From the moment Brynn put her foot in her mouth on air and dragged her hometown in the process, I was a goner. Throw into the mix the grumpy sunshine reclusive ex-journalist with the smoldering glances and 24/7 babysitting he has to do while she's back home to fix the mess? Yea -- this was perfection.

I usually cringe when the main characters keep making an ass of themselves but Brynn made it so easy to transition from one cringe-worthy moment to the next with an emmy-award winning performance.

No spoilers here but if this becomes a series and we get to go back to that sleepy little town and find out what happens with Layla and Cole — sign me up for that one too.

What drew me to this novel was that it had an interesting premise that I hadn’t read before. Brynn is a news anchor on what we might think of as a GMA or Today show. When she accidentally says something snarky about her small hometown on air, she’s sent back to her hometown to do damage control and find a way to get back in America’s good graces. While there, she meets Sebastian who not only has a past in journalism, but is the town councilman. Though I loved the premise, there were a few things that didn’t land for me. Brynn was a very entitled and selfish character with little redeemable qualities. I see what the author was trying to do with her “why” behind her actions, but the mother’s storyline was way too underdeveloped. I also found the relationship to be forced. There was no chemistry until suddenly the main character begin to like each other. I wish there were more development in the characters and storyline. I especially was hoping for more of a connection to Brynn. This had loads of potential but fell flat on execution. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson audio for the advance listen.

Brynn is America’s Sunshine - the morning show cohost everyone would want to be, or be with. But when Brynn unknowingly bashes her tiny hometown and shatters her perfect image, she’d definitely rather be anyone else. Sent back to her hometown after 20 years away to bring back footage that will endear her to her viewers again, she encounters Sebastian - a new beloved resident who is making this visit much harder than expected.

When I say I love a small town setting, this is exactly what I mean. A township filled with residents who can spread news(but mostly gossip) within minutes, spend their time congregating in the local establishments like clockwork, and who are always looking out for each other? Yes please.

Mix that setting with two headstrong people who are too busy butting heads to realize that they’re falling for each other? That’s the ticket!

I really enjoyed this book, and the narrator did a good job of embodying these characters.

Not a fan of the way this was written. The dual POVS made this difficult to follow. One is in first and one is in third.

Although Brynn does make some improvements and develop as a character, I just couldn’t get past how she acted in the first half of the book. Someone had to advise her to be an actual kind person instead of pretending to be one. She was so rude and a brat. I wasn’t feeling the romance. It just fell flat for me. Sebastian was just not swoony enough for me.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner


I had a hard time liking Brynn but by the ending I forgot all about it, especially with Sebastian being one of the cutest book bfs. Overall it was a sweet, heartwarming small town read; this story had emotional moments, mixed with fun and humour. I enjoyed this for a weekend relaxing read, as I’m a sucker for grumpy sunshine tropes.

This book was a typical enemies to lovers plot. I liked the second half of the book better than the first. I had a hard time suspending my disbelief for a few things. However, at the end I liked the setting and characters better. Charming ending. I would recommend for rom-com lovers. I would rate this book three out of five stars.

I thought this book was just adorable. It was just what I needed. A little enemies to lovers with a lot of pining by the male MC. Brynn is caught on national TV shaming the town she grew up in, now she is going back there to make amends. Sebastian left the spotlight and retired to Brynn's little hometown, and took great offense in her slander. He wants the town to be put on the map, so when he hears she is coming back there for an expose and to apologize, he thinks it is just what the town needs.
Too bad he is the one who has to cart her all over and babysit her. What he doesn't bank on is getting to know the real Brynn, the one the town knows is still there, under all of her hard exterior. When she comes into town, he thinks she is just a stuck up TV personality, but he doesn't count on seeing all of her scars and relating to her more than he would like.
I loved the way these two grew together, opened up about their past and communicated. I really loved that there was no third act break up, and once they were together, they were cemented. If you are looking for a cute, quick read with lots of love, pick this up.
I loved living this book through its narration! It was perfect.
Thank you to Thomas Nelson, Bethany Turner and Netgalley.

Brynn and Sebastian hate each other was an enjoyable rollercoaster.

Brynn is a host for a sunny morning-show and her tv persona is this sweet and kind girl that loves everyone when in reality she is much more opinionated (and to be honest a brat) than what she is forced to show.
One a mistake uncovers her real personality and she is force to visit her tiny hometown she left twenty years prior to make amends.
There she meets Sebastian, the only newcomer in the city since she left. Everyone seems to like him but the two immediately dislike each other.

For the first 57% of the book I HATED Brynn. She was disrespectful, unpolite and generally a brat, so much so that I wanted to slap her in the face every time she opened her mouth, but as the story unravels she begins to open up with the city, her old friends and Sebastian and I really enjoyed the last 43%.
I think it is very unusual to have the main character so unlikable but all worked by the end.
Sebastian, on the other end, was perfect since page 1 and I loved him instantly.

I think the timeline of this book was a little rushed…
Everything takes place in the span of a week and this should be ´enemies to lovers ´ meaning they are actually enemies for like three days.

Cute, easy to listen to enemies-to-lovers!
Would’ve liked more detail of Brynn’s past with her mom. Feel like there’s some wasted potential on a deeper emotional connection with the reader there.
Absolutely fell in love with Adelaide Springs! Totally ready for some additional novels centering around the supporting characters.

Synopsis: Brynn Cornell was riding high as cohost of the popular morning show Sunup. Known as America's Ray of Sunshine who drives up TV ratings with positivity and poise, that is until a HUGE on-air mistake tanks that image in seconds. Now she’s back in the one place she never wanted to return- her hometown of Adelaide Springs, Colorado, attempting to convince viewers and the people she publicly trashed that she isn't the mean girl she portrayed. But this town holds painful memories that she’s not ready to face. Sebastian Sudworth was on the fast track to the journalist hall of fame. Until one day he broke and vanished from the scene without a word. Sebastian sought refuge in tiny Adelaide Springs, working odd jobs and trying to blend in as a scruffy mountain town citizen. When Sebastian is assigned to chauffeur Brynn around town, Brynn is sure he can see right through her carefully cultivated persona. But Brynn is determined to charm him. Easier said than done. Can these two learn to see eye to eye? Can Brynn win the town back over and by proxy, the public? Does she even want to get back to the morning show circuit?

My Thoughts:
I loved reading this. It was quick; it was easy; it was fun. The banter is witty. I rolled my eyes many times, and I even laughed out loud. The leads seem to hate each other's guts before they even meet, and they are frankly mean to each other. It kind of caught me off guard how mean at first. But once I got over my disbelief in that, it was a fun ride. I love a grump Sunshine storyline, two (momentary) grumps are honestly a fun spin. The small town backdrop is cozy. It's practically a character of its own. It's an honest conversation about privilege, upbringing, the costs of fame, and figuring out what you want out of your life take place. And the ending has its own massively enjoyable payoff.

I honestly considered DNFing this one. Brynn is AWFUL for the first half of the book. The plot needs her to be unsympathetic, but she was so bad, I wanted to quit. But- IT GETS BETTER. The second half is much, much better. Enough to willingly read through the beginning? I am not sure. But it turned around enough for me to go from about to quit to 3 stars. (The second half deserves 4, but I can't go higher than 3 based on the beginning)

Brynn is a morning show anchor. After an on-air gaff where her open-microphone inadvertently broadcasts her poor opinion of her hometown, she goes back to make amends. Sebastian is tasked with being her babysitter/escort around town. Sebastian moved to the small Colorado town six years ago looking to escape. And he does not like that Brynn spoke so poorly of the town he has come to love. They instantly clash. But as Brynn spends more time in town, she realizes she has good memories and still cares for a lot of the people.

Talon David narrates the audiobook and does a good job. No complaints about the narration. Even though it is told in dual POVs, it was easy to follow whether Sebastian or Brynn were narrating.

I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a tough one for me - it was well written, had good pacing, and the overall concept was great.

The hard part was that FMC was wholly unlikeable, and I didn’t buy the romance or attraction. It was purely proximity and nothing else. Just because two folks have/had public facing careers, are emotionally damaged, and are in the same town doesn’t mean they’re going to be set up for a happily ever after. I just don’t buy it.

To be a reporter in war zones, MMC would have to be much more emotionally mature than FMC ever showed herself to be. She acted like a 16 year old girl lashing out nearly the entire book. It just didn’t work for me.

I will give this author another try though.

3.5⭐, 0.5🌶️

This was a cute, and sweet reflective book of Brynn coming back to her small town to make amends for making a judgmental statement of the town on live national television. When Sebastian sees Brynn for the fake personality she portrays on-air, the two clash until Brynn finally learns to be authentic, and address what her old problems of the town really are, as well as learning more of Sebastian's mysterious reasons for moving to this town after a famed professional career.

I wasn't the best fan of this book because I didn't connect much with the characters, but I truly enjoyed Brynn's coming to terms with her old life and the trauma she dealt with as a child, that had her running away. The pop culture references were cute at first, but felt a bit too frequent as well. Overall, anyone that like a slow burn, clean romance will enjoy this more than me, I think.

I wasn't the greatest fan of one narrator narrating a dual POV book, but Talon did a great job for what its worth!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an ALC of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other, written by Bethany Turner, and narrated by Talon David.

Listening to this after spending the weekend in the Colorado mountains was the best decision I could have ever had.

Brynn is originally from a small mountain town in Colorado. She unintentionally disses the town on live tv which causes her journey home and to redemption. This is when she meets Sebastian who she immediately gives a bad first impression to. Will she get her good-girl reputation back? Will she go back to entertainment news? Will Brynn and Sebastian fall in love?

Why I loved this book:
~Dual POV
~Enemies-to-Lovers
~Forced Proximity
~Redempition arc
~Accepting the love you deserve
~Finding your true self
~COLORADO MOUNTAINS!

Trigger Warning:
~Toxic family history
~Natural Disaster (does not go into detail and everything ends up okay)

Thank you, NetGalley and Bethany Turner for the opportunity to listen to an advanced recording of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Narrated by Talon David ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fantastic voice. Really enjoyed this narrator
Story by Bethany Turner ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This story was everything I didn't know I wanted. This is the first time I've heard of Bethany Turner and after reading this book I'm keen to work my way through her entire catalogue.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other was pleasantly refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters and the pace at which the book moved. Definitely a story I would recommend for all age groups.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an exact novelization of a Hallmark movie. Uptight/angry city professional has to go back to their small town to remember who they are. I think some other reviewers had difficulty with Brynn’s personality, which is fair, but she is written to be a caricature of that person. If you let go of her believability then you can accept her as is.

I didn’t think either Brynn or Sebastian were given sufficient space to understand why they both changed their lives as dramatically as they did. It’s there throughout the book, but I didn’t feel there was much depth (again see Hallmark). Otherwise it was a very mid book. Cute and sweet and no spice. Good as a palate cleanser.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other
Status: Available September 5th, 2023, Not KU
Reading Method: Audio via Netgalley

📖 🎧 Writing &/or Audio Style : The writing style for this novel was super easy to diver right in and immediately immerse yourself in the story. And the audio narration was equally well done, this was at least the 3rd book I’ve listened to by this narrator (Talon David) and she always does a great job.

👥 Characters & Relationships: So at the beginning of the novel Brynn was kind of obnoxious, but also she was supposed to be, this was kind of her redemption story. Once she was beyond that I really enjoyed her and Sebastian. As for relationships, this was a clean read so the spicy part of my soul wished for more, but they were super cute.

⁉️Plot, Intrigue & Logic: The plot was interesting and kept me engaged. I will say near the end I was questioning how they were going to make things work and I wasn’t 100% sold, but it didn’t necessarily ruin any enjoyment.

🏞️Atmosphere & Setting: The setting was sufficient. Not necessarily immersive, but enough to set my brain in this tiny minuscule town.

🥰Enjoyment: If you enjoy clean reads, this was a really cute light read. Reminded me of Melissa Ferguson, who’s clean reads I’ve also enjoyed.

🚨 For Reader Awareness: References to a neglectful childhood

📣Recommended for fans of: Clean reads with a light dose of com in romcom.

Brynn is adored for her role as co-host on a national morning News show. In her first week, the network as invest a lot on her. So when a slip up causes her adoring fans to see her in a new light she's required to put forth some damage control, even if that means returning to the town she never thought she'd see again.

This quirky, hilarious, small town rom-com is the perfect read to warm any icy heart.

First off, I really enjoyed the 2nd half of the book more than the 1st. This is your typical grumpy/ sunshine book. I had a hard time liking Brynn at the start, I am sure the author had their intentions on why she was a spoiled superficial brat, I just couldn’t find much of a reason to root for her. Now Sebastian on the other hand, I liked him from day one!

While it was supposed to be enemies to lovers, it most certainly was not. Especially when the timeline takes place over one week. In that week they hate each other, then by Wednesday they google eyes at each other, then in love by Saturday. At most, this was Instalove. The FMC basically just had a massive chip on her shoulder while also being a snooty and frankly rude person. Brynn was very unlikable in the beginning and never ended up having that "redemption" arc that I expected from that kind of behaviour. Her growth was incredibly slow, then all of a sudden she's the perfect small town lass that everyone loves. The second half is definitely the winner with this book, coming along at just the right time to save the shambles of the beginning. I read this via audio book and the narrator was a great choice. She was emotive, exciting and worked well with the script she was given.

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson & Bethany Turner for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other is set for release September 5, 2023.