This was a feel-good, friends-to-lovers, office romance and the characters were all so fun and relatable! Luke and Layla were so cute and I loved their banter and friendship. There was a found family aspect in that Luke's family loves Layla as if she was one of their own and her own family, while not bad people, are just not as attentive to her. The side characters were a lot of fun, especially Nathan, Rachel, and Luke's family. This was a fun, fast read! Thanks to Juliana and NetGalley for the ARC!

Stuck in a friendzone? This book might give you ideas on how to crawl out of it. 😉

Layla Wright was an admin at West Oak Publishing and dreamed of becoming a published author. Luke Wells was stuck in a dead-end job but the one thing he did not want to lose was Layla. They had been best friends for years but Luke wanted more. When Luke found out that he was up for a promotion, he had to decide if Layla was worth staying for. A seaside work conference shook things up and boundaries got crossed, leaving them wondering if there was more to their friendship than they thought.

If you are looking for a sweet, heartwarming story about two best friends falling in love, this book is definitely for you. From the very beginning, I felt the chemistry between Layla and Luke and it was not impossible not to root for them to end up together.

Juliana Smith did an excellent job writing the story about how the main characters built their friendship over time, so when they finally realized that they did not want to be stuck in the friendzone any longer, it created a tension between Layla and Luke which felt natural. The characters’ journey from friends to lovers was filled with ups and downs, and hilarious moments in between which made it impossible not to be emotionally invested in the story.

The characters themselves were both likable and relatable, and it was inspiring to see Layla and Luke grew and change in meaningful ways as they navigate their new relationship. Other characters were remarkable , too, making me look forward to other Wells family novels in the future.

In addition, the dual POV was effectively used in this novel which gave readers another opportunity to relate with the characters.

Overall, Per My Last Email was a delightful read that will leave readers feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Whether you are a fan of romance novels or just enjoy a good story about friendship and love, this book is definitely worth picking up.

(Review was also posted in Instagram and Goodreads.)

I loved this book so much!!!! A friends to lovers workplace/vacation romance with so many Star Wars references and some Office vibes! It is a slow burn romance, and the friendship between Layla and Luke is adorable. I love how their relationship developed throughout the work conference and learning about the reason why they were in the friend zone in the first place. Luke's family is a great addition to the story, and I can't wait to read the next book coming out in Fall 2023!

Every time Layla called Luke "Skywalker" or they mentioned Anakin, I was squealing in happiness! Their banter and pranks with each other and Nathan reminded me of the early seasons in The Office. Luke is a cinnamon roll and remembers every little detail about Layla, like keeping her favorite snacks in his desk. Layla is a strong FMC and deserves all of the happiness in the world.

I was smiling throughout the entire book! It is a sweet and light rom-com that I think anyone could read and hopefully enjoy.

Layla Wright started her job at West Oak Publishing thinking she would be learning the ins and outs of the industry and eventually write and publish her own hovel, but after years of staying in the same position, she's unsure how to break out of routine and chase her dreams. Luke Wells has stayed at a dead-end position for far too long, but the bonus is he works alongside his best friend: Layla. He may hate his job as much as she does, but he can't fathom not being with her all day, every day. When Luke finds himself up for a promotion, he has to decide how far he's willing to go to stay close to Layla. With his own dreams of running a bar, is Layla really worth sticking around at the company for? A work conference in a coastal town is just what they need to shake things up and break them out of their friend-zone bubble. Will they finally be brave enough to go for what they want or will they return home without anything changing?

If you're looking for your next office romance, best friends to lovers, and tons of miscommunication - this book is for you. It's clear these two are head over heels in love for each other, but a passing comment Luke made on his first day at the office to their friend Nathan THREE FREAKING YEARS AGO stops Layla from ever thinking he's interested. Their friendship is adorable and dorky, filled with sly glances, small touches, sweet moments, deep conversations, and pet names for each other which should be the only confirmation both of them need that the other is interested, but I guess we can't all be forward. Shoutout to Nathan though for being the most loveable and hilarious third wheel, he was an amazing addition to the story! The miscommunication and not sharing their true feelings for as long as they didn't is really my main gripe with the book - that and them finally declaring their feelings for each other and then BOOM 6 months later.

This was my first Juliana Smith book, and I absolutely loved her writing and the way she painted the picture of each scene through the dialogue and all the small details, I'll definitely be checking out more by her! Thank you for the opportunity to read the arc of Per My Last Email in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVED IT!

Layla and Luke were adorable! I truly enjoyed the slow burn of their friendship turning into a relationship. From their meet cute to their banter, I loved every second. I liked seeing them walk around each other afraid of ruining their friendship, showed how much they care about each other. My heart went through all the emotions which made me love this book even. Juliana's writing style and way to tell a story are both beautiful!


𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀:
- Slow Burn
- Found Family
- Friends to Lovers
- Workplace Romance

𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲: Special thanks to Juliana Smith for providing me an ARC copy to share my honest review.

"𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒇𝒖𝒏, 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅."

I loved this book sooo much! I had the best time reading about Layla and Luke. Their friendship was just EVERYTHING one could ask for. They had the best meet cute - which actually happened by accident when Luke joined as an intern to West Oak Publications but what followed was a whole reign of pranks, jokes and sarcasm ❤️

This book was filled with "laugh out loud" moments, witty banter, heartwarming actions of love and kindness, and by the end of the book, my heart is swollen with the warm mushy feels and I have the biggest smile pasted on my face 💖

"𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏, 𝑳𝒂𝒚."

It also is the slowest of slow burn ❤️‍🔥 but I didn't mind it much because we could still see the friendship blooming even more through the pages and I really enjoyed it. The way these two supported each other in their own interests, yet not being pushy about it... being there for each other...
Just. Adorable.

The book elevated for me even more when we get to the laser tag scene and then the beach scene!!! Oh My God!! It was sooo much fun! I'm going to read that chapter over and over 🥰
Plus, this book had the cutest illustrations at the beginning of every chapter and I had no idea that I could love such a small detail so much!

You will really enjoy this book if you like:
🍩Friends to lovers
🍩Work place romance
🍩Found family
🍩Slow burn
🍩Dual POV
🍩Fun side characters

I also LOVED Nathan (he is so precious!!) and his story is going to be the next one in the series!! I can't wait for Fall 2023 to come along 🥰

Thanks to NetGalley, Juliana Smith, and Victory Editing for the e-ARC of this book in exchange of my honest review.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Per my last email is the best thing ever. This was a good book. I enjoyed this book a lot. This was a good one. i was hooked on this from the start. Must read stuff.

I just finished this cute rom-com in time for publication day. A friends to lovers trope with an office setting. I enjoyed reading this quick feel good story.

There’s lots of jokes and banter that drove the story and made it quirky. I love dual POV when it comes to romance, so I liked getting to read through Layla and Luke’s feelings. The side characters were also enjoyable and fun. I’d have liked a little more backstory and depth to the main characters to build up the relationship and make their connection stronger. However, it’s a cute and light story that rom-com lovers will enjoy.

Luke and Layla have been best friends for over three years. With both of them harboring secret feelings for the other, who will be brave enough to take the first step?

I haven't read a cuter story with the friends to lovers trope than this one. I loved that both our main characters were shy and hesitant to take the big leap and was applauding each little step they took. When a work trip is announced, the two both individually decide this is the opportunity they need to confirm where they stand. Told from both POV's, this book had me grinning, squealing and cheering throughout. Truly an adorable book!

This was a super cute workplace rom-com!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️
Pages: 308

As an aspiring author, Layla was hoping her new job would be a foot in the door in publishing but it's a glorified intern position for a pervy boss that she hates.

In fact, she dreads going to work everyday, until a huge mix-up on Luke's first day starts a prank war and a budding best friendship ensues.

Fast forward a few years to a seaside work conference and the best friends start to consider whether or not they should be more. More in their relationship and more in life.

This was a super cute, quick, easy-breezy read. I love the seaside scenery and cute vacation touches. Layla and Luke are both quirky and down-to-earth which makes them super lovable.

The only things that didn't do it for me were really a matter of personal preference. Friends to lovers isn't my favorite trope because it typically involves some miscommunication. I also didn't love all the work/conference talk. I used to work at a job where I had to go on a lot of conference trips and I hated them so it just brought me back to those days lol. I also have bad boss PTSD so totally personal issues there 😆

Overall is super cute book and I would definitely recommend it to friends to lovers fans!

Read if you like:
- Friends to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- Seaside Vibes
- Workplace Romance
- Prank Wars
- Books about Writers
- Family Drama
- Found Family
- Quirky Characters
- Talk Nerdy to Me
- Low Spice

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for allowing me to read and review this ARC!

Review is also posted on Goodreads and will be posted on Instagram on Publication day!

👥Dual Point Of View
🧡friends to lovers
❣️Workplace romance
🔥Forced proximity
😂Fun Banter
💋Slow Burn

Luke & Layla!! What can I say- their story was so sweet and cute! The banter and sarcasm throughout the story were top-notch. This was such a fun, work place/friends to lovers romance book. This is my first by this author, and will definitely not be my last. Great slow burn light read.

Thank you to victory editing, the author & netgalley for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

arc review

per my last email by Juliana Smith

this friends to lover story was definitely a one of a kind like the relationship between luke and layla friends or not is literally everything and how both side are willing to do whatever to protect their relationship in fear of losing one another <3

now don’t even get me started on how luke treats her <3 him and the candy in his desk and all the worrying and wanting to spend time with her as well as ALWAYS willing to do whatever to make her happy (clue…heights) also working in a bar really!?! fucking hot and layla omgg layla reading about her just makes me smile so big like i don’t know how to explain it, the energy her character gives just bring such a smile to me every time

though this book was definitely a slow burn… i’d admits i’m not a fan of those to for the most part not at all but most of this book went by, like did it kill me at some part when they kept on getting interrupted when things were finally moving along yes but was it worth it in the end definitely

i especially love that when they finally finally realize their feelings for each other was when luke had found out the news about layla i feel like that just made the book 10x more better and more iconic how he ran to her…only gets better from there

I haven’t read many office romances but when I read the blurb for this one I knew I was going to love Luke and Layla’s story. A cute, fun and feel good read; this one is sure to be a hit with romance readers.

The characters are very well written which made them all super loveable, maybe except Janise and Katie (IYKYK) Luke and Layla are adorable and this probably is one of the sweetest slow-burns I’ve read in a while. The MCs pine over eachother for years, pretending and trying their best to be just friends until it all comes together on a work trip.

The story is full of swoon, snark and lots of LOL moments that kept me hooked. While its a closed door romance, theres plenty of hands, hugs and heart-warming moments to make it worthwhile.

I had a really hard time putting this book down because of how cute and fluffy this story is. I adored everything about it and absolutely loved Juliana’s writing. Can’t wait for the next one!

Reading PMLE was a breath of fresh air! Praise @author.juliana.smith for this funny, light-hearted romcom.

We get to see Luke and Layla grow from best friends to more. But more importantly, we get to see just how alike and well they know each other. Luke and Nathan’s friendship is also one to adore! The writing style was simple yet engrossing.. I did not want to put this book down! If I didn’t have other responsibilities I definitely wold have read this in one sitting. The dual pov definitely kept me engaged and wanting more.

The banter between Layla, Luke and Nathan is hilarious. The Star Wars references really compliment to Luke and Layla’s relationship.

There’s a sense of new found family, friendship and self-love and self-worth. This was such a wholesome read.

I’m so happy I read this book when I did. It will hold a special place in my heart. I can’t believe that this will be a whole series of books where I get to keep reading about the other characters PMLE introduced us to.

I’m looking forward to the second book in the Wells Family series and getting back into this perfect little universe Smith created!

This is definitely a book to read during the summer!

Recommend if you like:
🥨Friends to Lovers
🥨Found Family
🥨Forbidden Romance
🥨Office Romance
🥨Pranks + Witty Banter
🥨Slow Burn
🥨Closed Door Romance

I enjoyed this book! It was funny and relatable! This was a cute friends to lovers, workplace romance with the slowest burn! Their feelings for each other were so obvious to everyone but each other. Luke and Layla were perfect for each other and Luke was definitely swoony! I enjoyed the side characters as well and I am interested in continuing in the series!

I think Juliana might be one of my new favorite authors. I enjoyed Baggage Claim a lot and this one was just as fun! It was giving me “the office” vibes and was such a fun quick read! Easily could be read in a day! I loved the characters, the workplace romance, friends to lovers, just so fun! Highly recommend! Had me smiling and laughing the whole time. Friends to lovers is my FAV trope and this was perfect. Is it cheesy at times? Yes but I loved it. Closed door but still suggestive at times, there is so much angst!!!

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book!

✨Review ✨
Per My Last Email- Juliana Smith
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ah, this is such a delightful and fun rom com. Thank you so much @julianasmith for the ARC, I loved reading Luke & Layla’s story.

Per My Last Email was such a breath of fresh air. The characters, the banter and the romance were well written. Friends to lovers trope is one of my favourites, so I was totally into the premise of this story. The “unspoken love” plot device usually makes me nutty, but Smith does it in such a way that it did not take away my enjoyment. This book made me LOL ( for real), it was so light hearted and included so many fun references. The characters were all charming & adorable. Layla was a perfect MC, relatable and goofy. Smith does a fantastic job of balancing details with dialogue to create a nice flow, which made this story such a fast & easy read. I am really looking forward to reading more of Smith’s writing. ✨

This cover is adorable (the periwinkle is just perfection). If you are looking for a cute, witty, closed door romance, then check out Per My Last Email by Juliana Smith coming May 6 2023. 🩷🩷

This book was delightful. Enemies to lovers is my favorite but this book about two friends trying to decide if they want to risk their friendship for something more was so fun. I enjoyed their banter and pranks and their general kindness. There was no subplot about work coming between them. I think the author tried to add that in, but it never felt too realistic. The only main conflict in this book was when Layla and Luke are going to decide to go after their dreams and when they would take that leap from friends to more and it was delicious.

I liked our main characters, Layla and Luke, as well as their whole group, and the "villians" of the story were so dramatic, but from working in an office job I can relate to that level of irritation with red tape and bureaucracy. As they are forced to decide more about their jobs and their lives outside their work they get closer and closer together.

This book would be perfect as a beach read with this fun and lighthearted story and the closed door romance.

Per My Last Email is my first by Juliana Smith but definitely won't be my last.

Layla gets by her admin assistant job with help from her two best friends. Realistically, she thought she'd know the world of publishing by now and be a published author. But staying in the same desk and position, she's not sure what to do next.

Luke recognizes that he's in the "friend zone" with Layla. While he may also hate his job (working in the same company), he aboslutely knows that he cannot lose Layla. But can they be anything more than "just friends?"

A work trip on the sea is just what they need to get out of the nine to five lifestyle. But will Layla and Luke finally recognize what is right in front of them?

I enjoyed reading Per My Last Email and foudn the relationship of Layla and Luke to be like that of Jim and Pam from the office. The Star Wars references sprinkled in made this book come alive! While the pacing was a little off at times, I would definitely recommend this clean romance that features friends to lovers.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley co-op for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw this on NetGalley I knew I had to request it, as it was up my alley. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes so I had a feeling I might like this, sadly that was not the case. The relationship between Luke and Layla was sweet, there were a lot of moments that gave me butterflies, but for some reason I never felt the chemistry between them. I think it was the lack of background story to go off from. Layla started to fall for Luke right when she first met him when he started working at the same publishing company, then three years later Luke fell for Layla. There was no backstory, as I was reading I kept wondering when did Luke see Layla differently? When did the people around Luke and Layla notice that there was something between them? The former was answered towards the last 50 pages and the latter was never really answered. A few chapters would have been helpful to help paint Luke and Layla’s dynamic. I was only rooting for them because one, it was clear from the beginning that they liked each other and two their friends and family have all rooted for them, I felt I had no choice but to root for them.

Another thing that bothered me was Luke’s nickname for Layla. I mean seriously “little one?!?” Every time he called her that I can’t help but picture Layla as a kid rather than a woman in her early 20’s. Imagine having a sweet moment with your crush only for him to say “Little one, I will never be too busy for you……” or “Hey little one, what are you up to?” Am I five or a grown adult?!

I am not sure if this will be a series but there was a lot of information about some of the side characters. It got confusing at times. Looking back at it, I think there was more info about the side characters than the main.

Although I did not love this, I encourage you to give it a chance should it peak your interest. Books are subjective, just because I didn’t love it, doesn’t mean you won’t either.

Read if you are a fan of:
Friends to Lovers
Office Romance
A little slow burn
She fell first, but he fell harder.
Closed door romance
Dual POV