Cole and Laila are Just Friends + Giveaway

Cole and Laila have been inseparable since they could crawl. And they’ve never thought about each other that way. Except for when they have. Rarely. Once in a while, sure. But seriously . . . hardly ever.

Cole Kimball and Laila Olivet have been best friends their entire lives. Cole is the only person (apart from blood relatives) who’s seen Laila in her oversized, pink, plastic, Sophia Loren glasses. Laila is always the first person to taste test any new dish Cole creates in his family’s restaurant . . . even though she has the refined palate of a kindergartener. Most importantly, Cole and Laila are always talking. About everything.

When Cole discovers a betrayal from his recently deceased grandfather that shatters his world, staying in Adelaide Springs, Colorado, is suddenly unfathomable. But Laila loves her life in their small mountain town and can’t imagine ever living anywhere else. She loves serving customers who tip her with a dozen fresh eggs. She loves living within walking distance of all her favorite people. And she’s very much not okay with the idea of not being able to walk to her very favorite person.

Still, when Cole toys with moving across the country to New York City, she decides to support her best friend–even as she secretly hopes she can convince him to stay home. And not just for his killer chocolate chip pancakes. Because she loves him. As a friend. Just as a friend. Right?

They make a deal: Laila won’t beg him to stay, and Cole won’t try to convince her to come with him. They have one week in New York before their lives change forever, and all they have to do is enjoy their time together and pretend none of this is happening. But it’s tough to ignore the very inconvenient feelings blooming out of nowhere. In both of them. And these potentially friendship-destroying feelings, once out in the open, have absolutely no take-backs.

If When Harry Met Sally had a quippy literary love child with Gilmore Girls’ Luke and Lorelai, you’d get Cole and Laila. Just . . . don’t tell them that.

My Review:

Seriously, why have I not read more of Bethany Turner’s books?! I had a fabulous time with Cole and Laila and I’m sure that my bibliophile enjoyment was enhanced by the wonderful performances of narrators Talon David and Andrew Eiden. I highly recommend the audio edition of ‘Cole and Laila are Just Friends’. The narrators’ voices matched the characters perfectly and conveyed all the energy and angst to sweet perfection!

So — one of my favourite tropes is friends to more and this one was sooo good! I loved the relationship between these two besties. So tender and caring and loyal and they are so comfortable together. Thirty years is a long time to be ‘just’ friends though and I’ll admit to starting the read thinking these two must be pretty dense not to have figured things out earlier. But now, I honestly can’t imagine their love story unfolding in any other way. It’s perfect for them! And I loved every second.

A great blend of humour and drama — but the drama isn’t over the top. More deeply rooted and poignant, maybe? If that makes any sense. I love that Cole and Laila talk things out — not always right away, but they get there eventually. And the love and respect they have for each other is always at the forefront, even when they’re fighting. And honestly, they can’t sustain any kind of anger for long because….sigh, they are each thinking about how the other feels. Swoony sigh.

This book follows ‘ Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other’ though I don’t see it marked as a series. There are some carry overs from the first book — but I think this book reads fine without having read the other. I didn’t and I never felt lost. The books share a core friend group in a small Colorado town and I immediately got that vibe without feeling like I was missing out because I hadn’t read Brynn and Sebastian’s story.

Loved the jaunt to New York City and the drastic change that kickstarted a transformation in Cole and Laila’s relationship. Tons of classic rom/com scenes kept me giggling. Also, a lot of pop culture references relating to television and movies, which is so not my thing, however, I may not have gotten the specifics but I got the context which was just as fun, so it worked for me. 🙂

Of Note: This is one of Thomas Nelson’s general market selections (wish they’d create a catchy name for this non-inspirational line!) so no faith thread but definitely a clean romance.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY

ebook copy available to anyone with a US Kindle account (.com) 

Canadians will have a choice of receiving an Amazon.ca gift card towards the purchase of an ebook OR an audible copy. Winner’s Choice.

If you would like a chance to win an ecopy of Cole and Laila are Just Friends, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 8 2024.