Thank you NetGalley and Bethany Turner for the eARC!

I will start off with saying that I really did enjoy the storyline of this book. NYC is one of my favorite places so it was fun to read about Cole and Laila’s adventures in New York. I loved their developing love story from best friends to more. And I also loved that this was a good, clean romance without all the spice that the majority of romances have these days. I remember noting that I really appreciated a moment in the book when Laila was coming out of the bathroom in a towel and had asked her best friend’s husband to close his eyes. It was little moments of modesty that I really appreciated from this author.

The only reason I didn’t rate this more stars was because of all the pop-culture references. I didn’t realize before starting this book that pop-culture romances are Bethany Turner’s niche. I think I didn’t like them as much because truthfully I didn’t understand 95% of the references. I’ve never seen You’ve Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, Gilmore Girls, and I’ve watched maybe 4 episodes ever of Friends, so for me I never really got excited or related to the majority of the references. For reader’s who have watched those movies/shows in the past, I’m sure they will find this book more enjoyable.

I didn’t dislike this book by any means, and I would certainly recommend it to other reader’s I just didn’t understand all the pop-culture references.

This was a sweet friends to lovers read, but my god - talk about a sloooooow burn. I was about 40% through before there was any tension or longing 🙃 I enjoyed it all the same though!

What to expect:

- friends to lovers
- small town setting
- kind of holiday romance
- clean romance

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends by Bethany Turner is a heartwarming and charming rom-com that explores the fine line between friendship and love. Cole and Laila have been best friends for their entire lives, and while they’ve always been there for each other, they’ve never considered crossing that boundary—until now.

When Cole is faced with the possibility of moving to New York City after a family betrayal, Laila is forced to confront a truth she’s been hiding: she might be in love with him. But as the two spend one final week together in the city, their friendship begins to shift in ways neither of them expected, challenging their long-held beliefs about love and loyalty.

Turner’s writing is witty and full of heart, and the chemistry between Cole and Laila is palpable. Their dynamic is fun, relatable, and filled with emotional depth. The plot perfectly balances humor and tenderness as the two navigate the uncertainty of what might happen next—both in their relationship and their futures.

For fans of friends-to-lovers stories, Cole and Laila Are Just Friends is a delightful and endearing journey that shows the complexities of relationships and the possibility of love where you least expect it. It’s a sweet reminder that sometimes the most important changes in life come when you take a risk and let your heart lead the way.

Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes, but Cole and Laila Are Just Friends didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While I didn’t hate the book, I also didn’t love it. I found the main characters a bit immature, and I felt it took too long for them to realize their feelings for each other. Their obliviousness to what was right in front of them was frustrating and something I couldn’t relate to. That said, Bethany Turner’s writing was fun and quirky, but the plot itself just didn’t fully win me over.

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends by Bethany Turner is a super sweet, clean, friends-to-more romance novel. I have really enjoyed Ms. Turners novels! They're very quick and easy to read, the characters pull you in and the story is romantic without being too spicy or more. I appreciate that as a reader who loves romance books with beautiful and bright covers, but hates to find too much spice inside!

Cole and Laila grew up together and spent their whole lives as besties. Now they're about 40 years old and find themselves temporarily moving from their picture postcard town in Colorado to New York City. While they're together in the city, they both realize that they may have deeper feelings for each other than they were letting the other know. Now, while it seems a bit unbelieveable that these characters made it to the age of 40 without realizing they had feelings, it was still a great read! I loved the dual POVs, the cameo appearances from Brynn and Sebastian (you don't necessarily have to read Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other first, but you won't be upset if you do!), and all the pop culture references.
The banter between the characters, the family relationships, and the love and care the characters had for each other were just right. I'm excited to read anything by Ms. Turner.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I really liked the characters, I don't, however think I was the target audience for this book. I believe people will like it, it has a great romance.

I love this author and have been thrilled with every book until now. I felt like she was trying for her usually quirky take but these characters just didn't cooperate.

The backstory didn't work and that trapped the storyline and characters in an impossible arc that made everything going forward weird and confusing. There were a few good parts but because the overall story didn't work for me I can't rate this book very high. It's three stars because I love this author.

I really tried with this book, but I think I’m not the target audience for it. Unfortunately it was a DNF for me.

I DNFd this about halfway through.

This was so incredibly frustrating. The characters, who are supposed to be in their late 30s, act like they're just getting out of high school/mid college level. I definitely didn't get 90s romcom vibes, and the constant pop culture mentions were grating.

This book was just so much fun and got me so hooked that I finished it in a day. The tension between the two love interests is palpable and makes you want for them to be together so badly, and along with the main characters every single side character is fully fledged out which makes them almost feel like real people.
Just really loved this read and highly recommend

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION | Thomas Nelson for an early copy of this book. I enjoyed this Rom-Com book and read it in one day. I would definitely recommend this book.

This romance was all kinds of adorable. And the cover is cute too! I loved it during the fall time - very aesthetic.

I didn't really go into this book with any expectations. Bethany Turner has written many romances, but this is the first one I've read. What really drew me in was the cover. It just gave off the rom-com vibes that I live for. Then when I saw it was described as if When Harry Met Sally had a love child with Gilmore Girls' Luke and Lorelai, I was sold. However, to be honest, after reading I see very little correlation.

Cole and Laila have been best friends their entire lives. Growing up in a small Colorado town, they are inseparable. When Cole's grandfather dies and doesn't leave his restaurant to Cole, Cole is devasted. I promise this isn't a spoiler - it's revealed very quickly in the book. Cole, who has been running the restaurant, expected to inherit the restaurant after his curmudgeon grandfather dies. When he doesn't, he spirals into mid-life crisis and decides he wants to move to New York and be a chef there. Laila, on the other hand, is happy living a quiet life as a waitress in their small town. She has no aspirations or desire to move New York, despite Cole's suggestion that she should come with him. Laila, in the end, decides to join Cole in a visit to New York and to convince him not to move. Will their friendship be enough to convince Cole to stay in Colorado?

I had a really hard time connecting with these characters. They are in their mid-late 30s, but this very much read like a YA novel. Cole is a bit insufferable. He is whiney, entitled, and incredibly privileged. Although not inheriting his grandfather's restaurant is surely devastating to someone who has centered their life around it, his reaction to it came off as childish and immature. It very much came off as "fine, if I don't get to own the restaurant then I'm leaving" despite friends trying to come up with alternative solutions to the whole situation. Then there is Laila... she is QuIrKy with her pink, plastic Sophia Loren glasses and supposed to be endearing because she refuses to leave how to cook and has no food at her besides chocolate chips and basically relies on Cole to feed her since he's a chef. This also came off as immature. She's a grown woman who seems to be incapable of caring for herself.

This friends-to-lovers romance is a slow burn. The banter between the two characters fell flat for me. I just didn't feel any sort of love connection between them, and they were incredibly co-dependent. I also don't understand how the two of them don't realize they're in love with each other when they literally spend every second of every day together... and then suddenly out of nowhere they realize it? It didn't add up for me.

To be fair, this wasn't a bad book. It was fluffy and cozy, which fits with this time of year. It's like watching a bad Hallmark movie. It's cheesy, but a nice break from reality. I wouldn't read it again or go out of my way to recommend it, but I can see how other reviewers have genuinely enjoyed this one. Don't expect any spice with this one though. It's a closed-door romance with very little sexual tension. I didn't realize until after I read it that it was actually classified under Christian fiction, so it makes sense. Also, be prepared for an overload of pop culture references.

A Hallmark movie type Romance that just made me mad because it took them so long to realize they loved each other! All the time they wasted. I couldn't finish it.

We LOVE Bethany Turner! This book was an absolute delight! It was so fun to read and discuss. The characters from Adelaide Springs felt like old friends that we got to revisit. Full podcast interview linked below!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

REVIEW: Cole and Laila Are Just Friends

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends by Bethany Turner is such a sweet and refreshing spin on the classic friends-to-lovers story! It follows Cole and Laila, two childhood pals who’ve always had each other’s backs. As they deal with life’s ups and downs, they realize that their friendship might run deeper than they thought.

Turner's writing is witty and heartfelt, perfectly capturing those little moments that make friendship special and the thrill of young love. The characters feel real and relatable; their emotional journeys pull you in. Plus, how the author tackles grief and healing adds a nice layer to the story, making it more than just your typical romance.

Sure, the plot can be a bit predictable sometimes, but the charming characters and those heartwarming moments make up for it. If you’re in the mood for a cozy read highlighting the magic of friendship and love, Cole and Laila Are Just Friends is worth picking up!

Thank you, Netgalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

Read: May 2024 - 4 stars

This novel picks up not long after where Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each other left off in Adelaide Springs.

Cole and Laila have been best friends for their whole lives. I completely agree with Laila who said that the term “just friends” doesn’t encapsulate friendship properly. It sounds like a low grade or something. A friendship shouldn’t be “less than.”

I wondered how the author would handle such any sort of romantic transition. It’s one thing to go from friends to more but it’s another thing to go from LONGTIME best friends to more. She handled it really well and it didn’t feel forced or overly dramatic. The change was awkward, kind of goofy, kind of complicated, & silly-sweet. That’s exactly how I think it would be to alter the course after decades of friendship.

Three things that felt off for me:
1. I did feel that I was reading about a couple in their mid-twenties and not about to turn forty. I’ve been through both myself. Their actions, behaviours, etc were fitting of twenty-somethings.
2. I’m not a pop culture and celebrity fan so I definitely could have done with a lot less of that.
3. I had some difficulty getting into the first part of the book. It wasn’t until they were in New York and sightseeing on their own that the book hit its sweet spot and my rating went up. I love Cole and Laila. I couldn’t help but root for them!

I really enjoyed how the book ended. The talk with his Mom, the additional info, the surprises, etc. It all felt…. just right.

I’ve read all of Bethany Turner’s books and her humour is always fun. There was definitely some SWOON in this book!

When it comes to clean rom coms, Bethany Turner is one of my go-tos and I was thrilled to be able to read an ARC of her newest book. Upon beginning, I immediately realized that I had to go read her previous book (Brynn and Sebastian). Although this book can be read as a standalone, I found it much more enjoyable with the background of the previous book. Cole and Laila are best friends who grew up in a small mountain town. When Cole is betrayed by a close family member, he considers moving to New York, and Laila agrees to go with him for the purpose of talking him out of it. I love a friends to lovers story, and this one was thoroughly enjoyable. I loved the New York descriptions and could picture exactly what the author was describing. I did find myself frustrated at the amount of times their inner dialogue made them hold in their feelings as to not ruin the friendship, but overall, this one was an easy, fun read!

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends by Bethany Turner is a warm and witty exploration of friendship, love, and all the confusing spaces in between. The book follows two best friends, Cole and Laila, who grapple with their deep connection and whether it should stay strictly platonic or blossom into something more. I really liked the authors perspective on relatable, humorous characters and tap into the charm and frustrations of friends-to-lovers dynamics.
The book offers a fun take on the friends-to-lovers trope but sometimes struggles with pacing and predictability. The "will-they-won't-they" dynamic is well-drawn, yet it occasionally feels drawn-out, with misunderstandings that can seem a bit forced to prolong the tension. I did however like the slow-burn in the love story itself.
I would say that the book was a great read.