I really enjoyed this. I didn't like Brynn at first but once we dived into who she really was, I liked her. This was a feel good book. I would reccomend this!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was so excited by the premise of BRYNN AND SEBASTIAN HATE EACH OTHER—morning talk show host (Brynn) gets caught disparaging her small hometown and the viewers who are gullible enough to believe the persona that’s been created for her who then, to salvage her career, goes back to that hometown, cameraman sidekick in tow, to apologize and redeem herself to the world.

And this book certainly had many great qualities: main characters who are in their late thirties/early forties, a fun cast of side characters who live in Brynn’s quirky small town (featuring businesses with pun-based names!), some banter between the two main characters, and a few cute moments. However, it took a long time for me to find Brynn more likable than bratty (maybe 55-60% of the way through?) and the conclusion felt rushed, leaving me with some confusion as to how exactly these two managed to get where they did, romantically and professionally.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other was a really enjoyable book that's easy to sink into and get lost in the characters and their world. The story focuses on Brynn, a successful woman who happens to make an unfortunate on-air mistake and is forced back to her hometown to publicly make peace with the town. As she attempts to save her career she also starts to remember the good in the place she grew up and her character morphs from her polished tv persona back towards the person she once was. The town has changed since she left and now homes the infuriating Sebastian Sudworth who has been designated by the town council to be her chaperone for the week. I loved the dynamic between Brynn and Sebastian, and really liked that the book was written from both their perspectives and included backstory on their pasts and what led them to and away from Adelaide Springs. There is a lot of small town charm which I really enjoyed, from the cosy Inn, to the caring townsfolk who refuse to give up on Brynn. So many great characters in this book and I'd love to read more set in Adelaide Springs with Brynn and Sebastian and a book focused on Laila and Coles story.

Sebastian was definitely not the only one who did not like Byrnn at the beginning of this book. While she had moments of light clarity there were sometimes, my literal eye roll could not be held. I did enjoy seeing the progression of her character as well as her relationships with the others and especially Sebastien. I think I'm in need of a mountain vacation sometime soon after this read.

By the time I finished Brynn and Sebastian, I was in love with their story. It was fun, sweet, and held a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. It was also touching and tugged at my heartstrings. Unfortunately, this wasn’t always the case, which is why I had to give the story a less-than-perfect score.

To be completely honest, I had no use for Brynn in the beginning. The first chapter had her sitting on the couch on the Sunup set, reading off the teleprompter and talking about TikTok. My first thoughts were, “If this is how the book is going to be, I’m done.” Though I knew something was going to happen that showed Brynn’s true self, I struggled through that chapter. And to continue this honesty streak, I didn’t like the Brynn underneath the surface, either.

And when she stepped foot back in Adelaide Springs, she wasn’t any better. The thought that finally went through my mind at that time (aside from the fact that there was a whole story yet to be read), was that perhaps Bethany Turner wrote her in a way that would make the reader…not like her. I truly hoped this was the goal, and if so, she did a great job.

Sebastian, on the other hand, I liked right away. I liked how he found his place in Adelaide Springs, and how much he seemed to respect the other citizens. He worked hard, and he wanted what was best for the tiny town. And for their sake, he didn’t like Brynn. I also found myself wanting to know what his story was, why he ended up in this small town in the mountains of Colorado.

Of course, throughout the story, they were both tested, and with the help of some pretty amazing supporting characters (shout-out to Doc and Orly) and some growing of their own, Brynn and Sebastian were able to see each other in a new light.

When I read a Bethany Turner book, I don’t really expect strong Christian theming, and that remained true here. There was a slight nod to God, but nothing more, really, which is fine. Her books are more clean-romance and still well worth the read. I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t say that Brynn’s story was a type of Prodigal Son retelling (with some obvious differences, of course).

Though I felt the pop-culture references went a bit too far this time around, I still find them fun and am able to see a piece of the author in them. I especially loved the reference to Kevin Costner (I am of a certain age…). One Direction I could have done without (again, certain age).

All-in-all, this was a great book. As I had mentioned before, I finished the book with a lot of love and laughter. I had also fallen in love with the residents of Adelaide Springs. By that time, anything that had frustrated me earlier on had been completely forgotten. Would I recommend this book? Of course. Just go into it knowing that you might have a bit of a struggle in the beginning, but you will be glad you finished.

Author Bethany Turner can be depended on to write a book that makes me laugh and makes me want to throw something at one of the characters. This book is no different. Turner’s sense of humor is quirky and enjoyable, yet her rom-coms go deeper.

Enemies to friends can be a great troupe. I’d love to say this book captivated me but it just didn’t. I think I’m over superstars and their issues. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Sebastian and came to like Brynn as both characters grew into “real” people. We all have layers and issues. And I did feel like the last few chapters were forced to move quickly since the end was near.

However, if you enjoy a modern rom-com that’s clean and has depth, do read this book. It may be just the book for you!

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

banter and parks and rec feel like this was tailored toward me actually

Brynn Cornell has to be stuck in a nightmare. Just last week, she was riding high as cohost of the popular morning show Sunup. She's America's Ray of Sunshine—the girl-next-door beauty who drives up TV ratings while never exuding anything but her trademark positivity and poise. All it took was one huge on-air mistake to expose her snarky side to the world and make it all come crumbling down. Now she’s back in her hometown of Adelaide Springs, Colorado, in a last-ditch attempt to convince viewers she’s not the mean girl they think she is. All she has to do is apologize and capture some feel-good footage reminding everyone she’s just a girl from humble beginnings who’s grateful for her big break, and she might manage to preserve both her career and her image. But this town holds painful memories that she’s not ready to face.

Sebastian Sudworth was on the fast track to the journalist hall of fame. A superstar reporter with a reputation for being in the center of the action, his fearless, relentless coverage of major events around the globe was winning him awards and accolades—until something snapped inside him and he vanished from the scene under mysterious circumstances. Sebastian sought refuge in tiny Adelaide Springs, working odd jobs and trying to blend in as a scruffy mountain town citizen.

When Sebastian is assigned to chauffeur Brynn around town, Brynn is sure he can see right through her carefully cultivated, sunny persona. But she’s determined to do what it takes to maintain her image and save her career—so she’ll just have to charm the socks off Sebastian the same way she charmed her viewers. Easier said than done. It's no picnic to play nice around someone you hate . . . especially when you might be crazy about them.

Lovely story about finding your true self, even if it’s not what the world expects of you. The setting was beautiful and the characters made this book a delight to read!

This book delight! Releasing on September 5th and set in Colorado, it tells the story of 2 journalists thrown together by circumstances that have them at odds. Shenanigans ensue and, with a funny cast of characters that you can‘t wait to learn more about, they each find their way back to themselves and each other. This is my first book by the author, but it won‘t be the last! Highly recommend!

Morning show host Brynn Cornell finds herself in hot water when she insults her small hometown on a hot mic on set. To salvage her reputation, she is sent back home to film reunions and is directed under the care of transplant Sebastian Sudsworth. As you can tell by the title, Brynn and Sebastian get off on the wrong foot and do in fact hate each other. As the book goes on, Brynn rediscovers who and what she loved about where she grew up, and finds that she may have misjudged and underestimated Sebastian. I really wanted to like this book, and I don’t like leaving 3 star reviews, but in the interest if reviewer honesty, I just really struggled with this book. I felt like nothing happened in the first 50%, and the story did not flow. There were also so many people and pop culture references name-dropped that the plot was lost in the midst of them and I couldn’t tell you who half the characters even were. (The extended conversation about how humans are amazing because we are only one piece of dna different than monkeys but can create so much REALLY bothered me. That may not upset other readers but I find that point of view very dehumanizing and inaccurate and contrary to God’s purpose for humankind, and it frustrated me as a reader.) That all said, the book DID really pick up in the second half and I really liked the ending and watching Brynn and Sebastian find their way to each other. The book had all of the Hallmark-heartwarming notes of re-found family, saving small-town community, and overcoming struggles in the past to find new stronger footing in the present. If you haven’t read Bethany Turner before, start with Plot Twist-that was one of if not the favorite book I read in 2021 and still think about how amazing it was regularly!!

This was such a cute book! I’m not normally one to read love stories/rom coms but this was great! I love that it got up my heart and made me laugh at the same time!

I absolutely LOVED Turner’s book Plot Twist. While I enjoyed this one slightly more than The Do-Over, it didn’t quite slap for me. I found it really hard to connect with any of the characters, which made me feel uninvested in the story. I also wanted more of an enemies to lovers trope, as suggested by the title, but it didn’t quite read that way to me. I’d say it’s more grumpy/sunshine, small town, and workplace romances. Which is fun, too! Overall, if you’re a diehard romance reader then I’d recommend checking this one out but if you want to give this author a shot, highly recommend Plot Twist.

3🌟

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other is the first book I’ve read by Bethany Turner and it was pretty good.

This book includes tropes such as enemies to lovers and one of my favourites, small town romance.

Brynn has spent her whole life avoiding her hometown until one day on life television she makes the mistake of bad mouthing the town and everyone in it. Forced to make things right, she returns home and reunites with the people she grew up with. I thought the moments between Brynn and the town were very heartwarming and sweet and goes to show that family really do stick with you through the worst of times. I loved the found family aspect of this book, I always find found family to be such a beautiful thing.

I started this book hating Brynn. She was rude and oblivious to everything. I slowly (very slowly) warmed up to her but it did take more than half the book before this happened.

I liked Sebastian but he also was very frustrating half the time. I usually love enemies to lovers because the build up is what makes the trope great but unfortunately this one didn’t really excite me. It felt like they went straight from hating each other to loving each other. I also wished that there had been more chapters in the book of them together as it all happened in the last 80% of the book and it came on so quick that I didn’t really connect to the characters or the relationship.

I also found that the book was hard to get into as the chapters were quite long and I felt nothing much was happening in them.

I was lucky to receive a complimentary copy of this book and the opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to @Netgalley @Seebethanywrite and @Thomasnelson for this ARC. Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other will be released on the 5th September.

Let's just get it out there. Brynn is a really difficult character to like for nearly half of the book. But I think in the end that's why this story worked for me. I wanted to write her off as easily as the townspeople of Adelaide Springs, Colorado did when she insulted them on national air. I had trouble liking her because she didn't fit the typical "sunshine" mold in a "grumpy-meets-sunshine" trope. I wanted her to be sunshiny. I wanted her to be likable. But initially she just kept coming across as shallow and selfish. Then I hit a point right around the midway mark that turned it all around for me. It was a moment between her and Doc. The moment I realized she wasn't shallow or selfish. She was extremely wounded, and this is how wounded characters behave. I started seeing her though Doc's eyes from that point on, and you know what—I absolutely fell in love with the story.

'Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other' is a heartwarming story with reminders that first impressions are often unreliable and there is joy in looking below the surface, especially with people. Bethany Turner has built a wonderful world in Adelaide Springs, CO and I sincerely hope that the title characters are only the first in the stories to be told. I highly recommend this book to all.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

In this enemies to lovers, small town theme, Brynn and Sebastian couldn’t be any more different. This was a grumpy meets sunshine trope but I identified and connected more with the grumpy protagonist than the sunshine one. Brynn was annoying and I couldn’t grow into liking her. She was very shallow and I really couldn’t stand her attitude. I still don’t understand how the people in her town forgave her for saying such rude things about them. She completely left her friends and community behinds, people who were there for her and wanted her to succeed. I’m all for wanting to leave your hometown behind in search of better opportunities, but she was unclassy and distasteful about it.

Sebastian had some secrets of his own. I kept reading solely to discover who this guy really is. The mystery surrounding him and his character was intriguing. He’s a sweet guy who loves his hometown and the people in it. He is generous and caring. The pacing was very slow for me and the plot fell flat in many instances. There were massive jumps between hating each other and suddenly swooning over each other.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Really cute, pretty quick read. It handled much weightier topics than I anticipated, which really added depth to the typical rom-com. And I love that both MCs are in their late-30s/early-40s. Brynn was really difficult to like at first, but I was so glad when she finally came around.

I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson-Fiction through NetGalley.

A very cute, clean romance, and perfect when you want Hallmark-movie vibes to chill with for a few hours.

Personally, it felt like there wasn't enough of the enemies-to-lovers trope; sure, it was clear they didn't like each other in the beginning, but the moment they were alone that started to change, and it felt a little fast. Honestly, the pacing of several things didn't feel... perfect, I guess. Good, but not perfect.

And it was frustrating, waiting for Brynn to finally be a better character. I didn't like her for a bit, which made it hard to read sometimes. But she did end up growing to be a better version of her true self, which was the goal.

thank you Netgalley for the free copy

This was ADORABLE. Closed door, rivals to lovers hometown romance with a dash of celebrity. I did not like alllll of the celebrity references in it (I am looking specifically at the Zayn Malik and Julie Andrews references....) but overall it was a fun read that did really give time to mental health struggles as well as real life issues with the concept of journalism

Thanks to Net galley, the author and publisher for the ARC

The character development in this book? oh wow. I'm gonna be honest, i didn't want to like Brynn AT all at the beginning, but her moment at the beginning was really relatable, and having to face up to what she's done? also their connection was PALPABLE in this book. I loved the supporting characters, they felt like an integral part of the story, not just throwaway characters for comedic relief, they breathed so much life into the book. And Sebastian's characterisation was solid throughout the entire book, and seeing their connection flourish was incredibly satisfying.