Miley Cyrus in a 'Romantic' Friendship with Kaitlynn Carter But 'She Isn't 100 Percent Happy': Source

"They are both going through similar stuff right now and are bonding over it," a source tells PEOPLE of Miley Cyrus and Kaitlynn Carter

Miley Cyrus and Kaitlynn Carter have been spending most of their time together following their respective breakups.

A source tells PEOPLE the newly single ladies are “staying together” in Los Angeles after coming home from their recent Italian getaway during which they were spotted kissing hours before PEOPLE exclusively confirmed that Cyrus, 26, and husband Liam Hemsworth had split.

“Miley is very close with Kaitlynn. It’s romantic, but also a friendship,” the source says. “They are both going through similar stuff right now and are bonding over it.”

Earlier this month, Carter, 30, had announced her split from husband, The Hills star Brody Jenner, whom she married in 2018 at the Nihi Sumba resort on Sumba, an island off the coast of Indonesia, where he had proposed. (However, a source told PEOPLE that the ceremony was not legally binding, so they were never officially married.)

“Miley is okay, but you can tell she isn’t 100 percent happy,” the source says, adding that “she hasn’t talked to Liam” since after her rep said in a statement: “Ever-evolving, changing as partners and individuals, they have decided this is what’s best while they both focus on themselves and careers.”

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Being back in L.A. has been difficult for Cyrus as Malibu and the surrounding areas are locations where joyous memories were made during her marriage.

“They had many happy days together in L.A. and now Liam is not around. It’s hard for her to be back in L.A. without him,” the source says. “This is not the situation that she wanted. She hoped they could figure things out.”

An insider recently told PEOPLE that Cyrus and Hemsworth, 29, have a “long history together, and that’s a huge part of why she has a hard time letting him go.”

Cyrus met Hemsworth in 2009 on the set of The Last Song, and had a rocky, on-again, off-again relationship for years before he proposed in 2012. The two ended their engagement and broke up a year later, before reconciling in 2015. Then in December 2018, they wed at their Franklin, Tennessee, home.

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“At the end of the day, she wants to be happy, and she genuinely wants Liam to be happy too,” the insider added.

Though Cyrus and Hemsworth have been separated for months, she is not rushing to file for divorce, according to a source who told PEOPLE: “They both agreed it’s better to spend time apart, but this doesn’t mean their relationship is completely over.”

Meanwhile, Carter’s ex Jenner has seemingly moved on with model Josie Canseco. The reality star, 35, and the model, 22, were photographed out and about in Hollywood on Wednesday, and got very handsy throughout the night, according to TMZ.

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