I love the Wells family.. watching Marigold and Liam navigate co-parenting while divorced was easy and light. The little jabs at each other were playful
And flirty, and you could tell there was still something there after all this time. The twins scheming was perfect! Definitely got teary-eyed when they talked about their past and divorce! Broke my heart! Liam was the sweetest and most generous when it came to Marigold. Loved!

‘Rock and a Hard Place’ is the third installment in the Wells Family series. I’ve only so far read the second book so while it should be noted that I’m not completely up-to-date, I loved ‘Signed, Sealed and Delivered’ so much, I couldn’t wait to continue.

Juliana Smith writes romance the way I like it the most: the perfect mix of light and fluffy, and deep and meaningful.

‘Rock and a Hard Place’ was no exception!

Marigold and Liam are divorced co-parents goals, and careful not to give too much away, this book explores if it’s ever too late for a second chance.

If you like stories with forced proximity, single Mum/single Dad, no third act break up - and random, but the movie ‘The Parent Trap’ you have to add this (and the rest of the series) to your list!

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so happy I discovered @author.juliana.smith last year. I absolutely fell in love with her Wells Family Series and this one is my favorite edition so far!

I am a sucker for second chance romance, tension, all the feels and cute kids pulling The Parent Trap to get their parents back together.

The Parent Trap vibe was so refreshing and unique! I haven’t read a story like this yet! And I DEVOURED it. There was soooo many good moments that I couldn’t include them all in my digital journal but I hope I did it justice anyway!

I laughed, I cried. I couldn’t ask for more for Liam and Marigold’s story 🥹🩷

Read if you like:
✨The Parent Trap
✨second chance romance
✨forced proximity
✨mischievous twins
✨single mom/dad
✨big family vibes

"Rock and a Hard Place" by Juliana Smith is the perfect blend of second-chance charm and emotional depth. Marigold and Liam, thrown together for a six-week school project, have that irresistible Parent Trap-style spark that had me rooting for them from page one. Their banter is witty and fun, but beneath it all, the story digs into the ways they've both grown and what it takes to truly move forward—whether or not that means moving back together. Tears were shed!

TL;DR: With humor, heart, and some small-town magic, this is a 4.5-star read for anyone who loves a second-chance romance done right!

Do I love Juliana smith? Yes. Will j read anything she writes? Yes. Was this book so perfect and precious? Yes. Can you tell I loved it?

Wow. I did not expected that. This one melt my heart.
Yes,yes I cried. It was just lovely. Second chance romance, what is not to love?!

“Most people would never find a love like this, and yet I was lucky enough to have found it twice with her.”

such a stunning second chance romance between two parents, as a mom I felt this one on a whole other level, I really connected with the story and loved the romance. after kids it's hard finding that spot to make time for love, but I love that they found each other again. this was such a comfort read, I need to read more of the authors books because this is just beautiful!!!!

what to expect:
single mom / single dad
forced proximity
second chance
parent trap vibes
no 3rd act breakup

4.5/5 ⭐️

I absolutely adored this book! It was so beautiful to read about a divorced couple rekindling their love and relationship as well as seeing their incredible parenting.

Marigold and Liam are forced to work together for their son’s (twin 10 year old boys) school carnival and they start to find out they still love each other. Their family knew all along and it’s so fun to have the side characters of Liam’s family. I love the Wells family and can’t get enough of them. I would love to buy a copy of this book to annotate it with all my favorite scenes and lines.

What I loved:
-the dynamic between
-the ending and epilogue
-Goldie (Marigold) cares for Liam when he’s sick
-cute kids (parent trap vibes)
-honesty and good communication between the main characters

Can’t wait to read more about the Wells Family!

Second chance romance, marriage in crisis. Rekindled love.


I really enjoyed the new addition to Juliana Smith's stories. This story was definitely a tear jerker and i was not prepared for the emotional roller coaster (in the best way possible.) I loved the family dynamic in this story. The way our MFC was such an amazing mom, no matter what happened just warms my heart. Juliana Smith just knows how to pull on your heart strings. I absolutely will rave about this book to anyone who will listen. Can not wait to see what else happens in this timeline.

A beautiful love story that captures the heart and keeps you turning pages. Truly a delightful read!

Just finished reading Rock and a Hard Place by Juliana Smith, and wow! 😍 This is the first book from the series that I've picked up, and I'm already in love with the Wells Family and Smith's incredible writing style. The warm family dynamic is exactly what everyone dreams their family is like.

The characters truly stood out to me, especially the love that remains between the family even after a divorce. Usually, I'm not the biggest fan of second-chance romance stories because the reasons for breaking up often don't feel solid enough. But, as a mom, I resonated with Marigold so much. There’s something about becoming a mom that makes it hard to remember who you are, and it’s easy to question your relationship when you’re parenting all day while your partner gets to go to work.

I LOVED seeing how Liam realized his mistakes and is committed to fixing everything. And can we talk about the Parent Trap vibes? Absolutely loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Juliana Smith for the opportunity to review this wonderful book!

So so in love with this author and series I can’t wait for another book from Juliana her stories are told so week and they are just the sweetest stories with some great tension and ahh I love them

I really enjoyed this book, it's a cute slow-burn second chance romance with likeable characters and I would definitely recommend.

What a sweet second chance romance. I even loved the parent trap trope… so adorable!! This sss my first read of Juliana Smith but she did a flawless job at flushing out her characters. I couldn’t put it down!

This was such a cute and sweet second-chance romance! 🫶🏼

Liam and Marigold are a divorced couple and loving parents to their twin boys. They were high school sweethearts, but presently their main focus and priority is to co-parent their boys—which is actually something they’re pretty good at.

Now they see themselves “trapped” and working together on a school project for a school event. Wondering how well this will go. 👀

It’s clear that Liam never stopped loving Marigold, and I honestly enjoyed so much all the little but significant moments they shared, and his way of showing how much he still cares for her and his young family.
Seeing Marigold giving in to her true feelings and them falling in love again was too sweet. 💓

It took me a couple chapters to be fully pulled into this story, but once I got there I couldn’t stop.
The Wells family is amazing and very supportive; their twins are adorable and Liam and Marigold’s journey is honestly great, emotional and cute!

Wow! This book is such a great combination of some great romance tropes and storylines that we all love. I think Smith did a great job with these characters and creating a romance that you didn't want to put down!

This book was really good. I was completely hooked, I found myself not wanting to put it down and reading it in one sitting. Easy romance book that makes you feel like you are a character yourself.

With a busy life and 2 kids, Marigold can't actually believe she was volunteered to work her sons' school event and paired with her ex-husband of all people. Liam knows exactly how to push her buttons but when the volunteering is nonnegotiable, what is she to do?

Finally with this volunteering, Liam is granted a chance to settle things with Marigold and his suggestion to become friends again-- for the sake of the boys of course-- feels like the start of something good. But as time is spent, history begins to repeat itself. Or maybe it's a little bit of parent trapping. Only time will tell.

This was really cute. I love divorced parents, I love single parents. I REALLY love a second chance and this one delivered. All the characters were very warm in this smalltown they lived in and the kids were really fun aspect of it. It really was a sweet parent-trap type novel and made me want to read more in this small universe from Juliana Smith.

3.5 stars!

A parent trap style romance? Count me in! I loved it! It was so much fun and so so sweet! I loved their chemistry and sizzle! I couldn’t get enough!

I LOVED this book!! This is a second chance romance between a couple that divorced years before, done SO well, with parent trap vibes with their twin boys, Their boys were soo cute and the perfect addition to this story!
I absolutely loved this story - the characters, the banter, the supportive family and friends, the low angst, the working together, the swoon, he falls first.
This was my first book by this author but it will not be the last! I am already soo excited for the next book/Adam's story! And to check out her backlist!