Cole and Laila’s story will forever hold a little piece of my heart as one of my favourite friends to lovers books.

Imagine this: Cole and Laila, now in their late 30s, have been inseparable and best friends since they were children. However, certain events in Cole’s life seem to be taking him away their hometown, Adelaide Springs, to New York. Before making any decisions, Cole and Laila decide to spend a week together in New York. She wants to convince him to stay in Adelaide Springs, and he wants to convince her to come with him.

The week gets increasingly complicated for the two of them as romance comes to the forefront of their minds after decades of friendship, and many questions arise.

Cole and Laila as characters were loveable, their quirks, humour and pop-culture references endearing, and their small moments of affection incredibly heartwarming and beautiful. The author spent several pages talking about a hug between Cole and Laila and it still wasn’t enough for me. I needed even more - the writing was lovely.

There were definitely bits of information in the book that didn’t need to be there or didn’t really help, but they didn’t detract from the feeling you get reading about Cole and Laila no longer being “just friends”.

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends by Bethany Turner is a sequel to Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other and brings readers back to the small town of Adelaide Springs, Colorado. Cole runs a highly successful restaurant, but his world crumbles when his grandfather dies and sells Cole's restaurant out from under him. Reeling from grief and anger, Cole heads to New York to interview for a chef's job and brings his best friend, Laila, along for support. This trip forces their relationship to examine whether they are just friends or something more than friends. Turner brings multi-dimensional characters who engage in snappy dialogue and end up in humorous situations.

Who doesn’t love a slow burn from time to time?? I really enjoyed Cole and Laila Are Just Friends! I appreciated the chapters were short and made for a quick read. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced copy! Publication date June 4, 2024.

"Cole and Laila are Just Friends" by Bethany Turner is a delightful and heartwarming tale of friendship, love, and self-discovery. Cole and Laila's bond is beautifully depicted, filled with genuine warmth and humor that draws readers in from the start. Turner skillfully navigates the complexities of their relationship as they grapple with newfound feelings while navigating life-changing decisions.

The small-town setting of Adelaide Springs, Colorado, adds charm to the story, serving as the perfect backdrop for Cole and Laila's journey. Turner's writing is witty and engaging, with well-crafted dialogue that brings the characters to life.

What sets this novel apart is its exploration of the intricacies of friendship turning into something more, without sacrificing the authenticity of the characters' emotions and experiences. While the plot may follow some familiar romantic comedy tropes, Turner injects enough freshness and depth to keep readers hooked until the very end.

Overall, "Cole and Laila are Just Friends" is a heartwarming and entertaining read that will leave you rooting for the characters long after you've turned the last page.

Cole and Laila are just friends... for a while. They were destined to be more... Thomas Nelson has beautifully portrayed the friends to lovers arc in this lighthearted romantic comedy novel. Cole and Laila are likeable characters from the get go. They are sincere, dedicated, compassionate and down-to-earth characters. The contemporary and relatable nature of the plot and characters is what appealed to me. The small town setting was done well by Nelson and the transition to city life also drew parallels with how the relationship progressed from friends to lovers.

Laila and Cole understood each other, which was their major strength throughout the novel. They were each other's anchor through ups and downs and understood and cared for the other more than they did for themselves at certain times. They were ready to do anything for the other person. There was some funny banter and some cute scenes sprinkled throughout this cupcake of a novel. The novel is perfect for a fun weekend!

Thankyou Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a rollercoaster ride! The plot had me on the edge of my seat, the characters were a riot, and I breezed through it in no time. This one's a must-read for some serious fun!

This has been one of my favourite cosy romance reads for the year so far, it's perfect for when you want a book with small town charm and big city adventures. I loved Cole and Laila so much! They are both such loveable characters with a special friendship full of trust, love and laughter. I couldn't stop hoping that everything would turn out perfectly for them and they would get to live happily ever after, whether that meant individually or together. I recommend reading 'Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other' first as it will give this book even more meaning as you'll know some of the characters backstories and existing relationships. I really enjoyed both books in this series and can't wait to read Bethany Turner's next book! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was cute. It required a little suspension of disbelief that all the falling in love parts happened so late in life but I enjoyed Cole and Laila and their antics. Also Milo! IYKYK.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy!

This next installment in the Adelaide Springs story follows bar owner Cole and Laila, his best friend since either of them could remember. It's not as humorous as a lot of Bethany Turner's other books have been, and that was a little disappointing. The intimacy between Cole and Laila is reminiscent of Joey and Dawson in the TV show Dawson's Creek, which always struck me as unrealistic. Maybe it's just that I've never had a male friend I was that comfortable with but not romantically attracted to, so it's not believable to me.

Cole and Laila find themselves after almost 40 years attracted to each other, and it takes them some time to get over the fear of ruining the friendship and figuring out that they both feel the same way. The story unfolds naturally and sweetly. You can't help but feel like you are right there in the middle of their story because of how intimately Turner portrays their relationship.

It is well-written as Turner's stories always are, and things wrap up nicely in the end even though they started out as a mess. I hope the next one is funnier, but other than that, it was a great read as I've come to expect from this writer.

Cole and Laila are Just Friends by Bethany Turner doesn’t come out for 2 months but I can’t wait that long to talk about how much I loved it!! We first met these characters in Turner’s previous Adelaide Springs novel, where they firmly and repeatedly proclaim they are “just best friends” (mhm ok no one believes you including the reader!) When Cole’s grandfather passes away and does NOT leave Cole the restaurant he’s dedicated his life to, he decides to consider a job far away in New York City. Disheartened at the thought that she may no longer live in town with her oldest and best friend, Laila decides to go with Cole to stay with their friends Brynn and Sebastian and explore/learn more about the city before Cole makes his final decision. This story is a sloooOOOoow burn with an incredibly worthwhile payoff; it was physically impossible for me to put this book down. Cole and Laila go on a “blind first date” that is undoubtedly the highlight of the book and probably one of my favorite scenes I’ve read in any book this year! Bethany Turner clearly loves New York City like 90’s and early 2000s romcom scripts loved New York City (I mean, she even got Nora Ephron’s sister to blurb the cover!!). I really wasn’t sure how the story would resolve and was completely surprised by the ending. Cole and Laila’s book is my favorite book of Turner’s since Plot Twist (which is saying something because Plot Twist is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read).
I honestly really struggled to read Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other but I only say that because if you felt the same way, absolutely take another chance and try Cole and Laila’s book because this story knocks it out of the park. Also, there’s a Milo Ventimiglia cameo, so there’s that.
Last week I read Wooing Cadie McCaffrey for the third time and this week I read The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck in a day and I think Cole and Laila Are Just Friends still ranks up there at the top of my favorite Bethany Turner books!! Out June 4 from Thomas Nelson.

*I received a copy of this book from #netgalley. I was not required to give a review and all opinions expressed above are my own.

What a delightful surprise this book turned out to be! Initially, when I spotted the cover on NetGalley, I had reservations, fearing it might disappoint. However, I was pleasantly proven wrong. I found myself thoroughly enjoying the banter, the slow burn romance (which felt like it lasted at least two decades), and the abundance of witty jokes and cultural references. Admittedly, there were moments where I felt a tad lost due to my unfamiliarity with some of the movies mentioned, but it didn't detract significantly from my enjoyment.

Laila and Cole's dynamic is incredibly amusing, and their chemistry is off the charts—I was eagerly rooting for them to finally come together. Moreover, the narrative imparts valuable lessons, particularly in the portrayal of Cole's grandfather, whose struggles with communication struck a personal chord with me.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone seeking a charming tale of friends-to-lovers romance with a slow burn, sprinkled with themes of found family and punctuated by nods to pop culture (especially Gilmore Girls!) and the vibrant backdrop of New York City. Additionally, I appreciated the author's innovative use of both first and third-person perspectives, which added an intriguing dimension to the storytelling.

It seems I'm in the minority on this one and I'm okay with that – this did not speak to me and was a DNF. I'm totally fine with a clean romcom and/or tropes that I don't care about, but switching between first and third person in the POVs I couldn't get behind. That coupled with being uninterested in the characters and their story was enough for me to pass on this one.

Thank you to netgalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION | Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read this book. This was such a fun and cute story.

I found the synopsis appealing and was excited about the prospects of the plot, but I found myself unable to fully get into the characters and there were some structural issues I could not get past.

I love best friend stories, they’re always so endearing and you know that from the beginning it’ll always be that other person and no other. I love this so much!!

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

Spice: 0/5 (innocent)
Learned there are no spicy scenes after I stopped as well. That’s on me though, forgot the publisher was a Christian publisher.

Pros
- cover and title drew me in
- Really liked the prologue
- cute concept

Cons
- DNF at chapter 6. Was starting to get bored and skim

Cole and Laila might be "just friends," but I just loved this book. I would definitely recommend it to my patrons at the library and I definitely think they will love it like I did!

What a fantastic plot! I could not put the book down once I began reading it. I hope everyone else enjoys it as well.

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley for providing this ARC to me. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a cute late in life, friends to lovers book set in Colorado and New York City. While the setup of the plot was interesting, I found the execution to fall flat. Cole and Laila’s friendship seemed to work so perfectly, which leads me to ask: why had they not considered dating each other before the age of 40?

To me, the romance was really mediocre. This is simply due to the immaturity of the MC’s. They’ve been best friends for 27 years and the book’s main conflict is that they have trouble talking about their romantic feelings? Doesn’t seem accurate to me. Not to mention that they’re almost 40 and handled it so immaturely!

It was fine, but there were definitely areas I wish were handled differently.

Three stars: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

What’s better than a sweet rom-com? One set in a small town! Cole and Laila are adorable together. I enjoyed this quick read and can recommend it to anyone since it’s a clean romance.