DNF 45%. I really struggled with this book. The FMC Brynn was extremely annoying. It didn't feel like there were any redeemable qualities about her. Sebastian the MMC was almost as bad. Halfway through the book and barely anything has happened.

I love Bethany Turner and her rom-coms. She creates such fun characters that suck readers into her stories. BASHEO has been a long-awaited read and it was worth the wait!

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other is a Love Story that is light on the romance. The greater love story is the one they both have with the small town they meet in…Brynn’s hometown she fled from 20 years earlier, which is also the place Sebastian fled to 6 years ago, Together they find love, healing, community, and how to live their best lives.


3.5 stars.

This is going to sound like the funniest, most ironic review of this book because the title is literally "Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other." But, man, Brynn and Sebastian really, really hate each other! I was over halfway through this book and had to look up a synopsis to make sure they were ever going to make a turn around!

Brynn is caught in a sticky situation when she accidentally insults the entire town she grew up in, and she is sent on a mission to do an apology tour through the tiny town. Sebastian is the newest (and perhaps only) transport in the town, and he is simply not having it with her. Once they do make a turn around and start to find some of the other's attributes tolerable, they are a sweet little romance that I quite enjoyed.

This book was written for you if:
1) You want to read enemies to lovers that keeps you in enemy territory for a while
2) You like a small town setting with quirky characters
3) You want a quick, romantic read with a unique concept

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Brynn and Sebastian. The enemies to lovers aspect of this book was fantastic. I also really enjoyed the Sebastian Stan reference and all of the John Mayer references in this book.
The end with everyone coming together and supporting Brynn and Sebastian being back on the air was wonderful and such a heartwarming ending.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other? Nah. More like loathe, despise, don't understand at all...but they're pretty funny while they're doing it!

Brynn Cornell has spent the last 20 years working toward her job as the perky morning host of Sunup, Until one open mic nightmare blows her image to smithereens, sending her back to the hometown she left at 17 so she can apologize - on air - to the town she bad-mouthed when she thought no one could hear her. Her memories of Adelaide Springs, CO are anything but good. Her alcoholic mother who brought home a different man every night made sure of that. Her humble, somewhat frightening beginnings have been her secret since she got on the air. How can she go back to the one place where they really know where she came from?

Sebastian Sudworth loves his adopted hometown. Adelaide Springs gave him a place to step back from the high-powered life of a reporter that he had been living, and his mental health is thankful. When the town learns that Brynn is "coming home" he is given the task of chauffeuring her around. Her cameraman immediately recognizes that he's in the presence of greatness, but Brynn - who incidentally is on one of the top news shows - has no idea that her driver has a couple of Pulitzers, an Emmy, and all the awards that someone in her position should covet. And, he walked away, choosing instead to "hide" in her tiny hometown.

Brynn has a career to salvage, but can she do that with Mr. Negativity hanging around everywhere she goes? As they work together, Sebastian begins to see the Brynn that Adelaide Springs knows, but will that be enough to want to help her get her job back?

I listened to this one which I think made it twice as fun. Great story. Great townspeople. Lots of witty banter. Five out of five stars from me!

You know how sometimes the vibes are just right?

That’s how I feel about this book. It came out a while ago but I don’t think the vibes were right for me to read it then. But now, I loved it.

A morning show host’s fall from grace and a former foreign correspondent facing his fears? Give me all of this and add in a charming mountain town, karaoke and an avalanche. 🎤🏔️ The vibes were perfect.

Special thanks to @thomasnelson for the ARC & ALC.

This book was so cute!!! Unfortunately, even though I genuinely enjoyed this book, it fell a little short. despite this, I can still see that it's an enjoyable read that a lot of people will probably appreciate. The title and cover are very cute. I tend to easily get second hand embarrassment which can actually ruin anything for me so this might just be my own fault. Other than that I did enjoy this book!!

This book did not work for me. The main character was unlikable for most of the book which caused me to never really like her even in the end. I did not care for the overall idea.

I feel like this book focused too much on the tropes and not enough on actually executing them properly. I typically love enemies to lovers, but this felt forced and the characters were not likeable. I want to root for the characters, both together and separately, when I read a romcom… I just didn’t find myself caring about them in this.

Reasons to read:
- Hate to love trope
- Complex characters
- Small town
– Hallmark movie vibes

My Thoughts:

My first book by Bethany Turner, Brynn, and Sebastian Hate Each Other was an entertaining story about family, friendship, and discovering what you want from your future by learning from your past.

Sebastian did remind me of a hallmark man lead, beloved by the town, handsome, and successful. What grounded this character for me was that Sebastian had a difficult past, and while he dealt with it in a good way, it did rear its head every once in a while. I appreciated how he opened up around Brynn and understood her. I grew to love Byrnn. She was as Sebastian described, complex. She was not a traditional female lead and may have come off as difficult, but she had her moments of emotion and empathy which softened me to her. I found her personality to be a refreshing shift from what I normally read, and I loved the way she and Sebastion grew to understand each other.

The initial meeting between Brynn and Sebastian and their ensuing battles delivered on the feelings of loathing. I liked how they began to notice each other. I enjoyed their shift to romance and could easily picture their life together. While I would have liked to see more of the romance, I liked how the author chose to focus on the growth of the characters and give them a moment to figure out their own lives. The ending was sweet! I could see the potential for more stories about the townspeople and would be excited to read them.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 :
Romance: Kissing only
Trigger warning: Brief mentions of war violence

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This book was not what I expected. I wanted an enemies to lovers story but the main characters were so boring. Brynn was so rude throughout the whole book and I could not get into it.

I love enemies to lovers and grumpy meets sunshine trope and this book had it all. The main characters were okay, I did not really like the female lead and found her character to be annoying at times. But in the later part of the novel I like the side characters and found it sweet.

This is suppose to be a grumpy sunshine book but I felt like Brynn was just plain mean. It was short cute read. But the enemies to lovers aspect felt more like dislike to lovers

This was an enjoyable, easy read. I particularly enjoyed the inciting incident that led to Brynn having to return to her hometown, but did struggle with the many pop culture references throughout this book - I didn't get a lot of the references and they took me out of the story somewhat. I also expected more from the "hate to love" aspect of this book but it felt like they fell for each other very quickly. However, I did enjoy Brynn's relationships with some of the secondary characters and her attempts to reconcile with the townsfolk, and I thought the mountain town setting was well realised.

This one was just ok - fun premise, mildly interesting characters, but the conclusion felt rushed. Solid three stars for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
I'm a huge fan of Enemies to Lovers and this book, while it was not a fav, it was still quite enjoyable.
If you are looking for a quick and fun read, this is it.
I enjoyed the second half of the book more. Even though this book wasn't perfect, I'm still recommending it.

After making her too honest opinions about her humble hometown public on national television America's Sweetheart Brynn Cornell is in hot water and hoping to make amends.

Travelling back to her hometown she is forced to face her past, and a handsome city council member who seems determined to oppose her at every turn. A fun flirty rom com, with an enemies to lovers vibe, with likable characters, and a community that comes alive. I loved how the people of Adelaide gave Brynn a fair chance, especially her friends Laila and Cole.

Sebastian has come to love the small Colorado town that he has made his home, and he is willing to fight for it. He has a chip n his shoulder, but even he can see that Brynn's visit to Adelaide Falls might not be all bad. I loved the banter between the two, as well as their authentic feeling chemistry.

Overall, this was a fun quick rom-com, with lovable characters and good emotional depth. I'm excited for the sequel about Laila and Cole!

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

So amazing! loved the character dynamics and Turner's art of storytelling. I found the story so sweet, do I think everyone will like it? No, but I was entertained, though I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop the entire time. I would have liked the love story to be more drawn out, but Brynn was only in town for a week. Brynn and Sebastian start off on the wrong foot and keep spiraling downwards.

"And I knew the people who had the most reason to hate me were also the ones who never would have needed me to explain why I left. They would have packed my bags and cheered me on. Which made it all the more unforgivable that I hadn't told them. That I hadn't said goodbye."

Brynn never intends on returning to her childhood town. But due to complications of her own making, she has no choice. Her town liaison makes it clear that he is not a fan. Well, she doesn't like him either. What will it take for Brynn and Sebastian to discover that they don't hate each other after all?

Sebastian definitely has his own story. And it is funny how their two lives are similar yet so different. The cast of characters in this book are so enjoyable.

Be prepared to laugh often and maybe cry a bit in this latest book by Bethany Turner. As with all of her books, there are plenty of one liners, movie and TV quotes, some snark and plenty of heart. What makes me excited about this one is the fact that there are going to be a few sequels too. I definitely recommend this title if you enjoy rom-coms!

I read a copy of this book through NetGalley. I wanted to read and review it. All opinions are my own.