I absolutely adored this story, I didn’t want to stop listening to it, the audio book narrator was wonderful and brought the story to life. At first, I thought Brynn was so unlikeable but as I learned all she went through to become the successful morning show host who spoke badly of her small hometown on national TV, I began to admire her. She had to return to that town to make amends, and I loved how she grew and was able to accept love that she didn’t think she could have. Here she meets Sebastian, and it is instant hate! I love how their relationship developed. I loved all the side characters who added so much to the story. A fantastic story, I will highly recommend, well written and developed.
Thanks to the author, Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for this copy, this revies is my own opinion.

2.5 ⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and the publish for a review copy. This book should be called Brynn and Kelly Hate Each Other. The main character Brynn pissed me off so badly, she swears she's not a mean girl but everything she does is the antithesis of being a nice person. And we are supposed to believe this is all because she had a terrible mom. Like girl grow up please. I liked Seb a lot, he was kind and down to earth and deserves better than her. Also there are a LOT of pop culture/ news references so if that's not your thing, you should skip this one.

I wanted to love this one more than I did! The premise had potential, but for most of the book—like 60%—Brynn and Sebastian genuinely do hate each other. Then suddenly they’re kissing with very little build-up or emotional shift? It just felt a little too fast and not quite earned.

I also found the whole "making amends with the town" arc a bit underwhelming. Brynn had this deep history with these people, but instead of really working through it, it was like—cue tears, a group hug, and everyone’s suddenly cool again. I wanted more depth and backstory there, especially since her past was such a big emotional driver.

As for the audiobook: the narration wasn’t bad, but I kept losing track of whose chapter I was in. If I missed the brief intro at the start of a new section, it wasn’t always clear if it was Brynn or Sebastian talking, which threw me off.

Not a bad read by any means, just one that felt a little surface-level when I was hoping for something deeper.

AHHHH! This story was so cute! This is my first book from this author (I have Cole & Layla on my shelf but have not had a chance to read it) and loved the overlap of the characters. I love stories that have the same universe.

I thought this story was sweet, lighthearted and refreshing.

I like the narrators, the voice tone and pace was good. I think they contributed well to the development of the story.

A city girl returning to her small town, she can’t stand it. A city councilor trying to preserve it. Sparks, snark, and second chances ensue.

📚 Plot Snapshot
Brynn returns to her hometown to salvage her broadcasting career after a public meltdown. But the town she despises—and the man determined to protect it—force her to face more than just professional failure.

🖋️ Writing Style Vibe
Modern, snappy, filled with pop culture references (hello, John Mayer!).

❤️ Highlights
* Brynn’s complicated relationship with her past and her hometown adds emotional depth.
* Loved Orly’s advice: “Maybe instead of trying to seem like a good person, you can just be one.”
* Seb is intentional, grounded, and the real heart of the story. His quiet depth is what kept me hooked.
* Laila was a surprisingly gracious and supportive friend.
* The ending had a touch of humor that wrapped things up well.
* The audiobook was engaging and well-narrated.

🤔 What Fell Flat
It took a while to connect with Brynn. Her fake-it-til-you-make-it attitude and bitterness toward her hometown made her harder to root for at first.

⭐ Final Rating + Shelf Status
 ★
3.8 stars – Keep. It’s not an all-time favorite, but fans of enemies-to-lovers and small-town drama will enjoy the ride.

This is a cute, light enemies-to-lovers rom-com that is easy to read and worth your time. I usually like a little spice in my rom-coms, but this had none, so just know that going in.

This got off to a slow start, as I didn't feel like Brynn was very likable in the beginning of the book. Brynn is a morning show on-air personality, whose whole "America's Ray of Sunshine" persona is based on her just reading whatever her studio puts on her cue cards. She ends up making an unfortunate comment about her small hometown on a hot mic, which sets up the whole reason for her needing to return to Adelaide Springs - to make amends. But, even when she got back to her there, where her entire goal was to make a good impression and make amends for her on-air comment, pretty much the first thing she did was be rude to her hometown ambassador.

After that, it got better once Brynn and Seb - her hometown ambassador - started spending time together and the town started warming up to her. Initially, Seb's goal was to give Brynn a hard time about everything, but the more he learned about her backstory and spent time with her, he started to really like her and see her for who she really was. This turned into a cute fun read for me. I always appreciate a HEA and love that there was no third act break-up.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook version of this ARC.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would after the first few chapters. It was an excellent example of character growth. My feelings toward Brynn felt like they were swinging like a pendulum. At the very beginning she seemed relatable with the stress of a new job and very quickly she turned to into a mean, rude monster. Her arc back to a likable and relatable woman was good, and her background added a depth of character. Sebastian was intriguing and I was crushing on him. I’m a big fan of the slow burn so the longing could have been built up more but that’s just a preference. The narration was good and it was a fast and fun listen.

I am always ready for a cute romance read, and Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other fit the bill. I enjoyed the dual POV story, and the female lead (the aforementioned Brynn) returning to her hometown, which she had all but sworn she would never set foot in again. I am a big fan of the "enemies to lovers" trope, so that was enjoyed, although I have to admit that I found Brynn a bit TOO bristly and unapproachable for approximately the first 35-40% of the book, to the point that I was unsure how much I liked her throughout the rest of the book. She was clearly putting up walls and using defensive measures to try to protect herself against her past wounds, but when she started of her visit to her hometown by acting like a stereotypical "Karen"-type towards peo0ple in service positions whom she had never met, I was not a fan. I'm glad that she realized what she was doing and was able to separate the town and all the people there who loved her from the actual sources of her pain, but it was a tough comeback for me.

Overall, the story was well-written, well-paced, and enjoyable, and the audiobook reader was phenomenal.

3 stars for the narrator…Brynn is not a nice person and it shows from the very beginning. One would think that her reckless mouth would cause her to be more cautious but nope. Every she meets someone new she begins berating and demeaning them. If it wasn’t for the narrator, I’d have given this book 1 star.

This is marketed as enemies to lovers, and the concept is in the title: Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other, but it did not deliver on the tension and banter I've come to expect from this trope. I think reluctant forced proximity would be a better trope to describe this story, because Brynn and Sebastian dislike each other for all of what felt like 5 minutes until they were forced to be alone together for the first time and then it became very insta-love. In addition to that, Brynn and Sebastian were just not very likeable characters. It's usually not a good sign when I enjoy the side characters more than the main characters. I was hoping to see more character growth from Brynn and was left feeling disappointed by the end. There just wasn't as much depth to our main characters as I would've liked. The small town setting and atmosphere were written well and I liked the cozy feeling of it. The story had the potential to be really good, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. The writing didn't flow well as it was constantly switching from 1st person in Brynn's chapters to 3rd person in Sebastian's chapters. Since the book was told from dual-POV, I think it would've been easier to read and enjoy had it stuck with either 1st or 3rd person the entire way through. The narrator, Talon David, did a great job.

4.00 stars
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At the height of her career, Brynn Cornell is on a high. She's the new co-host of a popular morning show, Sunup, and is known to everyone as America's Ray of Sunshine. That is, until a production mishap exposes her snarky side to the world, including residents of her former hometown, Adelaide Springs, Colorado. In an instant, she goes from a loved news anchor to the most hated woman on air. As a last-ditch attempt to fix her reputation, she heads back to Colorado to show the world that if they can forgive her, so should they.

I will admit that I was not a fan of Brynn at first. You would think that after being exposed, she would attempt to be more cautious with her words. Still, no, within a few minutes of being back in Adelaide Springs, she mistakes council-member Sebastien as their pilot and criticizes him once again, showing her true colours. I understand writing her character this way to add to her overall growth, but the moment itself is cringeworthy. This moment also solidifies the fact that Sebastien is not a fan of her, which makes things difficult as he's been assigned to chauffeur her around while filming.

As much as Sebastien isn't a fan of her, he understands the stressors of being in the spotlight. As an ex-journalist, there are reasons as to why he's now living in Adelaide Springs and no longer in the center of all the action. I loved the small-town vibes, it was interesting to see Brynn reconnect with old friends and the town that raised her. Once you find out a little more about Brynn's past, it hurts even more knowing she was able to casually hate on the town.

I had the opportunity to listen to this one, and I would highly recommend it as the narrator does a great job with the added emotions our characters go through. Although not being a fan of Brynn at first, she does come around, and her growth does pull at your heartstrings.
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I would like to thank Thomas Nelson, Boppouethany Turner, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to Brynn and Sebastien Hate Each Other in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Brynn and Sebastien Hate Each Other was published on September 5th, 2023. You can order your copy today!

Thank you to the publishers for the gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Ugh I really wanted to like this more!! I just couldn’t get myself to love the FMC, and didn’t think she fully deserved her “redemption” by the end if you can call it that. I was charmed by the small town setting and really liked the MMC, but the FMC was just not for me.

Thank you to the publisher for letting me listen to this. The narration was engaging and I could not stop listening. I really loved it and hope others love it as well. The story was engaging as well as the characters. I would recommend.

I wanted to LOVE this book so much because enemies to lovers is my favorite but I just could not love this book. I really disliked Brynn for 95% of the book and Sebastian I disliked for about 45% of the book but came around to him a lot earlier! I truly started liking the book in the last few chapters and the epilogue, IF ONLY THE ENTIRE BOOK WAS LIKE THIS!!!! The writing was great as a whole and I enjoyed the narrating but the characters really underwhelmed me for most of the books (honestly down right angered me at points). I did love the small town vibes though and the townspeople really reminded me of people I grew up with! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for allowing me the ability to listen and review this book!

I really enjoyed this book! I love a good enemies to lovers, and Brynn and Seb fit the bill perfectly. I was really rooting for them, and all the resolutions really worked. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bethany Turner and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for a copy of this audioARC. The following will be my honest review.
With a pretty cover and adorable premise I dove into Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other hoping for witty banter, satisfying enemies-to-lovers tension, and that warm-fuzzy feeling of two opposites finally finding common ground. Sadly, this one missed the mark for me.
I’ll admit upfront: I can have a tough time with “black cat energy” heroines. But as they say, what bothers you about others is often a mirror to yourself—so I like to lean in and explore that discomfort. When done well, these prickly heroines lead to some of my favorite arcs of growth and self-reflection. When done poorly… well, you end up with a character who’s just plain mean. And unfortunately, that’s exactly how Brynn read to me—less mysterious and complex, more “mean girl at the high school reunion” vibes.
The plot itself had potential, but the pacing felt off-kilter and the banter a bit too rehearsed. And don’t even get me started on the pop culture references—like a 2013 Buzzfeed list that never ends. One Direction, Jennifer Aniston, Harry Potter, the Queen of England—this book had a revolving door of name drops. It felt less like grounding the story in reality and more like a frantic game of pop culture bingo.
Then there’s the odd narrative structure choice: Brynn’s chapters in first person, Sebastian’s in third. A risk! But sadly, it didn’t pay off for me. It just added another layer of disconnection in a book that was already struggling to find its footing.
At the end of the day, this felt less like a “grumpy girl with hidden depths finds love” story and more like “mean girl gets a boyfriend and everything’s suddenly fine.” I wanted to see growth, but what I got was an unconvincing flip of the switch.
All that said, I know this book has its fans—and if you’re someone who can roll with endless pop culture references and find joy in sharp banter even when the heroine is prickly to the point of drawing blood, you might enjoy this more than I did. But for me, it was a one-star miss.

This was a perfect audiobook! Talon David does an excellent job at narrating the book.

Brynn has a fake tv persona. She says negative things about her hometown while still on air. Thus begins her journey back to her hometown. Sebastian has moved to her hometown since she left several years ago.

In this opposites attract enemies to lovers novel you get a little of everything.

Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the audio copy of this book. All opinions are my own!

I really enjoyed the premise for this story and enemies to lovers in general. I would have appreciated more banter between the characters but overall I liked the audiobook/story.

I got this audiobook from NetGalley!❤️

I eat up a good enemies to lovers. I was a little worried about the MFC in the start, but turns out, she just needed to be reminded where she came from and then you want to give her a fatty hug.
When she first saw Doc, I cried.
A took a it for me to get invested, then all the sudden I was rooting for all! Even a colonial festival I didn’t know I want to attend.

A very good fluff hallmark read

I am a huge fan of the enemies to lovers trope, so I was very excited to dive into this book. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.

Sebastian is a nice enough MMC/love interest, but Brynn is an absolutely insufferable FMC for the majority of the story. She is horribly rude, terribly inconsiderate and gives off the impression that she feels like certain people are beneath her. While I do admire driven women who stand up for themselves and fight for what they want, and we get to know more about her, admittedly, abusive childhood, there is simply no excuse for her behaviour. Also, it doesn't really make sense to me sometimes. What I will say is that Brynn does grow as a character, which I appreciate. It's just too little too late for me to really root for her.

The only character I find truly likable is Brynn's cameraman (whose name I sadly can't spell since I listened to this on audiobook and have never encountered the name before). He's pretty much the voice of reason in this book.
While the townsfolk seem nice enough as well, none of them feel fleshed out enough for me to really comment on.

This story had a lot of potential but, though not bad, ultimately fell flat for me.