It was a cute story line with the main couple realizing their feeling towards each other when faced with the possibility of losing the other. It was refreshing to read as opposed to the friends-to-lovers plots in which the one had been pining after the other for a long time.

However, I just couldn’t get into the plot or care about the characters. Had to force myself to complete it.

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

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends
3/5 stars

This book will definitely be a great read for fans of contemporary romance, and especially the friends to lovers trope.
There are some truly sweet moments between Cole and Laila. I do absolutely recommend this book to people who like that trope or for whom the description of this book sounds appealing. This is definitely going to be a really good read for a lot of people.

That said, this book was not really for me. It's not a bad book, but despite normally really loving the friends to lovers trope, this story just didn't speak to me very much. I found Cole and Laila a bit lacking. I'm still not sure if they and/or their relationship just weren't developed enough for me, or what the issue was, but I couldn't connect with this book. I read the entire thing hoping I would get more into it, but I just never did. This is one of those books where I think I just might not have been in the mood for it? I'm not sure, but I will probably try to read it again one day, it's just a not right now hit for me.

I loved the set up. I loved the cover. I loved the blurb on NetGalley. But I could not get into the style of the book. It was not bad, it just was not for me. I think a lot of people will like it, but the writing style turned me off a bit and that dampened my enthusiasm.

Get ready to laugh, cry, and crave chocolate chip pancakes! Cole and Laila's lifelong friendship faces the ultimate test when a family secret threatens to send Cole packing to New York City. Will their bond survive the chaos of the Big Apple, or will it crumble like Laila's refined palate?

3.25✨

๋࣭ ⭑"There was no one in the world he was more himself with than Laila." ๋࣭ ⭑

๋࣭ ⭑"There wasn't a singular moment when something had shifted and somewhere deep in his subconscious his soul had whispered, "She matters more than the rest." It had always been. He'd always known." ๋࣭ ⭑

This book is for all my girlies who belive in soulmates and want nothing more than being able to fall, knowing there is this one person in their corner who will catch them. Always. Every single time.

So why did I not give it 5 stars?
Don't get me wrong, it was an amazing read, but there were some issues that made my enjoyment lessen.

The sentences didn't read smoothly, being way too long, and there were many moments I had to read them two or three times to understand. Also, please stop using so many word strings; that's not quirky, that's cringe.

Another point is that Cole and Laila, despite being in their twenties, sometimes act more like teenagers. It wouldn't have taken away from the story to make the characters 10-20 years younger.

The last point is that they go from friends to more-than-friends in the blink of an eye. I would have liked a little bit more pining and less content about their friends who already have their own book.

Nevertheless, don't let me discourage you and give the book a try if it sounds up your alley <33
I still really enjoyed my time!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you for the ARC! I loved this book as I am truly a sucker for romance novels! The plot and character descriptions had me hooked from the beginning and I can’t wait to read more by this author! Will definitely recommend as it is such a sweet read

Cole and Laila captured my attention in the last book and I was looking forward to reading about them in this one. I liked the glimpses we got into Brynn and Sebastian’s married life. They’re still my favorite couple of the series. I enjoyed getting to know Cole and Laila in this story and my heart broke for the struggles they had to go through, but the ending was rewarding. As with the previous book I had a hard time following all of the pop culture references. I didn’t spend a lot of time on TV as a kid so I don’t know anything about Friends or Gilmore Girls. I also wish we had a little more time with Cole and Laila after the big reveal in the end of the book. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it.

Reading L&C was a bit of a.. chaotic experience. To start with, I was introduced to 20 characters (not really 20, but ygwim) in the first chapter, which was a lot. And then, I'm not sure if I'm a fan of this storytelling style. The author goes on a tangent every other paragraph, instead of remaining in-scene. Most of those tangents feel pointless too, at which point I started skimming to get to the good stuff. This story is also riddled with pop culture references, most of which I didn't understand, except for the FRIENDS ones. It didn't really matter though, since I was skimming anyway. I nearly dnf'ed a couple of times, but didn't want to add another dnf to my current month reading list.
Ine thing that I liked was that I got tk visit NYC with Laila and Cole, and that was pretty fun.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

When I requested this as an ARC) I didn't realize that it was a sequel to another romance, Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other, so my lack of context from that book does influence my opinion of it a little bit. However, I did find the book enjoyable to read and surprisingly not very trope-y (despite featuring multiple tropes including friends-to-lovers and just one bed). I would have liked to see more to Laila's character beyond just being friends with Cole. It felt like her sewing hobby was just thrown in there as an afterthought. It was a fun and quick read though!

This was just about the cutest friend to lovers romance I have ever read. I really enjoyed this author's first book and Cole and Laila appeared in that one. I remember looking forward to their story. This book did not disappoint.

Cole is adorable - he's sweet, handsome and kind and he can cook. Enough said. But Laila was the true hero of this story. If we met in real life I think we would be best friends. Her internal monologue is a chaotic whirlwind and made me laugh several times.

I just didn't quite believe how they could have been friends and nothing else for soooo long. How could the thought just never have occurred to Cole? That was the one thing that struck me as odd. I mean who is THAT oblivious?

This however, did not impact my enjoyment of the book so much. One thing I did find a little disorienting was how Laila's POV was in first person but Cole's was in third person. I didn't necessarily hate it, but it pulled me out of the story from time to time.

Overall I really liked this story. Mainly because the characters are so sweet to each other. It's a clean romance.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends, or so they’ve always told themselves and others, until Cole experiences some life changing news that leads both Cole and Laila on a trip to NY that ultimately starts to change things for the both of them. I thoroughly enjoyed this friends to lovers romance, which was filled with all the pop culture references and diddies that filled my little millennial heart with so much joy (Friends, When Harry Met Sally, Serendipity, Ghostbusters, you name it!) Cole and Laila were just absolutely adorable and the whole time I was reading this book all I could think about was how “You are In Love (Taylor’s Version)” has to be their song, it just took them a little bit of time to figure that out, and we got to read about it all playing out.

This was the perfect rom com. This was my first book by Bethany Turner, but it won’t be my last – this book was a sequel but worked well as a standalone (I will be going back to read about Sebastian and Brynn).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Bethany Turner and Thomas Nelson--FICTION for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

I hesitantly jumped into this one. I loved one of this author's previous books (Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck) but the others I've read have fallen sooo far from my expectations that I keep picking up her books in the hope that there's one that compares to how much I enjoyed that story.

I love friends to lovers with the secret pining and no of course we don't like each other like that story line so, hopefully started reading.

**side note, If you haven't read brynn and Sebastian, (while I didn't enjoy it) you definitely need to have read that first as this is very much not a stand alone story.**

The story itself is clunky. For two characters that have been best friends for 30 years and are almost 40, feelings had to have come up and been addressed at some point. But per the plot it did not...I feel like the reader would have benefited from some flashbacks to see their friendship grow because, we really weren't given any background or anything specific to root for. The dual POV but she's in first person and he's in third was very awkward and didn't flow seamlessly from chapter to chapter/each character really leaning into their own voices. And finally, a romance without chemistry just doesn't give the reader something to root for. A book without spice can still have butterflies and longing glances and banter and chemistry without being explicit and I think that would have helped the plot immensely.


The last 20% really started to pick up the plot, but where else that the first 80% of the book?? I was hopeful for this one, with so many of my favorite things mentioned to be present but unfortunately was disappointed. The romcom tour of NYC and the fake first date were top notch but weren't able to sway my opinion.


Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Gilmore Girls Fans This Book Is For YOU!

Small Town Romance= Adelaide Springs, Colorado
Friends To Lovers
Childhood Friends
New York Trip
It Has Always Been You
Cute Banter

Cole and Layla have been friends for over 25 years.
She's his lifelong best friend and he has always been her shoulder and her rock.

He is a chef and she works as a waitress at his grandfather's restaurant Cassidy's which was supposed to be Cole's eventually but when he dies the will states that it has been sold, Cole's world flips upside down and he needs to leave everything behind. So when an offer, lands him a position in New York's finest restaurants he can't say no but there's Layla he cannot also be without her and that's when she agrees to go with him until he figures things out, but what they didn't know that this trip will change everything between them too.

What a cute and heartwarming love story.🤍🤍🤍
What I liked most about it:
The fact they are approaching 40 and it's okay if your life is still not figured out yet.
The easiness between them and how they know each other from a glance.😍 Their caring and love for each other was so sweet🥰.
The surprises that Cole did for Layla in New York and how he made her smile.❤️
All the amazing chocolate chip pancakes 😋😋😋

All in all, it was a beautiful love story which I highly recommend.
Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of #ColeAndLaylaAreJustFriends
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own .

Xoxo💋

"Cole and Laila Are Just Friends" is an absolute gem of a book! Turner's writing is a beautiful blend of emotion and humor that keeps you hooked from page one. Cole and Laila are like two sides of the same coin, oblivious to their deep connection until they begin to unravel the truth. The journey from friendship to something more is pure perfection, filled with uncertainty, tension, and some of the most engaging dialogue I've come across. Witnessing their realization of love amidst the chaos was an absolute delight—I found it impossible to tear myself away from their story. I enjoyed the appearances of characters from a previous book even though I had not read that one. It made me want to go back and read their story. The friendship angle was very well done with both couples.
The trips around New York seeing their favorite sights were delightful as well. For anyone in search of a fantastic, clean romantic comedy, I recommend diving into the world of Cole and Laila.

This is an enjoyable and clean/chaste rom-com about two best friends finally realizing after more than three decades of friendship, and when circumstances threaten to separate them, that they actually want to kiss each other a lot.

What I liked: There was some good, if inconsistently funny, banter. I also liked that characters from a previous rom-com played a role in this story.

The shared history of the main characters was nice to see, if a bit overdone. They are best friends. Please don't say it 175 more times. We get it.

I also enjoyed the New York setting and seeing it through the perspectives of two people from a small town. That was done well — they felt like smart but real tourists — not rubes but also wide-eyed in a fun way.

What I didn't like: The characters are meant to be late 30s. I think they read as mid-twenties. Laila was a touch of wacky, wide-eyed pixie dream girl but make her from Colorado. I found descriptions of her inconsistent — she doesn't work out much but does climb rocks. She wears Barbie-pink shoes, but also her favorite outfit involves khaki cargo pants? What? And she can't even cook a pancake from a box. Give me a break.

Also, no way they have been best friends through all of puberty and their early 20s and not thought pretty seriously about a romantic relationship (well, mostly Cole). This is not realistic on any plane, but I would buy it if they were a decade younger.

Next, the author puts Laila's chapters in first person and Coles's in third. I don't understand that editorial choice at all and it always pulled me out of the story for a second.

Ok I really did not dislike this book, but finally, I must call out it is not Christian Fiction in any way, shape, or form. Maybe it's just the Goodreads labels that have attached this genre to it.

Anyway, I've read books with no claim to religious affiliation at all that had more Christian content than this one. Within these chapters there is no mention of God, they don't reference attending church, or following any moral standard. They are just PG-rated people. Since it's published by Thomas Nelson, that may be confusion, but just know that it is void of any Christian overtones and you could read it out loud to your grandma.

A pair of small-town best friends take on New York; what could go wrong?

In Cole and Laila Are Just Friends, Cole Kimball and Laila Olivet have been friends their whole life, the only two in their friend group who didn't move away from their small town of Adelaide Springs, Colorado. Cole is the owner/chef of Cassidy's, the only bar and grill in Adelaide Springs, and Laila is a spunky, outgoing waitress. Cole's grandfather passes away and leaves him feeling betrayed and with so many questions about his future. Cole hops on the first plane to New York to investigate a job opportunity that would get him away from Adelaide Springs, and Laila tags along to help him process everything that has happened. Laila fights to remain cheerful and supportive as she struggles with changes that could turn Cole and her comfortable friendship upside down. In the Big Apple, while exploring New York's greatest movies and TV shows sights and spending time together away from their small town, they both start to wonder if their friendship is enough and if it can withstand them being apart.

Bethany Turner's witty, pop culture-filled rom-com about two closer-than-close friends, Cole and Laila, is a delightful read. It is filled with poignant moments between two lifelong friends who start to wonder, What if we were more?

While you can read this book as a stand-alone book, it is most rewarding to read it after reading Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other.

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

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun book. I enjoyed it a lot!

Just Friends. The words Laila hates the most. The last 20+ years of her life she’s been best friends with Cole Kimball. Just friends can’t possibly describe their friendship. It’s so much deeper, so much more.

Cole’s loss of his grandfather has sent him into a spiral (not midlife crisis as he says). At 40 years old he feels like he should know what he wants and right now the only thing he wants is to escape their Colorado small town. And, now is his chance.

““I’m not panicking, and I’m not having a midlife crisis. I’m ready. I’m pretty sure I need this. It’s . . . it’s what I want.” “Oh.” That was all I could really say. Because that changed everything, didn’t it? He’d taken away my opportunity to playfully slap him and scream, “Snap out of it!” like I was Cher in Moonstruck. The pain on his face robbed me of my chance to play the martyr and beg him to stay for my sake if not his own. Any argument I put out there now would be asking him to choose what I wanted over what he wanted, and that put us in new, foreign territory. I couldn’t remember the last time we hadn’t wanted the same thing.”

The only thing that’s put a kink in the plan is leaving behind his best friend Laila. They do and live life together literally daily. Laila has agreed (only to try and convince him to return yo Colorado) to join Cole as he heads to NYC to interview for a sous chef position and stay with their other best friends and celebrities from their group, Bynn and Sebastian, who have literally just come back from their honeymoon.

The question that has always been asked by townspeople and their friends is why they have never tried to become more than “just friends.” Cole has never once thought about it over the years until he has a dream about a possible romantic future with Laila their first night in NYC. He wakes visibly shaken and confused. Now, he’s wondering if that possible future is worth the risk of messing up their lifelong friendship.

“What if we’re so afraid to mess up what we have that we’re actually messing up the best stuff? The stuff we haven’t even seen yet.” -Laila-

First off, this dual POV story is amazing. I loved the ride I was on from the beginning. Their friendship is pure, funny and so lovably adorable. All the pop culture references were gold! I laughed out loud, swooned and even growled in frustration over these two characters. Miscommunication and insecurity galore. This is where I started to feel like the story wasn’t as believable as it could be. The whole book I could never picture them the age they were supposed to be. Maybe it’s because I married young and developed emotional maturity fairly quickly, but Cole just wasn’t mature enough for the age he was supposed to be. It felt more like they should be in their late 20’s or early 30’s. Outside of the age and maturity part, I loved this book. The twists it took I never saw coming. The fumbling and shyness over new love, totally adorable. And the ending wasn’t what I was expecting at all.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Bethany Turner for allowing me to read a complimentary copy of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Overall, I thought this book was really cute. I like the friends-to-lovers trope, the fact that the MCs are in their late 30s, and that they seemed like relatable characters. However, I didn't love a certain aspect of the friends-to-lovers trope which was that they've been best friends forever. They're super affectionate with each other--always touching, hugging, and holding hands. They can read each other's minds and are incredibly close. No wonder neither of them has ever had a serious relationship! For me, there just wasn't a buildup to the romance. They were already in-sync, already intimate with one another. It just made the romantic aspect to their relationship seem inevitable and anti-climatic.

I liked the small town charm and the third act crisis. I especially liked that they didn't do the typical big break-up thing only to make-up a few pages later. I liked that the crisis was still climatic but not too far out there.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DNF I couldn't handle the constant switching between 1st person and third person. Hard to connect with the characters