I loved this story, but there were whole sections I could have cheerfully skipped over if I hadn't been listening to it instead of reading it. I get it that these two have been best friends since childhood and I get it that they don't want to let "falling in love" get in the way of their friendship, but sheesh! One or the other spends half the book agonizing over being in love with the other while never once broaching the subject! They talk about virtually everything, so WHY???

As I said, I listened to the audio version of this and loved the dual POV with Cole and Laila narrating. Let me tell you, their "first date" is absolutely swoony and marked a turning point in their relationship. I loved the thought and love that Cole put into planning the date for Laila, and I loved how each learned something new about the other - even though they both thought they knew it all.

Readers who love sweet romance with plenty of humor will love Cole and Laila are Just Friends. This is actually a follow-up story to Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other, and Brynn and Sebastian both show up and play key roles in this book. While it can be read as a stand-alone story, for me, it was better since I already "knew" the characters from the first book.

Bethany Turner's Cole and Laila Are Just Friends is a heartwarming friendship to love story, highlighting the depth and importance of their bond. The story takes place after life-altering news, causing new emotions for the characters. Despite the short story, the author's writing is enjoyable and the characters act younger at times. The romance could have been more developed.

This was such a great read! Cole and Laila are such likeable characters and this book was deeper than "just" a love story. Independent of each other Cole and Laila are fully developed, which made their journey from lifelong friends to maybe more intriguing.

My only regret is that I didn't realize until a couple chapters in that I hadn't read the first book with these characters, Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other. I decided to stop and read it before proceeding, and I am SO glad I did. Having a little more backstory in Laila and Cole's childhood, and seeing their lives outside of their perspectives made their book even more enjoyable. While I think I would have liked the book no matter what, it definitely added to the experience.

I was excited to look up the author's Instagram and see that a third book with our friends from Adelaide Springs will be published in 2025! I'm already looking forward to it.

I loved everything about this charmer! Bethany Turner has become a must-read queen of the rom-com for me--and this latest did not disappoint. I adored the friends-to-more story, the New York City setting, the witter banter, and above all, the HEART! I'll read anything Bethany writes and can't wait for the third installment in this sweet series! Five stars from me!

First of all, I adored Cole and Laila and their friends. I cheered on Cole and Laila as they navigated their changing lives, up to a point. Then, after there was still little chemistry or romantic tension between them at the halfway point, I started thinking this novel's pacing was dragging and then became unrealistic. How, after being single and not having any serious romantic relationships for almost 40 years, do you not realize you are in love with your best friend?

I enjoyed my trip to New York and "seeing" the sights, although I'm not a fan of You've Got Mail so the landmarks were ones I could've skipped with so many others to explore. I also enjoyed the sweet ending, but think this plot would have worked better for much younger protagonists. At least this is a clean romance that I appreciated.

DNF for me:

I really wanted this blurb to be true: “If When Harry Met Sally had a quippy literary love child with Gilmore Girls' Luke and Lorelai, you'd get Cole and Laila. Just . . . don't tell them that.” Which maybe set it up to be impossible to like - it’s a hard bio to live up to. Setting expectations is important. This was not equal to that.

I just could NOT get into it. I tried multiple times to pick it up and quickly my brain floated away… They’re boring. It felt slow and disjointed and just held no compelling reason to continue. The characters were uninteresting and the storyline blah.

I absolutely loved some of Bethany’s other books so I won’t give up entirely, but this was disappointing.

***

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

I wont be reviewing this publicly , I got 60% through the book but the writing style is just not for me. Im also in a slumpy mood , and I dont wont that to reflect worse on the book.

A contemporary romance with actual adults?! Count me in! A refreshing read where the characters are actual adults who talk things out and are making decisions that make sense for them where they are in their lives. They talk things out. They recognize the impact of their actions and it is just so refreshing. Of course there's like a little miscommunication but then they call themselves out and they have the conversations they need to have.

I truly loved these characters and to see everything come full circle was just it made me giddy and happy and gave me all the feels that you would expect from a romance.

Thank you NetGalley & Thomas Nelson for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cole and Laila have been best friends for their entire lives but start questioning everything about their relationship after Cole’s grandfather’s death sets off a chain reaction of unexpected events.

This was a cute story with a ton of 90s and early 2000s romcom and pop culture references! Bethany Turner did a great job in capturing the insecurity and curiosity the characters felt about change and what the future held. The reader could sense the love and respect the characters felt and how each other’s happiness was the priority through all the uncertainty. I liked that the characters were older and well-developed but some of their interactions felt a bit flat and immature. The miscommunication drove me a bit mad at times and the slow burn felt a little off. With almost 40 years of friendship, I thought we’d get more glimpses into the past to build up the burn rather than experiencing it over a handful of days on a quick trip to New York.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read a digital copy of this book. This was a sweet friends to lovers romance that had all the makings of a Hallmark movie. An easy read and a good palette cleanser, even if it did drive me a little crazy at times that it took them so long to realize that they liked each other.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. what i loved: nyc as the setting and getting to read about the landmarks/places they go. what i disliked: why are they in their almost 40's and acting like children by just realizing they have feelings for each other?

I liked the continuation of the Brynn/Sebastian story line. I didn't really care for the friends to lover angle, even though that was the whole point of the story. I just didn't buy the relationship by the end of the story. I wasn't invested.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Unfortunately, not really for me. I loved the storyline, but their ages threw it off. I don’t like that they were in their late 30s early 40s. I think if they were that old, someone needed to already be married and either divorced or widowed.

I had high hopes for this book. I love the friends to lovers trope.
This book just didn’t do it for me.
I loved the NYC setting.
The writing seemed disconnected because in the same chapter the perspectives would change from first to third. It is a dual perspective book which I really like.

Oh so sweet and funny, wonderful friends-to-more romcom.
I really enjoyed this story about Cole and Laila. And their friendship - truly amazing.
However, it is obvious (to everyone else, except the two of them) that they are actually already more than friends, they are just believing it is only a friendship.
Thus, it was not too hard for them to move to more, but...that progression...were they on the same page? Oh the awkwardness, the questions, and so much more!
If you are looking for a When Harry Met Sally (and yes - there are tons of references like this contained within these pages), then look no further!

Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

My standards are higher for this title because of it being published by a Christian publisher. The book has no Christian fiction elements but more so questionable elements if it was a real Christian fiction (shared bed and living space).

Overall, that aside the writing was poor (mixed first and third person between chapters), characters were very immature for being 40- I kept having to remind myself they weren’t 20, and even with friends to lovers being my fav trope- this fell flat and wasn’t showing me why I should route for them and felt more immature than believable. Overall, this author and series isn’t for me because I felt the same about the first book. I’m also still eagerly waiting for Thomas Nelson to start publishing real Christian fiction again.

I wanted to like this book but it really dragged out for me. I honestly felt like it took me about as long as their friendship to finish reading it. The build up wasn’t what I was hoping for because it felt painfully obvious and equally as absurd that two people would be friends for 30+ years with that level of intimacy in their friendship and not already be in a relationship. Also not much happened in the book beyond the two main events of the reading of the will and trip to NY, and there wasn’t any character development beyond them admitting to their feelings.

Cute! I love a fun friends to more story. And Cole and Laila are just adorable and you can definitely see that they are the best of friends. The perfect start to any relationship! I loved how they knew each other so well that they could anticipate what the other was thinking or feeling. That's a gift to have in any relationship. But I will say that I had to suspense reality and my disbelief that these two have known each other their whole lives and are 40ish years old and this is the first time that they are realizing there is more to their feelings than just a platonic friendship. Yes, the author does put some thoughts in both characters' POVs about them brushing off those feelings and just staying friends but now with Cole getting ready to leave their small town, those feelings come rushing to the surface. So if you can suspend reality and your disbelief on those and go with the story, it is really cute and full of humor and great references that older adults will love! Gilmore Girls and many other tv show/movie references, and lots of celebrity references that those in their 40s+ will understand and giggle over. And hey, hopefully others who are younger will catch the references and will enjoy them as well!

The book opens with some sad news that builds up for Cole thinking about moving to NYC where his and Laila's best friends live. We get to go on an adventure in the Big Apple with these two and I loved that!

Content: There is a one bed trope moment that the main characters share a bed. Nothing happens but some looks and thoughts but the thoughts didn't get graphic. Some kisses but nothing further. Clean language.

I received a copy of the ebook from the publisher, Thomas Nelson-Fiction, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

It’s rare to find a story where the characters are a little older, in this case around 40. It’s refreshing. I enjoyed seeing Cole and Laila’s amazing friendship although it was a little hard to believe that they hadn’t considered dating each other at some point in all those years.

The characters are memorable. It was fun seeing Brynn and Sebastian again. I like the quirky characters like the pta ladies. Small towns are amazing and I hope there’ll be more stories in Adelaide Springs.

This story is a lot of fun and I’d recommend it. Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Very enjoyable story, just like a hallmark movie. I enjoyed this friends to more story. These characters are in late 30s + 40s, they have been best friends for ever, each other's person. when the rug gets pulled out from Cole his life turns on its head. One last birthday together and things shift. The usual things happen, it falls apart but seeing its obvious to everyone but themselves that they were meant to be it comes together for a HEA.
This is a sweet story nothing more than some sweet kisses. I was able to read the ARC and listen to the ALC. Audio was easy to listen to and was also enjoyable.