⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay, first and foremost thank you to neutrally and Juliana Smith for allowing me to have an early ARC of this book! The way I screamed for joy when I saw the email and immediately ran to tell my husband 🫶🫶

✍️Quick Synopsis:
Marigold and Liam have been divorced for almost 7 years and co-parenting has been fairly easy. But when they suddenly are teamed together to work on a project for their twin’s school, things start to get muddled. Can they ignore the feelings leftover fro what they had before? Or will they risk everything to be together again?

💭My Thoughts:
Well, to no one’s surprise, Juliana Smith does it again. I have been mulling over if this is my favorite couple of this series and I think it is (barely because Luke and Layla still have my whole heart)! Gosh, the way Smith was able to accurately sum up the hard realities of marriage and parenting and someone make it a swoon-worthy romance book?? Brilliant. Honestly, that was my favorite part. She showed how there can be real romance in life even in the midst of financial struggles, fights, disconnection, parenting, and trying to find time to just be. Any book that makes me re-appreciate my gem of a husband and the life we have together is going to be top-notch in my book, and this is exactly what Rock and a Hard Place did. I loved the Parent Trap vibes, the look into Luke and Layla and Calla and Nathan’s lives (couples from the first two books), and I squealed when I read the sneak-peak chapter from the next book! Oh man, I am still riding the high from this lovely, lovely novel.

Bee- MY gosh. As a wife and a mother, this one hit my soul. Marriage and motherhood are so messy and can be the hardest things to fight for. Marigold and Liam still having the connection they did after all the ugliness was heart wrenching but I was rooting for them to find their way somehow. What a beautiful read. Very different than Juliana’s winter book but just as raw and beautiful.

Nik- Alright this one was a beautiful tear jerker. You could feel the chemistry between Liam and Marigold oozing off the page. I felt their entire history of love and loss and loved every moment. After this book, I feel cemented in adding second chance romance to my favorite tropes. The ending was SUPERB. I freaking loved it, it was the cutest. I can’t say much more because it’s a big spoiler but *chefs kiss*

Thank you so so much NetGalley and Juliana Smith for giving me the pleasure of reading this ARC! This book was the cutest EVER! Juliana Smith knows how to write fictional men and she never misses!!! Liam was TO DIE FOR! I mean can you imagine someone building you your dream house using your Pinterest board??? Liam IS the standard. Also, the incredible found family AND THE KIDS!!! I’m not a huge fan of kids in books, but these two boys really got me. If you loved Parent Trap, you’ll love this. Super cute and a fun, refreshing read!

I’m telling you, Juliana gets better and better with each of her books. I’m obsessed with Marigold and Liam. This was the perfect second chance romance. It was executed beautifully. And to have their boys involved just made it so much more special. Sometimes people need a little extra boost in order to realize they are meant for each other!

Thank you NetGalley and Juliana for the advanced copy!

Aw this was such a cute love story. The characters seemed so real and genuine with their thoughts and feelings. The two twins were adorable lol!
Would love to watch this if it was a movie!

Read if you like—
✿ the parent trap
✿ single mom/ single dad
✿ second chance
✿ dual POV
✿ no 3rd act break up
✿ funny moments that make you smile
✿ big supportive family

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me and ARC copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts are my own.

This may be my favorite book by this author so far. I loved everything about it.

The plot was fantastic. The characters were super relatable. The rebuilding of a relationship and falling back inlove was seriously to die for. I literally have no complaints about this book at all, other than just wanting it to be longer.

If you are a die hard sucker for second chance romances, then please pick this book up!!!!

5 stars!

Ok this book was so fun! I loved Marigold and Liam so much. This book was like a fun new twist on the parent trap, and I loved that the movie was watched and mentioned in the book! The boys were so cute and so sneaky I loved it. There were so many little tropes in this book that were done so well. It was unique and sweet to read this second chance romance. And the epilogue! “We made it” TEARS.

Reviewed today 1/29/24 on Instagram

Juliana Smith does it again!!!

I have absolutely adored the Wells Family series from Juliana so far! Rock and a Hard Place is the perfect addition to the Wells family's story. While it is a romcom in some ways, it's not all fun and games. This story covers some raw and real topics mostly regarding marriage and raising kids and how one affects the other. Liam and Marigold's story is one that I genuinely find to be both important and impactful and I love the way Juliana tells it. Already can't wait for the next one!

When I first heard that Juliana Smith would be publishing a second chance romance, you can bet that I jumped at the opportunity to grab that ARC! This is one of my favorite tropes, and you can bet that this story lived up to my expectations!

Marigold (Mari), our FMC, is so incredibly lovable and relatable. She is unashamedly herself, and I think it speaks a lot to her character that despite being divorced, is treated like another child by her (former) mother-in-law. She is a devoted mother and will do pretty much anything for the sake of her children's happiness.

Liam, our MMC, is just such an adorable MMC. He is clearly still very much in love with his ex-wife and does his best to make time for his twin boys and co-parent with Mari. He also happens to be the one person that truly grinds Mari's gears and keeps her on her toes.

Dallas and Miles, the twin co-conspirators might be two of the funniest children I've encountered in a story. They're mischievous and full of life, but clearly adore their parents. When they watch "Parent Trap" with their aunt, they decide to put their heads together and "trap" their parents into falling back in love.

Mari and Liam are shocked to learn that they've been signed up for a six week assignment at their kids' school. They begrudgingly (Mari) agree to work together for the sake of their boys. What they don't count on is how much the close proximity and reminiscing of fond memories will re-ignite the flame between them. The question is, did the flame actually ever burn out?

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this story. The dialogue was incredibly engaging and I kept waiting for Mari to let her guard down and let Liam in. When they finally had an honest conversation and acknowledged what was happening between them, I cheered out loud, because why wouldn't you root for this adorable couple?

The only reason that this story doesn't receive the full 5 ⭐️ from me is because I wanted to see "more" of Mari and Liam. I would've loved to see a little bit more of them facing challenges together, having lived apart for so many years, and building on their intense chemistry. In addition, through Mari's eyes, we see that Liam was an incredible provider, but became less attentive towards the end of their marriage. Their relationship after the divorce is supposed to be relatively uncomfortable. But, the Liam that we meet in the story is significantly different from the Liam of her memories. This discrepancy made the story a little confusing to read, as he was an attentive father and kept up the flirtatious banter with Mari from the very beginning.

Regardless, this is a 10/10 recommend for me! If you love a good second-chance romance, this is the story for you!

4.3 ⭐️

(4.5/5) new favorite book? new favorite book.

HOW DO THESE BOOKS JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER??? idk but they do! take my humble word for it!

i love them. i love the family and i love liam and marigold and i love EVERYTHING about this book. i actually did just binge the entire second half of this yes! thank you for asking.

also… that TEASER???…. mhmmhmhmhmhmm. i giggled i GASPED. GASPED I TELL YOU. OUT LOUD.

do yourself a favor and read this mkay. if you don’t i’ll hunt you down (with kindness). love you!

(thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc!)

Such a good book … never loved lack of dialogue but this book made up for it in the best way !!….can’t wait for it to release so the whole world can share my excitement….thank you @author.juliana.smith 🥰

As always, amazing. Such a fun, quick read. I love the second chance and parent trap vibes!! It was so good!

I love Juliana Smith's Wells Family book series, but this book is my absolute favorite. I loved everything about Marigold and Liam's second chance love story. Marigold and Liam met in high school, and they got married young. They had their twin sons when they were 25, and their marriage fell apart and led to their divorce seven years ago. Now, they co-parent their twin sons, and they spend time together with his siblings and parents. Marigold and Liam only talk to each other about their sons, and they don't have any type of friendship at all.

When they are assigned to work together for their sons' school fundraiser, they put their differences aside and work on becoming friends again. As they become friends, they realize that their feelings for each other haven't gone away. I love that neither one of them dated anyone else during their time apart. It showed how they were still connected to each other all along.

I think that their reasoning for their divorce made so much to me. It was very relatable, as I met my husband in high school and got married and had kids at a younger age. There can be so much pressure and stress in a relationship at any age. I also related to how Marigold felt when she was taking care of her children all day everyday. I was a stay at home parent for ten years, and it is my favorite job that I've ever had, but it was also the most challenging. Mom guilt is definitely a huge thing, and I love how it was thoughtfully explored in this book.

The story is dual POV, and it also features meddling twins who try to parent trap their parents to see that they still love each other. The Wells family, as always, is delightful and so much fun!

This is a romantic and beautiful second chance love story, and I loved it so much!

I fell in love with the Wells family in Per My Last Email and Signed Sealed Delivered and my love for these characters has definitely continued with Rock and a Hard Place!

I've never read a second chance romance where the couple actually used to be married with kids and I found a lot of the things they both went through relatable, Marigold especially! The idea of pouring from an empty cup as a mother and putting herself last was something I could empathize with. Relationships and marriages are hard in that situation, so the place they were coming from was really realistic.

Liam was awesome as well and definitely swoony. I loved how his family members were included in the story too. It was cool to see where the couples from the previous books have ended up and I can tell there is some ground work being laid for future books. Crew is my absolute favorite and I can't wait to see more of him!

Overall the book was heartfelt, funny, and relatable. I highly recommend!

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the ARC!

"you need a good, solid slap to the boob"
-
LMAO sorry but had to start this review with that sentence bc HAHAH?! and I feel like it just sums the book up. I don't think I need to say more right? Such a funny and light book. It was like a healing crystal for my heart lol.
When Juliana said this book was about:
- second chance
- parent trap
- single mom / single dad with kids
- forced proximity
- house renovations
- no cheating
- no third act break up
... I was like, there's no way? Cause it literally sounds perfect right? Yup that's what this book is.
I loveeeeed their relationship I love how Liam is this sweet and caring non toxic Man. And it's clear from the start that he just loves her so much, regardless of what ever happened. I mean ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ come here I wanna hug you.
I also loved getting to know their sweet kids every now and then and of course get to see all the other sweethearts from book 1 and two. Especially Layla! she just holds a special one in my heart.
You really need to read this book, you will want to fold his clothes trust me (iykyk).
ALSO EXCUSE ME FOR SCREAMING BUT THERE IS A HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL LINE IN IT "the boys are back" ok bye.
-
thank you NetGalley for the Arc <3 and thank you Juliana for being the sweetest human ever. and for writing my favorite stories ever.

I will be publishing a review to Tiktok and Instagram at de_van_diggity (I am working on rebranding my bookish account so the name may not be the same but it will be the same account) on the day of the release and will be posting this review to Goodreads today.

I have really loved reading the Wells Family series and honestly, they keep getting better with every book. I think this book may hit home with a lot of married readers because it is so real. I found myself connecting with both Marigold and Liam throughout the whole book. Being married is hard and having kids is hard. While yes this is a romance book it doesnt shy away from how hard it can be. I felt Marigolds pain as a stay-at-home wife, but I could understand Liam as he worked hard. I also just love good mother support. Mama B is there for Marigold the whole story and I am so glad we got to see more of her. There were just so many little things I loved about this story that I can't talk about, or it will spoil the story. I am so glad they found their way back together.

If you like these I highly recommend reading this story.
+Forced Proximity
+Highschool Sweethearts
+Second Chance
+NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP
+No cheating
+Parent Trap
+School Fairs

I love Juliana’s books. They’re like a warm hug that you feel deep down in your soul and I feel Marigold and her struggles deep down in my soul. While I’m not a huge fan of miscommunication/ lack of communication in this instance I can see how it happens. As a mom of two I’m not good at asking for help it’s easier for my to just do it myself or maybe sometimes I think it should be obvious when I need help and I don’t express what I need verbally. Anyway, all that to say I get it in this instance. Liam and all his sweetness did not disappoint. Their boys were hilarious and it’s always good to see the rest of the Wells family and their friends make appearances. Over all this was such a heartfelt book that I enjoyed so much. I’m excited to see what’s next

“sometimes history repeats itself, but sometimes it rewrites itself entirely”

this was my first juliana smith book and it will not be my last! I absolutely loved every single moment of this book. I devoured it in a day, I couldn’t put it down! there was something so special about Liam and Marigold that I couldn’t stop reading. this was a second-chance, childhood friends to lovers romance trying to navigate co-parenting and their feelings for each other after a 7-year divorce.

Marigold and Liam haven’t been able to be in each other’s presence without scowling and throwing jabs at each other since the divorce. They decide to put aside their differences after they get assigned to work on their son’s schools spring festival together. Six weeks of becoming ‘friends’ after a 12-year relationship, a 7-year divorce, and love that never really went away for either of them have caused some confusing feelings to resurface.

I loved every single character in this. Marigold had a heart of gold and was trying to figure out a life where she can balance being a single mom of twins, work, and life. I loved how she always put the twins first no matter what. She is such a strong character and it was shown throughout the story. I loved how much of a good dad Liam was. no matter what he also put the twins first every time. Liam and Marigold are two characters who were destined to be together, in this life and every afterlife. My stomach was physically hurting from how badly I wanted them to work out their issues and be together!!!

The issues that Liam and Marigold had in the first place that led to their divorce were so realistic and raw. it was easy to empathize for their situation even if you haven’t been through a divorce yourself. Parenting, marriage, and balancing work on top of that isn’t easy. new parents often have to figure out a new normal that works for both of them. My heart hurt knowing that Liam and Marigold could’ve fixed their issues if they communicated to each other in the first place and considered it from a different perspective.

The entire story was fantastic from beginning to end! the pacing was great, the characters were all so intriguing, and the different instances of Liam and Marigold ‘coincidentally’ running into each other had me kicking my feet and giggling!!! I highly recommend this & can’t wait to read more books from this author💖

Rock and a Hard Place is published February 24th! Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing, and Juliana Smith for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

read if you like:
💐 second chance
💐 parent trap plot
💐 he never stopped loving her
💐 forced proximity
💐 closed door romance

🌷🚲🎀📄

Huge thanks and appreciation to Juliana for the ARC. I adore you and everything you write. And this book was just as good as the rest, maybe even better. Oh this storyline, I loved the plotting 'Parent Trap' inspired meddling their 10 year old boys had. The minute I saw the tropes to this book, I knew it was going to be good and boy did it deliver.

I'm a sucker for a small town, second chance, rekindle of marriage, single mum/single dad and this met the brief in every single way. It's a closed door romance but oh the tension is so freaking good.

You could just tell the Marigold and Liam are destined to be together and I loved watching them overcome what happened in the past as they realised just how perfect and happy they are with each other. Reading about them you could just feel the moment the world falls away and it's just them.

And boy oh boy that teaser for Adam's book, I cannot wait for this story to continue.

🌷second chance
🚲 single mum / single dad
🎀 closed door romantic comedy
📄 parent trap inspired

"What makes you so sure you could fall in love with me again?"

"What makes you so sure I ever stopped?"

-second chance romance, dual pov, childhood sweethearts 🚲
-10/10 to the clever twins who parent trapped their parents Marigol and Liam back in the right direction and back together 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦🎟️🎥🎨
-as always I loved the characters and how there’s such a strong family bond between them
-Liam and Marigold had such sweet moments (past & present) which made this an enjoyable read
-thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this ARC

4.0⭐️