e-ARC copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I absolutely devoured this book! It’s such a cute and fast paced romantic comedy that all would enjoy! I laughed every chapter, the sparks between Layla and Luke had me swooning every second! I could not get enough of these two! The story is so fun and light-hearted with unique plot devices and my favorite tropes to keep the story flowing seamlessly! This is definitely a new favorite of mine. The way these two were pining for each other for 3 years, the meet-cute, the work trip, it was all spectacular! I was so so giddy reading this book and I still couldn’t get enough. I would absolutely reread this a thousand times because I loved the characters and it felt like watching a comfort movie or show. Something so magical while reading to pull you out of reality for a while. 10 million stars and another amazing read from Juliana! Be sure to check it out on KU now!!

Thank you to Juliana Smith and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this amazing read!

This was a cute but very predictable romance book. Office romance books are a little weird to me though. So I did get a bit of a cringy vibe sometimes. But overall I liked the story.

This was an... interesting read. I had fun and I was very invested in it, but the more I think about it, the more things I realize I didn't like about it.

Things I liked:
- Adorable friends-to-lovers
- Workplace setting
-Nathan
-Star Wars references
-Chemistry between the characters

Things I didn't like:
-Lots of details seemed missing or inconsistent
-The pacing didn't make a ton of sense
-The little one' nickname
-Character development was weird

Such a cozy, sweet, feel-good rom-com. It had The Office vibes but with characters that were cooler and nerdier, and jokes that were more clever and endearing. I loved this slow burn that included pining between the two most adorable best friends who work together and are the only reason they enjoy going to work every day. They are in love with each other but afraid to ruin their beautiful friendship by trying to change the nature of their relationship. It was a light read with humor and fun pop culture references that had me hooked the entire time and rooting for Luke and Layla at every page.

This slow burn, office romance, friends-to-lovers was such a quick and adorable book!
I loved Layla, Luke & Nathan. Their pranks at work were fun. This is my second from the author Juliana Smith and she became an auto buy author for me instantly.

This was cute story of two friends who are madly in love with each other. The main characters of the story were adorable and the dual POV made it fun to read and I finished it in a day. Also, I am glad that it did not have a 3rd act break-up.
While this was an easy read, I was just expecting more drama and more tension between the characters. And the story wasn't memorable enough. I needed more back story of Layla and Luke and something more on why they were so scared to confess their true feelings.(You know?)
Thanks to Netgalley for being kind enough to approve me an e-ARC copy of this book in exchange of an honest review

The love story of Luke and Layla was a slow burn but oh such a rollercoaster of witty banter, forced proximity, beautiful friendship, angst, and a best friends to lovers love story! I especially LOVED all the Star Wars references and their combined love for Star Wars 😍

Juliana Smith knows how to write love stories! I read Baggage Claim last December and fell in love with her story telling. I can’t wait to read more from Juliana!

If you love
📧 best friends to lovers
📧 workplace romance
📧Star Wars references
📧forced proximity
📧hilarious banter/pranks
📧slow burn

This story of love between Luke and Layla is right up your reading alley!