very sweet - as it went on, the better it got. you just can't help but root for them - I would recommend this to anyone!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, particularly the sweet and heartfelt relationship between Adam and Rachel. The back-and-forth narrative between the past and present added depth, though it was a bit confusing initially. Adam's caring nature and Rachel's vibrant personality made them a compelling pair, even if their romance took longer to develop than I preferred. Overall, it’s a delightful read with a perfect mix of humor, emotion, and charm, earning a solid 4 stars from me.

I was a little confused at the beginning of the book which was due to the now and then back and forth that was occurring. While it was nice to experience I feel like it would have been better if they showed how they ended getting married and the lead up to them waking up married it would have been like a full circle moment. I also did not enjoy the slow burn in this it was like they liked each other and somewhat knew it but wouldn’t communicate at all. I just feel like it was so dragged out and wish they would have gotten together before the 36th chapter. I did really enjoy Adam I felt like he was a sweetheart and loved everything he did for Rachel even with his faults. I hated how she got mad at Adam for investing in the record store for her. While I understand the lie was the best move he did it for her.

I love Adam so much, he's such a softie teddy bear for Rachel!
I love the way they met and became such good friends over the years and that there's always just more between them. And when he calls her "my wife," "my girl" and "honey", I SWOON. That man is a walking green forest and he deserves everything and more.
I also love the found family vibe, especially Adam's interaction with Rachel's dad.
The alternating pov between the past and present time did get a tad confusing for me but it didn't take away the love I have for Adam and Rachel. I also can't wait to read Crew's story. He seems like a darling.

Thank you, Juliana and netgalley for the free e-arc. I had a great time reading Adam and Rachel's love story. And maybe I'll go get a small tattoo one day, too! haha.

I love a good marriage of convenience romance and this one was so cute with the right amount of pining and angst! Also, I love a record-collecting girlie and a shy grump with tattoos, basically a dream pairing!

Could not put this book down!! i loved both Rach and Adam = he falls first, grumpy x sunshine, fake marriage - the perfect funny romance!! great story, plot, characters and just overall a great read!

Has all the tropes you want and it is written very well. A very easy, enjoyable read for the summer.

From the first few pages of "For The Record," I was completely hooked and ended up reading it in one sitting. The story kicks off with Rachel and Adam, best friends who accidentally marry on a spontaneous Vegas trip. Instead of getting an annulment, they decide to play the system for Adam's military benefits. What follows is a delightful, heartwarming journey as they navigate their platonic, no-strings-attached marriage, which, of course, doesn't stay platonic for long.

I adored Adam and Rachel. Watching them realize their love for each other was more than just friendship completely melted my heart. Like two pieces of a puzzle, these two fit together perfectly and wholly accept one another. The characters complement each other so well, with Adam’s brooding, "I hate everyone in the world but you" personality and Rachel’s constant, and successful, attempts to make him smile. Lines like “This ring is worth more than me,” and “Nothing could ever be worth more than you,” are sure to make any romance lover’s heart flutter.

However, as a fan of spicy novels, I found myself wanting a bit more heat between the characters. The romance was sweet and heartwarming, but it lacked the level of passion that I typically enjoy in my reads.

Thank you Net Galley for sharing the novel with me!

“You would really do that for me?”
“You think there is something out there I wouldn’t do for you?”

*thank you @netgalley and the author for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! buddy read w/ @sunshinereadswithlil and @librarybyemily

This was such a great addition to the Wells family series! I’m a sucker for a good friends to lovers, it’s always been you, marriage of convenience but he’s really loved her the whole time romance! Adam and Rachel made such a great couple and I love how all of the Wells family members continue to be included in each story!

@authorjulianasmith is the queen of pop culture references! sometimes a lot of pop colored isn’t my fav but I’m obsessed with them in her writing! Also the playlist that goes along with this book is PERFECTION! Listening it to while reading truly elevated my experience!

This wasn’t my fav in the series thus far… I didn’t relate to or feel as connected with these characters as the others, but it def has my fav cover so far! Liam and Marigold will forever have my heart!!! But I’m absolutely pumped for Crew’s story next!

read if you like: marriage of convenience, grumpy x sunshine, sourdough starters, bookish playlists, Vegas wedding, found family, friends to lovers 🌼

rating: 3.0 ⭐️

Rachel is a very bright and happy person. She has a great personality. She reminds me of the color yellow. Adam is a little more reserved. He does not speak as often but when he does you listen. But he is still a cinnamon roll. I loved both of the characters individually and together. I love the way they grew in the book. The time jumps from the past and the present makes the story better. I have read all of the books in the series and they are my favorite so far.

Juliana Smith became an autobuy author for me after I read Rock and a Hard Place which is one of my favorite reads of 2024. I have been so excited to learn more about Adam and Rachel and their story is so sweet.

I absolutely ADORED the flashback chapters. The chapters pretty much alternate between Now and Then and I loved getting pieces of Adam and Rachel’s past along with the present story. This is a friends to lovers book and it was fun getting to read the story of how their friendship formed along with their present situation. And both characters were so fun and wonderful.

Adam Wells is such a gem of a book boyfriend. He’s quiet and a bit stoic but he always says what he means. And the things this man had to say to and about Rachel were some of the sweetest and swooniest. And he was so incredibly THOUGHTFUL. If you love a protective MC (but a sweet protective, not borderline toxic) then this is the guy for you. It was obvious from day 1 that Adam was gone for Rachel and I loved every minute of reading about these two.

I also loved Rachel’s relationship with her dad. Her dad has early onset dementia and I loved how much she cared for her dad and how Adam seamlessly stepped in to be there for him too. The race scene 🥹 such the sweetest thing.

This is such a fun series and I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t already.

This is a closed door romance with mild language and innuendo.

Content Warnings: dementia

4.75 ⭐️

I have love the Wells Family series since I read the first book, and For the Record has to be my favorite so far. Everything about this book was just so good. I absolutely adored Adam and Rachel. I loved their friendship. I enjoyed that they had ended up keeping it between themselves because they got to see parts of each other that others don't see. I think the dual time line for this book perfectly encapsulated that. I think both as friends and as a couple Rachel and Adam had balanced each other out well. I loved that they didn't need to change anything about themselves for each other. They just fit so perfectly.

Rachel had so much depth to her character. I loved that yes, she was sunshine incarnate, but sometimes the clouds come out. She cared and loved so deeply for those around her. Her relationship with her dad was just so beautiful and so heartbreaking at the same time. I loved the mental growth that she had by the end of the story. It was definitely necessary and watching it made me so happy.

Adam. I just...loved him so much. My big ball of mush. I loved getting his POV the most and needed more lol. This man was just so in love and god I loved to see it. I CRIED at the end with the triathlon. He supported Rachel in everything she needed and wanted. It was so wonderful watching him start to open up more with her.

The only things that for me personally that made this book not quite make it to 5 stars was that I wish that the marriage of convenience was played up a little more and that I kinda wanted a little more in the past. I think the story just needed a couple more chapters and it absolutely would've been perfect.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me an ARC copy of the book for my honest opinion.

This is the 4th book in the series, and as always, I love and adore the Wells family. Rachel and Adam had a one night stand years ago that turned into them being becoming best friends. However, they keep all of that to themselves. Rachel's friends and Adam's siblings don't know anything about their past together. When Adam and Rachel get married while in Vegas, they decide to stay married for convenience. When they return home to Philly, Rachel moves in with Adam and they have so much fun together.

I loved that this was dual POV, and it also has then/now dual timelines to show the history of their friendship. I loved that this was a slow burn, and they were adorable together.

Adam appears grumpy on the outside, but he is so soft and sweet for Rachel. He pays attention to what she likes, and he even buys her flowers. One of the things that I loved most about this book is how authentic their relationship felt. They had pined for each other, but they were afraid to cross the line and ruin their friendship.

This book is so much fun, and I love revisiting the Wells family with each book in the series! I can't wait for the next one.

This was my first Juliana Smith book, read without realizing it was part of an interconnected standalone series! If you are looking for a light-hearted and quick read I would recommend!

The MMC is absolutely head over heels from moment one and I was obsessed with how mushy this man is for her. I loved his chapters and the way he's been pining for YEARS over her. The entire plot of the book (secret best friends end up married after a drunk night in Vegas) was so refreshing and I was hooked from chapter 1. The third act conflict (more like final chapters conflict) was not heavy and falls closer to the category of lack of communication versus a miscommunication type of trope.

Despite how much I loved the plot, it was only a three star read for me. I found the pacing a little bit difficult to keep up with. It is written from a "then" and "now" perspective, without must context as to how much time stands between "then" and "now." Additionally, while it is considered to be a very PG rom-com story, I found that it was hard to figure out what the exact history was between the two of them until much further into the storyline. Unless that was a deliberate choice to make the reader wonder if they did spend the first night together hooking up or if it had ended with a drunk make-out, I struggled to tell if they were constantly pining for a memory or in anticipation of unknown.

Ultimately I enjoyed it and eventually will make my way through the previous Wells family stories as well!

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for the advanced copy of For The Record (Wells Family #4) by Juliana Smith in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book, I haven’t read many marriage of convenience stories, but love a grumpy x sunshine, and an accidental Vegas wedding sounded like a great opportunity, but unfortunately the then/now storyline was too disjointed for me to follow than a usual flashback. the writing was excessively descriptive at some points and felt like they were trying to reach a word count and I found myself skipping over paragraphs that didn’t offer much necessary info. For these reasons, I did not finish the book.

I feel like if the story had been told in order and was just the dual POV, I would have eaten it up, but as soon as I started connecting with the characters and understanding their relationship, the POV and timeline changed and it took me out of it every time.

I will say that from what I read, the author did a great job making it a standalone in a series. Sometimes it is hard to come in to a series because there’s too much info that you missed out on from other books but I had no issue with this aspect.

Because I did not finish and I was interested in the story aside from the hard-to-follow timeline, I would give it a 2.75 rating.

4.5 stars (happy release day to this beauty 🥺❤️‍🩹)

❛❛ she was the kind of woman that made you forget there were even other females out there. ❜❜



・❥ marriage of convenience
・❥ two timelines narrative
・❥ grumpy X sunshine
・❥ friends to lovers
・❥ mutual pining
・❥ closed door
・❥ biker mmc
・❥ slowburn
・❥ romcom


I think it's safe to say that I am enamored with Juliana Smith's prose and how she always articulates it in a delicate and pure manner. this book truly felt like a warm hug. the dichotomy between the characters, the contrast between their past and present relationships, their cute first encounter, their highs and lows – I would not alter anything about them because everything was simply perfect for the personages.

”we were both different. But in the best possible way. growth, that was what we each had. separately and then together.”


Rachel was the personification of the joyous, sunshine main character, with her sordid but hilarious kind of humor, her maladive obsession with records, and her heartwarming yet heartbreaking relationship with her father. she was an attaching personage with all the perfect and imperfect aspects of her personality. as for Adam, he was the incarnation of the mysterious, inked male main character, a bit darker, a shade quieter, and a little reserved, even borderline shy, but nonetheless lovable.

“don’t you think, in some way, you’ve been mine since the night we met?”


the storyline was curved through a marriage of convenience arc that they both agreed to after an impromptu, drunk Vegas "eloping". their waltzing around each other for years, despite their fear of ruining what they had, was something I surprisingly loved. it so slowly but deliciously ricocheted into the dual timelines narratives. although their personalities were at the antipodes of each other, their relationship was perfectly harmonized within the chapters of the book. they were perfectly written for each other.

”she cradled the flowers and looked at them like they were some kind of precious ruby. An artifact meant to be handled with a gentleness that a man like me didn’t have. Essentially how I felt having her anywhere near my arms.”

Adam’s chapters were without contest my favorite, simply in how he evoked her in his inner monologues, his obsession with accomplishing everything to make her truly happy and alleviate the burden of her problems. he is without a doubt my new favorite bookboyfriend, and this book is now a new go-to comfort read for me.

many thanks to Netgalley and the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the Arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t realise it was part of a series so will definitely be going back to read the other books.
Adam and Rachel have such a genuine relationship written so beautifully that it keeps you hooked!
I love the family/friends dynamic and how they always help support each other!
If you like friends to lovers, grumpy sunshine, fake marriage tropes this ones for you!

I have absolutely loved this series but this book is my absolute favorite! Adam is the sweetest man ever and i am obsessed! Adam and Rachel were perfect for each other and thank god they finally had a chance to be together after knowing each other for so long! They had an amazing dynamic and i couldnt get enough of these two! loved the tattoo scene 😍the dual pov in the past and present was perfect for this story! i highly recommend this whole series!

Every book in this series just keeps getting better, and with each new release, I find a new favorite couple and book boyfriend. (+ Rachel and Adam are meant to be!!; I adored literally everything about them! This series is incredibly special to me and will always hold a place in my heart.
Their relationship felt so authentic and honest, hooking me from the very first page. Adam, with his grumpy yet sweet and soft demeanor, and Rachel, with her sunny and loving personality, made for obviously a perfect pair hehe. Adam's huge heart and attentiveness won me over and made me fall in love instantly. Their beautiful relationship, evolving from strangers to friends to lovers, radiated off the pages with undeniable chemistry and love.
I cannot praise this book and series enough! Please, please read this series-I'm obsessed with every character, couple, and the beautiful Juliana herself.
Marriage of convenience
Found family
Dual pov
Dual timeline
Grumpy x sunshine friends to lovers

You guys, I adore this book!! This series has been so good and each book has been even cuter than the last. Adam Wells is the grumpy military man who loves his family and Rachel Clarke is the sunshine, music-obsessed woman who changes his life from the moment they meet.

These two had one fun night after meeting at a bar before realizing they had other friends in common. Rather than let people know they've already met, they keep it a secret and become best friends on the down low. When Adam's brother Liam is remarrying his wife Marigold in Vegas, Rachel and Adam end up (not so) accidentally married as well!

The connection between these two was absolutely adorable. I loved how protective Adam was and how much he wanted to do for Rachel. Rachel was exactly the kind of friend (and more) that Adam needed to come out of his shell and give his life more meaning. There were so many sweet, heartwarming moments, especially the ones with Rachel's dad!

If you love a light-hearted, sugary-sweet, friends-to-lovers, marriage-of-convenience story, this book is for you! I can't believe we are almost done with the Wells Family, but I've enjoyed every minute of this series!

Thank you to Juliana and Victory Editing for the ARC!