I wanted so much to like this story based off the synopsis and mixed tropes, but sadly, did not entirely enjoy it. I believe books are subjective though, so I suggest you give this story a try and see what you think for yourself!

For me, the pros were the beautiful, mountainous small-town setting. It had definite Virgin River vibes and the author brings it to life well. I also enjoyed the news anchor/ tv personality / journalist careers of the two main characters; that was unique and fun. Their backstories were solid and entertaining. In the second half of the story, the romantic and heartwarming elements were there - a hunky hero rescue moment, a swoon worthy kiss, tender reconnecting with long lost friends and a moment to save the day - but I didn't enjoy them as much as I would have if the first half of the story had been delivered differently. The secondary characters are totally lovable and support the small town vibes. Lastly, the cover is gorgeous and drew me in right away.

Now for me, the cons outweighed the pros. While I don't mind some pop-culture references, the ones in this story were far too frequent and constantly used as metaphors, making me skip over many of them simply because I didn't understand the reference.

Next, I was surprised to find I strongly disliked the FMC, Brynn, especially in the first half of the story. Her character is selfish, rude and obnoxious. She makes a huge mistake, setting up the possibility for definite character growth and redemption, but that didn't happen early enough for me nor was it heartfelt. Instead, her actions appeared to be swept under the rug to be ignored and she makes no grand gesture to right her wrong. Her attitude and behavior ruined the romance for me and the enemies to lovers trope that I chose this book for. The proverbial hate is forced, based off no prior interaction, and instead of flirty and fun, it's aggressive and mean-spirited. Then, it ends abruptly, and suddenly the lead characters are moving towards romantic emotions.

Also, the POV shifts between 1st person for Brynn and 3rd person for Seb. It got a little tiresome switching back and forth. I believe I'd have enjoyed 1st person POV for Sebastian much more!

Lastly, the subplots were only so-so. At times they felt overpowering to the actual romance, sometimes I wanted to learn more but never did and other times they were underwhelming.

In short, I liked the second half of the story much better than the first but did not care for the FMC overall, making the romance and tropes forced and less enjoyable than I hoped for.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Brynn Cornell has just become co-anchor on America's number one morning show. Something she has been working towards her entire career. When there are technical difficulties during her first broadcast and she is accidentally exposed saying some hurtful things live on air, and her entire sunshine personality goes up in smoke. She goes back to her small hometown, a place she vowed never to go back, a place she left without saying goodbye, and a place where some of her worst and memories were made as a kid.

Sebastian Sudworth was a world renowned investigative journalist, but things happened and 6 years ago he ended up in a small town in Colorado to lick his wounds and start new. It has become his home and he is very protective of the people and the town.

Sebastian is tasked to chauffeur Brynn around town, as she tries to make amends and save her career, but he sees right through her charade, and she is determined to win him over.

My big problem with this novel was how unlikeable Brynn was most of this story, she made me so angry, and had no redeeming qualities, and her redemption arc was not enough for me. Having trauma, and a hard homelife is not an excuse to be mean, rude, and ingenuine.

After Brynn Cornell accidentally bashes her hometown on national television, she must return back and hopefully get back in their good graces. Sebastian may not have grown up in Adelaide Springs, but he is now very protective of his home. When Sebastian is tasked with chauffeuring Brynn around town, he dreads having to put up with the fake morning show host. Brynn and Sebastian truly can't stand each other. Brynn must try to overcome her past and apologize to the people who helped raise her. With Brynn in town, Sebastian's past is beginning to haunt him more. An enemies to lovers romance, this book is great for lovers of contemporary fiction.

I was so excited about this one – enemies to lovers, small town, broody MMC - such my vibe, but unfortunately, it fell a little short for me. I did get some Sweet Home Alabama vibes though!

What I didn’t like: it was too slow, too much of a slow burn. I don’t think the characters even touched innocently until 50%. I really disliked Brynn and found her very annoying. She did not seem very sunshine at all – just fake and mean. It took until 20% for me to feel into the story. Could have used more of an ending for the main characters as well – seemed very quick with very few details.

What I liked: loved the small town, the scenery, side characters, and loved Seb! I think Seb and the side characters made me keep reading. I did enjoy that Brynn finally seemed to learn from her mistakes and turn things around in the second half of the book. The town coming together at the end made me glad I finished!

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

Oh this was a fun one!!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for gifting me an ARC to Read and Review. This one JUST came out last week!

Brynn Cornell is the newest anchor on a national morning show - think Today. And at the end of her first week a hot mic moment threatens to derail everything. Thinking she was off air, she goes off on her upbringing - particularly Adelaide Springs, the tiny town in Colorado where she grew up. In an attempt to recover and save her job, she is sent there to do an on-air apology tour. While she is dreading the return to home, it only gets more daunting when she meets Sebastian, the local who is to serve as her guide throughout her stay. And unbeknownst to her, has a lot more in common with Brynn than he lets on.

Enemies to Lovers is a favorite trope of mine but only when it does well - it is so reliant on the development of the characters, and their chemistry. Bethany Turner NAILS it with this one. The tension between Brynn and Sebastian was obvious from their first interaction. But the thawing of that tension and then their slow burn was earned and authentic.

The town, Adelaid Springs, was a character itself. I got strong Stars Hollows/Gilmore Girls vibes - a very high compliment!! It was the perfect compliment to the story.

This was a very fun, very quick read. Make sure to add to your TBR stacks!!!

Will post this review on goodreads, retail sites and my bookstagram @scottonreads

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for providing the ARC.

I wanted to like this book, but there was just a lot that I could not overlook that I had a hard time enjoying myself.

I didn't feel anythinf towards Brynn or Sebastian. I thought they were incredibly flat characters throughout the duration of the book. I thought the reason for Brynn's fall from grace was kind of juvenile and I didn't quite believe the necessity fo essentially exiling herself. Also I didn't feel the chemistry between thr two leads, enough to keep me interested in the story.

Not my favorite read.

Wonderful story with a genuine focus on insecurity, family and friends through humor and raw emotion. The banter between Brynn and Sebastian flowed effortlessly and hilariously. Finding yourself and facing the past takes courage and strength as demonstrated in this story. Definitely worth the read. I received this book from the publisher, author and NetGally to read. The opinions and thoughts expressed are my own.

Classic enemies to lovers/upbeat vs. Grumpy, what's not to like. I enjoy the small town setting, the characters, multiple pov, and the character development of the main character. She is unlikeable at the beginning but as she begins to grow on her counterpart she begins to grow on the reader.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner

Brynn is a morning show host who left her tiny home town and never looked back, Sebastian is the newer arrival to the town where he’s found a safe place to build a new life. When Brynn is forced to come back for a story to save her career, Sebastian is the one assigned to help her. A perfect hallmark type romance with small town vibes and thoughtful back stories.

This one was a bit long winded, there were so many memories and trains of thought it felt a bit scattered. But what started out slow really grew into a memorable story for me. I ended up loving the side characters and the setting, and wasn’t quite ready for it to wrap up.

What’s your favourite setting for a romance? Vacation destination, small town, big city?

Thank you to @thomasnelson for the audio and ebook! This one came out on the 5th of September.

If you love a good redemption arc, characters who make real changes for the better, an adorable little town tucked in the mountains, and a delightful supporting cast, this is absolutely the book for you. I genuinely enjoyed Brynn and Sebastian's story and am so excited for Cole and Laila's book!

Thank you to Netgalley for my complimentary e-arc of this book. All opinions here are my own.

4.5 stars Another beautiful love story by Bethany Turner! Although I feel this one is a little bit more about the main character getting back to herself and finding what makes her happy. Brynn is not an easy character to like at first. She's actually pretty dang horrible, but stick with her, it's worth it! I loved Sebastian and how he was so conflicted but still allowed himself to have those feelings and didn't deny them. My one complaint is that I felt like Sebastian really opened up about his past to Brynn, but she never really opened up about hers fully. We get some vague comments about things she's experienced with her mom but no real talk about it. Maybe it'll be in the next book?? My favorites were her reunions with Laila and Doc, which brought tears to my eyes. I'm so glad she's making it a series!

Brynn is caught in a hot mic moment disparaging her small hometown. In an effort to save her career so goes back to make amends where new local, Sebastian, is tasked with helping her get around.

This sounded like it had potential, but it just wasn’t there. I never felt like Brynn was authentic and there were sooo many older pop culture references. The mention of the atrocities in Myanmar felt very out of place as well. Just didn’t work for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson. All opinions are my own, and I've voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romcom, Romance, Sweet Romance, Christian Fiction
Spice Level: Sweet

I've read several Bethany Turner novels, and enjoyed all of them. BUT this is my favorite yet!

It's so much fun that I read it in a day.

Brynn is pretty awful at moments and says things without thinking, but I was still rooting for her to get her life back together. The news business is so hard—and the expectation that she's perfect is terrible.

Sebastian met Brynn's pettiness with his own. Even though he's such a great guy in the small community. And he's got a secret that's about to spill out—the one thing he doesn't ever want to have to talk about.

So, we have two imperfect people.
We have two people who hate each other...
or do they really hate something else?

We've also got a darling dog, snow, snow, snow, and karaoke!

This book touches on serious subjects and has so much heart! It's also got those moments that make you smile. I loved how the pacing kept me moving forward at a fast clip, always wanting to know what was going to happen next.

I highly recommend this book!

Happy reading!

From the start, this story drew me in as we meet Brynn starting her new position on a morning news show, which is quickly put in jeopardy when she accidentally insults her hometown live on air. When she heads back to make her apologies, she meets Sebastion... and well let's just say they get off on the wrong foot. While the storyline drew me in right away, I must admit I did find the rest of the buildup through maybe the first half to be a little bit slow. Honestly, I didn't love Brynn's character at first so this probably played a role in that feeling. Still, it picked up at some point and I found myself really enjoying these two together... as much as I enjoyed the banter when they were not getting along, their chemistry when they came together was all that much better! They were both definitely flawed characters, but I liked seeing them work through things as the story went on. And the ending? Too fun.

If you like small town, enemies to lovers with lots of pop culture references, this is definitely one to check out!

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All opinions are my own.

I LOVED this book!!!! I love this author and everything she has written so far, this book just continues that love.

The flow, the characters, the settings, the dialogue, the interactions are all great. The comedic timing. The effortless rhythm to the story that just takes you along. The main characters on their own just take you on their journey of growth and change that you get to experience along with them. There chemistry and growth together also a delight.

Supporting characters and settings were too good to leave out of this review. Yes, the settings of this novel are practically characters themselves lending so much to the tale being told. Great book.

This book had great characters (including some side characters I’d like to learn more about), some laugh out loud moments, surprises, clean romance with great chemistry, and a happy and satisfying ending. I had a little trouble engaging with the main character, Brynn, at the beginning of the book but it was worth hanging in there for her full story and to meet charming Sebastian, her love interest. This story served as a reminder to me that many people are dealing with painful things and they are wearing masks in order to protect themselves and allow themselves to function. It also made me aware that I don’t have to be perfect in order to be loved. I enjoyed it and gladly recommend it! Rating: 4.5. I received an ARC from Thomas Nelson Publishing Co. via NetGalley and this voluntary review contains my honest opinions.

Brynn is just finishing her first week in a prime new breakfast TV job when a hot mic moment threatens to derail everything she has worked for. The small town girl persona that she and the network have crafted for her is derailed when she disparages her home town to her cohost – not knowing that the ad break is over. Her only route to redemption is to head back to that small town and try and make amends. Her host in Adelaide Springs is newcomer (well it’s all relative) Sebastian, a former superstar reporter who disappeared from the journalistic world in mysterious circumstances. Not that Brynn knows that. It’s hate at first sight. Or is it?

The fact that the cover says “A Love Story” on it should give you the clue that it’s not, and it’s a full on grumpy-sunshine enemies to lovers sort of thing. I read it in about 36 hours and although the journalist in me had a few issues with it, they mostly didn’t bother me at the time! I also love a small town romance – especially when they feature someone returning after a long period away so if any of that floats your boat usually then this might be a good one to try. I haven’t read any of Bethany Turner’s previous novels but based on this I would happily read more if they came my way.

Thank you, Thomas Nelson and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other.

Baby! If that is hate, sign me up!! Heartwarming, charming, a big old hug! Reminded me of Virgin River. Characters had their flaws but recognized it. The plot was *chef’s kiss*. The romance was sweet. Not much more you could want.

Brynn is a morning show host when she accidentally sticks her foot in her mouth about her hometown, Adelaide Springs, during a live broadcast. Sebastian is a former journalist who has moved to Adelaide Springs for the slower life. When Brynn sets off for her apology tour, the last thing she expects to find is love. Will Sebastian be able to help Brynn win back the adoration of Adelaide Springs or is Brynn destined for failure?

The story was extremely slow and the biggest slow burn I've ever read. It felt like it took forever for the main characters to get together and there was hardly any smut to make it a little more interesting. I was hoping for a little more on that end and I didn't get it so this wasn't my favorite.

I would recommend this one to anyone who likes kissing only scenes and mostly plot in their romance!

I enjoyed most of this story. The small-town was well-done, and I loved those characters. I wasn't a huge fan of Brynn, but I did like Sebastian more. I felt that the romance was rushed. The second half of the book was more enjoyable for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson-FICTION/Thomas Nelson for sharing this ARC copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.