Cole and Laila have been friends for their entire lives - almost 40 years - and they take a trip to New York together, things start to shift, they both start to wonder what it would be like to be more than friends. I thought this was a really cute love story and a cute take on the friends-to-lovers trope. I'm not a huge fan of this setup usually but there were some aspects of this book that made it a little special and different like their blind date. I think maybe because I'm from the tri-state area and have lived in New York City for 10 years that the special New York things and movie and television filming locations they go to and obsess over are a little much for me. All the rom-com and movie and Friends references were a little over the top and a little too specific. I feel like they could've gone a little lighter on this theme but I get that Cole was trying to take Laila to all these special places to make her happy and excited. I definitely understand the joy and wonder of the first visit to New York when you're not from this area of the country. I have seen that look on my friend's face when they see things in Central Park for the first time. I totally get it. I just thought this was a little heavy handed. I wish there was a little less of the miscommunication trope in this book but overall I did like how upfront they were when they did decide to have the hard conversations and confront things. I just felt like they kept going a little back and forth and it didn't make much sense to me. But I loved their blind date day that was very cute. Cole was a very cute MMC and I love Andrew Eiden as a narrator. Laila just felt a little childish? to me I don't know she didn't seem like a 38 year old to me most of the time. Overall I give it 3 stars. It was a cute fun rom-com!

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and Thomas Nelson Fiction for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC! This is a sweet romance about friends to lovers with characters that are relatable and lovable. Some of the scenes were laugh out loud funny but the novel also addressed real life problems. A fun summer read for sure

I absolutely loved Bethany Turner's Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other, and I am so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to get back to the world of Adelaide Springs! This was just as lovely as the first in the series, but even more exciting for me as someone who used to live in Manhattan. Bethany Turner gives just the amount of tension, and it's honestly kind of refreshing to read a romance without a ton of "spice," as they say. This is a sweet love story, and I can't wait to go back to Adelaide Springs again someday. If I'm honest, I hope the next book has more Doc in it!

Cole and Laila is a worthy successor to Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other and is a tender love letter to the joys and beauties of New York City from the eyes of a tourist and rom com enjoyer. A friends to lovers romance that readers were salivating to read from the moment we met Cole and Laila in the first book, this book had every great trait of the trope - one party gently and realistically pining over the other for years? Check. A major change that made the other party realize their love? Check. Bethany Turner never fails to write a sweet and gentle love story filled with pop culture references and earnestness and this one is my favorite so far.

This was a very cute story. I loved the “first date” these characters took, pretending not to know each other. Even though the storyline was predictable it was an easy listen with great narrators. I liked all the pop culture references from the 80’s as an 80’s baby myself. It was nice to see people close to my age still figuring it out and not feeling like they had to have all the answers to all the things by a certain age. It brought home the idea that’s it’s never too late to find your happily ever after.

Oh, this was really sweet! I adored Cole and Laila’s friendship. Their constant support of each other no matter the circumstances was lovely. I tend to be more of an enemies-to-lovers kind of girlie, but friends-to-lovers was done so beautifully in this one that it has me craving more! The move from friends to romantic partners was just done so perfectly. It was convincing and butterfly-inducing! The only part I struggled to believe was that they hadn’t realized just how perfect they were for each other before their late thirties.

I loved all the pop culture references, and I honestly wish Laila were real because I want to be her friend! There was very little spice which, if you’ve read another recent review of mine, you’ll know I liked that. I don’t mind some spice on occasion, but I’ve been missing books that are heavier on the sweet aspects of the romance!

Apparently, this is a companion novel to another book by the author, ‘Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other’. You can definitely read this one without having read it, but Brynn and Sebastian make several appearances in this one, so it might be fun to read that first. I’m going to go back and read it myself, just because Brynn’s sunshiny personality and Sebastian’s adoration of her was so adorable in their appearances.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was so good.
Slow burn? Yes.
Dual POV? Check.
Friends to lovers? Sign me up.
Multiple LOL moments? Thank god.
A cover with people I actually love? Who knew that could happen?
Andrew Eiden????? Any time I unknowingly hear him narrating a book I just started is the equivalent to waking up on Christmas morning. And I love Christmas. I audibly gasp when he begins to speak. I have a problem. He just makes the story so much better with his performances.

“Cole and Laila Are Just Friends” is everything you should want in a friends-to-lovers book. The cheesiness was tasteful and believable because they’ve been friends for so long that all the potentially cringey moments felt natural for a friendship like theirs. The slow burn was primo. Not too short which just made everything so worth the wait and kept you fully invested in the characters for the entire of the story.

My only critique is that their ages seemed off. Sure, anyone can act any certain way at any age and to each their own. But if you’re going to make the main characters 39 going on 40, have a reason to do so? All in all, it didn’t affect the story for me whatsoever but I just kept reminding myself that they weren’t 25 or 30 but actually 40, yet that didn’t ever seem to fit the story.

10/10 story and would recommend to everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the arc! 💌💌
has context menu

Loved that the audio was both a female and male voice.

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 rom-com story with about a million rom-com movie references and I was here for all of it. It will be checking out the other works by this author. This was just a cute love story and a lot of fun.

I loved this so much! I was a fan of Brynn and Sebastian so when I saw this new book, one that has that couple in it as supporting characters, I knew I had to read it! I listened to this in one sitting- these narrators are fabulous! I am such a friends to lovers fan and this was great. I love the town of Adelaide Springs and was so happy to be back there again.

Thank you for the ALC for my honest review!

Nearly 40 years of friendship and a dream from Cole with Layla has him questioning being more than friends with Layla. This was a really cute sweet friends to lovers romance. The best part is their own realization that there might be more than friends feelings towards each other.
The narration was amazing.

3.5⭐️ This was my first book by Bethany Turner, and I enjoyed it. There were some things I loved, and some things I didn’t care for. I will start with what I loved. The "first date" they go on was my favorite part of this book, because it was so darn cute! I enjoyed the relationship between all of the friends, and seeing Sebastian and Brynn play a big part in this book. (I have not read their book yet, but I enjoyed them in this one) The plot was actually a lot of fun and the writing flowed well. Small town kids (40 year olds) take on the big city. And most of all, Cole and Laila’s first kiss was pretty epic.

Now, reading about said 40 year olds was very different for me. I feel like at that age that you should have your life sort of figured out, and these people were just not to that point. And how could they not have loved each other romantically until then? Just all of sudden! Like what? They’ve kissed, said I love you, hold hands, sleep together?! (Not in an intimate way) and not until they turn 40 do they realize they’ve loved each other their whole lives? It wasn’t very believable, which is why the romance fell a bit flat for me.

So all in all, this book was good and enjoyable enough to keep reading, so I will probably give Bethany Turner another chance to wow me.

Read if you enjoy:
- Dual POV
- Friends to lovers
- Pop culture references
- Slow burn
- Middle aged couple (39)


Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved Brynn & Sebastian Hate Each Other but it pales in comparison to this work of art. While I was hesitant to leave Adelaide Springs behind, Bethany does such a great job centering her new setting, New York, as a backdrop worthy of exploration and awe from our two mains. As always, I am an absolute menace over a one-bed scene. This book made me laugh, made me cry, made me mad, etc. It is a natural successor for anyone suffering from Polin season this summer as we love oblivious friends-to-lovers.

While B&S's stories focus on belonging in community, Cole and Laila are focused on whether or not they want to stay with their found belonging. The idea of comfort vs freedom to explore and the implications of closing the door to the past.

Thank you SO MUCH to Harper Collins for the Audiobook!

Wow this was such a fun breath of fresh air for me!

I really liked both main characters Cole and Laila from start to finish! Their relationship was realistic (except for not knowing they were in love with each other ;)) and it was clear to the reader how deep their connection was and how much they meant to each other.

I loved the side plots and they kept me from ever being bored and helped things flow so well! I was also pleasantly surprised by how well all of the mini plots tied together in the end.

I didn't read Turner's previous book BRYNN AND SEBASTIAN HATE EACH OTHER yet but still appreciated the name dropping in this one! I will definitely have to go back and read it now!

I would recommend this for readers of

- Melissa Ferguson
- Courtney Walsh
- Nicole Deese

Read this if you like

- Milo Ventimiglia (trust me)
- New York City
- Cooking
- Closed Door Romance
- Friends to Lovers

As far as the audiobook production goes, I thought it was great! It was dual perspective between Laila and Cole voiced by Talon David and Andrew Eiden respectively and both voices were very well done! Definitely recommend!

This will be available for purchase on June 4th!

I DNFed the audiobook. I found it to be so boring. Brynne and Sebastian was a force finish, and I didn't realize it was the same series. It's a nice little mindless romance I suppose, but I just have too many other books to get to to care about these characters. Thank you Netgally for the ALC. Maybe, I'll pick it up again one day, but not today.

A perfectly sweet, friends to lovers, dual POV romcom featuring older MCs about to turn 40 and realizing maybe their years' long friendship could be something more.

I loved that we get cameos of Brynn and Sebastian in this book and the when the story moves to NYC there are soooo many great pop culture moments and an amazing You've got mail tribute!! Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Jenny Proctor.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review! The cover is GORGEOUS on top of everything else and I am OBSESSED!