Member Reviews

Thanks to NetGalley & Thomas Nelson for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


Okay, I'm guilty. I looked at this cover and instantly wanted to read 'Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other'. Does the inside of the novel also look THAT promising?



-what is it about-
Brynn is the sunshine of America's morning show. However, one mistake ruins all her life as she needs to save her celebrity image. Going back to her hometown in Colorado, she eventually faces Sebastian. He is to chauffeur her around, but it does not make him as excited as he looks. Will Brynn survive the test and win over everyone, including Sebastian she (kinda) hates?


-what I loved?-

→ I adore enemies-to-lovers trope! I loved how Bethany Turner included grumpy and sunshine vibe as well (it made their relationship seem even more complicated)!
-> I enjoyed the small-town vibe that the author showed in the novel. Brynn and Sebastian's story was realistic and cosy. That made me excited about the next steps of the characters' journey.



-what did I not love?-

→ Bethany Turner took her time to show all sides of the characters, but I felt she based them on typical themes used in such novels. I craved some novelty and different points of view.
-> Different points of view style did not win me over - it was weird to follow Brynn's storyline through her eyes, while Sebastian's was described in the third person.

rating: 3/5 ✮✮✮
genre: Romance, contemporary fiction
themes: love, grumpy-sunshine, enemies to lovers, small-town romance, popularity

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with and ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I don't know if I can really explain why but I really enjoyed this one. The narration is well done and I found the story to be overall well paced and constructed. Are there criticisms that can be made? Sure! But did they really bother me? Not really.
I think a pretty major thing to keep in mind is that this may be marketed as a grumpy/ sunshine romance but I wouldn't really stress that aspect of it. For one thing the "sunshine" in the duo actually spends a good chunk of the book exploring how much of her "sunshiness" is a persona constructed for her job. She also sends a huge chunk of the book being decidedly un sunshiney. I did find her to be pretty immature for someone who is supposedly 38(ish) years old, for quite a bit of the book and I found that she wasn't really acting rationally but it didn't bother me too much.
The other thing that can be critiqued is how quick these two people go from hate to love and with no real explanation for it. I think a bit more leg work could be done to make that more believable and realistic but again, it didn't bother me too much.
Overall, I found this to be a super fun, quick read with the perfect balance of "small town escapist vibes" mixed with real life, real issues. I would probably recommend this to people who liked Book Lovers by Emily Henry- I liked Book Lovers more but this one is a faster paced book with similar vibes so it would probably appeal to a lot of the same people,

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this was a fun time filled with lots of laughs and swoonworthy moments!!! the audio was really well done and kept me captivated from the very start!!!

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook of Brynn and sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner. All opinions are my own.

The narration on this book was good. I liked the story overall.

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The narration was good and entertaining. I did not enjoy the story much. The pace of the story was slow and the plot did not interest me that much. It's big a book for me.

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There are so many things that initially draw me into wanting to read a book, and I have to say, seeing my daughter.’s name in the title was enough to request the audiobook. I love an enemies to lovers and grumpy x sunshine story and really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately, I didn’t love the characters, and found the heroine to be a challenge.

*many thanks to the publisher, and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

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This was a fun listen. Easy to understand and follow the story line. If you love a HEA, then you'll love this enemies to lovers romantic comedy.

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This audiobook was super slow overall , I struggled to get into the characters story Bryann was mean to start and I didn’t get great vibes. It did pick up about 1/2 way through. I certainly wasn’t hooked from the beginning. It missed the mark for me but because I giving an honest review, I wanted to make sure to finish the book. Otherwise i would have set it down

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Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

In this rollercoaster of an enemies-to-lovers tale, I, as a die-hard fan of such tropes, initially yearned to revel in the grumpy-meets-sunshine dynamics. Surprisingly, the "sunshine" character, Brynn Cornell, proved to be quite unlikable, leaving me empathizing more with the grumpy Sebastian. Brynn's portrayal as an annoying, spoiled brat left me eagerly anticipating her redemption and a shift in perspective. Unfortunately, her character development unfolded at a slow pace, and the enemies-to-lovers trope, promised in the title, took a backseat, lacking effective execution.

The first half of the story became a struggle as I resisted disliking Brynn. The urge to consider the DNF option lingered. However, perseverance paid off in the second half, transforming the narrative into a sweeter, more engaging small-town story. The introduction of other characters breathed life into the tale, salvaging my investment in the plot.

Brynn and Sebastian's mutual dislike set the stage for a riveting narrative. Brynn, a sunny morning-show host with a hidden opinionated side, finds herself forced to confront her past mistakes in her tiny hometown. There, she encounters Sebastian, the newcomer disliked by Brynn from the start. The story unfolds over a week, attempting to capture the enemies-to-lovers essence, despite the quick timeline.

While Brynn's unlikability persisted for a significant portion, her eventual transformation and opening up to the town and Sebastian redeemed the narrative. Sebastian, a likable character from the start, added a positive dimension to the story.

The book's rushed timeline, spanning only a week for an enemies-to-lovers plot, posed a challenge to the authenticity of their evolving relationship. The use of first-person for Brynn's chapters and third-person for Seb's raised questions about narrative consistency.

Despite its flaws, the book had its merits. The incorporation of pop culture references, the vivid depiction of a small town nestled in the mountains, and the skilled voice actress contributed to the overall enjoyment. The story, though initially challenging, turned out to be a fun listen, especially for fans of small-town romances.

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I really enjoyed this enemies to lovers story. Brynn and Sebastian's tension and banter gave me everything I felt I wanted from this book. I enjoyed Turner's writing style, it truly made me feel as if I was there with them - just a bystander watching it happen scene by scene.

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I loved the small town, winter in the mountains vibe we had going on in this book. Takes me back to my little hometown 💕

Brynn was super hard to like in the beginning. She was a complete brat and self entitled. I can't stand people like that in real life, so I really didn't care for her. However, as the story progressed, we got to better understand her feelings towards her hometown, and she does grow so much as a person. I understand her now and can relate in some ways.

Honestly, Sebastian was kinda hard for me to like in the beginning as well. He was unnecessarily a jerk to Brynn many times, which was a major turn-off (not like, in a morally grey way lol). Buuuut, like Brynn, we get to better understand his actions, and I end up liking him, too.

I know it sounds like I didn't like the book that much, but that's not true. The main characters weren't necessarily my favorite. But I absolutely loved the side characters and the setting and the story. The writing was easy to read, and the author really made you feel like you were in a small town in rocky Colorado during the winter season. I really felt like I was there. And I didn't hate the main characters, I just didn't love them.

Writing this review was confusing 😅 Like I loved the book but didn't love the main characters?

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this book was so stinking cute. I really enjoyed this slow burn enemies to lovers romance. It was so sweet. funny at times. Witty. fun. i loved the whole thing.

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I loved this Audio it was an amazing read learning about Bryan and Sebastian and why they hate each other was so good

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This is a cute little story I would definitely recommend! I was granted an audio arc from #Netgalley (thank you!) in exchange for my honest review.

The story is told from two points of view and the enemies to lovers / grumpy sunshine trope which I am a sucker for. I really did not like the "sunshine" character, which is not normal... she was really whiny and just not as enjoyable as sunshine should be. The grumpy character was the good one. Sebastian was quite enjoyable actually. I enjoyed the audio narration. I feel as if the book as a whole was just "ok".

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I'm always a little anxious when trying out a new narrator, but I was so quickly eased into this book. My favorite audiobooks are always ones that I can just sink into, and forget what's going on around me. This one did not disappoint!

Our introduction to Brynn wasn't stellar - she's on air, in her bubbly Sunup persona, all the while hating how fake she sounds, and the forced cheer she has to put on. When a mistake in cues leads her to think they're off the air, she lets her real feelings show, effectively destroying her carefully built persona.

On a forced apology tour back to her hometown, a place Brynn has desperately been trying to leave behind, she's met with a tour guide who makes it clear how little he thinks of her. What hope does Brynn have of impressing the people of her hometown, if she can't even change the mind of this stranger?

I loved Adalaide Springs, and the people there who were so ready to support and accept Brynn. If only she would let herself accept it. Brynn's done more to hurt this group of people than just badmouth their town on air. Can she face her past, or will it be another act to make the public love her?

I thought this would be a book that I enjoyed, something that passed the time while I was crocheting, but it was so much more! I'm so grateful to the publishers through Netgalley for the chance to try out this audiobook!

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It's a decent read. The characters are alright, but I wished they had more depth. Still, the author's writing paints a nice picture of the town. If you're into easygoing reads that won't blow your mind, this might be your jam.

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This was such a great book and I love getting to know the characters. The title made me chuckle, and I really enjoyed it so much.

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What a hilarious book! Loved it! This is a unique concept and Brynn really gets herself in trouble by making statements about her hometown while she’s on air and didn’t know it. When she has to “face the music” and visit the town she left so many years ago and the people while filming it really gets interesting! I love how she doesn’t recognize fellow reporter Sebastian and the things she says along the way. Definitely a book worth reading!

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Brynn is a morning-show host with a sunny attitude, but after she makes a comment when she thought she was off-air, she must prove to everyone she's not the mean girl they think she is. Sebastian is a former reporter who is now responsible for driving Brynn around the very town she smack-talked on national television. Will Sebastian be able to handle his new job and will Brynn be able to save her reputation as America's sweetheart?

I loved the voice actors who narrated this book but I did not enjoy the negativity from the female MC during the first half. I am completely for banter back and forth but I did not appreciate the incessant rudeness. Brynn is back in Adelaide Springs to fix her reputation and was doing a terrible job at it. I thought about putting a big "DNF" on this audiobook up until about 49% in. The second half of the book turned around and I found it enjoyable. I just wish it had not taken so long to get there. This is one of those books where I'd tell people, "just stick through it, it will get better." However, this will not be on my recommendation list.

Read if you like:
- small town community
- grumpy/sunshine
- he fell first
- enemies to lovers

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Overall this book has a perfect plot and the character development is there. Brynn in the beginning of the book is a little grumpy due to her situation but we see her grow a lot and work through things. The romance in this book is cute. This book is the epitome of cute grumpy sunshine. When reading this book you're going to feel all the romance and it's a great small town vibe.

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