- 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑱𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒂 𝑺𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒉, 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑱𝒖𝒏𝒆 𝟐𝟓𝒕𝒉

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✰ 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴
✰ 𝘓𝘢𝘴 𝘝𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨
✰ 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦
✰ 𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘱
✰ 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵

This book was such a delightful surprise! Fpr the record follows Adam and Rachel and their friends to lovers journey, with the best amount of mutual pining and sweetness.
It was such a feel good book that I couldn't help but adore it. I read it so quickly and I still think about it!

Also honorary mention to Rachel's taste in music because homie GETS IT!
Highly HIGHLY recommend this book ✨️

*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review via Netgalley

A five star wholesome love story.

I adore Rachel and Adam, and the friendship and love story they share. I appreciated the author not writing the usual want to be, but can’t be together storyline. Instead of being frustrated by their story, I was rooting for them.

The relationship Rachel has with her Dad was heartwarming and I immediately called my dad after reading the book and told him I love him.

This was my first Juliana Smith novel. I’m on my way to Amazon right now to buy another.

This book was so emotional! When a book can make me cry and feel so many emotions, I will recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. The chemistry between the female main character (FMC) and the male main character (MMC) was so relatable. If the MMC were a real person, I would want him to be mine. I can't wait for the next book. Crew sounds like an amazing character to read about!

For The Record is such a lovely book, which I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. If you’re looking for a grumpy x sunshine romance, friends-to-lovers, and a dual-POV with then and now time periods, you will adore this. I found the writing absolutely great, I was absolutely gripped and finished the book in one sitting! I’m so excited to have read this and can’t wait to read more of Juliana Smith’s books! Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

"For the Record" is a sweet and tender novel about a complicated friendship between Adam and Rachel. It's a clean romance with enough tension to keep things interesting!

My favorite thing about this book is a split timeline. You get the present chapters when they wake up after a wild night in Vegas, in the same bed and married, they decide to stay married for the government benefits and you watch as they try to navigate their new reality. This storyline is interwoven with the "then" chapters, where we learn everything from how they met, their hook-up, their secret friendship and how they relationship progressed thoughout the time to end up in their current situation.

Adam is your typical broody lead. He's a grumpy biker who works in the military, but also has a soft side. Rachel is a sweetheart with a heart of gold, who is the caretaker of her father, who is struggling with the early stages of dementia.

As much as I love the romance, the relationship that truly touched me was that of Rachel and her dad. Watching the man who has raised her and could always count on slowly slipping away to his illness and forgetting the core memories the two of them had together was just so heartbreaking to read.

The story lost me a little by the end. I can't really pinpoint on anything specific. It felt a bit disorganized, but it doesn't take too much away from the overall experience.

This was one of the most cheesy and cute books I've ever read! I really loved this to the core and I feel like this book found me when I needed it most. If you're looking for something sweet and light, for something cute and summery — this book is for you. It's a romcom and if you love books that make you giggle and kick your legs, you should definitely check this one once it's released.

At first, I was really anxious as I haven't read previous books, so I thought that I might not see references or might not understand the story at all because I didn't know the backgrounds of characters. However, this one could be read as a standalone, and I actually enjoyed reading it as a standalone. I can guarantee you that you will understand everything without knowing what happened in previous books. Still, I promised myself that I'll read the first three books this summer because, I swear, Wells family is one of the cutest families I've ever met! The way they were there for each other, their family dinners and gatherings — they are just so wholesome that it's impossible to not love them.

The main characters — Rachel and Adam — were also amazingly mesmerising. I fell in love with them and their story instantly as it kind of reminded me of my own. Their development from strangers to friends to lovers really made me feel things as the pacing felt so real and yet so emotional. Their chemistry shined through pages and made you root for them to finally sort their things out and voice everything they were feeling, but at the same time it made you want to savour every little moment Rachel and Adam had — every little interaction, brush of hands or innocent touch. They were so good, so well structured and I absolutely loved every bit of them in this book.

The female main character, Rachel Clarke, is a definition of sunshine. She's so cute and sweet, she's a yapper, and she's not an annoying type of yapper, but an adorable one. She's radiating the sunshine, she can see light even in the dark and she had this addictive personality that makes you love her with all of her little quirks. I really loved her development throughout the whole book with her finally accepting help and realising that not everyone leaves, some people are here to stay.

Rachel's relationship with her father broke my heart and then mended it back together again. Some scenes really made me cry and I didn't expect that from a light romcom like this one. Still, it's a good kind of pain — it's raw and emotional, but it's how the world is.

Oh Adam Wells, the man you are! I really can't even begin to explain how in love with Adam I am now. He easily captured my heart and didn't let go of it until the end of this book. He's a grump, but he's also a cinnamon roll! He was down bad from the moment he met Rachel and I love nothing more than seeing a man being pathetically in love. I absolutely loved how Adam wasn't saying much, but at the same time he was saying enough. He was so supportive and caring, so protective and kind. I don't know, he was just it for me, I guess.

The relationship between Adam and Rachel was so beautifully complimented with the dual timeline. It fit the story so well and I really loved seeing how the events of flashbacks somehow correlated with the current timeline. Honestly, this whole story having two of my favorite tropes — friends to lovers and marriage of convenience — is already a win-win situation for me, but with Rachel and Adam? It's literally the cutest thing I've read in a while.

Bonus points for them having a good communication! I feel like it's a bare minimum, but I've read a lot of friends to lovers books and believe me it's rare when main characters are able to communicate. So yeah, this book was able to portray the communication aspect perfectly.

I absolutely enjoyed every bit of this book. I read it in one day, so you can guess that I loved it tremendously! It's an easy little sweet read that will present you heartwarming emotions and absolutely beautifully crafted story, it's incredibly sweet and adorable. I'm going to get back to Wells family by reading previous books soon and I really can't wait to see the glimpses of Rachel and Adam through other perspectives.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every book by Juliana Smith, but this one just shot right to first place. Adam and Rachel’s story is so vulnerable and emotional, yet so many fun and silly moments between them as well. I loved the now and then timeline and getting to see them form their friendship, which pretty much took place throughout the previous books in this series. So getting to go back and see flashbacks from the other books was so fun. So many parts left me in tears in the best way possible, and all the hints for Crew’s book have me so excited for the final book! Although it will be a sad day finishing this series!

I didn’t think I could love the Wells Family series any more than I did after reading ‘Rock and a Hard Place’ earlier this year, but it only took reading the first chapter of ‘For the Record’ for me to be proved wrong, in fact, this may just be my favourite book of the series so far. I am a complete sucker for the friends to lovers trope, and Juliana Smith pulled it off effortlessly, not that I had any doubts. From the first few pages of this book, I was completely hooked and ended up reading it in one sitting. I adored Adam and Rachel (excellent name choice as well, not that I’m biased or anything), and watching them realise that their love for eachother was more than just friendship completely melted my heart. I know it’s easy to say that two characters are made for one another in romance books, because they were literally created for eachother, but when I say it now, it’s different, okay?!?!?! Rachel is Adam’s person and vice versa, like two pieces of a puzzle, these two fit together perfectly and wholly accept one another, this book isn’t gonna leave my mind for a while.

Imagine waking up in Vegas married to your best friend—sounds like a wild weekend, right? In "For the Record," Rachel and Adam do just that. Instead of rushing for an annulment, Rachel hatches a plan: why not stay hitched and milk the benefits of Adam's military perks? Easy-peasy, no strings attached. At least, that’s the theory. What Rachel didn’t bank on was how darn attractive Adam looks playing house. With every bouquet of flowers and sweet husbandly gesture, Rachel’s resolve starts to crack. Sure, her life is busy juggling a high-powered job and caring for her dad, but suddenly, a real-life fairy tale with Adam doesn’t seem so far-fetched. For Adam, having Rachel as his wife is a dream come true—almost. There’s one little thing he’s hiding, and bringing it to light might just shatter their perfect setup. But secrets have a way of surfacing, and Adam must face his fears head-on.

I’m usually not a fan of the miscommunication/keeping secrets trope but I feel that Juliana Smith handled it flawlessly. 95% of the time, Rachel and Adam had some of the healthiest communication that I’ve read in romance, talking deeply and honestly about their thoughts and feelings, and I think that the third-act drama was a key detail in the story. The two characters compliment 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. Also, it was so lovely to read about the characters from the other books too, I live for Wells Family crumbs. Now we just have to wait (not so patiently) for Crew’s book.

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

another fantastic juliana smith romance that has all the sweet makings of a real life rom-com. this is a friends to lovers, he falls first AND harder, grumpy x sunshine romance between two people who are the definition of right person, wrong timing for YEARS!! the tension is perfection 👌🏼

Rachel and Adam meet at a bar and have one romantic night together thinking they’ll never see each other again. It just so happens that Adam is her best friend’s new brother-in-law (gasp!). they decide to just be friends and as their friendship blossoms, so do their feelings. as they’re attending their friends wedding, drinks are consumed and they wake up married. as they stay married and living together trying to prove to people their relationship is real, they both weigh out the pros and cons of crossing that line in fear of losing their friendship, or living with knowing they’ll never know what could happen if they don’t try.

I loved how this story coincides with the timeline of Marigold’s and Liam’s story, just through their POV. I also loved the dual timeline action happening where we get to see how their friendship bloomed, while also seeing the ‘now’ of them married and figuring out what’s next for them. Rachel is a sunshine girl with a heart of gold and standards as high as her heels (as she should), I loved her bubbly attitude and her relationship with her dad. It felt so special. Adam is your typical grumpy man of few words but the way he cared for Rachel showed everything. I absolutely ADORED him!

the entire story was fantastic from beginning to end, the pacing was great, the found family with all the Wells siblings is my favourite thing, and the tension between Rachel and Adam was so thick you could cut it with a knife!!! I highly recommend & I can’t wait to read Crew’s book when it comes out 💖

For The Record is published on June 22nd! Thank you NetGalley, Juliana Smith, and Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 💝

For the Record
by Juliana Smith
3⭐️

This was a quick and easy read but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. There was a few elements that I really liked but there wasn’t much that I loved. Rachel and Adam are very cute and go from strangers to friends to lovers. I loved how Adam loved Rachel in a sweet and steady way. I also really liked Rachel’s dad Jack and how committed she was to taking care of him. I love love love a good marriage of convenience but for some reason this was not it. I have no issue with closed door spice but this needed more romance because it felt like a weird situationship.

The past/present timeline switched at the end of the every single chapter and it was so distracting because the chapters weren’t very long to begin with. I’m not a fan of this writing style, there’s nothing wrong with it but I just could not connect to anything.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love Juliana’s books and this one is no different. Adam is a quiet, broody, tattooed man who likes to speak in grunts, while Rachel is a ray of sunshine!

This book follows their relationship as it slowly grows and we get a Then/Now format to show us glimpses into how it builds. I don’t normally love a Then/Now format but it definitely works in this one. After they get drunkenly married in Vegas, there’s a bit a mystery to them and I like seeing the glimpses of how their relationship developed in the past.

The ending of this one is totally perfect and totally left me with a smile on my face.

Love this series and the family so much and can’t wait for Crew’s book!

Review to be posted on Instagram on release day.

The way I wish I could read this for the first time again because it was so utterly perfect and sweet and EVERYTHING I hoped for! Rachel and Adam are top-tier romance goals and they stole my heart from chapter one.

I’ve absolutely adored Rachel since we first saw her in the previous books and I’m so excited we got her story! She’s carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders but still manages to be sunshine on a cloudy day.

ADAM. THE BIGGEST SOFTIE OF THEM ALL. He has the quiet kind of love where he isn’t looking for Rachel to acknowledge his affection, he just wants to do things that make her happy to see her smile. I think his personality can be summed up by this (paraphrased) quote: “Where’s my grumpy Adam?” “He left as soon as you got that ring on your finger.”

I feel like I always say “oh this couple is my favorite,” but it’s because Juliana keeps writing the sweetest couples that make me want to squeal with joy. Their relationships are full of all the good and scary parts of falling in love, which makes them feel so special and real. Rachel and Adam somehow managed to be the softest of the bunch and they’re so sunny, the yellow cover is really fitting.

Extra bonus points for “honey” being one of the cute nicknames in the book, because it’s hands down one of my faves (shout out to my husband who calls me honey).

I can’t believe we’re already about to reach the end of the Wells family series, I don’t think I’m ready to say goodbye yet!!!

Thank you to Juliana Smith, Netgalley, and Victory Editing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

God this was such a cute read 💖

For the Record is the fourth in the Wells Family series by Juliana Smith. I haven’t had the chance to read the first three books before reading this, but I most definitely will be adding them to the TBR after reading this one!!

I loved For the Record so much. Harper and Adam were the cutest, I loved their nicknames and their banter. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind accidentally marrying someone either if it was Adam.

For The Record is a light-hearted marriage of convenience story filled with romance, banter, and loveable moments. This was a refreshing read, I flew through it in a day. If you love rom-coms and love, you’ll love this book!!!

For The Record releases on June 22nd!!!

___

Quotes I loved:

“That night alone made me realize that maybe some people were bound to leave you, but the ones who stuck with you were the only ones worth having.”

“It was the kind of kiss that was left open. It had a cliffhanger, like all of my favorite cozy mysteries. One you knew would come back with the most satisfying ending.”

“I wasn’t sure what everything entailed, but I was ready for it.”


This book review has been posted on Instagram and GoodReads (@lemidnightchaptre)

This was my first book by Juliana Smith, and I just love this family. Adam & Rachel’s story was a combination of grumpy/sunshine, friends to lovers, age gap & marriage of convenience – and I loved it! Chef’s kiss!

Stars: 5/5
Spice: 0/5 (Closed-Door)

Adam wakes up in Vegas, married – to his best friend, Rachel. And they’re expected downstairs to meet their friends and family for brunch, even though they don’t know how they feel about this marriage or what they plan to do about it.

I absolutely loved everything about this story! The way this story is structured takes the reader on a journey with a now & then timeline, giving you glimpses along the way of secrets that only Adam & Rachel know. The way they met. The fact that they’re actually best friends. The little ways they show up for each other. I’ve learned that I’m a sucker for a now & then timeline, and books like this are the reason why. I will definitely be going back and reading the rest of this series. Highly recommend!

CW: Dementia

grumpyxsunshine, tattooed, biker hero, marriarge of convenience, and HE FALLS FIRST??? this was made just for me

i adored this (aside from the closed door!) even though the tension was palpable through the pages. it was simmering and hot and jesus lord with adam setting off my fire alarm!! rachel was also so fiery and fun and sassy and i loved her!!!

i will def be reading the other books of the series!!

Okay why have I never read a Juliana Smith book until now?!?!! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH

I have had this series on my tbr forever and I knew immediately after reading the blurbs and seeing the tropes for this that I needed to read it ASAP.

Adam and Rachel have known each other for years. They meet at a bar one night and have an instant connection. But when they find out Adam’s brother is dating Rachel’s best friend/roommate, they decide to keep their friendship to themselves. As time goes on, neither can date anyone else but they don’t know how to be with each other.

Until they wake up in Vegas, married. When Rachel asks Adam if they can stay married to give her insurance, he doesn’t say no. But is Adam only doing this to help her? Or is he happy they’re married and wants to ACTUALLY be married to Rachel?

I loved their dynamic and seeing their relationship develop over the years. This is dual POV and I loved that we saw the then and now.

Definitely bumping up the rest of this series on my tbr to read ASAP! Love love LOVE!!!!!

✨ARC Review✨

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for For the Record by Juliana Smith

I adored this story so much! Adam is the kind of MMC I love, all grumpy and broody with everyone but he has a soft spot for her...*swoons*

He's the grumpy to Rachel's sunshine, and they just fit together so well; she's funny and kind and passionate, messy and super girlie, while Adam is serious and level-headed, with a gentle soul and a reserved personality. They complement each other so well, and the dual timeline aspect of this story made it even better!

I loved that we started the morning after their wedding, simultaneously following the story after their wedding and the events that led to the actual wedding (and them falling in love in the process). Speaking of love, Adam is such a goner for her, he falls first and hard and I was here for it!

I read this as a standalone, but I will definitely go back and read the rest of the interconnected series, as I want to read all of the other characters's stories too, I loved the glimpses of them we get in this one!

This was adorable and swoony and funny, a perfect light-hearted romcom for summer!

Thank you to @netgalley and @victoryeditinggngc for a copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
This review has also been posted to my bookstagram @the.bookish.spot as of today.

for the record by juliana smith

if you love a fun lighthearted rom com and sourdough bread, this book is for you💗🤭

* dual pov
* age gap
* marriage of convenience
* friends to lovers
* grumpy x sunshine
* dual timeline
* he falls first
* found family
* closed door romance
* playlist and songs per chapter
* she steals his clothes
* nicknames

i mean, that list⤴️😮‍💨 what more could you ask for?

this was my first read from juliana, and the fact it was part of a series (and can be read as a stand-alone) does not help my tbr because not only will i be grabbing this one once released - but also the 3 books before this one, and more to come🫠

rachel is a sassy, high maintenance blonde fmc who isn’t afraid of what she wants, and creates playlists for every occasion and emotion🎵
then there’s adam, a broody, quiet, grumpy tattooed biker mmc (secret cinnamon roll) who accidentally wake up finding themselves married…in vegas💍

instead of divorcing like you’d expect, they try and make it work and decide to live together ‘as friends’ - a marriage of convenience for the extra financial help🤭 what could go wrong??

nothing is in their way, except a big secret adam is planning to tell her but also avoiding…as he doesn’t want to lose her, or the pasta dishes she keeps making him🤭🍝

i loved the fact that even though this was a closed door romance, you could literally feel the heat between them both😍

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

is this one on your radar yet?? if not i hope it is now!!🗓️

release date: june 22

thank you to netgalley and juliana smith for an early copy in return for my review!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Juliana for the early review copy.

When Rachel accidentally marries her best friend in Vegas, they decide that instead of getting an annulment, they should reap the healthcare benefits of Adam’s military. Their no-strings-attached marriage should be easy but the more Adam plays the doting husband, the harder it is for Rachel to stay detached, until secrets come to the surface.

While dual timeline not usually my jam, I've read this whole series so I didn't want to miss out on this one! Adam & Rachel met before they knew that her best friend is dating his brother and they’ve liked each other for such a long time but their timing has never worked out. This is the fourth book in the Wells Family series and this one might be my new favourite. There is one more sibling left so I can’t wait to see what happens in Crew’s book to finish off the series.

"Never again did I want to be just friends with Rachel Clarke."

Rom com
Dual POV
Dual Timeline
Friends to lovers
Grumpy x sunshine
Found family
Tattooed MMC
Closed door romance
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This book has dual timeline. One being when Rachel and Adam met at a bar and their friendship over the years. The other timeline starts out with "the hangover" vibes. Rachel wakes up with no recollection of what happened the night before. She hears a man in the shower and doesn't remember how to she got to the hotel room she's in. She finds out that her and Adam got hitched the night before. Instead of getting an annulment, the two decide to stay together for the extra military benefits.

I could not put this book down. The MMC, Adam, gave me butterflies. I was giggling reading through this whole book❤️, but it also had some deep emotinal bits. And did I mention the killer Playlist? Hit after hit!🎵

I haven't read any of the other books from this series, but after reading and enjoying this so much, I plan to go back and read the others! Although, it's going to be hard to beat this MMC. 🫶

Thanks to Net Galley and Victory Editing for allowing me to read and review this ARC.