I really enjoyed this book! It was a captivating read that held my attention from start to finish. The story was well-paced, and the characters felt real and engaging. I’m grateful to the publisher for providing an early copy—it was a pleasure to read!

Cole and Laila have been best friends for their entire lives. After Cole's grandfather passes away, he is at a crossroads. He is considering taking a job in NYC. Laila will be devastated if he goes. She tags along to NYC when he goes regarding the job opportunity. The new setting helped Cole think of her in a new light. But they are both afraid to go further and mess up their friendship.

I really enjoyed Cole and Laila's relationship. It was very real and plausible- except for the fact that they are 38 and 39. It'd have been more realistic if they were ten years younger. Still, ignoring the age, I really enjoyed their friendship and how close they were.

Talon David and Andrew Eiden narrate the audiobook. Andrew Eiden is one of my favorites and is great as always.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends by Bethany Turner is a charming exploration of friendship and romantic tension. The story follows Cole and Laila, two best friends navigating their feelings for each other while dealing with the complexities of their lives. Turner’s witty dialogue and relatable characters create an engaging narrative filled with heartfelt moments and humorous mishaps. As they confront their fears and uncertainties, readers are treated to a delightful journey that captures the essence of true friendship blossoming into love. A must-read for fans of contemporary romance!

This was a charming text that roped me in more than I expected. I'm not a huge fan of friends-to-lovers and imagined a simplified version of this story. It did impress me and I was charmed by the relationship that was depicted. The voice of the author and narrator were charming and the writing is strong. I still didn't overly enjoy the story, but was charmed

DNF. I wanted to love this after finding the first book so charming, but it just wasn't holding my attention.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for my complimentary ALC.

This is a textbook slow burn!

Cole and Laila have been friends for forever until they find out that they actually like each other. I could tell you all about how this book is unbelievable (how can you get to 40s without realizing you are in love with your bestie?), but it's so sweet. It's the perfect fall reading. Reading this book is like going on a tour of NYC romcom landmarks and still going back to a Hallmark small town in the end.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super cute read! I absolutely loved the friendships within the book, and it made me think about my core group of friends and how far I’d go to make them happy! I could keep reading about their adventures over and over again. Definitely a feel good, easy to read, heartfelt story!

I loved this book! I love a book with personal growth, and the “will they or won’t they” tease. It was a fun but also touching read.

Absolutely loved this! Even though just the name itself in this genre tells you that you can expect for them to fall in love. I still found it a great read and a very believable love story!
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. The format of the book has the POV of Cole and Laila alternating chapters, so it make sense to have two narrators. I am not a huge fan of most narrators' attempts to do voices for the opposite sex for lengthy sections.

The story was a riff on one of the usual romcom tropes - friends to lovers. I enjoyed the story and the writing; however, the main characters seemed to be smart adults who were conveniently very naive in order to fit the story. Otherwise, it was a fun read.

Cute story and great narration. Reading the story about Brynn and Sebastian, the reader has some backstory, but it’s not necessary for this one. Laila and Cole have a great friendship and an unexpected situation happens where they are tested to look to see if there is more to it.

Cole Kimball and Laila Olivet have been best friends since childhood. Their bond is unshakable, full of shared memories, inside jokes, and complete comfort around each other. They've never considered the possibility of being more than friends—or so they say. Although, every once in a while, they do think about it. But seriously, almost never.

Cole, the chef behind his family's restaurant, has always leaned on Laila as his number-one supporter. Laila, who adores the simplicity of small-town life in Adelaide Springs, Colorado, enjoys the chaos of their little community—especially Cole’s company. He’s the person who knows her best and the one who gets to taste all of his latest culinary creations first.

However, when Cole learns a devastating secret about his late grandfather, his sense of home crumbles. Suddenly, the prospect of staying in Adelaide Springs seems unbearable, and he sets his sights on a new life in New York City. The thought of Cole leaving tears at Laila’s heart, though she tries to convince herself that it’s only because she’ll miss her best friend—not because she’s secretly in love with him.

To keep their friendship intact, they strike a deal: Laila won’t beg him to stay, and Cole won’t ask her to leave the town she loves. They give themselves one last week together in New York, a vacation that’s supposed to be free of pressure and full of fun. But as they explore the city, those feelings they’ve always brushed off start creeping back—stronger than ever.

They both begin to wonder: what if they were always meant to be more than friends? Can they admit these feelings without ruining everything they’ve built?

Review

Bethany Turner’s *Cole and Laila are Just Friends* captures the quintessential best friends-to-lovers trope with heart and humor. Reminiscent of *When Harry Met Sally*, the novel explores the delicate balance of long-time friendship and the risk of losing it to romance. Turner excels at witty dialogue and creates believable chemistry between Cole and Laila, weaving emotional tension into their close-knit dynamic.

Set against the backdrop of cozy small-town life and the bustling excitement of New York City, the novel also offers readers a charming, dual sense of place. Turner deftly navigates the characters’ conflicting desires for adventure and home, which serves as a compelling metaphor for the tension between love and friendship.

Talon David and Andrew Eiden’s narration adds warmth and life to the story, their voices perfectly embodying the playful yet heartfelt connection between Cole and Laila. Their performances bring out the best of Turner’s humour and emotional nuance, making the audiobook a delightful experience.

Tropes

- Best Friends-to-Lovers
- Small Town vs. Big City
- Slow-Burn Romance

Cole and Laila are Just Friends is a light, heartfelt read that will appeal to fans of witty romance and slow-burn love stories. Turner’s ability to balance humor with genuine emotional depth makes this a standout in the friends-to-lovers genre.

So....I've decided that me and Bethany are now BFF's because anyone that can come up with this AMAZING story is one I want in my life!

This story was a beautiful blend of humor, butterflies, raw emotions, genuine confusion, and a tour of NYC that I could NOT get enough of!!!

Thank you for writing this story, Bethany, and for bringing Cole and Laila into my life! Thank you also to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ALC of the wonderful story!

Cole and Laila are Just Friends felt like a Hallmark movie in book form. Cole and Laila are best friends and have never been more than that - until now. When Cole's grandfather dies, Cole contemplates moving to NYC to start fresh. Laila and Cole take a trip to NYC which forces them to confront and see their growing feelings.

This was mostly a miss for me, unfortunately. I felt like the ages did not comport with the dialogue and actions of Cole and Laila, which felt distracting. They were extremely naive and young sounding, which was the downfall for me, I think. However, all in all, this was an easy listen via audiobook, and an overall cute read! And the cover is cute - always a plus!

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and Bethany Turner for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was a bit skeptical that Bethany Turner could keep me engaged through 350 pages (11 hours) of the ‘best friends to lovers’ trope in Cole and Laila Are Just Friends. But of course she had me cheering for these characters who I first met in Ms. Turner’s 2023 novel Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other. It’s not required to read Brynn and Seb first, but I recommend it so you’re familiar with everyone and their backstories.

This story plucks best friends Cole and Laila from their small town in the Colorado mountains and drops them into the fast pace of New York City. The author’s love for NYC and pop culture was evident in every chapter and enriched the novel. There was plenty of tension to keep me interested, even as I anticipated the happily-ever-after ending to this clean contemporary romance.

I enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Talon David (voicing Laila) and Andrew Eiden (voicing Cole). Thank you to Thomas Nelson and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for the review copies of this novel.

A sweet romance where childhood friends become something more, Bethany Turner’s Cole and Laila Are Just Friends is a fun and entertaining audiobook. The main characters, Cole and Laila, are instantly likable, and you’ll find yourself rooting for them from the start. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

4.5
Cole and Laila have been friends for their entire life. They've never really not had each other nearby with the brief exception of when Cole went to Culinary school for a few years in Denver, a few hours away from their home. When Cole's adopted step-grandfather dies and didn't leave the family restaurant to Cole, he realizes that he needs to get out of town and establish himself elsewhere. If the man he thought had always loved him, could betray him so easily, he can't spend time being surrounded by all of those missed chances. Laila offers to spend a week with Cole in NYC while he sees what his potential new home could be like. They spend time with their newlywed friends Brynn and Sebastian who are rich and famous. While Cole and Laila are faced with the first time they may not be within a few hours of each other, they start to wonder if maybe they missed out on something big between them.

Friends to lovers can be super satisfying and I felt like that was the case here. Although I find it a little hard to believe that Cole really had no memorable moments of thinking of his best friend in a "more than friends" way, the realization he has feels a bit believable especially for a guy that probably hadn't put much thought into it after spending his younger years reminding himself not to be weird about anything. Laila was a bit of an interesting character. She seems content with her small and calm life, free to do what makes her happy as well as spend as much time as she can with Cole whenever possible. Laila is much more in tune with her true feelings but would never do anything to change her relationship with Cole.

I really enjoyed the way this story was told. The POV changes allowed the reader to follow both Cole and Laila in their respective realizations of feelings as well as explain some of the various awkwardness they faced when having some of these conversations with each other. I also really enjoyed the two narrators for this. They both did a great job and dual narrators for dual POV is the best kind of production!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Sweet romance with well rounded characters, and I enjoyed the inclusion of previous characters! The narrators did a good job.

This audiobook was a really fun listen! The characters of Cole and Laila were instantly likable and I loved their personalities. Putting them in a different setting than normal life, NYC, was key in creating an environment where they could realize their true feelings. I loved how honest they became with each other as the story went along. A clean romance, I highly recommend!

This story follows Cole and Laila as their world gets turned upside down by the death of one of their relatives. With their world turned upside down and futures they had thought they had plans for changed they set out on a new adventure that starts to make themselves look at their life differently and that includes the people in it. This does take place in the same world as 'Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other' but you can definitely fall into the story without having read that or without that close in your mind.

The one criticism I have of this book is that the idea of a romantic relationship was not even thought about by one of the characters and the other it was a fleeting thought. For a friends to lovers book I felt like the pining for one another was so lackluster that the attraction felt out of nowhere. It felt a little fling-ish to me. I understand changing your surroundings can change the way you see someone but not this much. You can be clueless without being THAT clueless. That being said I did still enjoy the book. I can't say I was rooting for the couple from the start but I did start to really root for them by the end. And I rooted for them more than I rooted for Sebastian and Brynn.

Overall I recommend this book to anyone who is in the market for a friends to lover romance that has a life starting over story element. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story.