Just Friends. The words Laila hates the most. The last 20+ years of her life she’s been best friends with Cole Kimball. Just friends can’t possibly describe their friendship. It’s so much deeper, so much more.

Cole’s loss of his grandfather has sent him into a spiral (not midlife crisis as he says). At 40 years old he feels like he should know what he wants and right now the only thing he wants is to escape their Colorado small town. And, now is his chance.

““I’m not panicking, and I’m not having a midlife crisis. I’m ready. I’m pretty sure I need this. It’s . . . it’s what I want.” “Oh.” That was all I could really say. Because that changed everything, didn’t it? He’d taken away my opportunity to playfully slap him and scream, “Snap out of it!” like I was Cher in Moonstruck. The pain on his face robbed me of my chance to play the martyr and beg him to stay for my sake if not his own. Any argument I put out there now would be asking him to choose what I wanted over what he wanted, and that put us in new, foreign territory. I couldn’t remember the last time we hadn’t wanted the same thing.”

The only thing that’s put a kink in the plan is leaving behind his best friend Laila. They do and live life together literally daily. Laila has agreed (only to try and convince him to return yo Colorado) to join Cole as he heads to NYC to interview for a sous chef position and stay with their other best friends and celebrities from their group, Bynn and Sebastian, who have literally just come back from their honeymoon.

The question that has always been asked by townspeople and their friends is why they have never tried to become more than “just friends.” Cole has never once thought about it over the years until he has a dream about a possible romantic future with Laila their first night in NYC. He wakes visibly shaken and confused. Now, he’s wondering if that possible future is worth the risk of messing up their lifelong friendship.

“What if we’re so afraid to mess up what we have that we’re actually messing up the best stuff? The stuff we haven’t even seen yet.” -Laila-

First off, this dual POV story is amazing. I loved the ride I was on from the beginning. Their friendship is pure, funny and so lovably adorable. All the pop culture references were gold! I laughed out loud, swooned and even growled in frustration over these two characters. Miscommunication and insecurity galore. This is where I started to feel like the story wasn’t as believable as it could be. The whole book I could never picture them the age they were supposed to be. Maybe it’s because I married young and developed emotional maturity fairly quickly, but Cole just wasn’t mature enough for the age he was supposed to be. It felt more like they should be in their late 20’s or early 30’s. Outside of the age and maturity part, I loved this book. The twists it took I never saw coming. The fumbling and shyness over new love, totally adorable. And the ending wasn’t what I was expecting at all.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Bethany Turner for allowing me to read a complimentary copy of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Overall, I thought this book was really cute. I like the friends-to-lovers trope, the fact that the MCs are in their late 30s, and that they seemed like relatable characters. However, I didn't love a certain aspect of the friends-to-lovers trope which was that they've been best friends forever. They're super affectionate with each other--always touching, hugging, and holding hands. They can read each other's minds and are incredibly close. No wonder neither of them has ever had a serious relationship! For me, there just wasn't a buildup to the romance. They were already in-sync, already intimate with one another. It just made the romantic aspect to their relationship seem inevitable and anti-climatic.

I liked the small town charm and the third act crisis. I especially liked that they didn't do the typical big break-up thing only to make-up a few pages later. I liked that the crisis was still climatic but not too far out there.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DNF I couldn't handle the constant switching between 1st person and third person. Hard to connect with the characters

Cole and Laila was such a cute book. I loved Cole and Laila’s friendship. They had this great dynamic. They had fun together and they supported each other through the hard stuff. I loved how they had a mutual respect for one another. They also had great communication skills which is so important in relationships. 🙌 Even when they struggled to communicate they tried to be honest with one another and talk about things. Even the way they fought and made up quickly was such a great example of a healthy relationship. 👏

I loved the references to NYC rom-coms and the TV show Friends. It was so fun to read about Cole and Laila running around NYC. 🗽

I was so glad Cole and Laila had a happy ending. The in-between was so painful to read. I just wanted them to be together and be happy. Trust me, they will be. You just have to get through the awkwardness first 🙈. I only wish a certain special event had taken place at the end, but I know there's a third book coming out in this series so 🤞.

This book is definitely worth picking up. Cole and Laila will be your new friends and you'll want to visit all your favorite rom-com locations in NYC. Be prepared to laugh and maybe even shed a few tears. 🥲 It'll all be worth it.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the privilege of reading and reviewing this book.

#NetGalley #ColeandLailaAreJustFriends

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends is such a wonderful rom com book and a great follow up to Bethany Turner's Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each other. I loved seeing these two, who we met in the first book in the series wake up to reality. It was also great seeing them travel to NYC to see Brynn and Sebastian and have those two pop up in this book.

This book includes great pop culture references like the movie You've Got Mail, Taylor Swift song references (and mentions of Taylor herself) and discussion of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds living quarters as well. It has everything you need in a rom com book from parts where you shred a few tears to laugh out loud moments. It is a clean read and could be enjoyed for anyone late high school on up.

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

I was excited to read this one (and even pushed it to the top of my list because I was in the mood for a friends to lovers story), but I got bored pretty quickly. I found Laila and Cole to both be unappealing—Laila feels quite infantile, and Cole was just personality-less. Moving on.

I wanted to like this book because the cover is gorgeous and I love the small town vibes. However it was hard to find the romance believable. I loved the characters being in there late 30s and their friendship was sweet but how are you just starting to like each other?! You never guessed you could have worked out together. It made no sense.

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

Cole and Laila have been best friends for decades, living in a small town in Colorado. When Cole receives some life changing news, he decided to take a chance on New York and Laila tags along. There, away from the life they knew and with question marks around their friendship and their future, their relationship takes a new form.

I absolutely loved Cole And Laila’s friendship and their banter. And also the depiction of people in their late 30s who are still unsure about what to do with their lives and taking chances. The execution of the book itself I had issues with. The book features dual POVs but whereas Laila’s POV is in first person, Cole’s is in third person. And somehow I found Cole’s the more interesting POV as Laila’s tended to go off on tangents about pop culture and sometimes was basically a NYC tourist guide, also full of too detailed dialogue and thoughts about outfits. They also, after a 30+ year friendship, decide to think about romantic feelings after Cole has a dream.

Regardless, this is a cute book with some great characters. This was obviously an ARC so the published version will be more polished.

Many thanks for the ARC and the opportunity to read early.

Cole y Lila han sido mejores amigos por casi 3 décadas, pero un viaje a New York cambia sus sentimientos. Hay muchas cosas pasando en la vida de Cole que no saben sí ver que pasa o ignorarlo y quedarse como amigos.


Toda su vida como amigos nunca pensaron en el otro de otra forma, pero de la nada ambos empiezan a sentirse atraídos. Lo siento, pero no me fue creíble como mágicamente cambiaron sus sentimientos.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for and honest review.

I don't think this author is for me, unfortunately. First, the dual POV kept switching between first and third person. Then, the characters are pushing 40 and show no signs of wanting more than friendship with each other. I can't fathom them changing their minds that fast at that age and after such a long friendship. This book might work for others, but not for me.

I read this as a stand-alone (my first by this author) and while it's a sequel, it works well on its own! I love a strongly structured friends-to-lovers story and i love a good rom-com, so this book was great in my view!

The main characters were super relatable (and I loved they were a little older …aka not fresh out of college). Cole and Laila were fun and hilarious — and seemed truly like real friends I’d want in my own life! Their chemistry was palpable and they jumped off the page.

The story was full of depth, as well as really heartwarming and endearing, not to mention quite emotional. I so enjoyed reading this ARC!

LOVED this cover. SO cute! I loved the continuation of stories in Adelaide Springs. I loved being in that small town with all the dynamic small-town characters. I love friends to lovers tropes. I always love Turner's creative voice, turn of phrase, and pop culture references. However, this book just took too long for me to become invested. Felt like too much introspective and narrative without the plot moving forward much. I started skimming pretty early on. Buuuut ... I'm going to chalk it up to me and just not quite being in the mood for this one and hope to return to it later.

Tristemente no me gusto.

La historia me aburrió y no me creí el romance entre Laila y Cole que salió de la nada, lo sentí forzada, ¿cómo se supone que crea que de un día para otro empezaron a tener sentimientos románticos por el otro, siendo que convivieron por 30 años y jamas se vieron como otra cosa que mejores amigos?


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for and honest review

Beautiful friends to lovers Rom Com with the most relatable 30 something pair. Cole and Laila were fun and realistic and hilarious, totally people I could see myself being friends with in real life which is why this book was such a treat. Heartwarming and endearing, will cause you to hang onto every single word, desperate for even one emotionally charged moment. Adored this.

This was a sweet friends to lovers story. It took a little bit for it to get going for me! I really liked that the main characters were “older” than is typical for rom-com books these days, I think this will allow the book to reach a much broader audience. Bethany did a great job evolving their friendship into romance, I haven’t read many “friends to lovers” where the male character truly didn’t have feelings for the female character “all along” so this was an interesting take on the trope.

Thank you Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC!

Okay, I was kinda hesitant at first when starting this book. The last book, Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other was not my favorite, but this story redeemed it! It does help reading B&SHEO before starting because there are main characters from B&SHEO that carry onto this novel.
Cole and Laia’s friendship is so sweet and tender that you feel like you’re reading this book with a snuggie on. I did appreciate the dual point of view between Cole and Laila, their banter and jokes were funny! My one qualm was the lengthy asides and long train of thought dialogue. It made the scene drag on and on and then caused me to go on a rabbit trail of thoughts. Eh, not good for this mama. Overall it was a lovely read and will definitely make you want to book your next visit to NY with your bestie.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bethany Turner, and Thomas Nelson fiction for allowing me to review this ARC!

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. I was unable to get into the story and found the writing stilted. Thank you for the opportunity.

Cole and Laila are Just Friends: A Love Story https://amzn.to/4dbPH5V

By Bethany Turner, Thomas Nelson, June 4, 2024, 336 pages.

Cole Kimball and Laila Olivet practically grew up in each other’s pockets in the small town of Adelaide Springs, CO. For almost forty years, they’ve experienced life together (except for the few years Cole spent away at culinary school). And for nearly 40 years, they’ve never thought about that. That thing that ruins friendships and makes things awkward.

But when Cole’s grandfather dies unexpectedly and only leaves him the house they shared together, Cole knows he must move on. Even if it means leaving his best friend behind. The pain of driving by the restaurant that no longer belongs to him would eat him like acid. But spending time away from his best friend just might kill him, too.

Despite her hate of flying, Laila agrees to travel to New York City with Cole and their newlywed best friends, Brynn and Sebastian. On their first night in the city, Cole and Laila end up sharing a bed—something they’ve done on occasion over the decades. Friends can share space while sleeping, right?

But this time, Cole dreams of Laila as something more than a friend. From then on, Cole and Laila must negotiate the delicate dance of deciding what they mean to each other and how that knowledge will play out in their lives.

What I Loved About This Book

If you love quirky characters in forced proximity situations, you’ll love Cole and Laila Are Just Friends. Cole and Laila might need to untangle their feelings for each other, but the entire town of Adelaide Springs can’t figure out why it’s taken them so long. The best romances start with trust, friendship, and good communication. And even though it feels awkward, Cole and Laila summon the bravery required to deepen their friendship and discover how they’ve felt all along.

Readers who love The Gilmore Girls, Friends, and classic movies set in New York will enjoy the pop culture references and locations. Fans of Emma St. Clair and Pepper Basham will enjoy Cole and Laila are Just Friends.

I read this as a stand-alone and only recently discovered it's a sequel. It works well on its own, IMO.
What a lovely couple! Loved their chemistry, and going from decades-long friends to lovers. Just wow! The writing was so heartwarming, it's now one of my favourite books.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

5 ⭐️

the moment i set eyes into this book i knew it would be amazing... and i wasn't wrong!!!

this is the very first book of bethany's that i've read and i'm already in love with her writing. the way the events are tied in to each other and how the characters have full built stories... i simply loved it ❤️

the amount of references though... i almost collapse every time taylor was mentioned (i love that i'm not the only one who refers to her as tay tay as if we're best friends 🤣), and don't get me started on the movies/series references... i had a total blast reading this book 👌

thank you netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!