Member Reviews
If you love a good redemption arc, characters who make real changes for the better, an adorable little town tucked in the mountains, and a delightful supporting cast, this is absolutely the book for you. I genuinely enjoyed Brynn and Sebastian's story and am so excited for Cole and Laila's book!
Thank you to Netgalley for my complimentary e-arc of this book. All opinions here are my own.
4.5 stars Another beautiful love story by Bethany Turner! Although I feel this one is a little bit more about the main character getting back to herself and finding what makes her happy. Brynn is not an easy character to like at first. She's actually pretty dang horrible, but stick with her, it's worth it! I loved Sebastian and how he was so conflicted but still allowed himself to have those feelings and didn't deny them. My one complaint is that I felt like Sebastian really opened up about his past to Brynn, but she never really opened up about hers fully. We get some vague comments about things she's experienced with her mom but no real talk about it. Maybe it'll be in the next book?? My favorites were her reunions with Laila and Doc, which brought tears to my eyes. I'm so glad she's making it a series!
Brynn is caught in a hot mic moment disparaging her small hometown. In an effort to save her career so goes back to make amends where new local, Sebastian, is tasked with helping her get around.
This sounded like it had potential, but it just wasn’t there. I never felt like Brynn was authentic and there were sooo many older pop culture references. The mention of the atrocities in Myanmar felt very out of place as well. Just didn’t work for me.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson. All opinions are my own, and I've voluntarily leaving a review.
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romcom, Romance, Sweet Romance, Christian Fiction
Spice Level: Sweet
I've read several Bethany Turner novels, and enjoyed all of them. BUT this is my favorite yet!
It's so much fun that I read it in a day.
Brynn is pretty awful at moments and says things without thinking, but I was still rooting for her to get her life back together. The news business is so hard—and the expectation that she's perfect is terrible.
Sebastian met Brynn's pettiness with his own. Even though he's such a great guy in the small community. And he's got a secret that's about to spill out—the one thing he doesn't ever want to have to talk about.
So, we have two imperfect people.
We have two people who hate each other...
or do they really hate something else?
We've also got a darling dog, snow, snow, snow, and karaoke!
This book touches on serious subjects and has so much heart! It's also got those moments that make you smile. I loved how the pacing kept me moving forward at a fast clip, always wanting to know what was going to happen next.
I highly recommend this book!
Happy reading!
From the start, this story drew me in as we meet Brynn starting her new position on a morning news show, which is quickly put in jeopardy when she accidentally insults her hometown live on air. When she heads back to make her apologies, she meets Sebastion... and well let's just say they get off on the wrong foot. While the storyline drew me in right away, I must admit I did find the rest of the buildup through maybe the first half to be a little bit slow. Honestly, I didn't love Brynn's character at first so this probably played a role in that feeling. Still, it picked up at some point and I found myself really enjoying these two together... as much as I enjoyed the banter when they were not getting along, their chemistry when they came together was all that much better! They were both definitely flawed characters, but I liked seeing them work through things as the story went on. And the ending? Too fun.
If you like small town, enemies to lovers with lots of pop culture references, this is definitely one to check out!
**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All opinions are my own.
I LOVED this book!!!! I love this author and everything she has written so far, this book just continues that love.
The flow, the characters, the settings, the dialogue, the interactions are all great. The comedic timing. The effortless rhythm to the story that just takes you along. The main characters on their own just take you on their journey of growth and change that you get to experience along with them. There chemistry and growth together also a delight.
Supporting characters and settings were too good to leave out of this review. Yes, the settings of this novel are practically characters themselves lending so much to the tale being told. Great book.
This book had great characters (including some side characters I’d like to learn more about), some laugh out loud moments, surprises, clean romance with great chemistry, and a happy and satisfying ending. I had a little trouble engaging with the main character, Brynn, at the beginning of the book but it was worth hanging in there for her full story and to meet charming Sebastian, her love interest. This story served as a reminder to me that many people are dealing with painful things and they are wearing masks in order to protect themselves and allow themselves to function. It also made me aware that I don’t have to be perfect in order to be loved. I enjoyed it and gladly recommend it! Rating: 4.5. I received an ARC from Thomas Nelson Publishing Co. via NetGalley and this voluntary review contains my honest opinions.
Brynn is just finishing her first week in a prime new breakfast TV job when a hot mic moment threatens to derail everything she has worked for. The small town girl persona that she and the network have crafted for her is derailed when she disparages her home town to her cohost – not knowing that the ad break is over. Her only route to redemption is to head back to that small town and try and make amends. Her host in Adelaide Springs is newcomer (well it’s all relative) Sebastian, a former superstar reporter who disappeared from the journalistic world in mysterious circumstances. Not that Brynn knows that. It’s hate at first sight. Or is it?
The fact that the cover says “A Love Story” on it should give you the clue that it’s not, and it’s a full on grumpy-sunshine enemies to lovers sort of thing. I read it in about 36 hours and although the journalist in me had a few issues with it, they mostly didn’t bother me at the time! I also love a small town romance – especially when they feature someone returning after a long period away so if any of that floats your boat usually then this might be a good one to try. I haven’t read any of Bethany Turner’s previous novels but based on this I would happily read more if they came my way.
Thank you, Thomas Nelson and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other.
Baby! If that is hate, sign me up!! Heartwarming, charming, a big old hug! Reminded me of Virgin River. Characters had their flaws but recognized it. The plot was *chef’s kiss*. The romance was sweet. Not much more you could want.
Brynn is a morning show host when she accidentally sticks her foot in her mouth about her hometown, Adelaide Springs, during a live broadcast. Sebastian is a former journalist who has moved to Adelaide Springs for the slower life. When Brynn sets off for her apology tour, the last thing she expects to find is love. Will Sebastian be able to help Brynn win back the adoration of Adelaide Springs or is Brynn destined for failure?
The story was extremely slow and the biggest slow burn I've ever read. It felt like it took forever for the main characters to get together and there was hardly any smut to make it a little more interesting. I was hoping for a little more on that end and I didn't get it so this wasn't my favorite.
I would recommend this one to anyone who likes kissing only scenes and mostly plot in their romance!
I enjoyed most of this story. The small-town was well-done, and I loved those characters. I wasn't a huge fan of Brynn, but I did like Sebastian more. I felt that the romance was rushed. The second half of the book was more enjoyable for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson-FICTION/Thomas Nelson for sharing this ARC copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Brynn is recovering from a newsroom faux pas and she needs to visit her hometown to apologize and regain the title of "America's sunshine". Sebastian, a member of the city council, is in charge of babysitting her while she is in town and the two butt heads from minute one. However, they are more similar than they think. Can they overcome their hatred and their first impressions to see something more? Really loved this story! Fresh idea, lovely characters.
Unfortunately, this book didn't seem to be for me. I didn't think it was bad writing necessarily, but it did not hook me in the way I wanted it to. The premise was cute, but I just overall did not enjoy it and ended up DNFing.
I might have pushed through, but the publisher's logo was on every page due to some formatting, which interrupted paragraphs, and that made it even more frustrating to read.
Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I found this pretty unreadable. The writing was uncomfortably bad and the characters were abysmal. Everything about this book was annoying.
Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other is Bethany Turner’s latest clean romantic comedy. It is a stand-alone story about two news reporters at different stages of their careers who meet and have many obstacles in their path to love. It’s mainly an opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers tale that goes behind-the-scenes of a network news show.
36-year-old Brynn Cornell has just been promoted from the third hour of a popular morning show, Sunup, to the first two hours. It only took her 10 years to reach the cohost position, pretending to be America's Ray of Sunshine in the big Sunup happy family. At the end of her first week, there are technical problems with the cameras, and she is recorded on-air confiding to her cohost that she’s not really a country girl like the network claims she is. Instead, she’s from a tiny mountain town, Adelaide Springs, Colorado, which she badmouths.
The network sends her back to Adelaide Springs to bolster her image and convince viewers that she’s not a “mean girl”. She’s supposed to apologize to the town’s citizens and get some feel-good footage. Unfortunately, Adelaide Springs holds painful memories for Brynn that she’s not ready to face.
Sebastian Sudworth was a globetrotting award-winning reporter until he vanished from the public eye. He hid out in tiny Adelaide Springs, working odd jobs and posing as a scruffy mountain man. When Sebastian is hired to drive Brynn around town, Brynn is afraid that he will be able to see through her fake sunny persona. But she plans to beguile him in order to maintain her image and save her career while she faces down her past.
Both Brynn and Sebastian are likeable and engaging characters with good chemistry. It’s nice to read a story about a successful career woman who isn’t intentionally looking for a romantic relationship. Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other is a rich character-driven story that contains no profanity or sex scenes. The behind-the-scenes information about Sunup makes the reader feel like part of the Today show or Good Morning America broadcast. This story can be enjoyed by all readers and would make a good Hallmark movie.
I received a complimentary copy of this e-book from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishers. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My first Bethany Turner though I have all her back catalogue on my TBR - and with how amazing and totally captivating this storyline and writing were, I will be grabbing those right away! I completely loved this book and the characters and just everything about it!
It read like a fantastic movie plot and I was so engrossed in it (I had audio and ebook so I read along, totally immersed), that I had a hard time stopping when I had to do reality things. I could see this being done as a Hallmark or Lifetime movie.
The bickering and banter between Brynn and Sebastian as she tries to repair her public image after badmouthing her hometown on-air (due to a technical problem at the news studio), while not wanting to be in her hometown and not knowing who he is and why he is living in that town… oh, this book is “chef’s kiss”! One of the best small town, enemies to lovers I’ve come across!
I most definitely recommend this book to romance readers around the world, enemies to lovers fans or just plain excellent writer fans alike!
I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson, and this is my honest feedback.
Small town enemies to lovers is a trope I’m an absolute sucker for and this book was no exception. Sebastian was great from the first moment we’re introduced to him, no notes-Bethany Turner clearly knows how to write a male lead. The way she wrote Brynn, however, was interesting. I genuinely disliked Brynn for the first half of the novel and I found myself completely baffled that I was not only expected to like her by the end of the story but also want to force her presence on Sebastian. First half of the story Brynn deserved nothing from anybody, she was abrasive, rude, self-centered and had to be told to be a decent person. The second half of the book thankfully corrected a lot of her behaviour and made her more real. Aside from how truly aggravating Brynn was at the beginning, I enjoyed this novel a lot. Thanks Netgalley!
Small town hero, Brynn, says some horrible thing about the town where she grew up. The worst part is that these are the people who loved and raised her. Plus, she said it all on the live news show where she is an anchor. Now she must return to the same small town and show America that these people forgive her and still love her. All to save her news career. Enter Sebastian, newest council member, and former news journalist. They get off to a rocky start when he is given the job to chauffeur her around town. The question is can she win the town back over and more importantly, win Sebastian over?
This book is a typical enemies to lovers trope. It was a slow read at the beginning and even slower for me to care about these characters. Brynn is horrible, and Sebastian is a little too "wonderful". Once the other childhood friends are introduced into the story, I enjoyed it more. Overall, the storyline of Brynn's reunion with the town evoked more emotion than the Brynn and Sebastian storyline. So as a rom com it was a fail for me. The ending was cute but a little over the top and kind of out of left field. This would have been a better story if more emphasis was placed on the relationships of Brynn with the town.
What a fun story with just enough emotional depth and romance to give you all the feels! I absolutely loved the banter between Brynn and Sebastian, and who wouldn't fall for their community members and the scenic beauty! Brynn stuck her foot in it more often than not, but the Author did a brilliant job of crafting her as an endearing character, even when she was being a bit of an idiot! Sebastian was intriguing and I appreciated that there was a lot of mystery surrounding his past which was slowly uncovered.
Thank you to Author Bethany Turner, Thomas Nelson publishing and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC. I was entertained the whole way through and would happily read about this town and their traditions again!
Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner is an absolute delight! I have really enjoyed this author’s books in the past, but this book is truly her best work yet. I adored the characters and would love a sequel to hear more about what happens next for them. The depth of the character development was truly amazing. I loved the witty dialogue and the ending— well, I don’t want to give any spoilers but this could not have loved it more! I’m thinking of re-reading this book as an audiobook. It would be perfect! I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.