I was a bit worried when I saw the title, "Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other". I thought what a stupid title however after reading the book it really does fit. It is a fun book that touches on some important topics such as --can you be your self on live tv or do you have to always pretent to be someone else. The book had a lot of funny moments but also touched on important things and made me think. I was surprised that I liked the book and I did not want to put it down--I wanted to know how it ended and see what Brynn and Sebastian were going to do next. This book made me remember that sometimes you have to take a chance on something that seems silly--like the name of this book and in the end you will get a fun beach read and maybe learn something about yourself.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other.
(Yes the title is that long xD)
Brynn's a TV presenter who's quite messed up. While on TV she's bad-mouthed Adelaide Springs, the place she grew up. And now the townspeople (and the rest of the world) hate her. So in order to save her career she has to visit the place she left behind and reconcile with Adelaide Springs' people. Easy isn't it?
Well... there's Sebastian, who's a "retired" journalist. And he's not a fan of Brynn. Well... nobody in Adelaide Springs currently is. But he's the lucky guy who'll have to take care of her. And they can't stand each other.
It takes some time to get into the story cause Brynn's really not that pleasant at the beginning. But then the story picks up and you'll get to know them better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Eachother! This book had an interesting premise and was giving The Morning Show vibes as well as that old romcom with Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler where they are news anchors, I wanted to like this more than I did, but it wasn’t my favorite. I think this may be great for people who like the enemies to lovers trope but it’s not my favorite.

Brynn was pretty unlikable, but I actually liked Sebastian. This was a fun enemies-to-lovers redemption story.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other

A big thanks to Bethany Turner,publishers Thomas Nelson, and Netgalley for an audiobook ARC copy of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other. All opinions are my own.

The book starts by giving us background on the main characters. Brynn Cornell is a 37 year old newscaster who is getting her big start on the morning new station when she mistakenly assumes the camera is off then proceeds to make some rude comments about her hometown of Adelaide Springs, Colorado. Her only hope of saving her career and “America’s Sweetheart” persona is to fly to Colorado to make amends with the small town people she hurt. Brynn has an attitude from the beginning of the novel and I think it makes the reader’s dislike her character a little bit, which is perfect for a redemption arc storyline. She seems very self involved and self important, which will play nicely with the conflict in Adelaide Springs. Sebastian Sudworth is a man who will do just about anything the town needs and also serves as a member of the town council. He seems like a rugged mountain man, but his character has more depth as we learn about his background and family life. He is a man running away from some incident and it’s vague enough to leave the reader intrigued about what happened.

I really liked the setting of the book. Having grown up in Colorado (and currently residing there) I could totally imagine the tiny mountain town unlike Breckenridge, Telluride, or Beaver Creek. When I looked up Adelaide Springs because I had never heard of it, the only reference I found was Adelaide, the ghost town. I liked that the town wasn’t exactly an actual location because it made the story more believable than if it had been set in a town I already knew of and had visited. I imagined the town similar to Idaho Springs, Colorado but smaller and more quaint. Having lived in Colorado for my entire life, there is something quintessential simple about small mountain towns where only a few hundred residents live.

This book kept me guessing about the status of their relationship until the very end. I liked that there wasn’t a third act breakup and that I truly didn’t know how these two would work out the messy situations in their lives to end up with their happily ever after. As the book progresses you like the characters more and more and they become more human and real. The character arc for Brynn is well done and believable. Overall I’d give this book a 4 star rating because I liked many aspects of it but it didn’t quite hit the 5 stars mark.

I received this book from NetGalley! At first I thought couldn’t handle the second-hand embarrassment from Brynn, but this book handled it well! As the book went on, I began to actually understand Brynn and why she was so unlikeable. I ended up loving the couple by the end. I loved the small town vibe and I look forward to reading about Laila and Cole!

🎧

1.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

Let me begin with saying I didn’t like this book at all.

I know this is supposed to be an enemies to lovers, small town trope but it was just SO awkward to read.

First, let’s start with the pacing of the book.

It took the author about 15% of the book to set out the scene. It was a lot of writing about Brynn’s work as a morning tv host and how she doesn’t like her new co-worker and essentially how she doesn’t like ANYONE who she works with. We’re then switched to Sebastian’s POV who works at the local council and is also an ex-journalist. And his POV is just a filler at this point.

Then, we spend another 60+% of the book exploring how the characters hate each other. Mind you, this whole book takes place within a week, and we have already spend 5 days of these characters just going at it and despising each other. However, on day 3 of this book, Brynn and Sebastian start to “bond” over the fact they both like “Saved By The Bell” and suddenly they don’t hate each other as much. Weird… but fine, at least they bonded, right? Wrong. One of them then says something the other doesn’t like and they’re back to hating each other. We’re then at the 75% mark of the book, and the characters are going on a car drive to the mountains. You start to wonder whether the characters will ever start to bond or show any interest in each other. They barely talk until one of them decided to take a walk outside and they suddenly both of them come over with passion for each other and they kiss. And then they kiss and kiss some more. And suddenly they “like like” each other. WHAT? We’ve spent 75% of this book at each other’s throats and you suddenly like each other AND YOU ARE DISCUSSING YOUR FUTURE TOGETHER?? WHAT???? Needless to say the ending was rushed and I absolutely hated it.

Secondly, the narration of this book was poor. Why was Brynn’s character written in first person but Sebastian’s was in third? Absolutely did not make sense. Given I was given an Audiobook I found it so strange that the narrator for Brynn also was narrating for Sebastian. It completely threw me off. Where is the male narrator??

Third… Brynn and her whole personality. She was SO unlikeable, I honestly wanted to throw something at her, shake her up and tell her to stop being such a bitch. She’s so negative and nasty, I had no sympathy towards her. Even the person she was travelling told her that instead of pretending she was a good person she can try and actually BE a better person.

Fourth, the quirky pop-culture references.

If you have ever watched The Good Place on Netflix, Brynn was a worse version of Tahani. Name dropping every single time. Apparently John Mayer wrote a song about her. She apparently made out with Zayn from One Direction. Keanu Reeves was at some charity place with her. She gave tips to Kate Middleton? Like… why are we throwing real ass celebrities names into a book? I would understand maybe two references if you absolutely have to make them but name dropping all the time? It was just SO weird.

Fifth, it was the Christian aspect of this book. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against religion (I’m not a religious person myself) but it was beyond awkward to read about the Catholic/Protestant distinctions. Why was this needed?

The only positive thing I have to say about this book, is that the narrator was really good. She made me want to listen to the end of this book rather than DNF’ing it.

This book had potential but it was very poorly executed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio for an ALC of this audiobook. This review is given voluntarily and is my honest feedback.

DNF @ 10%, but it had NOTHING to do with the audiobook. Seriously, I enjoyed the narrator for the little time I listened to the story and had I continued with it, I have no doubt she would have gotten 5 stars from me for performance. No, this DNF had EVERYTHING to do with the book itself.

The first two chapters are in Brynn’s 1st person POV…ok, fine. Story’s not really hooked me in the first two chapters, but hey, maybe Sebastian’s will?? 3rd chapter starts and *queue record scratch* IT’S 3RD PERSON POV?!? HUH?!? Oh no… I immediately stopped. That completely took me out of the story and I was no longer interested in reading, with my ears or otherwise. I’m sorry. I even started it back up for a minute to see if I could adjust but I was still reeling from the change, that I just decided to stop all together.

I thought about not providing feedback on this, because it was supposed to be for the AB after all, but that’s not very fair to the narrator. So I figured I would just put it out there for others who might not be interested in this switch up like I was.

I'm glad I didn't give up on this book, because I really wanted to in the beginning. I didn't care for the start of the book or the female main character and almost stopped reading, but felt like I was giving the book an unfair chance because I had only read about a chapter. So I continued and was glad I did because I enjoyed Sebastian much more, which honestly is not uncommon for me. Very often I dislike the female main character, but really like the male main character - most of the time because of the way they are portrayed, which was true for this book as well. The FMC's character portrayal does make a lot of sense for her arc and backstory, but that doesn't make it easier in the beginning when you don't know those things yet.

I loved the fact that it was dual POV, I believe even some parts were the same timeline just told from both POVs which I appreciated as well. There wasn't very much miscommunication during the story, both characters were pretty upfront about their feelings. I saw that this book was marketed as a grumpy-sunshine, but I don't really think it is - she's a fake sunshine so as you get to know her true character and not her on air one it doesn't feel like she's that "sunshiney" of a person. They both deal with more issues in their personal lives that make them relatable and you feel empathic towards them though. Definitely enemies to lovers in the most common way - something that could actually happen in real life just by getting off on the wrong foot and making a bad first impression.

The second half of the book was much better and the epilogue was adorable. I believe this is an adult fiction, but there is no spice whatsoever, so if you're looking for a good adult contemporary to branch from YA to adult this would be a good one.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an E-copy of #BrynnandSebastianHateEachOther by Bethany Turner to read and review.

I really enjoyed this one! I wasn’t sure about it at first but it turned out to be cute and fun with that extra layer of depth that I love!

Brynn and Sebastian had great banter and I loved the transition from them hating each other to not 😏 amazing chemistry!

This is a chaste, typical enemies to lovers romance. The narrator does a good job voicing both sides. I, unfortunately, did not love the first half of this book because of all the cringey moments, mostly on Brynn's part. It's not that I found her unlikable, just sick with foot-in-mouth disease. I think the decision to make her so cringeworthy was an attempt to make her character development more obvious, but I found that I couldn't completely recover from how she was portrayed in the beginning. I did like how the author ended the story. I would say trigger warnings apply here; or even just to be aware of a few intense scenes.

OMGoodness!

I totally enjoyed listening to the audiobook Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other. I was intrigued by the book blurb and wanted to check it out. I am glad I did. I was captured into the world of Brynn and Sebastion. I enjoyed the meet-cute, the banter, and their journey. It was opposites attract on steroids, lol.

Let's just say love, healing, and solace find these two when they did not see it coming.

I enjoyed being on the journey with Brynn and Sebastian. And I totally fell in love with the town and people of Adelaide Springs.

This was an enjoyable rom-com that I definitely recommend for your listening reading pleasure.

What I liked about this book:

I am so happy there’s finally a book with characters my age. I was getting so worn out on the idea you can’t have a fun story unless you were 25 or less. So big win there. Characters in mid-late 30’s up to mid 40’s are what the romance genre is missing.

I loved all of the characters except the FMC until around 75% where Brynn finally becomes a character you can root for.

What I didn’t like:

I struggled to keep going with this book around 50%. Brynn was so thoroughly unlikable that even her inner monologue was selfish and superficial. It’s hard to imagine that she put a wall up that was able to so thoroughly collapse and make her into a human as quickly as it did (only within the last 25% of the book). I’m glad I finished to see the turnaround but perhaps had the FMC at least had some favorable inner monologue earlier on (her part was at least first person so that could have been done) I would have finished it with piqued curiosity and enthusiasm instead of the sheer willpower of a book-completionist.

Overall I’d say it’s a 3.5/5. The story itself is good, I just think too much emphasis was put on the discord between Brynn and literally everyone except her cameraman, and the author did too good of a job making her dislikable that the sudden HEA took a very real leap as a reader. Make Brynn more Bren for more of the book and you’d have sold me.

I listened to this as an audiobook and have absolutely zero issues with the narrators style and sound. She did great.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other didn't work for me. If it wasn't for the small-town vibes, I am not sure I would have finished. The blame lies solely on the female main character, Brynn. She is terrible. Rude. Standoffish. Glib. She thinks she is better than an entire town. A town that did nothing but help take care of her and help her through a very rough childhood.

I think the book's title does a disservice to its readers. I went in thinking this would be a cute enemies to lovers, but the only reason Sebastian has a reason to hate Brynn is because she is so mean. She is instantly rude and condescending to Sebastian when they meet.

Also, they go from hate to love too quickly. There is no build-up, nothing to swoon over. I never rooted for them. Sebastian deserved so much better.

Despite this, I did enjoy the small-town vibes and the town's attempts to hold on to the community they have built.

I did this on audio. It is a dual-POV story but with only a single narrator. I always prefer dual POVs to have duet narration. The narrator did a good job, though.

I should point out that Brynn's storyline is first-person POV, and Sebastian's is third-person POV.

Trigger warnings for past trauma: reporting in war-torn countries and traumatic childhoods.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Brynn & Sebastian Hate Each Other was such a fun ride!

Brynn, a “cheerful” new anchor on Sunup (think GMA), says what’s really on her mind but doesn’t realize they are live in the air. To fix her blunder, she heads back to her home town. What she doesn’t expect is to find is a famous but off-the-map Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Sebastian.

I loved Brynn and Seb’s unique voices, their banter, and the self-discovery. (The mental health representation was appreciated too.) I look forward to reading more by Bethany Turner!

Loved the narration & will be looking for other audio performed by Talon David.

I listened to the Audiobook version of this book and I really enjoyed it! This is a romantic comedy where the two main characters definitely start off on the wrong foot. It’s great to see the characters grow throughout the book. I enjoyed that it was told from the two main characters point of view. This was the first book I’ve read by this author, but it will not be the last!

I caught feelings for this boook - I'm usually a huge hater of enemies to lovers and this one turned it around for me! I enjoyed these characters so much!

I have read most of Bethany Turner’s books, and enjoy them. This wasn’t my favorite of hers, but it was entertaining. Brynn’s character was difficult to love in the beginning, but I enjoyed her transformation. I wish we had the chance to know her in the new and improved state for more chapters. I loved Sebastian’s character but wanted to know him better as well. I enjoyed the little town of Adelaide, and want to hear Cole and Lacey’s story.

Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

This was a tough one for me to get through as the first half of the book was rather joyless for a romcom. I didn't connect with either the FMC or MMC. I didn;t feel sparks, but also wonder if it was the narration. I may revisit this in non audiobook form.

"Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other" by Bethany Turner offers a mixed experience for fans of enemies-to-lovers and small-town romances. The protagonist, Brynn Cornell, falls short of expectations, with a slow character development that left the reviewer wanting more. The titular enemies-to-lovers theme is criticized for its abrupt execution, lacking the gradual build-up typical of the trope.

While the first half of the book struggles to engage due to Brynn's perceived shortcomings, the second half shines with a sweeter small-town narrative. The likability of supporting characters, particularly Sebastian, adds charm to the story. Despite reservations about Brynn, Sebastian's character is praised as more likable and attachable, redeeming the overall experience.

The reviewer awards the book three stars, suggesting it may still appeal to those fond of sweet small-town romances despite its flaws.