I had given up on reading a Bethany Turner bock that I liked. But with Cole and Lila are Just Friends I ended up loving it. And I think it was do in part to the fact that Cole and Lila reminded me so much of Luke and Lorelai from Gilmore girls. And it gave me all the nostalgic feels.

I enjoyed Cole and Laila's story. When Cole's world turns upside down financially, he struggles with not only how to proceed but also with feelings of unworthiness.
It was interesting that Cole and Laila have been friends for a very long time but no romantic feelings developed between them until they are in their 40's. Not only was it fun to experience Cole and Laila's adventurous time as they navigate New York, but I enjoyed their first "blind-date".
What a delightful contemporary romance read with snarky dialogue, wonderful characters, many pop-culture references, humor, small-town living, big-town living, and romance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 stars

This was a very fun read.
I like our main characters, Cole and Laila. They were fun to read, their banter was amazing and their FRIENDSHIP was great but unfortunately i didn't buy their romantic chemistry.
If you'd told me this was a journey of them as besties I would have love this more than the romance.
Still this was a heartwarming and lovely read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book review: Cole and Laila are just friends by Bethany Turner

I got the privilege to read Cole’s and Laila’s story from @netgalley arc, and here are some of my thoughts: oh, I love these characters. As a little bit older person myself, I loved that main characters were also bit older than in other rom coms, so I could really identify with them. With all kinda of life crisis 😅

It was lovely read, only thing I missed was flow, because in some point I felt it won’t get anywhere.
And yes, I’m team Jess all the way, but in this book I was totally team Cole 🤭

4/5 starts

I have found THE friends-to-lovers romance for me.

I can’t even begin to describe how much I adored this book. From the superb, well-fleshed out backstories of each character to a long-drawn out, slow burn of a romance, this just had everything I needed in my life 😭

Most of the friends to lovers tropes I’ve read feature a counterparty who’s been in love with the other forever (and hasn’t done anything about it), and while I love that, it was so refreshing to read about one where the feelings sort of happen semi-overnight!! There’s also such a big focus here on friendships AND close knit friend groups, with self-discovery at the forefront. This read so much like an adult coming-of-age novel, and I just loved how sensitive and sweet and WHOLESOME it was. I honestly cannot get enough of this book and can’t wait to grab a physical copy in June 😭 Very easily a 5🌙 for me, and not just because I’m downing every friends to lovers book I can find!!! can’t wait for this to be available to everyone so I can scream with all of you!!!

Definitely checking out the Thomas Nelson imprint after this because wtf!!! This was so so good 😭

How do you react when life feels like a “Jenga” game, and everything is falling apart?
What do you do with the friendship that has been there forever when all you want to do is leave and she wants to stay?
These are the struggles that Cole and Laila deal with and so much more.
The author Bethany Turner has given us another incredible story that is packed with so many pop-culture references. It was just delightful to read about many of the fun places and sights that Cole and Laila saw in New York.
It was also a very touching story of the struggles Cole was dealing with; feeling grief, loss, loneliness, abandonment, and unworthiness. Then there was all the tension and miscommunication that Laila and Cole had regarding their feelings for each other. Will their friendship survive this new change?
Bethany Turner has done it again! This book is full of snarky fun dialogue, quirky characters, and moments of fun relationships.
I love how the author includes SO many familiar movies, actors, and songs. It brings the story to life in a fun and charming way.
Bethany Turner has a very fascinating way of writing! It's fresh and delightful even when it is dealing with some difficult issues of these characters’ past. She gave her characters spunk and yet they also had depth and the willingness to learn from their mistakes.
This book is full of humor, drama, small-town community living, (where “everybody knows your name”), and big-city fun, as well as a sweet romance.
I loved this story and highly recommend it.
I was given this book by the publisher which did not influence my review in any way, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a me issue, I keep trying this author without realizing it and her writing style is not for me. This one was better than the author's other books I have tried, but it still didn't mesh with me. I am going to have to be more diligent and not get drawn in with a good synopsis!

The premise of this book is kind of ridiculous. You're telling me these two have been friends for THIRTY years and Cole never once considered a romantic relationship? Yeah right.

I keep trying Bethany Turner's books and every time I'm surprised that I don't like her writing style. Lol. You'd think I would learn. There's just way too much introspection and the pop culture references are overwrought. That said, I enjoyed the story and had all the feels by the end. I'm sure I'll be back for the third installment of this series just to satisfy my curiosity about Wes and Addie.

Turner has definitely separated herself from the "Christian fiction" label recently. This book had almost zero mentions about faith, but was clean - no swearing, no sex. Some innuendo.

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

4 stars! I loved this sequel to “Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each other” and it was a treat to be back in Adelaide Springs. This time we followed Cole and Laila and their story. I loved the friends to lovers storyline so much especially since these characters are in their late 30s, which felt fresh to me. The only thing I wanted more was an epilogue that flash forwarded to the future of Adelaide springs and these characters! Maybe there will be a third book… 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

Also - netgalley has that this is by Thomas Nelson but it is by Bethany Turner!!

This was a gem of a book. It made me laugh hard, it made me cry, it was beautifully written.

Dual POV
Best Friends to lovers
Forced Proximity
Miscommunication (but with a breath of relief, always cleared up quickly)
Spice: .5

This book was really sweet. I so enjoyed the development of these characters and the immense insight into a true best friendship. I loved that we also got to revisit with Brynn and Seb. All the back story with them and Cole and Laila really added to the small town "we know everything about everyone" feel. The only part I felt was a little hard to imagine was that they were 40 years old when they got together after being best friends for all 40 years. I was also sad there wasn't more spice beyond kissing because the tension and chemistry was UNMATCHED, but that is just personal preference.

I will also say, the pop culture references were top notch. As a millennial I appreciated every single one and there were so so many!!

This was a cute friends-to-lovers set both in a small town in Colorado and NYC! I enjoyed the banter and the chemistry. The characters were enjoyable to read about and the adventures were fun to experience. It was a light and easy read. Not everything was fully developed and some things felt rushed or questionable but I love a book that lets you suspend reality a bit. Honestly had a good time escaping into this one for a couple of hours.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my very own.

I love Bethany Turner! I also love the “just friends” storylines. This one was special to me. It brought up some nostalgic feelings that I’ve had tucked away for a while thinking of the best friend I used to have and how we would claim we were “just friends”. The characters were relatable and the plot was great. There were a couple times that were a little draggy, but overall, I’d recommend!

Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ARC!

Cole & Laila Are Just Friends is a sweet read about two friends who discover they may be more than just friends. The characters were cute and it was one of those cases where the reader could see what the characters couldn't! This romance was definitely cute, but sometimes I felt like they were almost TOO oblivious to what was going on in their relationship. Anyway, I appreciated the "When Harry met Sally" vibes, and it was a nice cozy romance to dive into!

Thank you again for the ARC!

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends is a romance novel written by Bethany Turner. It is the second Love Story book, and even though the characters overlap, it is not necessary to have read the first one in order to enjoy this one.

Summary: Cole and Laila have been best friends for….well, forever.

But when an unexpected death throws Cole’s ordered life into turmoil, he decides to make some drastic changes.

Can Cole and Laila’s friendship survive the sudden chaos, or will these changes force them to recognize that maybe their feelings run just a little bit deeper?

My Thoughts: I liked this one. The story line is unique, and I always love a small-town story with lots of quirky characters.

The friendships between the characters were really well-written as well.

I would definitely recommend this book. The romance isn’t cheesy, and it’s just a fun light easy read.

I enjoyed it.

I would like to thank Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

This was just an adorable rom com with fab NYC setting!! Wasn't blown away and it wasn't unique by any sense but still an entertaining read overall

Super cute romcom vibes! I needed something to get me out of a slump, and this book did just that! I loved the setting and the descriptions of NYC - my dream place!

I loved Brynn and Sebastian so I was looking forward to Laila and Cole's story. Their story wasn't as dramatic by far but very enjoyable none the less.

My biggest issue with this story was that they had been really really close best friends for nearly 40 years and that seemed a little long to have never felt any romantic feelings toward each other, that was the hardest to believe for me.

There were lots of pop cultures references especially in New York City where they visited the locations of many pop culture moments.
But it was a fun, easy read with likable characters. I especially liked their' first date!
Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions are entirely my own.

Loved! I didn’t read Brynn and Sebastian hate each other but now I must go back to it. Cole and Laila are Just Friends was a great rom com with a little bit of depth. It was low stakes… you know these two are going to figure it out but the journey to get there was so fun and satisfying. The pop culture references were GREAT. I think I really enjoyed that Cold and Laila weren’t 25 years old… I liked that they were pushing forty.

I throughly enjoyed this well written romance. The plot is just delightful. Loved the characters. I definitely recommend this book. I received an advance book from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

Cole Kimball and Laila Olivet have been best friends their entire lives until one day,life forces them to think about their relationship and to look at it in a new view..

I think this book was a cozy and pleasant read,I like the friends to lovers trope and I liked how the author described the characters and the location it was so good to read about New York in this way but some things felt kinda strange to me because this is a dual pov romance but the chapters shifted from first to third pov and the story felt sort of disconnected in my opinion and another thing that felt weak to me was how Cole decided that he was interested in Laila in a different way thanks to a dream,

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!