Member Reviews
This book has everything you could want in a romance novel! A best friends brother, pen-pal, friends to lovers romance that will make you have all the feels. You will laugh, cry, and fall in love with these characters.
Calla and Nathan have a romance that can't be denied. The show burn and their chemistry is just perfection. I truly love the fact that the main characters have been emailing one another for ten years without knowing that they are doing so.
Calla's life is kinda a mess. She is trying to get back on her feet after college, so she decides to move back home. She doesn't have many options for a place to live, so she decides to live with her brothers best friend, Nathan. The two have met before, but their interactions haven't been the best. Nathan gets flustered around Calla because he is immediately attracted to her. He knows that he should never act on it though, due to the fact that she is his best friends sister. After the two become roommates, they have to navigate this new life together, while also figuring out their attraction to one other.
If you are looking for a good romance read, then I definitely recommend adding this to your list! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
4.5 stars
A Forced Proximity, Brothers Bestfriend, Roommates, Anonymous Penpal, Slow Burn romance.
A perfect, sweet, closed door romance book.
The tension in this book is soo good. Nathan is a man hopelessly in love, which we love to see and Calla is such a hopeless romantic. I loved the inclusion of the emails between Lily and Shiny and how you could see that, both Nathan and Calla, were taking the advice they were giving each other through email to win the other over.
I'm not usually a fan of brothers best friend because the drama that the lies cause always leads to an annoying third act breakup but this one was done really well.
I will definitely be going back to read the first in the series and am excited for the next book :)
Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC.
“I like that you make everyone around you fall in love with you…including me. Especially me.”
This was the perfect sequel to the Wells Family series! I can’t tell which couple I love more, Luke and Layla or Nathan and Calla! There relationship was so fun and natural, I just couldn’t get enough! I also loved the entire Wells family and friends, they were all so close and cute… I’m just obsessed with this entire group!
“To the people pleasers. It's okay to say no sometimes.”
read if you like: brother’s best friend, anonymous pen pals, and they were roommates, friends to lovers, “I’m a bad flirt, let’s practice?”, forbidden romance, no third act breakup, kiss cams, baseball games, Philly cheesesteaks and coconut cakes, rom com
rating: 4/5 ⭐️
I literally stayed up all night to read this OMG I LOVED IT! It has everything I want and I can't recommend it enough! LITERALLY OBSESSED!!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me an ARC of Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Juliana Smith!
I cannot get over how much i loved this book, everything was just perfect.
Going in we know that Calla and Nathan are Lily and Shiny, but omg how did they not pick up on the coincidences along the way, icl i probably would've blabbed about having a pen pal sooner i don't know how it never got brought up in conversation between them, but it was very cute the revelation at the end. I loved seeing their friendship grow throughout the book, as well as seeing Lily and Shiny's friendship in the emails at the beginning of each chapter.
The fact that there was no third act breakup and the chapters were somewhat short made me so happy, i practically flew through this book and absolutely want to read more of Juliana's books, I need to know more about Marigold and Liam asap! This book was written so well, it was so easy to feel like i was actually in the book in a way with the character, they were also so relatable i loved it all.
If you are looking for a light easy read i would absolutely pick up this book when it releases 23/9/2023!
I got an ARC copy of this book & absolutely devoured it in a few days. Calla and Nathan’s chemistry was cute and funny. This was my first book I’ve read by Juliana and I really enjoyed it. 4 stars ⭐️
This book was such a sweet and fun read! A sloooowwwww burn, closed door, brother’s best friend, childhood friends to lovers, he falls first, work of art! SO. GOOD. I enjoyed the baseball and music aspects too.
I absolutely loved the emails at the beginning of each chapter (though they did make the ending a bit predictable) as it was so fun to see “Lily” and “Shiny’s” friendship grow over the years. From sharing childhood embarrassments and firsts to complaining about problems ‘adulting’, their relationship had such an amazing foundation.
Calla and Nathan’s chemistry is total “goals”. It is felt through the pages of the book even without the spice. None was needed and there were still many moments that had me flushed and feeling the heat between them.
Though it was a bit predictable that they would come together in the end, the way they learned who they were did not happen in the way I expected at all. It had me gasping and scared for a minute. Such a well described and dramatic scene!
There were so many other great characters throughout that I am curious about and hope will be in future books. I am excited to go back and read Luke and Layla’s story ASAP. Though I don’t think it’s necessary to read that one first as this was just fine as a stand alone, there are little parts about their relationship sprinkled throughout this one though that will probably be made more clear by reading that one as well.
I highly recommend this book! Juliana did a wonderful job on this story, and I am definitely going back to read the first Wells Family book as well as the rest of her work.
Wow! Wow! Wow!
From beginning to end I smiled from ear to ear. A cozy romantic read that was easy yet had my full attention the whole time. I couldn't put this down and read the whole book in one sitting.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered is the book for you and to be added to your TBR list if you love:
- anonymous pen pals
- friends to lovers
- forbidden romance
- and they were roommates
- flirting practice
-brother's best friend
Signed, Sealed, Delivered… Truuuly delivered. This cute, light-hearted romcom hit every single one of my fav tropes.
-forced proximity
-brothers best friend
-boy obsessed
-invisible string/fate
I devoured this book during an airplane ride, and thank goodness no one was seated next to me. I giggled, I gasped, I kicked my feet. Calla and Nathan are two of the sweetest main characters I’ve read in some time. Calla and her personality were so real, I loved her obsession with romance novels and the phillies and her laundry piles. Nathan was everything a girl could possibly want in a man, endearing in ways that made me swoon. (Teaching kids music lessons?! Hellooo? I am no better than the ogling moms in his classroom lol.) I wish men in real life could be written by women like how Juliana Smith wrote Nathan 😂
I’m so used to spice in romance novels, but the characters and story we so captivating that I didn’t even notice the lack of it in this book. And honestly, that won points with me! Sometimes too much spice can ruin a good story and that would’ve been the case here I think. Calla and Nathan were riddled with that good tension as it was.
Thank you to netgalley for proving this arc in exchange for an honest review! This will be posted to Goodreads as well ◡̈
3/3.5
Calla is broke and needs a place to stay, so her brother suggests she moves in with his best friend Nathan. Calla and Nathan got off to an awkward start when they met so she’s not convinced it’s a good idea, but awkwardness soon turns into a friendship like no other.
I flew through this which given I’ve been a bit slumpy is a real compliment. This is definitely my kind of premise - friends to lovers, he falls first is chef’s kiss to me. Nathan is completely besotted with Calla as well as being an absolute cinnamon roll of a human being. I found Calla slightly less endearing personally but I’m getting old and it shows. Nathan’s obsession with her made me jealous more than anything, so it’s a me thing.
I didn’t realise this was the second in a series and to be honest I really think you need to read the first one. Whilst this book spends a lot of time catching you up on book one so you in theory don’t need to, I felt really on the outside of Luke and Layla’s story. There’s also a lot of set up for future books in the series, so these are definitely interlinked.
The side plot with the emails didn’t necessarily add as much to the story as I’d have hoped. It’s obvious how it will turn out and it’s not really referenced through the whole middle section of the book anyway. We are also supposed to be okay with them both effectively dropping their best friends of 10 years because they’ve found new love which just seems a little odd.
The writing style was definitely too simile heavy for my taste. I am fine with this up to a point but in the final third I really found it a lot. I also didn’t feel the third act drama added anything to the story, and would have been fine with a simple meet up given they had already kind of wrapped things up anyway.
It’s a closed door romance which aren’t ever my preferred especially when the book spends a fair amount of time referencing sex, but it wasn’t the most annoying closed door I’ve read so I’ll let it off.
Overall this was fun and I’d read more by the author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Rating - 3.5
This is the second book I’ve read from Juliana Smith and my thoughts are very similar to the first book I read by her.
Whilst the plot is very basic, she has a very easy-to-read style that has me flying through her book.
The characters are enjoyable, and I was glad to see a bit more of Luke & Layla (from book 1). I felt like this book didn’t have too much of the Wells’ family involved, which I was sad to see but made sense for the most part.
I do wish that this series had some world building. I feel like there’s such a focus on characters, I can’t picture the city or the world these characters are interacting with. Juliana Smith has a lot of potential to be a standout writer but I’d love to see more detail put into the world.
I would describe this series as an easy-to-read palate cleanser, and I think fans of Sarah Adams would enjoy.
I received an advanced copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
by : Juliana Smith
⭐5⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes: Brother’s best friend, friends to lovers, secret pen pals
Signed, Sealed, Delivered is the second installment of the Wells Family series by Juliana Smith. I devoured this book in approximately 48 hours. I adored Per My Last Email and this was a great continuation with characters we already knew. I loved getting to know Nathan and Calla. Secret pen pal emails for years? Adorable. This book was light and fun! I would highly recommend reading for a fun romance.
Some of my favorite quotes are below!
“Calla Wells was overwhelming in every sense; her presence was overpowering, her beauty captivating, and her laughter contagious. I found myself unable to resist her charisma. She was simply too much to handle, and I could already see myself getting lost in her every time we were close”
“Quitting in front of Chad and Janise had been glorious, especially when I shouted, “Per my last email!” as I strode out of Janise’s office. I didn’t really understand the sentiment, but Luke said they would know, so it felt right.”
This was such a cute read!
I knew from the beginning obviously that they were one another’s pen pals, but the thrill of waiting for them to realize it kept me hooked.
I absolutely loved this story! Such a perfect best friends brother to lover romance. The story is so cute. It’s been my favorite in the series so far!! It gives you’ve got mail vibes for the younger generation. Perfect story!
This book was a very cute romance but personally it wasn't my cup of tea. Even though it had the tropes that I like, they fell a little flat to me.
Nathan (mmc) was obviously written by a woman, and not in a good way. And then Calla (fmc) was fun, but I didn't really believe in her feelings for Nathan.
I would still recommend it, because it was easy to read and I think a lot of people will like it. It just wasn't for me unfortunately.
Read if you like:
• brother's best friend
• forced proximity
• roommates
• boy obsessed
• anonymous pen pals
• closed door
• slow burn
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Absolutely incredible! Juliana Smith absolutely knocked it out of the park AGAIN. Signed, Sealed, Delivered was the perfect addition to the Wells Family saga.
Nathan and Calla are a chef's kiss. They are equal parts hilarious and sassy. Nathan is just an absolute sweetheart. Calla is a fiercely funny. I could not get over the chemistry of these two. They were so magnetic.
Also, one of my favorite things about Juliana's writing... it's her character development. You cannot help but fall in love with the characters in her stories.
Like "Per My Last Email". I DEVOURED this book in one sitting. I was unbelievably invested in Calla and Nathan's story and it did not disappoint. If you are looking for a feel good romance that will leave your heart filled to the brim with joy... look no further. This is the one.
Please read if you like:
- Anonymous Pen Pals (this storyline was way too cute)
-Friends to Lovers
-Forced Proximity
-Fated Mates
-Brother's best friend
-"AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES" vibes
-NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP (hallelujah!)
Huge thank you to Net Galley, Juliana Smith and the wonderful publishers at Victory Editing for the incredible opportunity to review an ARC of Signed, Sealed, Delivered!
Note: Review will be posted to goodreads, amazon and (other retailers where the book will be sold if applicable). Additionally review will be posted on instagram and a PUB DAY instagram story will be posted on Publication day. At this time, the review should be placed on instagram on Wednesday or Thursday (9/20 or 9/21)
This book was nothing like I expected and happily surprised me! I loved that the two main characters were penpals throughout life and that they had no clue but the reader did. This included a lot of my favorite tropes including best friend's brother, forced proximity, roommates to lovers, and pining on both ends. I liked that it was dual pov first person and the writing style is one that kept me reading. The writing felt natural and kept me engaged, wanting to read more. This is a closed-door book with just a bit of kissing and that's fine by me! I typically enjoy steamier books but this was cute and a quick read.
The only thing that I didn't love was two of the side characters- Liam and Luke- had similar names and weren't the main focus of the story so I had trouble remembering who was who. One was divorced and one had kids and one was getting married and I couldn't follow who was doing what. That's probably more of my fault as a reader than a gripe about the book though. I also feel like the ending had a lot going on all at once and it wrapped up quickly but not as naturally as I would've liked.
As an arc reader, I wanted to point out the positives and the pieces that I feel could've been different but overall I loved this book! I would recommend it to anyone who likes closed-door, quick romance reads.
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC copy. This book was so cute and fast paced. Calla recently finished school and needed a place to stay and Nathan had an extra room in his apartment. When Calla moves in, their friendship slowly develops with them spending time with one another watching TV including the Bachelor. Eventually they realize they have more in common. The best part is they both seek guidance from their anonymous online penpals, only to find out that the world is much smaller than they think.
Read if you like:
Brother’s best friend,
Forced Proximity (roommates),
Friends to lovers,
Anonymous Childhood Penpals,
Closed Door Romance
This book was an absolute delight! I found myself completely enamored with Calla and Nathan, wholeheartedly invested in their journey. With the enticing blend of a brother's best friend, forced proximity, roommates, and penpals-to-lovers, it offered everything a reader could desire. I was so engrossed in the story that I devoured 80% of it in a single sitting before heading to work, itching to finish it as soon as I returned home. Nathan's character was incredibly endearing, and the idea of someone cherishing me the way he did Calla felt like an enchanting dream.
The cameos by Luke and Layla added an extra layer of charm, leaving me eager to explore more of the Wells family's dynamics in the third book. This novel brimmed with witty banter and intense emotions that resonated vividly with me.
What made this story particularly satisfying was the absence of the typical third-act breakup and the dreaded miscommunication trope, which I've grown to despise. Instead, the narrative reveled in mutual pining between the characters, a trope I absolutely adore. Without reservation, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. If you haven't already, I suggest reading the previous installment featuring Luke and Layla to fully appreciate the intricacies of this storyline.
Review: Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Juliana Smith
I was lucky enough to receive this book as an ARC.
This is Book 2 of the Wells Family Series!
Nathan Huxley lives by two rules: 1. Say yes to as many things as possible. 2. Don’t ever even think about going near his best friend's sister. Unfortunately, being a chronic people pleaser yet wanting to make sure he keeps a solid relationship with his best friend becomes difficult when said best friend asks for a huge favor: renting the spare room in his apartment to Luke’s little sister, Calla. Calla Wells is ready to take on adulthood. All she needs is an actual job in her field… and a place to live. When her brother, Luke, offers her a marketing position at his bar and a room at his best friend's apartment, how could she say no? It would only be a few months, so what’s the worst that could happen? Except, the more time Nathan and Calla spend together, the more they realize how much they have in common. Through small touches, folding parties, bingeing TV, and cooking together, they manage to find themselves undeniably close to a forbidden relationship. Desperate for help, Nathan and Calla seek guidance from their anonymous online penpals, only to find out the world is much smaller than they think.
🥰Best Friends Sister
🥵Forced Proximity
I could not put this book down!! It had me hooked from the beginning!
Juliana Smith has become a must read author!!
I loved Nathan and Calla’s characters in this book!! I loved reading these characters in book 1 and was so excited to read more in depth about them in this book!!
These two characters were made for each other!! I loved the development of these characters throughout this book and I cannot wait to see more of them in the next book of the series!!
I definitely recommend this book!!
Rating: 4 / 5⭐️’s