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.

I loved a few aspects of this book. I liked the premise, I liked the side characters, i liked the fmc background and her “redemption” and I liked the audio narrator
I did not like the pacing, We went from hating to love so quick I almost missed it. And the ending felt too abrupt. I wanted more of the hea. All in all I was entertained and I enjoyed myself.

So, I don't really know what to say about this book. It wasn't a bad book. It just wasn't for me. And all this might just be me not connecting with the characters. I also did like some parts of the book.

For me, it's also wrong to call this an enemies to lovers romance. They had never met until 22% into the book, and they disliked each other because the fmc was rude and liked to blame the mmc for everything. It got better after a while, and we got to see more the real her, but at that point, I didn't really care anymore. I also think that the book sometimes moved to the next thing a little to fast, and that made me sometimes have trouble keeping up with what was going on, or what happened to this or that conversation.

I liked that it had mental health representation and some tools to help this character.

The narrator did a good job bringing this book to life. I think I've gotten used to two narrators when there are two perspectives, so I was a bit confused sometimes of who's perspective it was since both had the same voice. Other than that, it was easy and comfortable to listen to.

Brynn and Sebastian hate each other by Bethany Turner.
Beginning was little slow and getting in to the story took me first part of the book. But characters start to come out and how they stories were told was great.
I loved that there wasn’t third act breakup and where the story lead them.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC!

3.25 stars!

Finally, an enemies to lovers that is an ACTUAL enemies to lovers! They truly hated each other. Brynn was kind of a bitch but she was humbled and I loved every bit of it. She deserved it and it was honestly therapeutic. Though I will say that they hated each other SO much that sometimes I didn't feel the chemistry when it came to them romantically if that makes sense. I do love that there was a lot of growth in the story when it came to the characters and it made it that much better!

Brynn, a morning show host has accidently bashed her entire town in a live telecast and now has her reputation at stake.
To recover from this mishap, she goes back to her hometown where she hasn't been back in 2 decades since the first time she left. She doesn't know if anyone there will welcome her return but she has one chance to redeem herself if she can convince the town to forgive her.
Sebastian, Brynn’s town guide, is less than thrilled to have her in town. He’s determined to do his part though and try to make the publicity good for the town too.

The main character in this book started off awesome and relatable. Then she gets to Colorado and she's a bitch to EVERYONE. She only changes when she finds out Sebastián is someone formerly famous and she wants a story out of him. Thankfully this was on audio, because I don't know if I would have finished it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of "Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other". All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I fully admit that I am not an audiobook girl. This was a trial and error situation. This book changed my opinions about it. I loved this book. The writing was amazing. I loved that there was no 3rd act break-up. I adored the characters and how their journey lead them to this place that was perfect for each other. I cried during the epilogue. I really enjoyed the narrator and I thought she did an absolutely amazing job with this. There were times when she sounded far away like on the other side of a tin can, but other than that I had no issues.
I will be buying the physical copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the audiobook ARC! Things take a turn for the worse for Brynn Cornell, America's sunshine host of popular morning show Sunup, says some not-so-sweet things about her hometown (thinking she's off camera, of course). Now, she needs to travel back to her past in Adelaide, Colorado and win back her hometown and hopefully the hearts of the American viewers in order to save her career. Once in Adelaide, she meets Sebastian Sudworth, a former superstar reporter who fled his old life for a peaceful life in Adelaide, who now must escort Brynn on her apology tour. The two instantly clash, but through a series of outings, they get to know one another and neither is as bad as they once seemed. This is a sweet romance about reconnecting with your true self, finding your authentic career goals and starting over. Talon David offers a fun performance to fit the witty prose.

Oh boy do they ever hate each other! This was very true to the enemies to lovers trope where neither of the characters seemed to be putting on their hate for banter or to cover their true feelings. They actually hated each other. Brynn was kind of a bitch and seemed to think that because she was some famous morning show presenter that she could talk to people like shit. Glad she was brought back down to earth quickly.

I think that the fact that they really hated each other made it harder for me to connect with them as a couple, and cheer for them to eventually hook up. Like, they were being quite horrible to each other for no real reason other than the fact that they were dicks. The background characters were interesting and quirky, fitting in to what I imagine very small American towns produce. There was a lot of emotional growth and I might have shed a couple of tears in some of the more sentimental parts.

Thanks to #NetGallery and the publisher. I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
POV: Single
Spice: 🌶️/5
Age suggestion: 18+

If you loved The Hating Game, read this immediately. It’s got all the tension and chemistry and grrrr, but in a beautiful mountain setting. What’s not to like?!

To be honest, I don’t know HOW I loved this book so much when Brynn is hands down the most obnoxious character I’ve read. *Actually listened to the audiobook, which definitely helped fuel my hate for her since I could hear every emotion in her tone of voice*. But here we are. One of my favorite contemporary romances of the year.

Brynn is America’s sweetheart morning talk show anchor, who just showed her true colors on live tv and now must go to her hometown in an attempt to smooth over her faux-pas. Sebastian is a former journalist who is chosen to babysit Brynn while she’s in town, trying to make people love her fakery again. She’s really awful. We get a great deal of back story, but a lot of her actions, and how to goes from 0-100 in 2 seconds really irked me. Still, I had a lot of Sweet Home Alabama (the movie) vibes, and became smitten with quirky little Adelaide Springs, Colorado and also with Sebastian. His internal commentary and dialogue are hilarious. The snark! *Chefs kiss* Brynn did have some redemption, and their romance was gooooood! This is not to be missed. 4 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this audio arc, in exchange for my unbiased review!

This book was really great! It gave me The Hating Game vibes with a small-town Colorado twist. Brynn is very independent and career driven and often comes off as selfish and rude as the book begins. Sebastian is a total sweetheart with his own secrets. From their first interaction they hate each other. They both are mature enough - after some reflections - to try and see the best in the other person. Their dynamic starts to shift and it felt incredibly appropriate for their ages. The author achieved really incredible depth with her characters and I felt like I knew every person in that small Colorado town. I didn’t pay very detailed attention to the specific historical/political references since that isn’t my area of expertise but they seemed okay. The first half took a little bit to get over Brynn’s unlikable moments but the second half really improved. The conclusion couldn’t have been more perfect based on the rest of the book. 4.0⭐️, 0.5🌶,⚠️ (PTSD and war trauma mentioned but not graphically)

Since I listened to this as an audiobook - the narrator was fantastic! The inflection and voices were so well done! I highly recommend listening to this book!