Happy Sigh. How perfect is this book! Brynn Cornell is a national morning show host who bashes her hometown on a hot mic, whoops! To make up for the potentially career killing faux pas, she returns to her hometown and runs smack into Sebastian Sudworth. Cue cold shoulders, head butting, a lot of really horrible memories (I cried for Brynn) and copious cathartic moments. I loved the town and the people in it (Cole and Laila, anyone?). I loved Brynn and Sebastian (I SO loved Sebastian!). I loved sledding and karaoke and B roll footage. There’s not much about this book that I didn’t love. But read it for yourself. The audiobook is great, but I caught some mistakes that were pretty noticeable. It didn’t keep me from finishing, though, and I highly recommend. I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to write a positive review.

What an absolutely adorable book!!

I assumed there would be an HEA - happily-ever-after because of the title, genre, and years of reading, but wow, the ending put such a huge smile on my face.

I so enjoyed all the banter between Brynn and Sebastian.

Brynn is a frustrated news reporter in New York. During a period when she assumes the cameras are not rolling, she makes some snide remarks about her hometown. Unfortunately, the backlash is real, and she is forced to visit her hometown to make amends. She must face her past and mend relationships in the process.

When Brynn arrives in Adelaide, Colorado, she starts off with a bang, almost immediately putting her foot in her mouth.

Sebastian, a former news reporter, turned city councilman, is set to be Brynn’s tour-guide/chauffeur/babysitter during her stay.

Unfortunately, Brynn’s constant verbal diarrhea has Sebastian on edge. As Sebastian deals with his own past, Brynn realizes quite literally that she needs him.

The banter is on point, right up to the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an advanced copy of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other in exchange for my honest review. All thought and opinions are my own.

This book was just okay. It started off like most quirky rom coms but I just couldn’t stay connected to the story or characters. Both characters had likable qualities and there were moments of the book that I did enjoy.

Overall, it was a decent book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bethany Turner, and Thomas Nelson for an advance copy of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other in exchange for an honest review. This was a quick and fun listen enemies to lovers story. We meet Brynn & Sebastian when Sebastian is tasked with driving Brynn around town. Brynn is a reporter for a news outlet and is well loved by her viewers, yet Sebastian CANNOT stand her. We watch them banter throughout the story between different topics and we slowly see them falling for each other. The narrator did a great job bringing the characters and the storyline to life. You can pick this one up on September 5th!

3.5 stars, rounded up for Goodreads.

So glad the author moved me from wanting to ring Brynn's neck regardless of WHY she acted how she did to really rooting for her. Definitely loved Sebastian! Also enjoyed the dual POV because for me it just adds to the depth of the story. Cute, fast paced read.

📚 Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner 📚
🎙Narrated by: Talon David🎙

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3)
Spice: 🌶 (1)
Scroll vortex: ꩜꩜꩜ (3)
Jaw-clench: 😬 (1)
Format read: 🎧 (audio - 1.5x)
Days read: 🗓🗓🗓 (3)

Summary: Brynn has made a life for herself as a host of the nation's most popular morning show, Sun Up. But when a foot-in-mouth moment on-air causes outrage about her negative attitude toward her hometown, Brynn must return to Adelaide Springs, CO to smooth things over. There, she meets Sebastian, a former reporter who has settled into a comfortable life in the quiet town. Brynn and Sebastian have a hard time co-existing in the small town because, well, Brynn and Sebastian hate each other.

👍 Thumbs up: This was a fun listen! I enjoyed the narrator immensely. My favorite scenes the author wrote were the reconciliation scenes between Brynn and her old town. I appreciated that this novel had representation of panic disorders/PTSD with Sebastian. Also, who doesn't love a service-dog sidekick? Several times throughout the book Brynn said she just "walked through the open door" when referencing taking an opportunity. This really resonated with me and I am going to start viewing parts of life through that lens. Lastly, the epilogue was super cute, fun and my favorite scene between Brynn and Sebastian in the whole book.

👎 Thumbs down: Some parts of this book that were harder for me to get on board with were the lack of diversity in the characters, some of Brynn's "damsel in distress" moments, and Brynn's job decision at the end of the book. I felt like the whole book painted Sun Up in a bad light and I felt like there's additional resolution needed for her career.

✍ Note to the author: Bethany Turner - thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book on NetGalley. I enjoyed the story and it made for a great lighthearted experience between some heavier reads.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was entertaining enough. I think if I didn’t listen to it, I would not have liked it as much. Our MC Brynn was not very likeable at all, but we got to see her grow a bit to someone tolerable. What was not buyable for me was the timeline. This all was over 1 week. I would have liked the story more if it was a more spread out timeline. As for the narration, I liked it a lot. My only qualm was that I didn’t really like when the narrator went into the “man” voices. They sounded kinda silly and that took me out of it some. Overall, not a bad read, but I didn’t LOVE it

For a book that essentially takes place over a one week time period, this didn’t have the instalove trope that I really don’t like in books. It was enemies to lovers (as the title suggests) as much as that trope can be present in a contemporary and the romance built in a believable way. Brynn had a lot of growing to do and I liked the theme of how coming home can help you find yourself. I love small town settings and this had all those great vibes similar to Sweet Home Alabama and Runaway Bride. I also liked that at the end of the week, there wasn’t a grand “I love you” statement but rather “I like you a lot and want to see where we go from here”. The finale was a really great scene and I enjoyed the book.

Content Notes: Emotionally-distant/absent parent, anxiety, kisses only

We have Brynn who escaped the life of her home town and became an entertainment journalist TV anchor personality. She has spent the past decade plus making a name for herself working from the bottom up. She finally has a big break and she makes a mess of it live on air by making fun of her hometown. This causes a big backlash and she travels back to the small town to make amends. She bumps into Sebastian who has his own baggage but is assigned to baby sit Brynn while she is in town since he moved there after she left. Brynn goes to her home town looking to repair her career but winds up repairing what she didn't realize was actually broken.

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 spiralling downwards. Brynn is not a generally nice person, but a lot of that seems to be because she had to fight her way to the top in her career and doesn't know how to act in a normal situation. Sebastian and Brynn aren't quite insta-love, but we are pretty darn close. That there takes a little away from the story for me. I also think the relationships she has with her childhood friends could have been explored even more as Brynn learns to love herself and the town she grew up in. Brynn cries most of the time, but there are so many sweet interactions that I can't help but enjoy the ride.

The narrator did a great job with all of the voice and helping create the personalities of each of the characters in the story. Overall, this is a sweet romance that is a quick read and worth any of the cheese that is presented in the story.

If you like pop culture references, small towns, Hallmark vibes, small town girl makes big but comes home, big town boy finds small town lifestyle, great kisses, beautiful locations, finding your happiness, and a slow burn romance, check this one out!

I got an audio arc from netgalley and the narrator is 👌👌

This story is about Brynn and Sebastian. Brynn is a new anchor who insults her tiny hometown of Adelaide Springs and their inhabitants whilst unknowingly on the air. She then goes back to her hometown to “make nice” with the people from there. That’s where she meets Sebastian, a ex reporter who somehow ended up in Adelaide Springs, and he is to be her guide during her visit. This was a hard miss for me. I found Brynn to be really annoying, and there was no chemistry between her and Sebastian.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute enemies to lovers romance book. I enjoyed the career choices for the characters a lot! Brynn is a news reporter for a morning talk show and Sebastian is a former world news reporter. The rest of the book was cute but didn't blow me away. It was cute and easy but don't go out of your way to read this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Brynn was on a roll being the cohost of the popular morning show, Sunup. She was America's ray of sunshine, positive and poised. But after a huge on-air mistake, exposes her snarky side and the world was not on board, crumbling her public persona. She decides to go back to her hometown as a last-ditch effort to convince viewers she's not a mean girl hiding behind the mask of a nice girl.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other was a fast and entertaining read. I received this as an audiobook ARC and I was able to listen to it in one sitting. The narrator did a fantastic job making this story come to life. Although I didn't fall in love with the characters, I wanted to know what happened throughout the book. I think deep down Brynn might actually be a mean girl or maybe she's just a misunderstood sassy girl... either way she didn't redeem herself in my eyes but it didn't help that she was a little... annoying. I must say, I did enjoy the second half more than I did the first. If you're looking for a fast and entertaining read for a genre break, you might want to consider this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC and the chance to listen and review it honestly.

Happy reading

i think i’m getting tired of the grumpy sunshine trope because most of the time the guy is just an a*hole but since he’s ✨grumpy✨ it’s fine? hell no. here brynn, our FMC supposed to be the sunshine, wasn’t so sunshiny and annoyed me, whereas sebastian, the MMC, was simply bland and uninteresting. their romance was too insta-love for my liking, i love a good slow burn since it gives the author room to develop the characters as people as well as their relationship. here, neither stood out to me and they both felt pretty 2d rather than actual people. sebastian kinda grew on me in the second half of the story but not enough for me to actually enjoy this book and give it more than a 2⭐️

At first I didn't like Brynn very much, so I understood how Sebastian felt, but I didn't think all the hatred between them was necessary.
But moments after Brynn's arrival at her hometown and as the book developed, I began to warm to the characters and understood Brynn's reasons to be.

We are discovering the characters and seeing that the book focuses on Brynn's growth and realizations, and also on showing what reporters go through, I found this side very important, but it also leaves room for romance. Which I found very sweet and innocent.
The book also reveals a lot about the city we are in, giving us the feeling of being there. I loved the descriptions and the environment created.
And I have to mention, it's a book without unnecessary drama, which makes it perfect for a calm listening, relaxing and letting yourself be carried away by the story.

I enjoyed so much the book that it flew by me, and reached the end without me noticing. I really liked the narrator, who reads from both perspectives, but it is perfectly understood which one you are in, and if there are problems with that, the writing helps, because Brynn is written in the first person and Sebastian in the third. I thought it was a genius touch by the writer to give more of a sense of change between the two characters.

I thought it was a shame that we didn't see Brynn having her first reconnection with the people of the place, we only have one perspective on that, which is her friend's, so I'd like to see how the other characters reacted to her arrival and not just the thought that having her there again, and how did she feel about it.

Still I really enjoyed listening to this book, and I recommended.

This is probably my favorite romcom read of the year! It has the perfect amount of comedy to romance that I have been looking for recently. Also, and book that makes me actually laugh out loud to where people look at me like I’m crazy is a good book to me.

I haven’t read any other Bethany Turner books, but I plan on buying a few of her other books. I need more of her writing.

Spoilery section

While I immensely enjoyed this book, there was one problem I had with it. I did not like Brynn till 3/4 through they book. However, I do believe that is intentional. Brynn goes through the character development of letting go of her sunshine persona, if her resentment of her mother, and the pressures she places on her self to be liked by everyone, to letting go an accepting that she isn’t going to impress everyone or be liked by everyone and that’s okay. She stops trying to be what other people want her to be and starts being herself. So while Brynn was slightly annoying and constantly self sabotaging herself, I didn’t like her. But once she stopped changing herself to be what others wanted from her at any given time, I liked her.

I also understand her a bit. I’m from a small town in Texas, and while it’s not as small as Adelaide Springs, I knew all 160 people I graduated high school with and had started kindergarten with probably 60% of them. I also wanted to escape from it all. And while I would not feel bad for saying bad comments about it, I also wouldn’t want to loose my job over those said comments. Now, do I think I would be reformed from my opinion by a hot guy. No, because my problems don’t stem from my relationship with my mother, but half the people in the town.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner, Narrated by Talon David.
Duration: 10:15:00
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
It is a Romance book (no spice) I could see it being made into a Hallmark movie, The characters are very loveable towards the end. But Brynn really had me hating her at the beginning. Sebastian was endearing from the get-go. Both characters give each other the chance to grow and respect each other. Its small town girl leaves without looking back and during a crisis of her own doing has to come back to said hometown to make things right.
Both characters have hard pasts that make them weary of those around them. It makes them seem very self-centered.
Talon David does a magnificent job of portraying the characters. I think they really portray the emotions the characters are feeling. She made me feel that I could befriend them.

The story was amazing and I am going to read more from the author. This is a clean romance and I HIGHLY recommend it.

Brynn Cornell has been coined America’s Ray of Sunshine, but when makes a mistake that is caught on camera her world as she knew it crumbles around her. Trying to make things right with her image, Brynn finds herself back in her hometown of Adelaide Springs, Colorado, a place she hoped she’d never return to. In search of redemption, Brynn is forced to face her past and the people she left behind. Along with the familiar faces of her childhood, Brynn comes face to face with Sebastian Sudworth, a former superstar reporter who has disappeared from the mainstream. From the moment they meet Sebastian and Brynn are not impressed with each other, but only time will tell how this will play out. Will Brynn recover her image and go back to her old job? Will the town accept Brynn and her attempts at apologies? Will Sebastian and Brynn stay enemies?

The reviews I read were mixed when it came to this book, but I loved it. I enjoyed the characters and the setting. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers theme and I enjoyed how this book ended. A lot of people who gave this book unfavorable reviews complained about Brynn and her attitude and I do understand where they are coming from, but the rest of the story and Sebastian made me forget about the qualities of Brynn that could have rubbed me the wrong way. I did listen to the audio book and the narration was so good, so that may have had something to do with my loving this story so much. This was they type of book I needed right now. The enemies to lovers trope was done well in this book and I enjoyed seeing the background stories for Brynn and Sebastian and seeing how they influenced the people they are at this point in their lives. I would recommend this book as a good enemies to lovers romance with a good redemption storyline.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC audiobook version of this book!

I didnt love this one; it felt a bit cheesy and unrealistic to me. I have read this author before and enjoyed it, so i was surprised. Audio quality was good, though.

I love the love-hate relationship trope so much that this book gotten me excited every time they'll fight and gives me a crackling sound when they become romantic. Love the book. Thank you netgalley for lending me this book.