Thank you NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio for this audiobook in exchange of a honest review. Brynn, a sunny morning-show host, messes up on live TV and the only way to fix it is to go back to her small hometown in Colorado. Once there, she has to work alongside Sebastian, a grumpy ex-reporter, in order to fix the damage she caused. I enjoyed the small town charm in this enemies to lovers rom com. It reminded me a bit of Emily Henry's Book Lovers. Overall, I don't think this one was for me. But if you're looking for a cozy enemies to lovers romance novel maybe consider picking this one up, it just might be for you. It comes out September 5th!

This was such a good read! I feel like this was a much more naturally occurring enemies to lovers romance. This one has good reasons for the tension between the love interests. I like that this was mostly set in Colorado. I also like that it draws attention to smaller news outlets and their need for support in order for there not to be news deserts.

this was okay, but read very juvenile and i didn't feel connected to the characters or what happens to them at all. i can see other reader enjoying this a lot tho!

— thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC.

I had the pleasure of delving into a captivating romance set in a charming small town, and I must say, it left a lasting impression on me. The story is centered around the main character, who seems to be faced with some sort of punishment, but as the plot unfolds, it takes an unexpected turn towards a heartwarming direction.

One of the aspects that truly stood out to me were the beautifully crafted scenes of romance. They were so well-written and evocative, making it easy for me to immerse myself in the emotions and connections between the characters. Each interaction felt genuine and heartfelt, drawing me further into the story's allure.

One intriguing and unique aspect of the book was its use of different points of view. While it might initially seem strange to blend both first and third-person perspectives, I found myself adjusting to it surprisingly well. This narrative choice added an interesting layer to the storytelling, offering various insights into the characters' minds and emotions.

As the story unfolded, it skillfully navigated through the challenges and obstacles that the main character faced, keeping me engrossed throughout. It was gratifying to witness the character's growth and see how the seemingly unfavorable circumstances ultimately led to positive outcomes.

Overall, this romance novel set in a small town left me with a heartwarming feeling and a smile on my face. The skillful writing and character development, along with the clever use of different points of view, made for an engaging and memorable reading experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a tender and emotionally satisfying love story.

I listened to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't find this to be an overly romantic book. It was probably a general women's fiction. The author made it very difficult to like Brynn in the beginning. Like Sebastian, we had to get to know her past to understand why, she was the way she was.
The narrator was very good. Normally within the first few minutes I can tell whether I will listen to a whole audiobook or not. I was happy to discover the voice was pleasant to listen to.
Orly and the additional characters were lovely.
3.5 stars

Bethany Turner is one of my favorite romcom authors. I was very entertained with this book. I know what it is like to get wrapped up in what is expected of you rather than being yourself. This story was relatable because of that.

This was a sweet romance in a small mountain town which can be some of my favorite. I loved the town setting and a lot of the people and friends in the town but this fell short for me because I never really felt a connection to Brynn. I know she went through some trying times in her past but she really wasn’t that likable to me and the growth she had happened so quickly that I didn’t find it believable. Sebastian was nice enough but I really didn’t feel like there was any chemistry between him and Brynn. I really liked the friends that Brynn had grown up with in Adelaide Springs, Laila and Cole, and also her camera man, Orly. I really loved how caring and down to earth they all were.

Overall this was a decent read for me. The audiobook helped me to fly through it and I thought the narrator did a really good job for the dual POV.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Eachother by Bethany Turner is an enemies to lovers romantic comedy that is exactly what I needed this week.
Think of The Morning Show turned romantic comedy meets the Hallmark channel.

❤️ enemies to lovers
💙 small town
💚 slow burn
💜 light spice

Morning entertainment show anchor, Brynn, unintentionally made some unkind comments about her small hometown, unaware that she was live on air. To salvage her career, she ends up taking a one man camera crew to her hometown that she had long left behind with the goal to win them over and hopefully if they could forgive her, so can her viewers.
Let me tell you, it was pretty easy to dislike Brynn's character early in this book. Her blatant dislike for her home town made it easy to write her off. That changes after she meets Sebastian. Their banter and instant dislike for eachother is so entertaining. Their passionate animosity brings out the worst in them. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and observing their mutual dislike transition to respect and then love. I have rated this book 3.5/5.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGallery for the Audiobook of this book.

Brynn Cornell is becoming America's Ray of Sunshine on the news network she works for, Sunup. When she thinks she's off air, she rips her hometown, Adelaide Springs, a new asshole - saying that they're poor, uneducated, and nothing special. She realizes her mistake when all the cameramen, prompters, and higher-ups come rushing around the stage and stopping her broadcast. Her career is ruined. To save her skin she recommends that she be sent back to Adeline Springs and film her homecoming and apologies to the townspeople.

Sebastian Sudworth was a Pulitzer-winning journalist before he snapped and, after a lot of NDAs, moves to Adelaide Springs to live a quieter life. While in a city council meeting, he is voted as Brynn's chaperone during her time back in town.

They have a horrible meet cute and things just get worse for Brynn as the days follow. Nobody wants her around, and Sebastian is not making anything easier. Things change when she gets stuck in a tree she climbed as a kid and called Sebastian for help. They started talking and getting to know each other. Sebastian started to see the real Brynn and not the Sunup TV version.

I found it incredibly challenging to connect with Brynn as a character. While we all encounter individuals who present themselves as something they're not, Brynn's portrayal lacked believability. I just didn't believe her apology filmed journey, and the town needed to remain upset with her.

What I did enjoy with this book were the side characters. All the townspeople in Adelaide Springs were lovely and reminded me of the small towns that I live in and by in Iowa. I also really liked the narrator's voice. It was soothing and easy to listen to.

This was super sweet! The banter was witty and fun (there were some great quotes like, “Not even Gollum overused the word “Precious” as much as she did!” Ha!). The chemistry was believable and completely clean (yay!).

Huge Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan audio for the opportunity to listen to this book!

And Thank you to NetGalley for providing this option!

This is such a fun romance story that started out a bit slow but then had a really sweet ending. Brynn is a famous morning TV show host who has completely abandoned her small hometown and then accidentally said terrible things about it on air. When she goes back to her hometown to smooth things over and save her job, she meets Sebastian who is relatively new to the town and ran away from fame as a reporter. They start out hating each other and then as predicted fall for one another. It is a bit predictable and works out a little too perfectly; however, it is fun and sweet read. I enjoyed the journalism connections and the description of the small town in Colorado.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I wish I enjoyed this booked but I really couldn’t get into it. The main character is extremely whiny and self centered. It was such a turn off for me that around 60% into the book and nothing has evolved I had to just stop listening and move on.

Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson publishing and Zondervan Audio for allowing me the opportunity an advanced copy of this book!

Brynn is a small town girl who is supposed to be americas “ray of sunshine”. After a mishap of talking bad about her small town and their residents in which millions of people had been witness to, she returns to her hometown to try to right her wrong and win everyone’s hearts back.

I give this book 4 stars 🌟 I want to start with how much I HATED Brynn for the first half of the book. She is rude, arrogant and never seems to see her wrongs or apologize. I wanted to slap you in so many circumstances and couldn’t see how the two main characters could ever end up together. Sebastian, the man that was roped into chaperoning Brynn (a newscaster of his own renown), was the real ray of sunshine of the book. I loved his character and his love for the small town and also his protective nature for the townspeople of Adelaide Springs, CO. I also enjoyed the fact that the male character was the sunshine and the female was the rainy gray cloud ☁️

My favorite character in the book was Layla.. I think she brought the humanity back to Brynn and snapped her out of her narcissistic attitude. By the end of the book, I even started having empathy for Brynn and maybe (just maybe) might have started to like her 🤦‍♀️

The things I enjoyed the most was the narrator and all of the small differences in tone for all of the characters and Sebastian cool nature for a woman who I wouldn’t have blamed him to drop off in the middle of nowhere 😆

This is my first book I’ve read by Bethany Turner but definitely enjoyed the small time rom com and looking forward to reading more from Bethany!

[this review has also been published on my Goodreads account @melishaj]

The title and cover of this book sparked my interest, so I was excited when I got the chance to listen to the audiobook. Unfortunately, this one did not work for me. It's a dual POV, which works for me in most cases, but in this book, both the MCs (the eponymous Brynn and Sebastian) are equally insufferable, so I hated being in both POVs. Unlike many clean "enemies-to-lovers," these two do start out as true enemies - the negative side effect of this was that the switch from enemies to lovers is so abrupt (and comes so late) that I didn't buy into the chemistry or validity of the characters relationship.

This has a lot in common with small-town Hallmark romances, so for folks looking for those vibes, this is a serviceable read. But I was expecting something different and it just wasn't for me! Two stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC.

Brynn and Sebastian’s story is a wholesome, Hallmark movie-ish story with a HEA.

Brynn has to return to her small hometown to redeem herself after getting caught badmouthing them on live television. When she returns to Adelaide Springs, newcomer Sebastian isn’t impressed, but he’s forced to “babysit” her.

This is a story of letting go of the past, finding yourself and falling in love. All the small town vibes, mixed with a sweet, clean romance.

I listened to this book on audio and really enjoyed this story. This was a one person narration told from both Sebastian and Brynn’s POV.

I received this audio via NetGalley and these opinions are my own.

Super fun.

I love the reporter angel and honestly I don’t think we’ve seen it enough and makes for good rom com fodder.

Brynn was a bit irksome for half the book and I had a hard time believing the chemistry but I did come around.

I am super excited to see what this author comes up with next.

The Story: This book was just 'okay' to me. The FMC is generally unlikable and you have to *really* enjoy small town stories to get into this one. I just couldn't get into it and found myself listening out of obligation to review rather than enjoyment of the plot.

The Narration: This is my second book read by Talon David and probably my last. I severely dislike her tone and find the story boring when she reads it. Since the book is a dual POV, I wish a man would've been added to read Sebastian's part. I hate Talon's 'man voice.'

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner earned a solid four out of five stars from me!

Thank you NetGalley, Bethany Turner, and Thomas Nelson publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of the audiobook ahead of the proposed September 5th, 2023 release date in exchange for an honest review.

📚Brynn Cornell has just been named America’s Ray of Sunshine by People magazine after landing the cohost position of SunUp, a national morning show. To boost viewer ratings, Brynn’s dialogue depicts her as a small town girl who is all sunshine and roses but an unfortunate hot mic accident proves otherwise. Believing to be off the air, Brynn shares a harsh, scathing review of her hometown of Adelaide Springs, Colorado. Going against her good-girl persona in that moment, it’s high time for some damage control.

Meanwhile, in Adelaide Springs the local City Council is ready to vote on matters when officials see the harsh, scathing review of their town from none other than their hometown heroine, Brynn Cornell. Alerted ahead of time about the situation, the City Council will now vote whether or not to allow Brynn to bring a camera crew to Adelaide Springs to redeem herself. Sebastian Sudworth, former reporter now partial ride share driver, City Council member, and Mayor sees this as an opportunity to lure tourists to their town which would also bring in much needed money for the town. The Council votes in favor of allowing Brynn to return while also nominating Sebastian as town liaison working with Brynn.

The two instantly clash but as their time in Adelaide Springs progresses, perhaps they will learn they’re not so different. Both have run from their past and are seeking more than the present is offering them.

✨This is the first book I’ve read from Bethany Turner and I was pleasantly surprised to see I already had Plot Twist from her in my TBR list!
I took one star away because I felt Brynn came off as the grumpy character more so than Sebastian who is listed as the grump. Brynn was a challenging character to like and connect with at times and seemed to deserve much of the frosty reception Sebastian and the town gave her. However, it was an entertaining and cute story at the end and one that kept my attention!

<i>Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other</i> is billed as a grumpy/sunshine hate-to-love romance. Unfortunately, the marketing wholly missed the mark on this one; it left me feeling as if I’d been baited and switched, because there is no such grumpy/sunshine dynamic present in this book.

Brynn is a heavily flawed mean girl. In Emily Henry’s <i>Book Lovers,</i> the main character is the quintessential Hallmark villain, who is a materialistic workaholic that inevitably loses boyfriend after boyfriend to the small town girl when they each take trips to the heartland. I loved that book, so it stands to reason that an anti-hero mean girl doesn’t put me off when she is poised as the heroine of a romance. In this case, however, it doesn’t work. This is due in part to the marketing not setting expectations correctly, which ultimately hampered my enjoyment of the novel.

I can’t pin all of my gripes onto the marketing, however. Perhaps a false sell could have been salvaged, had the writing depicted the heroine, Brynn, in all her flawed glory and then showed her arduous journey toward growth. Yet this is not the book I read. Brynn’s development happens statically; one minute, she’s a horrible cruel asshole who huffs and whines and rolls her eyes like a foot-stomping toddler—and the next, she’s tearfully embracing old friends she abandoned without a word decades ago and has reverted back to her old self. It’s dissatisfying. It’s a cop out. It’s a sign of an underdeveloped manuscript.

Because of that, this needed several more passes in the editing process before it was ready to be introduced to the world. Sebastian was an interesting enough love interest and, had the writing and the marketing been done right, I would have greatly enjoyed watching their hate-to-love romance unfold. However, both the romance and the character development were rushed, leaving every triumph over adversity in this to feel completely unearned.

Lastly, the audiobook narrator’s performance was decent. Her voice is not my cup of tea when I’m looking for a narrator I really like, however, she did a decent job.


<b>Spice Rating:</b> 🌶️ - Does Not Exceed Kissing

<b>Overall Rating:</b> 2 stars - Despite the massive issues laid out here, I was completely sucked into the story, so the writing didn’t fail me there.

<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publishers, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio, for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

This book sounded really good, as my favorite trope is enemies to lovers, but it felt like the transition from enemies to lovers didn't really make sense. And a lot of the animosity felt forced.
This is the story of Brynn, who is about to have a promotion, but when they are live without her realizing, bashes her viewers and especially her hometown calling them all idiots. In order to fix her reputation, she proposes going to her hometown and recording the people there forgiving her so that her national viewers will as well. When she arrives, she lays into the pilot for not having great service, but it isn't the pilot. It's Sebastian. Sebastian is there to escort her and is, unbeknownst to her, an extremely famous and talented journalist. There is an immediate hatred that eventually becomes something else. It was okay, just not my style.