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.

Such a fun read of two long term friends with major changes coming up finally figuring out that they might be more than friends …lots of laughs, great familiar references to rom coms and favourite tv shows. I want to read more!

giving this 3.5 stars! overall it was a cute read, but there were some details that i didn’t absolutely love. the switch between first and third person felt unnecessary and was really throwing me off. also i felt like cole and laila’s romantic relationship lacked build up. he had one dream and then suddenly he’s super into her? it just felt weird to me and i wish there had been more of a steady build to them discovering their love.

the friends to lovers vibe was so fun though and the adventures they went on filled my romcom loving heart with so much joy. so overall i had a fairly good time with this read, it just took me a bit to really get through it.

In *Loyally Luke* by Pepper Basham, we follow the sweet, rom-com journey of Luke, a carpenter who meets Ellie, only to later discover she’s an undercover princess. Set in the fictional country of Skymar, the story centers around the two working together to restore an orphanage. The narrative is predictable, playing on classic romantic comedy tropes like forced proximity, but the chemistry between Luke and Ellie is hard to miss. While their connection is obvious from the start, the lighthearted banter and humorous situations make it an easy and enjoyable read. Luke’s loyalty to his family adds an extra layer of warmth, as his dedication to them remains a theme throughout.
Meanwhile, Bethany Turner’s *Cole and Laila Are Just Friends* also brings a cozy friends-to-lovers dynamic. Cole and Laila have been best friends since childhood, but when Cole’s grandfather dies and leaves him out of the will, he decides to move from their small town in Colorado to New York City. The two friends take a trip to the city together, where they begin to question their platonic relationship. Turner uses humor, pop culture references, and realistic emotions to explore the gradual shift from friendship to romance, with the chaos of their feelings leading to heartfelt conversations. The book’s relatable characters and witty dialogue make it a fun, light read for fans of slow-burn romances.

This one was just ok! I found myself skimming alot of parts but the main characters were sweet. It wasn’t my favorite but was enjoyable

Funny and sweet! This story captured NYC beautifully, and the relationship between Cole & Laila was flawless. I loved the author's writing style - and from the first page, you can't help but root for the main characters. They are lovable and warm, funny and emotional.

Many thanks to NetGalley & the Publisher for the ARC, all opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.

I have read every single book of Bethany Turner's. Why you ask? Because every one has been amazing! I love her writing style, I love how she can pull you into a story from thr first page and keep you turning page after page after page. I love how she can make you laugh and smirk and smile! Every one of her books is delightful and Cole and Laila are no exception. I especially love their friendship aspect of this one! Their close relationship was so much fun to read. They're like an old married couple without really realizing it. And their fake first date...EPIC! I really, truly loved this entire story and highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Best friends forever until one wants more? Although there was a little bit of the "why can't they just have a real conversation about this issue" disease happening in this story, Cole and Laila were too cute together to get too worked up about it. By the end they finally figure out what everyone who has known them knew all along...


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to Bethany Turner, The publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this eARC. All opinions are my own.

I had so many high hopes for this book! It had all the makings for what should have been a knock out of the park. Unfortunately, for me, this book just didn't hit. I found the book to be more of a "telling" vs. "showing" and this dragged the book on for me. As a nearly 40 something myself, I surprisingly found it hard to relate to these characters that were still acting as though they were mid to late 20's and trying to find there way and still living out their college years.

Sad to say this book was a DNF for me but I can see why so many people of a younger age bracket would be able to connect to the characters and enjoy this book - nothing wrong with the book, writing style, plot etc...just wasn't my cup of tea unfortunately.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!
Cole and Laila are just friends is such a cute story of best friends who fall in love. This book was cute and funny and I would recommend it to anyone who loves romcoms. Their fake first date was adorable!

4.5 I loved this! A perfect friends to lovers where it really was natural that they came together as a couple since they had basically been one forever it was just that easy

Bethany Turner has always been a 5-star read for me. I absolutely adore the little town of Adelaide Springs. The characters are the best. I have previously read and listened to Brynn and Sebastian's story. It is still one of my favorite comfort reads that I always go back to. Cole and Laila are chef's kiss. Love the chemistry between them and the developments throughout the story. I cannot wait for the next book in this series! I will definitely be recommending to other looking for a great rom com with all the perfect small-town feels. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc to review. All opinions are my own.

This was the epitome of rom com. It has cute romance and I found myself chuckling throughout. I loved Cole and Laila together and I love when the two characters make it out of the friend zone. If you love Hallmark movie vibes, then this is definitely it.

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends: A Love Story by Bethany Turner is one of my favorite reads this year. I think I’ve read every book this author has written. I’ve loved most of them and liked a couple. This book is my favorite book she’s written by far, which is amazing because I just loved Sarah Hollenbeck. Laila and Cole’s love story has everything that makes a great rom com and more. The dialogue in the scenes are so good. I listened to some of the audiobook and have to say the narrators really bring the story to life. I cannot recommend this book enough. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Rating: 3

Spice: 0

Primary Genre: Romance

Trigger Warnings: Mention of terminal illness, abandonment, alchohol/prescription drug use, death of a family member/parent

Favorite Quote: Who knew romantic comedy was such a brutal sport?

Plot 3/5:
Slow burn, friends to lovers, closed door romance. And when I say slow burn, we’re talking the slowest. This story is about a girl and a guy who live in a small town in Colorado, have known each other since they were little kids, and are extremely close best friends. Unnaturally close, probably. The guy decides he's going to move across the country and the girl can't really go with but of course she doesn't want her bestie to move. They spend a week together in New York City pondering their future.

The Good:
* If you like the witty banter and pop culture references of The Gilmore Girls, you’re sure to love large portions of this book

* If you love the Luke and Lorelai characters of Gilmore Girls and their will they/won’t they, slow burn friends to lovers romance, you’ll like a large portion of this book

* I do enjoy that the characters are in their late 30’s, a lot of the pop culture references were relatable for me.

* Bethany has the ability to craft a romance without spice and still make it interesting

The Meh: 
* I have a hard time finding the premise of this book to be believable. For Cole and Laila to be as close as described in the book, to their point that they have sleepovers as adults, it seems unnatural that Cole wouldn’t have ever had at least a fleeting romantic or even conscious sexual thought about Laila much sooner than the age of 39. I mean, have you met pretty much any man? On the flip side of the coin, the plot alludes to Laila being interested in Cole and just not saying anything. I don’t know anyone who could have feelings for someone for 25 years and say absolutely nothing.

* While I enjoyed the witty banter, this almost felt like I was reading a sitcom script. I think I might have enjoyed this more if I were watching it as a movie rather than reading it.

* While I can appreciate a good slow burn, the unrealistic cluelessness of these two left me feeling frustrated at times.

* This could be taken as an homage to the Gilmore Girls or just a remake of the Luke and Lorelai storyline of the Gilmore Girls because it is very similar with the pop culture references, the banter between Cole and Laila, etc.

Bottom Line: 
This is a sweet closed door romance. The plot was well crafted and if you’re craving a trip to NYC this might help quell that craving for you. The main characters are well written, there’s also an extensive list of side characters that are really well written. A lot of the characters are endearingly quirky. You’ll probably like this if you enjoyed Friends and/or The Gilmore Girls.

I always enjoy a friends to lovers romance and was so excited to receive an ARC of Cole and Laila Are Just Friends. Cole recently moved to New York City from his small town in Colorado, where his best friend Laila still lives. Laila decides to visit her friend for a week and they fall in love. It was a very cute and sweet romantic comedy. I know in romance, it is necessary to suspend some amount of disbelief, but it was a little wild that the two main characters had known each other their entire lives, had been so close, and it took until their late 30s to figure out they were meant for each other. I think a second chance romance would have made more sense for these two. However, the novel had its high points as I loved the first fake date scene and it had me audibly laugh out loud. A sweet read for anyone in search of a romantic comedy. 3.5/5 stars from me.

"And while people stood in his space, attempting to come up with nice things to say, he kept his eye on the people who mattered and noticed that no matter how engaged in conversation they were or how focused elsewhere they seemed, they always had an eye on him. And then there was Laila. His lifelong best friend was an eternal optimist and the sunniest person he’d ever met, but she was struggling today."

Cole and Laila have been best friends forever. Other friends have pushed them toward more, but so far they have resisted. But when life falls apart for Cole, Laila tries to help him find a new start. Is there hope for a new beginning around the corner?

This book is perfect for anyone who loves best friends to more stories as well as the pop culture part of New York City. At times, I personally wished that there were would have been more about experiencing New York itself instead of the famous people of New York. I am not a fan girl, so that part did not mean as much to me.

The book is connected to "Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other," and I would recommend reading that book first. Cole and Laila are both such likable characters. I did enjoy this book and am glad I could read it through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. 4.5 stars