If you love romcoms, this is the book for you! I loved all the references to my favorite romcom movies throughout this book and it made me want to go back and watch those movies again. I have read every Bethany Turner book and although this one is not one of my favorites is still a great one. I lost track of how many times I laughed out loud because the banter and romcom references were just so cute. The scenes in New York City made me feel like I was there. I like both characters and really love their friendship, but unfortunately the romantic chemistry was lacking for me. That really was the only downfall of this cute story. If you were looking for a cute clean, lighthearted book this is the one for you!

DNF at 34% - that says something. I really did give this book a shot!

But omg the beginning of this book was SO boring and it felt like small daily things were unnecessarily prolonged just for word count. Like nothing really interesting happened (except for the fall) until like 30% in!

Also, why was Laila’s POV in first person but Cole’s was in third person? I just couldn’t get past the weird discrepancy - I’ve never seen a book doing that format and it was just confusing and made Cole feel really distant.

A fun, lighthearted listen with classic romcom humor, pop culture references, and wit. I liked having Brynn and Sebastian, from Bethany Turners precious book “Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other” as side characters. That was a nice touch.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC audiobook for an honest review.

I was happily surprised that this book had connection to Brynn and Sebastian from previous book! I so enjoyed our main characters Cole and Laila and all their history together. Cuteness overload and definite friendship goals.... Both of our main characters were so endearing and supportive of each other. And while the friendship felt real, it was hard to believe that it took so long for the "aha moment" where they realized they not only loved each other but were in love! The characters were in their late 30s but felt so much younger in their maturity level and actions. If you overlook the age thing and just go with the flow of all the sweet moments and quirkiness of the two., you will enjoy the ride of best friends becoming more.

Narrators did a perfect job!

4 stars

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. 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!!!

Rating: 4.5 stars!

Lets talk about Cole for a second. What a gentleman who just absolutely adores every human in his life. I think everyone deserves a Cole in their life! I docked the book a half star ONLY becuase I just wanted to shake the main characters to make them realize how silly they were being! Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy "Brynn & Sebastian Hate Each Other," which made it hard for me to appreciate this book fully. However, I did find the writing and characters to be an improvement over "Brynn & Sebastian Hate Each Other." Even though this book wasn’t for me, that was a definite plus..

4.5 stars! I read Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other last year and thought it was good but nothing extraordinary. I was intrigued enough to pick up this companion but I didn't have super high hopes for it.

I am surprised and delighted to report that I enjoyed this book so, so much! I'm a friend-to-lovers girly, and I don’t think I’ve ever read a best friends-to-lovers romance that was this deep and complex and unique. Cole and Laila are some of the most communicative friends that are in love with each other that I’ve read about, and it was SO refreshing! It made the intimacy of their friendship more believable and made me root for their romance even more.

The first 20ish% of the book I found to be a little slow, but overall this story was so, so sweet and I adored the characters as individual characters and together. It had just the right amount of heart and emotions and tension that felt real and made me root for them to overcome it. The small-town-girl-takes-the-big-city vibes were super fun and I loved that so much of it took place in New York City. It had me laughing and swooning and kicking my feet and I HIGHLY recommend it! Also one of the audiobook narrators is Andrew Eiden so there’s that 😍.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this audiobook!

Cole & Laila are just friends was a cute read - the ultimate friends to lovers story. I tend to overthink things so the whole time I was wondering why it took them 30+ years to realize they wanted to be more than "just friends". But aside from that, it was a cute story with likeable characters. I enjoyed the pop culture references sprinkles throughout. The narrators did a great job at bringing Cola and Laila to life.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for this ALC. Happy pub day!

I can't stop smiling!!! I had tears, butterflies, all of it! The way these two characters cared for each other.....It was BEAUTIFUL!!

Cole and Laila have been best friends for their entire lives, growing up in a small town in Colorado. After the loss of his grandfather and some unexpected changes, Cole is considering taking a job in NYC. Laila loves their small town - but she can't imagine it without her best friend.

This one actually really surprised me! I know that Bethany Turner can write a good love story, but I was not expecting to read this in a day and fall in love with Cole and Laila! I didn't finish "Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other" and this is a companion, so those characters show up in this story quite a bit. That did not bother me at all!

I loved that this is following main characters in their late 30's, early 40's! I loved all of the pop culture and romcom movie references! I loved the inner dialog and overanalyzing/overthinking. I loved how Cole and Laila communicated with each other!!!!

This book is a perfect example of how clean romance can be so full of swoony moments!

My small, tiny, only sort of kind of critiques: There is...pain prescription impairment??...that I'm just not a fan of in comedy. Also, is it unrealistic that these two lived almost 40 years of their lives in an extremely close friendship and didn't know they were in love? Sure. But I don't care! Their friendship was over the top, like I can't imagine any other potential partner for either one of them would have been ok with that. But that's the point, right? I didn't need it to be realistic to thoroughly enjoy it!

If you love clean, pop-culture filled, friends to more romance.......go read this book!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook to honestly read and review.

This was a very cute, easy to read story. It was a clean, slow burn romance. The way it was written, you root for Cole and Laila to realize their feelings for each other. Then you root for them to finally tell each other.

There were a few times the miscommunication got a little old and frustrating. They kept misunderstanding what the other person was trying to say or not saying. I wanted them to just be honest with each other.

The different points of view really helped the story move along.

The narrators made the different voices clear as to who was talking. They were enjoyable to listen to.

Really enjoyed this one. It was not too heavy, although emotional situations did happen. The perfect happy ending, even if somewhat expected. Definitely a closed door romance but the way the author wrote the romantic scenes had me in my feels for sure. Highly recommend for a feel good, not too spicy romance.

This book was legitimately cute, and there’s no way around that. However, as someone who has been in a long-term friendship to romance situation, I have a really hard time believing it would take 40 years for two people to figure out that they are not just friends. My inability to buy the plotline took away from the story a bit, but I did enjoy the romantic comedy movie and television additions to the tale.

The narrator of the audiobook was good, but nothing that I feel the need to write home about. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital audio copy of this book.

Another great romcom by Bethany Turner! Fun characters, a lot of pop culture references, plus an adventure kept this story moving! I must say that I have decided friends to more isn't my favorite trope, so that part was hard for me.
I am kicking myself for not listening to Brynn and Sebastian like I planned last month! I think it really would have helped lessen the confusion of so many characters at the beginning of Cole and Laila. Narrators did a great job!

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook. Opinions expressed are my own.

The title of this book pretty much tells you what you need to know.....and then if you are a female and have watched any Hallmark movie can totally predict everything that happens. But like all females these are those comfortable books that don't push any boundaries, you are in the safe lane because you know there is always the conflict/misunderstanding at 80%, the realization of how much they want each other again at 90%, the reunite at 95% and the HEE.
I had fun wtih Cole and Laila in NYC as they took their relationship not just outside of their hometown but also outside of their usual "rhythm" . Part of me wished they had both taken steps outside of their comfort zone and relocating to NYC, but I guess that would not fit the Hallmark narrative. So I think this is why my rating is just middle of the road. There was nothing new in this book, nothing unexpected so I will probably forget it in a few weeks, but I had a happy good time reading it.
I had previously read the first book in this series about Sabastien and Brynn and I was reminded of how much I disliked both of them and not that book. They were pretty terrible in this book. I also had a hard time remembering that Cole and Laila were closer to 40, when in reality they acted like they were in their 20s. Do people in their late 30s still squeal? I don't think so.
But if you need something to pass time and entertain you for a bit, this should do it. But it won't stick with you. Basically its like a sticker you get at the dollar store. It's good while it last, but won't be with you long.

Thank you Bethany Turner and Thomas Nelson Press and Net Galley for allowing me to reviewed this advanced copy edition of Cole and Laila Are Just Friends. I was not influenced or paid in exchange for this honest review.

This small town, friends to lovers romance had some big city fun adventures. Cole and Laila have been best friends nearly their whole lives, but it takes the possibility of huge life changes to make them reassess whether "just friends" is what they really want. I loved the 90s pop culture references to movies and tv shows like You've Got Mail, Field of Dreams and Friends - very relatable for me. This sweet romance comes out today and you should add it to your summer TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC.

Cole and Laila had been best friends forever. They know each other inside and outside and can read theor minds. But a sudden change in Cole's life is threatening them to fo outside their comfort zone, face their real feelings and maybe take a chance as a real couple. But are they going to break their friendship or will they realise they are meant to be. The audiobook with Talon David and Andrew Eiden is magical

Cute friends to lovers romance.

I listened to this as an audiobook and I really liked that Cole and Laila each had their own narrator, because the chapters are told from their alternating points of view. The narrators brought the story to life in a fun way.

This book follows Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other, which in retrospect would have been helpful to have read to get the setup for the characters. Alas, I did not read that one, but I was not terribly lost as they are only side characters in this book.

Cole and Laila are in their 40s and have been best friends all of their lives. They have never been more than friends, but when everything in their lives is set to change, they begin to reconsider their feelings.

I did enjoy the later in life development into a relationship, but I just wondered why? I struggled a lot with the naiveté of the characters, particularly of Laila who at times made it seem like she was a clueless teenager rather than a full grown adult. I just didn't have buy in for their ages based on the way they were acting. In their late 20s maybe, but after so many years you would think they would be more siblings than all of a sudden noticing a spark.

Regardless, this is a cute story and if you enjoy pop culture references and fun banter, this book is filled with it. If you just go with the romance and don't think too hard about it, you'll enjoy the journey.

Happy Publication Day!

This book picks up after the events from the novel Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other. While I don’t think it’s essential to have read the first book before beginning the second, I’m always a fan of doing so because I enjoy having all the info!

This was certainly a sweet, enjoyable, clean romance. I did take one star off however because I felt the characters were a bit juvenilized. I believe a romance can be clean while also representing men and women in their late 30’s and early 40’s more accurately. One example was a character saying that their friend taking 3 ibuprofen was the equivalent of their friend being like Courtney Love at the Chateau Marment.

Once I acknowledged and moved beyond that however, it was all in all a cute story that I’m sure many will love!

This was a great listen, the narrators were perfect. Cole and Laila have been best friends and now are exploring everything in life from, their feelings to life. I loved that they were both in their late 30’s. Trying to figure out life and what they want was kind of the perfect thing to do in NYC with all the pop culture references and inside jokes. Their fake blind date was so good!